A Superhero ... Girl Style!

Grace disappeared into her room tonight, emerging a few minutes later dressed as "a superhero".

Apparently in our house superheroes wear lots of necklaces, bangles and feather boas!

I asked what her super powers are, and she informed me she has the power to catch fire, to tickle people with her feathers, and to find things. That last one should come in handy!

Unfortunately Superhero Grace finds flying is a bit hard. She's not the only one! But as long as she concentrates on finding things and tickling people, we should all be happy!

Sunny Spring

Autumn is my favourite season, but spring would have to be a close second. I love the scent of freesias and jonquils, the cheerfulness of daffodils, the colour of bluebells and tulips, and the daintiness of snowdrops.

I also love the weather, which makes it very pleasant to be outside.

The last day of winter happened to be a warm and sunny Sabbath this year, and I took some photos of the girls in the garden before we walked to church. It was their first time in new summer outfits (but still with the stockings and cardigans required during a Melbourne spring).

I walked to church feeling blessed to live in such a pretty part of a beautiful city, and to have three gorgeous daughters (and a handsome husband!) to share my life with.

The Three Amigos

After my recent retrospective posts, I thought I'd better show you what the girls actually look like now!

These photos were taken one morning last week, when everyone climbed into Lucinda's cot for a bit of a play together.

Lucinda loves being able to stand up with the big girls.

They're growing up fast!

Take Two

Grace didn't like her library bag.

Apparently she isn't fond of spots. And she had expected it to be pink and yellow.

Fail.

To be fair, we went to a Spotlight sale recently where all the fabric was 40% off. I said everyone could choose one fabric, and we'd get half a metre of each. I chose a floral print, Charlotte chose a monkey print, and Grace chose two solid colours (I relaxed the rules a little) - pink and yellow. So I think she'd expected me to use those fabrics.

Friday afternoon I unpicked the first library bag (I figured I might as well use the fabric in something else, and I wasn't completely happy with how I'd sewn the opening for the drawstring), and on Sunday night I had another go.

Here is take two:

A pink and yellow library bag (on a very busy tablecloth!).

This time I googled how to make a drawstring bag, and found some great simple instructions here. I used double sided interfacing to iron on the yellow stripes, and again hand stitched around them with a simple running stitch.

Unfortunately I didn't have any pink thread, and the white thread highlights the problems I'm still having with my sewing machine:

The sewing machine has tension problems that can't be rectified.

But I don't think Grace notices, with the drawstring pulled it isn't too obvious, and well .... I don't have much choice!

I'm pleased to report that Grace happily took this bag to kindy with her yesterday. So take two is a success!

A Library Bag for Grace

I found out last week that we needed to supply Grace with a library bag for kindy. A drawstring bag was the recommended style.

I had a quick look around the shops, but didn't see anything suitable. I wasn't trying too hard though, as the thought had already occurred to me that this might be a great sewing opportunity. I didn't even look online!

During a break at work today I popped in to Lincraft and purchased half a metre of kid's furnishing fabric and a metre of cord. This is what I turned it into tonight:

The finished library bag.

I didn't follow a pattern, but just cut a length of fabric, folded it in half (right sides together) and sewed side seams, then turned the top over and sewed the pouch for the drawstring cord.

Do you think it is colourful enough?

I attached a large pink spot on one side to make the design a little bit more interesting, then added a running stitch around the edge by hand. Looking at it now, I should have made the spot bigger. I'll have to remember that for next time!

I toyed with the idea of adding Grace's name to really personalise the bag, but I figured it was fairly unique already!

Detail of the decorative spot.

I'm rather pleased with how the bag turned out. And even more pleased by the fact it only cost me about $7.50. Definitely cheaper than anything I would have found online!

Our Sixth Wedding Anniversary

Over the next few weeks you're likely to read quite a few posts about events that occurred sometime in the last six months. I've got a lot to catch up on!

On the 27th May, Neil and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. While this day was special, the day before was even more so, as it marked ten years since our first date. We got a babysitter to mind the girls, and went out to dinner at Shakahari vegetarian restaurant in Carlton (the scene of our first dinner together).

