sponsor love - orangeberry baby

let's all say a big hello to luvinthemommyhood's newest sponsor - orangeberry baby! i am now obsessed with orangeberry baby. i heart modern baby goodies. love them. the prints and fabrics are delicious and seriously have me drooling on my laptop as i put this post together.

when i first spotted shanna's (busy mom of 4) shop i freaked out. how had i not seen this on etsy. i am on etsy aaaaalllloooot. i was pleasantly surprised and wanted to pretty much buy one of everything. shanna's going to be bringing a lot more organic options to the store soon as well and she's always happy to do custom orders. so if you have littlies or know of someone expecting some make sure to check out orangeberry baby! shanna's offering all luvinthemommyhood readers 10% off for the rest of the month of august. thanks shanna!

here's a taste of shanna's shop and some of my fave lovelies:






stroller blankets.....


receiving blankets......


lovey security blankets....


































you can follow orangeberry baby on facebook and also get the inside scoop on shanna's blog here as well. thanks for such a great shop shanna - you make me want to use piping on more baby goodies. so stylish and clean looking :)

what's your favorite must have baby item? are you a fan of orangeberry baby?

weekend wishes

to feel this way every week............


to remind myself of this everyday...........



to have time to read this many books......


to remember to just hang out & enjoy the view......


to still get goosebumps from my hubby when i'm 92.....


to find some new pyrex to add to my collection....


to see a fence as pretty as this in my neighbourhood.....


to one day get myself a pair of these boots.....

and to see what will be more of my fave moments on mad men this season (this is the funniest one since the john deere incident).


what a week. i'm pooped. tired. taking care of a sick toddler a 3 month old and myself (still not feeling 100%) has made for a very, very long week. hopefully the weekend will make up for it. mackenzie is feeling a bit better but her fever keeps coming and going. time to see the doctor.

i had some excitement last weekend that i didn't get a chance to mention on the blog. i got to be on the radio!!! i was invited to go on the show "real parenting" on C-Fax 1070 with host amy bronee to do a segment on filling in the blanks about parenting - ex. "if i didn't have kids i would "blank" more. it was lots of fun to do and let me tell you, the moment i stepped into the booth and put those headphones on i said to myself that i need to do it again. i loved it.

i think the icing on the cake was when the hubs picked me up (him & the kids listened to the show in the car) and mackenzie said "mommy you sounded beeeeaaauuutiful"! i got to share the airwaves with tabitha, co-creator of the "savvy squirrel coupon book" here in victoria. if you don't have one of these handy little booklets and live in town go pick one up. i've got one and boy is it filled with goodies galore! click here to find out more and get saving some pennies.

i hope this weekend brings me a little bit of r&r, boy do i feel like i need it. i've got some reading planned with a book i've been dying to finish and hopefully a date with my sewing machine. of course, i'm also hoping to have a yummy coffee from somewhere other than my kitchen, a breakfast made by my handsome hubby, and lots of cuddles with my 3 yr old and 3 month old....now that's what i call a good weekend.

totally off topic, i'm wondering how many of you don't have cable and your thoughts on it. we're trying to decide if we want to cancel our cable, not because we hate tv, but we would rather watch movies and shows we already have and find ourselves watching most of the shows we enjoy online now. i'd love to hear your thoughts.

p.s. don't forget to get your entry in for our "magpie patterns back to school giveaway"! great patterns to be won!

teacup pincushion tutorial roundup

image source

don't you just love a quick, easy repurposing project that can put a little smile on your face and add some loveliness to your sewing table? i do. fabulous. here's a roundup of some witty, pretty, dainty, wonderful and creative ways to turn that fave tea cup of yours into a stylish pincushion. i hope you find one that strikes your fancy, i know i found more than a few. i guess i better get out thrifting and find myself some new cups to rescue & revive :)









1. tiny world pdf pattern tutorial by mimi kirchner
2. teacup pincushion by the beauty is in the detail

1. "hermione's tea cup" mini pin cushion by tasket basket crafts
2. emery pincushion - felt cup of hot tea by dottyral
3. tea cup sewing organier with tea bag thread catcher on crafster
4. cupcake in a teacup pincushion by antelucandaisy

felted pin cushion by finding beauty at home

1. pins for tea by cluck, cluck sew
2. vintage teacup by jenny ryan for craft

1. make a teacup pincushion by mmmcrafts
2. tea cup pincushions by maryjanes and galoshes
3. polka dot teacup pincushion by the beauty is in the detail (also on flickr)
4. teacup pincushion tutorial by gingham cherry

1. teacup pincushions by betz white for martha stewart
2. teacup & saucer pincushion via tipnut
3. retro cup pincushion on craftbits









1. cupcake pincushion by spud & chloe (couldn't resist adding this even though it's not a teacup)
2. teacup pincushion by lion brand yarns


crochet amigurumi tea or coffee cup pincushion part one
part two, part three and part four

so get out your pins and get sewing or knitting or crocheting.....and feel free to sport our lovely "tea cup month" button on our sidebar & join the tea party!


what's your favorite way to repurpose a tea cup? we wanna hear and see - share your links below!

p.s. if you know of any other fabulous teacup pincushion tutorials please leave a comment below or email me at luvinthemommyhood@yahoo.ca and i'll update the list. i would love to find a knit one, i didn't have any luck during my online hunt :)

we interrupt this regularly scheduled post.......


we had a rough day yesterday. all is fine now, but our little mack was not feeling well and i ended up having to spend the evening in the ER. we've been having a heat wave here and i think the heat finally got to her. needless to say blogging was not my high priority :)

i thought i would post a little sneak peek of our weekend instead and the pretty smile & eyes of our on the mend 3 year old. i didn't want you guys to worry.

i'll hopefully be back with a post for you all tomorrow. in the meantime don't forget to get your entry in for our magpie patterns giveaway!

