Hilarioius!

Little Dude and I got a good laugh over this. There's another version out there too.

5 minute crafting

I figured i'd start posting some of my 5 minute crafts. I mentioned before that i miss crafting but absolutely don't find the time for it anymore unless it's kid-centric or late at night (usually scrapbooking and occassionally sewing). I did get a few things made when my mom was here but that's because she wanted me to make her some things so i did. Those were also 5 minute crafts. Anyhoooow, here's the 5 minute craft x 5 (5 intervals of 5 minutes each) i did yesterday. I seriously miss naptime...it was the only time i had to do things (make something, read something, feel human, etc).



I was impressed when he started humming the busy people song from the richard scarry video as we painted on the mod podge. These images were drawn by Richard Scarry although it wasn't a Richard Scarry book. I'm happy that he was able to put the artist to the image without knowing.



It's far from perfect (there are bubbles) but something i learned from scrapbooking is that if you keep putting something off because you want it to be perfect it may never get done. I can't tell you how many people i know that have a bag full of supplies for scrapbooking but haven't done a thing with it. Perfection can really get in the way of creativity. It's something i've been conquering within myself for many months now. Actually since i began crafting. I had to shove my perfectionist self aside and just jump in and see what happened. I'm really glad i did because it's led me down many fun and in some ways therapeutic paths since i began making crafts about 3 years ago. Sometimes imperfections can be good. For instance, i won't have a hissy fit when this table gets all messed up again and needs redoiong in a year or so. I'll simply find another fun book and maybe get more creative with it now that i have one under my belt.



I like how fun it looks and i'm hoping that it will keep him sitting while eating at this table. :-)

scootage

scootage
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Baby Girl gets herself into all kinds of messes now. I can't leave the room without losing her. The first time this happened i left the room for literally two minutes. I came back and couldn't find her. She was under the couch with just her little head sticking out. I knew it was coming but i just didn't think it would happen so quick. This house is far from babyproofed. She's a stubborn, determined, quick-to-learn baby with a red-hot-temper. She gets so irate when she's gotten someplace, gotten what she went after only to have it taken away. I distracted Little Dude when he was this age by giving him something else. Not with her. She'll give you a verbal lashing. It's funny too when LD goes down for a nap. She plays with all the things he won't let her touch when he's awake. And when he comes downstairs after, it's like she knows her time is up but there's a twinkle in her eye of..."ha, i got your lightening mcqueen so there!"

Kariya Park

Every time i go to Toronto i've wanted to go to Kariya Park. Finally i made it. Twice.

Non-Vacation

I'm back from my nonvacation vacation. I always come back from my inlaws saying words like "clever", "keen" and "method". It was good to get away but my plan of spending quality time with each kid alone did not happen. I also had planned on getting a haircut etc. Instead LD was quite the handful and nothing like that happened. On a good note, in the midst of family drama, I have gotten closer to my inlaws. There wasn't a single altercation this trip mash'Allah. Got back late last night and my mom is flying in tonight. Busy busy busy! Be back soon.

Thrifty Thursday

I absolutely love this set of dishes I found. I can't find any information on them though. They are stamed "Nice Mice" made in England and have some symbols. The set is complete. I think the little tiny cup is an egg holder but not sure. I LOVE the graphics. On Ebay the mug alone sold for $9.99 but that's all i found on this set after ebaying and googling them. Look at these images! They are heavy too. This was a splurge for me at a thrift store that was closing for the summer so offering everything half off. I got the set for $5 (and would have gladly paid $10...i just never visit this particular store). They are in perfect condition and unused. I could see the sticky mark of a price sticker.



I only had ten minutes to look around and when i saw these, my heart jumped. I thought "there's no way i would have gotten these for little dude but for baby girl, oh yes." I say that because Little Dude has always been a bit zealous with throwing things and breaking things. He still loves it when i break a dish. He comes running in to see the fallen casualty. I just hope i can bring myself to let her use them. They will be used by me to feed her.









Aren't they just lovely? I don't use words like lovely but these are lovely.

And here's another recent-ish find - a brand new bumbo in the box for $15. Score! I didn't realize how great these were or i would have bought one anyway. It keeps her out of the line of fire (a.k.a. little dude). I'm pretty certain I won't have any scores for a while because these are just so good.

Banana Hotdog

Lightly toasted bread spread with peanut butter. Banana as the hotdog and honey as the ketchup. Make one for yourself too. This is not kid food. This is GOOD food. And healthy food. Peanuts and bananas are high energy foods and carbs are good too. If you want to make it even healthier add some wheat germ for relish.

Strawberry Fields Forever

We love picking stuff and this is our second year bringing home a ton of strawberries. Yesterday was filled with tractors, sunshine, hats, lots of strawberries, jam making and strawberry eating.

Baby food blog

When i was making little dude's baby food, a lot of people emailed me asking for specifics and how to information. Since Baby Girl has officially started solids, when I get back from Toronto I will begin making her food full force and thought I might do a blog specific to making baby food. Anyone still interested?

Life's surprises.

