Miss me?

... and we're back... maybe.

So its been 2 years of blog silence and a lot has happened. We moved back to the East coast. I had another baby, a little girl, who somehow got the nickname Bean. BabyGirl isn't a baby anymore, she is 2 1/2!!! I find myself delving the depth and mounting the heights of Mommy Brain some days. On my best days, we break out the paints and make snowmen out of the girls footprints. On the worst days, we go to Target to return the light bulbs only for me to discover they are sitting on the couch once I get there. So I am attempting the return of the blog. It may turn out to be too much, or I may simply run out of ideas. Hopefully, something sticks.

These days, it is cold. Very cold. Finally winter cold. So yesterday evening, we took the girls out in the cold (Bean had 1 hat, her sweater hood, and her coat hood over her head) for some crazy winter fun.

Have you ever blown bubbles when it is below freezing? Guess what, they freeze! It was pretty darn cool. Mostly they landed on the ground and then froze after a minute, but I imagine that if it were 12 degrees instead of 28 degrees they would have frozen in the air. The girls had a lot of fun and of course I had fun snapping pictures.

No Snow

While all of the extended family tries to dig out of the snow, I'm out here in the Pacific Northwest, gearing up for the Winter Olympics, in the rain. I wish we had some snow for BabyGirl to play in, but I also can't imagine the paralyzing amount of snow that seems to be blanketing the Northeast. If you are stuck in the snow, here are a few ideas that will hopefully make it all a little more bearable.

Snow Cream

Preserve a Snowflake

Snow Candles

Snow Candy

Enjoy!

Home Fix-Its

We got BabyGirl one of the Fisher-Price Chatter Phones for Christmas. I had one as a baby and my mom says it was one of my favorite toys. We thought it would be fun to get one for BabyGirl too. The only problem was, they had redesigned some parts, including the cord that runs from the earpiece to the base. It was a little piece of curly elastic that stretched to less than 6 inches. It is probably a safety thing, but who can use a phone when the cord barely reaches away from the base? I decided to make a new one. I unscrewed the earpiece and the base and removed the old cord and replaced it with a crocheted one. Now it is about 12 to 14 inches long and can actually be used like a phone. We are sure to supervise her while playing anyway, so I'm pretty sure my little fix-it is safe. Here are the directions for anyone who wishes to make their own telephone cord.

Crochet Telephone Cord

Chain stitch for about 14 inches
Work 3 double crochet in each chain to the end
Weave in ends

I then tied a knot in each end to secure it in the slots in the phone. These curly-cues are great for lots of things. Make many 1 or 2 inch versions in a cream colored yarn for pretend pasta. Green fuzzy yarn spirals make fun caterpillars. Hair accessories, present decorations, luggage identifying bows, pretty soon, everything will have a curly-cue!

Cardboard Closet Dividers

I found this idea at Ashley Ann Photography and thought it was fantastic! One small problem with her original design, though, is that I can't remove the rail in our closet, and I don't keep scrapbook paper on hand. No matter, here is a simplified version that can easily be made more fancy if you have the time and supplies.

I printed the letter "O" in size 360 font, bold, and outlined using my computer's word processor. Then I traced it onto empty cereal boxes and cut out 6 shapes. I also cut a slit through one side of the "O" in order to slip it around my closet rail.


By gluing the printed sides together, this leaves the blank cardboard sides facing out.

I decorated the blank sides with markers and labeled the clothing sizes I wanted to separate.

It took about 15 minutes to make the 3 dividers, and while they aren't as pretty as Ashley Ann's, they didn't cost me anything, and I was able to re-use the cereal box cardboard.

This is immensely useful to get a quick idea of what sizes BabyGirl will need when I come across that unexpected sale. It also makes it very simple to put away all the clothes that I can't believe she's outgrown already.

Lost Socks

BabyGirl is at that stage where she likes to kick off her socks and shoes if she gets the chance. Twice now, we've been out somewhere only to discover at some point that she is only wearing one sock and the other could by any number of places. So long sock, we hardly knew ye. Now we are beginning to amass a collection of single socks that are just too cute to throw away simply because they are lonely. I tucked this one into her photo album. It slips easily into one of the picture slots and is a tangible reminder of just how small those little baby feet were. As she continues to lose socks, I will tuck another one in occasionally, just to show how she is growing.
Another possibility for lost socks is to glue one to some cardstock as a baby shower card, or even for a first birthday. Handmade or scrapbooked cards often can be expensive, and this is a great way to get that creative look while not wasting a perfectly good sock.
Also along the lines of a baby shower or young child's birthday would be to use the sock as a gift card holder.
Some other possibilities would be to use the sock to store jewelry in, one necklace per sock to keep the chains from tangling together. Or you could glue a holiday button onto the cuff and thread a bit of string through the top for a memorable Baby's First Christmas ornament. Colorful mats at craft supply stores can be found for great prices sometimes. If you are looking to add some wall art to a nursery, you could frame a couple of socks in a 3 pane frame or do 3 small frames as a collection. Hopefully, the uses you find for your lost baby socks makes losing the cute lacy one, or that sweet pair with the bears on them a little easier.

