birthdays are delicious!

HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY, NIKO!!!!

discovering family fun!

our family visited The Discovery Center of Idaho friday with some of our cloth diapering friends. we spent 3 hours wandering and playing and having fun. riley and niko were out of school for the day and tony did not have to work. it was one of those rare times where all 6 of us were all together!

and what kind of a blogging mommy would i be if i didn't have lots of pictures to document our trip?!

here is niko making a pen drawing~

and riley, thrilled to be spending his day off with his family (he really did have a great time, i promise!!)
they have the cutest little play market, complete with shopping lists, carts, baskets, cash registers and shelves stocked with goods. esme' and niko spent a good chunck of time in there playing... i mean shopping!
esme', checking out. see her little bear on her back? she wore her the whole day.
this was the animal hospital. she was bandaging up a little bunny. when i asked what happened to the bunny she said "she lost her neck." yeah, that's bad, but nothing that a little gauze can't fix!

this is a chair where you pull yourself up with a rope. niko did the pulling for esme'...

and here she is pulling herself up.
this is one of our favorite exhibits... the bubble wall!
i realized after uploading all these pictures that we don't have any of harper! you can see him on my back... he spent most of the trip sleeping back there.
and i couldn't resist posting this cute little photo of esme'. we left there hungry and tired... and we can't wait to go back!

wordless wednesday! pumpkins!

last week jack-o-lantens, this week a squirrel's feast!

non toxic toys

we will be very careful this year when making our holiday purchases. the recent toy recalls have made us more aware than ever about what we let our kids eat, wear and play with. this is no easy task as only 10% of toys are manufactured here in the US. 80% are made in china and 10% are made in other misc. countries. another strike against parents is even if you find safe, natural toys made in the US they are often a hard sell to kids as they aren 't battery operated, extremely loud or adorned with a favorite cartoon or tv personality.

here are a few websites i have found that sell safe toys:

etsy is a great source for handcrafted and often one of a kind items

Rosie Hippo: http://www.rosiehippo.com/ they have over 1000 products and only 10 are made in China. These are clearly marked on the website.

Willow Tree Toys: http://www.willowtreetoys.com/ this link here will take you directly to the country of manufacturing - so you can search within that criteria.

The Wooden Wagon: http://www.thewoodenwagon.com/ european toys

Oompa toys: http://www.oompa.com// they have a blog and have set up a "made in Europe" category. Their very helpful blog provides is a lot of information about where European toy parts are sourced, and gives a toystore owner's perspective, who is also a mother. It's a great place to get some information like safty reports.

Magic Cabin: http://tinyurl.com/288ua4 all the toys have a country of origin listed and very few of them are made in china.

and if you would like to win some non toxic toys visit My Two Boys. they are having give aways throughout november. right now you can enter to win an adorable wood puzzle from La LaNatural or a cute little doll from Happy Green Bee! good luck!!

november!

really, november??! i can't believe it! i have been very busy, as usual. i am working on some toys for a hand made toy swap i am participating in with some other local mamas~ it is just another attempt to avoid any toys made in china this holiday! we are also getting ready for niko's 12th birthday. she will be 12 on the 12th!

and i have a couple knits in the works:

this is a wooly wonder everlasting soaker. it is supposed to fit up to 40 pounds so we will see how it works for my chunky boy! i am knitting it with gradient dyed peace fleece in my woodstock colorway.

and this is a pair of knucks! i took this pic a couple days ago and actually have this knuck completed and will cast on the second today... i hope! i LOVE this pattern! it is really easy and quick and i predict a pair of knucks for my whole posse this season! this is cascade 220 in heathered lime. i am knitting them on size 5's and they are perfect!

both of these wonderful patterns happen to be written by the same mama! pamela, have i reminded you how cool you are lately?!

Sesame Street - Buffy explains breastfeeding to Big Bird

this is a lovely clip from 1977. enjoy!

wordless wednesday! happy halloween!

what are you really into this month?

This Month...The Book I Am Really Into (or one I want to get into!): right now i am reading animal, vegetable, miracle: a year of food life by barbara kingslover and i just ordered a copy of monique and the mango rains: two years with a midwife in mali so that will be my next read.

TV Show Worth Watching: i love grey's anatomy and lately i have been watching every episode of jon and kate plus 8 on the discovery channel because it makes me feel like my life isn't so crazy after all!

Movie I’ve Seen (In or Out of a theater): the pursuit of happyness (it is finally on cable!)... very heartwarming!!

