Teaparties and Playdates

An Office Chair for O

I took O to Ikea yesterday after school. Which can be a bit painful if I actually want to browse. But this time I just needed coat hangers. And a couple vases for a booth display idea I had. Which meant we really just needed to visit the Children's section and then head out.

In the middle of the Children's section (literally - sitting in the middle of an aisle) sat a child-sized office chair. Oh, the exclamations of excitement. "It's just like Dad's!" It swiveled. It had a lever that made it go up and down. It fit him perfectly. And it had a big sticker on it that said it was from the As Is section and was previously a floor model/display and was marked down.

As he sat and swiveled, a salesperson came over. She had never seen one before. She didn't know they carried those. She looked like she was going to take it if I told O no.

I don't very often buy the kids things just because they ask for them. But really, this was just cool. And less than $14 dollars. And actually useful. I put it in the cart. Ollie sat on it. In the cart. For the rest of the shopping trip.

We were stopped again by another staff person on our way out. Where did we find it? A child size office chair? They'd never seen it before either.

So I checked online when I got home. And found this. It turns out it is not actually 'child-size', though it fits perfectly and is just right for his art table, and can be found with all the other office chairs. It is noted on the Ikea website to be 'appropriate for children'. For O, it is perfect. Score.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual of SouleMama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Hello, Old Friend

A couple months ago, after much wanting to add new designs, I stopped making new Reversible Roundabout Dresses. You see, I had run into an interesting dilemma. They kept selling. So I kept making more. Which meant that I didn't really do anything else. Don't get me wrong. I love making these dresses. And of course, I love shopping for the fabric that they are made out of (definitely my favorite part of all this), but I really wanted to do something different for a little while.

So I stopped.

I had a good inventory stocked up and figured I had some time to deplete that before I would need to make more.

Instead, I made Treasure Totes. And Lunchbox Napkins. And started making Twirly Skirts.

And now, with the GFS Craft Show looming, I took stock and realized that I actually needed to make a few more Reversible Roundabouts.

So, I've been ironing and cutting. Yesterday I did the first set of sewing. And honestly? It felt like coming home. I know these curves. My hands know them. My machine knows them. I've missed them.

So it was nice to visit them again. Just a couple for now, but I hear them calling me. Just in time to get ready for summer.

The List

Every morning I wake up with a list in my head. A litany, if you will. Before I even open my eyes, it is there. What I want to do that that day. What I want to do better.

Sew
Take Pictures
Post something in my Etsy Shop
Make the space I live in more beautiful (and/or organized) than it was the day before
Eat healthier
And less
Exercise
Be a better parent
Be more patient with my kids
Blog
Be present
Appreciate the Day

Some days I'm better than others. Some days I feel like I've done more. Done better.

I used to worry that waking up with this list meant that I wasn't getting any of it done. But I'm coming to realize that it is part of recognizing that every day is new. And every day is a fresh start. And every day I have another chance to try a little harder.

What's on your list?

Snow Day v4.0

The Dad is a much better Snow Day parent than I am. Unfortunately, as we began what felt like our umpteenth snow day this week, he headed to the train for a day full of meetings downtown.

For me, a snow day means hot chocolate and popcorn and snuggling under a blanket with a good movie or book.

For my kids, it means (and it should mean) lots of time spent playing outside. This also means lots of changing into and out of the necessary accoutrement that go along with that outside play. Mittens (there are never enough dry mittens), snow pants, boots (that must be tucked into those snow pants appropriately), hats, dry socks... You get the gist.

While I don't love playing out in the snow, I do love watching the kids do it. And I love what they come up with on the blank canvas of our whited out yard. Today it was 'snow beds', dug out of the foot deep snow and outfitted with 'snow pillows'. And, of course, paths connecting those snow beds with the other various attractions built up in the yard.

We attempted a snow man. While the snow appeared perfectly weighted and sticky, the balls just didn't build up - crumbling in our hands instead of packing. So we made a small snow man. With the fabulous juxtaposition of eyes made out of shells from our beach vacation in Florida.

