Wednesday on Wednesday

 This morning, within minutes of waking.

Wednesday received her first Barbie doll sometime ago, I think maybe over a year? She was playing with Barbies at a friends house which was part of an overnight trip out of town and as a reward for being a super duper awesome child, we bought her her own barbies. Nothing fancy, two fairy barbies that didn't even come with shoes. (Little pieces and airways and all that.)

 This afternoon, directly after getting home from playschool.

After that though, well, just about every trip to the thrift shops resulted in at least one naked, matted hair Barbie doll coming home with us. She has amassed quite the collection, both new and (very) used since. But I tell you, for being three and a half they are her favourite toys. She brings them to bed with her (they sit patiently on the night tables waiting for her to wake up.) she acts out different things she has learned from the nursery rhymes at play school to real life situations she has been through like time outs.

 Dinah loves to sleep in the Barbie suitcase (scored for a dollar! at the local charity shop.) full of clothes.

 Last week we played dress the Barbies together. She always undresses my dolls though?!

For Christmas, my main gift to her was a Barbie backpack filled with Barbie dolls. babrie clothes, and babrie shoes all found on Ebay. For a song, I found Wednesday all the vintage(and not so) babrie clothes and shoes I had been scouring thrift shops for (and coming up unsuccessfull 98% of the time.)

 

The radius of clothing, shoes and dolls can get pretty big for such a little girl with limited space.

Her interest would wane and then come back double time. But lately, her barbie play is non-stop. From the moment she wakes up (as in the first photo of the post) until she goes to bed (with Barbies on the nightstand) she is wrapped up in imaginative play with these dolls.

Clothing I made from discarded t-shirt sleeves and some leftover 1/4" elastic.

Some folks might not think Barbies are age appropriate for a three year old but I think Barbie is for every age (minus the wee ones) there are Barbies for eveyone. For the first months (almost year) of playing with the dolls, Wednesday did not want clothing on them, when at a friend's house, the first thing she would do was undress the Barbies. Then she discovered shoes. And then clothing came shortly after it, so that now she regularly spreads the suitcase of clothing around her play space. She has a ridiculously sized collection that was compounded at Christmas (Thanks Ebay, Uncle Rob & Uncle Matthew!) And I am having some trouble finding a satisfactory storage system (I just don't have the wall/door space that the super duper awesome clear shoe holder calls for) but it just fills me with joy to watch her play for hours on end with these dolls.

Today, showing off her "Rock & Roll pants". Coincidentally, that is one of her two first Barbies.

I'll worry later about Barbie's measurements and always fantastic hair having an adverse effect on Wednesday's self esteem. For now she is a little girl who loves all of her dolls equally for different reasons. She loves to dress and undress them, she loves to mix and match clothing and shoes and she loves to name them different names, sometimes after her friends and sometimes completely made up one (my favourite is Stacia.) but most importantly she loves to play. I can let her do that and feel like we are both winning.

P.S. For those Mamas with large naked Barbie collections I reccomend this seller for shoes. You receive lots of different kinds, and bonus is some of the open toe shoes fit the cheap Wal-mart Barbies even better than the shoes that came with them.
Also, for clothing, I did searches for lot barbie clothes used on Ebay and this got me some great auctions. Don't fight the collectors, watch them until they are almost up and bid what you are willing to pay. I scored some great clothing and accessory lots that way, at Christmastime no less.

Children and Nature Awareness Month

Good morning! I would love to say it is a beautiful one and the sun is shining but alas, it is a beautiful one with rains and grey skies. But that is ok, it is a good day for puddle jumping in bright yellow boots!

I know that I usually bring you a tutorial on Tuesdays (at least I have been trying to keep up that pace) but today I wanted to talk to you about something super important. Children and more importantly, children in nature. In today's hustle and bustling society with dance classes, homework and family dinner time it is hard to squeeze in that outdoors time. Doubly hard in colder, wetter climates like ours here in South Eastern Ontario. But it is so important! And to help us realize the importance, and to motivate us to get out more it is Children and Nature Awareness Month.