The Candle I'm Loving: WISH peppermint vanilla soy candle

Blog I Am Always Visiting: crazy aunt purl~ love her!

What I'm Most Looking Forward To Next Month: niko's 12th birthday, thanksgiving, the holiday season, and of course all the wonderful changes harper is sure to make in the next few weeks!

boo at the zoo!

today we packed up the kids and braved the enormous crowds at boo at the zoo!

this event is overstimulating for both parents and kids, but we try to go every year! unfortunately, riley and niko spent the weekend with their dad so they weren't able to go with us. it was a lovely, warm day. i don't know what the temperature was but i am guessing it was nearly 70 degrees! i brought my babywearer poncho along hoping to show it off but it was much too warm for it. so, here are some of the best photos from our day!

tony and esme' on the carosel:

as you will notice it is nearly imposible to get harper to look at the camera!

esme' is dressing as a princess this year (she is wearing her dress in the photos) but minutes before we left the house she decided to wear this witches hat from the halloween box.

esme' in front of the tiger enclosure,

in a tortoise shell,

and in a giant egg!

and last but certainly not least our adorable little guy, seeing the monkeys for the very first time!

finally!

the babywearer poncho is off the needles and being put to use!

and just for fun esme' and cinnamon!

october is breast cancer awareness month

here is some information from the nation breast cancer awareness month website. early detection is so important so please read and remember this and pass it on to all your girlfriends!

One of the earliest signs of breast cancer can be an abnormality that shows up on a mammogram before it can be felt. The most common signs of breast cancer are a lump in the breast; abnormal thickening of the breast; or a change in the shape or color of the breast. Finding a lump or change in your breast does not necessarily mean you have breast cancer. Additional changes that may also be signs of breast cancer include:
~Any new, hard lump or thickening in any part of the breast
~Change in breast size or shape
~Dimpling or puckering of the skin
~Swelling, redness or warmth that does not go away
~Pain in one spot that does not vary with your monthly cycle
~Pulling in of the nipple
~Nipple discharge that starts suddenly and appears only in one breast
~An itchy, sore or scaling area on one nipple

visit 5 minutes for mom for your chance to win a pretty pink special-edition casio digital camera to show support for the nation breast cancer foundation.

win it!

I haven't linked any fun contests lately, so here you go!

Visit From Dates To Diapers to win one of many fabulous prizes she is giving away for her birthday celebration.

The Laughs Will Go On... is giving away a super cute baby tee from Uncommonly Cute baby clothes.

5 Minutes For Mom has an awesome contest going on until October 23rd. Pop in for your chance to win an eco-friendly bedding set from Kukunest!

And there are several fun prizes to be won over at Mama Loves Giveaways!

There, that should keep you busy for awhile!

feeling loved

tony made a quick trip to the grocery store for dog food yesterday and returned home with fresh marinated mozzerella, cherry tomatoes, and organic basil (we had basalmic glaze in the fridge) and disappered into the kitchen to make me this beautiful caprise salad! i was touched my the thoughtfulness it took to seek out the items then prepare one of my favorite foods. * (honey, if you are reading this the salad was awesome and so are you!)

this has got me thinking about how much meaning a meal really has. remember how good it felt to come home from school to a home cooked meal in progress, or a batch of cookies in the oven! i belong to a wonderful group of women (i know i have mentioned them before!) we were all brought together by our cloth diapering preferences, but they have all become treasured friends to me. we have several mamas in the group who have recently or are getting ready to have new babies. i have organized meals to be delivered to these families during the postpartum period. it wasn't until my own baby was born that i realized just how special this is, how heartwarming it is to receive a stew, or a freshly baked loaf of bread, or a batch of muffins. a gift is a lovely thing, but the gift of food is nourishment. hand made goodness. the gift of food is love!

wordless wednesday! happy 51st anniversary le leche league!

pumpkin patch

we visited a pumpkin patch friday with the cloth diapering mamas i hang out with and their little ones. tony had the day off so he came along. we went on a hay ride, picked pumpkins, watched the kids run through the straw maze, and ate packed lunches. it was a little chiily and we were sprinkled on a couple times but the kids didn't seem to mind. esme' was red nosed and blue lipped when we finally got her to the car to go home. harper slept through most of it!

and we brought the halloween box up from the basement. as you can esme' wasted no time digging in!

