Cute shorts and scraped knees

Alex requested some shorts this morning. Since I finished a long-standing, major quilting project yesterday I'm feeling the freedom of being between projects. I didn't prewash this fabric so it might just be a one time only pair of shorts. That would be a shame cause they're super cute.

FOUR!

My sweet Alex is FOUR today! We had an awesome party yesterday at our local pet store. The kids got to see and touch lizards, mice, a snake, snails, puppies, a kitty and a bunny. I let all the children "adopt" a kitten stuffed animal and we filled out adoption certificates. We served snacks (dog bone shaped graham crackers and goldfish) and ice cream in pet bowls that the kids could keep. We all had a great time!

Team Umizoomi Toys

Alex really likes Team Umizoomi. There are no Umizoomi toys available to buy so I made him a little set out of peg dolls. Bot doesn't looks EXACTLY like he was supposed to but... what's a girl to do? Geo and Milly look... ok.

Alex's Car Playmat / Messenger Bag

I made Alex a car playmat that folds up into a messenger bag. He loves it. I used this pattern from Gingercakes with a few changes. My sister and I used to make elaborate villages out of Fisher Price houses and Little People. I feel like I'm always trying to get the kids to play villages with me. I keep buying them playhouses and dollhouses - anything to start a village building frenzy. It doesn't really work. They might play that way for a little while but would rather do their own thing. Which I guess I should accept. This playmat is sort of a take along village. It has a school area, a hiking park, a candy store and cupcake cafe, a science museum, a zoo, a construction site, a fire station, an airport, traffic, a playground, two housing complexes and a roadway. I am in the process of making Talia a girly one as well. I went on a fabric frenzy after I started making these two. They aren't that big so I have to be VERY selective as to what fabric I choose!

DIY light box

1 "under the counter" light + 1 clear Sterilite or Rubbermaid container = DIY light table.

Have I solved our nutrition problem?!?!

I have three kids. Talia is a good eater. Recently she has become eager to try new foods. Shayna, so far, has not refused any foods at all. Whatever you give her, she will eat. Then there is Alex. He eats pretty much nothing with nutritive value. He subsists on yogurt, bread and chocolate. I read somewhere about a disorder found in little boys in which they slowly and systematically cut out more and more foods that they previously liked. I think he has that disorder. He used to eat peanut butter. Then he would only eat it on Uncrustables. Now he won't eat it at all. He used to eat cheese sticks. He doesn't like them anymore. As I said, it's only yogurt and bread. The bread shouldn't have crust and yogurt, for the love of God, should only be the "smooth" kind with no "freckles" in it.

The interesting thing is that Alex is my sous chef. He loves to cook. I bought him some kiddie knives and he helps me prep everything. He is the head salad dressing maker. He cuts the cucumbers. He won't try anything. I know I'm not supposed to make a big deal out the eating issues. I rarely mention it. We eat dinner together as a family about 99% of the time and I want it to be a pleasant experience where we talk about our day and enjoy each other's company. Ron, Talia and I model varied, healthful eating. We encourage and reward trying new foods and mostly ignore the rest of it. Maybe it's about control but Alex is so easygoing in every other area that it doesn't make sense.

Most of the time I just ignore it, as I said. I know people who ate nothing but pb&j their entire childhoods and they are fine (and more adventurous eaters) now. Every once in a while I panic about the whole thing. He's not underweight or anything, I just worry about him missing some essential nutrients.

Recently I bought a juicer as a gift for myself. Alex, ever my helper, happily pushed all the fruit and vegetables in. Miraculously-- he drank it! Through juicing he has now had his very first carrots! He had a pear! and a lime! and oranges! and apples! and blackberries! I'm going to try to move into juicing veggies a little bit more and see what I can get him to try! It's very exciting!

Self Portrait T-Shirt: Freezer Paper Stencil

Alex has learned how to draw a self portrait! I took one of his many drawings and turned it into a freezer paper stencil and put it on a t-shirt. (If you want to know how to do it, google the words "how to make a freezer paper stencil" and you will find tons of tutorials.) Isn't it cute?

