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Grandma says I do not put up enough pictures. Well, Grandma, today is your lucky day! However, I think you were talking about pictures of Dustin. Oh, well. Maybe, next time.
Currently, I am working on 3 quilting projects. It started out as a quilt for my beloved friend and turned into two quilts, one for her and a “matching” one for her daughter. Then, I was feeling like I was making quilts for other people’s children and I should make one for Dustin. You would think I would have started there, but no.
As a reminder, I started quilting because Zack wanted bedding for Xavier with skulls on it. The bedding they were looking at on Etsy was close to $300. Being the a CRAZY crafter, I said, “Heck, can do that!” Went out a purchased a sewing machine (I was looking for an excuse and it was my b-day after all), called a friend, who is addicted and purchased the fabric. The rest as they say is history or will be revealed to the folks in my 12-step program. However, at this point, I am admitting I have an addiction, but no willing to do anything about it. We will see what DZ says when I take over his bedroom as a sewing place and he has to sleep in the living room. Do not worry, Grandma, it has not gotten to that point, yet.
Let’s start with the photos of X’s quilt.
 Black, Blue & Dead  Black, Blue & Dead - Close-up X’s quilt will soon be on it’s way to him as Grammy & Grappy are hand delivering it for me. Right in time for winter. Whoo hoo!
So I needed a new project. Claudia’s b-day is coming up and what better way to show your love for your best friend EVER, than to make her a quilt. I never appreciated quilts as much as I do now that I know how much work goes into them. Effort = love.
This one does not have a name, yet.
 Most of the piece work done  Top finished. Awaiting quilting and various  Close-up Since I had some extra fabric or so I tell myself, I decided a matching one for her daughter would be fun. For Ceci’s quilt, I added an animal flannel print that had giraffes because it is her favorite animal. The back of the quilt will also have the same fabric to make it extra snuggly.
 Ceci's Quilt  Ceci's Quilt - Close-up Since this was a child’s quilt, I decided to keep it smaller and not add the final boarder. Instead, I am going to use all the fabrics in the binding and it will give it a similar effect without adding to the overall size.
Now, for Dustin’s quilt. As you may have read at some point, I am a member of the DAR, Daughters of the American Revolution. Because of this, it was important to me for Dustin to have a patriotic quilt. His bedroom was done in airplanes and accented with red, white and blue. This was my first time working with triangles and stars and I am so very proud to be giving it to my son. Hopefully, he will cherish it as much as I do.
 First Block Complete  First Row Complete  Sashing added  Star Block Close-up  My American Heritage - Quilting Complete  Quilting Done - Close-up (Threads still need to be buried, UGH!)  My American Heritage - Backing  Backing - Close-up I had other fabric for the backing, but when I saw this at the store it was just too perfect for a DZ’s quilt.
Now, you know why I have been absent. Will post more photos as I finish and start more projects. However, I promise this will not become just a quilting blog and future posts about quilting will not be this long.
Grandma, the next post will include a picture of Dustin. I promise. <3
If you are tired of my yogurt adventures, you may want to peruse some of my earlier posts. Otherwise, keep reading.
Yesterday, I needed to make yogurt, again, because we have been making smoothies everyday for breakfast. While my milk was heating up, I was online talking to my friends via Facebook and instant messenger. After awhile, I realized I forgot about my milk and ran to the kitchen in a panic. The milk had a skin on it but otherwise had not curdled. Phew!
Once it reached the desired temperature, I placed it in an ice bath. Then, I went back to gabbing with friends. (Do not worry, Dustin was sleeping while all this was going on. I was not neglecting him) Again, I forgot about it. This time I was late by 10 degrees. The yogurt starter needs to be added at 115-10 degrees and I added it at 100.
After mixing in the starter, I put it in my preheated 170 degree oven. Now, I forgot to set a timer. After about 7 hours, I pulled it out and it had only slightly thickened. All my fooling around had wasted a gallon of milk and the rest of my starter. Since you cannot just reheat and try again, I had to find other uses for my disaster.