autumn

have i mentioned that i love autumn? i love the weather, the food, the clothes, and most of all i love the colors! we have the most gorgeous fall foliage on our street. i am talking breathtaking beauty! and if you don't believe me just take a look~

the ufo pile

ugh, i can't stand all of these unfinished objects sitting around on the needles half done! my goal is to have them all finshed in the next two weeks. watch for pictures of my finished items, coming soon... very soon!

wordless wednesday! shhh, baby sleeping!

sewing nook!

okay, it is not really a "nook", it is a little corner in my dining room. we found this little table at a thrift shop for next to nothing so we brought it home. tony fixed the hinges and spray painted the legs black and voila! a sewing table!
we found the shelves at a discount store and they are perfect for holding all my buttons and pins. esme' and i made the cute little mason jar pincushion.

the first thing i plan to sew in my new corner are some recycled sweater diaper covers for harper. he has outgrown everything we had for him!! i made him a new pair of pants a week or so ago with my friend paula's help and they are such a great fit on my wonderfully chunky boy i think i will sew him a pair for everyday!

i have made a little progress on joy's longies. i didn't knit a stitch yesterday, otherwise i might have a leg done. they are tuning out really cute. i am going to add little girly ruffles to the bottom!

and just as soon as i finish the green longies i am going to get that babywearer poncho off my needles! i am so close to finishing it up and poncho season is definitely here. plus, i need something warm and snuggly (and cute!) to wrap my baby up in for pumpkin picking on friday!

my saturday

what i did today:

i baked 2 loaves of banana chocolate chip bread, my kid's favorite!

i finished an order of child's head scarves for a customer who will sell them in her children's boutique.

and i cast on a pair of longies for my good friend joy. she is sewing some wool wraps for harper in exchange. she requested green. I am using the blue/green yarn for the waist and cuffs and the body will be knit with the pretty green.

it was a good day!

we all need a good alias!

i saw this super cute meme at Adventures in Babywearing today and couldn't resist posting it here! prepare to giggle...



1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) walter oddessy



2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) peppermint thin mint


3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) ekni


4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) green sheep


5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, hospital where you were born) lea lukes


6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) knier


7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) red belini :) cute!


8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) david ernie


9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) lynn william


10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) anderson anaheim


11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) autumn wildflower


12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) peachy blue jeans... love it!!


13. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) waffle japenese maple



14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) the knitting thunderstorm tour... as in walter oddessy (my rock star name!) and the knitting thunderstorm tour!! sounds promising!



okay, if you read this consider yourself tagged! please leave me a comment so i can come check out your super cool new names!

wordless wednesday! baby toes in the yarn

this is the result of breastfeeding and knitting at the same time!

how did you grow up so fast?

i suddenly find myself the mom to a teenager. it crept up on me, that is for sure. how did these changes take place right under my nose? it seems like just yesterday you were a tiny, new baby. i was a young mama, but a good mama. all i wanted to do it snuggle and kiss and love you. i went back to work when you were just 2 months old. i still cringe at the thought of leaving you with someone else. i would race straight to the child care center the second i was done with work to pick you up. finally the child care provider asked that i not come right in the middle of nap time anymore... it disrupted the other kids. you would think that a mom would appreciate having an hour to herself each and every day, but i didn't. when we got home i would often lay down with you and let you nurse and nurse, sometimes for more than an hour. then i would just hold you for the rest of the evening.

i remember taking you to your first day of school! you were nervous and you hopped around pretending you were pikachu from pokemon. the other kids thought you were very funny and you loved it. i cried tears of joy and sorrow when i left. i couldn't believe how fast those 5 years had gone.

you have been such a blessing in my life. i can't believe all the changes we have gone through since that beautiful day in june when you were born. you became a step son. you became a big brother not once, not twice, but three times. you decided that girls are cute and not always silly and pesky. out of all the kids it is you who hugs me out of the blue for no reason at all. out of all of the kids it is you who closely shares my wit and humor making it fun to laugh and be crazy, not caring that we sound ridiculous to everyone else.

out of all the kids it was you who made me a mother.

october!

it is that time of year that i:

~put the flip flops away and get out warm, wooly socks and shoes

~make the final transition from iced coffee to hot coffee

~spend more time reading and knitting, and drinking tea

~rescue the sweaters that have been packed away in the basement since spring

~buy lots of pumpkins for our door step

~let my legs get way too furry!

~crave soup

~bake bread and muffins

~make costumes

~take long hot baths

~burn candles in the evenings

~make popcorn balls just for fun

~enjoy hot cocoa and marshmallows with the kids

i love october!