Grow With Me - Movable Door Height Marker

When did you get so big? I remember hearing that line when I was a kid all the time.  I never realized just how true it is.  Kids really do grow amazingly fast.

When my boys were born I was amazed just how tall they were.  Was it really possible for them to grow so much in only nine months inside of me? Then at their first birthday, I was amazed again at just how much taller they had become.  Now that they are two and three they have already become little boys and no longer look like babies anymore. Where did the time fly?

I started this movable door height marker over a year ago.  By changing the fabric every year, you can see exactly how much your child has grown each year.  You can also see which of your children will probably be taller.  Already at three, I can see that Jonas will be taller than his brother, even if it is only a little bit.

Hopefully someday, when they are over six feet and have stopped growing, have gotten married and have their own children, they can hang their door height marker up again and their kids can compare themselves to daddy.  

Lukas just had his two year check up where he had to stand up against the wall and get measured.  At home, he stood against his door marker and said, “so big!” Maybe someday, his son will do the same.

For the how to, see  http://kelley-donner.blogspot.de/2011/04/movable-door-height-marker.html from April of last year.

Baby Kitty's Underwear

Underwear is a big thing in our house.  My three year old Jonas not only loves to pick out which undies he wants to wear in the morning, but he also decides which ones his stuffed animals Baby Kitty, Mama Kitty, and Airplane get as well. 

I love Baby Kitty, because Jonas speaks through her.  When Baby Kitty doesn’t feel well, I know Jonas doesn’t either and when Baby Kitty is tired, I know Jonas is, too.  Baby Kitty even tells me all about Kindergarten.

So when I saw that Jonas’s underwear were way too big for Baby Kitty, I knew what to do. One morning while he was at Kindergarten, I sewed up a pair of undies for his beloved stuffed animals.

Jonas was so happy that his Kitty now had underwear that he showed everyone in his Kindergarten.  I think I am going to have to start making more clothes for Baby Kitty…

How to:

Unfortunately, I cannot show how I made these underwear.  I had such a limited amount of time and I had never made underwear before, so I did everything in the wrong order. Seriously, I've never found a project to be so difficult, which looked so simple.  Luckily, I’m pretty good at covering things up, so they still turned out pretty cute. 

If you want to make underwear for your kids stuffed animals, you could buy a pattern.  But, what would be the fun in that?

Big Boy Bedding

Before I had kids, I thought that you only lost sleep the first six weeks after a child was born.  Boy, was I naïve!  I never realized that sleep problems continue and change as children grow and their world expands.

My first born Jonas is already three.  He used to be a great sleeper, and then last summer the nightmares started.  First he was scared that a truck was going to drive into his room, then later he had a horrible fear of elephants.  In addition to this, his blankets were always falling off his bed and he would call out a few times a night, “Mama, tuck me in!”

The bedding issue was more complicated then it sounds.  Three year olds are picky!  Jonas has three blankets, one fleece, one fake down blanket and one crocheted.  He needs to have them on in that order, too.  Like I said, three year olds know what they want.

I finally decided to make him a new blanket that combined what he loved about the other three.  I knew that I would have to sell it well, or he wouldn’t accept it, so I worked hard at making it perfect.  I got blue fleece for the underside of the blanket and construction vehicle material for the other side.  I put a slit on the bottom where a down blanket could be put in for more warmth in the winter and added a piece of extra material that could be tucked under the mattress so that the blanket wouldn’t fall off. 

Luckily, the nightmares have gotten a bit better as he has started to understand the difference between reality and dreams and he’s not waking up as often as he used to. Jonas also loves his new blanket.  He is entirely capable now of tucking himself in, although he prefers to do it with one leg always on top of the blanket and one underneath. I don’t mind, as long as he falls back asleep.

I also decided that since I had the sewing machine out, I might as well make a blanket for Lukas, too.  He is now getting old enough to like a blanket and be capable of keeping one on at night.  Lukas's blanket is a bit smaller and can also be used as a duvet-cover, only I did not add the extra flap on the bottom.  As you can see on the pictures, both boys loved their comfy blankies.

How-to:

1.  This blanket was actually very simple.  First, measure the duvet that you are going to cover and add at least an inch and a half around the side.  The underside of your blanket, I used fleece, will be this size.  Then measure the top of your blanket, I used construction material, but add an extra 18 inches to the length (this is the flap that you tuck in under the mattress later).  For an added touch, I cut a strip of the construction material and sewed it on to the length of the fleece before I cut it, so that when the bedspread is folded over, you see both fabrics. 

2.  Now, sew the bottom end of the fleece and the flap of the top material by folding over the edges of the material twice and making a nice seam. 

3.  Lay the two pieces of material on top of each other with the good sides facing each other.  Pin all edges.  First sew the bottom of the fleece where you have made the seam to the top material about 10 inches in on both sides.  This hole is where you can add the duvet later when the weather gets cold.  You can add snaps if you want so that the duvet stays inside.  Then sew the other three sides of the blanket together and turn back righ-side-in.  For a finishing touch, iron the blanket flat and sew around the edges from the outside one more time.  Your blanket is finished!  Good job!

The Plague, Supermom, and the Promise of Spring

Thank goodness for spring.  I love spring.  It is the one thing that helps me get through winter, and this past winter was extremely long.  From November through February, our house had the plague; Someone was always sick.

It's amazing how the Mom-mobile can go on auto-pilot.  Having little kids meant that I also sick, too and was constantly running around like a zombie.  Even though I hadn't slept in days, I somehow managed to change one child's sheets for the third time at three in the morning, clean up the mess from my other child,  get them both to stop crying and sleep and still make it through the day.  Through all of the dirty diapers, medicine giving, and finally finding time to do laundry, clean the house, and make dinner, I had no time to blog, much less check my social networks for birthdays and messages.

And then.... my flowers started to come up.  My kids noses stopped running and they quit being so cranky.  My house finally got clean and my laundry got folded.  The sun came out again.  And finally, I turned my computer on and checked my blog and realized I couldn't wait to get started.

Thanks for sticking around.  Have a wonderful spring!