The Great Pea War

Hey.... This is Selah. 

Shhhh.....I'm sneaking onto Mom's computer tonight because I've just GOT to VENT! 

My mom is really MEAN! You won't believe this, but tonight she tried to feed me yucky green balls with mushy centers! They were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO disgusting! I promptly spit them out after the first one exploded in my mouth, and then I cried because I was STARVING and these were NOT going to cut it! You would think I would have received some sympathy, but NO!

First, Mommy just talked to me about these little green balls, saying they were called "peas" and that they were yummy...  I could not be convinced. Has she even tried them???? Then Mommy mixed them with some little yellow things she called corn, but they were tasteless and not much better than the peas.

Well, I thought Mom had gotten the message after I whined for awhile and mushed all the peas on my tray cuz then she went to the cupboard and got some yummy pumpkin! I was so excited!!! BUT..... then she MIXED THE PEAS AND CORN with the pumpkin trying to fool me and completely ruined it! Can you believe it????

That.was.the.last.straw. War officially was declared!!!

 

I stared at Mommy. Mommy stared at me. She stubbornly sat there with the spoon in front of my mouth and wouldn't go away. Hiding behind my cup didn't even work.

Finally I decided to humor her. I took a bite, swallowed the yummy pumpkin goodness, and then SPIT all those yucky green and yellow balls OUT! 

You'd think she would have gotten the message, but she just sat there and kept giving me more bites until the bowl was empty.

I begged....

I pleaded....

I rubbed pumpkin guts in my hair, eyes, and ears....

But she didn't give up until the bowl was empty.

What a MEAN, MEAN MOMMY!!!!

Well, at least I got a bath out of the deal. I mean, SERIOUSLY, what does it take for the third child to get a bath around here? I have to either poop up my back or rub food in my hair to get in the tub. So.not.fair.

 At least Brooklyn understands me. She'll take my side any day!

Mom thinks she won The Great Pea War because she sat there until the bowl was empty, but when I think of all the food I smashed into the tray, the stained clothes she'll have to scrub, and the peas & corn scattered across every tile of the kitchen floor, it's no doubt -- I WON hands down! Hey, an hour after dinner was over she was still in there sweeping up peas from the corners of the kitchen! 

I suppose I'll forgive Mommy... in a little while. Who can stay mad when bubbles exist in this world? 

But just in case she forgets who the boss is, I'll just make a few more messes when she finally gets the kitchen cleaned up. 

Seriously, this war was TOTALLY her fault! If she would've just fed me applesauce, none of this would've happened.

Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. Let's keep this vent our little secret, k?

Yours truly,

The unjustly treated third child 

~ Selah Renee'

Pinterest Boy!

My second youngest brother (I'm the oldest of 9 kids) just turned 10, and he really enjoys making things. Hmmm.... sounds like someone else I know. ;) For his birthday, I got him some perler beads that you design objects with and iron into place. Evrett's been having fun making jungle animal magnets for mom's fridge with those beads. Anyway, I think he is probably the youngest boy to have a pinterest account! Evrett cracks me up! Once he saw me on pinterest, and he was so enthralled that he asked me to help him make a pinterest account. Since he doesn't have a facebook, we had to use my mom's info to sign him up, but it is truly Evrett's pinterest page! 

He has enjoyed pinning away different projects that he wants to do, and last Sunday he showed me this link to make a garbage bag for the car. He "practiced" following the tutorial using a paper towel and scotch tape, figuring out what it meant to put "right sides together" and turn the bag inside out to make seams. It was ingenious (though quite funny!). Once he felt confident in his knowledge of the project, he asked if he could come to my house so I could teach him how to sew.

On Friday night, he came by and together (with the help of Clayton -- my youngest brother) we put together a garbage bag for my parents' vehicle. Evrett had difficulty getting the hang of pushing down the pedal slowly (watch out when he starts to drive!!!!), but Clayton had a natural knack for it. They made a good team since Clayton didn't want to guide the material under the foot, and Evrett handled that task quite well. You should have seen them sew those straight seams!

The bag turned out fantastic (we even had the same material left over from our chair re-upholster project that the original blogger used to make the tutorial)! Evrett was so excited that he had finished his first sewing project while completing his first "pin" at the same time! When I saw him Sunday, Evrett said he now wants his own sewing machine, but in the meantime he can't wait to come over and sew another project with me. ;o)

Mom Balance

Today I was catching up on a few of my favorite blogs to read, when I read the post "More Than One Thing" by Kelle Hampton on her blog: Enjoying the Small Things. 

