Bloggers for Birth Kits

Who knew that "Every minute a women dies of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth." I most certainly did not know it was that frequent. I learned about a way to help end this unbelievable tragedy when my mom shared The Mommyhood Memos blog with me. I read her post about creating clean birth kits and wanted to do something. I have been praying about how I would help and felt that I should make a donation. As much as I wanted to sit down and create a bunch of birth kits I felt it made more since to give money since I would need to ship them to Australia. $10 will buy 5 kits! Think you can a make a difference in 10 peoples lives for a donation of $10.

Photo courtesy of YWAM ships

For more information on how you can help to please visit The Mommyhood Memos, Bloggers for birth kits post.

Sseko Style 2

Sseko's and Keds for the little guy

I pretty much always have a dinosaur or a car with me...

Cardi-Banana Republic, T-shirt and capris-Target, Shoes-Sseko's

We went to a bakery by the water and enjoyed some coffe, hot choco and pastries. I have been trying to really pull myself together. I used to dress with my own personal style but over the last few years I have kind of just been putting on clothes. As a new mother, I felt like I akways needed to be stain proof. This new cardi is not something I would have usually picked out for myself but now its one of my favorite pieces. I love how it goes with everything and I really love the lace detail that adds something special without being to much.

The good old Classic Tie

And last but not least...my lovely Sseko's! I chose navy straps to add a little more color. We also went out shopping after and I was asked, "hey where did you get those, they are so cute?" I of course explained a bit about them and wrote down the website...I love sharing the Sseko story!

A new direction

I have mentioned in the past about how there are a lot of changes going on in my life right now but I was not ready to write about them until now. Part of me wanted to keep it off the blog because it doesn't fit into what I normally write about but things are changing and this blog is about our adventure. I will still be writing about some of the same things I always have but there will be some new things.

I am on a journey out of an abusive relationship and becoming a single mother. I do not believe that bashing others is helpful in any way, so I will only be writing truths, no bashing will be involved. I will be writing more about my adventures in being a newly single mom and my struggles with starting over. We were on a hiatus in Portland but it will now be a permanent move. Here's to our new adventure...moving forward step by step.

A Very Hungry Caterpillar Inspired Birthday Party

Happy Birthday to my little guy!

Papa Murphy's cheese pizza with pepperoni, mushroom, olive, and bell pepper caterpillars, with basil leaves.

funky but fun...a hungry caterpillar balloon

Leaf wine charms and straws.

Arranging cupcakes

Voila! Jellybean eyes/nose, gummy worm antennae and chocolate chip feet.

Butterfly favors.

We kept it small...just some family friends, but I still wanted to make it a bit special. I like to be frugal so this is what we ended up with...funky but fun. He had a blast and didn't end up falling asleep until around 10:30!

Pinterest was a major help in getting creative along with the clearance wall clings we found to decorate the windows...they are now on his bedroom window. Once we choose the theme it was hard not to get to carried away...so many fun ideas but we focused on keeping it frugal and fun.

The original plan for the head of the caterpillar was a doughnut with red sprinkles but when I went to pick it up from the store (I pre-ordered to make sure I would have it) they had made the wrong thing, a rectangle instead of a circle...annoying. I tried to come up with a fix by just getting another doughnut but they "were out" of any circle doughnuts! They offered to let me talk to the manager and my thought was..."what is he a magician?" Hearing sorry from another person is not going to change the fact that you messed up something really simple. Then she said "well do you still want it?" Really? Come on! Sorry for the rant. :)

So I went home to try and come up with a solution...I made a little cake I thought would work for the head but after it was done it just looked way to big so I just used another cupcake and turned the extra cake into a sun. We used those new frosting's that you choose the flavor and add it to it. We used Mint Chocolate Chip to get the minty green color. All the kids were happy and all in all it turned out great. I cannot believe my little guy is 3!

