7QT: Russia Cold Edition

--1--

 Today is the March for Life in Washington DC; I know a lot of bloggers are going dark today on the interwebs, and I wish I could join them, but I fear my isolation would get the better of me, so instead, I'll say a prayer for all those who march in the bitter cold today.

--2--

And on that note, I have nothing substantive to add for these takes today.  My husband is home sick today (and croaking like a frog); Birdie has been sneak-vomiting in the night (last night we didn't discover her vomit-filled crib until several hours later; suffice to say that it was disgusting), and potty training is going just so-so.  Basically, Boo will go for anyone but me.  Which is helpful as I'm the one with him the most hours in the day.  So we are gritting our teeth and paying for many more babysitting hours than we normally do so that he will continue to use the potty and get over "the hump" so to speak.  So.Frustrating.

--3--

I almost can't believe I did this, but I bought an inexpensive second-hand bread machine on ebay after eating homemade bread from one of our church friends.  I know how to make bread myself, and used to make it fairly regularly, but currently I lack the time/patience/energy/whathaveyou, so I'm caving to the machine for fresh bread.  Goodness knows we go through enough of it around here. I told myself we could store the space hog in the cabinets above the fridge and I will move the vases that are currently there to the basement.  Problem solved (for now)

--4--

My "fall" coat, bought in Russia in 1998--most Russians wear these type coats until December, when they pull out their shearlings and furs.  That was a great coat--quilted lining, very heavy, covered my legs extremely well.

I'm also in a cold-weather quandry.  I'm one of those rare weirdos who really enjoys blisteringly cold weather (I did live in Russia after all, I can honestly say that I love Moscow in January).  But.  My nice deep-cold weather coat does not fit me right now, and I've never really been that happy with the fit of it, even when I'm not preggers.  My one maternity coat is a lovely charcoal gray wool that looks good whether I'm pregnant or not, but it has been quite inadequate to the temperatures this week.  (Add to that my being hormonally cold this pregnancy, and I'm just cold a lot of the time right now).  So what should I do?  Do I bite the bullet and buy a heavier maternity coat, even though we may not have another winter pregnancy?  Do I just get a bigger heavy-winter coat, and hope for the best with baby wearing, etc?  Do I just layer up my current gray coat, as the temps this week may not last?  I just can't decide what is the best (and most financially responsible) course of action.  I also dislike having surplus coats, and I'm looking at a winter of baby wearing next year.  (Yes, I know about the M Coat, but as we have soon-to-be-four kids to clothe, I just can't spend that kind of money on a coat, no matter how nice it is).

--5--

Last night, I had solo bed time duty, so I put Birdie to bed first, and then said prayers with the boys and read them stories.  As they were getting into bed, Boo says, "I have to go potty" and heads for the bathroom.  I said, "okay" and followed after him (this after a whole day of not going on the potty).  He sat down on the seat and started fidgeting, swinging his legs, twirling his fingers, and generally not going potty.  I said, "You need to go, and get it done.  It is late and time for bed.  If you really need to go, you will just get it out."  He turned to me with the sweetest little voice and said, "No, Mama.  It takes a little while."  I couldn't help it; I cracked up.  (And no, he didn't actually go)

--6--

 

Speaking of Boo, lately we cannot get him dressed for the day.  He loves his pajamas, and the fight to get him out of them has just ceased to be worth fighting in the morning.  I don't want to risk getting kicked in the stomach (which has happened frequently), and my husband is just tired of dealing with his nonsense.  So he's basically spent the week in his pajamas.  Mother of the year award, right here.  

--7--

I finally got my big box o' cards off to From Our Hearts.  I was a little shocked when I did the inventory--433 cards!  (The photo below shows the cards packed up and ready to go--that is what 433 cards looks like!  That box is 19x16x10 and weighed close to 20 pounds--I know, because I had to weigh and measure it for the post office!)  One of the peculiarities of living in the city, and doing most errands on foot is that when one has a big item, such as a 20 pound box of cards, to mail, one must get it to the post office on foot.  Said post office is about 4 blocks away, walkable with small packages, but definitely not with a box this size and weight.  So I pulled out our Maclaren Volo stroller and loaded up the box, and off I went!  Strangely, no one looked at me the least bit oddly.  Par for the city course, I guess.