The Dad was worried that, moving here from Minnesota, the kids would miss out on 'real' winter and the snow play that he loves. No worries, Dad... No worries.

Twirl On

Sometimes, the best laid plans... Is that how it begins? And then life happens. And so does the flu. And snow days...

I've been cranking away at the Twirly Skirts for the GFS Craft Show. My goal had been 15, but work time has been short changed over the last couple weeks and I am actually pretty happy with nine right now. Well, eight and a half at this moment. Nine by the time my head hits the pillow tonight.

It is here that I struggle with the idea of production. And how much time I can dedicate. And how I want to spend the little bit of the time that I have.

So, every once in a while, I do a little re-evaluating. And I keep coming to the same conclusion: I do really enjoy this. And while I would love to be sewing O another pair of pants right now instead of one more Twirly Skirt, I am still having fun. And am really looking forward to the Craft Show (that is just coming up way too fast). And I am tweaking and improving both my designs and my skills. Which makes me feel productive, even if a bit slower than I had planned.

But if there is one thing I have learned as a parent, it is that as much as you plan, things rarely go how you expect. And you can plan for contingencies out the wazoo, but it's not really worth the time and energy. So I'm learning to plan a bit, hope for the best, appreciate what I have, celebrate when things go well, and just... well... Twirl On.

{this moment}

Inside Play

The weather here has been a little cruddy wavering between frozen and slushy. Given that, on top of school's-out snow days and The Dad and I being felled by the flu, and there's been a lot more inside play here lately.

E has learned French Knitting (or Corking). So have I. I like it. And the idea that you can take these tubes and sew them into something. But for us right now? We just have tubes and grand visions of what they could become. Any of suggestions of what we can really do with them?

For O, who it is a little harder to occupy these days, we have rediscovered the games cupboard. As long as he has your undivided attention, he could sit forever playing games and doing puzzles. Now just to get him to be a little bit more independent in occupying his time! I would be a much happier (and productive) Mama.

Some activities take a little more attention.

And some are a little messier. After seeing how the food coloring stained their skin (and my napkins!), I shudder at the thought of what if could do to their insides...

Word on the street is there may be another snow day for him and another 2-hour delay for her tomorrow. Really? The director of our nursery school said this morning "You'd think we live in Minnesota!"

Definitely not. In Minnesota, they wouldn't keep canceling school school.

Bring Them to the Ocean

I grew up by the ocean.

I've been away for so long that I sometimes forget the magic that it holds.

Until I roll down the window, as we approach, and breathe in the salt air.

To me, it feels like home.

And then to watch my children explore and enjoy it... I am reminded of how important it is for kids to experience this. Even if it is only once.

The lapping of the water on the shore. The shocking cold if that first dip. The endless horizon before you.

The collecting of shells and building of sand castles. Leaving footprints and watching them wash away.

The more you have it, the harder it is to go without.

We are already planning our next trip.

Design Week at Casa C

So last week the kids went back at school and my New Year officially began. We were away for the week between Christmas and New Years so there was a little re-acclimation going on over the weekend. My goal for that first week was to create a sample of the skirt I will be making for the Germantown Friends Craft Show in March. For over a year, I have been wanting to add a design for older girls to my collection of standards. Yet I have just kept making the Reversible Roundabouts because people love them. And they keep selling.

This year I told myself I was going to take a break from the Reversible Roundabouts and come up with some new designs. Last week turned into Design Week in the studio. I posted Monday on Facebook (eieio is on Facebook now!) that I was heading into the studio to start a batch of Storybook Skirts. Based on a design I did a long time ago - a simple skirt with an attached apron. As I started constructing it, I changed my mind. And changed my mind again. What came out of the studio on Thursday is the new Twirly Skirt. Which I am very happy with.

I think one of the things I struggle with in a design is keeping it simple in a way that allows the design to show off the fabric. And the child wearing it. Because really, to me, that's what it's all about. I used to love the boutique look, but lots of ruffles and layers don't excite me as much anymore. And really (again) eieio is about keeping kids looking like kids. Clothes they can play in and clothes that they love. And clothes that are easy to put on, take off, and wash. Right?