moments in the mommyhood - snippets of our day

the garland on our mantle is hung...

barbie house in full swing...

nighties on all day...

owies fixed...

knitting on the go...

star put on our tree...

chatting with you folks on the computer...

the ironing board monster continues to wreak havoc in my sewing space...

toys are played with...

music sung...

and candy cane eating is about to begin.

i thought you might want to see a peek of what's been going on in our house today. chaos. barbies. toys. books. knitting. sewing. candy cane eating....yes we are behind a few days, and lots of fun (sometimes). it's been a crazy, crazy week here. i'm almost done xmas pressies, almost. i still have to wrap though, but i'm pretty fast at that so i'm not going to worry about it yet. i never really got too many pics of our xmas decor this year, but there's a few in this post. our garland is simply granny squares strung on yarn. they are from a blanket i'm working on. our tree topper is simply a toilet paper roll and some cardboard covered in fancy wrapping paper i love that has a velvet feel to it. simple and very eco-friendly. i also make a lot of our ornaments the same way. i simply save up a ton of our granola bar boxes and cut out shapes for ornaments and then cover them using glue with fun wrapping paper. hole punch and then string and hang on tree. easy peasy.

harper's had a weird fever off and on these last few days that i can't seem to figure out so we're hoping she get's better soon. mack's been barbie house playing up a storm lately. does anyone know of a great site for patterns for barbie and doll clothes? i recently got my copy of "wee wonderfuls" from the library - so excited but i'm also sad that it didn't come before xmas as i wanted to make her a whole bunch for Christmas. thankfully her bday is in april so that leaves me time to surprise her then. i recommend this book - it's gorgeous and filled with tons of great dolls and softies! definitely a must see :)

what have you all been up to? how's your week been? want some coffee? sit...let's chat girls!

moments in the mommyhood - me & my girls

we had a great weekend. not a ton of sleep (surprise, surprise) but a good weekend nonetheless. we got into the xmas spirit and did some fun holiday stuff around town, had dinner with friends and i even got some sewing and knitting done! it's a christmas miracle...haha! not enough to be done, but enough that i got a tad bit more accomplished. i see many late nights ahead this week so some of the posts this week may be up later in the morning.

i also got to go out for lunch without the kiddos - now that was fabulous.the hubs had his exam on friday (thanks for all of your well wishes) and boy was it nice and relaxing to have him home and to have the much needed help again. we sure missed having him around all the time. we are looking forward to christmas break with him.

when putting my xmas cards together the other week i realized i had hardly any pics of me with the girls since the early fall so here's some for you all. we went for a late walk along the ocean last night..it was gorgeous with the full moon and blue sky at dusk. thought it would give you all a little taste of where we live. oceans and mountains. i doesn't get much better in my book :)

hope you all had a good weekend. what did you get up to? are you going to be up late crafting this week like me? happy monday!

moments in the mommyhood - food, poo and you

i've been seeing a lot of this lately....at both ends.

oh my...it's amazing how fast you can forget the stages of babyhood. harper is on solids now and man did i forget some stuff. 3 years will do that to a girl. i forgot:

- how messy babies get...
- how they always manage to get food in their nostrils, ears and hair...
- how some of the food is actually yummy...
- how some of the food is disgusting and very stinky...
- how time consuming it is...
- and how much that darn baby poop stinks!!!!!!!!


i've been spending a lot of time lately feeding harper. feeding her boob, feeding her cereal, feeding her veggies...oh my. it feels like i'm always feeding her right now and if i'm not feeding her i'm changing those new stinky, dirty, foul smelling poops. she's lucky she's so darn cute and that her sister and her dad help me with those nasty diapers, and yeah, she's cute ain't she? i know, i know, she's my kid, but yeah....she's a cutie.


harper will be 7 months on tuesday. wowsa! i filled you in a bit the other week about her latest milestones so i won't go into full bragging mode..haha or into my usual she's growing up so fast, wahhhh story either. we did have a new experience in our house though. i left harper with my sister while jer and i attended his work party and let's just leave it at my sister and her hubby won't be having kids anytime soon..muahaha. harper did a number on them and all day today i swear she was punishing me. she seriously did not nap at all. she maybe slept a total of 30 minutes the whole day and she just went to bed...it's 9:45pm! the kid holds a grudge!


hopefully the next time i go out it will just get easier. it's funny though because i dream of alone time during the week but then when i go out man do i miss my girls. i would also like to add that i got my entire outfit for the party for $36! dress and shoes! can we say steal and a half! So proud of myself...i keep telling my hubby how lucky he is to have a wife that is so frugal but really it's because i'm saving pennies for a new sewing machine & some other goodies.