 

I also started working my way through my Storytime paper this week; I've not had a chance to photograph anything yet, but I'm almost all the way through the pack (and several episodes into rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season One as a result), and I'm pleased with how the cards are coming out.  I did a TON of fussy cutting, but I'm glad I took the time.  Stay tuned for Storytime!

Go see Jen and Co. for more Quick Takes!

Fan Fair

I know this one is a repeat, but it was the first card I made with this paper.  CASEd from Sandi MacIver.

I admit, the first designer series paper (dsp) to catch my eye in the big catalog this year was Fan Fair.  I loved the whole suite--the accompanying stamps, the projects depicted on the page, the whole she-bang.  It was one of the first suites I ordered last summer.  And then, it just...sat.  I altered a notebook with one of the sheets, and CASEd a card I liked from Sandi McIver, but that was about it. I made our scrapbook for Austria in MDS using the Fan Fair photobook layout, but I just couldn't get into the stamps and paper that much. 

  Tweaked from splitcoast.

At the beginning of November, I set a challenge for myself to use up all the dsp I bought this year.  I started with all the random scraps of dsp I had lying around from previous paper shares, and packs of paper from last year or the year before (yikes!) that I never used up completely.  I showed most of those cards here.  Then I worked my way through the Orchard Harvest suite from the holiday catalog this past fall (I'll show those cards later this week or perhaps next week).  After that, came World Spectacular, which I showed you last week.  Then I bit the bullet and dove into Fan Fair.  I started with the samples in the catalog, and things just kind of went from there.  Most of these cards are original, but some are tweaks of things I've seen on splitcoast, and a few are straight CASEs (Copy and Share Everything).  Like World Spectacular, Fan Fair had two sheets of printed embellishments suitable for cutting out and using on cards.  I probably didn't explore the full potential of those embellishments, but for the most part, I'm happy with the results.  So to make a long story short (I know, too late...) here's the Fan Fair card parade:

 This one used World Spectacular for the blue background, but was mostly Fan Fair.  Tweaked from splitcoast.

 Using up the cut out embellishments...

I had a bunch of these "happy day to you" tags cut out from another project, and it was time to use them up!  I was happy the colors coordinated so well.

 

Again with my taffeta ribbon as typewriter ribbon technique...

 

 Look Ma, no stamps!

Not sure I like this card, but whatever. Can't win them all.

 

I think the background on this one looks like antique wall paper.

Tweaked from a splitcoast stamper--I used the overall idea, but changed a bunch of little details.

 

Another splitcoast stamper tweak.

 

 Inspired by splitcoast.

 Basic idea is from the big catalog.

Another repeat, I know!  But I love this card so much!!

 

 This is a direct CASE of Ann Schach's wonderful original; I've seen several iterations on the interwebs.  I changed the sentiment and simplified the stamping on the mugs (because I made 12 of these--that would have been a TON of coloring)

This card was that rare time I wished I still had a stamp set--You're a Gem would have been perfect for this card, as it had a sentiment that said "The key to my heart" or some such.  Oh well, I made it work.

This is the altered notebook I made earlier this fall and never got around to posting.  I am really pleased with how it came out, and it was so easy!  Just a little bit here and there, and done!  Most of the design is from the paper--I just added the postage stamp, the little bit of paper doily, scrap of ribbon, and the red framelit edge (oh, and the carte postale stamp on the front and back--it is non-SU!, sadly). 

7QT: Princess Bride Edition

--1--

Pregnant, or too many donuts?  Hard to tell... 20 weeks

Let's just get the big stuff out of the way on the first one and make it official in the blogosphere--we are expecting another baby come late May or early June!  I'm 20 weeks today, and while the ultrasound technician couldn't get a good enough image for a print because the baby was moving around too much, I did take a (not very good) photo this morning wearing my new vintage repro dress.  It fits, but it probably won't in a week or so.  However, I think it will be a good fit next summer when I really need it anyway (and super nursing friendly with the big buttons!)  And it has pockets!   A total win.