Kelle and her lovely daughter Nella source

I loved the entire post, and it echoed a few conversations I've had with friends lately about finding balance between being a mom and pursuing personal interests.... making time to really be with the kids and also finding time to recharge doing something we find fun.

My favorite quote was:

I love to be alone. I love to read, I love to write, I love to unleash those imaginative bits of my mind that are all tied up and need attention.

But I also want to dive so deep into motherhood that I forget to come up for air.... To ignore the rest of the world while we play baby dolls and craft and I trace the frame of their faces, memorizing every little thing about them, knowing they will change tomorrow.... My heart beats in synch with my girls', and just an afternoon without them has me craving their smiles.

Beautiful, isn't it? I couldn't say it better. I love being a mom, and I'm working hard to learn to be "in the moment" with my girls... to not be so busy that I miss them.

God is so good. I'm thankful He is opening my eyes to see His gifts more and more. And I'm thankful He keeps loving me, teaching me, and directing me even when my life gets off balance. It's all a journey...

8 Months of Selah

Selah's 8th Month was full of firsts! My baby is growing by leaps and bounds. There is no stopping her now. She had been scooting around for several weeks, but early on in January she finally figured out how to crawl. She is so proud of her new skill!

My first baby that has kept those beautiful blue eyes!

A few days after she learned to crawl, I was in my bedroom making my bed when I heard banging in the bathroom. I quickly went to find the cause of the noise and discovered Selah had crawled from the living room to the bathroom and pulled herself up to stand using the toilet! Lovely. I could hear lectures from my dad in my head about kids drowning in toilets! Never fear... we try to keep the door closed now. :)

She also has tried numerous first foods, and learned to drink out of a sippy cup. My other two didn't learn that skill until they were over a year! I've also tried to give her lots of hand foods, such as diced fruits and veggies and she is doing fairly well, though she definitely has a sweet tooth. We need to work on getting her to eat more veggies! I fear we have a picky eater on our hands.

Another milestone (though a sad one) is that she switched completely to formula the first week in January. Since I had been solely pumping after the addition of her SHARP teeth, I didn't do too well at keeping my supply up. At least she hasn't seemed any worse for the switch.

Selah is such a happy child. She continues to LOVE toys, and now that she can crawl, she is enjoying her new-found freedom of crawling around the house discovering LOTS of things to play with. Discovery keeps her busy. I love watching her learn through play. What a fun age!

Happy 8th Month, Selah! Mommy needs to keep up on her posts! You'll be 9 months old on February 25th. Three quarters of a year already! Time flies...

Ready for her bath!

Perspective -- So big, yet so little!

My First Pattern Testing Experience!

I had the awesome, motivating experience of being a pattern tester a few weeks ago. I love following the blog Shwin&Shwin because the two sisters that author this blog are constantly giving tutorials and free patterns for children's clothes. Their posts are very inspiring! Not only do they offer free tutorials and patterns, but they also have an online shop were they sell more indepth patterns they have designed. I have drooled over some of their patterns for a long time!

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I noticed they had requested a few pattern testers to test out some new patterns they wanted to put in the shop as their new spring collection. I submitted my information, and was delighted to be chosen to test "The Prudence Jacket" in size 5 -- perfect for Brooklyn! But then when I got the pattern emailed to me, I must admit I swallowed hard a few times as I realized that this was more complicated than anything I had ever sewed before! To be completely honest, I hadn't sewed sleeves or a jacket lining before, and the last time I sewed pleats or pockets I was in high school! But I took a deep breath and started working my way through the pattern. To the credit of Shwin&Shwin, the pattern was easy to follow, and I went through it smoothly. I didn't even have to use my seam ripper ONCE!!!! I think that is a record for me! ;)

Brooklyn was thrilled with the outcome. Can't ya tell by that huge smile? She wore it to church and school and told everyone, "My mom made this!" Such a funny girl. She doesn't know that most kids don't think that is "cool." ;) Her favorite part? Well, she did love the pockets, but she was mostly impressed with the snap under the button. She kept telling everyone, "Did you know this is a fake button? See?" and then she would open up the snap closure underneath. Gotta love her excitement!

If this pattern (or one of their others peaks your interest) I encourage you to go for it. If I could figure out the directions, you definitely could! It was such a fun piece to add to to my daughter's wardrobe that now I want to make more for the other girls! 

And one other bit of good news, for the entire month of February, Shwin&Shwin is offering 30% off of all their patterns using the code "springsale," and all jacket patterns are just $3.95. I just purchased the Abbey Jacket pattern, and can't wait to make some spring coats for my girls!

This was such a fun opportunity. I learned so much and was encouraged to try harder projects in the future! Thank you, Shwin&Shwin!!!