Pinterest flops

I have to remind myself frequently that Pinterest isn't magic. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I pin something to a board before I realize that I haven't, in fact, done anything beyond clicking a button. Then the guilt sets in as I realize I'm not likely to complete even 10% of the projects I've pinned. Plus, to me un-started projects are clutter and I can't stand that, even if it's virtual online clutter.

After a rapid succession of flops, I'm taking a short Pinterest break. The flashcards I made for Little Girl's room were straight out of my own head, thereby proving I don't need Pinterest to inspire me.

This dress looked so much better on Pinterest. In my version, the sleeves are about five inches too short and the dress itself is about 18 inches too wide. Despite the fact that I felt like I was wearing a tablecloth's worth of fabric around my legs, I cut it awkwardly short (and I'm only 5' 2"). Sadly, this is my second attempt at this same dress. I just don't learn from my mistakes. Or maybe I'm stubborn. Or both.

I might make my way back eventually. For now, though, I'm going to focus on projects like cleaning my house that have a tried and true outcome.

Edited to add: I just realized that ironically, I'm standing next to a quilt hand sewn by my great-grandmother in the early part of the 1900's. Proof that sewing does run in the family, immune though I may be.

One word

Little Girl has one word she uses consistently, frequently, and always in context.

No, it's not Mama. That doesn't have a word. The need for Mama is indicated by a scrunched up face, half open mouth, and a cough-cry.

It's not Dada either. That particular word describes anything from her father to a random stranger to a squished blueberry on the floor.

The word she most seems to grasp is "uh-oh." She will take a piece of something (usually banana or some other hard-to-sweep-up item), deliberately hold out her hand past her high chair tray, and release, proudly looking at me while announcing "uh-oh!"

As frustrating as this can be when a 12 month old does this, I wondered today how much more frustrating it is to God when his children act in a way that's basically the adult equivalent. How many times have I thrown a banana on the floor (so to speak), and then tried to rationalize my disobedience or carelessness?

I want to be mindful in raising my kids and in living my life. I know there will be mistakes, but I want the uh-ohs to be genuine opportunities to learn and grow.

See me. See me decorate.

I'm changing Little Girl's room from a nursery replete with sheep to a big girl room. Where did the time go? Sob...

(Actually, I'm quite pleased at having reached the toddler stage of life as I highly prefer it to the newborn stage.)

Anyway, I'm decorating with a Dick and Jane theme. I made a wreath out of a 50's math textbook here:

I also wanted to use some vintage flashcards as decoration. However, at $1 each, this wasn't something I wanted to purchase in large quantity. Also, finding the right words to spell out phrases was a challenge.

So I did what any cheapskate would do: made my own. I bought a 25 cent sheet of posterboard, sprayed it with a tea solution to "age" it, printed the words I wanted with 100 point  typewriter look alike font, traced them onto a piece of 3.5"x10" posterboard and colored in with a black marker.

For a quarter plus a little time:

The perfectionist in me wants to redo them and why not for as cheap as they are?

Adventure breakfasts

Lately Big Girl and I have been having Adventure Breakfasts. Little Girl gets them too, but the whole adventure concept is probably lost on her.

Rules are simple: each morning is a new surprise menu and you can only fall back on cereal once a week. This week we have had smoothies and scrambled eggs with shredded Parmesan (Monday) and gluten-free hot cereal with raisins and brown sugar (Tuesday). Insert fruit as available.

Tomorrow's surprise will be pineapple coconut yogurt and some leftover biscuits I served with potato soup earlier this week. 

It has been a fun experiment so far, a way to use up some of the things I had in the pantry or fridge, and a nice change from rice and corn cereal. Let's face it, those get so old after awhile.

She doesn't know it yet, but Big Girl gets a turn to plan the menu next week. I'll have to okay it, of course, and I'll end up doing a lot of the preparation but I think it will be fun for her to play chef for the week.

Happy birthday Little Girl!

It's been twenty-one months that I've loved you: nine months that you grew inside me and the year that has followed.

