It Has Arrived

For my birthday Travis got me a Silhouette! What is a silhouette you may ask??

I am not a scrapbooker, but it may look like that is all it can do.... no no no it can do so much more!

Check out this blog about all the things this machine can do!

Silhouette Blog

Here are some of the things I am looking forward to making



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Month Onesies @ Joy is at Home

You are my Sunshine ArtYou are My Sunshine @ A.Steed's Life



Name Art @ Crap I've Made

And at I Heart Naptime  there is a list of over 300 projects to try.... I cannot wait to try my new gift... but I told Travis I would wait till the house was clean.... great motivation. 

Sleeping Like a Baby

I can't think of anything more beautiful than sleeping babies.

This was back in the fall, I should probably sneak in at nap time today to take an updated picture. I am lucky that on most days the girls take their afternoon nap around the same time. I lay them in my bed together during nap time. Marie is older now, almost 8 months. You know your children best so do not put them next to one another if you are not going to be near the entire time of nap. Siblings are not as aware of the baby as an adult. Every now and then I will catch Ruth soothing Marie. Marie will start wiggling around, Ruth will put her arm around her without even waking up. Marie then settles back down and goes back to sleep. Neither one even open their eyes during the entire thing. Travis and I have talked about this several times. Does Ruth naturally do this because this was done to her?

When Ruth came home she slept in our bed from night one. The nurse in the hospital showed me how to nurse while laying on my side (she was an angel!). I slept much better and could easily nurse her throughout the night. I am a light sleeper and though I noticed every move she made I slept much better with her next to me. I was just like any other new parent who checks on their breathing every 5 seconds. If she started moving around at night I would simply place my hand on her stomach and she would ease back into sleep. She also started affectionatley feeling for us while half asleep. It was just enough to know we were there to put her back to sleep. I think this is why she does it to her sister. She knows how to soothe her because she was soothed.

So I wanted to make available some information on cosleeping, familybed, bedsharing... whatever you want to call it.

Here are some safety things first! Most important please please follow these if you are making the choice to have your baby sleep with you.

Do not sleep with your baby if:

• You are under the influence of any drugs
• You are extremely obese
• You are exhausted from sleep deprivation
• You are sleeping on a couch or waterbed
• You are the child's babysitter

To Check out all the Wonderful Benefits to bedding near your baby check out Dr. Sears's site.
Bedding Near Your Baby

Dr. Sears has some amazing information on his site. Again the Lactation Consultant at the hospital recommended the site and now I read any book of his I can get my hands on. More important than deciding to breastfeed or bed share or baby wearing is BALANCE. Knowing what works for your family, for your children, and know when to say Yes and when to say No. Make the choice that is right for you. And that doesn't mean you always have to stick with that choice. Things can change.


I know that this is not for every family, it is what works for us. Our house is like musical beds. Every night is something different. Sometimes dad is in the twin bed in Ruth's room, sometimes Ruth is actually in there. Last night Marie and I were in Ruth's room. It works for us because in the morning everyone is smiling. Everyone has gotten a good nights rest.

Q&A with Michelle from Early Mama



Michelle knew there was a need for a community for young mothers. A place for us to go and read about other new moms. Show us that we are not alone. Great idea Michelle. Go check out her site and read about me, an early mama!

Early Mama 

Mild Obsession

I love making my daughters match. I enjoy watching them play, and especially sleep while dressed in similar attire.

 I am not sure if this is because I too have a sister, only 16 months apart, and I am sure we had our share of matching outfits... hello we still buy similar clothes. Except she has much more fashion sense then I do. Anyways I have a new obsession of making matching clothes for the sisters.

 I buy things that match every now and then. And other people buy into my addiction by purchasing matching clothes for my daughters too.

Like their adorable Easter dresses (Thanks Mom). It was on the list of things to make this year, but Mom wanted to buy them dresses. Maybe if I start on Christmas dresses now I will actually finish them.

So if you have two beautiful girls you want to clothe in matching outfits, and say maybe you are a beginner at using the sewing machine, here are some easy projects to do! They can be done for different sizes.

10 Minute Onesie Dress (Can also be done with just a shirt)

Fat Quarters Skirt (make a bigger one with a larger piece of fabric)

In the picture below Ruth is wearing the 10 minute onesie dress but instead of a onesie I used a regular shirt from Target. And Marie is wearing a Skirt like the fat quarters one linked above.

And I have been wanting to try these for summer dresses.

Prudent Baby - Snappy Toddler Dress (I love this blog)

Freshly Picked - Summer Frock

Two Toned Tee Skirt

And if we ever have a boy, I guess I will have to learn how to make something other than dresses and skirts.

Two Songs I LOVE

Well we had a brief stressfull situation with Marie this past week. She had swelling on her scalp from falling. It was pretty big last week so I took her to our pedi, who scheduled us to see a specialist today. I was worried all weekend, and then Easter morning it was smaller, and then today it was even smaller so by the time we went to the doctor it was hardly there at all. Doctor just said she fell, hit just the right spot between two plates of her skull, and it swelled. She was a happy baby all weekend. All that worry and I should have just put my faith in God and know He will take care of us. Even if it was something dramatic, I know we can handle it with God's strength. So on the way to the dr today I was listening to KSBJ and wanted to share these two songs that I am in LOVE with. I hope they inspire and give hope.

