weekend recap

not that my life is all that exciting...

• We are suspecting that Ryan has ADHD- not a big shock in this house... but we're waiting on a professional opinion late May. yes, that is as soon as we can get him in.




• the elder two boys were having a tough time behaving adn listening. Mommy removed ALL toys from their room. They are left with a couple of stuffies they sleep with and their books. I don't think they believed me at first. Andy damn near flipped when he saw me bring the stuff down to the toy dungon. Ryan wanted to know which bin they got to keep (NONE!) and when they'd get it back (depends on them!). I made it clear that I will not hesitate to keep taking more stuff away until they get the picture.
• Colin grabbed his RPI baby Puckman onesie out of his drawer, brought it to Mommy and said "hockey!" We went to a Sound Tigers game later that day (yes, he wore the onesie!). They lost in a 6 round shoot-out! good game though.

• Colin is picking up our love of reading. So what if the book is upside down!
  
  
• again with the Colin.. I've had ENOUGH of him pulling down the gate and headed for big kid territory upstairs. I had to buy a new gate and mounting kit so he can't pull it down. Before you even ask - the house had a slightly different configuration pre-fire (all of our gates were destroyed then anyway.) so this gate was unnecessary.

• I've been doing some stealth knitting. I can't wait to show you, but it'll have to wait until the gift is given.. totally worth the wait!

• I should have some nice LL super sport for my Pomatomus today or tomorrow YAY! I'm running out of protable projects... although my Ravlery queue isn't getting any shorter...

TGIF 3/28

• Deloris
• Calorimetry
• Ravelry
• scooby snacks
• creativity
• flexability
• patience
• office birthdays
• tea
• benedryl
• monkey
• friends
• outlets (not the electrical kind - though I do appreciate those too!)
• timing
• blow pops
• "gentlemen"
• http://www.autismspeaks.org/ and Chevrolet (click the link and Chevy will donate $$!)
• FRIDAYS!!!

Photo Op

so the kids got ahold of my camera.. and now there is an error message. Mommy is NOT happy!

I figured I'd get some pics with Mom's camera when we got to her house. By that point, Colin had smeared Teddy graham mush on his pants and Ryan had wiped melted chocolate on his. Did I mention that the pants are white? SO, there are no picture of my kids looking SO adorable in their matching (oh yes matching!) Easter outfits. I did manage these with the phone:


Colin at the park before the Easter Egg hunt - yes that is a metal slide! Remember those?


After Easter Brunch - Colin's first wagon ride! the white pants were already dirty so, why not?


The outfits are cleaned and ready for Jerry to take some decent pictures as soon as Todd calls him to schedule.

TGIF- 3/20 - it's Friday in my world!

• it's a short week!
• clown cars
• "Deloris"
• BTBBC and 1 year on the Island - props to the HBIC.
• Scotch Broth
• Friends & Family that took the time to come to Ryan's Hockey tourney
• Fashonistas
• Whale Poop
• Tea on the Train
• albuterol
• trusting my instincts
• "sisters" to confide in and learn from
• going with the flow
• taking chances
• sharing my knowledge
• long weekends
• fabric and fiber
• planning vacations

Just missed it!

It seems as though my 3rd Blogiversary was 2 days ago. d'oh! to "celebrate" just went back and read some of the older posts.. remember when I posted "free pattern Friday" and "WIP wednesday"? my Fridays are devoted to TGIFs now and I plan on keeping that. but I may go back to WIP wed...

Puckman Lives!

Ryan participated in a hockey "jamboree" for all the kids in the clinic program. He palyed 3 games in 2 days (1-2) and had a BLAST! He got to play center a couple of times, but mostly played forward. He had some trouble figuring out which way to face during face-off. but he made contact with the puck. He and all the kids got a medal, hot dog and soda after thier last game. We also won 2 of the door prizes!

TGIF- 3/14 - We miss you P!

First- I just wanted to take a moment and remember a dear friend now gone 10 years. I remember her like I saw her a week ago, yet so much has changed since she passed. What I am most grateful for this week is the lessons she taught me in her life - as well as her death (though I chose not to dwell on that much). I've blogged before about my crippling shyness as a kid. Chris was the one that really helped me learn to live with that. She showed my how to grab life and take risks (I'll never look at Jello the same way!). Unfortunately, that is a big part of the reason why she' gone. Gone, but not forgotten. She is still in my thoughts and I carry a bit of her lust for life spirit with me.





