The Eve Before

After lots of planning tomorrow is Molly's 3rd birthday party at Art Beast Studio. She'll officially be three on Wednesday but we'll be celebrating with about a dozen kids tomorrow. She is so excited. I am too. I LOVE this party theme and Art Beast is a great organization in Sacramento. We've spent many hours there over this past year.

I can hardly believe that she is almost three. Watching her sleep (yes, she is actually asleep right now) she looks so little, like that newborn baby I first held in my arms in 2007. Flash forward in a minute and now she's three...almost. She has ideas and observations, her own little personality, she is kind and funny. She is my little buddy to hang out with and have endless conversations with. She challenges just enough to know that she has some spirit to her. She is totally and completely amazing. She has changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. And in ways I would never change.

Potty Chronicles

What is the deal with automatic flushers? They can't possibly save water, going off all the time...whether or not you are done. And recently I have discovered that they are bane of potty-training mothers! Molly is completely freaked out by them! Who can blame here? They are loud, unpredictable, and understandably scary. So now, whenever we are to go in public her first question is "Is the toilet automatic?" and if so, she refuses to go. What is a mother to do?

Molly Musings

Molly: "Mommy, you are the boss of me and I am the boss of you."
Mommy: "Not quite...I am the boss of you but you are not the boss of me."

~pause~

Molly: "Wait. We're not both bosses?"

Our Little Fish

Molly started swim lessons this week. She is kicking, blowing bubbles, paddling, doing arm strokes...amazing! Coach Eric is great with her and she is loving it (despite protests prior to each and every lesson so far!) She has also become brave enough to head down the water slide at our club. We're off to a great summer!

Feeling Crafty...

I'm feeling a bit crafty this summer. Also feeling a bit 1950s. But there are so many fun projects with kids in mind...and a whole new resurgence of 'homemade' for my generation. I've been reading Amanda Soule's books The Creative Family and A Homemade Home and looking through the Sew Liberated website (yet to get the book) and a variety of blogs. I just finished reading Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life and now routinely check out her blog, Orangette. Molly's favorite past-times are to string beads, paint rocks, and garden. We have a summer program with the Art Beast Studio. As I write I hear Molly tell her dad in the background (they are beading) that "Girls are crafty." To which he replied that boys are too. And now a conversation ensues about how so many people are crafty...

I thought I would share a few projects I was thinking about doing this summer.

Sew Liberated has a free downloadable pattern for a Child's Apron. Molly plays kitchen quite a bit but also loves ART. I'm thinking of making an Art apron for her from this pattern.

Also from Sew Liberated, here is a recipe for No-Cook Playdough:

4 tablespoons of white flour
2 tablespoons of salt
1 dropper-full of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of water

Add the dry ingredients in a bowl. If you want to add a few drops of food coloring, make sure to add it to the water, otherwise it will be difficult to get a uniform color. Little by little, add the water. At first, stir with a spoon - once all of the water is added, start smooshing the mixture with your hands until it reaches the desired consistency. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge when not in use. Most likely, it will end up drying out after a day or two of heavy use.

I found a couple of patterns on Etsy for an art caddy and an art folio ($6 each) that I thought would be perfect for Molly's art themed birthday party.




Click here for the Art Folio pattern.

Click here for the Art Caddy Pattern.

A bit ambitious for a non-sewing gal. But it all looks so fun! And I have a mom who is sew extraordinaire! I remember when I was about 7 years old she was the sewing leader of my 4-H group. She tried (and tried) to teach me to sew. I had other plans. It is amazing how things can come full circle.

Now, some thirty years later, I am finally ready to sit still and learn.

Yosemite

Potty Chronicles

Well, camping certainly threw things into a wrench. How do you travel 4 hours in a car with a newly potty training little girl? Lots of stops...come to find out the cry for potty is really an excuse to get out of the car. (Thanks Gena...for the heads up!) We had slightly more luck in the camp ground but Molly quickly found out that peeing in a semi-dark campsite bathroom shared with many campers was less than appealing. By the second day we were back in diapers. Initially thought this was OK and that she seemed to understand the unique situation. We agreed undies would return once we got to GrammiE and PopPop's house.

Then the hike...apparently she had been holding back. Four, count it, FOUR poopy diapers on our hike. Definitely a change in our hiking experience. Nothing like packing out the poop. Hikers definitely had a surprise coming around a bend and seeing us...mid trail, changing diapers. Oh parenthood.

We are now at GrammiE and PopPop's and she is not too interested in sheding the diaper for undies. Here we go again...