madmommy

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys...

Ah, it's that time of the year again. Abbyville Rodeo Days 2008. A day of fun and sun, parades, ham n' beans, barbecue, bingo, and lots of rodeo action. I've been to the Abbyville Rodeo almost every year since I've moved to Kansas. It helps that my in-laws live just a block away from the rodeo grounds.

This year was the Munchkin's third year. It seems strange that one of the first posts I ever wrote on this blog was about his first rodeo, and the overalls I made for him. Wow, have my sewing skills improved since then! When I take out those old overalls and look at the seams, the buttons, I actually wonder how I completed it in the first place!

Well, another year, and another sewing adventure. This time, a cowboy shirt with yoke, pockets, and buttoned cuffs. Next time I decide to do something like this, take me out and shoot me. I finished up the shirt at 2am the day of the rodeo! But with the hat, and the boots, we had our own little cowboy. Maybe next year he'll be ready for mutton-busting (for those who don't know, mutton-busting is the little-kid version of bull riding--riding on a sheep!).

Happy weekend, y'all!

Big Boy Bed

This is what happens when you send the munchkin to take a nap in his new "big boy bed" (the crib with bars taken down and toddler rails installed). I think he must have thought that Tigger and Pooh would be good decoys, while he played quietly in the corner...
So now he takes his nap on blankets on the floor of the family room, where I can keep an eye on him. He seems to prefer this situation anyhow. The best part about "upgrading" his sleeping arragements is the extra time I get in the mornings to sleep in (I'm on Spring Break this week). Now he can wake up and amuse himself with the toys in his room while I catch a few extra winks. Of course, he's also picked up the phrase, "Mommy, get up now!"

Ah, Sunday

My little daredevil...the age-appropriate climbing toys weren't good enough for him!

My little bucket-head.

No Nap Today

Oh my.

Well, I got myself up and running this morning, had the coffee machine heating up, and was just about to wake the munchkin when daycare called...her son had been up all night throwing up; I had a choice: bring the munchkin anyway, or take the day off work.  So here I am at home!  It was rather nice to crawl back into bed for awhile (I, being the terrible mother that I am, gave the munchkin a sippy of milk and a bunch of books and toys to keep him happy while I caught those few extra z's).

We went to our local historical museum, where they have a wonderful playroom for children called the Oodleplex.  I liked bringing munchkin here during the summer when it was too hot to play outside (which was the entire summer) and we needed a change of scenery.  Usually it was filled with lots of other screaming kids, but today it was just the two of us, and he could explore and play at leisure while mommy read her book.

Getting home, it was his regular nap time and he went into his room and was trying to climb into the crib, yawning and rubbing his eyes the whole time I'm changing his diaper.  So why is he still up an hour later?  I'd had hopes of doing some crafty projects, but when he's banging around and fussing every few minutes, it's not going to happen.  Sigh.  Hubby was rewarded with a two and a half hour nap yesterday afternoon; why not today?  I really think he's outgrowing naps, and it just seems too soon to me.  But anytime the childhood development books give any benchmarks, our little guy always seems to fit the phrase "but in about 10% of children this isn't true".  He's never fit the mold.  And that's what makes him our lovable little munchkin.

A Disjointed Post

Oh, fair blog readers, beware.  This bodes to be a rather disjointed, rambling post.  Don't say I didn't warn you...

First, if you haven't ordered any of the wonderful products from Moo, as featured on Flickr, then run, don't walk, your happy little fingers over to their site and pick up some of their items right now!  I seriously forgot to mention that I had ordered the Moo Stickers a month ago and was so happy with the results, price, and short shipping time (they come from the U.K.), but luckily Fluffy Flowers had a recent swap that reminded me to post about them.  She traded me some of her Moo cards for some of my Moo stickers.