Our anniversary fell on a Monday, which meant Neil and I were both at work, and the girls were at their early learning centre. We had told Grace about our anniversary, so during the day she decided to draw a picture for us.

Here it is:

Daddy and Mummy holding hands, with two birds flying in the sky above them.

It is so exciting to have seen her progress from scribbles to drawing recognisable figures. And it was lovely to receive such a personal gift.

We've been through a lot in the last six years. Good and bad. There are things in our relationship that we still need to work on. It's not all perfect. But I look at our family and feel very, very blessed.

As Neil commented the other day, "We're coming up to seven years married, but I'm not feeling itchy."

Neither am I.

Milestones

It's been awhile between posts again.

That's what happens when you add paid work to the list of things you are already doing!

A photo I found online showing the front of my workplace.

That's right - I just survived my first fortnight back at work after a nine month period of maternity leave.

It wasn't actually too bad. While a lot of the processes have changed (like how to book a fleet car, and where to save documents on the computer) the core business of assessing and assisting older people remains the same. And it feels good to know I have helped them to receive the support they need.

It also feels good to know that in just under 12 months I'll be reaching another milestone ... long service leave!

While I've been busy getting back into the swing of things at work, and refining the routine that enables us all to be dressed, fed, packed and out the door on time (luckily only five days a fortnight!) Grace has achieved an important milestone herself. No nappy overnight!

We mostly used Huggies, but these were the last nappies Grace wore overnight.

The noise you hear is a loud cheer as I celebrate having one child out of nappies completely. Hooray!!!

Grace's nappy was mostly dry in the mornings, but I hadn't got around to buying the waterproof mattress protector and setting everything up for her. I've done it now, and we've had two nights nappy-free. There's been one small accident (probably contributed to by being extremely tired after a late night) but otherwise the change has been incident free.

Which brings me to the last milestone of the day. Our energetic, ever-smiling, lovely Lucinda is 9 months old today!

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photo taken today, but here's a shot from last week:

Lucinda enjoying her lunch at the Teddy Bear's Picnic at Rippon Lea.

Lucinda has two teeth now (more milestones I didn't record here) and is growing rapidly.

She is almost crawling - she gets up on her knees, rocks, then lurches forward and collapses. It won't be long! She can also push herself nearly all the way up from lying to sitting.  I'd better child-proof the rest of the house, because she's going to be on the move very soon!

Making A Scarecrow

OK, I admit it!

I do things a little backwards sometimes.

I've been very keen to start my own veggie garden. To teach the girls about plants and gardening, save some money, and for the satisfaction of growing, harvesting and cooking my own food.

So the first thing we did was ... make a scarecrow!

A couple of months ago, I was looking for something to do to entertain the girls. So we went on an excursion to the op shop to buy clothes, and to Bunnings for sugar cane mulch and posts.

Over the course of a few days, Grace and I stuffed the clothes with mulch and put the scarecrow together.

The girls had some pink bandanas they had received at a fun day at the local school, so I made them into a knee patch, neck scarf and hat band. The head is an old pillowcase. We superglued buttons on for eyes, and Grace drew the smile with a permanent marker. The body is stuffed with plastic bags full of mulch, and the hands are cheap gardening gloves. There are a few strands of yellow wool for hair, but it is a bit sparse.

There's a little bit of gender confusion going on. Most people assume scarecrows are male, but this one has some feminine features. I named it 'Sammy Scarecrow' to keep the ambiguity going. So you can decide for yourself!

Swing Time

For Christmas, my parents gave the girls a Hills swing set.

It was quite a collaborative effort.

Mum paid for it over the phone, Neil collected it in his ute (and picked up the pieces from Eastlink when it fell off!), and Dad assembled it while he was here the other weekend.

"It might just have us stumped."

"Grandpa has it sorted."

It has definitely been a hit, particularly with Charlotte, who is very difficult to remove from the swing when it is time to come inside!