If anyone had told me ten years ago that i'd have two kids, i'd be nursing them both until they were two, that i would become a muslim, that i'd care about the food i ingested and be somewhat of a food nazi. That i would scrapbook, knit, crochet, sew, quilt and be crafty, that i would do google searches for things like Where are the eyes of a starfish located? and How do you color styrofoam balls? That I would spend hours building complicated train track setups. That i would spend hours building elaborate playmobil airports and other structures. That i would figure out how the heck rokenbok works. Well I would have called you nuts. But here I am doing all these things and more. Life is a surprise isn't it? I wonder what I'll be doing at 60?

Memorial Day weekend fun

rc air show
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

We had an action packed memorial day's weekend. We went to an remote control air show out in the middle of nowhere which Little Dude has been reenacting ever since.



On the way home-ish we went to Princeton for lunch and to walk through the campus. Little Dude always calls it a castle and I never correct him (much like he calls the huge Hindu temple here a giant sandcastle...i don't correct him there either). What was really funny is that it was the seminary school's graduation day and hubby, hubby's uncle and little dude all ended up in the middle of it while i was nursing Baby Girl on some secluded steps.

Little Dude said he saw all the knights and princessessess (lol) coming out. It was too perfect because they were all in colored cloaks and hats. How perfect is that?



The next day was my husband's birthday so we took him to the beach and boardwalk. Baby girl had a nice sleep on the beach, LD got to run around and get sand into every crevice. We played games on the boardwalk and won junk at the arcade.

On Monday we went to a big bike race, messed around, went to the antique store and then a Japanese restaurant.

It was a busy weekend but a lot of fun. Only bad thing is when you are so busy, long weekends seem short.

multitasking

I love that i can read blogs and grocery shop at the same time. Have you tried it yet? I love shopping from home.

Goldie

Yesterday at the dentist, LD found a baby caterpillar (about half an inch long) in the doorjam of the office. He immediately swooped him up and named him Goldie and declared him his friend. He brought him home in an empty water bottle and made a nice little home for him in his bug jar. He told me how much he loved him and how well he was going to take care of him. I looked up his species while LD read a book to him which he called cartoons (Here's some cartoons Goldie...) as he read him "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. It was a fast intense friendship. At night, I told him he had to go outside because he was so small that he could get out of the airholes and i didn't want him lost in the house. LD said he was sending his caterpillar to preschool (the front steps) just for a few hours so he could get his work done.

In the morning, a very sick LD woke up and went running outside for Goldie, gathered him up and ate breakfast. I told him he was going to stay home because his cough was too bad in which i got a great big smile and was told that i was the best.

Later, LD took Goldie to have some fun in the sandbox. He sat him down on the ground next to him while he played. Then Goldie did the unthinkable, he went down a crack. LD came in screaming and crying. My friend is going to fall. He's too little. He's going to get hurt. He's so small and i need to take care of him. I said he has strong legs and he'll climb back up when he's ready. I was wrong. He fell. LD cried so hard. We went looking for him but couldn't find him. I convinced LD that he was okay. That bugs are strong and can handle falls. He said I was wrong. He killed his friend and he started bawling. I'm not talking little crying, i'm talking wailing.

ALL.DAY.LONG he's cried intermittantly, has boycotted food until his friend comes back to him because he love's him so much. I convinced him to go out to the sandbox this evening and he came in crying and said "I can't. I'm just too sad. I only want Goldie." Sigh. This poor kid. I've told him that Goldie is safe, better off in fact because he has his mommy taking care of him and he'll come visit us when he's a butterfly. The kid won't buy it.

I can't believe the crying. It's so strong and intense. This kid is in love with a caterpillar. I've never seen him act like this.

today...

feet
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

giggling
playing footsie
walk in the park
picnic
baby rolling over
green grass
blue sky
subhanallah

Logic 101

Mommyyyyyyy....
(3 seconds go by)
Mommmyyyyyyyyy....

A very tired mommy gets out of bed squinting her way down the hall after being up half the night. "I'm here."

"Look! I got up all by own and pulled down my pants and went potty. And I didn't wake you up! Are you happy i didn't wake you up?"

lol.

We are off to the stables to go riding today. Jockeying is a big sport here and there are tons of stables all around. It's cute to see the kids in riding clothes and helmet. We're just going for the morning though.

I wish titles could write themselves

I haven't posted for a while!

Not much going on and there's a lot going on. LD and BG just won't work with me on naptime. I struggle if i don't get a half hour to myself a day. With a high needs kid and a bitty baby I just lose it. I can actually feel my nerves fraying. It's been one of those weeks. BG won't nap at all or when she does, it's very short because she's breaking a tooth. LD drones on about how awful school is, how he can't wait till it's over and in a way i can't either. The short amount of time he's gone isn't going to make much of a difference. Perhaps he'll begin sleeping in a little more if he's not worried about school.

The only non child thing that's been going on is my 5 minute craftathon. Everyday I make something in 5 minutes. It's actually been very satisfying even though my "to make" list is getting seriously long. At least i'm having little bouts of creativity. One day i made some scrapbook borders. Another I made a project/learning thing for LD. Another a felt set for LD. And today a plastic bag dispenser that cut a ton of corners but got done in 5 minutes (from beginning to end). It's currently hanging in the kitchen now and in usage. Husband liked it a lot.

