Thursday, July 12, 2012

Laundry, Laundry Everywhere!

This my dear friends is what it looks like when your washing machine breaks.
Or rather what it looks like once it is fixed again. Thank goodness for a handy husband who can take care of these things himself.

And this is what you can do to keep the kiddos out of the folded and sorted laundry.
And yes, that is Downton Abbey I am watching. The first episode of Season 2. I am on the waiting list for the full season from the library.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Daily Routine

I always enjoy seeing how other families spend their days. And essentially how they differ from our own and how they are the same. For that reason and for posterity sake, I thought I would publish what our daily routine looks like. I hesitate to say schedule as no two of our days are the same.

6 am: Cream usually wakes up around 6. If we are lucky it is 6:30. If we aren't lucky it is before 6. I go down and bring her up to our room where I nurse her in bed. Mr. Cherry gets up and gets ready for work sometime in here. After Cream is done eating, she and I get Mr. Cherry's lunch packed and make a cup of coffee for me and a thermos for him. Once Mr. Cherry leaves for work, she and I hang out until Peachy wakes up. Quite often you can find us watching the Today show.
8 am: Peachy wakes up sometime between 7 and 8. She still won't get out of her room by herself. (I consider this a mixed blessing.) So, Cream and I head down to get her up.
8:30 am: Cream goes down for her first nap of the day between 8 and 9. I try to hit the shower while Cream is napping. Peachy usually catches a PBS show. Then Peachy and I eat breakfast together. Lately we often head out to the yard and do some watering.
10 am: Most often Cream is up and after getting her some breakfast now is the time to head out if we have plans for the morning. This could be a playdate, a trip to the library, or errands.
12 noon: Lunch time. I normally heat up some leftovers for Peachy and I and feed Cream while we eat.
1 pm: Time for Cream's second nap of the day and Peachy and I hang out together. Maybe we do some baking, crafting, or just plain be.
2 pm: Once Cream is up it is time for Peachy to take a nap. (Sometimes I do nap times together and sometimes I don't. It works out better for the girls to take them separately. Once one is up they are both up. However, that golden half hour of alone time is precious. So I go back and forth.)
2:30 pm: I nurse Cream again.
3:30 pm: Another opportunity to head out if we need to. (Store, gym, park) Also time for Peachy to have a snack if she wants.
6:30 pm: Mr Cherry gets home from work and we all eat supper together.
7 pm: Bedtime for Cream. (Also bath time about twice a week.) I take her down, nurse her, and put her to bed.
8 pm: Peachy's bedtime. Mr. Cherry usually handles this. She goes to the bathroom, brushes teeth, gets on diapers and pjs. We also read to her and sing songs before putting her to bed.
8:30 pm: Adult time. Unfortunately by this point we are pretty much worn out and all that I feel like doing is lazing around. Sometimes I head to the gym after putting Cream down, but only once in a while.
9:30 pm: We are early to bed kind of people, so Mr. Cherry and I normally are lights out by 10pm.

Sorry, no pictures this time. Maybe some day I will have an electronic device that hooks up to the internet with which I can take pictures, but until then you will have to use your imaginations. :o)

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Runnin' Runnin' and Runnin' Runnin'

I may not always look happy when I am running, but I am!

Back in April I got back to running. You can read all about it here. You can read about the May 5k here. I am proud to say that I have stuck with it. Throughout April, May, and June I went to the gym regularly. In June I ran another 5k. Exercising has become a regular part of my life. No, I don't workout every day, but I really do try to squeeze something in when I can. This month my gym membership is on hold due to a very busy month. Is it odd to say that I miss it? I have been running when I am able. I can say that a 2 mile run is pretty easy for me these days. (I used to think that is as far as I could ever run!) It feels really good to be in shape. I am hoping to stay here for a while. :o)

After a little recovery time you can see it!