Bo Peep Skirt II

There has been some sewing going on here. I've been working on small projects lately and hope to get into some bigger ones as soon as it gets colder. I bought some coordinating corduroy fabrics and have been making a set of clothes for the kids. Alex got some great pants that have cargo pockets and contrast cuffs. Talia got another Bo Peep Skirt. The first one can be found here... (She never really wore that first one. I got a little wiser and made it slightly less full and used a lighter elastic because she said it itched her) I need to make Shayna a little dress and we'll have the whole set done. Talia gets a lot of compliments on her skirt. I taught her to say "Thank you, my mommy made it" emphasis on the "Mommy made it" part.

I got so sick of the kids wanting to "help" me sew that I brought out my old sewing machine and took the needle and electrical cord away. Now it is theirs, along with a big bin of scraps, their own kid scissors and notions and even a rotary cutter without the blade. I also gave them my small ironing board and got them a thrift store iron and cut the cord off. Unfortunately, the magic (and it was wonderful, imaginary, cooperative magic) wore off after a week or two and now they are bothering me at my sewing machine again. Alex tried to "help" me clean up my sewing room and organize my fabric by putting all the ones he liked (which is pretty much everything) into a bin for himself. I would like to admit, however, that Alex names all of the parts of the sewing machine (presser foot, feed dogs, bobbin case etc.) as if they are common words everyone knows.

I have two quilt tops done and I'm thinking I'm going to just send them out to a quilter. Until I can afford a long arm machine I think I'm only going to quilt baby quilts by myself.

Alex turns 3!

We had sushi and ice cream cake with Alex's best friend Penny and her family. Compared with Talia at age three or just two months ago when she turned 6, Alex really got the shaft. I did not fill his room with balloons as I did for Talia. His presents were not wrapped, there was no card. He did not have a party with 20 friends. I didn't even make his "3" shirt until the day of his actual birthday. I did make him two "3" shirts though. And, truthfully, while Talia's "big present" was an American Girl doll she wanted (and never plays with), Alex is getting something twice as expensive and possibly better- Ron ordered him a Kettler Go Kart. As least, I think that's what it is because it hasn't arrived yet and it's 5 days PAST Alex's birthday. That's what you get for being the middle child. Considering I AM the middle child of my family, I'm getting lots of lessons about what it might have been like for me!

Cute kids

Haven't posted any pictures of my kids in forever. I figured I would post some of them before this blog gets taken over by new baby pictures (any day now...) These were both taken over a month ago in California. Talia is almost 6 and Alex is 2 3/4.

The Big Boy Bed

Apparently not going as well as I had hoped. I put Alex down for his nap and found him here, an hour later. He is sleeping on the floor at the top of the stairs. He even brought out the toy he had asked to sleep with (a little orange digger). It's not like he couldn't have come downstairs-- I don't know why he chose to just sleep on the floor in the hallway. I was cleaning the house and listening to my ipod- but only with one earbud in so I could hear him! Actually, since this was taken things have improved. There are some protests but he goes to sleep ok at night and at naptime. He has been waking in the middle of the night and coming into my room and standing next to my bed and scaring the shit out of me but not every night. He certainly doesn't want to sleep in his crib. What he wants is to sleep with Sissy-- but on her top bunk, which is obviously unacceptable. Technically SHE'S not even old enough to sleep on a top bunk (you're supposed to be 6 which she won't be until March). Since she got her bunk bed (the same day he got her old bed) she's been sleeping better. I think she's just too lazy to come down the ladder and therefore just goes back to sleep on her own. We've only had this new bed arrangement for two weeks-- one week of which we were on vacation so it's only been a short while. The plan is for them to maybe sleep together but I think we'll wait for summer.

