Patiently Waiting

It is 2:18 on Tuesday. I just put Doodle in the bed for her nap. SJ will be screaming any minute. I have been up since 4:00. I should be swapping laundry, starting dinner, putting things away. I should not be blogging. But I needed to revel in my peaceful happiness for a few minutes. We had a rough morning. SJ was screaming (unless she was asleep in my arms) for nearly 4 hours. When she is so cranky, I am cranky. I am embarrassed to say that I am cranky with Doodle when SJ gets that way. I recognize that I let my frustration get the better of me. I am working on it. So, once we finally got SJ happy and asleep, I decided to spend some quality time with Doodle. We have several exciting things coming up in the next few weeks and I wanted a way for Doodle to count down to them. So I got out the construction paper and the stapler and we made a paper chain. We make 23 links and then Doodle wrote on smaller strips so that she would know how many more days to each event. Spending an hour and a half doing something fun with my kid did more for my spirit than I could ever imagine. I feel like I have spent a lot of time lately telling Doodle no, stop, quit, and later. I often feel like I don't have enough opportunities to say yes and be focused only on her. This chunk of time with her was just what we both needed!

Here is our paper chain to count down the days!

This coming Sunday we are meeting Speedracer, SpeedRacer's hubby, eldest, and youngest at the Canfield Fair in OH. We can't wait to see them and eat ourselves silly on fair food!

Then next Wednesday Doodle has her first day at her new pre-school

Equally exciting as the start of school is a visit from Uncle Hank. My brother is in PA working at a golf course for a couple of months. It's about a 3.5 hour drive each way and he is coming to spend the day with the girls and I. I am so excited to see him and for him to meet SJ!

Finally, in 23 days Jayburb is coming for his first PA visit. Doodle is so excited! She is already making plans of things to show him and do with him. I must admit, I am just as excited to see Sisterwife. I have missed my friends more than I could imagine. We can't wait to see them!

Doodle had so much fun working on our project! She has been really into writing her letters, and wanted to do more. We ended up putting some writing in the mail for Jayburb. As I sealed the envelope, I smiled the sweet satisfaction that only comes from the moments when you know all is right in the world even if it is just for a few moments!

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Graduation

Sadly this will be my last post singing the praises of Doodle's preschool.  The school year has come to an end and graduation is all done.  In preparation for the end of the year, I wanted to do something special for the teachers and staff that have made MSP so special to us.  And by special, I mean I wanted something that Doodle helped me to make and create and give.  I decided on a craft project and a baking project.  For the craft project I made a conscious effort to use things I had around the house (part of the use don't pack plan).  I happened to have some small 4x4 wrapped canvases and acrylic paint.  I also had some fancy Martha Stuart brand painters tape in different width.  
I asked Doodle who she wanted to make a present for at school.  She chose her teacher, the director, the aide, and her teacher from the previous year.  I had her help me figure out the first letter of each of their names and then I made that letter using the painter's tape.

Then I devised a paint brush/stamper of sorts.  Please remember that Doodle doesn't like to be dirty or messy.  Soooo I have to find other ways for her to be crafty without fighting her about paint on her hands.  I came up with sponge squares and bulldog binder clips. ( I also used some round daubers that I had laying around the house, but didn't have enough of those to satisfy my colorful artist)

Once we had the tools worked out, I got the paint and put it on a plate.  My original plan was to have Doodle stamp 2 colors and try to cover the entire canvas.  To my surprise, she got into the painting thing and stamped, drug, pressed, and mixed the paint on the canvas.  They didn't turn out as I had imagined, but she did have lots of fun doing it:)

May 29 (313/365)

Once we had all 4 canvases painted, we had to wait and let them dry.  Thankfully this was nap time so the wait wasn't painful.  

Once Doodle woke up, we got busy peeling the tape off the canvases.  She was very patient and helped me do this part too!

Here's a picture of the finished product.  I ended up adding a little black puffy paint to outline the letters.  That was really the only part that Doodle didn't help me do.  They weren't beautiful on the outside, but the love and hard work made them beautiful to the recipients (I hope).