--2--

Now that we have that out of the way, let me descend into complete frivolity.  My children have been sick most of the week, and I've been feeling only so-so.  As such, I've had lots of time to catch up on movies and shows.  I'm now caught upon CSI and CSI: NY; I've sort of stopped watching Scandal.  I enjoyed it so much last season, and I was enjoying it this season until mid-November, and now I've just kind of lost interest.  I finished rewatching Alias the week before the new year, and rewatched a few musicals this week (Brigadoon and Funny Face).  I introduced my husband to The Princess Bride this week--he was surprised to find he liked it.  (duh, says I).  Now, let's fill the combox with quotes from the movie, shall we?  Ready, set, go.  I'll start: "Tryone, you know how much I love watching you work, but I have my country's 500th anniversary to plan for, my wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it.  I'm swamped." "Get some rest.  If you don't have your health, you don't have anything."

--3--

I also watched The Counterfeiters one day last week.  It is a German film about a Jewish master forger who is held in the concentration camps during WWII and then forced to counterfeit dollars and pounds for the Nazis.  The film is based on a true story, won a bunch of international awards; the whole story is gripping and terribly sad. I highly recommend it.

--5--

My husband and I are also slooowly making our way through Downton Abbey, season TWO.  (So don't give me any spoilers if you are already watching season three--I've accidently read enough in The Week and  FB that I don't want to know any more!!)  We'll probably finish the season about the time this baby shows up because that is how we roll.

--6--

I have to say that the twelve days of the Feast have knocked me on my you-know-what.  I have no motivation to stamp, barely enough energy to get out of bed in the morning, and I stare at the wall a lot of the day.  I read a completely ridiculous novel on the kindle app of my ipod and can now feel my brain leaking out of my ears.  

Boo's potty training is going reasonably well, given everything that is going on, but he absolutely, positively will not do anything for me.  For my sitter or my husband, he'll go on the potty happily and willingly.  For me, nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  Just a tantrum and possibly a mess on the floor (or in his brother's bed, as happened yesterday during naptime...I was Not. Pleased).  It is frustrating to me, to say the least.  But then, Boo is the most like me in temperament, so I guess I shouldn't be so surprised.

--7--

 

I know, nothing really special about this card, but I still like it for its simplicity.  I had the watercolored image lying around since last summer (or spring--yikes!) and decided to use it up at last.  Colors are Pear Pizzazz and Island Indigo, with an Early Espresso embossed strip.  Fast and easy!

Leave your favorite TPB quote and then go see Jen for more Quick Takes!

Toy Storage

Reading books is one of favorite pastimes.

A friend recently asked me about our approach to toys, toy storage, etc., especially after the toy orgy of Christmas.  The short answer is that I don't have the answer.  Every family is different, and how we navigate the toys question with our respective families is probably going to be different than whatever your family does. 

When Piglet was born, we wanted him to have wooden toys, no electronic bells and whistles, no plastic toys, etc.  We (diplomatically) told both sides of the family what sort of things we thought were appropriate sorts of gifts for him, and pointed them in the direction of several wooden-toy companies with online sites.  We had a lot of high-minded ideals back then, and while many of them have flown out the window with time and additional children, we have tried to stick to a few toy principles over the years.  I've given up on the dream of having an all-wooden toy bin.  Frankly, my boys are very, erm, aggressive with their toys that it just isn't a good idea to have that many heavy wooden projectile objects lying around.  

Until Boo got into trains late last year, the duplos were the most fought-over thing in our house.  Now they fight over trains and duplos, but mostly trains. (This photo is also super unusual--they almost always dump all the duplos out on the floor and then play with them--it drives me bonkers)

We do have a good number of wooden toys however, and they do have a certain durability that most plastic toys lack.  We've also held fast on the electronic toy ban--this is getting trickier as the boys are getting older, and sometime people just give us things that the boys latch onto immediately that don't fit our toy ethos.  Usually what happens is that we immediately remove the battery of said toy and keep a sharp eye out for when the toy is no longer interesting (at which point it goes to the great toy heaven in the sky).  I try to steer relatives away from "big" toys like train tables, or basketball hoops, or large Little People-type set ups.  (We've had a terrible time with one side of the family giving toys that are hugely age inappropriate, and it has been difficult to steer that side toward toys that my boys are of an age to enjoy rather than be frustrated by, but that is another discussion).  They are difficult to store and I find that the kids don't use those sorts of things enough to make it worth keeping them out all the time.  I like to be able to put the toys away and have our living room look like an adult space instead of a playroom.  I also cull toys about every 4-6 months, and the ones that have an electronic component are usually the first ones to go.  We are also fortunate that most of our relatives don't come over "looking" for the gifts they've given.  

