Hooking up with SouleMama for This Moment.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
This is the Day.....Chest Deep in Bubbles
There is no better way to close off the weekend, and a long week of nasty colds, weakened bodies and fragile minds, than a giant warm bath of bubbles. My kids played, explored and laughed with all their hearts tonight. All of the last week just washed away. Thank goodness for that.
Hooking up with SouleMama for This Moment.
Hooking up with SouleMama for This Moment.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Non-Stop Talking, umm, Learning
Having our four year old home sick for the last two days means that our house has been full of non-stop talking for the last 48 hours. I have learned a lot!
Our conversations have gone like this....
1. This afternoon during some down time:
"Bub, I was thinking of putting some music on, but your singing is so nice, I don't want you to stop. Would you like to keep singing or have some music?"
"Music is good. I will keep on singing and they will sing back."
2. When daddy got home for lunch today:
"My bike has a flat tire."
"Why dad?"
"I guess I am having a day of bad luck."
"You're lucky dad, you're home with us."
3. At random, several times today:
"I have hockey sticks coming out of my ears and feet."
4. Yesterday morning, after having her first dream she could recount:
"There was a fire in my room. It was so loud. Were you out grocery shopping, mom? Didn't you hear the fire?"
5. In response to her little brother's increasingly mischevious ways:
"I think he needs a time out."
6. Today at lunch:
"The only thing I don't like is peas....I don't like cucumber."
7. During another random exchange:
"That's incredible! Incredible is a bad word. Do you think that?"
8. A sweet little snippet shared between dad and daughter today:
"Dad, I wish you were a girl so you could be mom."
9. Again, totally at random, but said with such sweetness I can't take it personally:
"I really love dad now. Remember when I didn't like his hair? I love him now. I love him the most. I love him more than you."
10. While singing this afternoon:
"O! Canada, we stand on R30 (a homeopathic cream we use). Mom, how can you stand on R30?"
Despite having a tired, sick, quick to cry kid by my side for the last 48 hours, I have had so much fun having my sweet girl home with me, always teaching me.
Hooking up with The Good Life for Monday Listicles and what you learned in 2012. I have learned enough in the last 48 hours to make at least a list of 10, a whole year could sink a ship!
Our conversations have gone like this....
1. This afternoon during some down time:
"Bub, I was thinking of putting some music on, but your singing is so nice, I don't want you to stop. Would you like to keep singing or have some music?"
"Music is good. I will keep on singing and they will sing back."
2. When daddy got home for lunch today:
"My bike has a flat tire."
"Why dad?"
"I guess I am having a day of bad luck."
"You're lucky dad, you're home with us."
3. At random, several times today:
"I have hockey sticks coming out of my ears and feet."
4. Yesterday morning, after having her first dream she could recount:
"There was a fire in my room. It was so loud. Were you out grocery shopping, mom? Didn't you hear the fire?"
5. In response to her little brother's increasingly mischevious ways:
"I think he needs a time out."
6. Today at lunch:
"The only thing I don't like is peas....I don't like cucumber."
7. During another random exchange:
"That's incredible! Incredible is a bad word. Do you think that?"
8. A sweet little snippet shared between dad and daughter today:
"Dad, I wish you were a girl so you could be mom."
9. Again, totally at random, but said with such sweetness I can't take it personally:
"I really love dad now. Remember when I didn't like his hair? I love him now. I love him the most. I love him more than you."
10. While singing this afternoon:
"O! Canada, we stand on R30 (a homeopathic cream we use). Mom, how can you stand on R30?"
Despite having a tired, sick, quick to cry kid by my side for the last 48 hours, I have had so much fun having my sweet girl home with me, always teaching me.
Hooking up with The Good Life for Monday Listicles and what you learned in 2012. I have learned enough in the last 48 hours to make at least a list of 10, a whole year could sink a ship!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Stitched Together
(My) life is like a patchwork quilt.
Each day is a different material, some happy, some drab, some vibrant, some tattered, some beautiful, some a combination of all of these things.
Each day is stitched together with a long thread, woven in and out, overtime connecting the days into a patchwork of years.
I love that my sewing literalizes my life. Like life, sewing is about dreaming, planning, cutting apart, stitching together and creating.
I love all of my sewing projects (well, most of them!), but there is something so satisfying and balancing about making a quilt. For the last couple of months, I have been working on a quilt for a little girl made of upcycled clothing from her first year. I have loved the puzzle of this project, taking apart a myriad of tiny outfits, laying them out, layering them, stitching them together and finding the perfect balance.