T-Shirt Refashion

Back in the summer of 2009, my mom bought these comfy shirts from Gap for me and my sister. (Yes we still dress alike sometimes on accident, we are just that stylish at 26 and 27) Between the two of us we had a navy, brown, and green shirt. They are now so worn out that we needed to find different roles for them.

Here is what we started with.

I used this tutorial first to make Ruth a new nightgown/dress.

T-Shirt Nightgown Tutorial

Then I made this pants that would fit maybe a 3-6 month old for a friend expecting a little boy.

I used this tutorial, but used the bottom of the shirt so I did not have to worry about making a hem.

And I did elastic casing waist instead of drawstring.

How to Sew Pants

So now I have one more navy shirt. The one pictured above. Any ideas on what to use it for?

Free Samples!!

Look what I got in the mail today!

A goody box full of FREE samples, and some coupons. 

 I signed up for it Here.

I love getting free samples in mail, and they usually come with high value coupons as well.

Ruth is in the corner of the picture because she was hoping to get her hands on that biscotti in the front, she ended up not liking it, too crunchy.

Babywearing

Now I am not sure if any celebrities are doing it, but I feel like babywearing has really picked up the last 2 1/2 years. When Ruth was born I started wearing her in a baby sling to keep her close to me during the day. I wore her at the grocery store, church, even around the house. I've noticed many more people wearing them now. I wear Marie in the sling even more than I did Ruth, because of the important factor of having two hands free to help the Big Sister while comforting the Little Sister. If I see a pregnant woman watching me as I wear the sling I make a point to stop and let her know the amazing benefits to babywearing.

Here is a full article by Dr. Sears - Babywearing

Here is my summary -
1. Sling babies cry less - "Anthropologists who travel throughout the world studying infant-care practices in other cultures agree that infants in babywearing cultures cry much less. In Western culture we measure a baby's crying in hours, but in other cultures, crying is measured in minutes. We have been led to believe that it is "normal" for babies to cry a lot, but in other cultures this is not accepted as the norm. In these cultures, babies are normally "up" in arms and are put down only to sleep – next to the mother. When the parent must attend to her own needs, the baby is in someone else's arms."

2. Sling babies learn more - "Sling babies spend more time in the state of quiet alertness . This is the behavioral state in which an infant is most content and best able to interact with his environment. It may be called the optimal state of learning for a baby. Researchers have also reported that carried babies show enhanced visual and auditory alertness"

3. Sling babies are more organized - "A newborn has an inherent urge to become organized, to fit into his or her new environment. If left to his own resources, without the regulating presence of the mother, the infant may develop disorganized patterns of behavior: colicky cries, jerky movements, disorganized self-rocking behaviors, anxious thumb sucking, irregular breathing, and disturbed sleep. The infant, who is forced to self-calm, wastes valuable energy he could have used to grow and develop."

4. Sling babies get humanized earlier - "Another reason that babywearing enhances learning is that baby is intimately involved in the caregiver's world. Baby sees what mother or father sees, hears what they hear, and in some ways feels what they feel. Carried babies become more aware of their parents' faces, walking rhythms, and scents. Baby becomes aware of, and learns from, all the subtle facial expressions, body language, voice inflections and tones, breathing patterns, and emotions of the caregiver."

5. Sling babies are smarter - " Environmental experiences stimulate nerves to branch out and connect with other nerves, which helps the brain grow and develop. Babywearing helps the infant's developing brain make the right connections. Because baby is intimately involved in the mother and father's world, she is exposed to, and participates in, the environmental stimuli that mother selects and is protected from those stimuli that bombard or overload her developing nervous system. She so intimately participates in what mother is doing that her developing brain stores a myriad of experiences, called patterns of behavior."

So, know someone who is expecting or has a newborn? Check out this ring sling.

Parents of Invention - Ring Sling

Or how about a sibling that might need a sling so they can imitate mommy

Baby Doll Sling

Pictures above are me and Marie, and my friend's daughter sporting her own baby doll sling I made for Christmas, super easy to make!

Sewing with Math

I often talk to parents about simple ways to help their kids become better Mathematicians (it is part of my job). Things like cooking, shopping, playing card games or dominos. Well now I am going to start including sewing. I did this project a few weeks ago in 10 minutes, seriously 10 minutes! And all with a round tablecloth and some 3 inch black elastic. I got the idea here. Circle Skirt by Made. It does include some math, cheers to anyone who can tell me WHY this math formula works??

Here is the one of the blog Made. She makes the Circle Skirt out of fabric.

Here is my finished product.

I thought I was creative in using a tablecloth but I googled it and many people had the same idea. Table Cloth Skirt

 I am in search for a less colorful and bright tablecloth now to make another one in something I would actually wear. Although I did wear this to my mom's birthday party... but only my nuclear family was there so I had nothing to be ashamed of. Let me know if you try to make one!

Start of something new

Today I turn 26. I am also starting a blog. How exciting. I know my mom and sister will read it. I wanted a place to chronicle my kids, crafts, cooking, and other's ideas.

Here are some things I've looked into today.

Catholic Icing Resurrection Rolls - planning for Easter

Eco Friendly Snack Bags - Earth Day is coming up

Early Mama - blog for young moms

and here is a cute picture of my girls back in August!

And here again a week or so ago.