Glare-off round 2

Emmett made it to round 2 of the "evil baby glare-off" tournament, so if you have a minute today, pop over to Mommy Shorts and vote for his picture!  Thanks!!

Evil baby glare-off tournament

I entered Emmett in an "evil baby glare-off" tournament (I know, what a terrible mother I am, hee hee :P) and he made it to the final 32 (there were almost 200 entries!).  Please, if you have a moment, head over to the Mommy Shorts website and vote for his picture today, so he can make it to the next round.  Thanks!!

You don't want to mess with this kid!!!

Giving thanks, Annika style (or "an easy Thanksgiving craft")

I wanted to share this neat idea for a simple Thanksgiving craft to do with little kids.  It's very simple - just look through some magazines, flyers or catalogues with your kids, cut out pictures of things they are thankful for, and glue them onto a paper.  I can't take credit for the idea - it was a craft Annika did in preschool yesterday.  However, when we were walking to the car after school, the wind blew a few of her glued-on pictures right off the page (anyone around here will remember how windy it was yesterday!).  So I told her that we would find some new pictures when we got home.

The picture they did in preschool only had 4 pictures glued on (one in each balloon), but once we got going, we just kept cutting out pictures and glueing them on.  It was actually really fun looking for the pictures and talking about them with Annika.  She really wanted to cut out a picture of some mascara (we were looking at a London Drugs flyer), but I told her "you don't even use that."  She replied "But you do, you put it on after your shower every morning."  I had to laugh at that - I guess she was thankful that I took the time to put on mascara!  Anyway, we settled on the nail polish instead, because she loves painting her nails.  I also had to laugh that she was thankful for Coke, since we never even have it in the house.  I don't even remember the last time she would've drank it.  I guess that just shows you the power of branding. :P

Anyways, if you're looking for something fun to do with your kids this weekend, I recommend this!

By the way, if you're wondering about the "God" reference and the prayer at the bottom coming from a preschool, Annika goes to a preschool that is run by a Lutheran church.  So far we have been really happy with it, and they haven't taught her anything that doctrinally conflicts with our Mennonite beliefs! ;)

Time for a change

I've had pretty much the same haircut for quite some time now.  Sure, it's changed a little, an inch or two longer or an inch or two shorter, but it's just variations on the same theme.  So I decided it was time for a change.  I want to grow my hair out longer (not sure how long, just "longer"), but since that isn't an instant change, I decided to get bangs.  Here's the before:

I forgot to take an actual "before" picture, so this is another picture from our Chicago trip

And here's the after:

I really like them (at least so far!).  It will be a little more work styling in the morning, because I have a funny cowlick in the front that I need to tame down with the blowdryer and flat iron, but I think I'll be okay with it.  It's a good "season" (calendar-wise and in my life) for it right now.  I wouldn't have wanted this in summer, because it's not very beach or lake friendly, but it should be okay now for fall and winter.  We'll see how I feel next summer!  Also, it's a good season in my life for a change right now, because the kids are fairly settled into the routines and I have the time to spend a little bit more time doing my hair.

Sewing class #3 - I made a bag!

Last night was my third sewing class (no class last week, which worked out really well for me, because I was busy packing for our Chicago trip!).  We finished the little 'practice' bag that we were working on.  I think mine turned out pretty well.  You can click on the picture to see more of the details - the reinforced stitching on the handles, and the corners at the bottom actually give the bag some shape.  I was pretty pleased with it, other than the fact that the fabric isn't great.  We had to use this fabric because someone had donated a couple of yards of it to the instructor, but it's not the best fabric for a bag (or for a beginner to practice with, for that matter!) because it's a flimsy, slippery rayon or something like that.  Also, the stripes made me a little cross-eyed while trying to sew and keep everything in line!  I gave my bag to Annika, though, and she loves it regardless.  She was already playing "grocery shopping" with it this morning. :)  I'd like to sketch out the pattern though, and perhaps make a few other bags with other fabric (something a little sturdier, and easier to sew), and maybe in other sizes, because I think it would be a nice bag for shopping or it would make a good gift bag (eco-friendly wrapping!).  I think I might do as some have suggested in the past, and go thrift some fabric from Value Village. :)