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| Custom quilt made with upcycled clothing from a little girl's first year of life |
(My) life is like a patchwork quilt.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Ten Firsts With My Second Born
Last week, I wrote about the Ten Firsts With My First Born for Monday Listcles. This week, I wanted to take some time out, really think about and share ten firsts with my second born.
1. The first time I knew your little being existed, I was full of joy.
2. The first time I saw your sweet little profile, I was reminded of how much of your own person you are because you didn't look like your sister, even in utero.
3. The first time I felt you kick, I was so thrilled to experience that feeling again.
4. The first time I thought about being a family of four, my heart felt a little achy and nostalgic for our family of three.
5. The first time I thought about the friendship that would bloom between you and your sister, I felt so excited for you both.
6. The first time I realized you were not going to be born early, but instead take up camp past 40 weeks, I was both relieved and so impatient to meet you.
7. The first time I *saw* that you were a boy, I was overcome with emotion and might have lost my mind just a little bit.
8. The first time I held you, I truly understood that a heart can stretch and grow to hold infinite amounts of love.
9. The first time we snuggled through the night, you were peaceful down to your core and I knew you were a sensitive little soul.
10. The first time our family of four was together, I felt like everything was right in the world.
You, my second born, my sweet lovable monkey man, you have stretched both my heart and my world, and you have made me see that "firsts" are there for us to expereince everyday, if we just take notice.
Hooking up with The Good Life for Monday Listicles (just a few days late!).
1. The first time I knew your little being existed, I was full of joy.
2. The first time I saw your sweet little profile, I was reminded of how much of your own person you are because you didn't look like your sister, even in utero.
3. The first time I felt you kick, I was so thrilled to experience that feeling again.
4. The first time I thought about being a family of four, my heart felt a little achy and nostalgic for our family of three.
5. The first time I thought about the friendship that would bloom between you and your sister, I felt so excited for you both.
6. The first time I realized you were not going to be born early, but instead take up camp past 40 weeks, I was both relieved and so impatient to meet you.
7. The first time I *saw* that you were a boy, I was overcome with emotion and might have lost my mind just a little bit.
8. The first time I held you, I truly understood that a heart can stretch and grow to hold infinite amounts of love.
9. The first time we snuggled through the night, you were peaceful down to your core and I knew you were a sensitive little soul.
10. The first time our family of four was together, I felt like everything was right in the world.
Hooking up with The Good Life for Monday Listicles (just a few days late!).
Friday, November 2, 2012
This is the Day.....Soaking It All Up
This is the day....
my little boy woke up and seemed two inches taller then he did at bedtime last night.
He woke up, stretched his lengthening limbs, knew more, ran more, said more, explored more.
This is the day to soak it all up because, as the old saying goes, this time will be gone in the blink of an eye, and before I know it that car will be real, that cellphone will look ancient and my little boy will be a man.
Hooking up with SouleMama for This Moment
my little boy woke up and seemed two inches taller then he did at bedtime last night.
He woke up, stretched his lengthening limbs, knew more, ran more, said more, explored more.
This is the day to soak it all up because, as the old saying goes, this time will be gone in the blink of an eye, and before I know it that car will be real, that cellphone will look ancient and my little boy will be a man.
Hooking up with SouleMama for This Moment
Monday, October 29, 2012
Ten Firsts With My First Born
1. The first time I saw those two pink lines, I was rendered speechless.
2. The first time I felt you kick, I was giddy.
3. The first time I saw you, I was amazed.
4. The first time someone recognized that I was pregnant, I was proud.
6. The first time I heard you were a girl, it felt exactly right.
7. The first time you were laid on my chest, you looked at daddy, blew a big bubble out of your mouth, and a miracle was witnessed.
8. The first time I saw you after you were wisked away, you had an IV and wore an oxygen mask, but you were quiet and peaceful, and I knew you were brave.
9. The first time I really, really, really got to hold you, you were 9 hours old, and you felt completely perfect in my arms.
10. The first time we brought you home, at 18 days old, we took a long, deep, much needed breath, and happiness filled our home.
From that day onward, you, my first born, my sweet sweet girl, have gifted me with so many firsts. I look forward to a lifetime more.
Hooking up with The Good Life for Monday Listicles.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
In Full Bloom
Outside, the air is chilling, the leaves are falling and the earth is preparing to take a long, deep breath.
But inside our little house, a friendship is in full bloom.
The seed was planted many months ago.
The roots took hold....
There was a draught.