Marking the New Year

I actually made this project a while ago. I wanted to capture the sweet smallness of BabyGirl's little hands at 3 months old. I had received this frame as a gift and loved all the bright colors. Any sort of frame will do, but something smallish will really show off the hand or footprints of your little one. This one is for a 4 x4 inch photo.

First, I removed the plastic that served to protect the photo. Next, I rolled out a polymer clay, like Sculpey (I got mine at Michael's), into a thin sheet that will fit between the frame and the supportive back. I used some scraps of the clay to thicken the center so that there would be enough thickness to get a good handprint. Have your child put their hand or foot on the center of the clay and press down. It was a bit hard with a 3 month old, but with a little gentle help from me, we were able to get a good print.
Next, you'll want to bake the clay according to the package directions. I believe this was 10 minutes for each 1/4 inch of thickness. Once the clay baked and cooled, I used scissors to trim the edges, which had stretched a bit, to once again fit the frame.
Finally, I put the cooled clay into the frame, latched the cardboard backing and had a treasured keepsake of BabyGirl's littlest days.

This would be a fun project to repeat each year, either on a birthday or for the New Year. I think its a great indoor arts and craft project for those cold and dreary January days. You can experiment with the colors and textures, create your own frame decorations to glue to a wooden craft frame, or use lace or other textured materials to create background patterns. The possibility and fun really is endless.

Enjoy!

Infants and Airplanes

I'm going to be working on something. After all that holiday travel with BabyGirl, I really want something that makes keeping her happy throughout the flight easier. She does great, but as she gets older, I'm sure she'll want more to do. Here is a rough sketch of what I'd like to make.

It slips over the tray table and works like a busy box when the tray table is in the 'locked' position. I'll probably leave the backside fairly plain, maybe sew some vinyl or other plastic type fabric on it for an easy wipe down surface for snacks and such. I'm not much of a seamstress. I'm generally pleased if I can sew straight lines so the design is pretty basic. The ribbons down either side will have loops to hook toys into using the ubiquitous and miraculous interlocking rings we have. No more bending over in a cramped seat to pick something up off the floor, never mind how dirty that floor may be. The other elements are a string of wooden beads, and a flap secured with Velcro with a little surprise underneath.

If sewing isn't your thing, there are activity centers like this for sale. I found one on Ebay that is really impressive.

Do you have advice on traveling with small kids? My one bit of invaluable baby advice is to bring the Boppy or other similar nursing pillow. BabyGirl eats and sleeps so well in hers on my lap on the plane, and it is much more comfortable than supporting her solely with our arms for 5 or 6 hours. Feel free to leave your advice, tricks, and tips in the comments.

(I'll be working on this project throughout the week as naps allow, so please check back later for updates and more pictures.)

Save those used up gift cards.

Zippers, snaps, cards and slots make a fun way for BabyGirl to develop those fine motor skills and be just like mommy or daddy. I had an old wallet and lots of empty gift cards. BabyGirl is thrilled to take the cards out and to play with the zipper. Now that you've had fun using up those gift cards, re-use them in a way that is fun for your little one.

Before you give your baby an old wallet, please check for coins or other small pieces that could break off and be a choking hazard.

Laundry Tip for Apartments

This is a shout out to all those apartment living parents out there. Doing laundry is probably the most complicated task I accomplish in a week with a 6 1/2 month old. It usually involves some combination of the stroller or baby carrier backpack, a large basket of laundry, and lots of trips. What I hate the most is coming back up the stairs and finding a sock lying in the hallway after already starting the laundry. Thus, I offer a solution, a quick fix to keep those socks, onesies, and unmentionables in the basket and not on the floor for all your neighbors to see.

Cover the laundry basket with the changing pad cover. It works so well, and I'm really wishing I had thought of this 6 months ago. The elastic fits around the rim perfectly without obstructing the handles. I still have to manage to get to the basement with a basket and a baby, but any little thing can be a big help. Hope that helps you too!