Sharing

Today was my daughter's day for sharing at school and just have to share what she decided to take...

She got this super cute Hello Kitty Bento Box for her birthday (thanks Marlo!). I'm a little disappointed that she wants to use it for pretend play rather than letting us use it for an actual bento, but I'm sure that will change after time. I like this bento because of the utensils on the top (that a kid can actually access) and the space that is inside. It's a wide, flat bento... which we have found to be the ones that we use the most. Before my son started eating lunch at school, I'd use the double-decker ones for the park and such. They worked great. But once he had to eat it at school... it proved to be too much food and he couldn't eat it all in the allotted time.

So, here's what she took to share. Isn't it cute? She made a bento lunch with her favorite felt foods (that would fit... the pizza didn't really fit very well). She has a ham and cheese sandwich (with a hammie on the inside - this is a hamburger for those that don't know her lingo), some potato chips, two sushi rolls and two cookies. She also through in a piece of lettuce for decoration. I think she's better than me at this whole bento thing.

I don't take her to school. So I'm not sure how it went over during sharing. But my husband worked in the classroom today so I'm sure I'll get an update tonight. All my daughter would share is that they didn't play with it in the kitchen.

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Sunday Summary (late again)

I'm falling behind in my cleaning and purging of the house. I seemed have angered my back again and it's not bouncing back as quickly as I'd like. This means that anything requiring bending, twisting or lifting is pretty much out of the question. So, no Goodwill. I try to console myself by telling myself that I have done more than the 1 box/bag each week.

So, I've had a lot more time to sit and contemplate life. No really, I just sit and think about all the things that I need/want/should do. Which leads to a depressed mood. Ugh!

I have managed to do a tiny bit of sewing and a lot of enjoying my kids. I can't get enough of them getting along. They truly love each other and I'm trying to take it all in before it changes on me... because I'm sure it's going to change on me.

I also joined another fabric exchange. The last one lead me to make the quilt top that I have yet to finish... however, these are a great way for me to get rid of some of my scraps. I do still have plans of finishing the first quilt... so maybe this new exchange will help motivate me.

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Muffin Tin Monday - Orange

I missed red last week... but fortunately, I remembered that orange was this week. Granted, my daughter told me that they aren't all orange - she says they are gold and brown. Okay, I was pushing it a little, but I think it still works.

Contents: Chicken (left overs from a restaurant), orange M&Ms (special treat), more chicken, carrots, french fries (left over from the same meal) and goldfish. She just had water, but I put it into an orange cup. She had her days allotment of orange juice in the morning... so I couldn't give her any more.

Is it just me, or do you feel a sense of accomplishment when you use up left overs in the fridge. I sometimes feel like I'm the only one in the house that eats them (and I used to never eat left overs). I feel good about getting extra mileage out of a meal we've already had. I sometimes measure my days success by the number of containers I empty. Sad. I know.

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Green!

I'm still lacking motivation... so I thought I'd spend some time cruising Etsy. I love seeing creativity in action. So, here are some finds from the EtsyRAIN team. Perhaps you could grab one of these pieces to complete your St. Patrick's Day garb.

At Elizabethan Punk, not only do I like the scarflettes... but the cuffs are pretty great too.

Licia Beads - I love the color of these earrings. Licia Beads has tons of great green items like this or this or this.

Tote2Go's new wallets are AWEsome! You should check them out. Not only is this wallet the color green... but it's also green - as in Eco Friendly. All her items are made from repurposed fabrics.

How about something for the home! I love Felted Style. She does some great things with wool... and I love her color choices.

I recently came across this shop, April and August. I love the use of pattern paper. I really need to remember how great pattern paper looks (this could just be my opinion) and should incorporate it into more crafts.

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Sunday Summary (late)

Running a little late on my Sunday summary. Mainly because we have house guests... but also because I'm lacking motivation right now. We had my daughter's birthday party this weekend (so glad to have that behind me) and I've been unmotivated ever since.

But the party was lots of fun. It's always nice to celebrate with our friends. Our daughter seemed to enjoy herself (although I was less than pleased with her "me, me, me" attitude). We made kitty houses (decorated cookies) and played pin the face? on the kitty? I was going to make it just the bow... but then figured it would be funnier doing all the pieces. She is still playing with it. I also make a Hello Kitty mask to go with it (minus the bow so that the boys would wear it).

