Making it a good day....with sewing and baking.

Yesterday morning was very busy.  I had a doctor appointment, big L had a dental appointment, and we had to stop at Costco on the way home because I did not want to drive all the way out there again this week.  I did not expect it to be a productive day other than accomplishing the above mentioned tasks.

I did not receive good news from my doctor, so off to the ENT I go. Normally this would have put me into a spin an I would have used it as an excuse to relax for the day.  While I have a horrible headache that does not seem to end, and a cough/sore throat that have been around since October I can't justify just sitting any longer.

So I got productive.  This weekend I decided the pile of scraps waiting to be sewn together to make a rag rug, a la, Amanda Blake Soule and her book Handmade Home, would be sewn together.  They are not equal, but hey, I am sure it will all work out in the end.  Okay, I HOPE it will all work out!

That project will be going forward with the help of Big L, so it is on hold for a few weeks as her schedule does not give us time for awhile.

I was going to make diaper covers this weekend, but it just didn't work out.  Instead my hubby and and I cleaned out our closet (really cleaned, he even took the boxes to Goodwill already), and I made bread and muffins.

Yesterday afternoon I decided I was going to take the leap and make the diaper cover.  So I started.....and FINISHED!!!!  I am not the greatest seamstress.  I would say I am an advanced beginner, but I did okay for the first try, I think.

I know, my legs need the elastic stretched tighter.  Working with elastic is new to me, so it is taking some practice, a little cursing, and a good stern talking to (the elastic that is).

One thing I like about making my own is I can combine the aspects I like from both types of diaper covers we use.  Little l is a big soaker.  When I use a G diaper, which has the center snap in liner surrounded by a cloth cover, she soaks right through.  When I use a flip diaper it doesn't always catch everything on the diaper, and I can't always get it to fit snug against her.

Did I come up with this all on my own?  Heck no.  I happened across it at Joanne's before the holidays and planned on making them before the end of the year (HAH!).  It is a line called Babyville Boutique. I like it okay, and if you have a coupon it is quite affordable, or at least less than buying a pre-made cover.

To top it all off Big L requested we make the cookie recipe out of the cookbook I gave her for x-mas.  How could I say no?  So we have pretty heart shaped sugar cookies in our home as well.  Yesterday was a great day.  :-)

Brain Freeze

I had about five different posts being prepped in my mind.  Unfortunately, I failed to write them down.....so I sit here unable to think of a thing to say.  I am going to blame lack of sleep. Little l is still not sleeping through the night, though does seem to be feeling better today (THANK YOU!).  I think my body has had enough and is getting sick so I will rest.....joy.  I am sure that I will recall what I meant to write, most likely at 12:30 am when I groggily wake coughing.  They were really good ideas, i swear!

Sleepless in our home...

I will admit that I got to sleep in yesterday, though that little bit of catch up was not much help.  Little l is sick again, and I am exhausted and not feeling so good myself.

While I admire my husbands work ethic, sometimes I just want him to stay home and rest and help take care of us when we are sick.  Alas, I am off to nap, for the baby seems to be resting for longer than 20 minutes now, and I am sure she will be up and going soon.

Errands with Baby...

The last time little l and I went to Costco it was a nightmare.  She kept trying to stand up in the cart, fussed unless I was holding her, no small feat when trying to push a very heavy cart. I swore that was it, never again. However, today I had no choice, we needed costco items, and my babysitter is sick.  Today I timed it differently, I let her nap fed her lunch, then loaded her up and off we went.

She did well this time, thankfully, other than the crying on the way home because she was tired.

I don't know how other mom's handle this, but sometimes I don't have a choice.  I have to take little l. Not sure what I will do next time, because sometimes we have to go at a specific time, so that big L can go for allergy shots. When this happens little l misses a nap and is difficult. Perhaps I will try to remember my wrap and just wear her from now on.

I guess I have learned to never say never.

New Year, New Budget....

I have always struggled with money.  I am not a good money manager.  HORRIBLE!!

Last year we tried to just keep track of money monthly.  It did not work that well.  It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great.

This year we are doing this a little differently.  Namely, we are going to talk about the budget a lot more.  Money will be tracked based on how we spend it.  Not whether or not we spent more than we made a month.  I am actually a little excited to see how much I can save on different categories.  Of course, I know that some categories will always be maxed out, but I am hoping to save in other areas.

Hopefully it works out well.  I think I mostly look forward to realistic conversations with my husband!  I am also thinking about using this to teach big L about money and budgeting. Her version will be smaller, but I think it is time for her to start learning about saving money to buy things you want.

A new school!!! Exciting!

Big L started her new school on Monday.  She came home so excited i was relieved!  I was a bit concerned that the switch from Montessori to public school would be a little bumpy, but so far so good!  I mean really good.  Her only complaint from yesterday was more of a statement than a complaint.  She informed me that she didn't get to pick her work, she had to do what the teacher had everyone doing.

She came home very excited because she made a lot of new friends, saw her girl scout friends and all in all had a good day.  She was so excited about the library, it is huge.  However, one of her favorite parts was the bus ride home.  It takes about 30 minutes for her to get here from school, even though we live a mile away, but she loved it!  Why?  She said she likes to be jostled about and not wearing a seatbelt.  hmph.  I loved it too, because;

Reason one:  I don't have to load the baby in the car, drive a mile to turn around and drive right back.

Reason two:  I don't have to deal with the zoo that is afternoon pick up at her school.  There are just a lot of parents trying to pick there kids up all at once, it is CRAZY!  Plus, the bus is a much more environmentally friendly method for pick up and drop off.  It is not one kid per car, there are quite a few kids on the bus.  My car's fuel economy suffers when I drive her to and from school.  Seriously, the hills here eat fuel quickly, so I am excited to see how much fuel I actually use (or don't use) with her riding the bus.

Reason three:  We get to walk to and from the bus stop together.  This may be my favorite part.  Monday, she talked non-stop about her day until we got home, this does not happen in the car.  I usually get the, "I don't know, I did nothing" today response.  While I will have to pick her up from the bus stop on Tuesday in the car, every other day we are walking.

Reason four:  After watching big L get on the bus and go in the morning, little l and I can go for our own walk.  I admittedly need to lose weight and get active again.  My health issues are screaming for exercise. This makes me get out there and do it.  No excuses.  Granted, I live in a very hilly neighborhood, so we are starting off slow and on the less steep roads, but I hope that in a month or so we will be climbing those hills.

Illness followed by illness

The past month has been a bit slow around here.  I have been sick off and on since October.  Big L got sick over winter break, shared it with her sister, who graciously shared it with mom and dad.  All in all, it has been a tiring month.  Add to that all of the holiday cheer and I have barely had time to rest let alone blog.

Thankfully little l is finally feeling better, and able to sleep through the night.  She was so congested my husband spent three or so nights sleeping upright with her.

Bronchitis is something we take very seriously in our home (not that you don't), as with two asthmatics it can quickly become a serious problem.  So our doctor had everyone except my husband on antibiotics (yes I know bronchitis is a virus, but the secondary infections are generally not).  Through all this we discovered little l's first allergy.  Penicillin.  A sick baby with hives is not a happy baby.  However, as I said we have all recovered, and started the new year, healthy (well most of us, hubby is still recovering), and happy with a lot of new exciting things to share.