One instance of not being able to put off a well-meaning relative.  Outside of the day we set it up (and I took these pictures), the boys have been completely uninterested.

The point of this post is not to explain how to navigate the morass of (well-meaning) gift-giving relatives.  I wanted instead to address toy storage, and how many toys we try to keep around, given our space issues.  I find that the toys we have fall into a few categories: building toys, imagination station toys, stuffed animals/dolls, trains, books, and puzzles.  I'm sure this will change as the kids get older, but as of this writing my oldest is five and my youngest is 16 months, so that's where we are.  (I should also add that we don't have a television, so our kids aren't exposed to adverts for children, and they rarely go into stores with toys in them, so we haven't had to deal with them requesting "branded" stuff yet; I'm aware that is coming...)

Currently, we have toy storage in two places: the living room and the little pass through room next to the boys' bedroom.  I also keep a DVD storage box of little things under Birdie's bed for when she gets up early in the morning and needs entertainment before we are ready to get her up.  We have big built-in bookcases in the living room on either side of the couch, and each bookcase has a cabinet underneath.  The cabinet to the right of the couch is given over to the kids' toys.  The other cabinets have child locks on them and are used for storing other things.  We also divided the kids' books and put about half in a dedicated sling-style bookcase upstairs, and the other half on the shelf above the toy cabinet. 

I'm also a big fan of toy bins--I think toys should be binned by type, and that kids should learn to put toys away in their respective bins.  I'm also NOT a fan of toys with a million moving pieces (wooden train sets, duplos, small piece puzzles).  We have a few things that fall into this category, and they generally drive me nuts, but they are also the toys that the boys play with most frequently, so I can't really do anything about it.   I also like having a toy rotation system--I find that it is helpful to have a certain number of toys that are "not in circulation" and rotate things every few months.  The toys out of rotation currently fit in a 12x12x10 bin and are kept near the current toys--I dislike storing toys in the basement because I forget to rotate them up, and then I might as well donate them.   

The living room toy cabinet with the kids' bookshelf on top.  The boys' books are on the left and Birdie's books are on the right.

As for the overall number of toys, I don't have a magic number.  All I can say is that less is more. I read Simplicity Parenting and Organized Simplicity and they both informed my thinking about toys and kids.  I will say that there is a fine line between too many and not enough toys, especially when there are three kids who are competing for them.  We are probably a bit on the austere side as to how many total toys we have, but I find that if we have too many more, the kids don't actually play with them--they just pull out the components and scatter them on the floor.  If we have too little, they fight like rabid dogs over what is there.  (Even with what we do have, they fight terribly over the toys, but I think it is worse when there aren't enough to go around).  

The living room toy cabinet.  It is about 13 inches deep.

So here is what we have: a large bin of duplos, half full.  Two bins of train tracks and components, plus one bin of trains.  One bin of dress up clothes.  A bin of vintage Little People.  A bin containing a stacking wooden train.  Another bin containing a regular wood train.  A bin of assorted cars.  A Little People Zoo and Farm (in their own totes).  A bin of miscellaneous stuff that Birdie plays with (some older baby toys, measuring cups, old wallets, discarded cell phones, old keys, etc).  (I should add that most of my bins are shoebox size Rubbermaid totes although I do have a few that are 12x12x10 as you can see from the photos).  I have a few things that are not binned, but that is mostly a function of the fact that they are stand-alone toys: Mack the Truck from Cars, Roger the Airplane from Cars 2, a Wegman's wooden truck with barrels, and a Little People Tractor.  The trains, duplos, dress up clothes, and Birdie's toys are stored in the living room.  The rest is stored in a smallish toy box on the second floor that doubles as a changing table for Boo.  The sling-style bookcase upstairs also has two drawers, one of which holds puzzles, and other holds out of rotation toys (Mr. Potato Head, some dress up hats, play pots and pans, plus one or two little things).  

The toy box on the second floor.  I keep a changing pad on top for changing Boo.