"More, Daddy, more."

"This is fun!"

Having a great time on the swings.

Fortunately, Neil chose a reasonably shady spot for the swing set, because I think we'll be spending a lot of time there over the next few months.

Three Little Monsters

Well, I tried!

Here is my best effort of a photo of the three girls in their 'little monster' costumes. Charlotte doesn't like wearing the headband (she is the same with clips at the moment), and Lucinda seems transfixed by her claws.

Here is another shot, with Lucinda looking better, but Charlotte between smiles and Grace flashing her trademark eyes-closed grin.

Finally, here are two photos of my littlest monster, looking very cute and cuddly.

Call me biased, but these three girls would look good no matter what they wore!

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

No, I don't celebrate Halloween.

I'm horrified by all the merchandise I've seen in the shops recently.

Skulls, spiders, witches, and ghosts can be scary for small children, and difficult to explain.

I try to focus on the pumpkins!

I received an email yesterday from the early learning centre that Grace and Charlotte attend, reminding me to send them in costume today for Halloween. I mentioned it to Neil (who usually drops them off and collects them).

"Oh yeah," he said, "I forgot to tell you about that."

Great!

I asked Grace about it. "I want to be a monster," she said.

About 10:00 pm last night, after our dinner guest had left, I googled "last minute children's Halloween costumes" and found some wonderful ideas for dressing up as a butterfly, octopus, ladybird and the like. But the email said "scary costume".

Neil and I discussed it, and decided the whole scary Halloween scene isn't really something we want to encourage, so we decided not to worry about costumes. I did something else, then went to bed.

This morning, Grace greeted me as usual. "Get up Mummy, it's light!"

Closely followed by, "I want to be a monster. Will you make me a costume?"

She and Charlotte went off happily with Neil, after I had assured her I would work on a costume. I threw on some clothes, and Lucinda and I set off for the shops.

An hour and a half later, we arrived home loaded with supplies. Cheap nighties and leggings from Kmart, and fleece, felt, and other craft supplies from Spotlight.

The raw materials.

I found some good girl/bad girl headbands in the party section at Spotlight.  With a little effort I managed to transform them into googly eyes and horns for the little monsters-to-be.

Wrapping the headband in pink chenille sticks and securing with glue.

Cutting out felt eye pieces from a template I made.

Stuffing little felt horns with filling from a dead cushion insert.

One of the finished headpieces.

My trusty sidekick found it all a little boring.

"I was watching, Mum, but I'm sleepy now."

I hand sewed a piece of fleece to the front of each nightie for the monster's chest, and little felt claws to the bottom of the leggings.

'Claws' at the bottom of the leggings.

I sewed other claws onto little strips of fleece, that could be tied around each girl's wrists for the paws.

It's not bunting, it's claws!

I worked at it most of the day, and only stopped for some appointments this afternoon. I completed the last few stitches in the carpark outside the early learning centre late in the day, but managed to take the full costume in for Grace when we picked her up.

The complete 'little monster' costume.

She got to show her teachers, but I wasn't too fussed that she didn't get to wear it earlier in the day. She may have been too shy to do so anyway. For her, the excitement was in putting the costume on at home later, and it was all the reward I needed to see how happy she was with it.

One very happy 'little monster'!

I made an identical costume for Charlotte, in case she felt left out when Grace got hers. Unfortunately it was a bit late in the day for her though, and she wasn't really in the mood for photos.

"I'm too tired for this, Mum."

Tonight I made one more costume, this time for Lucinda. I had bought a singlet a few sizes too big to sew the fleece onto, and treated the leggings the same way as the others. Instead of a headband, she has a beanie with little horns and one big monster eye.

Felt horns and eye sewn onto a little beanie for Lucinda.

Lucinda's finished costume.

I've never made any costumes before, but I was pleased with my efforts. For less than $50 we have three more dress-up outfits, and I have plenty of fleece and other supplies left over for other projects.

Maybe tomorrow I'll try for a photo of all three 'little monsters' together. Wish me luck!

