a Toy Story

A Toy Story Birthday to be precise! My youngest son celebrated his 4th Birthday this week, and I threw him a surprise Toy Story party. Here's a little montage:

Every night this little boy asks me "Can you sleep with me?" and every night I crawl into his tiny toddler bed under his big brother's loft bed, and snuggle a while, and my heart aches every time. It seems like yesterday he was a little baby, then a toddling terror, and now he's in the preschool set - where did that time go! So there's a dragon, an extra large bear, a smaller bear, a pillow pet dragon, a pillow light puppy, a lovie puppy, a creeper, his old crib quilt, a twin comforter, his full size pillow and him all in his teeny toddler bed.. but I still can't say no when he asks me to lay in there with him, because I know soon he will stop asking me and that hurts my heart to think of! So my back may be breaking and my legs cramping, but there I am every night without fail - they grow up way too fast!

Paying it forward - spreading a little kindness

I always try to be kind to others and help when I can. Usually just people I know though - I don't get much contact with the outside world being a mother of 5 smalls! It's such a good feeling to help your friends or family - even if it's just helping with a problem they're running through their head and not a physical act of help. I took it a step further yesterday. I rather randomly helped a complete stranger, by letting them borrow an old pack n play. I saw a post on a local Mother's group saying there had been a death in the family and did anyone have a portable crib she could borrow to accommodate her brother's baby. Now usually when I see posts like this I think wow who would lend a total stranger something - then I thought - me. I would do that. So I offered, and she picked it up yesterday. Now that is a whole new kind of happy feeling. It really fits in to my "takes a village" mindset. I know you aren't supposed to do good things to get good things come back, but karma, and paying it forward being what it is - the better you treat others in this world, the kinder people become, the more likely it is it will come back to you someday. But for now I feel good knowing something I don't use is being used in times of trouble to give a little relief to a heartbroken family.

bathtime for babies

I feel oh so very accomplished in the hours following bath night success.  Successfully getting 5 children under 9 in the tub, hair washed, nails clipped, dried and pajamad (not a word but sooo should be), is nothing short of a miracle. I try to do every other night in the winter months, due to dry skin issues. But in the summer when they're playing outside a daily bath is pretty much a necessity. Not one I love! The one part I do enjoy, apart from their squeaky clean after appearance - is the drying of the hair. Not the brushing, lets get that straight right away! There's something about that almost silent time with them sitting with the blow dryer hum and nothing else, and that warm comfort of the miracle being almost complete. It's a time I cherish for sure.

On that joyous note I have to tell you about my trip to Target yesterday - not one bottle of bubble bath in the whole store! And when I asked the cashier - can you believe he didn't have a clue what I was talking about! What's the world coming to!?

knit one purl one

I've always loved knitting, and the look and feel of knitted clothing for my babies. Lately I've become a huge fan of knitted toys too. I started selling my gnome babies on etsy a while ago, so far successfully.

I'm hoping to branch out into other toys too - hedgehogs anyone? No one could resist those sweet little faces? On a side-note that is definitely one thing to add to the list of "oooh I really miss from home"... hedgehogs are just the sweetest thing - and much cuter than porcupines!

I've been a forever fan of the blabla dolls - although none of my children have actually owned one. There are so many different simple little styles of knit animals to try - I should really just go for it - when I find the time of course!