A small word about books.  We are book people--my husband and I are both academics, with book collections to match, and we both read constantly.  When we moved into this house, we had 60 boxes of books.  We've since culled about 20 boxes worth, but we still have a rather significant book collection.  I have a rather visceral connection to books, and it is hard for me to get rid of them, but I've realized over the years that sometimes it just has to be done.  I try to cull books about once a quarter, both for us adults, and for the kids.  We are given a lot of kids books, plus I buy some throughout the year, so it can get out of hand pretty quickly.  Anything that is torn or ripped beyond repair gets recycled.  (I usually fix books with packing tape until they can't be fixed anymore)  Anything that the kids have shown no interest in, or is just plain annoying to read more than once (hello, Eric Carle!) is donated if in good shape.  Then I have to start making hard choices about what to keep.  I find certain books are in the "never to be donated" category for one reason or another, and some end up in the maybe pile.  I find it helpful to empty the bookcases when I do a cull, just to make sure I'm evaluating everything together and making a global decision about what to keep.  I put the "keep" books back, and then go through the maybe pile.  By the time I'm finished, I usually hope to have the bookcase half-full on the second floor and half full on the first.  

I don't love this book case--it doesn't hold very many books, and it is hard to keep neat, but the boys can reshelve their books without assistance from me (unlike on the first floor), so I guess that counts for something.

 A final note.  I've had lots of people come into my house at random times and exclaim how clean everything is.  I think they mean "neat," because my house isn't antiseptic.  There are plenty of times where toys are all over the living room floor and the place looks like a wreck.  But never for very long.  I make a point of cleaning up toys several times a day--usually before meals, and always before bed/nap times. I find it helps not only to keep the toys from spreading all over the place, but also to calm the house down and bring things back to baseline.  I'm still working on getting the boys to take more responsibility to clean up after themselves--they need a lot of direction and supervision to effectively clean up after themselves.  I make them help me pick up toys in the hopes that some day I can simply tell them to do it and they will clean up on their own.  Having fewer toys and easy-to-understand storage methods greatly increases the chance that they will be able to! 

7QT: Post Christmas Fatigue Edition

--1--

Sunday, Christmas Eve, was Piglet's fifth birthday.  It was also a day of a lot of church, and we always struggle to know how to balance the needs of the Christmas Eve preparations against the needs of my son to celebrate his birthday in style.  We ended up somewhere in the middle, which was fine for this year.  We went to church in the morning (which was extra long due to the extra service in the a.m.), then came home and let Piglet open his birthday presents.  Boo had a hard time understanding why none of it was for him, and there were some tears and some hard feelings.  I never know how to navigate that territory as Boo's understanding of these things is still limited.  Birdie could care less, frankly, as long as she is allowed to walk around uninhibited.  We went out to dinner for Piglet's birthday, as we could not agree on a fasting-friendly birthday meal (Piglet wanted salmon, my husband was adamant about it not being a fish day...le sigh).  There is a neighborhood place we like that has vegan and non-vegan food options, so it worked out fine.  Piglet picked out vegan cupcakes from Whole Foods for dessert, and I think he had a good time.  Then it was off to church again for the evening Christmas eve service of Compline.

 

--2--

We celebrated Christmas on Monday, Russian Orthodox style, as is our custom now.  The day was fine, which is about all I'll say.  When one has three high needs children five and under, there are bound to be tears, fighting, general chaos, and lack of warm fuzzy feelings. I miss the Christmases of my growing up years (and in truth, the Christmases of my adult years at my parents' house), but probably it felt the same way to my parents when we were little too.  

--3--

The boys got some new Thomas trains to add to their growing collection, and Boo has been playing with trains almost non-stop this week.  We also did an earnest three-days of no-pants for Boo's potty training, and it went pretty well, all considered.  I think we are still in the stage where we are training, rather than him, but at least he will go #1 in the potty if we put him on in regular intervals.  Still working on #2.  I am very tired today, so I think we might take a little break--I just don't have the mental or emotional energy for a lot of battles today.  (Which is probably just as well, as I just discovered that we must have missed a lactaid pill in the last 24 hours as Boo has diarrhea again).