TGIF:

• male bonding
• girl talk
• working the "girl card"
• deep pockets
• applesauce cupcakes (thanks Kat!)
• fun weekend plans
• gettin' me a POS car!
• finishing this:

• and this:

• getting down and dirty
• pushing the edge
• making friends with strangers
• RELAX
• new toys
• being a H&C HO!
• vegan Fridays
• being ME

ETA: coworkers bearing Thin Mints!

socks and such

I've finally finished Todd's Safari Socks. It seems like forever, but for a oair of his socks, they went pretty quickly. about a month of karate classes and a month of commuter knitting. As soon as they were off teh needles, they were on his feet. I did manage to snap a quick pick with the phone:


on yesterdays commute, I whipped up an inhaler sock for him to keep in his gym bag. The tops always come off and you get gunk in them - ICK!



I'd love to take credit for the idea, but it isn't mine. I found it on Ravlery, but you can also find it here. I didn't follow that pattern per se. I used the same formula as I did for Todd's socks, just scaled it down.

Cynthia had a great idea for reusing outgrown baby socks as inhaler socks on her blog.

The Force

I belong to the Knitting Engineers group on Ravelry. There has been an interesting discussion on how to retain femininity as an engineer. Which is a tough topic to begin with since we are generally a pretty tomboyish crowd - which does have its advantages. There are advantages to being a woman and to staying feminine. My most recent response on the thread is as follows:

As women, we have a tremendous power over the men around us. The problem is, we’re not taught to work that to our advantage. It is like having The Force and no Jedi Master to teach us the ways of The Force when we are younglings. Once we learn to control the force, we can get what we need/want. Of course some women do turn to the Dark Side, dress and act like ‘hos and sleep their way up the corprate ladder.

We can even further the Jedi analogy by pointing out that most Jedi were in fact men. BUT it was Leia - a woman who possed the The Force - who led the Rebellion, got her hands dirty doing it but remained beautiful and quite feminine.

Which Family Guy Character Are You?

More on Family Guy. Created by BuddyTV

yeah... that would be me... BUT I do need to clarify that although Todd is a bit like Peter, they differ in one VERY important way (and some not so important). Peter treats Lois like crap 90% of the time. he doesn't appreciate her or know how good he has it. In that respect, Todd is more like Homer Simpson. He know Marge is too good for him and he does try to show her how much he loves her.

TGIF -3/7

I was mentally taking stock of my TGIF list week this morning while waiting for the train. I found myself getting negative and not finding anything to be grateful for. MUST. BLOCK. RAGE. I pushed the negativity out, adn you know what? I've got a LOT to be grateful for:

• Samoas (mmmmm....)
• vernal pools
• networking lunches
• B&K
• super baby snuggles
• getting mine - and then some
• "I won!"
• lazy girls
• matching accessories
• bamboo
• going with the flow
• diner food
• the light going on
• vegan Friday
• fiberoptics
• making plans

Food Allergies are no Joke

Ms. Burbia mentioned this site in her blog today: http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/ along with some kid-friendly travel tips. I'm ever so glad she is shedding light on the issue in her blog and I thought I'd bring it over here too.

If you've read The Pancake Incident then you know we are an "allergy family." we are peanut/treenut free. Dairy is at a minimum and clearly labeled. It is very scary to think that a simple snack could kill my baby - but it can.

Ryan has a bit of a PB addiction. poor kid no PB at home and he is in a peanut free classroom at school. We have now discovered Sunbutter. It is made in a nut free facility- and OMG - YUM-O! I can get it in the grocery store and it is SO much yummier than PB -IMO. The other Moms in Ryan's class were ecstatic when I told them about it too.

The hard part of dealing with his allergies certainly isn't at home. I read labels and (mostly) cook from scratch. when we venture out, it is a whole new ball game. restaraunts are likely to have cross contamination - particularly with dairy. Then you have the issue of well menaing loved ones offering your kid a snack - without clearing it with mom or dad first! Sending him to school scares the daylights out of me. Yes, there are PF tables. He is allergic to dairy too. It isn't jsut about sharing food either. Colin has had CONTACT reactions. As in - he didn't eat the food, he just touched it. We all know how good the hygene of small children is. yeah.. one kid has an ice cream that drips all over his hands, gets it on a door, Colin touches the door. and it is epipen time!

