The Sweeter Side of Mommyhood

The Sweeter Side of Mommyhood

How To Make a Fairy Garden

Here's a new idea for you to try with your kiddos this summer.  Make them a fairy garden! It only takes a few little trinkets and a little imagination to give your children a magical garden full of exciting mini surprises. This is our version of a Fairy Garden. Here's what you need: 1. A container for your garden. Maybe an old chipped pot, a cool ceramic bowl. Some kind of metal dish or plate, a giant coffee canister or birdseed container. We used an old cookie devoid of it's matching lid, sitting useless on our shelf for the past few years. There are quite a few clearance garden containers out for end of summer sales right now too. Look around and see what you can find. 2. Soil. If ... read more

Stripey Rag Quilt Tutorial

So ever since happening upon Red Pepper Quilts blog the other day, I've been unhealthily obsessing over modern quilting. I found myself buried in internet sites that flaunt gorgeous designer fabric and beautiful quilt patterns that, let's just say, aren't your granny's bedspread. I had already had it in my brain to make quilts for the girls bedroom for Christmas and this woman's work gave me that extra push I needed to actually begin the process. I've quilted before in the past (hello 4th grade Personal Achievement in Learning project), and I've sewn a bunch of random things with and without my Mom. So I wasn't exactly starting from scratch. But this time I wanted to actually start slow, ... read more

Pink Skates and Little Cupcakes

Our dear family friends host this awesome "Christmas in July" event every summer. They rent out the whole rink, play Christmas tunes, and make tons of Christmas cookies. It's a great time to see everyone, and see all these kids on the ice not to mention a cool break from the summer heat. This was the perfect opportunity to get Lilly on skates. Since the moment we were made aware of Lilly's minuscule existence in my belly, we all knew she was destined for the ice. I spent the better half of the time I was dating Brandon settled into various bleacher seats, wrapped in blankets or sweatshirts, working on college homework, watching him skate.  Games that went until 1 in the morning, ... read more

Don’t Bite Your Friends (and other family lessons)

My family's favorite (and most useful?) life lesson so far has been, "Don't bite your friends" courtesy of the creatures from Yo Gabba Gabba land. It's kind of a joke now- I'll say something like, "Lilly, please don't climb on the cabinet." and Brandon will say, "...and don't bite your friends." But honestly, you live and you learn, right? We spent the evening in the emergency clinic with Lilly after she dislocated her elbow at home playing with Daddy on the deck. What kid doesn't love to hold hands with an adult, climb up their legs and flip through their arms? It's kind of a right of passage for childhood and something I remember doing all the time as a kid. Well, this time, these types ... read more