Mommy Wish List

I found a post by Kara Baskin on her blog The 24-Hour Workday called Am I Mom Enough? A Motherhood Wish List.  In it she discounts the importance of Time magazine's attention grabbing extreme parenting story by making a wish list of things she thinks are important when raising a child.
To view her post go here Am I Mom Enough? (and yes, I figured out how to add a link without just copying and pasting the whole address . . . I'm starting to get the hang of this blog).

Some of the gems on her wish list:

. . . I hope I raise a child who gets what he wants just often enough to keep him optimistic but not enough to make him spoiled.
. . . I hope I raise a child who is open-minded and curious about the world without being reckless.
. . . I hope I raise a child who realizes that his parents are flawed but loves them anyway.

Thinking about the big picture of what kind of people I want my children to be, makes all the time I spend worrying about whether they go down at the right time for their naps seem completely inconsequential.  I know I will always worry about small things that do not matter in the long run--that is part and parcel of being human and a mother--but I need to at least put it in perspective.  Will it matter to them 20 years from now if they skipped one nap because we went to the zoo instead of staying home during nap time?  Probably not.  But in concentrating on the small stuff, does it keep you going so you can impart those more important life lessons?  Or does it interfere?  I suppose it depends (like most things in life).

For my children, I wish them to be kind, honest, honorable, optimistic, polite, gracious, open-minded, strong, happy, confident, beautiful in and out, knowledgeable, not afraid to get their hands dirty, healthy, resilient, determined and loved.  These are all qualities I hope and wish they have.  These are all qualities that I hope and wish I had, although I know I fall way short.  Are these qualities I can teach?  They will learn things by example, both good and bad, I know.  I hope everyone who is a part of their life contributes to them becoming better people, me especially.

Family photo

We took family photo's for a Mother's Day present for my mother and my mother-in-law (and for me!).  I love the photo of all of us.  Both girls are smiling--never a guarantee--and it is still so exciting to get family photos of my family that includes more than my husband now.

I made the girls' outfits using the little girl's crossover pinafore pattern over at Smashed Peas and Carrots.

It is a super simple pattern, looks adorable and can be worn as a shirt when they get bigger.  What more could you ask for?  Plus, even though you can't really see it in the picture, one dress is the reverse of the other so the girls' coordinate nicely.  The diaper covers are also the reverse of the dress which gives it a nice contrast when you see their bum.  I got the diaper cover pattern from http://www.danamadeit.com/2008/07/tutorial-the-perfect-diaper-cover.html.  (Did I mention how much I love tutorials on the internet!)

I really wish we had gotten one of the two of them both smiling but this turned out to be the best one.  They are at least not crying and both girls are looking at the camera. 

I made the felt flowers for their headbands using the tutorial over at Jones Design Company, http://jonesdesigncompany.com/tutorial/flower-pin-tutorial/.   I cut the felt out while watching the girls and then glued them really quickly with the glue gun during nap time.  They are easy to do and look so great.  I plan to make more in a variety colors and for me too. 
It is so fun making things for them!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe titled "The Only Chocolate Cookie I Ever Need to Know for the Rest of my Life" from Kate Miss' For Me, For You blog is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe that I have made.  The cookies are delicious.  Cookie dough anyone?

That said though, I think it needs tweaking to really be what I'm looking for. You see, I like a chewy chocolate chip cookie, not a hard cookie. Although these cookies were so large that weren't crisp through like the normal recipe chocolate chips cookies, the outside was definitely hard and crunchy. 

According to Alton Brown, in order to get a chewy cookie, you need to melt the butter in a sauce pan before creaming it with the sugar. Alton's recipe also calls for one egg and one egg yolk instead of two eggs. So next time I make these cookies I will try these alterations and hopefully get the perfect chocolate cookie recipe.  In the mean time, these cookies are calling my name.



Blueberry Pie and Turning 30

We went to the River Market farmers market on Saturday for the first time this year.  Kevin carried Tess in the Snugli on his back and Dara rode with me in the Baby Bjorn.  We got a quarter watermelon, strawberries, radishes, an eggplant, mint and a quart of blueberries.  The strawberries got eaten right away as we sat on the grass near the pavilion feeding the girls their breakfast.  They had oatmeal and cantaloupe for breakfast but got to nom on some fresh, delicious strawberry too.  Nothing like delicious fresh fruit.

At home I diced up the watermelon into chunks while Kevin rough chopped the mint leaves in the food processor.  Mixed together they make the perfect refreshing dessert for a warm day (and it was hot and humid over the weekend).  The mint gives the watermelon such a depth of flavor.  I wish we hadn't eaten it all so I can eat some now. 

The blueberries, beside being eaten as a snack and over my morning cereal, went into this:

I never tried blueberry pie before living in New York and never wanted to try it because it didn't seem appealing.  Boy, was I wrong.  I love blueberry pie!  It is probably my favorite.  This one turned out delicious except the edges were a bit darker than I was hoping for.  This was also the first time I made a lattice top for a pie.  It was easy to do and just looks neat. 

Today I plan to make the dough for chocolate chip cookies that I found on Pinterest.  Apparently they are supposed to be the best cookies ever and since I have yet to find a chocolate chip cookie recipe I like, I thought I'd try them out and see if it is what I'm looking for.  Here is the website for the cookie recipe:

http://forme-foryou.com/2011/08/the-only-chocolate-chip-cookie-i-will-ever-need-to-know-how-to-make-for-the-rest-of-my-life.html

I'll let you know what I think of them and if they are worth purchasing cake flour and bread flour.