 --4--

The other big hit gift this year was dress up clothes from Melissa and Doug.  Piglet got a police costume for his birthday, and both boys received medical costumes and super hero capes for Christmas.  They've been playing with those quite a bit as well.  It is fun to see their imagination at work, even if Piglet can be pretty bossy about it.

--5--

Wednesday was my husband's namesday, which we celebrated with a nice meal and chocolate cheesecake for dessert (it is the 12 days of Christmas, so good desserts every day!!).  The box of Christmas gifts from my parents came that day as well, so we had another round of present-opening on Wednesday evening.  

--6--

Yesterday was hard.  I made the mistake of going to MOPS in the morning, and realized once I was there that it was a bad idea for me to be around people. I left early to go home and curl up on my couch with a book and some quiet while my babysitter did battle with my two younger children.  Piglet's godfather came down to have dinner with us and spend the evening, and by then, it was a welcome distraction.  Piglet was thrilled to see his godfather, and we were happy to catch up with him and spend some time.  

--7--

Tonight we are going to see The Black Watch at the Kimmel Center.  It is supposed to be an evening of traditional Celtic, Scottish, and English music, with bagpipes and the whole nine yards.  We are actually going out to dinner before hand (what a rarity!) and will meet up with some friends at the concert. 

Go see Jen for more Quick Takes!

Another Year Gone

It is another year gone, and six years since Philip died.  The baby who came after him turned five this week, and I'll admit to more than a little brittleness this week.  It isn't like I have Philip on my mind all the time, or even that I've consciously thought about how this week was six years ago (although I did have a few moments of remembering several days ago), but today I feel that hurt place in me all over again--the place that just never comes back together quite right.  So I'm feeling fragile and edgy today (helped in part by some seriously crazy hormones) and just trying to get through.

Forgive me for any offenses this day (and indeed everyday), as everything in my brain is a jumble of tears and hurt.

World Spectacular

"Spectacular, spectacular...

No words in the vernacular

Can't describe this great event

You'll be dumb with wonderment

Returns are fixed at ten percent

You must agree, that's excellent

And on top of your fee

You'll be involved artistically..." ~ Moulin Rouge

I love that film!  I admit, it has a few parts that you just have to laugh at the absolute absurdity, but I love the singing, dancing, and general story line.  Plus Ewan McGregor is just so stinkin' talented!  

Today I have a bit of a card parade for you--I've mentioned a few times that I'm working my way through my designer series paper (dsp) stacks, making cards for the troops.  (Sorry, Martie--my box is still coming!!)  I thought it might be fun to show the cards I made by dsp rather than all in one go the way I did several weeks ago.  Today's parade features World Spectacular, with a few cards from the retired Big Top Birthday (because they were similarly themed packs).  Some are original, some are tweaks of other things I've seen on the interwebs, some are just flat out CASEs (Copy and Share Everything).  I made multiples of almost every card here in order to use up the pack--I have a few scraps left that I'm still trying to work out what to do with (recycle? make a few more cards?)--the scraps are mostly in the 1"x4" size range, so probably won't do much more with them anyway.  But I hate to waste them!!

 I love, love this card--so simple, so clean, so easy!!  It was a perfect way to use up scraps.

Full panel cards are so efficient--12 cards per two sheets of the design in a full pack.

 This design makes 16 out of two full sheets--that was a lot of little balloons to cut out!!

Two of the sheets had faux adverts you could cut out and use as embellishments or focal points--I cut up as much as I could and made these cards with them (I made some in duplicate)

 Another easy card x 12--the little faux ribbon ends were easy with a square punch!

Another card from the faux adverts pages.

 I admit, I had a hard time figuring out what to put with this design, but I think the butterflies/sentiment ended up working out well.

CASEd the catalog.

 (I know I posted this one a while back, but it still came from the same pack, so...)  CASEd from Kim Van Diepen.

And from Big Top Birthday:

 These three hardly have any stamping on them!  I just used the dp as the focal point and stamped the sentiments from Up Up and Away.

This is one of my favorites from this lot--it turned out way better than expected, and the scrap of dp I thought would go to waste ended up being the perfect thing!

These are 5.25x5.25, so big cards, but I just thought the images were too perfect to try and trim down to standard A2 size, so I made it work.  I just stamped the sentiment down in the corner.