While searching the internet, other people had suggested using it in place of buttermilk. The only way I know to use buttermilk is to bake with it. Although this is a great suggestion, it has been 106 degrees where I live (another possible factor of my failed yogurt) and I was not about to bake something requiring “buttermilk”. However, coffee cake did sound really good. Another suggestion was to add flavored gelatin. Which would act as a thickener and given you a drinkable “smoothie”. I did not have any gelatin in flavors I considered acceptable, so that was not going to work.
Thinking about how I usually use yogurt in place of milk and the fact that I may have pudding mix, I decided to make pudding. Chocolate Pudding! So, I searched my cupboards for some. I used 6 cups of “yogurt” and 2 packages of mix, yielding almost a half gallon of pudding.
Dustin had a great time licking the whisk. Normally, I would have never allowed him to do this, but I needed photos for my blog because Grandma says there has not been enough lately. 
 Yummy In My tummy What the heck am I going to do with all this pudding? Well, chocolate cream pie is one of Hubs favorites. I always think it is just pudding in a pie shell, which it is and therefore, do not understand what the fuss is all about. Anyway, I went out to the store and purchased a chocolate cookie pie crust and some frozen whipped topping. While in the baking aisle, Dustin decided I needed to buy more pudding and gelatin mix and emptied one of the shelves into my cart. Aren’t children adorable?
 Stay Where You Are & No One Gets Hurt After thawing the frozen whipped topping, I folded it into half the pudding until completely combined. Then, I poured it into the pie shell and topped it with dark chocolate shavings. Finally, I placed it into the fridge to set up.
 Mmmmmm... PIE! Now that I have been so creative with the first half of my disaster, I have run out of ideas for what is remaining. Maybe, I will just add gelatin and the wise internet people said and be done with it. I will leave that decision for another days problem.
The bottom line here is that even though things may not turn out as you expect, you can always turn it to something you enjoy. Anyone want to come over for pie?
The other day, I was searching the event page at the Oakland Zoo and discovered they have Boo at the Zoo on Oct 30 & 31st. Children get to tour the zoo and collect yummy treats. In addition, children in costume get to ride the train for free.
So as a preview for Halloween, I had Dustin try on his costume to see if it fits. We got this costume for free, when I ordered his first Halloween costume before he was born. It has been a long wait to see if it fits, but as you can see, well worth it. He is the cutest dragon, EVER. Maybe I will dress up as a princess or something. Too bad dragons and pirates do not go together, I already have one of those costumes. 
 
Dustin loves his costume so much, he did not want to take it off so we could go to the park. This will be the first Halloween where he will truly enjoy the experience. I am looking forward to it.
Finally checked in to Twitter, today. I have been missing in action because Dustin is at the age where his hands are too grabby and he needs more attention. I was finding I was spending too much time on the internet, so I took a leave of absence. Today, however, the “terribles” have taken over my son and I needed a mental break, so I popped in for a bit.
Seeing how all these women have time to blog, take care of their children and have adventures has inspired me to write. Last weekend, DZ spent the weekend with Grammy and Grampy. Rob and I got some much needed time alone and even scheduled a date night. Even though we are in phase 1 of the South Beach diet, we went out for sushi and some of the best frozen yogurt of my entire life. We went to a place called Sweet Tart here in Concord. (Their website is under-construction, but it has their contact info.) They have frozen yogurt in cupcake flavors. Best way to enjoy “cake”, without all the guilt & calories. 4oz. is about 100 calories. I had red velvet cake and tart flavored yogurt and I swear it was better than the actual red velvet cake. This was the most satisfying foodgasim and I went back the next day for the same thing. I have never had frozen yogurt this satisfying, EVER.
Here I am writing about our date night and the main topic is frozen yogurt. You may think this says something about my relationship, but really this yogurt was just that good. Rob, of course, thinks I am nuts, but it is not like he should expect anything else at this point. Come one, we have been together since 1999. Besides, crazy is not just a state of mind, it is a lifestyle. I plan to fully embrace it. Hold on, Hon, I plan to get strange.
When I get old, I plan on being insane/eccentric. Dustin is going to need another sibling, just so he can say, “Sis, YOUR turn. Mom is effing CRAZY!” I am totally okay with this. Now, I just need to work on the sibling part. How is that for justification for having another child? Wish me luck!