Who does not love honeybees?

Thank You Vancouver for an Incredible Olympic Games!

The 2010 Olympic games are officially over. It is almost with a heavy heart that I type this. I had so much fun! And, like Bill Plaschke wrote in his article Canada is a Winter Games Wonderland written for the LA Time "For two weeks, you lived your anthem..." I did. We did. We were determined, successful, generous in spirit, welcoming hosts and patriotic to the core. We were with each athlete every step of the way and we cried tears of joy and tears of loss for every win and every almost-but-not-quite. We jumped out of our seats for the goals and the golds. We Twittered and Facebooked everything that we loved about those seventeen days. We traded our apathy in for honest to goodness caring and concern for everyone involved from athletes, to families of to spectators and everyone else and in between. And it was AWESOME!



Every morning I awoke and this is the first thing I checked, even before my email! Because of our time zone differences, we often won (and didn't win) our medals long after my bedtime. So when I awoke I would go here and check to see what our new medal tally was. It was awesome to see us gaining on Germany and the USA four at a time in the end. And then when me made history with our fourteen gold medals I was overjoyed. This widget was great because with each new medal you just click on your country and it tells you who won the latest events. What countries, what teams, what athletes, what medals. It makes me just a little sad that it no longer tallies. But, that is not to say that I am not incredibly proud and impressed with Canada's final score of twenty six hard earned medals.


I would find videos, and articles that made me both weep (I cried at least twice a day during the Olympics) and laugh and just revel in the joy that is the Olympics. Like this Red Mitten Flash Mob video. I Love it. It just screams lets be happy for happy. And it made me happy.

And when Joannie Rochette won bronze in Women's Free Skate. To overcome the grief of losing her mom just days before to skate the two best skates of her life and end up on the podium. Winning a medal in an event packed full of phenoms from every country is an accomplished in of itself but to do it through the grief, wow. Not just wow though, she took home the Terry Fox award for her efforts and triumphs. Go Team Canada!

I am tempted to embed the golden goal video from the Canada-USA hockey game but I am sure many of you have already seen it. Let's just say I was dancing around here like a fool for a couple hours! Instead, I will leave you with a different sort of skating video, one more like Blades of Glory than the 2010 Olympics but still awesome!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

See you in Russia!!!!!!!!!

Crafting on a Budget...I mean a real budget.

Mr. Until Wednesday has taken little Wednesday out for a morning drive and some chilly play time in the snow so I thought I would take a break from the hand-sewing and talk to you about something that affects all of our crafty endeavors. Money. Yes, that five letter dirty word. There are so many people out there being uber frugal with their crafty ways and there are so many out there what feels excessive to us have nots. But fear not, there are ways to remedy this. But alas, it takes something besides money, it takes patience. Do you have any?

Beyond an unlimited pocketbook it takes patience. Patience to build up a stash, patience to buy the right tools. patience to learn the skills to make all of the tool buying and stash hoarding worth the hard earned money spent. back int he early nineties when I was first bitten by the crafting bug-you know when country chic really exploded on the decorating scene- I wanted to join the masses. But alas, on my minimum wage budget I could barely make rent let alone go to my local craft store (which only bigger cities had, Michael's was not even a thought around here)and buy up the supplies for a project. I dabbled in sewing having a hand me down machine, but the machine was a piece of junk and it deterred me for years from the craft. This was before Wal-mart was in Canada and dollar stores were not on every corner. Later on my priorities changed and slowly I forgot about crafting completely.

One of my very first attempts at scrap booking.