Part two of our gift plan was to make some yummy pound cakes for all 4 of the teachers.  Doodle loves to bake so she didn't need any encouragement to help me out in the kitchen:)

May 30 (314/365)

So, gifts were made and graduation day was upon us.  I will admit, I cried.  Not because she graduated from one class to the next.  I cried because I knew that it was the first of many goodbyes that we will have to say in the coming weeks.  In order to save face, I pretty much tucked my head and ran out the door!  Here are a few pictures of Doodle and her friends!

May 31 (315/365) 

Doodle shaking hands with Pastor Neil 

While she has grown up and grown out of many things while at MSP, she has yet to get over things being too loud!  The music to the slide show was a little loud on the stage, so of course Doodle closed her ears:)

The best picture I got of our little grad:)

After graduation we went to Applebees with some of Doodle's Bluebirds:)

As we head onto new schools, new teachers, and new friends, I will always hold a special place in my heart for MSP.  They gave this stay at home mom a chance to be alone a couple times a week.  They helped me to be a better mom because I got some time to myself.  They helped me to be a better wife because I wasn't at my whits end every single day when My Favoritest got home.  They helped me have the energy to do fun and creative things with Doodle. Around here there aren't many preschools that take 2 year old.  We were lucky enough to find them!

Very Busy Valentine's Day

So the next few posts are going to be a little out of order in my 365 project.  I wanted to tell some stories and the best way to do it was to group the pictures together and not worry about order.  So, I will mark them in the caption with the correct day and not worry about the rest:)


In my dreams the house is immaculate every single minute of every single day.  The kid is always happy.  Dinner is always delicious and done on time.  I greet my Favoritest with a smile and a kiss (not a grumble and an exhausted sigh).  And, I am the cool mom at school.  Who makes great snacks and treats and things WITH her kid and not for her kid.  Well, none of those other things are going to happen so I decided to go for the gold in the treat department this Valentine's Day!  Doodle and I had a great time preparing valentines for her friends.  This was the first time she was old enough to get the holiday and really be a helper in making her treats.  Thanks to Sisterwife's research, we decided on some lovely alligator valentines.  Pieces and parts cut out by mommy, waiting for little hands to help decorate.

February 8 (202/365)

Because crafting is more fun with friends, we planned a lunch/craft date with Jayburb.  We started this project early, and it's a good thing.  It took some time!  And it was a little tiring too!

February 9 (203/365)

After making valentines, popcorn and t.v. are a must!

So after the kids decorated the alligators with their friends' names, and signed each one, it was left to the mommies to put the creatures together.  Nothing a little hot glue couldn't handle.  And then, it was time to stuff the gators full of treats.  Doodle picked out the treats by herself.  I tried to get her to put some small bubbles in them and she told me (and I quote) "I don't want bubbles.  Bubbles make me sad.  Only candy makes me happy. So I don't want bubbles!"  So, we didn't have bubbles.  In the end, she picked out M&Ms, bouncy balls, and flying hearts.  Lots of fun!

February 13 (207/365)

And here are the finished products!  They were a big hit!

Get Your Party On!!!

This post is going to be a combination of 365 pictures and birthday project pictures.  I have lots of stuff to share from Doodle's birthday party.  It pretty much consumed my life for a while.  I love being "that mom" when it comes to birthdays.  I love making her invitations, favors, cakes, etc.  I just wish that I realized how much time it takes and that I knew when to say when (to myself).  But I don't, so I get a little carried away sometimes.  Her 3rd birthday party was example of my over stretching myself.  It all began when I saw a birthday invitation with Sesame Street characters made out of punch pieces.  I copied the 4 characters used in the invite (Elmo, Cookie, Oscar, and Big Bird).  Then I wondered if I could make other characters.  And this is what happened

August 19 (29/365)
I actually remembered to go back and add this from this previous post

So I used 6 of the guys to make her invitation.  Six guys times 13 invitations, is a lot of guys!