But with time, the rain returned and the sun did shine.
And then, then that little green sprout grew big and strong.
The petals uncurled one by one....
But inside our little house, a friendship is in full bloom.
The seed was planted many months ago.
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| Big sister meets baby brother for the first time. |
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and the little seedling began to unfurl.
There was a draught.
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| Let me go! |
And then, then that little green sprout grew big and strong.
The petals uncurled one by one....
until it was in full bloom.
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| "Oh, sweetiepea," she says as she brushes his teeth. He smiles. |
Friday, October 19, 2012
This Is The Day....Our First Conversation
This is the day....
my daugther and I had our first conversation.
As we lay in bed, past bedtime, body to body, we talked big, we talked deep, we talked with energy, we talked with love. Old ideas were remembered and new ideas were had.
My girl said, "This is the first conversation we've had."
My heart fluttered.
"Oh," I said.
She continued,"Well, no, actually, we had our first conversation after lunch today."
"Oh," I said again. "We haven't had a conversation before?"
"No," she said. "You've had a conversation with dad, but not with me."
"It is pretty cool that you are four now and you have so many ideas to share," I said. "I like having conversations with you."
She quickly replied, "I like having conversations with you too. Let's have another conversation tomorrrow."
Sounds perfect to me, sweet girl.
Hooking up with Soule Mama for This Moment.
As we lay in bed, past bedtime, body to body, we talked big, we talked deep, we talked with energy, we talked with love. Old ideas were remembered and new ideas were had.
My girl said, "This is the first conversation we've had."
My heart fluttered.
"Oh," I said.
She continued,"Well, no, actually, we had our first conversation after lunch today."
"Oh," I said again. "We haven't had a conversation before?"
"No," she said. "You've had a conversation with dad, but not with me."
"It is pretty cool that you are four now and you have so many ideas to share," I said. "I like having conversations with you."
She quickly replied, "I like having conversations with you too. Let's have another conversation tomorrrow."
Sounds perfect to me, sweet girl.
Hooking up with Soule Mama for This Moment.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Ten Ways I Am the Same or Different Than My Younger Self
I am linking up with some other bloggers for Monday Listicles, hosted by The Good Life, to answer the question, "How are you the same or different from your younger self?"
I am not exactly sure when my younger self became my older self, but if I had to guess, it was likely four years ago when I became somebody's mother. That makes you grow up real fast!
So, since becoming a mama, this is how I have changed or stayed the same.....
1. No more lazy, dazy days of sleeping in and lounging around the house. By 9am, I have been woken up by a human alarm clock, have snuggled two little bodies, checked the weather, read stories, made a school lunch, made breakfast, brushed two pairs of teeth, gotten three bodies dressed and dropped one big part of myself off at school for the day.
2. I have come to realize that the small stuff really does matter.
3. I can still take a pretty good tantrum, but I *try* to do it in my own time and space.
4. I am more patient.
5. I am less patient.
6. I now understand that heartache is exactly that.
7. I no longer leave my house to work, but I still have a boss (actually, I have two!).
8. I still love to sew, but like my life, my creative inspiration has changed.
9. I have been humbled (again and again). The moment I think I know what I am doing (better than someone else), the universe (or my kid) has a way of showing me I still have a lot to learn.
10. I now wear my heart on my sleeve because it has grown way too big for my body.
I am not exactly sure when my younger self became my older self, but if I had to guess, it was likely four years ago when I became somebody's mother. That makes you grow up real fast!
So, since becoming a mama, this is how I have changed or stayed the same.....
1. No more lazy, dazy days of sleeping in and lounging around the house. By 9am, I have been woken up by a human alarm clock, have snuggled two little bodies, checked the weather, read stories, made a school lunch, made breakfast, brushed two pairs of teeth, gotten three bodies dressed and dropped one big part of myself off at school for the day.
2. I have come to realize that the small stuff really does matter.
3. I can still take a pretty good tantrum, but I *try* to do it in my own time and space.
4. I am more patient.
5. I am less patient.
6. I now understand that heartache is exactly that.
7. I no longer leave my house to work, but I still have a boss (actually, I have two!).
8. I still love to sew, but like my life, my creative inspiration has changed.
9. I have been humbled (again and again). The moment I think I know what I am doing (better than someone else), the universe (or my kid) has a way of showing me I still have a lot to learn.