What are Moo Minicards and Moo stickers you say?  Well, moo cards are small business cards that are printed using your Flickr photos (or some of their beautiful stock photos, your choice) that can be printed with your email, etsy shop, blog page, etc. on the back.  Moo stickers are similar, in that they use your own photos and artwork, but they are made of a heavy plastic that holds up well and come in sets of 90 in a little sticker book (your choice of book cover color!) for only $9.99.   They had free shipping at the time, but currently shipping (for either) is only  $4.99 for anywhere in the world!  The minicards are 100 for $19.99.  And the best part is, you can have all of them using the same image, or 90 different images, or a mix.  Too cool.  I'll do the same as Fluffy Flowers and say, if you want to trade, leave a comment or shoot me an email!

Second, for those of you who pack your own lunch (or your kids'), you may have heard of the latest craze of bento lunches. Bento lunches aren't exactly new; they've been in Japan since 1185 , but it wasn't until the 1600s when modern bentos (including the laquerware boxes) made it on the scene.  Nowadays, bentos are just as likely to be plastic, stacked containers with interior dividers and anime characters on the covers.  The advantages to packing your lunch in a bento are: less messy, more variety, portion control, and just plain cute!  Head over to Biggie's website to see what I mean!

So, I was pleasantly surprised to find these boxes at the Dollar Tree...

They are two-tier bento boxes, with lids for each tier.  And at only a $1 apiece, a great deal.  They are probably not microwave or dishwasher safe, but bentos are generally eaten at room temperature.

Last but not least, my new love...

Sorry for the terrible picture.  This is my new (old) Apple iBook G4.  All of the students, teachers, and staff of the high school that I work at have Apple notebooks.  And all of the middle school too.  Mine is last years model, but still a wonderful computer.  Since I work with special ed kids in the regular classroom, my job often means taking lots of class notes and keeping up with several kids' schedules.  All of their textbooks are on the computers, and every classroom is wired for the internet.  This isn't a large school, and I feel this gives these kids a leg up in the world, because many don't have computers at home.  Just wanted to share the laptop goodness!
Hope your week is going well!

Ok, So I Lied

Apparently the price of gas isn't high enough to keep me (and the munchkin) away from heading to Wichita in search of a good time (and Amy Karol's new book).  First, we hit the zoo.

Flamingoes...

Watching mama duck and her duckling...

Then on to two different book stores before I found a copy of Bend the Rules Sewing.

And finally, back home to play in the yard...

Let's just say, the munchkin hit the sack pretty early tonight!

Guilty Mommy

I've just realized that almost every room of our house has the light on, at 10:45pm.  Except for the bathroom (the nightlight burned out).  And I'm the only one here except for Mom Cat and Ozzy the dog.

Why are all the lights on?
Because the hubby is away for National Guard drill, and the munchkin is with Nana and Grandpa.

I'm definitely feeling like the Guilty Mommy.  I need some reassuring here.  Is it truly o.k. to leave said munchkin with grandparents and take time off?  For two days?  When I don't have to?

Let me backtrack a moment.  He and I spent the day running errands and rushing to appointments.  I mean, the whole day.  By the time we reached the grandparents, it was supper time (and they live over an hour away).  The dog was still at home in the yard facing freezing temps overnight if I didn't head home, but hubby and I were planning to go back there Sunday night for his sister's birthday party.  Why take two cars when the munchkin can stay for a few days and be spoiled silly?  Especially since we haven't been over there for a few weeks?  And my serger is ready to be picked up from the shop (yeah!).

So why do I feel so guilty (and lonely).  Does anyone else ever have a hard time leaving the baby monitor off when they know the baby isn't in there?  I know I won't sleep well tonight. 

Motherhood is such a strange mix of emotions, isn't it?

PS the cat is asleep on a duffel bag...she can get comfortable almost anywhere.

Back in the Saddle Again

I'm baaaack!

First of all, thank you so much for the well wishes while I was sick last week.  Having a cold, and trying to watch the munchkin, is almost more than one body can handle.