remember the wreath i made last week made from paper leaves? well this is what my girl did with all the scraps! i'm so proud of her. she has quite the imagination to put together all these little sail boats and trees from my cut up scraps. i always let her go willy nilly on our sliding glass door to our balcony, it's like her own personal canvas and we change it up all the time. mom's not allowed to move or change it..haha. thought you all might get a kick out of her masterpice.


so now that i've whined about my dislike for feeding solids and grossed you out with my talk of stinky "real" baby poo, my question is this....what's your fave baby food recipe? your tried and true baby food secrets? do you make your own? how? what? tips? secrets? spill the beans mommas! i gotta do a crash course on all this stuff. i have a book that i like, but i figured that i should ask the real experts (you guys) first and get the lowdown. hopefully we can all exhange and share some helpful advice with each other & maybe some commisseration about the not so fun side of food & poo...hahaha, or maybe it's just me??? happy monday!

moments in the mommyhood - is it december already?

i finally picked a wreath! after a lot of hours, some tweets, facebook conversations and also discussions with my 3 1/2 year old we decided to go with the paper leaf wreath. i saw a version of this over on sweet paul (get ready to drool if you go visit) and loved it's simplicity immediately. i also loved that it was made with materials i had at home. the base of the wreath was made from cardboard from my recycle bin and the leaves are paper. easy peasy. mack loves it. i haven't figured out how to hang it on our door yet so the leaves lay nicely so in the meantime it looks fabulous on our wall. i think i would miss it if i put it out in the hall on our door anyways - don't worry, we're in a condo, i'm not planning on testing this wreath out on the elements. you can find the tutorial i used here and our big wreath roundup from last week here. what do you think? you likey?


we had a busy, yet short weekend. i got absolutely zero sewing time and almost zero knitting time. i then realized today what the date was and seriously almost had an anxiety attack..how the heck did it get to be this far into december already? i'm way behind. with the hubs doing school at night and work during the day i am alone most days and i only get one day on the weekend with him home to try to get any semblance of good sewing time in let alone stay sane and get a bit of a break from the kids. this saturday though was filled with a ballet recital and lots of christmas goodness. we put up our tree and rearranged the living room. the living room part wasn't planned and took up the rest of our day. it was worth it though, we love it. hopefully i'll post some pics soon, i've got a fun granny square bunting i made to show you all.


wondering how my "sewing wall revamp" is coming along? it's not..hahaha. the desk still has to be painted and a few weeks ago my fabric was all folded nicely. now the ironing board monster has taken over. you all know what i mean right? i don't know why but i cut my fabrics on my ironing board. i put my mat up there and cut and iron away. now it's also become my catch all for all the projects i'm working on..and there's a lot. i think my craft supplies are having a party because now the knitting is hanging out there and today i found some crochet's having a good time in amongst the chaos as well. i think they are conspiring for the next comfy sews VS cozy knits.


harper has been growing like a weed. our little girl is now 6 1/2 months old and weighing almost 16lbs, has two teeth and loves peas. yes, the feeding has begun. i didn't enjoy this phase with mackenzie but it's been a bit easier with mackenzie. not sure why, but i think it may be the comfort of knowing what i'm doing this time round. we'll see. she's inch worming on her back around the house, crawling in her weird way but mostly she just wants to run. she's now standing whenever she can. pulling herself up on anything so she can stand and then let go and showing me how she can hold herself up. the crib is her fave place for workouts. i turn around and she's just standing there laughing with hands up in the air, meanwhile i'm having a heart attack! the little thing just loves it! i'm scared she's just gonna sprint across the room! i seriously think she's just going to skip fully crawling and just walk.

what's new in your house? any milestones with the kiddos? any of you make a wreath yet? so many readers just had little ones recently i just wanted to congratulate you all on your new precious bundles of joy...enjoy this time while you can and i wish you happiness and of course......sleep....and lots of it :)

p.s. - today is your last chance to enter to win the fabulous and oh, so funny knitterella stationery giveaway!

moments in the mommyhood - all tangled up

mackenzie and i had a mommy/daughter day this weekend. the hubs watched harper and we went out to see tangled in 3d! it was mack's first time ever going to the movies and she was sooo good. we had so much fun and we both loved the movie. i think it was the perfect first movie to go see, it was a happy go lucky, music & laugh filled romp. not too scary like of some of the animated movies that have come out lately. plus mack loves rapunzel.


we had popcorn, snuggled in our seats, donned our 3D glasses and had lots of giggles. it was great watching her try to reach out and touch some of the 3D special effects, even i got caught up in it all. we've really been focusing on mack having lots of daddy one on one time and had completely forgotten about how she might feel to just have time with momma. it was nice and much needed for the two of us to do something different and fun together.


