Trying to be a good mom….

These past few weeks I have not been able to be in the running for mother of the year—or even mother of the week. I’ve hardly been around, the kids have been at sitters or had Nana here at the house. They don’t really mind, I mean, I’m sure the other sitters (who have kids for them to play with) are much cooler than I am! and MUCH more fun. I’ve been at school studying for my midterms and other quizzes that I’ve been plain exhausted every day. Not to mention I watch some neighbor boys in the morning until school, so I have to get up before my kids do. I have been short with my kids, frustrated with my class and taking it out on them. Kevin, bless his soul, has been playing Mr. Mom the best he can. He’s been doing so many dishes!! I am very grateful for all of his help and (ahem) patience with me!!

So..today, I thought I’d let the boys play with flour. I don’t do it often, because it makes SUCH a mess—but I know they needed a new distraction. So at least for the hour I’m trying to be a good mom!!

 

Well---let's start off 2011 with a BANG!

so, we are starting off by ringing in some good news into this new year....in the 2nd month. Happy February!!



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Disneyland

As a little girl, I had many friends who went to Disneyland for vacation. Oh, I wanted to go. I remember asking my parents once, they just told me it was very expensive. So…to me, the rich people got to go to Disneyland. Well….I felt rich. Since Kevin had been gone for so long, we decided to take the boys

on a trip. Kevin had done some little side jobs to pay for this wonderful time! Thank you HUSBAND!

The boys were so ecstatic. We bought them an autograph book and Justin would ride in his stroller, just holding it, like it was a porcelain doll. We split park hopper passes which saved us hundreds of dollars! It was great. The friend Kevin went to Alaska with, happen to be going the same time we were, with his family. It was so much fun to go together! Thank you Both family!

We were able to do all we wanted and James got to hang out with the Both family (and their 14 year old daughter) for 1/2 day and ride all the bigger rides the kids couldn’t.

Highlights:

*Kyle peeing his pants because he was so scared on Pirates of the Caribbean

*seeing the Christmas lights at Disneyland

*watching Kyle be so excited in the parade, that he couldn’t stop screaming and pointing at everything.

*seeing the boys in their Mickey ears

*NO fighting, whining, crying, nothing, Nada, zilch. Heaven.

*enjoying time together as a family

We even went to the beach one day and just enjoyed the waves and the sun.

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More Quilts….

I love this new obsession. I call it a hobby, Kevin refers to it as the obsession. It is so much fun. So here are my two latest quilts I made. 

This is another project that I didn’t pick out the fabric for. My neighbors, the Kitchens, across the street had just finished their basement and were moving their girls downstairs, so I offered—in all my spare time—to make the bedding for their oldest, rather than spend a small fortune on it. I was, again,  nervous with the fabric choices. She loves stripes and circles and purple, green, and a turquoise blue. It turned out pretty cute!

I loved the circles on the binding, it was my favorite. I also did her curtains in the green as well as a third small pillow.

you can barely see the background fabric, it was a bright turquoise. I made the two pillows above, plus 3 others and a curtain. Phew…it was a busy project! But I learned to make pillow shams!!
Overall, they were happy. I saw all my mistakes, but I guess that is learning, right?
This is the latest quilt I just finished. I love it!! I love the colors, the pattern, everything.  This is where I got the pattern. I love this blog, and actually used a pattern from her blog for the other quilt too. .

I used Martinique, by 3 Sisters. Love it. it is so pretty, simple. I need to buy some more just to have it, before I can’t find it anywhere.

I used a reddish orange for the binding and found the backing at walmart. I absolutely love it…and I hope my friend does too. It is a quilt I could keep, but I made it for a friend who lost a baby. She has infertility problems and so was able to finally conceive, only to lose a little girl at 23 weeks, after a surgery in utero. It’s been 3 years and I made it specifically in memory of her daughter. I hope she likes it.

I PASSED!!

About 3 years ago, I was sent to Santa Barbara, CA, for work, to attend a Lactation Educator Conference. I decided then that I wanted to be an IBCLC, or an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. I knew it'd take me years to get enough hours to complete the hours needed.

Well, this summer, after a lot of money and a lot of studying, I took the test in Michigan, while I was at home.(Thank you again, Mom and Kristen for watching the boys). I knew it'd be THREE months before I got the results. Boy, have I been sweating bullets. The test is only given once a year, in July, and of course you have to pay more money. Well--today is the day to find out, and I PASSED!! What a huge relief off of my shoulders. The IBCLCs are the ones in the hospital who come to your room after you have a baby. They are the only registering body in the world in Lactation. The best news....I don't have to retake it for 5-10 years! I have to get education hours in the meantime, but I am an IBCLC!! Wahoo!! I am doing a dance over here!

Kyle, the Artist

Need I say more.

  

Homemade Gifts—part 1

I’m sure everyone wants to have a bed frame, not just the metal frame that comes with your mattress. I’ve look online for used ones and just didn’t want to pay a whole lot for a bed frame. So I went online and found this pattern—loved it. So, while Kevin was home on his last R&R, he made it for me! I love that man. He can make anything, just by looking at a picture.We improvised, greatly and tweaked it to how we wanted it. I love it. He says it’s my turn now, to make the KING SIZE quilt. I don’t know if I am ready for that endeavor!
PS...it only cost $225.00