Farewell Summer, Hello Fall

Summer is ending and I'm fine with that. I've discovered I'm not really a summer person. While I am NOT looking forward to buckling the kids in their car seats with bulky winter coats for 6 months, I think I'm ok with the other aspects of winter. My garden was slightly disappointing-- I was very lazy about it. I think next year I'm scaling back to tomatoes and herbs only. It's too much with the CSA produce delivery. I didn't enjoy going to the pool much and all our traveling happened so early in the summer it is now a distant memory. I'm alternately excited and nervous about the upcoming school year. Excited to get a new schedule underway already, hoping Talia will genuinely like Kindergarten and have a smooth transition, nervous that I'll never get her to school on time and she'll still "hate school" and not want to go and we'll struggle 5 days a week instead of the current 3. Lots of little things coming up in the next two months-- school, the Jewish holidays, a visit from my sister, a solo visit home to NJ/NY for a quick weekend, a solo trip with Ron to Puerto Rico, Halloween, etc.

This was a summer of milestones for Alex-- starting school, potty training and a full vocabulary. What a difference from June! I'm looking forward to spending some quality alone time with him once Talia is in school. I'm also looking forward to spending a little quality alone time with myself! I haven't spent any time in my sewing room this summer. Once again I'm backlogged with baby quilts (2 babies already born, one coming any moment, at least one other this fall and no quilts finished-- only two started) and I have a huge pile of ideas for clothes and home decorations that just gathers cobwebs in my mind. So, Farewell Summer and Hello Fall-- I'm ready for you!

Look who wore underpants all day!

This morning was rainy and this afternoon was hot. We had no plans to do anything so... to change things up a bit we put Alex in underpants! He did great! I don't know if I'm ready to make the commitment. I should probably wait until winter, won't that be so much easier? Or is it easier now? He doesn't like the "little potty" so he pretty much needs me to help him get on the big potty. I rewarded him with a sticker if he tries and two M&M's if he actually goes. In order to see if he goes, I need to be in the room with him. Not that he would lie, but his reporting isn't that accurate. Talia didn't complain TOO MUCH about all the attention he was getting-- she was very supportive and she got two M&M's if he went also. Then again, Ron was around to help too. We'll see how things go today. It's nice to know that it IS possible!

Hungry Caterpillar Quilt

So... I made this for someone and then Alex kept hugging it and pointing to it and saying, "That mine?" What's a poor mom to do? I gave it to him and am now scrambling to make something else for my friend! Once again I'm getting behind...

Alex's first week of school

So my baby goes to school now. After two years of dropping off and picking up his sissy at school it was finally his turn. The first morning went well. He seemed to understand that I was going to actually drop him off and leave. He went right in and played with the cars. I said goodbye and told him I was leaving and he nodded and I left. Easy. I called at about 1pm to check on him and they said he was doing great. After his nap, however, he woke up hysterical and cried, with heaving, for a long long time. I picked him up and he was desperate to get out of there.

The next day he cried and cried at drop off and they called an hour later saying he was totally fine and having a great day. He woke up from his nap and cried but wasn't as bad as the previous day.

The third day of school he started crying at breakfast and cried in the car. It was heart wrenching. I had to pry him off of me. They called after 10 minutes and said he was doing great. He woke up from his nap in the afternoon and was even better than the first two days.

All this weekend every time we got in the car he would say "No school!" He started crying when he saw pictures of himself at school on the computer and also when we passed the road that would take him to school. At least he's smart...

So, we're giving it some more time. He's only 2 so he certainly doesn't have to go school right now. He loves playing with other children and to tell you the truth-- I really need a break! 24/7 parenting with no break is not healthy for anyone. We rarely have babysitters here and the truth is that those three days he was in school I barely left the house. The things I want to do are at HOME. I unpacked from our last trip and got some things done from my summer list (like weeding out the kids' clothing drawers- finally!) and transitioning our mudroom from winter (there were still hats and scarves in there!) to summer. I took a little time for myself and got a much enjoyed pedicure. I weeded the garden; I went to a store BY MYSELF! I made a bunch of "business calls" that had been on my list forever-- like updating our credit card for our newspaper and Tivo service.

