Inspired Ideas Returns!!!

So many wonderful things happening this week!

When Amy Powers used to do her online magazine called INSPIRED IDEAS, I became....well....inspired to start working on a creative journal. Amy introduced wonderful techniques and ideas to that challenged me to try new things.  And all it took was a download or two and some paper.  I was bummed when she discontinued her 'zine (although it was because of some very happy things going on in her life).

Well, INSPIRED IDEAS returns today!!!

Guess where I will be at 3pm EST today?

(photo borrowed from and owned by Amy Powers)

*UPDATE* There are so many wonderful ideas in this issue that I can't decide what to do first! My favorites:  a cigar box stage, a Halloween embroidery sampler, learning how to add color to embroidery, making rick-rack flowers and creating an ABC learning toy out of wooden spools.  I think the ABC learning toy will be my homemade Christmas gift for Noodlebug this year!

DIY DISH returns!!!

I am such a fan of DIY Dish. Their projects are easy and I typically have most of the supplies on hand.  I have been anxiously awaiting their return and here they are with this adorable owl tutorial. I'm thinking these might make good Christmas presents!!!

Make sure and drop by their website and see their exciting giveaway!!!

Another First

Well, it was an eventful weekend.  I took Noodlebug to his Spanish class that we attend together every Saturday morning.  He was having one of those mornings where he was a little ambivalent about participating.  One of the final activities of the day was to hold hands and make a human "choo-choo" train. In the middle of the song, Noodle decided he didn't want to participate anymore and threw himself on the floor while I was still holding his hand.  I didn't want to drop him on his hand so I was slow to let go and his dead weight twisted a little bit. He started crying and said his arm hurt.  He sat in my lap whimpering and I waited to see if it would pass but it didn't. He cried every time I touched his arm and couldn't lift it.  I packed him into the car and headed to the emergency room down the street.

I had visions of a broken arm and people looking at me askance wondering what kind of mother would allow her child to get hurt like that. I felt responsible for the whole thing. My husband met me at the hospital and tried to gingerly remove Noodle from the carseat while I checked us in.  I was almost crying too hard for the intake lady to understand me but she was very patient.  The nurses and staff couldn't have been nicer. They reassured me that I did nothing wrong and that he would be okay. The doctor decided it was "nursemaid's elbow" which is pretty common. He basically dislocated his elbow.  The doctor popped it into place and gave him some Motrin. Soon after that, he was chipper again although I felt as if I had been put through the wringer.  They x-rayed him just in case but everything was fine.  We were in and out of the emergency room in less than two hours. We went home and Noodle and I both crashed for two hours.

I think I cried more than he did during the whole ordeal.

He is fine. None the worse for wear.  But I felt like the worst mother in the world.  I finally get to spend some quality time with my child and I dislocate his elbow! But I am glad that this was his first experience with a hospital.  When my husband asked him if his arm felt better, Noodle said, "The doctor fixed it."  Everyone was kind and gentle with him and he got to see that these doctors and nurses were working to make him feel better.  It was a good experience. 

I was distracted all weekend and only tried to finish my Anda dress and succeeded in butchering the hem. Why can't I do a hem?  What is my problem?

I did teach my first Sunday school class and it went pretty well.

Today I start Jenny Doh's Crafting Your Best Life class so I have that to look forward to.  But I am mostly looking forward to going home and hugging Noodlebug.

Want vs. Need

Well, Fall is almost here.  My husband's favorite season is Summer so he is starting to get depressed. My favorite season is Fall so I am just revving up!!!

Noodlebug started preschool yesterday. He did really well. He'll be in a Montessori preschool for three full days a week.  I think it will be really good for him and I hope he will like it.

There is so much I would like to be working on right now.