My parents are in town to help celebrate so she has taken on the mission of fixing my work area so that I can work again. It seems I have to do this about every six months. I guess I'm a messy worker.

We have three boxes ready to go to Goodwill this week. One full box of fabric. Someone will be happy :) My son goes back to school on Wednesday and I'm hoping getting back into some sort of routine will help me with my lack of motivation.

Maybe I'll work on a tutorial at the end of the week. That sometime helps me feel better.

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More Baby Showers!

This past week, I hosted a double baby shower with another mom friend of mine. We decided to keep it simple and hold it at a restaurant. With everything else I had going on... I didn't think I could take on another full party. It turned out to be great. A mom's night out, some yummy food and lots of cute baby stuff!

I decided to make a couple of centerpieces. I thought a diaper cake would be perfect for this occasion. Who doesn't like getting diapers when they are having a baby? Plus, it would be a nice substantial centerpiece for the table (I also found out that they are kind of fun to make!). I figured I'd balance the not so eco friendly disposable diapers with an eco friendly cake topper. So I made each one of them an owl rattle with my scraps (a mix of fleece and cashmere... who knew anyone would put those two together!). I also made each of them a newborn cashmere hat from some cashmere scraps I had. I love how the hats came out!

And look at the final result! Since I had no idea how to make a diaper cake, I was pleased that they were easy to make and came out better than I had imagined. They were also easy to take to the restaurant because I left all the pieces separate. Just stuck them in my Tote2Go!

At the last minute, I also decided to make some favors. I was stuck at home with a pretty bad back and couldn't clean for my daughter's party, so I had to do something to make myself feel useful.

I printed some little wrappers for mini candy bars and put them into an envelope that I made from a paper bag. I love the look for the brown paper with stitches in it. I made tags at Christmas this way and I'm always looking for other things to make.

The shower turned out great. We were a little sad not to have one of the moms there... but contractions called her to the hospital. But we sent it all home with her and she can have a mini shower in the comfort of her own home :)

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Valentines

Okay, I confess. We didn't do 100% handmade Valentines. And I'm a little disappointed with myself. I had lined up doing lollipop flowers with my daughter to have her give her friends... I even found lollipops that were more like sweet tarts. But then a note came home from school asking us not to send candy or gum. And rather than rework my plan, I caved and bought Hello Kitty Valentines. I mean, you can't beat $2.50. I feel guilty about cheating her of that creative time with mom. But we did sit down and sign them together. To my surprise that took all of 5 minutes. That girl is good at writing her name!

But we did follow through with the idea for my son's Valentines. He loves the die cut machine at Ben Franklin's. So I decided we'd make a trip there and die cut some owls. I bought some individually wrapped Life Savers for the eyes. We printed "Who's Your Valentine" on each one (that was a little too much writing for him), stuck it on with a heart sticker and he signed the back. We were both very happy with how they came out and we finished all 24 of them within half an hour.

Normally, I really don't like my kids getting candy. And whenever they bring home their Valentines, I cringe at the ones that have candy attached to them. But I can't seem to stop myself when the candy is actually incorporated into the design of the Valentine.

With Valentines behind me, it's on to celebrating my daughter's birthday who turned 4 today. And while she is a handful and I often find myself talking about our struggles with her... I have to admit, I wouldn't have her any other way. Happy Birthday Lyssie!

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Homework with the first grader

Homework. Ugh! I have to admit, it's not my favorite time of the day. But it is getting better... and dare I say, we even have fun sometimes! Our favorite part is the sheet they send home of things he can do for "extra credit" (he gets a surprise if he completes it). It's got some fun activities away from the paper and pencil.

This week, my favorite was pulling cans from the cupboard and having him alphabetize them. He loved it and it was an easy way for me to show him how to alphabetize things that have the same letter. He's a visual learner (so am I), so it was nice to see it click for him and you could see that he was excited to do more!