Enter a baby named Wednesday. Even having a baby didn't really spark the crafting flame so much as the thousands of pictures I was taking. I realized I could not frame every single one of my favourite pictures, bummer. Enter scrapbooking. It was like the clouds opened and light shone down from above while the choir sang. My lost crafting soul had been found. And it was a financially feasible craft at that. I scrapped like a mad-woman for a few months and then Wednesday got just old enough that I couldn't craft for long periods of time. So my interest in it waned just a bit (although the craft supply did not). Enter sewing. I found a brilliant machine on a local message board site for a mere thirty bucks. I was in love. But alas, the machine was so vintage it only had a straight stitch. I felt the need to compensate. I found a Singer Overlock machine for a song. Seventy bucks, and in great working shape. All it needed was a manual I found on the Singer website. Well, after a little bit of practice, but truthfully not a lot of inspiration we moved...again. So my machines went into storage.


I did not give much thought to sewing or crafting until this summer. I needed an indoor hobby for the super hot days and I really wanted to build some toys for Wednesday that would encourage each stage of development. My first project, bean bags. Super cheap, super easy and super fulfilling. Nothing makes you want to keep trying more than the sweet smell of success. So, I kept going, a little felt here, a little felt there. The beauty of felt is it is super cheap, you can buy it by the sheet for as little as twenty five cents. As my confidence grew so did my need for more materials, more tools and believe me, the plethora of crafty blogs ot there does not help one keep there crafty needs and wants in checks. I am inspired multiple times a day by the creative people out there.


The aforementioned bean bags from this post.

Ok, I know you are saying enough about you I want to know how I can build on a budget. Ok, the following list is how I built up a sizable (if not enviable by some) stash in a very short period of time. (Just over a year if you count the machine I bought last spring.)

First, pick a craft. Your money and efforts are better spent with a focus in mind. This will help you decide what supplies will be and even more importantly, the tools you will be buying for your craft. I will use sewing as the example from here on out.

Second. Understand that the right tool for the job is not just relegated to carpenters, plumbers and electricians. I have a professional carpenter hubby and he has thousands if not in the tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools and gear. These tools serve two important functions, they do the job properly and easily with the least amount of stress on the material and himself thereby serving their second function, making him money. It is the same for seamstresses, scrapbookers and tole painters. As a seamstress, we can sew everything by hand but would you if a working machine was at your disposal? How about cutting with scissors? Would you gladly cramp your hand knowing that a rotary cutter and mat were close at hand? Probably not. Also incredibly important is a good working iron. Super important, if your iron only works half the time now would be a good time to replace it. After that, the big stuff is all gravy. The big stuff being dressmaker's dummies and sergers etc. I just wanted to point out how tools are as important if not more than the stash you acquire.



The machine. Isn't it beautiful? And it sews like a dream.

Third. Research, research, research! To acquire these tools at a fraction of the original price, you need to do research. The internet is a God send this way. I cannot imagine trying to get the deals I have gotten with it. Research is so important. get an idea of the tools you need and think you need. Surf the web for reviews both on retail websites and in forums. The best reviews I find are the message boards asking and answering questions on the subject. After you know what you want now we need to find it for a fraction of the cost. Know your budget and don't stop until you find what you need within it. sewing machines are super easy to come across free or near free. Even the super heavy duty awesome ones. Ask your aunts, moms, sisters and grandmas if they have a machine in a closet somewhere collecting dust, you would be surprised how many do. My grandma (who is my mom's mother-in-law) handed her a free 1972 Kenmore sewing machine that is easily the most brilliant machine I have ever sewed on. In fact it is the machine I have used to sew everything I have posted on this blog. (My machines went into storage remember.) No one is giving their machine's up? That is okay, there are a lot more to be had on your local message boards. Like I said before I found my machine for thirty dollars and it was not the only one in that price range (but it sure was the prettiest.) Don't jump on the first one you see either. Ask what features it has, ask for model numbers so you can google it. Ask when the last time (if ever it was serviced) and last, remember int he sewing machine world older is most often better. It is the difference between metal and plastic parts.