I NEED to:

1.  Prepare for my first Sunday school class this Sunday.  I am teaching the 0-2 class. It is really hard to come up with an age-appropriate craft for this group. We are doing Noah's ark this week and I cut out a bunch of photos of animals. My idea is to have the parents/kids glue one of the photos onto 3-4 popsicle sticks laid in a row. We will then cut the sticks apart with an X-acto knife to make a puzzle. You can also do this by just temporarily taping the sticks together and coloring a picture on them. I figure it will be an easy craft the families can also do at home.

2. Finish my Anda dress. All I have left is the hem. I don't know why I am dragging my feet on this one.

3. Sew at least four toddler holiday aprons and some of Little Bit Funky's ornaments for my church bazaar next month.

4. Start my Christmas sewn gifts.  I'm really trying for homemade gifts this year.  I am making hooded towels for my friends with children. And maybe some pillowcases.   Dana's tutorial looks so easy and fun.  They might make good items for the church bazaar too.  Maybe I"ll do some gathered clutches for my girlfriends!

5. Start my Fall inspiration journal for Artsy Mama's Halloween blog group.

I WANT to:

1. Sew some chalkboard-cloth placements for Noodlebug.

2. Start Noodlebug's Halloween costume.

3. Make a Sis Boom Dana Top for myself.

4. Make some handmade clothes for Noodlebug from Figgy's and Oliver + S patterns.

5. Take a quilting class at my local quilt shop.

6. Stay home with Noodlebug and curl up on the couch surrounded by books and movies.

7. Take a nap.


For a little sewing inspiration, check out No Big Dill. Katy is celebrating Sewing Month!!!

Blog Find: Little Bit Funky Photo Ornament

(photo borrowed from and owned by LITTLE BIT FUNKY)

I am a huge fan of Crystal and her Little Bit Funky blog.  She has two adorable boys and comes up with the greatest things for her Etsy shop.  My personal favorites are her HoHo Monsters.  We own one and I always have to stop myself from buying more.  Crystal offers some terrific quick crafting ideas with her "20 Minute Crafter" posts and I loved today's offering.   I bought one of these ornaments from Crystal last year and I would love to fill my tree with them year after year. My plan is to use Noodlebug's picture with Santa each year.  Now, thanks to Crystal, I can make my own!!!  So easy and adorable! I may even make some to donate to my church's craft bazaar.

Head over to LITTLE BIT FUNKY to learn how to make your own!!!

Weekend Update

Whew!

I do manage to pack a lot into two days!

Noodlebug and I started the day at his weekly Spanish class.  Then, we took him to the California Academy of Science on Saturday for CAT IN THE HAT day. The local PBS station was promoting the new "CAT IN THE HAT Knows a Lot About That' show with a variety of activities and an appearance by the Cat in the Hat himself.  We completed a scavenger hunt and won Noodlebug a Cat in the Hat hat.  He looked adorable in it, of course.

In spite of all of the activity, Noodlebug declined to take a nap. I fear our days of napping are over.  Still, he was his happy active self until bedtime.  I checked in on him before I went to bed and he was sleeping peacefully. My husband (who was still awake) woke me at 11:45pm to tell me that Noodle had just thrown up.  My poor baby was wracked with fever and his little teeth were chattering. He finally stopped throwing up around 2am and asked to be put in his crib with a sippy cup of water.  I made a pallet next to his bed and lay there listening to him and checking on him all night. 

The whole family dragged out of bed around 9:45am the next morning. Hubby and I were convinced we would be taking Noodle to the doctor or the emergency room. Instead, he was bouncing about the house in much better shape than either of us were.  The recuperative powers of children are amazing.  I can't say the same for myself. The lack of sleep and the mass of worry brought on a migraine. Still, I managed to bundle up the family and make it to my League's Bocce Ball Fundraiser.  Noodle and I relaxed courtside while Daddy played.  It was a beautiful day even if I wasn't fully engaged.

Caught a snippet of the Emmys last night before I passed out. (Hooray MODERN FAMILY and MAD MEN!)