Yesterday was a really good day in the potty training arena. Dustin stayed dry all day, except naps. It appears he is more likely to use the potty once an hour. More frequently, he refuses to go and less frequently, he uses the diaper. With stickers as an incentive, we have gone through a lot of stickers. He favorite places to stick them are his body parts, on Mama, on the floor and in the toilet. For some reason, peeing on stickers is the most fun, but DZ has decided that putting them on his penis is not.
Now, that I have relaxed about potty training, we seem to be making more progress. If I insist, he refuses to go. He would even pee next to the potty just to show me who is in charge. The consistency of it all is working the best. Repetition, repetition. I have not managed to get him to tell he has to use the potty and that is frustrating because it is sometimes hit or miss with the timing.
The day my son come to me and says, “Mommy, I have to potty,” I will probably jump for joy and smother him with kisses, hugs and maybe even buy him a pony. My first instinct was to say I would give him a car, but I have to save that for some other awesome accomplishment. To be honest, right now I cannot think of anything more awesome than no longer having to use diapers.
Have you discovered anything more exciting as a parent, than your child using a potty? Please share, I would love to know what I have to look forward to.
Now that school is out and summer is finally here, you’re looking for things to do with your children without losing your sanity. Here is a list of kid friendly restaurants, indoor entertainment and outside activities that have helped me keep mine.
Restaurants
Finding restaurants that offer healthy food options and a kid friendly atmosphere is a bit of a challenge at times. These are the establishments that my family and I have found most accommodating.
- Chili’s – meal options include whole wheat hamburger buns; crayons and coloring booklet are provided. The location near us has servers who are very familiar with serving children and are happy to place a kid order first, even if we have not decided yet.
- Red Robin – menu options offer grilled chicken and steamed veggies (if your child will eat them); crayons and coloring booklet are provided. Locations are usually noisy, so should your child get loud it is not a problem
- Tomatina – menu options include pasta, pizza and veggies; crayons and coloring booklet are provided. This restaurant is one of the few places in our area where you can feed your child for under $5.
- Dennys – This is not a place we frequent, but I they do have days where children eat free
- Olive Garden – you can share a meal with your child and they will bring you an extra plate at no cost or hassle.
Indoor Play Areas
Indoor entertainment is great because you can cool off using someone else’s air conditioning. These places are free or low cost.
- Local Library – many activities for babies through teenagers. Our library offers toddler time on Thursdays where children can come and the librarian sings songs, reads books and engages them and parents in activities.
- The Jungle – This is an indoor playground where children can climb, slide and run around. There is a charge for children, but parents are free. Tuesdays, toddlers get in for $4 in our area. They often have evening specials for older children.
- First Five Center – (California Only) Has activities at no cost for children up to five years of age. Here your child can enjoy activities like tumbling, music, reading readiness and other programs to increase your child’s preparedness for kindergarten.
- The Mall – many malls have playgrounds in them. This is a great way to cool down from the heat as well as meet other parents.
- Chuck E. Cheese – it is free to enter, but everything there costs money. The best deal is that if you purchase a soda you can have unlimited refills. This is not my favorite place, but some parents enjoy it.
Outdoor Play Areas
In our area, outdoor locations are not hard to come by. Here is a list of our favorites.
- The Zoo – there is usually a charge for admission, but if you bring your own lunch it can be quite economical. If you go often enough, it may be best to look into a membership as it usually pays for itself in a few visits.
- Local parks – these are free and often a great place for children to burn off the extra energy that comes with being home during the summer. I prefer ones with lots of shade or bring my own umbrella.
- Community Pool – the cost of entrance is usually minimal, but check their schedule because they are not open all day due to swimming lessons.
Go and explore your home town. You will be surprised at all the things you can do with your family for little to no money.
Many times I have sat down to write, but each time I get pulled away to do something else. As it gets longer between posts, it gets harder and harder to write. Funny how I spend so much time in my head, rather than putting my thoughts out here.
Anyway, since I started quilting, I have been spending all of my free time working on a quilt for my nephew and just started a new one. There is a very little hand sewing left on my nephew, Xavier’s blanket. Since it is hand stitching, I can only work on it when we go to my parents house. Between my husband and parents, there are enough people to look after the monkey that I can focus. This week we are going to see my mom on Saturday, instead of our normal Friday night visit because my father is in China. So, I am looking forward to being completely finished with X’s skull quilt.