Six years ago, barely pregnant with your older sister, I dreamed vividly of two little girls, one a preschooler and the other a newborn just home from the hospital. Many times over the next few years I thought of that dream, even during the three years following your sister's birth when I was learning to adjust to the idea that she might be an only child.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, though, I had a feeling you would be here someday--although maybe not necessarily a girl. In fact, I called you Jack the entire first half of my pregnancy, so convinced I was that you were a boy after all. I remember when the ultrasound technician told me I was having another girl my first words were "are you sure?"

You were born during one of the hottest summers of my life, though I'm sure it only seemed that way due to my suddenly heavy and awkward size. When you were born, rain finally fell and ended our drought. It seemed to parallel the tears of joy I cried at meeting you for the first time.

I thought that I loved your sister and wouldn't be able to love you as much. I have discovered that I love both of you equally, and with an intensity that I never knew I could. You are the children I dreamed of many years ago.

I love the moments when you smile a three-tooth grin, or tell me "ssssss" with your finger in front of your mouth when you think I'm too noisy, or cling to me like a baby koala, or even when you throw a food you find distasteful on the floor and innocently say "uh-oh." I wish I could remember these times with your sister, but I was in a postpartum fog for so long that I didn't calm down and appreciate much beyond my stress and anxiety. You have the benefit of my experience and I won't make the same mistakes that I made with your sister.

Admittedly, you have fewer pictures in the scrapbook, and the ones that are in there also feature your sister or one of her various limbs, usually in your face. She loves you so much that she can't stand to be away from you. We all feel the same way. We love you, our big Little Girl, and wish you a very happy birthday.

Goals for July

This has absolutely nothing to do with the post but I do love some well-placed irony...

I got a good start on my dining room (nothing picture worthy) and hope to finish this month.

I might be taking a lesson from Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin (a book I read earlier this year) and give myself permission to abandon a project. I have a few flowers that haven't found a home in my yard yet and I may find someone else who wants them. They are annuals that will lose their blooms soon anyway so I don't want to stress myself over plants with such a short shelf life.

I forgot to update that I did organize my medical records--as well as the rest of my filing cabinet--but I couldn't take pictures because the top of the cabinet was being used as a painting stand for 12' baseboards.

I'm starting to run low on my generic beauty products so I think it's time to look at some of the pins for natural shampoo, body wash, etc.

So:

1. Finish dining room
2. Find a new home for my forlorn flowers
3. Make a few new bath products
4. Read two books

Books about food and picky eaters

Last month I read this book:

I enjoyed this book. As primarily a memoir, it was not earth-shattering but a well written book about how Americans tend to eat a lot of processed food. The book was the author's attempt to teach nine volunteer cooks how to cook from scratch and do away with pre-packaged, high sodium everything. I could really see the author's passion for food in her writing and that in turn made me feel renewed enthusiasm for cooking.

But what mostly got my attention was a comment on the back from the author of this book:

Both books are equally well written accounts of bringing people back to eating whole foods, but this one really resonated with me as a mom. I thought I was raising non-picky, healthy eaters but upon reading this book, I see there is so much room for improvement. I'm only halfway through so I can't give a full review, but I see where some of the tips could be implemented in our lives.

Parts of the French eating model seem harsh (and the author herself agrees). Even from birth, children are put on an eating schedule, and I fall on the side of breastfeeding on demand in the early days. However, I think the concept is true that sometimes we can get stuck in the on-demand mentality of feeding our kids so they never learn delayed gratification. The snacking chapter was especially enlightening.

The book is not about making kids go hungry or getting involved in power struggles over food ("you'll sit here until you eat every last green bean, Miss" types of battles). Instead, the French parents lead by example with healthy and adventurous eating habits and kids naturally learn a mannered approach to eating well.

I did notice that beyond baguette, there was not much listed in the diet that made me think "oh, I couldn't eat that" (pasta was mentioned in a negative light). Maybe expanding my cooking repertoire to include leeks and kohlrabi might not be a bad thing.