Monday, July 9, 2012

Baby Cream: 10 Months Old


Not only is Cream 10 months old, but her development is exploding right now. It seems like everyday she is learning/doing something new. It is such a dynamic time. She is really moving and shaking in the gross motor department this month. She is able to make some tracks with her army crawl and we have even caught her in a regular crawl a few times. Usually she doesn't realize that she is moving and once she does she pancakes and scoots on her belly. I am starting to think that she may skip most of the crawling stage all together, though. She always wants to be standing and walking while either holding our hands or a walking toy. She has pulled herself up several times and is starting to cruise the furniture as well. She is also now able to get up from the floor into the sitting position. I am amazed at her drive to be up and moving.
Her verbal skills have also exploded over the past month. "Ba" used to be all that she would really say. Now she says "ba," "ma," "da," and "na." I am pretty sure that at times her" mama" is referring to me and her "dada" referring to her daddy. And quite often when she waves she says "ba-ba" so I think she is saying bye-bye. She has also developed some volume in the past month. That girl can really yell when she wants to. I often have to tell her to be a little quieter. :o)
She is more interested in anything that isn't her toy. The remote, the phone, Peachy's toys all are favored over anything intended for her. She also has become a big fan of pointing. It is so fun watching her little finger point out the world around her.
We have tried some stage 3 foods with her and they have met with much resistance and gagging. She can however handle finger food pretty well. She still does the puffs, Cheerios, and Wagon Wheels. She has also moved on to chunks of bread, small pieces of fruit, and small pieces of vegetables. With 6 teeth now, I think we will be completely done with the baby food soon. I also still nurse her about three times a day.
Her nights are still going strong. Now my only complaint is that she gets up a little early for my liking. (Funny how our tunes change, isn't it? A few months ago all I wanted was a solid night of sleep. Now I want to sleep in, too.) She still takes two naps a day each lasting around an hour or more most days.
 She is also still as sweet as can be. Her happiness and sheer determination is a joy to see.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

4th of July 2012

And here is what our July 3rd and July 4th looked like this year:
Upon hearing that it was a holiday, Peachy decided that we needed to decorate the house. She took it upon herself to create some.
We made cinnamon sugar tortilla chips to take to  a 4th gathering. Peachy was an excellent helper.
No holiday would be complete without some knife sharpening for Mr. Cherry. :)

Peachy posing with our patriotic pastries.

The 4th and pasta salad just go together.

Cream and Mr. Cherry enjoying some fireworks.

Mr. Cherry preserving Cream's hearing.


Peachy showing off her holiday ensemble. (And yes, she really does use that term.)

Patriotic toes.

Peachy in the Sparkler headband.



Cream's 4th ensemble.

Gearing up for the bike parade.


Thankfully this didn't last the entire block long parade. A friend helped me out by keeping Peachy on the sidewalk.

The decorating continues after the parade.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

4th of July Headband: Boom, Boom, Pow


As promised, here is Cream's 4th headband. It all started when a few weeks ago I read a post on using tulle for a pom-pom. I quickly purchased a pom-pom maker and whipped this pom-pom up. In order to add a pop of red, I made a rolled fabric rosette. The actual headband was a Pick Your Plum purchase from about a month ago.

I also finished Cream's skirt today. If you look closely you might be able to catch a glimpse of it in the background of these pictures.


I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter
The Sweet Talk Shop















Monday, July 2, 2012

4th of July Headband: Sparkler

With two little girls, I like to take any excuse I can to create clothing for them. Most often these creations revolve around a holiday. I have had many ideas swirling around in my head with the upcoming 4th. This weekend I finished a headband for Peachy. Truth be told, she isn't real sure about it. No problem, because if she doesn't want to wear it on Wednesday, I will!!
The headband started with a singed satin flower. You can Google it and will find many great tutorials. Essentially, you cut concentric shapes out of satin, singe the shapes with a candle or other heat source, assemble the shapes from largest to smallest, and away you go.
After completing the flower, I added some bling. The center is a button from Hobby Lobby with the shank cut off.
Then using a felt circle I attached the flower to a headband with a glue gun. I found a three pack of headbands in red, white, and blue at Forever 21 recently for $2.50. Score!
I hope to share Cream's headband with you tomorrow and the girls' complete outfits on Wednesday, so stay tuned for more patriotic goodness. I am linking to these wonderful parties this week.
Today's Creative Blog
Making the World Cuter
The Sweet Talk Shop