This wasn't part of his homework... more something he did himself. He asked his dad if his day would trade him change for dollars. His dad agreed... so he went to work counting out dollars. I was impressed with how well he did. He came up with lots of different combinations to make the 100. Money is definitely starting to mean something to him. With the money he had saved before and the money he traded his dad for... he was able to buy himself two small Lego sets.

We've also been working on reading time... which is a bit harder when you don't have a real clock in the house. But we've managed and I'm happy to say he's getting better! Yay for learning!

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Muffin Tin Monday - no theme

I really wanted to participate in last week's theme... Dr Suess. But it just didn't happen for me. The first few weeks of February are always going to be hectic I think. I can't wait to find time to go check out what other people did for their Dr Suess tins.

But this week is no theme... and so I thought I could manage that. Lyssie has specific ideas of what she wants for lunch now. So all I have to do is put it in a tin. I did decorate it a little with a butterfly.

Contents: bananas, goldfish, chicken nuggets and BBQ sauce. Butterfly is cut out of a slice of cheese.

This week we have two Valentine celebrations so we've been working on Valentines. Hope to to share those soon! Oh - and Happy Birthday to my brother today! He turns 30!

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Sunday Summary (with pictures!)

Hurray for Sunday! This Sunday I'm feeling motivated. I'm sure some of it has to do with medication - but whatever, I'm in a mood to get things done! And it's a good thing since we have my daughter's birthday party coming up this weekend. I'm so glad that our kids are spaced 6 months apart. It makes it so much more manageable. How my mom did three birthdays, all 4 days apart, is beyond me.

So the week went great. I have my 1 box for Goodwill. We haven't dropped it off yet and I think we'll wait since I almost have this weeks box nearly done as well. I'm really starting to see the difference. Small amounts of time each day spent cleaning and purging... and consistently is starting to really pay off. My goal of having this downstairs clean for the party is starting to look obtainable. And from where we started... it's nearly a miracle. Let's just hope that with this busy week I can finish up the few spots that aren't quite done.

On a more exciting note, I got to celebrate my birthday a bit more. My birthday was on Thursday and I enjoyed a trip to the Goodwill Outlet and a nice lunch with friends. Top that off with a few great gifts and this birthday was one of my better birthdays in a long time. We also went out Friday night to see an improv show... and that was lots of fun. It was nice to get out, without the kids, and feel like an adult.

My good friend from Original Cyn watched the kids for us. Thank you Cindy! She also gave me one of the best gifts in the world... a box of buttons!

Oh - and she gave me a gift from the holidays (yep, it had been that long since we've really seen each other). It's these chocolate on a stick. I tried one today (with a splash of Peppermint Schnapps and they work great. Maybe she's share the recipe on her blog one of these days. ** mug in picture is my Laura of LAS Designs.

And then Saturday night (yep, I made it out two nights in a row) I went to a baby shower for Carrie. So much fun! I love baby showers for people that I know appreciate handmade as much as I enjoy giving handmade. She's expecting a girl next month so I made a recycled tshirt dress and a blanket to match. I also made a little monkey toy, but I was less impressed with it and did not snap a picture of it.

So hurray for good weekends! I'm looking forward to this week. The more we purge, the lighter the house gets, the less stress I feel. It's working... and I'm determined to follow through and hopefully regain my sanity. Let's just hope my health cooperates :)

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Bento Lunch

It seems with school happening... I'd have more bento lunches to share. But the truth is... most mornings I don't get up with enough time to make the bento lunch for my children. This is something that my husband has taken over (isn't he the greatest!).

I did however, make this bento before I picked my daughter and her friend up from school. I had the intention of letting them play at the park for a bit since the weather has been nicer lately... but they had other ideas and chose to eat their lunches at home. Apparently having a table to eat at is very appealing to these two.

Contents: Jelly sandwich cut into a circle (she has been eating less of her crust lately), raisins, wheat thins and string cheese.

I have found that the lunch that gets eaten is the less complicated (and in my opinion, boring) lunch. I've tried to send different foods... things other than sandwiches - and I just get them back. When I was making lunches, I'd get about half of the lunch back. Now that my husband makes the lunch... the bento comes home empty.

But my husband knows a thing or two about providing lunches they like. After all, he used to stuff the one his dad made him behind his desk in his room. Yep, I just shared that with everyone :)

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Wordless Wednesday

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