The tulip festival 2012

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pure beauty

ducky races

My silly little guy was giving me a slow motion kiss

driving the John Deere, sound effects and all

We had an amazing adventure...we headed off for the tulip festival this morning with my parents, hoping for no rain. It was beautiful, the little guy had so much fun. They have so much for the kids, ducky races, slides, bouncy house, tire swings shaped like tractors/horses, tractors, and even a train with the cars painted into cows! Its shocking seeing so many tulips in bloom at the same time and we were not even there for the craziness. It looks like a lot in the pictures and it is but there are still fields and fields waiting to bloom. The little guy had his first carnival (festival) food, a hot dog, us adults had brawts instead. He took a short nap in the car ride home and we spent the afternoon in the wood shop helping grandpa with his project. A great day!

a fresh change

There are a lot of things up in the air right now in my life, I feel kind of like I'm in an in between place. I want to move forward but have to take it one step at a time. I would really love to just skip forward to the future, wouldn't we all sometimes. One thing I can change right now is my hair! I have been wanting to change up my hair for awhile now but just was not sure of exactly what I wanted. I love the natural color of my hair so dying it was out...so I chopped it.

from this...

to this!

I am loving it...its a long bob, slightly a-line in back. It takes a little more work but I look and feel better. Easy, cute and I can still pull it back to garden! Its kinda weird how a hair cut can make you feel so good...I feel free, fresh and like I cut off a bunch of dead weight. So here's to the new me...my step by step future...moving forward.

One more of me in the garden with the little guy

DIY Easter grass: updated

My mom found this great idea at Carissa's Creativity Space. Its really easy, fun for kids and cute! Basically you are growing wheat grass so you could also add it to a smoothie when your done using it for its cute purpose. Its so quick to grow, the first and second pictures were only taken a day apart, and this morning its even taller. We made two to place on the table for decoration. The little guy really enjoied helping.

So here we go:

Buy some wheat berries, we got them at Fred Meyer's bulk section. We soaked them for a few minutes before we "planted" them. Spread at least a half inch of moist potting soil in the container you plan on using. Then sprinkle soaked wheat berries over the top, we placed cling wrap over the top to keep the moisture in. Make sure to give it air though otherwise you might develop mold. Keep them moist but not soaking. In a few days they will sprout and start growing. Check out her post for more info.

Beco Baby Carrier love...

I have been wanting a good baby carrier for a long time, I finally got myself a Beco Butterfly II a couple months ago. I love the Beco Butterfly II because I can still carry my toddler who is over 30 pounds comfortably. It seems weird to purchase a baby carrier for a 2.5 year old but it will hold up to 45 pounds. We shop at a bulk store that doesn't have carts, pretty hard to carry bulk items and a 2.5 year old but now he can just ride on my back. We love hitting farmers markets and boy does it help to just keep the little guy on our back. I really love that it has a lining between him and I, it makes putting him on easy by myself, plus it makes it easier switch person to person without taking the child out. I'm sure its going to be a big help on portland public transit in the future. I recommend one for any momma!

Homemade Baby Shampoo

Today I am guest posting on one of my fav mommy blogs, Mama Loves Papa! Go check out my homemade baby shampoo recipe!

Transition to Portland

The little guy and I (Jennie) will be taking a little hiatus in Portland for a bit. The doctor will be keeping us posted on harvests in the future but for this week there is nothing to report. We were busy all week planning for our little trip. Since we will most likely be here for a few months I might try and start some greens so I can harvest a little too. We are featured on Mama Loves Papa today and plan on guest posting there later this month. We are linking up with Daphne's Dandelions...so go check out with others are harvesting around the world.

Small Style

sorry its a little blurry

Our sweet little guy

The little guy has his own sense of style. This is what I came home to the other day after work. He loves hats and accessories, as you can see. It has been tough on him with me working more but at the same time it is good for him.

This week Small Style turns one! Congrats to Mama Loves Papa! Thank you for hosting this fun little blog hop every week.

How to clean your house in about 30 minutes a day or less

...unless you can do it under 30 minutes a day...right? :)

I got this idea from apartmenttherapy.com (click to check out there list) and loved it. So I made a few adjustments to fit our house and added some days of rest. We do our laundry and dishes everyday, so I left them out.

