A Valentine To Me

This love letter is inspired by Honest Mom.

Dear Ziva,

You are amazing, strong, kind and giving. You are loved.

God loves you, your husband loves you, your children love you and your friends and family love you. 

Yes, life has been hard lately, with two trying toddlers and a hubby who's suffering from anxiety but you still manage.You do so many many things at home, work and church, you are a survivor.

You even spend your spare time making and designing clothes for your children, as well as making gifts for your friends and their children. You cook and clean and do so much for so many.

You may not be Supermum, but you're not doing too bad.

Now it's your turn, it's time to send a little more love your way. Take a little time for yourself, you deserve it you lovely lady.

Love
Yourself

Now What?

In an attempt to save money we have started buying in bulk. Once a month we do a big shop of staples, meat and frankly anything else that will fit in our chest freezer or pantry that we use regularly. I have even started planning meals and generally sticking to the plan.

One problem, I have young kids. Or more specifically, I have Gremlin.

Gremlin has now decided that chicken nuggets, fish fingers, peas and corn are all "Yucky." All previously his favourite foods. Chicken is happy eating just about anything... as long as it is the same thing that Gremlin is eating. Now what am I supposed to do with 80 fish fingers? Now what am I supposed to feed them? I have no idea what the next "favourite" food is going to be.

Gremlin, ever the helpful child, has offered a solution for me. Cookies, cookies would be really yummy for dinner Mummy. I'm sure they would sweetie.

BTW I've been making really yummy cookies lately with this basic recipe then I split up the batch and add different flavours. My favourite flavour so far is peanut butter with extra nuts and chocolate chips.

How To Get Your Daughter To Scream Like a Banshee

It's simple really.

1. Just take a thumbsucking daughter, who has cut both sides of her thumb on her teeth from sucking so much.
2. Then cover the wounds with water proof band-aids, then tape those in place with medical tape.
3. Now watch the madness.

Chicken gets her thumb taped from time to time, and usually she gets over it and decides to suck the bandage (hence the waterproof bandaids) but not today. Today she screamed and screamed. She only ever sucks her right thumb, but today she tried all her fingers, eventually she calmed herself by rubbing her eyebrows gently with her index finger (don't ask me why but her favourite body part is eyebrows). She's a loopy little girl with a horrible scream, but I love her :)

A Little Bit Crafty - Part Two

Okay, so I've been a little lazy posting lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. For some reason sewing and craft is my thing, it lets me unwind after work or a long day with kids, what can I say, I love it!

A few weeks ago I put together a couple of cute things for a couple of friends of mine due to have babies, (one is now here, the other will be anyday now). I made.... nappy cakes.

The main part of the cake is made from rolled up nappies, the cake base is wrapped in muslin cloth, the top of the cake is decorated with a washable waterproof wet bag, baby socks and a knitted headband. Pretty much the whole thing is useful (at least that's the plan).

And while cleaning up the spare room the other day, I discovered a pile of knitted squares. I had knitted these years ago, before I had kids, for a friend's baby. But I never finished it. I have now decided to finish it and knit it for the next friend who has a little boy.

And tonight I finished sewing a hat for Chicken to match her skirt.

Ta Dah! It's reversible

Now Gremlin wants a hat of course, I'm thinking it'll be a dinosaur hat. Stay tuned!

The Song

Gremlin is fairly smart, he loves music and memorises songs very quickly. So when he made up his own song, I should have been proud right? Not really. His song had just one lyric, "Penis!" Yup, he wrote the Penis Song. My son, like most boys is very interested in his penis. In fact, he keeps asking me what happened to mine... Oh and he's started peeing standing up. I am actually rather proud of this one, he actually gets it all in the bowl which is pretty amazing considering his genreal lack of co-ordination.

Repurposed Dress

Okay so I got off my butt and made the dress today.

I have heaps of clothes swaps at my house and I have heaps of left over clothes lying around and I never seem to get around to donating them, so I decided to cut them up and make something cute.  This dress is made from a dress and a wrap, I have heaps of fabric left over so I might make something else later. I attached the flower I made yesterday.

What do you think? Hmm I hope it fits, that's the problem with making the kids clothes at night when they are asleep.

I have to say, I'm really enjoying getting into sewing again. I love winding down and making something for someone.

Flower Power

Okay, so the kids took forever to go to sleep tonight, so I didn't have a chance to sew a new dress for Chicken like I wanted to. I did however make a cute flower for the dress.

I used the guide at Make It and Love It to make this. I am considering making some more for me, maybe some hair clips? What do you think?