This is the machine I sew on right now. It was given to my mom and I am secretly hoping she gives it to me. I have another Kenmore machine zig zag machine that my moth-in-law gave to me but it does not have the triple stitch that I love so much on this one.

Sometimes, for the smaller tools you can find them listed online as well being sold second hand but you are better of buying these new. Because if you have to replace an item it stops being cheap right? Spend as much as you can afford the first time and you'll be happier I promise. And, it is not hard to do on a budget either. Thanks to companies like Michaels and JoAnnes you can take your 50% off coupons in and buy your rotary cutters, scissors and self-healing mats for half the cost. And with Michaels, you can take your coupon once a day every day until it expires. See where the patience thing is coming in to play? Michaels in the town next to mine so I can't go in everyday, but I do make sure I keep a current coupon in my purse in case we have the time and money to stop in for a moment. One more thing on hand tools, if you have friends who craft, use their tools. This will give you a better idea of what is more comfortable for you and what features are practical and what ones are not. For instance, I have been using my mom's rotary cutter while I decide which one I want. I like hers but at the same time I know I will not buy the same one. I will make sure the one I buy is more comfortable to hold. But I did buy my 36x24" self heating mat for thirty dollars, normally it is sixty. I have used it innumerable times in just the few short months have owned it. Worth every penny of the thirty dollars I spent on it.

Okay, so now you have your tools. Just the basics, but good ones. Now you are ready to build up that enviable stash. And I know what you are thinking, there is no way I bought my tools first and my stash second. Well, you are wrong...and right. I bought my tools first. The machines were so reasonably priced I bought them within days or weeks of each other. But for fabric I just had a giant vinyl comforter bag filled with clothing and bed linens that were destined for charity or the garbage. I didn't sew much in the beginning. I made napkins our of some of Mr. Until Wednesday's old dress shirts and a closet curtain for the bathroom and like I said, we moved. Fast forward to today. I have a beautiful stash that leaves me wanting very little. (besides everything else lol.) But I did this slowly. Once a month I go to the two charity thrift shops ion town and I would spend ten or fifteen dollars at each one. Tops. I just could afford any more. But that ten or fifteen dollars would buy me a vintage sheet here, a wool blanket there. Some yardage remnants and clothes to embellish. I have also built up a formidable wool sweater stash. Thirty dollars at a time my stash grew. Whenever I went to Wal-Mart I would poke into the remnant bin to see what one or two dollar items they had. But, most helpful of all but also the most expensive was my trips to Value Village. I don't do this often because I go way over budget. But the splurging feeds my craft for months after. I am still sewing the vintage sheets I bought in the summer. So, if you have the money to splurge now and again do it. You don't have to do it all the time, I only go to Value Village once every two or three months. But the selection is just incredible, from the vintage sheets to the mens wools sweaters and fabric remnants it is a recycling crafter's dream. And last but not least. Don't throw anything away! Keep clothing for repurposing or refashioning. Take the buttons off, deconstruct it to see how it is made. Take the zippers out. Everything is reusable some how thereby making it free!


This was first big score. I think when I finally cashed out I spent sixty dollars but it was worth every penny. These sheets have brought me so much joy when I create.

The last piece of the puzzle is practice, practice, practice! All your heard earned money will go down the drain if you are left feeling defeated one too many times. There are so many great tutorials on the internet, both photo and video that it is super easy to learn the basics literally overnight. Learn from the experts, advice is free, my favourite price. Between my mom who is my mentor seamstress who can answer my most pressing concerns and the brilliantly photographed and most generously shared tutorials on the web you are well on your way to enjoying your hobby, guilt free.


From bean bags to ruffle bum skirts in six short months is not too shabby eh? Recognize the fabrics? Look at the picture above.

I hope that I helped even just a little bit. I hope that this post was not too long winded. I just wanted to impart some things I have learned about crafting on an incredibly low income. Which I can break down into three things: Allocate a tiny bit every month to help build up your stash. Have patience, soon it will need it's own room I promise! And three, splurge now and again.