1. Change and wash sheets and towels, vacuum
2. Sweep and mop great room (or everything if you don't have a "great" room) and wash rugs.
3. Clean bathrooms
4. Take a rest; put your feet up and relax
5. Clean extra bedrooms
6. Clean entry way and stairs
7. Dust everything
8. Change and wash sheets and towels, vacuum
9. Sweep, shake out rugs
10. Clean car
11. Deep clean kitchen, the stove, baseboards, etc.
12. Clean laundry area
13. Clean showers
14. Clean bathrooms
15. Clean bedrooms
16. Change and wash sheets and towels, vacuum
17. Take a rest; put your feet up and relax
18. Sweep and mop great room.
19. File paperwork
20. Dust everything
21. Clean bathrooms
22. Sweep, shake out rugs
23. Wash blankets and vacuum curtains
24. Dust blinds, clean fans, vacuum couches
25. Change and wash sheets and towels, vacuum
26. Wash and vacuum baseboards
27. Sweep and mop great room.
28. Take a rest; put your feet up and relax
29. Wipe out fridge and purge old food
30. Reorganize something (pantry, linen closet, etc.)
31. Choose a seasonal chore (clean the fireplace, clean the porches, etc.)

The first month it will probably take more time since some of the stuff has not been done in awhile. I wanted to make sure somethings got done once a week, while others only once or twice a month. We are lucky and have a huge house but it makes cleaning overwhelming sometimes. With this I can get something done everyday. Plus I look at the list and I think...hmmm...I only have to get one thing done today, I hope it helps!

A great gift idea for anyone...a chicobag!

Sorry we have been a bit absent on the blog, we have been very busy creating our home made Christmas present that we make every year for family. I finally finished two of the big projects and now I will have time to write about them and all the other stuff I have been waiting to write about...

I use the messenger style as my purse!

The messenger style is really the perfect mom purse. It has a hook for you keys right at the height to unlock any door with a kid on your hip. It has two side pockets, I use one for my sunglasses and the other to store two vita chicobags. It has one small pocket on the inside (its what you fold it up into), which I use for my cell phone. It has a large outside pocket that zips that is perfect for wallet, chap stick, and receipts. Then there is the big, huge pocket that can fit all the kid stuff you need! Diaper, wipes, books, snacks, extra clothes, toys, another Sweet Repeats chicobag...the list goes on and on. Hey and guess what its made of recycled materials and folds into a little pouch if need be!

I also really love the new Vita's, mostly because you can fit so much in them and they actually stay on your shoulder but also for all the other awesome reasons I love Chicobags. One thing I don't like is trying to use self check out with them...you have to set all your stuff to be weighed and then bag it after. I feel like the stores should be able to fix this problem pretty easily...its all about weight so just let me weigh my bags prior and then I could bag right into them. Some day I'm sure they will fix it! :)

PS: They make great gift wrap!

Chicobag.com

I love my lil' South (a chicken)

Just pulled South's (our chicken we never thought would make it when she was a chick) second egg of the day...I love her so much! Yes she can be a brat but I can't help but love her...I guess I really am a momma!

This is a pic of her nesting area...no one else is allowed. I am now starting to think that maybe she is in charge, head of the pecking order. As you can see it is under the nesting box. :)

My favorite, South. A pretty tight fit...but I guess that's the way she likes it.

Oh and here is the new style nesting box with West in it. All our girls, except South are laying in it now. As you can see it is an old tub with the front cut out.

We are planning a chicken share., you commit to 1-2 chickens and receive said amt of eggs each week. Let us know if you are interested and close to where we live? One chicken would be about 6 eggs a week

We can start girls in Feb, which means 6-7 months til eggs but we almost always have extra eggs from our current girls. The eggs are so much better...its amazing.

Halloween style

Super Grover and Daddy at Treat Street downtown

I want more candy (even if I don't really get what is going on right now).

The other option...I do love chickens!

We had fun this Halloween because the little guy was finally old enough to kind of understand what was going on. I made him a Super Grover costume as requested and my mom sent him a chicken suit. He loved the chicken suit so much that I figured that is what he would end up wearing but he decided to be Super Grover to my surprise! I was happy because it actually took quite a lot of work to create the helmet (which he wears as much as possible now).

We all went to Treat Street downtown (craziness) and got a little candy (we only did one block since he so little). After it got dark we also went to three of our neighbors houses...I threw together a gypsy costume and the doctor dressed as a fat chef. We had a lot of fun and I can't image how next year will be. I hope you all had a great Halloween. We are linking up with mama loves papa for Small Style!

Super Grover costume Part 1

I had been thinking a lot about the Halloween costume I had decided to make the little guy and started to get worried that I wouldn't have enough time or it would come out horrible. So I started working on it and got inspired...

