Yes!

I finished off the January project goals today by making the rest of the prizes for the fitness challenge.

Chap stick or lip gloss holders. They attach to your keys so you quit losing your lip stuff! They are a bit wider and longer than the original ones I did, to accommodate a wider range of lip products. I also made them all the same instead of custom colors because I've found that they get grungy pretty quickly when actually in use on key chains. They'll be shipped tomorrow, except for Kaje's. Hers I'm holding for ransom until she and I actually make it together for lunch! They're also just about long enough to hold a pen or two instead, if you don't even use lip balm, but really ... almost everyone I know does!

I actually made six instead of four: Two are going to a couple of ladies I know who are both going through a rough patch lately.

(Spam: I do sell these for $5 each. If you're interested, let me know.)

If you want a surprise, Mom, DON'T LOOK!!!!

My mom won the fitness challenge I did last year.

I promised a "knot bag" to the winner.

We went shopping for fabric together the next time she came down.

It's been sitting in my "to do" pile forever.

By the time I went to cut it out, my pattern had mysteriously disappeared. So I went to the blog where I got it.

She'd taken it down, since she was now selling them for profit.

Argh.

I found another knot bag, much bigger, and padded. It'll be a good knitting or project bag for my mom.

Here it is!

One handle is supposed to be longer than the other.

The lining -- it has lots of pockets.

All knotted up.

YAY! Another thing off my "to-do" list!

Saturday is a special day

It's the day we clean up puuuuuke.

And that's my day!

Little Mister has really been quite pleasant in between episodes. It's actually been a fairly stressful week, which is why I haven't been around so much. Financial problems, sick toddler who won't let me do anything without him being held by me, sciatic nerve all pinched off ... I'm feeling a tad better today and started working on some things that really need to get done. So far today, in addition to cleaning up messes and starting various loads of laundry, I've been able to:

1. Hem a fleece blanket for Little Mister. Remember that car fabric remnant Steph? Yeah, it's been sitting in a closet for quite a while. I pulled it out this week and he immediately started hugging it and playing with it. Since I finished it, he's been running around with it tied around his shoulders. So cute.
2. Finished 6 prefold diapers to go to an orphanage in Haiti, through a gal I know on a sewing website (actually, the same sewing website I used to be on but left for a long time. I went back). For more info on the diaper project, go here. These are upcycled from a sheet set.
3. I fixed a nighttime diaper cover for the boy.
4. I started on a bag for my mom.

Hoping to get the bag done and a couple of daytime diapers done, and maybe lip gloss holders for the other participants in the fitness challenge.

We've been in disposable diapers since October when he outgrew what I had done for him and I got pregnant, but we really can't afford sposies for one kid, let alone two, and I have all these diaper making supplies already here and paid for, so I'm getting back into making them. Found a couple of easy, fast, and free patterns that will help them go faster, too, so that's awesome.

I've gotten some other projects done this month, though don't have pictures of all of them. I did get the skirt done for kiddo and my remaining two pay it forwards, a "practice" bag which I decided to keep because it's sort of messed up (and now I need to go buy more fabric to do it again), plus a pair of footed PJ bottoms for Little Mister. The only pic I have of any of that is this one of a set of juggling balls and a matching bag.

I'm on target for my goals, so that's a plus.

Dental Work

So, when I'm pregnant I have a MUCH harder time brushing twice a day (though usually manage at least mornings) and flossing ... ever ... serious gag factor. I've been trying to get in for a cleaning for a month because I know just how bad off my teeth are, but we've been sick a lot so I've had to reschedule.

Each time I've rescheduled, the husband has done a little celebratory dance.

The husband didn't grow up in a home where dental hygiene was important, so the first few times I dragged him (kicking and screaming) to the dentist were torture. He had to have a root canal in the first 6 months of our marriage; you would think that would make him understand how important regular cleanings are! My husband will not go to the dentist without me anymore and will only go WITH me these days because he has to watch our son, even though his cleanings are only 30 minutes!

At any rate, the hygienist told me he has very strong teeth and didn't have any cavities, though his gums are a wreck and he needs to take better care of the gums so he can keep his teeth. He figures he'll be like his dad: Late 60s, half his teeth rotting out of his head, abscesses ... I told him no, he was MY husband and I expected some cooperation out of him so he can stay in good health longer. He finally agreed -- we'll see if he follows through or was just agreeing to get me off his back.

I, on the other hand, have three cavities and have to get them filled on Monday. Not looking forward to it, but I guess I'll put my big girl panties on and show the husband how it's done.