Happy crafting!

To be or not to be...homeschooling that is.

Since falling in love with sewing all over again and stalking the blogosphere for tutorials and inspiration I have found that many of my favourite blogs of late are also homeschooling moms as well. As I followed these blogs I noticed that their lives with their children were all that more enriched and rewarding and the gears in my ehad began to creak and moan but the turning began and I thought that maybe homeschooling was something that I should be considering. But as I kept reading these few blogs I thought more and more that maybe I was not cut out to teach my daughter anything more than her ABCs, 123s and colours and it made me sad. I too wanted to share in the wonder that is a child learning.

I talked to a few moms at Livejournal (my favourite place for instant feedback and answers) and my fears were quickly abated. Most importantly I was reminded that children do not start off learning grade ten algebra (seriously, if algebra was a person they would be my arch nemesis) and that was probably what I needed to hear most. After a few discussions I learned that homeschooling was very parent friendly and that not every parent need be a teacher in one of their former lives. *phew* Also I was informed that if I thought it necessary I can buy lesson plans and teaching aides that even tell you when to "point at the board". *phew*

That night during a leisurely drive through the country I (as nonchalantly as possible) asked Ron how he felt about the subject. Since I was expecting him to put up a fight (seriously, I was waiting for him to draw the line at my crunchy behaviour right then and there) I was speechless for a moment (even a little flabbergasted) when he said he was for it. After I closed my mouth and collected my thoughts a moment we talked about all the reasons to do it. We talked about how rewarding it would be for the entire family I had to mention how it would ensure the library I had been building (and moving cross country multiple times) over the last few years would be put to good use! By the time we got home we were both quite excited about it and have even discussed it with a couple friends who think it is a great idea too. *phew*

So, with some reassurance and a little advice I began looking into homeschooling. First exploring the aforementioned blogs in more depth. Then I googled for any support networks in my area (one lonely Christian homeschooling network) and then I started requesting books from my local library network. My first book made it to my hands yesterday. The Homeschooling Handbook (1st Edition) written by Mary Griffith.

This edition is more than ten years old (I realized that when I tried googling a cover image and could only come up with the 2nd edition until I found the one pictured above. Regardless, the book has already given me much food for thought such as theories of learning, learning practices and grading (or not). A definite jumping off point for more research. And although the book is definitely written from a very pro-homeschooling perspective it does give a lot of anecdotal evidence from other homeschooling families who use different techniques, schedules and disciplines.

Particularly interesting is the case for unschooling. At first when I kept coming across this term in my research I shied away from it more and more. I was worried that it was another neo-crunchy term that would serve as yet another pissing contest between parents. I have my own thoughts on the crunchy movement even though I feel that I am firmly entrenched in it. But I digress. This book actually turned me around. A little bit. Like much of my life and parenting 'style' (for lack of better word) I found comfort in knowing there were a lot of parents out there who found a way to blend the best of both worlds (school at home and unschooling). I am of the 'everything in moderation even moderation discipline' in life.

The book is also written for homeschoolers in the United States and although Canada and Canadians are very similar we can be worlds apart when it comes to bureaucracy and laws so I will definitely be researching further into Canadian laws regarding homeschooling most likely through the internet and support groups because I just have not found a lot of Canadian titles on the subject. Expect updates on that area most definitely.

Also something to note is how the homes of homeschooling parents are most definitely full of life, chaos and thereby the mess both create! It is nice to know (even if it just secretly) all of these wondermom blogs I read have messy kitchens too. That will just be our little secret though. ;)

I have a few more books to pick up though, I had thought they were to be sent to my local branch but apparently I must go to the next town over. I can't wait though. I am so very intrigued by the entire idea that sometimes I forget that Wednesday just turned two in July!

So, that is where we are right now. Still very early in the research stage but definitely falling in love with it the more and more we look into it. I will leave you with the aforementioned wondermom blogs I mentioned that are truly inspiring (and even a little intimidating).