A Super Grover helmet, knitted by hand

Here is the first part, the helmet that Super Grover wears. I'm excited by the way it turned out and so is the little guy! Now I have to start the cape! Most likely both items will become a part of the ViolaStitchStudio Esty shop when it finally opens...it should be next month!

homeschooling a preschooler

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We are taking our time to decide if we will be homeschooling or public/charter/private schooling the little guy but I wanted to start something with him at home to challenge him a little more. I started searching on the Internet and got a bit overwhelmed to be honest. This is what I finally came up with. It is very simple and easy but it gives us a focus for the week.

simple and easy...cork board with pockets

I put together a cork board with pockets for each category, which I will change out each week. We will focus everything(reading, puzzles, coloring, crafts, etc.) on the five things of the week. The category: Things we do everyday will of course not change. I plan on showing it to him on weekdays (we've started with three days a week) and then we will go on with our day. I will use it to focus on those things...pointing out the circle if it circle week for example.

Categories

Things we do everyday: brush teeth, listen, clean up, make our bed, get dressed, go potty, eat healthy, sharing, etc. I added this so we have a daily routine that he can look at and check off as he goes. Plus it enforces good daily habits.

Letters: A-Z adding three words for each, I choose some words he didn't know and some he knows but doesn't pronounce correctly.

Numbers: 0-20 adding the number in dots below. I just found this website that has printable letter and number flash cards, after I made them all of course.

Shapes/Colors: square, diamond, star, circle, rectangle, oval, heart, triangle, crescent, green, blue, red, yellow, black, white, brown, purple, pink, orange, and grey.

Animals: I came up with 26 (how many letters we have) that we had at least two examples of at home (from a book, toy, in the back yard, etc.).

Themes: up/down, tall/short, hard/soft, hot/cold, day/night, little/big, family, feelings, farm, jungle, transportation, body parts, plants, ocean, music, neighborhood, weather, emergency personal, forest/river and meals/utensils.

Sub-themes: birthday, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas, and seasons.

Most programs have you do 26 to go along with how many letters but I plan on rotating the themes and using the sub-themes the weeks surrounding the holiday, weather pattern or season. I also felt that we should work on things he needs to know not add extras to make the amount work out.

Two websites I found helpful in creating our program:
Letter of the week
Our preschool homeschool

I also got a lot of help from my mom, who ran a daycare when I was a child. So far we are starting our third week and he seems to be really enjoying it. I have already noticed a few things that he has learned and a few things he is now pronouncing better. I will also post some of the crafts, science projects, games, etc. we come up with along the way.

The little guy Style

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Shortalls-Oshkosh B'gosh, shirt-handmedown, socks-?

The little guy has a bit of an obsession with hats...just like his dad the Doctor. This one in particular is his new favorite and it makes him look pretty silly.

Hat-handmade in Africa

We are linking up with mamalovespapa today for small style...check it out to see more cute little ones!

The little guy Style

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Orange shirt-Hanna Anderson(gift), Plaid shorts-target I think(gift)

After a long chase, this is what we ended up with. As you can see we lost a shoe along the way. I asked him to smile and this is what he did. Then he promptly ran and hid in his make shift fort.

I'm going to hide now so you stop trying to take my picture.

Last week I went to put his shoes on and then didn't fit...at all. Then I tried on the boots and I could get them on but when I took them off his feet had marks all over, they were to small too! How does this always happen over night, when your car is broken down? Thank god of online shopping. I also wonder why they don't make kids shoes in half sizes...? So know the little guy has two new pairs of big shoes...I hope they last for at least a couple months. :)

Camo slip ons-Old Navy-on sale!

New boots- Western Chief via Piperlime-on sale!

We are linking up with Mama loves Papa a day late! Check it out for other cute lil' ones.

The little guys farmer style

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We all really love spending time in the garden and with our girls but I think the little guy loves it most. He is a real outdoor kid...just loves being outside. I always have him wear a hat to keep him protected from the sun and he always wears boots because it is usually very muddy, he just loves wearing them.

Hat-REI, Shirt-handmedown, Shorts-target, Boots-Western Chief

As I have said before he is pretty hard to get a good picture of...luckily this time he was enjoying it and wanted me to keep taking his picture. He had to grab a rock and pose with it of course.

We are linking up with Mama loves papa today for small style. :)