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I’m always on the hunt for books that both the kids and I enjoy reading. I’ve learned that the kids will listen to any drivel if the character looks cool, but we’re all more excited if the entire story is engaging, even if it is simple.

Here’s today’s list of good reads:
(For the under 2s)
Horns to toes and Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton
Reading that first year is as much about acquiring vocabulary as it is about gaining insight into the world around, learning rhythm and learning to enjoy reading. Unfortunately, there are a lot of authors of baby books that understand the limited attention span of the infant/toddler, but just don’t get that they need to be entertaining to the parents and kids. Ms Boynton gets it all. We acquired a few books at Target when Will was young, and he still clambers in bed with Sylvie and I to read along when these books come out.

Big Little and Quiet Loud by Leslie Patricelli
These are definitely small concepts presented in an entertaining, easy to understand fashion. Although the books are targeted for the younger set (under 2), Will throws them into his pile right along side his chapter books.

Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
I’m a fan of Mo Willems, but this one resonates with the kids the most. We talk about all the emotions Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie is toiling with. And the added bonus is that for a long time Will thought extinct = stinky. Which, well, reads just as well.

And Here’s to You by David Elliot and Randy Cecil
My cousin bought this for us when Sylvie was born. I definitely think it was a great big sibling book, as all the animals are fun to find on each page, but the underlying message is a great reinforcement during that all too stressful introduction of the second sibling. Many readings end in giggles with an enthusiastic “‘Gin, mommy. Again!”

(For the under 5s)
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
I like a readable story with a strong moral. This one is just that. It is about a family and their very closely spaced children who each has one special dish that they require. Everytime I read it, I am reminded how silly the eating habits of some people I know are, and I am encouraged even more to raise my kids as omnivores. I’m also hoping the kids pick up on the message.

I wish I never found this:
Mood Fabrics

There are moments when even mommies want their mommies.

Thursday night I was home alone with the kids, when Sylvie dropped a glass Izzie’s soda bottle on our back stoop. I have this sixth sense, and should have trusted my instinct when she grabbed the bottle and I thought, “Amazing how none of the kids broke those soda bottles at Will’s Pirate party.”

Alas, I didn’t, and as soon as she dropped it and it exploded over the stoop, I reached out to lift her to safety, stepping on a 1/2 inch wide shard with the center of my heel. It was a gusher. I left a puddle of blood on each step of our back stairs, a consistent trail from the back door to the medicine cabinet/linen closet where I grabbed a washcloth as I didn’t have the resolve to dig for a large enough bandaid at that instant, and a trail of large droplets through our dining room to the living room sofa where I sat curled in agony clutching the throbbing, gushing heel of my foot while my son held my head saying “I’m sorry, Mommy. I’m sorry…”

That advanced degree in zoology means that when a foreign object sticks into my body, I envision all the fibers it is tearing through, and often the thought alone is enough to make me pass out. So, my second goal, after stopping the blood loss was trying to remain coherent. I kept running through my options – hobble over to a neighbor with the kids in tow, hobble over to a neighbor by myself, drop the kids with a neighbor and drive myself to the hospital … call mom – not because she could do anything from 2000 miles away, but because I knew her voice would be calming in the same way it soothed me when I was little …

Knowing what my mom would say if I called her (she’d encourage the less convenient but most careful option), as much as I wanted her comforting, I simply IM’d my friends, who all gave me very intelligent advice which ended up calming me out of passing out. This event reminded me how happy I am to have such good friends and the internet that keeps them so close, but I’m most intrigued by the fact that instinctually I wanted my mommy because she could make it all better even though logically, she couldn’t. I thought we grew out of that?

The end of the story is that after about 30 minutes, the blood had slowed to a dribble. I cleaned the wound, slathered it with a generous dollop of neosporin, bandaged it tightly until I could get glue to secure it back together, and spent the rest of the evening hopping around entertaining the kiddos.

I’m walking on it, now. It’s still a bit bruised.

What if I told you there were a way to spend more time with your kids, improve your sex life, and make your waistline thinner? Well, there is.

There is a story that has made it’s way around the internets about a professor, a mayonnaise jar, and two cups of coffee. It goes like this:

A Professor stood at his podium in front of the class with a few items. As class began, he picked up a handful of golf balls and filled the mayonnaise jar in front of him. He then asked the class if the jar was full, and they agreed it was.

The professor then picked up a handful of pebbles and poured those into the jar. He shook the jar lightly, and the pebbles filled the gaps between the balls. He, again, asked the students if the jar was full. Again, they agreed it was.

He repeats the process, now pouring in sand. And finally, pours in 2 cups of coffee.

