Memory Books

During our How to Train Your Dragon obsession, I picked up a couple of dragon notebooks for the boys. Reed had also recently become obsessed with drawing, and he filled that sucker up with some priceless artwork. I decided to start a tradition on his next birthday. When he turned five, in addition to his other gifts, he got a decorated composition notebook.  Being the nerd that he is, it was his favorite gift. 

It's a real simple idea. Just buy cheap composition books, scrapbook paper, and letter stickers. Cover the front, back, and insides and mark the cover with the kid's name and age. On the first page, I asked a bunch of "favorites" questions to look back at later. I've made one every birthday since (Calvin was super jealous) and I LOVE to see how the boys' interests and drawing skills have changed. Since he started kindergarten, his phonetic writing has added further entertainment.  My favorite page from Reed's six-year-old-book is of a scene from Phineas and Ferb. It says "krsupuoretheplatupus" Translation for those not familiar with Dr. Doofenshmirtz or fluent in Hooked on Phonics: "Curse you, Perry the Platypus!"

Oops.

The downside to teaching your kids to be independent? Sometimes, when you're not paying attention, your two-year-old fills a cup with water in the bathroom and throws it on you, the computer, and the couch in a gleeful attempt to start a water fight...

Sew Happy!

When I was a little girl, I stayed with my Grammy once and she taught me to sew. We started the cutest pink and white quilt for my doll. It was almost finished when I had to leave, but Grammy instructed me on how to finish it, and I fully planned to do so.

Then, it got shoved in a pile somewhere, and that was it.

I didn't sew for about twenty years. My sister-in-law, Jenica started her own business sewing the most adorable baby creations. Her creativity made me wish I could sew, but I didn't have time for the hobbies I already had, so I didn't lose too much sleep over it.

When my Grammy invited Jen and I to raid her fabric closet (yes, an entire walk-in closet of cuteness!), I accompanied her out of creative curiosity. Grammy, who has retired from making beautiful quilts (including my wedding quilt which serves as the background for this blog) told me to take anything I might want, too. I started reluctantly taking a few scraps from my wedding quilt, then ended up doing some full-on pilfering, feeling a little ridiculous when I came back with a small trash bag full of fabric that I would realistically probably never use.

Two years passed. Then, several months ago, to scratch my creative itch (and, if I'm honest, to get outta the house once a week) I signed up for a sewing class. It was for beginners, and I was the biggest newbie of all. But I figured it out, and made this bag from my Grammy fabric!

Some of those strips are scraps from my wedding quilt!  I was so excited that I asked for a sewing machine for my birthday. But my birthday was over a month ago and I've only recently gotten my gift out of the box.

But, oh, oh those summer nights! I've been in the habit of staying up until the wee hours of the morning working on projects or finding new blogs to stalk. Well one of these nights, I decided to test my unopened present out. And test, I did! In one night, I made:

a burlap bag to hold onions in my pantry

a bag to hold T-balls

Max's curtains

Added a "hem" to the bottom of a giant burlap coffee bag that I then used to make a skirt for our utility sink. 

I was up until 3 a.m. sewing hunched over on the floor with my leg stretched out to the side to press the foot peddle. And after each thing I finished, I'd give a little woop. They're nothing fancy, but what excites me is that something that started years ago finally happened! I've been feeling frustrated the past few years that I've been blessed with a creative mind, but my other little blessings keep me from ever being able to use it! Practicing on these simple projects has given me a new skill that I can have fun experimenting with. In fact, I recently bought a dresser that has missing drawers. I just finished sewing a tiny curtain to cover one of the empty spots. And Max's closet door broke a while back and I decided to sew a curtain instead of replacing the doors!

This summer is giving me some hope! I may still have a bajillion projects swirling in my brain, but at least I can cross off a few. Even if I have to stay up until the crack of dawn to find the time!

Paid in Full

Dear Mom and Dad,

Remember how I used to talk incessantly? About really pointless stuff, I'm sure. Remember how you used to ask me if I could please stop talking for two minutes? And I never could. Remember when I'd eavesdrop on your conversations and then ask you eleven thousand questions about them?

Remember when I argued with you every time you spoke a command? And sometimes when you didn't, just for fun? Remember when my debate tactics and loophole finding skills had you convinced I would be a lawyer? Remember when I would hold to a lie so hard that I convinced myself it was true?

Remember when you had to go in the broom closet "phone booth" because of my ability to impeccably time all my needs to correspond with your phone conversations (and bathroom breaks, I'm sure)? Remember when my favorite word was "no" and I practiced saying it often. Remember when I chose the exact opposite of whatever you wanted me to do?

Remember when you said you were praying I'd have a child like me to help me pay for my raising?

Consider yourself paid. With 300% interest.

P.S. I don't remember if I ever got in a habit of tooting in your general direction and then wishing you a Happy Birthday, but if I did, I've paid for that, too.

Dirty

Ninety-eight percent of my kids clothes are stained and/or torn. So is my couch. There's an ever-present ring around our bathtub. I could lie and say I try to keep it scrubbed, but let's be real here - unless overnight company is coming, I don't. Dirt and grass are constantly tracked in my house, so the floors aren't clean either. We're a dirty family.

Our kids play with sticks. The pointier, the better, in their opinion. Calvin actually has a stick sword collection on the porch. We have a trampoline with no net (or mat). I let the bigguns jump on it with only distant supervision.  Wrestling is a daily event in this house. We tromp willy-nilly through tall grass. We remove ticks on a daily basis. We have B.B. guns, slingshots, and bows and arrows. The guns and bows are locked up, but the slingshots are in amongst the pirate costumes and superhero get ups, like it ain't no thang.

I'm sure lots of parents think we're a little (or a lot) out there. Our kids are dirty and rough. They might poke an eye out, break a bone, get Lyme disease, or worse.

And they might.

But they also might get leukemia, get hit by a car, or be a victim of a school shooting. They also may grow up scared of everything. Or soft and lazy. So, I guess we weigh the risks and rewards and choose the best scenario. And for our family, that's dirty and rowdy.

Because this:

This is what childhood is all about.