notes from the mommyhood - weaning your toddler

she's not a baby anymore. mackenzie is finally weaned. yep, no more boobie. she is a big girl now, proud of her accomplishment and excited to tell anyone who will listen that she has "no more boobie! i'm a big girl now!". i have to admit it was easier than i thought it was going to be.

for all you out there thinking about weaning or just starting the process here are some tips i found helpful. not all of you will agree with me, but hey, when i went looking online for weaning info all i found was the same old boring mumbo jumbo that i couldn't even fathom reading:

- follow your child's lead. don't rush things, but do start the process if you are feeling ready to be done breastfeeding even if your child is still content to be on the boob. i found myself frustrated and impatient with breastfeeding the last few months and mackenzie was also restless and ill at ease while on the boob. i knew it was time for me to start weaning her regardless of if she still wanted booby or not.

- keep in mind the age of your child. every child is different when it comes to weaning and every mother is different when it comes to the hows and whys of weaning. mackenzie is 2 next month and for us, as a family, we felt she was ready to wean. for others this may not be the right age or they were ready to wean at 6 months. the answers are not cut in stone so don't be hard on yourself. whatever is best for you as a family, is what is best for your child.

- they are going to scream and cry. be prepared if you are weaning a sharp witted toddler - they are going to try every trick in the book to get you to slip them the boob. don't crack under the pressure, don't give in when they set those big, weepy eyes on you crying for booby, it's not worth it. you will only confuse your child more with the back and forth of booby/no booby. stick to your guns just like with all other training. it will make the whole transition a lot easier.

- wean slowly or go cold turkey. there are a lot of tips for either side of the fence. we started out trying the wean slowly process and it just wasn't working. instead we went cold turkey. this worked for us because we had already weaned mackenzie off of bedtime and middle of the night feedings a long, long time ago. she was only feeding in the morning and at nap time. she found it confusing to have boob in the morning and not at nap time, so we just removed both. if you are still doing multiple feedings it may be less traumatic to wean slowly, which is the norm.


- substitute the boob with your love. i miss the cuddling with my baby but new things have replaced that. now when my daughter wants me it's not for food it's for pure love and affection. she now reaches for me and says "i luv you mommy" and hugs me instead of grabbing at my shirt and whipping my breast out saying "booby mommy! booby!".

- distraction works wonders. this isn't a new thing. when you have a cranky or pissy toddler the art of distraction works wonders. mackenzie used to have a long feed in the morning after breakfast while i enjoyed a little regis and my morning cup of coffee, but now we have an endless amount of storybook reading and outings to the park. nap time is now also accompanied by reading. find something your child enjoys doing with you and fill the void of time that they would normally be breastfeeding with fun activities instead. you will be surprised at how little they miss it.

- buy a new cup. this sounds silly, but it worked for us. we picked up 2 new cups, bpa free of course, that had soft nipple style tops. mackenzie loved them as they feel and kind of look like a boobie. she found it easier to transition from no boob to only milk in her cup now that she had her own "no booby" cup.

- make them proud. we hung a chart on our fridge and each day our daughter went booby free she got a big girl sticker. she loves it and counts her stickers everyday. they forget about this eventually and you don't need to give them a sticker everyday till they are 85, but for the time being we found instilling that sense of pride in their accomplishment is a great reward.

trouble comes in twos

like father, like daughter - she's gotta get it from someone

how to make a vintage headband

how adorable is this? craft (one of my fave sites) has a great tutorial for making a charming vintage headband just in time for st. paddy's day. you can find the tutorial here.

neko case or sarah slean? how about both.

we have been listening to the new neko case - middle cyclone and sarah slean - the baroness with a fury this last week. the juno's are coming up at the end of the month (march 29th) and i was happy to see sarah slean nominated for best adult alternative album of the year.

our take - turn off the tv, put the wee one down for a nap, yeah, yeah - the chores can wait and put these albums on and relax. you deserve it.

phonebook into a desktop organizer? yes, it can be done

re-nest has a great post from chica and joe on how to turn that irritating, space taking, old phone book into a desktop organizer. take a look here or here for instructions on how to make your own.

little fish in a big pond

little fish in a big pond

i'll take one of everything.

we found the etsy shop little fish in a big pond via the site cool mom picks and had to share it with all of you.

little fish in a big pond sells her designs in a handy kit, more info from her site:

My fun designs are now available in DIY Kits that include everything you need to make your own "little fish in a big pond" design. Kit includes precut pieces, designer fabric, grosgrain ribbon, thread, and easy to follow instructions. Arrives ready to start sewing. Make it yourself or get your "little fish" to help create her own clothes. My five year old already loves sitting on my lap at the sewing machine and "helping". Let's get them started early:).

for a new sewer like me - this is a godsend! plus i am obsessed with at least half of the materials she has chosen and mackenzie has already picked out her favorites. bring on the summer weather!

from snow to sunshine

the "daily" placemats

photo courtesy of wisecraft

i don't know about you guys, but my daughter is a messy eater. she's a thrower and a dropper. we tend to keep her pretty contained during mealtimes but once she starts eating at the table i am making these place mats. so stylish and fun.

you can find the tutorial for these beauties (i adore this fabric and can't get it anywhere, it's always sold out) on blair's wonderful site wisecraft.