The jar represents your life; the golf balls the important things in your life like your children and parents; the pebbles are your job, car, … The sand is the little things in life. If we fill the jar with sand and pebbles, first, there is no room for the golf balls. The same is true of life, if we spend too much time on the small things, we lose time for the big things. The coffee? Well, there is always room for a cup of coffee with a good friend.

I like this story because having been a project manager with a complicated life for so many years, I know that there are things that you need to mold your life around and there are many things that will simply fall into place. I married Doug because he shares many of the same values as I. Our families are our first priorities, our health is second. We live where we do because it is close to a lot of family and thanks to our location, we walk and ride most places, and there is no shortage of mind opening places to take our children. But, we do struggle to fit in a lot of basics. Between full careers, school, sports, and quality time, there is not a lot of time left over to drag our tired kids through three grocery stores or maintain the house.

Which brings me to the point of this post – meal planning – it is like a gentle shake to that jar of life, and amazingly, it gives you quality time for your kids, improves your sex life and makes your waist smaller!

It is a challenge in our household to take the 10 minutes required each week to plan out our menu. As we’re fast food averse, this doesn’t affect our waistlines, but it does mean that we’ll end up eating beans, avocados and cheese in some form 4 nights of the week, we lose 20 minutes of adult conversation to the very pressing topic of whats for dinner, there’s the inevitable walk to the store, perhaps with hungry and tired children in tow, and the edginess of the family in general because the kids want to eat and go back to playing, and we adults want to decompress and enjoy the kids… With a little forethought, we can eat very well, have more time with the kids, and we’ll all be in a better mood. All of that translates to more quality time with the kids, a better sex life and a thinner waistline. Told you. It sounds like an infomercial, eh?

This week began with a menu. We started early with a menu on Saturday in time for us to work the grocery shopping into our afternoon and have a leisurely Saturday evening meal of crab cakes, heirloom tomatoes and avocados. Sunday we ate grilled veggies and grilled tofu (marinated in soy sauce and thai red curry). Last night we dined on a scramble of spinach, eggs, feta, cherry tomatoes and good artisan bread from La Farine. Tonight we’ll be trying zucchini melts and either grilled salmon (if Doug is around) or tomato soup. … And yes, we’ve had more leisurely evenings, delicious meals, and the family has been happier because of the meal planning this week.

What? Stop rolling your eyes.

The rest of the week:
Wed
Seared Scallops with tomato/arugula/corn/avocado/parmasean salad
Thurs
Tortilla Soup (the cheater way – 1 can black beans, 1 can pinto, 1 can corn, 1 can rotel tomatoes, 1 cup veggie broth, garlic, cilantro, jalapenos, chips, avocado, cheese, and hot sauce to please)
Friday
Homemade Pizza for movie night!!

It has been a busy week and a busy weekend, but figured I’d post some of the projects I worked on this afternoon to remind me that although I didn’t do much sitting around, I got a lot done.

A smock I fashioned from an un-used men’s seersucker shirt. I had an idea what I want this to look like so I drew what I thought would work on a piece of waxed paper. Taped it together. Tried the pattern on the most infant sized doll we had. Made adjustments with tape and more waxed paper until I had a pattern which I cut out of the bottom of the shirt, so that I didn’t have to hem. A typical dress shirt has hem that is perfectly curved to become a shift bottom. For the inside, I used the front of the shirt, sewing the placard shut with a zip-zag stitch.

Easy, easy appliqued shirts for the kiddos in our life:

Here’s Ruby May who was welcomed into the world Tuesday at 6:30PM. She measures in at 7lbs 8oz, 21 inches. Likes milk and cuddling. Dislikes poopie diapers.

A new girl was born yesterday – Ruby [middle name] – to April, Jake and Dean. We’re going to go see her today, so I’ll be back with more details tonight or tomorrow.

I know, it is all about pirates these days. I’m working on a pattern for a swing shift for a new baby, so there will be other things on the blog, I swear.

Anyway, if you are in San Francisco this weekend with pirate lovers, the big ships are coming to harbor. At noon today, 15 pirate-like ships will float under the golden gate kicking off 5 days of swashbuckling.

I’ve seen a lot of traffic come through my site looking for “how to measure fabric for a reupholstery project” or “how to estimate how much fabric I need to recover…”. My approach is to measure the old fabric covering before buying the new fabric, as you’ll find that you actually need more supplies than you thought (like muslin to cover the bottom of the chair), or using a calculator, you’ll end up with too much fabric.

If you prefer to buy the fabric before attempting the project, here’s a nifty calculator at Domino Magazine.