This deal is good for all of us because when my children were home this weekend I actually sat and read library books to them. Not just one book, but many books. For an hour at least. Just me sitting on the couch and them tucked in beside me. I played a game with Talia. I went outside with them and didn't spend every moment wishing I could go back inside and finish up whatever needed to be done.

I did consider sending Alex to school for mornings only; maybe that would be better for him. In my research I determined that once Kindergarten starts for Talia there would be no way to pick him up from school and give him a good nap before I would have to wake him up to get his sister from school. I guess I could have put him in mornings for the summer but Talia is there full days so it wouldn't make sense. Besides-- full day now or full day in three months doesn't seem to make much of a difference.

When T started school in Philadelphia she had the same issue-- crying with separation. It killed me but I stuck with it. In Philly, once you got a spot in daycare you TOOK that spot or got pushed to the bottom of the list so it was an easier decision. Talia *still* gives me crap about going to school so I guess that's just my family. I'll keep you all posted...

Buy that boy a kitty!

He almost loved it to death. I told Talia I'd buy her a kitty when we moved to Wisconsin. That was two years ago. I'm still stalling. The kids were in love though, especially Alex.

No More Babies in the House

Alex is two! We spent his birthday in Chicago at Navy Pier (the ferris wheel!) and the Children's Museum. He definitely didn't know it was his birthday despite many attempts by Talia to explain it to him. She kept saying, "Alex, do you know what a birthday is?" and "It's your birthday!" The funny thing is that he would never answer whether or not he knew what a birthday is so instead of continuing on to tell him what a birthday is she just kept asking him. Over and over again. With all our traveling Alex didn't get to take a nap on his birthday and was thus pretty cranky by dinner. He didn't eat much and was simply not interested in sitting for a birthday cookie/ice cream combo. He got a second wind when we all went swimming at the hotel.

So there are no more babies in my house and no current plans for any more. I still can't manage to give away that sling and co-sleeper though... so you never know.

Before and After

Pee Time

Apparently Alex wants to use the potty. Who am I to discourage him? I'm sure it's just a phase-- I mean, the kid barely speaks. Let me rephrase that-- he speaks all day long; I just don't know what language it is. I'll indulge this new interest for a while. Problem is he wanted to sit on the potty all day (with no result) and I had many things to do this morning. Funny story-- I brought out Talia's princess potty for him to sit on. Apparently the princess potty is NOT for boys! It is not properly made to accomodate his anatomy. He had no room to point his little thing down. He would've peed right on the floor. At least in Philadelphia when I trained Talia the floors were all wooden. Here there is a lot of carpet. What do I do about that?

What a ham!

Alex is turning out to be such a ham! I used to think he had no personality but now I see that was just a misinterpretation of his generally easy going nature (less so now that's he almost 2). He's really funny and really cute and will do just about anything to get a laugh. When I take the time to actually pay attention to my kids (see here and here and here...) I find they are truly awesome people to be around. Have to remember that...

Alex just started his first swimming class today. In this class I am supposed to gointo the water with him for a few weeks until he is comfortable with the teacher and then hopefully inch further and further away until I don't have to go in anymore. Alex did great. He smiled the whole time. He has very little fear of the water, which isn't ideal but better than the alternative I suppose. He went with the teacher right away, although he did seem nervous at times and clearly wanted me close by. He loves jumping in and doesn't seem to care if I'm ready to catch him. Note to self: Remember this information when we go on vacation next month! Do not take your eyes off Alex while near the pool! It's so funny to see someone trying to give Alex directions. We just recently realized that Alex does understand us. Hearing the teacher say "kick kick kick" and then seeing Alex follow the direction is enlightening. We're also supposed to try to help Alex learn to jump so he doesn't just "step off the ledge" into the pool. Alex doesn't jump by himself yet. That's a major milestone type of skill. I guess we should start treating him like more of a big boy and less of a baby. He's starting a Little Gym class next week so I'm sure all those skills will present themselves soon.