photo courtesy of wisecraft

yoga for kids

photo courtesy of sew liberated

looking for some great yoga poses to do with your kids at home? meg at sew liberated has put together a strew of poses for kids aged 2.5 and up that you can find here and here. the pics are designed to be printed out to follow along with. more instructions on how to implement them can be found here. this is a great idea for those of us who can't always get out to take our kids to yoga. namaste.

photo courtesy of sew liberated

mother of a deal

in our house we love a good bargain. sales, deals, markdowns - you name it we love it. i was happy to stumble across the site mother of a deal from deal hunter, mom extraordinaire of two, danielle connelly.

if you like to get something for a steal but don't want to do the research this site is for you. subscribe and the deals come right to your inbox. there is also a lot of great tips in the section "deal hunters unite" where other mom's can post bargains they found.

napping & sewing

she napped (don't you just wanna kiss those cheeks) and i sewed this:

i get a kick out of this fabric and it matches her comforter perfectly. i have a fair bit left over but not enough to sew the play mat that i was intending to make. i am waiting for inspiration to strike but right now i am leaning towards another pillow so she can play with them on the floor in her room as well.

etsy monday in the mommyhood

etsy monday in the mommyhood this week is inspired by all the cherry blossoms starting to bloom. we are lucky to live in a city that becomes filled with these gorgeous blooms on every street once spring arrives. with all the snow and weird weather going on i thought a little reminder of what's to come would brighten our day a little bit.

click here to see our picks this week at etsy

rock magnets

we have an abundance of rocks in our house. we collect them from all of our outings and i am always looking for new creative ways to display them.

i spotted this great post on design mom. you can get the how to here and you can find the stylish rub on transfers used at this company. happy magnet making.

how to make a yarn basket

love these nifty little bowls made from yarn! you can find the tutorial here at a friend to knit with.

what it looked like out our window this morning

she cracks me up (no pun intended)

this is what mackenzie had to say after copious amounts of sliding at the park.

march is national crochet month

march is national crochet month and i thought i would start celebrating by posting a pattern for a cute baby headband from my ravelry projects.

i used to be a hairdresser and was finding myself itching for the moment when my little baby girl’s hair would grow in. in the meantime, i found myself searching for cute hair accessories to bide the time. when i couldn't find any i decided to whip something up myself.

i remembered learning how to make these flowers when i first started to learn crochet. i simply crocheted a chain of stitches to fit the size of her head and then attached the following crocheted flower pattern:

FLOWER PATTERN:

Chain 7.

Join with a sl st to the first stitch in your chain to form a ring.

Chain 2, dc, tc, dc, sl st repeat 5 times around.

(Sl st: insert hook in stitch, yarn over, draw through loop on hook)

Finishing - Weave in one end and use the other to create a bar across the centre of the flower to loop the chain through.

My daughter now has hair, but it’s still fun to slip this on now and then.

if you are looking to pick up crocheting it's a fun and addicting hobby. my favorite thing to crochet is blankets. after a bad breakup i crocheted myself a blanket super long to tuck up and under my legs but only wide enough for one person. i called it my single lady blankie and it reminded me whenever i used it that i was worth more and deserved to be treated better. i didn't need a man to cuddle with when i had my super cozy blanket.

here are some links to help you learn crochet:

canadian living lion brand yarn

learn to knit assortment of you tube tutorials

and just to make crocheting that much more fun take a look at these yummy crochet hook rolls by hi-howareyou you can find her etsy shop here.

felt food fun

the littly bitty bakery has some felt food that looks absolutely scrumptious and good enough to eat! you can find these items here.

design mom has a great post with loads of cute pics on handmade felt food here and lilly bean has a great selection you can buy as well as video tutorials on making your own felt food on youtube. here is one for making a pizza.



now that i have tried a felt toy i may branch out into the fun world of felt food in the next few weeks. does anyone have any fun felt food they would like to show on here or a tutorial? we would love to hear about it.

have a happy weekend.

good luck should be coming my way

so i think i am entitled to a tiny bit of good luck. mackenzie and i were out enjoying the gorgeous sunshine today and playing at the park. we love to swing side by side, her in the baby swing and me on the big swing. i was happily swinging along when splat - a frickin bird took a big sh*@ across my legs. not just one leg - but both legs!!! what the h#@@? seriously, could it not have been on the day i dredge outside in my oldest sweats? nope, it's on the day i am wearing my treasured lululemon pants and the only thing i have to wipe it up is a coffee soaked napkin. yummy. the bird must have known.

this is the 3rd time i have been sh*@ on by a bird. the first time i was suntanning in my bikini (oh the days when i could still wear one) on the beach and splat - you guessed it, right across my tummy. mortifying. the second time i was preggers with mackenzie and my hubby and i were out for a walk in yaletown (vancouver) and splat - on my head! my friggin head. disgusting. jer had to go in some random restaurant and beg them to let him have a napkin to wipe up his 9 month preggers, hormonal, miserable, bloated, huge boobied wife's pooh covered head so she didn't break down bawling on the side of the road - you all know that feeling.

as far as i'm concerned - bring on the good luck.

a homemade life

a homemade life: stories and recipes from my kitchen table
by: molly wizenberg

why does the library not have this book??? this is one of my biggest pet peeves with the victoria library system. vancouver's kicks butt and i miss it so much. victoria's is sadly lacking in more than a few departments. i guess i will be waiting a while to get my hands on a copy. in fact i am going to head off to the library this morning and may just make a recommendation.