Magpie Patterns Back to School Giveaway


****THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED****

september is coming up fast and one of luvinthemommyhood's sponsors - amy from magpie patterns and i thought a fun giveaway was in order to get your little ones all ready in style! my little girl is getting all set to start preschool (insert my tears & 3 paragraphs telling you how fast she has grown & all that lovely mommy mumbo jumbo). how about a stylish new outfit or a hat? a knitted dress or vest? some cool embroidery to brighten up a basic tee for boys or girls? today's your lucky day!

magpie patterns is one of my favorite go to places for lovely patterns. you can pop over there anytime to drool over the latest sewing, knitting, crochet and embroidery patterns as well as a great selection of books to boot! fabulous! magpie patterns is also one of the sponsors that helps support our friendly neighbourhood here :) so show your luv! check out amy's shop and also follow along on her blog as she makes some of the great patterns sold in her shop. you can read more good stuff about magpie patterns here as well.

now time for the back to school giveaway.............ready for the prizes? here ya go.....
1. little cap pattern 2. sweet dress pattern

1. shore 2. ocean

A, B, C alphabet embroidery patterns

ohhhhhhhhhh, so fun! i love these! wanna win?

the prizes:

1) 2 lucky winners will each win 2 patterns! the 2 patterns are:

2 - leila and ben patterns (sewing)
or
2- cotton and cloud patterns (knitting)

2) the first name drawn will win the embroidery patterns for "A, B & C" from penguin and fish as a lovely bonus prize!

wanna know how to enter?

how to enter:

giveaway rules:

***all commenter's must leave a contact email and stipulate which prize you would like to win - sewing or knitting (or either). you must mention the prize you prefer or you will be disqualified.***

pop on over to magpie patterns and tell me which new "new finds" on amy's homepage is your fave pattern and leave me a comment with it along with your prize of choice - sewing patterns or knitting patterns (or either). then for additional entries you can do all or any of the following:

a) subscribe to luvinthemommyhood (the top right hand corner of our sidebar) and leave me a comment telling me you subscribed.

b) become a follower (google connect) of luvinthemommyhood (in our sidebar as well) and leave a comment telling me you followed.

c) follow us on twitter, tweet about the giveaway and then comment you followed/tweeted on this post.

d) join our facebook group and comment that you joined.

that's five ways to enter!!!! this giveaway is open until sunday, august 22nd at midnight (PST).

thanks for the wonderful giveaway amy! i heart magpie patterns :)

ok everyone, have fun and happy back to school crafting! i'll be back tomorrow with some more fun for "tea cup month".

etsy monday in the mommyhood - teapot cozy style


"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy, doesn't try it on." ~Billy Connolly

1. teapot cozy by kalla
2. knitted tea cosy - light blue & white by handylittleme
3. apple green wool felt tea cosy by argyle st
4. hummingbirds cottage tea pot cozy by pig & company
5. owl tea cozy by shazzas knits
6. teapot cozy allison by modern homewares

we had a little taste test of tea pot cozies last week for our link luv roundup and it was so fun to put together that i couldn't resist taking a peek on etsy to see what there was for cozy goodness! let me just say - wow!!! there was cozies galore! in fact i upped the usual number from 4 to 6 to just fit a few extras in.

i'm keeping this write up short and sweet today because we are going through a heat wave and let me tell you.....my poor breastfeeding self is seriously going to melt into a puddle, laptop included! oh my gosh! the babies thermostat in her room says 31 degrees!!! and before you ask, yes, that's with a fan! yikes! hot, hot, hot! i can't stop sweating. anyone else sweltering? good thing tea and coffee tastes good cold or hot :)

last week was our first week of "tea cup month" and i've been having a great time! thanks for all your posts, pictures and comments. how about this week we break out those tea pot cozies? c'mon now ladies, what's your favorite tea pot cozy? let's see it! don't got one? which tea pot cozy do you have your eye on? tweet it, comment on it, post about it, or facebook it and then let me know about it - come join the tea party. i've got a nice, cold, refreshing pitcher of iced tea sitting right here for you!


p.s. if you're having fun during tea cup month why not sport our button? you can find it on our sidebar :) we've got lots of goodies to come all month so stay tuned!

sponsor love - mini me paper doll boutique


this is what happened when our paper dolls came.............


and my face was pretty darn close. i would have gotten a picture of it too, but ya know, one pic a week of me with sans makeup is enough for you dear folk.

one of our newest sponsors "mini me paper doll boutique" has seriously sent me over the moon with her gorgeous handmade paper dolls. it's not too often i run squealing from my mail box, babies in tow, with a precious parcel. i seriously don't even remember if i was even properly clothed when we checked our mailbox. mackenzie and i had been waiting anxiously for our paper dolls to arrive. custom made to look like her and i with lovely outfits to match. well, the day finally arrived folks. they're here and we are in love.