The rest of the lesson last night was a bit of a bore, but I guess it was good information (I was just really tired!).  She talked to use about laying out our patterns, and what all the different symbols and markings mean, and how to alter a pattern.  Once she started talking I remembered quite a bit of it from my days in home ec.  However it was good to have the refresher, because I'd really like to be able to sew from a pattern without feeling intimidated by it.  We didn't have the chance to start marking out our patterns on our fabric, but that was okay, because I had forgotten to take Annika's measurements (I'm making a pair of pants for her, if you recall) so I wasn't exactly sure which size I should use (for those of you unfamiliar with patterns, they give you a range of sizes in one package - the one I have has sizes 2-6x).  So that's my homework for next week - measuring Annika.  I'm looking forward to actually start working on the pants, and Annika is too.  Every time I go to class, she asks me if I'll come home with her pants! 

Another round of swimming lessons

Annika started her swimming lessons yesterday evening.  She's repeating the level that she did in spring, Sea Otter.  She seems to be off to a good start.  She's at the same pool as in spring, and she also has the same instructor (who even remembered her!).  So I think that makes her feel a bit more comfortable.  The unfortunate thing last night was that the shallow pool was closed (someone probably had an 'accident' in there), so the lesson was in the deep pool.  Annika's class was in the shallow end of the deep pool - they had set up a little platform for the kids to stand on, but they still all had to wear lifejackets.  Also, with the height of the platform, the kids were only in the water up till their waists, so I think they got pretty cold (wet lifejacket + body out of the water + standing next to the wall for most of the lesson = cold, at least I would think so!).  I know one little girl was quite cold, as she cried most of the lesson "I'm cold!!!"  I felt so bad for her, and her mom, as it was her first time in swimming lessons, and she screamed and cried for almost the whole lesson (I was having flashbacks to the lesson that Annika cried through in spring).  However, even though the mom had her bathing suit on, and it was the first lesson, she didn't go in the water to try to comfort or calm her little girl.  I found that really strange.  After all, it was the first lesson, and it's a TRANSITIONAL level - the kids are supposed to be getting used to being on their own in the water over the course of the lessons, they don't need to do it all on the first day!!  I'm not sure why the mom didn't go in - maybe she felt like her kid should be on her own since the other kids were (Annika and another little boy whom I think was also repeating the level).  It almost seems like they should have 2 sub-levels of Sea Otter - first timers and repeats.  It's really amazing to see the difference between the two.  I can definitely see a difference in Annika this time around, compared to last time (although she seemed a little concerned and unsettled by the crying girl - I half expected her to start crying too, just because the other girl was so upset).  Even the instructor came and talked to me after class and told me how much of an improvement she saw already between springtime and now.  So that's encouraging to hear.  Hopefully Annika will keep improving, and will also enjoy herself (because that is just as important!).

1000 gifts: #81-92 Chicago-style

We got home last night from our mini-vacation to Chicago (we left on Thursday morning, so we were gone for 4 days and 3 nights).  It was a great time - nice to take a little break from "life as a mommy".  Here are some of the highlights and things I am thankful for:

safe travels - we travelled by plane, train, and boat and all trips went well (except for a bit of circling over Lake Michigan before landing in Chicago which made me a little uneasy)

a very nice hotel that was within walking distance of everything we wanted to do and see (although we were disappointed that we didn't get a room with a view - but we could see the very top of the Sears Tower just out the corner of the window!)

4 days of only wiping my own bum (don't worry, no pic for this one!) :)


city lights at night

delicious meals that magically appeared in front of me (and dirty dishes that magically disappeared) without any exertion on my part other than opening a menu (and a wallet :P).  It was also a treat to linger over a meal, without worrying about feeding little mouths.

laughing at ourselves

my favorite snack

seeing God's amazing power at work in the creation of this beautiful city (sometimes I think feats of architecture and engineering can be as inspiring as nature)

my husband, who lovingly challenges me to face my fear of heights (this ferris wheel is 150 feet tall!)

good music (Howl at the Moon and House of Blues)

family members who are willing and able to look after our kids


the joy of coming home