More Dora Cooking

Grace's new Dora Little Cooks Collection magazines arrived today, so I thought I'd better post photos of her last culinary masterpieces before I get too far behind!

First, some funny face pizzas, made with the help of Nicole one Saturday night.

The veggies looked good, but unfortunately still didn't get eaten!

Then, an apple cake in the shape of a butterfly, courtesy of the silicon mold that came with the magazine.

Grating the apple.

The finished product, decorated with sultanas instead of strawberries.

Apparently in the next few weeks we can look forward to mini chocolate cupcakes, and tutti frutti nests. Soon I won't be needed in the kitchen!

We Did It!

Grace has not had a bottle since her "big girl" party.

The first two days were tough. There were a lot of tears and a couple of tantrums, as she struggled to find a new way to soothe herself. She has been quite clingy to me, and I've had to lie with her while she goes to sleep most nights since. However, she seems to understand the situation now. She will occasionally say she wants a bottle, but doesn't actually expect to get one. I tell her I know it is hard, but I'm very proud of her, and together we think of something else she might like to do instead.

I had a second present tucked away in case things got tough, and it did come out. Water soluble (easy to peel off) little girl's nail polish. A stroke of genius! It kept her occupied for hours, with everyone in the family (except Lucinda and Rosie) getting the treatment.

Daddy's toes don't usually look like this!

Daddy's fingers with expertly applied nail polish!

Grace carefully put a sticker on the calendar each day for a week, looking forward to her promised trip to the shops with Mummy to choose a new DVD.

Stickers on the calendar marking a week without a bottle.

Last Thursday, Neil came home over lunch to look after Charlotte and Lucinda, while Grace and I went to the shopping centre. She chose two Wiggles DVDs from the ABC shop (we now know all the words to 'Surfer Jeff'!), and then we shared a waffle with pink ice cream at Gelare.

A lovely way to celebrate what is quite an achievement for both of us!

Cup Day

No, it's not the first Tuesday in November just yet.

It's a far more important day in our house.

Today is the day Grace officially becomes a "big girl" and drinks her milk from a cup instead of a bottle.

Drinking some milk from her special new cup.

I've been aware that we need to do this for quite awhile, but I have to admit I've been dreading it. For Grace a bottle is comfort and security, and a means of falling asleep. She is used to having a bottle when going to bed, and during the day whenever she is upset (which is sometimes quite often!). Now that is all about to change.

I figure it is best to get it done while things are relatively stable, as our lives don't tend to stay that way for long. I'm not currently on IVF or pregnant, Neil and I are both well, and we're not moving house or renovating. So there's no time like the present!

On a shopping expedition this morning we found a special cup with a princess, castle, flowers, and lots of glitter on it. We also got a 'Pillow Pet' to provide extra comfort in bed.

'Lily Ladybird'.

I purchased a couple of balloons in Grace's favourite colours (pink and yellow), as well as four little cupcakes which we enjoyed after dinner to celebrate this momentous occasion.

If there are balloons, then it's a party!

Cute little cupcakes purchased from Browns.`

After dinner we had a special ceremony where all Grace's bottles were collected and placed in the rubbish bin (so neither of her parents could relent over the next few days).

Yes, that is a look of pure terror on Neil's face!

"Bye bye, bottles."

After the bottles were disposed of, Grace received a present. She was also promised a special trip to the shops (complete with babyccino) to choose a new DVD, after we've made it through the next week.

Stamps and a Dora book (not pictured) were Grace's special presents.

I have to say, I'm pleased with the way she has coped so far. She is happy drinking milk from the cup, and although there were a few tears when she wanted a bottle (and she had one last one late this afternoon) she has been pretty good.

It took until 9:00 pm tonight for Grace to be tired enough to go to sleep, and I didn't push her. I tucked her in with Lily Ladybird, and she went to sleep all by herself. Sans bottle. Hooray!

I know there will be tough times in the next few days, but I also know that she can do it.

I'm very, very proud of my big girl Grace.