so in love i can't bear to cut them out. i just keep staring at the lovliness of it all and drooling over them. the sad thing is i want to keep them for me to play with. is it bad of me to want to hide them from a 3 year old..haha, and keep them for myself? the best thing about the paper dolls is that they come with a unique sticky strip that never get's unsticky (is that a word?). you simply wipe it with a damp cloth and voila - all sticky again! love it!

she also sends you a cd so you can print out the dolls/outfits again, a lovely letter, a family tree for your doll, about me pages (so fun to fill out!) and the coolest part - she give you a keepsake doll! yep, one that never has to be cut, mushed, ripped or folded. i am going to frame ours and hopefully get one made for harper to match. so pretty!


all the dolls and outfits come on the thickest paper and the colors and tones are just gorgeous. hannah - you are amazing! if any of you have a little girl who loves paper dolls, seriously, get some of these. i'm not just saying that because hannah is my sponsor either. they are more than just a toy, i really do consider them a special gift that me and the girls can treasure and play with together. meaningful in a world filled with tv, plastic and gaming systems. a big thank you hannah, for allowing me to share something with my daughter that i loved as a child myself. you've brought the prettiness back to paper dolls. priceless.


hannah just released her new fall back to school line along with new custom boys in the store! in honor of back to school hannah is offering all luvinthemommyhood readers a special goodie!

what is it?

when you purchase any of the Ultimate, Standard or PIY Packets you get the whole fall line of outfits for free!!!!! yep, that's right, i said free!

getting a boy doll made? you get the Folk/Fairy Tale line for free!

how do your receive your free outfits?

simply put the word "LUV" in the notes to merchant and hannah will automatically include them in your order. don't order the outfits and expect paypal to deduct the amount. you just need to make your regular order and include the word "LUV" in the notes to merchant. easy? you bet :)

would you like to know more about hannah? check out her blog lily & thistle for freebies, craft tutorials, sewing patterns - the list goes on. here's the link.


so go on, make a doll of yourself....you know you wanna. i'm currently wearing the anne of green gables outfit. i love me some anne of green gables. i just need a gilbert and i'm all set.

which outfit do you love the best? are you a fan of paper dolls? what is your favorite memory of playing paper dolls?

weekend wishes

to be somewhere romantic like this..........


to sprint into the ocean...it's been way to long since i have........


to get my hands on these cheerful buttons...i need them...


to remember to print these adorable little floss holders out..........



to get some new cream wool to knit some throws for our living room.......


to make you smile from the cuteness oozing out of this pic......

to get started on my next quilt......

image source

to do a crossword...i heart a good crossword.


ahhhhh, it's friday. tgif. i'm sooo happy it's the weekend. this week has crawled by so slow it seems. i wasn't feeling too great yesterday so i'm hoping today is a better day. this weekend in victoria is supposed to sunny and hot. i'm a bit worried for how hot it's going to be in our condo, but i also want to bask in the sunshine and soak it in before the rain starts.

we've got plans to hang out with some good friends for some backyard bbq and pool splashing time. i'm excited to photograph all the kiddos running wild in the yard. i've also been sewing a few gifts for my besties that i hope to unveil to them there as well. i hope to get some pics of them up next week or so. then we're thinking of heading out to check out a local band, jon and roy, that we've been grooving to, that are playing a free show right near the ocean on sunday - how's that for coastal? i just hope there's a bit of shade or i'm a no go. i fry like a lobster in the sun, i guess i'm a spf 60 kinda gal.

the rest of my weekend will hopefully entail a bit of r&r, chores (bah), laughs, coffee....yum...coffee, tea cup hunting online - i've got lots of goodies in store for our tea cup month, and hopefully some sewing. i didn't get a chance to sew at all this week and it's been killing me....i swear i can hear my machine cry at night it's so lonely. the dust is accumulating.

so what are your weekend plans? anything fun? how did you like the first week of tea cup month - anything you'd like to see? what are you sewing this weekend?

moments in the mommyhood - mugaliciousness


i'm glad you guys have been enjoying all the tea cup goodness around here. i was hoping i wouldn't be the only one out there who loves a great cup of tea/coffee. i realized after writing my post on monday that i never showed a shot of my fave cup or mug. so here they are. they being the operative word. i couldn't choose. i love all three of these mugs equally but for different reasons.


#1) the tall white with blue polka dots
- if i'm drinking out of this bad boy, (which seems like more and more these days), you know i'm tired. i fill this puppy up and i'm good to go for the rest of the day. no refills needed. this is perfect for those times when i can't get up for a while or am very tired and hey, it's cute!

#2) the white with blue flowers - my cozy mug. i use this mug for sunday mornings, or when i'm working on the blog and i want to feel inspired. both this and the polka dot mug were from the superstore. i know, surprised me too. the colors match my house perfectly and well, there pretty. now i have to hold myself back whenever we go there from checking out mugs because i know more will come home with me.

