• April 26, 2010

    Things I have learned from Wife Swap



    So today, while doing some knitting (I finished the main body of the sweater!) I watched a recent episode of Wife Swap. While watching, I realized that I should probably take a few lessons from these ladies such as

    • take more 5-6 hour naps 
    • run the washing machine so Ryan thinks I am cleaning (so I can take more naps)
    • spend more time internet shopping
    • make the kids do pushups when they forget to say “Yes ma’am”
    Anyways, it has been a busy few days around here. Friday was a long shopping trip with my mom and sister. B got some new sandals, so now when we tell him to get his shoes on he goes “NO! Sandals!” And I found him some good summer clothes. I picked up some soft purple yarn to make these slipper/boots out of when I finish the sweater I am working on. I need to figure out how to use two circular needles at once. And I also found an excuse to go to Michaels that day. We needed to get Mother’s Day and general crafting supplies. We have a lot of fun things to do this week with paints and markers (and sidewalk chalk!). And B picked out some super fun sparkle paint that we are going to use to make a birthday card tomorrow. I am excited to make things. I love the drawings and makings of children.

    Saturday was library day, and B had fun as usual. O was just amused at everything going on. B really likes going to the library, he picked out a few new books to read, and loves trying out all of the couches. We walked around in the sky walks for a bit after and he really liked that. Mostly the being on top of roads part. Then it was grocery shopping. I am proud that the fresh half of my list was way longer than the not-so-fresh stuff. I’ve been making more effort to plan things out, and that is going really well. After shopping we all went for a drive to Lockport for dinner, which was really pretty and relaxing.
    Today we just had to exchange something and go to the Bulk Barn. I picked up various dried fruits in hopes of getting B to eat them. We’ll see how that goes. And then we barbecued. B loves BBQ-ing because he runs outside while Ryan is manning the grill and plays with his sand table. Or dirt rally table as it seems to be.

    I think that I am going to try the Kids Clothes Week challenge next month. I have enough time to prepare, and I love sewing little clothes. Finding patterns that don’t look completely dated for little boys is hard though, so I might have to come up with my own. I need to hit up Fabricland (and use what I still have around) to prepare! If nothing else, I can make a week’s worth of shorts, but hopefully I will find or come up with something better. I still have a couple of weeks to figure it all out.

  • April 12, 2010

    Books and Clothes

    We went to the Millenium Library yesterday morning. What a fun building. B did not get the point of going to the library at first. He kept saying “Books, buy it,” no matter how many times we tried to tell him that we could borrow them and did not have to buy them. He was so amused by the elevator and all of the chairs. O mostly slept. We took out a few books for him, one of which, I Am Not Sleepy and Will Not Go to Bed, he has become so attached to that we might just have to go to the bookstore and buy it for him because I think it might be getting woven into his bedtime routine. It’s really cute, I love the cut+paste collage style. I got a few knitting books, I am especially excited about The Knitted Odd-Bod Bunch and The Baby Knits Book. I also got a couple of books on mittens, because I  love making mittens. I’ve been looking for the perfect knit jacket pattern because I have been wanting to knit one of those vintage moosey-style jackets for B for a while (ooh! Look at this fish jacket!). I finally found it in The Baby Knits Book. It’s a plain knitted jacket that I can base the pattern on, and then I just need to come up with a design to knit on it. With at least one Moose. That will be my next big project after this current sweater and the Manda Ruth sweater for O. I *hope* to finish the hooded cardigan this week.


     My sister got back from her trip to Montreal today, so we went over to my mom’s to hang out and eat pizza. She brought me back some pretty nail polish. I am especially excited about the Diamond Base coat. I have been looking for a good base coat, since I just use Orly Bonder right now, which is great for making nail polish stay on, but not so great for strengthening. Maybe the diamond dust will save them. I had to cut them super short the other day because I broke a few really bad. She also brought back some amazing H&M clothes and Converse Runners for the boys. I LOVE the fish runners. B kept going “Neeebo,” and made me put them on O. And the Star Wars sweater is really amazing. I think Ryan is a little jealous. H&M kid’s jeans are so great. They come in great styles and washes, and last a really long time. I think B wore the same pair for over a year, from 1-2 years old, they grow with a kid that well. And they are still in good enough condition that O can wear them when he is old enough. Best kids jeans ever.

    Katya has good taste in kids clothes. There is another Lightning McQueen shirt, but B insisted on wearing it to bed. Which is where he is. Poor guy has a congested nose and at least two molars poking through. I think we will take it easy tomorrow, maybe do some drawing. I finally bought a roll of kraft paper to start drawing again on. I prefer starting on a neutral base instead of white paper, because I really like to build the colour up from nothing. The paper really lends itself to a wholly different sort of drawing, and I really think it’s a major component of my aesthetic and it really informs my use of colour. It also is a great paper for working with chalk and oil pastels, which I just happened to come across while cleaning. Maybe B and I will oil pastel tomorrow. And play with cars of course.