That's me. What's new with you?

Life

This morning we were reading a book and there was a worm that had an unhappy face because he was about to get eaten by a bird. It's a baby book. For most it wouldn't be a big deal, if it was even noticed, but for my kid, this image bothered him all day. He asked me over and over why the worm had a sad face and why the bird was eating his friend and how it wasn't fair. Then he got teary eyed and asked over and over why the bird was doing that to him. My kid is super duper sensitive and he's also super smart so you can't make it all better with a word bandaid. He knows what's up. I had to get out of the house so we could get past it.

I think it had something to do with the other day while walking in the rain and splashing in puddles. He found a worm in one of the puddles in the middle of the street. We saved him by carefully picking him up with a stick and putting him in grass under a tree. He was proud to save the worm and I was happy to see my son be so thoughtful.

This is my beautiful child. I love him. His purity and spirit is just sweet and generous. When a child at the playground says to him "i don't like you" or "i don't want to play with you" he is hurt for days. I don't know what to do about it. Kids aren't very nice and i feel it gets worse as parents are less and less around their children. They say mean things. Mine doesn't. He's never said a mean word to another kid. Ever. I fear for him in the public school system.

I'm losing my point.

On the way home today after playing hard with a couple of 5 year old boys who let him run with them at the playground near the library, him tired from making havoc with a mud puddle (me letting him get knee deep in mud so he could be the star of the group) he was wiped out. But before he passed out with an apple in his hand he said to me "God made everything. God makes people. I like that."

My boy was liked today and he was one of "them" and I was happy to see his spirit rise. All day he's been worried about a worm and Wall*E too. For a few brief hours he got lost in the moment and it was beautiful.

Making things.

My son and the verb "make" make me laugh. He takes this word so literally. Here are a few instances.

1.

"I'm going to go make the bed now." (now it's rare i do this so i can kind of see his confusion lol) He got all excited and followed me upstairs.
"Where is the hammer and nails?"

2.

"Today daddy's colleague is coming over because he's moving here and soon you'll make friends with his daughters."

"Can i watch you make the girls? How are you going to make them? Like home(made)?"

3.

"Why does daddy go to work?"
"Because he has to make money."

Later that night we find him drawing away on several little pieces of paper.

"What are you doing?"
"I'm making money. Like daddy."

:-)

Shooter

This has to be one of the best action thriller movies i've seen. I really liked it.

Bummer

I'm a little nervous with this flu. I tend to think these things are overhyped but then i have also been a victim.

When I lived in Colorado there was an outbreak of West Nile Virus. I was hiking and got bit my a mosquito. A week later i was sick. Really sick. I went to the hospital and told them I thought i had West Nile. They sent me home saying i didn't - that only 50 or so people had it. A week later i was really sick and couldn't move my neck. My doctor said "You can't have west nile. it's still pretty rare." I asked her to do the blood test anyway. When she called me a few days later she said "i can't believe it but you tested positive." There was nothing you can do and since i had it for a month already they couldn't do the spinal tap either and she said I'd just get over it.

I began getting really sick. I couldn't eat or drink anything without getting sick, could hardly walk and my legs would give out as i went down stairs. I would lay there on the floor puking up water watching the news say "There are now 130 cases of West Nile. 30 deaths." and swear that i was going to be number 31. Not many were dying from it and most got over it in a few weeks but I was extremely sick. I don't complain much about pain but it was horrible.

After two months of missing work and weekly visits to the ER when my pain got too bad (they just shot me full of morphine so i'd leave happy as an idiot) my boss was getting irritated. She didn't believe i was really this sick over West Nile because most people got over it in a week to two weeks so she forced me to go to a doctor of their choice. From that appointment I learned that not only did i have West Nile Virus but also Encephalitis and Meningitis. Long story short is I almost died - mostly because no one believed me so i didn't get proper medication and when they did figure out what it was it was too far in to do anything about. I had lost 20 or so pounds and I was already super skinny and didn't have that weight to lose but I couldn't keep anything down. It is very rare for someone to get all three like i did. Out of 110 cases, only 1 will, and many who do will die. My right leg still gives a lot of problems especially on long drives or when i'm fasting. I can't fast all 30 days because of it. I don't know why exactly but it gets so severe that i can't walk. My brain had swollen so bad that I had chronic headaches for a few years after.

So....there may be a lot of hype about this Swine Flu but it does happen and it can be you and it can be your kid so please take precautions and protect yourself. Don't get all paranoid but also don't put yourself at risk.

I was bummed that i didn't get to go to my favorite rummage sale today, the one i wait months on end for but crowds right now for me are a big no no. School for LD is on my mind and if the numbers keep rising i'll quit sending him. If I didn't have a baby in the house I probably wouldn't be so worried but with her being 4 months old, i am. NJ/NY has the most cases and we are smack dab in the middle of farm country and there's a lot of people who commute to NYC in our area. I'd be lying if i said I wasn't nervous because I am. I know it can happen even if the odds are small. I know for me it was a very slim chance i'd get so sick but I did and that leaves me a little freaked about this current flu. Just my two pennies.