#3) little blue tea cup - i adore this cup. i take it out and stare at it often. i move it around the house andjust look at it. for some reason i can never find the right place to put it or the right time to drink out of it. i mostly just love to stare at it. in love with it's pretty blue detailing and the way it just seems to say "i'm lovely - hold me". i also rescued it from value village. it called out to me admist rows and rows of tea cup and we've been smitten with each other ever since.


we've been having a so so week. late nights dealing with losing my big cozy roundup on blogger and having to start all over at 9:00pm (that's how much i love you guys), my 3 yr old having another growth spurt which means tons of snacking, no normal meals, grumpiness, tiredness and waking at night. it's weird that she wakes up more and requires more attention than our newborn does. i always thought they were supposed to get easier as they get older....hmmm, not so much.

harper is going to be 3 months in a few days. i'm excited for all the fun things to come. last week she had her first good chuckle and rolled over. she's growing like a weed and boy do we love those little chubby legs she's got. i got this shot the other morning and loved how it captured my life now, as a mother and a blogger. goodbyes to the hubs, the sun shining in the window, a hot cup of coffee, a glass of water, remote to put on mack's fave morning show, a phone to call the besties, a great book, the newest love of my life on the boob and you guys on the computer. how's that for multitasking.

now don't me wrong. i don't always feed my little girl like this, but mornings are crazy in our house and this is how i deal. don't judge me...haha. we also have lots of this....


me with no makeup on and yesterday's mascara smudged under my eye. betcha thought i was going to write something sappy here hey?? haha - gotcha! ok....you twisted my arm...a gorgeous little girl with a smile on her face and those big blue eyes saying what are we gonna do today mom.


i know some of you posted links with pics of you with your fave mugs or cups of tea, but i wanna see some more! c'mon now, join in. you know you wanna......twitter it, post it, facebook it, whatever floats your boat, then come back here and comment with your link. we all want to take a peek at your morning with your fave cup.

*all images copyright luvinthemommyhood

link luv roundup - big teacup cozy edition


good morning ladies! are you all ready for the revival of the link luv roundup? i am! this is one of my favorite posts of the week and it feels great getting back into the groove of things again. this link luv roundup is geared towards our "tea cup month" and is all about about cozies. handmade, warm, luscious cozies. cozies for cups, cozies for mugs, cozies for pots and presses. you need a cozy, we got some! so get inspired, this isn't your grandma's kitchen anymore. change up the colors, embellish, modernize and funk it up to match your taste and decor. these are great jumping off points!

























i hope you found some great new links and fun goodies to whip up. so get out those needles and hooks, dig through your stash or pick up some new organics, the summer is almost over (boo hoo) and the cold weather is a comin'......


feel free to link up, grab a button off the sidebar, tweet, facebook, and come join our tea party! do you have a picture, pattern or a post about your favorite cozy? leave a comment below, we'd all love to see it!

(p.s. if you're on ravelry come friend me - my name on there is "imstitched")

the dish ran away with the spoon....


we've got another thank you to give out this week. one of the first bloggers i started chatting with is the lovely and talented jessica of the blog "happy together". she's a sweetheart and a friend that i hope to one day meet in person. she so kindly sent me the best gifts for the girls!!! seriously - so adorable!

Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.



who doesn't love the nursery rhyme the dish that ran away with the spoon. i know we do! the best part with this gift is that you can make them for yourself too! how fun is that!


if you would like to make your very own dish and spoon click here for the tutorial!


and if those little cuddlies weren't enough, jessica also sent some adorable onesies for baby harper to sport with the cutest nursery rhyme silhouettes on them! i LOVE them. jessica also gives you a little bit of a run down as to how she used freezer paper to do the stenciling.

jessica, thank you soooo much for your kind gifts....the girls love them and so do i! big hugs to you from canada!!!

what's your favorite nursery rhyme? have you done freezer paper stencilling yet? fave soft toy to make? tell us...........

etsy monday in the mommyhood - tea cup month


happy monday everyone, it's time for etsy monday in the mommyhood. it's been a while hasn't it? a few months i think. i missed it. you guys know how much i love checking out all the goodies on etsy and what better way to share them all with you than on mondays when we are all tired, sad the weekend is over and needing a quick pick me up. so instead of our normal etsy in the mommyhood i decided to have a theme for the rest of august - "tea cup month"!!!

now some of you may remember this picture from last week right? i cannot get it out of my mind. a few people asked me where to find these gorgeous tea cups and guess what....i did. you can find them at esther coombs. she sells on etsy here and her website is here. the only sad thing is i can't find the exact mugs in the photo, not sure if she sells them anymore, but i found some other lovelies, and boy are they gorgeous. in fact, they are so pretty it inspired me to dig around on etsy to see what other tea cup goodies i could find. needless to say i found enough to last for the whole month!!!!