Food allergies are serious. They can be deadly. PLEASE try to be considerate - even if it is an inconvenience to you.

Cranky the Cabbie

I'm not a morning person by any streach of the imagination. Yes, I am aware that there is a new day full of new possibilites ahead. The bed is comfy and the dreams are sweet. I'll get up when I damn well please! Except there is that whole job-work-money thing. sigh.. I get up and go because I have to. It is under duress, but I do it. I enjoy the train ride because it gives my brain a chance to come fully up to speed without having to operate heavy machinary first. Getting to the train - at this point - requires me to take a cab. My regular cabbie gets me to the train on time every morning. No complaints there. I do tip him well because I'd like that to continue. I just wish he could just do it with a little lot less rage.

My alarm goes off at 5:30 and I call Cranky Cab Co. for my pickup. He answers the phone as if I were a bill collector. I'm not even out of my wrm, comfy bed yet and he is already filling my morning with rage. On the way to the station I get to hear about how much he hates his job, the weather, his girlfriend and other clients. By the time the 1.5 mile trip is over, I am overcome with anger myself. I am angry at people who look at me, sit next to me, or God forbid, speak to me.

Yesterday, I got on the shuttle bus which takes me from the station to my office and the driver asked why I was always so angry. I guess it shows. Ten minutes later, his "Relax, No Problem!" Jamaican spirit had me fit for human interaction again.

Then, a building collaped near the tracks in Harlem (vacant -- no terrorists!) and shut down train service just before the evening commute. I got on the bus not knowing how or when I was going to get back home. The driver (another Jamaican) said "relax, you'll get home. No problem!" The trains started running again just before I got to the station. we stood out on the raw, cold, windy platform and waited. and waited. we talked, joked and entertained an antsy toddler confined to his stroller. Some folks shared cabs home. Cell phones were passed around so that everyone could update folks waiting at the other end. No anger or rage. We just went with it. We all hopped on the first train to stop (and express and the Accela flew by at about 100 mph first) and then worried about which train it was (it was the 4:15 train at about 5:50).

It occured to me at that point that I've been allowing other people to dump their negativity on me and letting it ruin my day. I decided I was going to fake being a morning person and see if I can positively affect my morning. I put on my most pleasant "Good Morning" when I called. I got "yeah see ya later" in response. I get in the car and he is yelling at a woman who needs a ride to her son's funeral (he did have a good point, why did she wait until the last minute to get a ride?) and proceded to rant about how he was going to quit the rest of the way there. I just smiled and nodded. I think he needs therapy. My good vibes just aren't going to do it. I've resolved to not let if affect me. So far, so good. I was joking with my fellow commuters by the time I got to the shuttle. (yes- I was speaking to strangers! can you believe it?)

Wild Weekend

Let's see, we had hockey, Sunday School, playdate at my parents, laundry, dishes and a trip to the Yankee Quilter.

I picked up some really nice fabrics at YQ and a pattern for a purse. I also picked up a GREAT suggestion. I was telling them about my new CD line and they suggested a 50/50 bamboo/organic cotton fleece as an alternative to the hemp.

Now, the real advantage to going to a local quilt shop (LQS) is not the WONDERFUL fabrics, delightful patterns or even the fact htat you are supporting a local shop. The real advantage is the expertise of the staff. They know thier product. They know the projects. They take the time to talk you through your purchase.

I didn't know that this bamboo/cotton existed. I never would have thought of it for the diapers - it is marketed as batting. It is SO soft, SO absorbant and naturally anti-bacerial. who know? the ladies at YQ did.

Did I not mention the diaper thing? Guess not. For a variety of reasons that I'd rather not get into, I've decided to refocus and re-launch My Little Creations. I am going away from the pockets, revamping and re-launching the FunFolds. FunFolds (FF) are similar to prefolds and are worn the same way. They can be pinned or snappied. Why are they better? They are trimmer, more absorbant, softer and cuter. With this bamboo, they are also anti-bacterial. how cool is that? I am still refining the design, but I am almost there. I plan to re-launch in April with some beautiful fabrics and some great deals! here is a sneak peek of Colin in one of his prototypes:

I also picked up the pattern for the Town Purse from Lazy Girl Designs . I really enjoyed this pattern. simple and well thought out. Some great techniques here! I plan on makeing the Wonder Wallet and a briefcase version of the Summer Tote.