I was thinking about a recent post by Crystal about her own kids being sick.  It is a horrible horrible thing to see your little one sick and suffering.  But this stomach bug came and went.  There are so many parents out there with children who have major illnesses that their children may not recover from.  I was definitely counting my blessings that I have such a healthy child.  If this is the worst we get, then we are very blessed indeed.

But...

Is it really Monday already?   I think I missed a day somewhere.

Keeping Smiles Healthy and Bright

I saw that Trident® was partnering with Smiles Across America® to educate parents about taking care of their children's teeth by encouraging bloggers to blog about five simple things you can do for your child to help keep their smiles healthy and bright and I thought I would chime in. I care a lot about this issue because recent studies have shown that gum disease is being linked to many serious health problems such as heart disease. I know that when I was pregnant I discovered that there were many health problems in pregnant women related to gum disease as well.  I have been working hard to give Noodlebug a good start on dental hygiene. 

Here are my five favorite tips:

1.  Do not send your child to bed with a bottle.  The milk/formula sits on their teeth and can cause serious tooth decay.  I cannot stress this enough. I used to know a woman who co-slept with her two children and allowed them to breastfeed at will throughout the night. Because the breast milk sat on their teeth, BOTH children had to have serious and painful dental surgery on their rotting teeth before they were even 2.

2. If your area does not put fluoride into the water supply, look into getting fluoride drops for younger children until they are old enough to spit out toothpaste with fluoride. This can seriously help limit cavities.

3. Brush your child's teeth twice a day using little foam finger brushes if necessary. I know some days it seems like the last thing you want to do but it is worth it.  I don't mind wrestling Noodlebug a little bit to get the job done.

4. See the dentist as soon as teeth start coming in. We took Noodlebug to the dentist at about 1 1/2.  There are lots of great pediatric dentists out there that can make it a really good experience for your child.

5.  Support groups like Smiles Across America®  everyone can be educated about dental health.  My local Junior League hosts a Smile Day each year where we provide free dental care for foster children. It can make a big difference.

6. One more for fun:  I sing a song to Noodlebug while I brush his teeth.  To the tune of "ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT"----"Brush brush brush your teeth, brush them every day!  Brush brush brush your teeht, keep cavities away!" and repeat until finished!


I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Trident blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Elizabeth Mitchell

We have been big fans of Elizabeth Mitchell ever since Noodlebug was born. I love her CDs because they are such a lovely mix of folk music. Kind of like O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU for little ones.

She lives on the East Coast and I was thrilled to learn she was going to be in our neck of the woods this past weekend. We headed to Marin County and made it just in time to hear her sing (along with her hubby and daughter) in a grove of gorgeous redwood trees. Perfect!!!

I sang along like a big old dork and I just loved it! Plus, we found out she has a new CD coming out called "Sunny Day" and we purchased a copy right away.

Check out the video above for one of our favorites "John the Rabbit."

(I received no compensation for this post. I am simply a fan.)

Crafting Your Best Life

I really wish I could attend one of Kim's wonderful events.  I really really really wish I could finally attend one of Teresa McFayden's Silver Bella events. Or maybe even the big Creative Connection event. But, alas, there is no budget for such wonderful creative retreats.  I feel like I need an organized group creative outlet, though. So I treated myself to an online class through Jenny Doh's Crescendoh Creative Lab.

The course is called Crafting Your Best Life and it sounds both creative and introspective which is a good choice for me right now.  The class starts on September 13 so there is still time if you want to play along.

Lisa Leonard Giveaway!!!

(photo borrowed from and owned by Lisa Leonard)

I have been wanting this Lisa Leonard necklace for a LONG time!!!  I have entered every single Lisa Leonard giveaway that I can find trying to win a gift certificate. I haven't won yet but hope springs eternal!

Lisa is currently hosting a fabulous birthday giveaway. The winner will receive a Lisa Leonard gift certificate AND a Target gift certificate.  Boy I could really use those gift certificates right now!!!

To enter, go here.

(of course, I'm gonna win.....wink)