As I have mentioned in my previous post, we are still on the potty train. Dustin is make progress, but it is a very slow process and time consuming. One of the other reasons I have not written in a while.
Just wanted to stop in a let you know what was going on before I made a regular post.
Talk to you soon.
Rob, the other day, sent me an article from Salon titled Potty in the USA: Why Are We So Slow? discussing the differences between the US and other countries regarding potty training. Many moms in other countries are potty training their children as early as six months old, while here in the US, we wait until at least 2 years old and some wait as long as 4 years old.
This got me thinking, I do not want my son to be in diapers forever. Frankly, I do not want to pay for diapers much longer and we already had a potty. What was keeping me from starting this weekend? The real reason I have not started already is because I am a) lazy and b) I do not want to clean up accidents. I guess it all boils down to: I am lazy. However, if women in other countries can do it when their children are six months of age, then I can certainly train my child at 20 months of age.
Last Friday, I went to Target to buy Dustin some training pants. To my surprise, they only carry Pull-ups or underwear with the smallest size being 2T/3T. You are probably asking yourself why don’t I just use Pull-ups? In my opinion, they are the same as diapers, except they come off easier and cost more. Worst part is they do not allow a child to feel wet, which is a big part of how they learn when they have to go.
On Saturday morning, I get to Dustin’s call for rescue. Instead of changing his diaper, I take him to the bathroom and put him on the potty. We have the Royal Potty by Fisher-Price. It makes “royal” music your child voids into the potty. Dustin was excited to place his hand in the potty, but sitting on it was more of a challenge. I decided that going diaper-less was the way to potty change your child, so I let him run around naked. After he peed all over his high chair, I, soon, changed my mind.
The first day of potty training was trying and frustrating, but when he first urinated I was filled with much joy. Apparently, progress can be made in one day. Potty training is definitely requiring an amount of patience I do not usually have. Every other parent has survived, so with patience and love I will, as well.
Check back soon, to see how our potty training journey continues.
My cousin, Lisa, was on vacation and wanted to spend a day with us. Going to the zoo was always fun for me when I was a child, so I look for every opportunity to take Dustin. This time was the first time, he recognized the different animals and while pointing would say their name and make their sound.
Yes, giraffes do make sounds, slurping noises.
 Look, Fruit Bats!  Dustin and Lisa  Alligators? I see rocks We had a great time and I look forward to taking Dustin, again, soon.
Dustin’s shirt provided by Vanity Exposed Clothing .
 - Then
Today is my 100th post. Congratulations to me! I have been thinking about what to write all weekend and the pressure from such a big milestone had left me speechless, until now.
When I started this blog, I wanted a place to share my parental experience. In all the research I did before having my son, nothing prepared me for all that came with being a mom. The number one lesson I have learned, so far, is to go with the flow. Infants do not bend to your will, you have to learn to bend to theirs, at least until they are old enough to be put on a schedule.
There have been quite a few bumps along the way, ie. thyroid disease, mastitis, depression, kidney infection, low milk production and my son’s inability to nurse properly. After nine months, DZ decided his relationship with the boob was over. This was disappointing, but after all the struggle I had leading up to this point I was thankful to have my body back. The hardest part for me was understanding, emotionally, I was not a failure as a mom just because I struggled with breastfeeding. Now, looking back, I see that it was only a small part of being a parent. By the time your child is 2 years  old, there will so many other aspects of your job that really, breastfeeding is the least of your worries.
The good news at this point is I have won the struggle with early parenthood. Each day is much easier than it was almost 2 years ago. My son can interact with me and actually communicate in other ways besides screaming. Heck, today, he asked for apple juice ALL day long because we did not have any.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I am as prepared as I will ever be. Some days, I feel on top; other days, not so much. There is always tomorrow and it is rarely the same as today. These are all the things I know about being a parent. This job may suck at times, but once your child moves out you will realize your success, pat yourself on the back for a job well done and probably change the locks.
So today, I will take a deep breath and celebrate my accomplishments. I am looking forward to another 100 posts and all the things I will have learned along the way.
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Love Notes