1. birdcage coffee or tea mug by thimbly things
2. the man mustache mug by the peacock shop
3. mr. darcy proposal mug by brookish handmade goods
4. pool blue cakes tea cup and saucer by esther coombs

do you want to join the "tea party"?

that's right, this tea party isn't just for me, it's for all of us ladies. what's a tea party if i'm all by myself? don't worry coffee drinkers are invited to. now i know there are more of you out there that are dependent on their morning cup of jo or tea. i, myself, am a die hard. my brain doesn't function, i can't think and don't even dare talk to me before i have my coffee - it just ain't pretty.

so today's tea party is all about our favorite cup of tea. what's your favorite mug? the tea flavour you can't live without? the brand of coffee you'd take to a deserted island? c'mon it's gonna be fun....and it just may help to make the next few monday's go by just that much faster.

you've got a few ways to join the party:

1) leave a comment below telling me your thoughts to the above paragraph.
2) post about your thoughts on your own blog and leave me a link in the comments below.
3) tweet your thoughts (follow me on twitter @inthemommyhood).
4) go to our facebook page and share there too.
5) feeling inspired - take a picture of your favorite tea cup or find one online you are lusting after and share the link in the comments.

feel free to grab a button off of our sidebar as well and make sure to invite your friends :)



i can't wait. i feel more awake already. so come on in....pull up a chair. it's cozy here, the kids/babies are quiet, and the kitchen table is big enough for all of us........ahhh......good morning.

weekend wishes

that my daughters will develop a love for photography as much as the hubs & i do.......


that i could get away with wearing knee highs with pretty red shoes.......


that i can get started soon on my goal to give only handmade gifts for xmas this year......


to play some cards with the hubs (and of course win).......


to get some good ol' cat naps in...........

image source

to get my daughter to let me braid her hair like this.............


to finally find a lavender plant in this city of mine (everyone is always sold out).....

and to get back to san francisco again one day.

image source

this week was an interesting one to say the least. good ol'gisele sure stirred up some chatter here in the mommyhood, i'm getting used to my new laptop (first one i've ever had), i swear my 11 week old is teething (yikes), i'm finally figuring out how to use twitter and yes, i will admit that i even looked up an online twitter dictionary to figure out what the heck people were talking about, and we've received some lovely surprises in the mail.

we love mail in our house. don't you? and before you start thinking i mean email i actually mean snail mail. my daughter and i live for the mail. we love going down to the box in our condo to check to see if the mail has come. the best days are when the buzzer phones up and it's the mail person delivering a parcel. now don't get me wrong, i don't' shop a lot, and this doesn't happen all the time, but lately we have gotten a lot of lovely gifts in the mail and boy oh boy, has it been fun. i promise to tell you a bit more about some of them in the next few weeks.

this weekend i plan on getting caught up on chores..boring, i know, but definitely needed. after our long weekend last week i let a few things slide. i have a weird obsession with keeping on top of the laundry since the baby was born and now i know why it developed. it's a friggin nightmare when i get behind a day. i just can't seem to be able to get caught back up. but besides the usual household fare i'm hoping to get some home made salsa whipped up to go with some yummy hummus and to also bake some lemon blueberry muffins. yum. we've been on the hunt around town for some popsicle holders (the forms you use to make popsicles) because all of a sudden i cannot find them in my tiny apartment. weird. poor mackenzie has been whining for frozen yogurt popsicles for over a week now. any tips anyone?

on a side note i won a prize this week! i am sooo excited. i never win anything. i won a copy of the new book "stitch by stitch" by the talented deborah moebes of whipstitch. yippee! cannot wait to get my sew happy hands on a copy! have any of you signed up for the "sewing buddy project" going on over at whipstitch? deborah has so lovingly arranged a way to match all of us ladies who sign up with a virtual sewing buddy! she's got lots of fun things planned for the project. so far we've been matched up, gotten to know our buddies by doing a special pdf filled with fun questions and our first sewing quiz for prizes! so exciting, i love this kind of stuff. so my partner (dusty you're the best) and i kicked butt and won! woot woot! i totally thought i got all my answers wrong, oh, except for the one about project runway, that i knew, so it was exciting to have gotten them right. thanks for putting this all together deborah - you rock! you can read more about the sewing buddy project here and you can sign up for a buddy of your own here.

what are your plans for the weekend? any of you going to be schlepping through chores like me? any special baking going on in your household? fill me in :)

moments in the mommyhood - thank you's


i thought a bit more of a light hearted post was in order today after the chaos that ensued after my post yesterday :) so what better way to lighten the mood than some cute shots of both my girls. especially one where the oldest feels pretty & beautiful, free to dance and sing, and wear a pretty new frock.


mack was super excited to get a parcel in the mail containing her new hankie dress from the etsy shop "chopstix". jenny of the "southern institute of domestic arts & crafts" so sweetly whipped up one for my darling girl, and even asked for her color choices and hankie pick. needless to say my daughter loves it and she feels like a princess in it. to me that's all that matters. that special twinkle in her eye and that giant smile on her face - it's priceless. so thank you jenny, for brightening up our day, and for giving us a special handmade lovely for my daughter to treasure that she knows was made just for her. it truly is a gift :)


i've got a few more thank you's to throw out there but will be spreading them out over the next week or so. you ladies out there in this wonderful and friendly blogging community spoiled us rotten when harper was born and i just can't resist showing off our goodies and of course, your talents.


yesterday was a pretty long day (thanks gisele) and a long night (harper's teething already - bah), so i'm sorry for a shorter post, i'll make up for it in my "weekend wishes" tomorrow.

what's your favorite handmade gift you received? fave one to gift to someone? how's your day? i'd love to hear about.

all images copyright luvinthemommyhood

the power of handmade - knitters & crocheters join forces to show support for the period of purple crying


ok, all you knitters and crocheters, rally the troops, i've got a project for you! come join needles for a great cause and get your craft on by whipping up anywhere from 5 - 50 wee baby hats in purple, soft, baby-friendly yarn to help support "The Period of Purple Crying" and "Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC". so get your needles & hooks out, your patterns ready, call your knitting group or go solo, and show off the power of handmade!

i've included links throughout this post of some super cute baby patterns for both knitters and crocheters to help get you inspired. for those of you just learning, some of these are great beginner projects and for the more experienced - have fun & show some personal flair. all of the patterns link back to www.ravelry.com (if you're not a member join it's fun) and they're free.