10. I now wear my heart on my sleeve because it has grown way too big for my body.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Inspiration
My grandma taught me how to sew in her cottage kitchen. I was probably ten years old. We made oven mitt covers. I remember the way I felt that day, the awesomeness of making something. I had fabric and a machine, and in the end, I had oven mitt covers. It was magical. From that moment forward, I was a sewer. I am a sewer. I have made many things in the last twenty plus years, and if you pulled them all out and lined them up, in many ways, they would tell the story of my life. The things that I have sewed along the way follow the pattern of my life because they are inspired by my life. Oven mitts, a blue velvet purse for a school dance (a little bit functional, a little bit rocker), a bedspread to cheer up my horrible university bedroom, a red blanket with a giant maple leaf for my then boyfriend/now husband because we just loved that we were/are Canadian....
Then four years ago, something CRAZY happened. My life split in two to make room for another. I became a mama. As my life opened wide and shifted so did the inspiration for my sewing. Inspiration was everywhere.
Adelaide loved to play with tags. She loved to suck on fabric. She was amazed by patterns. I put all these loves into one and made her a soft flannel, highly patterned taggie blanket.
A parenting book I was reading suggested giving your toddler her very own bag to spur on independence. I made Adelaide a toddler sized backpack that could be filled, dumped, filled, carried, dragged, washed and loved some more.
When Adelaide turned one, I wanted to make her something really special, something that summarized our first year together so I made her a quilt with fabric from outfits she had worn in the NICU, her coming home outfit, her daddy's favourite t-shirt....
Adelaide loved to cook and bake, and would spend hours in her kitchen making us tea. From this came the inspiration to make her an apron, chef's hat and oven mitts.
My inspiration was overflowing and I was able to pour it into my sewing. As Adelaide started having long stretches of sleep in the afternoon, and my time became more free, my sewing machine got busier and busier. My sewing business, Sew Inspired, was born.
Adelaide is now four. She still inspires me. Her life inspires me. She will say something, play with something, do something, and I think I could make 'that'. I read something, see something, and I think I could make 'that'. In addtion to taggies, backpacks, aprons and dolly carriers, Adelaide has a mama made Christmas stocking, a mama made Easter basket, a mama made Halloween bag, costumes, dresses, skirts....
Now that school has started, our world is changing again. I am stretching in new directions. I am being inspired in new ways. At Adelaide's school, like many, Halloween is "Black and Orange Day". Instead of costumes, the kids are asked to wear orange and black to celebrated the day. There's inspiration in that! I want to make her something, something really cool, something one-of-a-kind, something that screams her. I could make her an orange t-shirt (one of her favourite colours) with appliqued stars (one of her favourite things). Oh, she will love it!
Inspiration strikes, t-shirts bought, fabric sourced, cutting, ironing, sewing, and taaaaadaaaaaaaaaaa! Halloween inspired t-shirts (that are so darn awesome they can be worn any day of the year!).
I had so much fun dreaming these t-shirts up, sourcing the fabric (some new, some upcycled) and making them, that I want to make more. I would love to make them for your kids!
Pick one of these that you like, or customize it. T-shirt colours can be changed, appliques (ghost, pumpkin, raven, witch, spider.....) can be chosen so that they are really, really, really loved!
One-of-a-kind, appliqued Halloween t-shirts (that are so darn awesome they can be worn any day of the year!), $22.
Sizes available from 6 months up.
If interested, adult sized t-shirts could also be added to the line-up.
Place an order by leaving a comment here, or by visiting my facebook page and leaving me a message there.
Because I just love these t-shirts and it would be awesome to see one on your kid....the first person to place an order gets a $5 credit towards their purchase.
Adelaide loved to play with tags. She loved to suck on fabric. She was amazed by patterns. I put all these loves into one and made her a soft flannel, highly patterned taggie blanket.
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| Taggie blanket: so simple and so easy to love |
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| the backpack: a staple for any wardrobe, even pajamas! |
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| giving Adelaide her quilt on her first birthday |
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| sharing her quilt with a friend |
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| sharing her quilt with dad |
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| serious cuteness |
Adelaide is now four. She still inspires me. Her life inspires me. She will say something, play with something, do something, and I think I could make 'that'. I read something, see something, and I think I could make 'that'. In addtion to taggies, backpacks, aprons and dolly carriers, Adelaide has a mama made Christmas stocking, a mama made Easter basket, a mama made Halloween bag, costumes, dresses, skirts....
Now that school has started, our world is changing again. I am stretching in new directions. I am being inspired in new ways. At Adelaide's school, like many, Halloween is "Black and Orange Day". Instead of costumes, the kids are asked to wear orange and black to celebrated the day. There's inspiration in that! I want to make her something, something really cool, something one-of-a-kind, something that screams her. I could make her an orange t-shirt (one of her favourite colours) with appliqued stars (one of her favourite things). Oh, she will love it!
