Homemade Jammies

I'm not sure about all the other moms out there, but I have this little thing about most store-bought pajamas. They are pricey and usually cheap quality. And a lot of them have characters* on them (another little thing for another day).

I have looked and looked for decent quality second-hand pajamas in Miriam's size with very little luck (probably the cheap quality playing in here). So, about six months ago, I decided I was sick of buying them because I felt like I was wasting our already small budget on something that wouldn't last as long as I need them to. So I added "make homemade pjs" to my craft to-do list. It stayed there until my mom came home from Nigeria and kicked me into gear. And by kicked me into gear, I really mean that she did all of the work. :) Thanks, Mom! For the record, though, I did cut fabric and sewed a couple of cuffs.

The morning that we planned to go fabric shopping, my Mom had the brilliant idea of checking her boxes and boxes and boxes of fabric first. Good thing we did! We found enough for three pairs of pajamas: two of the jumpsuit style and a shirt and pants set.

The jumpsuits are both finished and I plan to make the other all on my own. They turned out super cute and will hopefully last a good long while.



*Oh, and I do realize they are Hello Kitty pajamas. Hey, the fabric was basically free! At least it's not Dora or a Disney princess; I probably wouldn't have used it then, free or not! A girl's gotta have standards, ya know. But Hello Kitty isn't so bad, so I'm okay with it.

What Works for Me: Cleaning the Bathroom

I love learning how others manage their homes and make life work for them in general. I often glean new ideas in the process and am able to streamline my time so I can do more of the things I want to do instead of only doing things need to do. What Works for Me is a blog series where I share my home management routines so others can see how we run things at our house.


My bathroom routine really isn't anything special, but finding a way to keep the toddler away from the chemicals was a challenge at first. I guess I could sacrifice my precious nap time, but...wait a minute...sacrifice nap time?! Yeah, right!

So, here's my secret. Clean the bathtub sometime during the day when Miriam is busy elsewhere. Then closer to her bedtime, give her a bath. Add bubbles so she's entertained for more than 2 minutes.




Now, go clean your bathroom. But be quick!! Even the bubbles will only last so long. I clean every week, so upkeep is really easy and fast. My mom taught me that trick. It's genius, really.

What a Day!

After a day like today, (read - a day where Miriam had more energy than usual and ran me into the ground) there is nothing sweeter than peeking in on my angel baby sacked out in bed.




A little recharge and I'll be good for another go around tomorrow.

One Last Hurrah

Summer is definitely over here. And Autumn? Well, it's hit and miss. We've already had a pretty good taste of Winter, but today was rather nice...for October in Idaho, at least. We decided since this might be our last chance to play outside without being completely bundled, we'd better take the opportunity while we could. So off to the "big" park we went.

The swings were the definite favorite.




She loved the slide and the leaves too. And really, any place Miriam just gets to run and run is a hit with her anytime.

Mmm, Mmm, Good!

Miriam loves tomato soup.




So much so that I think Campbell's should be paying her to be this cute while eating it!

Like a Little Kid at Christmas

Owen inherited a very abused and teeny tiny bike (for him, at least) from a friend this past spring. When we moved close to campus again he was determined to bike to and from class every day, but this bike just wasn't cutting it. Unfortunately, a newer, bigger bike just wasn't in our budget, so he's just been trucking along without complaint.

Awhile back, Owen's mom offered to buy him a used one if we came across a good deal. Since then, we've just been watching and waiting, but nothing had come up. Then this past week we found just what he was looking for.




A nearly new Cannondale F7 in electric blue. Big. Sturdy. Great condition. Awesome deal. Perfect for Owen!

He loves it! And I love that he has something that will work for him! Oh, and the amazing deal it was...definitely love that part too.

Snore

Before I put Miriam down to bed at night we read stories, say prayers and sing songs together while we snuggle. Usually she is pretty good about calming down and getting ready to sleep during this time. The other night was a different story. She tossed and turned and wiggled around on me. It doesn't take me long to get fed up with bedtime play so I told her I was going to put her in bed if she wouldn't calm down and try to sleep. A few seconds later she snuggled up to me and said, "Ahh, shoo. Ahh, shoo. Ahh, shoo."