1. Pattern: cat eared baby hat 2. Pattern: berry baby hat

but before we get crafting i wanted to post a bit on what "the period of PURPLE crying" is. i was amazed at the difference in the reading material given to me as a new mom recently as compared to 3 years ago. there was a lot more on post-partum and on the period of purple crying. it was great to see and comforting to know there are a lot more resources and support for new moms on what i feel are very important topics for parents - both men and women.

here's some info on "the period of PURPLE crying":

"The Period of PURPLE Crying®is the phrase used to describe the point in a baby’s life when they cry more than any other time. This period of increased crying is often described as colic, but there have been many misunderstandings about what “colic” really is."


"The Period of PURPLE Crying is a new way to help parents understand this time in their baby’s life, which is a normal part of every infant’s development. It is confusing and concerning to be told your baby “has colic” because it sounds like it is an illness or a condition that is abnormal." ....(read more here)


"By knitting and sending PURPLE newborn baby caps to be given to babies across the province, you will make a difference by:

Raising awareness for this life-saving project - Period of PURPLE Crying - Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC - that promotes crucial parenting skills, infant/parent bonding, and understanding of a typical early infancy stage that every baby goes through which is frequently misunderstood. Participating in a growing, province-wide grassroots effort to educate new parents about the normalcy of early infant crying and how to cope with the frustration that can accompany it.

Assist in promoting the Period of PURPLE Crying - Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC so that parents (and all others) learn to understand normal increased early infant crying and that crying is a key trigger to shaking.


The Period of Purple Crying - Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC is a part of the most comprehensive shaken baby syndrome prevention initiative in North America."

so let's get those adorable baby hats made with love! here's how you can help:

please knit and mail your PURPLE caps to BC Children's Hospital at:

C/O Claire Yambao
Provincial Program Coordinator, Prevent SBS BC
BC Children's Hospital
4480 Oak Street, K1-209
Vancouver, BC V6H 3V4
Canada

*PURPLE caps must be received no later than by November 5, 2010.

to learn more, visit http://www.PURPLEcrying.info, follow on twitter @PurpleCrying or join the facebook group.


are you going to join in? what's your favorite baby hat to make for newborns? leave your pattern suggestion here.

maybe it should be illegal for gisele to have "potty of the mouth syndrome"

some of you may have heard the recent outlandish comments made by super model gisele bundchen stating that she thinks formula feeding should be against the law and you will totally understand the need for my rant today. if you haven't heard here's a snippet of some her ridiculous statements showing how badly she is suffering from "potty of the mouth syndrome":

"The 30-year-old told the UK Harper's Bazaar magazine: "I think breastfeeding really helped (me keep my figure). Some people here (in the US) think they don't have to breastfeed, and I think 'Are you going to give chemical food to your child when they are so little?' I think there should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months."

also:

"She said meditating every day prepared her for giving birth, telling Harper's Bazaar: "It prepared me mentally and physically. It's called 'labour' not 'holiday' for a reason, and I knew that. You want to go into the most intense physical experience of your life unprepared? That doesn't make any sense to me. Then I was ready and I thought OK, let's get to work'. I wasn't expecting someone else to get the baby out of me."

(i've discussed (ranted about) this pic before...read it here)

gisele has also been quoted as stating "that her labor was entirely painless" and that she "did kung fu up until two weeks before Benjamin was born, and yoga three days a week. I think a lot of people get pregnant and decide they can turn into garbage disposals". she also claims that her son was potty trained at 6 months of age. good for you gisele, we're so happy for you....not. what does she want - a freakin' medal?

i personally don't give a rat's ass that she meditated through her "painless birth" and that she thinks us regular women are "garbage disposals" for gaining a normal amount of weight during our pregnancies....um...gisele....that's what happens when you eat like a normal, healthy pregnant women should! god knows what your son lived on as a fetus - carrot sticks and water? oh, and i guess i'm also a lazy mother because i had to have a c-section and have someone else get my baby out of me?

as for her over the top statement that it should be illegal for women not to breastfeed their children i seriously think she is either a) off her rocker or b) very hormonal. what's she gonna do - suggest we put women in jail and separate them from their newborns for a medical condition? or fine them in this economy? wtf! now don't get me wrong, i'm a big time advocate for breastfeeding our children, but some women just can't, bottom line. that doesn't mean they should be punished or ostracized. as mothers we do that enough to ourselves. did she ever think of the woman's feelings who can't breastfeed even though she may long too? or the mother who adopts a child and can't breastfeed them? c'mon.

after the interview spread around like wildfire she has now issued a statement trying to talk her way out of the giant shi&tstorm she has roused. if you care to hear more nonsense from her click here to read it.

what are your thoughts? my hubby couldn't stand to listen to me rant on this subject any longer so i'm turning to you ladies. let's have a conversation, join me in my ranting...haha. am i hormonal myself to be so angered by her statements?

via The Press Association
via Vogue
Via Babycenter

**(Added this morning) Ok ladies, let's get one thing straight first. This post was not put up for us to argue with each other. It has nothing to do with breastfeeding/vs formula feeding and who is right and wrong, I posted it to say how nuts I think Gisele is for saying that it should be ILLEGAL to not breastfeed.