Something Sad

Kiddo told me last night that a kid she knows indicated that their step-father is abusive to them when mom isn't around and that they are afraid to go home when he's there and mom isn't.

We talked about it for a bit and she said she'd told the person to tell their mom, but the child is afraid to because they think they'll get beaten more. The sad thing is, the kid could be right.

I'm not close to this person and, in fact, have always thought they are sort of a twit. One example: The kid once told my daughter there was something wrong with ME because I don't let kiddo walk alone to and from the bus stop 1/2 mile from our house. You bet I'm paranoid about kidnappers and other creeps. There are registered sex offenders everywhere, and many more who just haven't been caught yet. So, I'm protective. That's part of my job as a mother. Another example: The kid told my daughter that no one likes her and everyone just feels sorry for her. Honestly, I think that's a bit of projection.

Even though I may have thought this kid is a twit, NO ONE deserves to be abused. And perhaps that abuse is why they behave the way they do.

I've done the right thing; I know I have. It just really depresses me. More and more stories of step-parents and/or parents abusing their children are coming to light, and it makes me cry.

The last time I had to do the right thing, I'd witnessed the abuse and reported it. Investigators questioned the young teen and they denied it had ever happened. I know they didn't want their parent in trouble, but abuse is NEVER okay.

After a lot of thought, I realized something else: I'm so thankful my daughter knew enough to tell the kid what the first step should be, and that when they refused, that kiddo trusted me enough to come forward and tell me what's going on. She knows abuse is wrong and is very worried about this child, and is thankful we did the right thing. We also discussed not telling the kid that it was us so we could protect them AND my daughter as best possible. And I hope and pray that my daughter keeps her head on straight and avoids abusers in every way, shape, and form as she gets older and develops deeper relationships.

Friday Fave Five!

1. Shopped some good grocery sales today and we are set for a little bit. Didn't do quite as well at staying in budget, but we were out of a lot of stuff. Like toilet paper. And the husband begged me to go back to Costco and get the kind he likes instead of the stuff I found on sale, which wasn't bad or thin or anything, just not what he wanted. Done. He loves me again. (not like he ever didn't, just saying.)

2. Had a horrible day Wednesday and found out our refi isn't going through after all. But we think we can pay off the car with our tax return and save some money there, waiting to trade it in for a van until the extended warranty is about out. So that's a good thing.

3. I got most of the laundry put away today and it is almost all caught up being washed/dried. That is a win any day of the week.

4. The husband told me the reason he hasn't been eating the fruit I buy that he requests: I put it in the fridge so it doesn't go bad as fast, but that makes his teeth cold. Grabbed a glass bowl out of the counter, put the fruit in it, and it's disappearing. Way to not waste money.

5. Little Mister is getting more vocal and easier to understand. Except for the 15-minute "mad at mommy" baby cursing episode tonight when I put him to bed. And I'm glad I didn't understand any of that. But he says things like cookie, cracker, go-go, please, juice, "switch" (his code for nursing), "my-my" for night-night and bye-bye, and bite (a new word for him meaning he wants some of whatever food or drink you are consuming). He's also learned that saying "No!" and waving his hand or shaking his head are sufficient ways to let us know he doesn't want whatever we're eating or doing instead of screaming his head off. Much more pleasant.

Nostalgia

I had a sudden nostalgia for my crappy little apartment from which Kiddo and I moved just about 5 years ago.

It was a two-bedroom one-bath place, small kitchen, no dishwasher, and really wasn't big enough for us. The whole apartment could fit in our current great room.

We lived there for over a year and had shared an apartment the exact same size with Kaje and her son for about 9 months, so two years total in that size space.

I seem to remember having less clutter, less mess, and generally less to do. Keeping it clean wasn't as hard as this place is -- and our condo isn't that big! We just have too much junk and all of us get overwhelmed with the amount of STUFF there is.

Not that I want to move back there (it really wouldn't work for our family now), but I'm really seeing the value in getting rid of stuff we don't use or need. Simplifying what we have. Using the oodles of fabric I have in various places throughout the house. Getting rid of fabric and yarn I'm not going to use and projects I'm not going to finish. Toys and books the kids don't use/read. Clothes that are too small. Stuff the husband has collected over the years, including spare computer parts, though I'll have a harder time convincing him of that.

Aside from tossing everything we have, we also need to be better at organizing everything we do keep. I need some way to store toys better (empty diaper boxes aren't cutting it) and a bigger bookcase and nicer desk for kiddo's room.

I also need serious help getting the garage under control. I had it cleaned out really well, but again, clutter has taken over!

Maybe someday I'll get everything done.

And then it will be time to move.