I then had a problem, I had 4 guys that hadn't been used for anything.  I decided I would make a memory game for each of the kids and this would be their party favor.  Sounded simple enough.  I  had lots of pieces already cut out and ready to go.  I got started.  I put about half the faces together.  Then I started doing the math so I could get paper for the faces to go on.
10 guys X 2= 20 guys per game
20 guys X 12 games = 240 guys all together
But, by the time I figured this out, I was in too deep.  I charged ahead.  Meanwhile, Doodle decided to get Hand, Foot, Mouth the weekend before her party, and I got way behind on my preparations!  I worked nonstop while she was at school and anytime she was sleeping.   In the middle of this rediculous project Sisterwife reminded me I hand't made a decision about the cake.
Of course I ask Doodle who tells me she wants a cake with Abby, Elmo, and Grover on it.  GREAAAAT!  After much research, I find a cake and have a lightbulb moment.  I found coloring book images of 5 characters (Abby, Elmo, Grover, Zoe, and Count Von Count) and got them the right size for the cake.  Then I made 4 copies of each onto cardstock.  I then cut each into the pieces to build the face.  Then used those pieces like a template to trace on the fondant.  And voila.... fantastic Sesame Street characters.

September 22 (63/365)

Those were done two night before the party.  The night before the party, Sisterwife and I put the cake together, rolled fondant, covered cakes, and added our face creations to the cake.  Of couse, because I had so much going on, I totally forgot to buy a box to put the cake in, so I had to make a tin-foil house for it to live in over night.

September 23 (64/365)

Now, remember this entire time that I am trying to get my cake on, I am still trying to finish making (and laminating with bookbinding tape) 240 *#%*(#  GUYS!  In all of this craziness I will admit my first fault of the 365 challenge.  I missed a day.  I faked  it with these pictures of the party favor.

September 26 (67/365)
Box from party favor 

Directions for game

Sesame Street Memory game

I finally finished everything about 1:00am the morning of her party.  Here are several pictures from the party.  Hope you enjoyed my craziness as much as she did!

These are Doodle's birthday banners.  A tradition I started last year.  Each banner chronicles a year of her life.  One picture for every month.  I use colors from the birthday party theme so I can keep each year separate.  To me, it is a way for new friends see who she was as she grows up! 

September 24 (65/365)
My picture of the day!

Doodle was so excited about a pinata.  She wanted everyone to "pull the ribbon and say yeah!" She wasn't so excited about hurting Abby Cadabby.  Lucky for her, she stayed in one piece!

Therapy

The past two weeks have been really long.  My Favoritest has worked really long hours, and as a result I have worked really long hours.  Last night when I tucked Doodle into bed, I told her we could spend the day with daddy tomorrow.  Her reply was "and the mommy, you go to work."  I told her that mommy went to work every day taking care of her and the pup-pups.  It flew right over her head!  After a long couple of weeks, I really wanted a beer, but we were out.  So to relax, I did the next best thing for me.  I got crafty/creative.  I have been working on several projects and if you walked into my craft area our spare bedroom you could see the mad ADD mind busy at multi-tasking work! Oh wait, I took a picture so you can see!

August  5 (15/365)

If you look closely you can see the makings of Doodle's birthday invitation, a baby announcement for a friends son, and some cards for me to keep on hand.  I love scrapbooking and making cards.  It is  my own personal therapy.  I can forget about all the things that need to be done and just focus on the project at hand!  I also feel like there is a little bit of love put into every hand made creation and I hope that good vibe travels along with the card to the person on the receiving end.

I ended up working on the baby announcements for a while and stayed up much later than I intended.  That left me cranky and tired this morning.  I also was feeling horrible for my sleep deprived hubby, so I got Doodle up and brought her downstairs to let him sleep a little extra.  (unfortunately our weekend ritual of snack cup and tv in mommy and daddy's bed was out of the picture because Doodle didn't nap and lost tv privileges until her next nap).  So anyway, being tired and cranky we had a lazy morning.   Doodle played with her toys and I half payed attention to her and half to Today.  One of the moments I was listening to her never ending chants of "hey mommy, hey mommy, mommy hey" she asked me to take her picture.  She then held up her "camera" and said "I take your picture and you take my picture at the same time.  Okay?  Ready! 1, 2, 3".  I think I am using my camera often if this is the pretend play!

August 6 (15/365)