Secondly, I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding and believe that if you can you should. I put up this rant because I simply think that it is ignorant to think that it should be ILLEGAL to not do it.

As for the media, well this blog is sort of a form of social media. This blog helps me to deal with being a mom and gives moms a place to voice all the ups and down of motherhood and unfortunately seeing and hearing media about other famous moms is something that is very hard to escape nowadays.

Could we just ignore it - yes. Would it still upset us - yes. Would we bottle it up - yes. Who needs more bottled up emotions when you are a mother? We're hard enough on ourselves. I was very upset and hurt when I read her comments and felt that I just had to say my piece. It touched a sore spot for me. Maybe I shouldn't have been, but I am one of those mothers who needed help with both of my births and who know a few ladies who wanted desperately to breastfeed and couldn't. When a woman hears those kinds of statements from another mom it hurts, no matter who she is or where she hears it.

winner of megan nielsen giveaway

time for the winners of the megan nielsen sewing pattern giveaway......congrats ladies and thank you for all your entries!


Cydney said... 69 I'm now a Google Friend Connect follower!

Marcia said... 47
The two Megan Nielsen sewing patterns are: MN1001 Perfect Nursing and Maternity Top and
MN1002 Gathered Dress and Top. There are 2 expectant moms in our family who could make good use of these patterns.

megan will be getting in touch with you lucky ladies soon! congrats on the win and happy sewing :)


weekend wishes

to add some adorable pot holders to my "must make" list this year.....


to remember what peace and quiet was and how it feels to be alone in my thoughts......

{J.Crew : Mona Johanesson}

some snuggle time with the hubby that lasts longer than 1 minute............


to get my sore butt off the cheap ikea chair from 10 years ago that i sew on & find a new one..........


to find my dream wooden thread/spool holder...........


spend some time in the sunshine outside of my aparment.........


to actually visit my "happy place".


hi folks! it's weekend wishes time! did you miss it? i did! i always look forward to friday's post because i have so much fun putting it together and hearing all your comments. i'm hoping it's just like getting back on a bike for me when it comes to my old blogging routine. it's been a few months and having guest posts is definitely not the same as blogging full time myself - so bear with me.

we've got a long weekend here in sunny ol' british columbia (canada) and i managed to bat my eyelashes at the hubs enough to get him to take a day off so we get 4 days off together! holy moly! talk about a miracle! i cannot wait. this week has felt super long, not sure why, but it's dragged. i'm looking forward to some actual family time - not errand running time.

having 2 kids instead of one sure makes it a lot tougher for me to get out during the week to get grocery shopping and errands done, so we have been saving them for the weekends lately and it sure sucks...bah. our weekends have turned into chores and groceries. not fun. this weekend we plan on bbq'ing with friends, relaxing, sunbathing, the hubs is doing some golfing and i'll be playing with and trying to figure out the new laptop. i cannot wait. bring on the leisurely breakfasts, sleeping in, relaxing....oh wait, who am i kidding here...i've got kids & a husband! ok, bring on the 5:00am wake up, dirty diapers, breastfeeding, toddler antics, laundry doing, dishes, dusting, baby snuggles, laughter, dress up & storytime and all around how wonderful is this time :)

i, of course, also plan to relish in the newest season of mad men and project runway. i'm saving them to enjoy on the weekend when i have help with the littlies and am not blogging or sewing at night. oh, and don't worry, i'm still working on that tutorial, it's just gonna take me a while. hopefully i'll get sometime to work on it. because of the long weekend there prolly won't be a post on here till tues or wed. i'm taking a much needed day off too :) hope you all have a happy weekend!

what are your weekend wishes? any of you die hard PR fans too (i've been watching project runway australia to fill the void)? any fellow b.c. folks doing anything special for the long weekend? come chat!

anyone wanna get inspired?


first off, i'm in love with the tea cups above and couldn't resist posting them and secondly, sorry this is a weird post, but i had a special wish come true yesterday. the laptop fairy finally came to my house and payed me a visit!!! yippeee! so while i am normally blogging and breastfeeding i was busy drooling with the hubs over our new baby computer. i figured you guys would understand if this post wasn't my usual topics. i have seriously been saving and saving and saving and saving and saving and whining and whining and whining to pretty much everyone i know about getting a laptop and i've never had one so it's pretty exciting!

i finally realized that i just had to bite the bullet and get one. the birth of harper has made it next to impossible to get on to this stinking desktop. it's not in a convenient location in our condo, i can't see my toddler thus leading to all sorts of mischief when i am online and harper hates being over here - dark colors really wig her out and our desk is all dark wood. so what's the answer - laptop. now i can sit with my girls, breastfeed the baby, read stories, play, live my life and then still hang with all you folks - a bloggers dream. sound wonderful? i hope it is :)

it hurt to spend the money though. i'm sure you guys can understand. raising 2 kiddos on one salary is tough in today's economy and we are frugal. we budget every last penny. we aren't lacking but we are careful. so buying this laptop was a big deal in our household. we got a little help for my bday - thanks mom/dad and my grandparents - you guys rock! i'll send you pics! and we saved and saved and saved...oh yeah, i told you that already :P


but enough about my new 3rd child, i wanted to share with you guys what else has been making me feel inspired. the website "pinterest". now there are a lot of these types of sites out there or similar ones i'm sure, but i love this one. it's sooooo fun. i'm not even going to try to explain it to you, you just have to take my word for it. if you love pretty pictures, cool things and inspiration boards you will love pinterest.