Inspiration strikes, t-shirts bought, fabric sourced, cutting, ironing, sewing, and taaaaadaaaaaaaaaaa! Halloween inspired t-shirts (that are so darn awesome they can be worn any day of the year!).
 | ||
| Really, really, really loving it! |
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| Little cousin loving her's too! |
 | |
| Big cousin loves orange cats and loves her t-shirt! |
 |
| Skulls and crossbones give this little brother some attitude! |
Pick one of these that you like, or customize it. T-shirt colours can be changed, appliques (ghost, pumpkin, raven, witch, spider.....) can be chosen so that they are really, really, really loved!
One-of-a-kind, appliqued Halloween t-shirts (that are so darn awesome they can be worn any day of the year!), $22.
Sizes available from 6 months up.
If interested, adult sized t-shirts could also be added to the line-up.
Place an order by leaving a comment here, or by visiting my facebook page and leaving me a message there.
Because I just love these t-shirts and it would be awesome to see one on your kid....the first person to place an order gets a $5 credit towards their purchase.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Stretching
There is a whole lot of stretching happening around here right now. And, it is not the physical kind of stretching that happens in the morning when you get out of bed, or the kind that you do before and after a good work out (no work out here!). No, it is the very hard kind of stretching, the mental and emotional kind that tears at your heart and leaves you feeling wounded. The kind that makes you grow.
September has been a hard month. To be completely honest, August was a bit of a hard one too. We have been preparing for and living the beginning of school for our sweet girl. The heart strings between me and my girl have been tied pretty tight. She stretched and grew inside of me and made my heart grow one million billion trillion sizes with each day of her life.
We have had very little time apart. Sometimes this made for fantastic days of laughter and learning. Other days, it made for frustration and the need to find our own space. I knew that with the beginning of school, I would give my girl over to someone else, someone else who would spend more of the day with her than I would, have an influence on her, would make her stretch and grow without me.
Don't get me wrong, this is a wonderful thing, but as those heart strings stretch, it hurts. And, it doesn't only hurt me, it hurts my girl too. She has had the safety of her mama's arms, love, embrace, encouragement for four years, and it has been hard for her to step out our front door (quite literally) and enter into the world where she has to find her own safety, her own words, her own self. She has been so scared, so brave, so proud, so vulnerable, so consistent, so volatile.
And, then there is our sweet boy who is stretching and growing in his own right.
He is seeing the world from a new height, proudly exploring the world by foot. He is amazed by everything. He points to the light, clock, phone, book, tree, asking for a name, an explanation. He is happy for us to explain and shakes his head with acceptance. The heart strings are still tied tight. We are still the world to him.
Add into the mix, a mama and daddy who are adapting to this new routine of getting up in the morning with the mission of making the first hour of the day happy and managable. To gear up for the day ahead, stay one step ahead of the little voice saying, "I don't want to go to school today," and an even bigger step ahead of the big, booming, screeching voice yelling, "I don't want to go to school today". We are doing all of this while also trying to make breakfast, a school lunch, shower, breathe, learn new things, try new things, breathe, love each other, argue, grow, stretch, breathe.
It feels like it has been the biggest month for our family. The biggest stretch. The biggest growth. My husband is good to remind me of all the other times we felt this way in our lives as a family. We got through those times. Right now, we are in the thick of it. We are seeing little moments of beauty in all of it, and are waiting patiently for a little reprieve, for a little more of this....
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| growing |
September has been a hard month. To be completely honest, August was a bit of a hard one too. We have been preparing for and living the beginning of school for our sweet girl. The heart strings between me and my girl have been tied pretty tight. She stretched and grew inside of me and made my heart grow one million billion trillion sizes with each day of her life.
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| pregnant with my girl |
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| first day. here she goes! |
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| Pride of place on the fridge |
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| Wanting to be just like big sister! |
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| safe with dad |
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| Breakfast time! |
It feels like it has been the biggest month for our family. The biggest stretch. The biggest growth. My husband is good to remind me of all the other times we felt this way in our lives as a family. We got through those times. Right now, we are in the thick of it. We are seeing little moments of beauty in all of it, and are waiting patiently for a little reprieve, for a little more of this....
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| Loving life at the fall fair |
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| taking flight at the park |
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| Self protrait of our girl taken today. That smile tells me we are doing something right. |
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