Oh and it's my birthday today.  I'm 30 years old.  How did that happen?  No big plans today, just continuing to transition babies to one nap and visiting a friend who I didn't tell it was my birthday. Last year she baked me a cake because I had mentioned that I always bake my own birthday cakes.  It was really sweet of her but she's a busy mom of three and doesn't need more things to do.  So today I will tell her that it is my birthday and she doesn't have to do anything except wish me a happy birthday (well, and gossip with me, and give me baby advice on naps and feeding).   

Kevin is on call today, so I don't get to see him until tomorrow.  Bummer.  But when I checked my email this morning I found a gift certificate for a day spa from my loving husband.  So I will be celebrating my birthday at some point with a facial and massage, and maybe a pedicure.  Love it!  and I love my husband. 

Lion Brand Story Contest

This is the story I entered for the Lion Brand story contest.  I actually first entered because it was really nice to share something about my grandmother.  She passed away in August of Alzheimer's.  For the most part I grieved for her loss while she was still living, as I saw her lose pieces of herself.  There was little grief left when she actually passed.  But every once in awhile memories of her pop up and make me miss her very much.  She was a very sweet and loving grandmother and it is nice to share this memory of her.

Although sharing this memory is its own reward for me, it would also be nice to win a yarn shopping spree.  The deadline for votes is May 13th.  The link below takes you to the page to vote for my story:

http://apps.facebook.com/lbstorycontest/contests/202727/voteable_entries/46989500

The theme of the contest was, “What is the most meaningful handmade gift you have ever given or received?”

Grandma's Red and White scarf

When I was twelve, I knitted a striped red and white basketweave scarf for my Grandmother for Christmas. It was my first big knitting project. It was skinny in some places and fat in others. I hadn’t yet learned to weave in the ends, so there was a knotted clump at each color change. The colors were a fire engine red and bright white; my Grandmother generally wore pink and pastels so it clashed with everything she owned. In all it was a really horrible present. I thought so even though I was still giving it to her. But when she opened the present Christmas Eve she rave about how wonderful it was and well- made and beautiful. She made me feel like a talented, special kid. I saw her wear it only once to a small family gathering. And even though I was twelve I realized all the great things she said about the scarf was her being a wonderful Grandmother regardless of my knitting skill and color choice. I knew someday I want to be a Grandmother like her, always sweet and loving. We lost my Grandmother this year to Alzheimer’s. It is nice to be able to share this memory of her.

Mother's Day Tote

This year I am celebrating my first Mother's Day as a mother.  Mother's Day has always been a bit special to me.  I was born on Mother's Day and my birthday has landed on it a handful of times since then.  So for my first Mother's Day, the girls are giving me a tote with their feet print on it (they made them for their Leila and Oma too).

I had planned to actually sew the tote my self with a square of fabric that had their feet print on it.  Then I saw these totes at Michael's and realized how much time that would save me.  They don't look as good and are not as sturdy as if I had made them myself but my time these days that is budgeted for crafts is minimal so I had to make due. 

It was pretty easy and inexpensive to do.  All you need is a tote, non-toxic fabric paint (one bottle for the feet and the other for the writing), paper towels, a piece of cardboard, and a baby.

 

I did it while the girls were in their high chairs to keep them from moving too much.  Place a piece of cardboard on the inside of  the tote where you want the foot print to go.  It will give you a firm surface for the print. 

Using the paper towel, swab the the foot with paint. You want it well coated but not too thick.  Line up the baby's foot where you want it on the tote and press it firmly all at once.   I started out placing the heel down and then rolling the rest of the foot down so they would spread out their toes more.  Unfortunately that caught too much of the heel and made the foot print longer than the actual foot is.  So press the whole foot at once, even if they curl their toes in a little.

Then write the date or how many months old the baby is with paint that has the nozzle and let it dry for four hours.  And that's it.  All done except for the clean up.  For the most part, the paint comes off easily although the girls did had black paint under their toe nails for a day or two after.

Friday Night

My husband and I have never been wild crazy party animals on Friday nights.  But this Friday night we decided to get a little crazy.   Drinks, dinner, dancing, a movie . . . not our style.  Crazy kids that we are, we spent two hours trying different strategies to get two screaming babies to bed without relying on the usual bedtime last resort method (i.e., me cuddling them separately in our bed until they fall asleep and then transferring them back to their cribs). 

It was not fun, but we were not willing to let them cry it out. Certain cries I don't mind doing that with, but when they are beside themselves screaming bloody murder there is no way I can do that.  We also don't want them to be dependent on me getting them to sleep in our bed, not to mention that it is really hard to do with two of them.  So we tried my usual routine of putting them to bed, which failed miserably, as it has for three of the past four nights.  Then we spent some time calming them down and seeing if they would get tired on their own while hanging out with us on the guest bed.  Also not successful.  Then we just put them in their cribs with the light on and sat by them and stood by their cribs shushing them when they got upset.  It took a long time but eventually they settled down.  We turned off the light and put the night light on and with more time and few gentle touches they fell asleep . . . finally.

They have been going down for naps okay for the most part although they don't seem as tired as they used to at nap time and take time to actually fall asleep after I leave them in their cribs.  Could they be transitioning down to one nap a day?  Tomorrow night we will try moving their bedtime later and see if that is the problem.  But if that doesn't seem to work I may try to keep them up past their morning nap and force them into one nap a day for a week and see if it sticks.  Wish us luck.