Now, I have to make an admission.  I'm currently seeing a chiropractor for my back, which has been out of whack for quite awhile.  My back is feeling much better after several weeks of adjustments.  But what I've never really believed in was the ability of a chiropractor to "heal" a person of other ailments, their arguement being that if the neurological "connections" are being pinched (i.e. problems in the spine causing "short-circuits") that they can "cure" all sorts of issues from allergies and colds, etc. just with spinal adjustments.  Some of it makes sense, but I've always been a skeptic.  Until now.  Now I'm not so sure anymore.  My cold was gone, truly gone, in three days.  My sinuses cleared faster than ever (usually I get a sinus infection that lasts weeks), and they treated my chest congestion with some doo-hickey machine that heats your head and/or chest on the inside, which felt very nice.   Has anyone else had this experience?

Now, I'm not saying stop seeing your doctor.  I think I'll treat this as a sort of addition to regular care.  Kind of like going in for acupuncture.

On to what I've been up to in the meantime.

Saturday was a wonderful day.  Hubby took the munchkin to see the MIL at noon, and by 5pm I was at this month's Snack and Sew (click here for details from the last one I attended).  This is the highlight of my month.  I was so excited to learn how to use my new serger and make some more clothes for the munchkin.  Oh, sigh.  The serger is in the shop.  Apparently one of the tension wheels is not cooperating, will not hold the tension, so the stitching isn't working.  Anne at NeedleNook, where the Snack N Sew is held, sent me to see Dan at A-1 Singer Sewing here in Wichita.  Let me tell you, true customer service still exists in small pockets of this country.  He's going to look at it and get it back to me in a few days, no charge, even though we didn't even buy it there.  And he carries the needles for it, which is rare from what I read online.  I have heard of people not being able to find these needles even in New York shops and having to buy them online.

Oh, back to my sewing...here's the finished product...
 
(Just the shirt, not the pants)  Again, if you have kids, I highly, highly recommend the Kwik Sew books.  There's one for babies, toddlers, and children, plus one for women.  It is $20 well spent, as each book has patterns for t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants, shorts, skirts, and dresses.  The baby book also has patterns for fitted sheets, bibs, etc.  And they are so easy!

To wrap things up, here's a few more pics of the munchkin...

**Hello, operator?  I'd like to place a call to China, please.**

**Do you mind?  I'm on the phone!**

Exploration Place

We spent time yesterday at our favorite museum, the Exploration Place.  They have a wonderful toddler area that is designed on an Asian theme...the play houses are made to look like traditional Japanese homes with a bit of modern twist.

Christian busy at "work" in the kitchen...

He is so serious in many of my photos...playtime is very serious work for this little guy!

WIP Friday, Tie One On Aug/Sept, and 5-4-3-2 Etsy!

Ah, I love fall.  The cooler temperatures, the crisp pears and apples.  And switching to the next wardrobe.

So, WIP Friday is my newest clothing attempt, The Zip-up Vest from Favorite Things.  I'm loving the look of this vest already.  Not so sure about the pattern, though.  First of all, the paper it's printed on is so flimsy I've already torn it in several spots.  And the instructions are not altogether clear, although in general this is an easy pattern.

The only thing I've come to realize I don't like about this particular vest are my color choices.  Being on a limited budget, I decided to use what I had.  Which means this is more of a spring-theme vest.  So, I'll set this one aside for spring and pick up some more appropriate fall-themed fabric today, along with (2) 22 inch zippers (something else I forgot about this pattern when I started it).  It's a very flexible pattern; can be made patchwork or all one fabric; simply lined or quilted.  I could even see this with corduroy. 

So, I need your help deciding which of these three sets of buttons will work best here...

The last set of buttons is shell and very pretty.  The first set is funky.  The middle set, well, I happened to have two of them in the right size for this project.  Please give me your vote in the opinions section, thanks!

For my (almost) belated entry in the Tie One On August/September challenge...pinafores!

And my 5-4-3-2-etsy! purchase for the month of September...my computer minion from mintconspiracy...(see here for my previous purchases)

Ok, and here's a little taste of the munchkin in the fall.  We finished fencing in the backyard and put up his slide, so he and the dog have a safer place to play.

He's really good about pushing himself down the slide.

And who can resist baby crocs?

Have a good weekend!