a lot of people ask me where i find my pics for my friday posts "weekend wishes". while i'll let you in on one of my sources - tumblr. tumblr is where i blog all the lovely pics i can't always post on here to show you. things that inspire me, that i think are pretty and interesting. it's fun and there are a ton of interesting goodies on there to be found.


you can follow me on both tumblr and pinterest. for tumblr click here and then click in the top right hand corner where it says follow (if you're already signed up) or join (if you wanna be a member). if you want to follow me on pinterest...well, there's a fun catch. you have to get an invite. and you know what...i've got 4 left! anyone want one? first 4 people to comment to me "i want to be pinned" i'll invite. it's fun - come be my friend!


now, back to snuggling the hubs. here's hoping i'll be blogging tomorrow's post with my new laptop on my geeky labtop table (it's so i can type while on the couch and still have hands to deal with children - don't judge me). see you in inspiration land!

anyone else on tumblr or pinterest already? leave me a comment with your info so i can come say hi and follow you :)

p.s. - don't forget to enter our megan nielsen sewing pattern giveaway....so fun!

moments in the mommyhood - getting our groove on

sometimes in life you just have to get your groove on. i swear my daughter's got some mojo. she loves to rock out. when i play music i always ask her what she wants to listen to and she always replies either "rock and roll, mom..." (eyes rolling) or "something with a beat", meaning some hip hop or r&b. this kid loves her some mary j blige. forget the wiggles or raffi, she wants some tunes! she's always loved dancing since she was a baby, and truth be told, she never stops moving so it's just fitting that we captured her this week in true form.....shaking her booty and of course, getting her groove on until she collapsed in the grass with exhaustion.


harper's been doing great. she's growing like a weed, trying to roll over and loves to sit or stand. you lay this kid down and she pulls herself up. she is so strong it scares me. i swear she's just gonna get all that adorable baby chub right up and start walking. she's now 10 weeks and a bit old...boo hoo, and is always smiling. she's the happiest baby i know. i could seriously just fill this blog with her cuteness and the hundreds of photos i am obsessed of taking of her, trying to capture this last baby of mine and hold on to every single tiny moment...but that would just get boring and ok, a bit weird, so i'll try to contain myself. to sum it up....i love her.


life with both the girls has been amazing, exhausting, emotional, trying, lovely and heckuva lot of fun. the tantrums have almost subsided, the parenting books are still on my bedside table though....ready to come out at the first sign of misbehaviour (right krystal - wink, wink) and generally she's been very helpful and back to herself. no, the "i love my sister too much syndrome" has not gone away, but it's manageable. i'd much rather deal with that then the screaming at the top of the lungs tantrums, time out chair throwing, biting tirades - now those were SCARY! those darn big blue eyes saved her every time though. she's a keeper and needless to say i love her too.


i figure she's starting to adjust and is happy to see her mommy getting back to normal and actually moving around the house instead of looking like a gross corpse. just to prove it, here's a pic of my new hairdo. my hair was seriously overgrown. nasty. too long and just embarrassing. it epitomized "mom hair". it was in a ponytail 24/7 (the worst hairstyle for my round face, especially post baby) and just looked lifeless. fun fact for all you new readers - i used to be a hairdresser for many years, so when i say embarrassing hair - i really mean it. so i waited and waited until i could get in with my fave stylist and chopped that bad boy off. it felt fabulous and freeing and just what i needed to feel like i was getting my life back to normal.

(Oh, and I forgot to tell all of you that when I went to get my haircut I parked in a parkade and when I came back I seriously could not find my car! My mommy brain was so tired that I thought my car was stolen. I even got a security guard (who was very, very old, couldn't speak english and just stood there looking at me as if I was nutso) and told him my car was stolen. i called the hubs on the phone and listened to two ladies start yelling "her car's been stolen" over and over and then before calling the police looked around one more time and found it. Eeek! How embarrassing! Needless to say the guard was yelling something to me in another language as I raced outta there and the hubs hasn't let me live it down!
)


besides the usual daily humdrum we've had friends in town over the weekend and spent some time in the sunshine at the beach with yummy food and cute kiddos. mack got to play with two of her best buds - joshua and idyn. i've already married off both girls to these handsome little studs, i just can't get enough of them so i couldn't resist posting their cuteness along with my girls.


we're starting to get back to somewhat of a normal life in our house, i've been trying to get back into the rhythm of blogging again now that the babyhood bonanza is over and i'm looking forward to sharing this new journey with all of you. i hope you guys stick around and comment, chat, share your stories - good and bad, and let's just all enjoy this adventure in mommyhood with each other. i love hearing from you.

how's your week been? any of you had any new hairstyles recently? having a hard time with the new baby in your life? or toddler? let's chat. i've already got my coffee on and there's a cup for you too :)

all images copyright luvinthemommyhood