In no particular order because they are each equally wonderful.

Ordinary Life Magic
Lapaz Home Learning
Collecting the Moments
5 Orange Potatoes

Happy Tuesday!

Sugar Nazi 1 - Them 0

I have been crafting up a storm lately but nothing is finished yet so I thought I would talk about something very important to me. The sugar intake of children.

Wednesday is one of those children who has a lollipop and then climbs the walls. So, she does not get lollipops. She had one once. Once. And her head nearly exploded after an hour of constant babbling and running. I think she was fifteen months at the time. That was our get out of jail free card. Wednesday had never really had sugar before that so we had no idea what her reaction to it would be. We were with the in-laws who were in from out of town and so she was mostly occupied and indoors (the lollipop had come from having dinner our earlier int he evening and I had popped it into my mouth without realizing someone would be watching)where she could babble and run until she crashed, almost literally. She had tripped over a toy, fell on the carpeted living room floor and started to half-cry. The sugar high was over and we as parents were much wiser.

The next dose of sugar she had came months and months later in the form of a juice box. We were at a friends place visiting and their little guy was drinking a juice box and so, Wednesday being the curious one wanted one as well. I couldn't find it in my heart to deny her one and seeing how we were just about to leave I thought we could manage it. Well, for the twenty minute car ride home Wednesday sat in the back seat just babbling away. And I mean babbling. Total jibberish all the way home. So we learned, again, how Wednesday reacts to sugar.

Now, Wednesday gets sugar through fruit. NOT fruit juice. We try very hard to keep fresh and/or frozen fruit on hand for Wednesday daily intake. Fruit is always offered first and foremost at snack time. At the park I have container after container of grapes and apples and such. She does get 'cookies' but they are Heinz Toddler biscuits and it takes five cookies to amass a whopping 7g of sugar. She likes them and I like that.

I am not going to lie, it is a constant battle with others. Thankfully Wednesday is still too young to know better. But, I have the nick name 'Sugar Nazi' because no one is allowed to give Wednesday sugary treats without first asking me. And I say no 99% of the time. She can have one fruit juice jujube or a teaspoons worth of ice cream from their bowl etc. But on the whole my child lives a relatively sugar free diet.

The reason I decided to write about this today was brought on by what I did yesterday. I babysat a four year old boy. I thought it would be fast times at Sweet household high. But alas, the child was very well behaved, very polite and above all, very mellow. Which was a blessing because it rained the entire morning so I was not able to take the children to the park to burn any excess energy. For breakfast they ate MultiGrain Cheerios with fresh blueberries, for snacks they had all the fruit they could eat (which apparently he detests) and Ritz peanut butter sandwiches and Heinz toddler biscuits. For juice I gave them watered down lemonade which both children were happy to have. For lunch he had a peanut butter sandwich and milk and then it was nap time. He woke up and his dad came to take him home.

All in all it was a breeze to care for the child. I was happy to offer to do it again tomorrow. Upon talking to his grandmother (my aunt) I found out that he reacts to sugar the exact same way Wednesday does. A single juice box or glass of chocolate milk will send him into a sugar induced frenzy. So, score one for the 'Sugar Nazi'.

I have just never understood people who give children sugar in the form of candy or the well meaning juice box and then marvel or become angry at the child who "bounces off the walls". And then when they crash they get sent to bed for a nap because "they must be tired". That is no way to spend a day constantly getting high and crashing and then being punished. Imagine that in an adult's day, being given speed a couple of times a day and then being given trouble for the poor decision making skills that come with it and THEN being sent to sit in a room by ourselves to think about it or sleep it off. Just reeks of unfairness I think.

I am looking forward to tomorrow at the park with two children though. And I am looking forward to tomorrow with a well mannered boy and my well mannered Wednesday. maybe, I'll have my big craft finished in time for them to enjoy it. But that is another post for another time.