if you read friday's weekend wishes post you know how i feel about snow, but man, how can you resist how much she loves it? too cute. it was sure fun to see the pics that the hubby took of her enjoying our recent snowfalls. i was more than happy to hear her tales of wonder and be the one to warm her up and ohhh and awe over the pics with and not be the one outside freezing cold :)


did you see the owie on her head? i forgot to mention last week that during my blogging break my poor little wee one ran straight into the corner edge of our wall - hard. it was so loud i thought for sure she had just run a toy car into it or something. i never thought it would have been her head. needless to say she cut it right open and these pics are of it all almost healed up. i tell ya it's not fun to see that much blood from your child, especially when you are braless and in your pj's. both the girls were in pj's still and i just panicked. i had managed to get the bleeding under control & call my husband, but i have to admit i was freaking out. i had no idea how i was going to carry a 3 1/2 year old who's screaming, a 6 month old baby who's screaming, get my bra on, go down 4 floors in the elevator, walk to our underground parkade and then drive to the ER. not gonna happen. luckily my husband's coworker came to the rescue and drove him straight home so we could drive the girls to the hospital. she was very brave, got all fixed up and is no worse for wear. i wish i could say the same for myself...haha. i'm a bit traumatized and keep wanting to cry whenever i look at her little head.


how was your weekend? do anything fun? do you plan special one on one trips with your kids? what do you do with them to make it special? happy monday! get your cuppa joe or tea and let's chat :)

all images copyright luvinthemommyhood

mommyhood moments - out of office reply

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christmas is coming - yikes! i just looked at my calendar and just about fainted! i have some serious sewing and knitting to do to get my gifts all done to ship for december 1st. you all know how it goes right? i also have a to do list that is seriously the longest it's ever been, it is now playing a prominent role in my dreams at night - yes, i am dreaming about my to do list. things like getting christmas cards ordered in time for them to arrive to get them mailed out, as well as editing/ordering the gazillion pics i need developed of the kiddos for said cards. i am also working on a big surprise for the site and 3 new tutorials...ohhh, you excited? well the list goes on...but i won't bore you with all of it because i'm sure it is almost the same as all of yours. overwhelming, anxiety causing, heartbeat racing, sweat inducing, fear filled to do lists - eeekkk!


oh, and yes, i know i don't really have an office, but i will be away from the "mommyhood" for a few days. please feel free to hang out here though, and converse, get inspired, leave a comment and just have some fun! i will be officially back next monday but may be popping in here and there as my pressies get finished cause you all know what's the fun in making them if you can't share right??

wish me luck, i'm gonna need it :) i'm hoping that:

a) i don't ruin any of my projects
b) my sewing machine lives through the next 2 weeks, it's been feeling a bit down lately
c) my children don't get sick again and actually allow me to craft
d) i wake up tomorrow and it is now decided that there will be 36 hours in a day instead of 24
e) my hubby forgives me for neglecting the house, chores and his laundry in exchange for material, wool, knitting needles, paper, scrap fabric & thread all over the place. don't worry honey, i'll make sure i leave a space on the bed for you to sleep on..haha.
f) my toddler actually sleeps through the night without waking up 5 times.
- geez, that was way too easy to write, i think i could do the whole alphabet!

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and now i'll leave you with what's been making me cry every time i hear it, seriously, i bawl like a friggin baby. whether it's my hormones, lack of sleep, the fact that harper turned 6 months on the weekend & ate her first food, or just plain soft heart, this song from the new taylor swift album (which i cannot stop listening to because i LOVE it soooo much) is just oh gosh, just making me a pile of mush. so to all you mommas out there this one's for you - get out your kleenx. have a wonderful week, see you soon!

are you feeling overwhelmed by your to do list? what do you do to conquer it? are you making your xmas pressies this year? i made a promise to myself that would make as many xmas gifts as i could this year, anyone else doing the same?

moments in the mommyhood - whatcha been up to?

october has seemed to fly by. the blog was filled with lots of crafty goodness which didn't leave room for a lot of updates as to how we are doing with our new family of four. our baby girl harper is almost 6 months old already, oh how it hurts my heart. instead of weeping on here though about how big she is already and how i cleaned out a huge garbage bag filled of clothes that she's grown out of and the fact that she is trying to crawl but would rather stand & walk, laughs, says dada and is just plain growing the way babies do, i'll just let you ogle some pics of my gorgeous girl.

she's quite the happy baby (knock on wood) until she can't get what she wants. i fear this is gonna come to haunt me later but for now we're all good. i have some serious sleep training to do that i've been putting off. she's a great sleeper and sleeps through the night but she likes to fall asleep on the boob. she falls asleep for her naps no problem without boob when we are out, but at home, forget it. she wants her mama. i'm thinking it's time to nick that in the bud before i go down the same path i did with her sister.

speaking of her sister, mackenzie started preschool and is loving it. she's quite the big girl now and busy, busy, busy. i can't keep up with this kid. she wears me out. i swear that sometimes harper and i just sit and stare at her as she bounces off the walls...haha. oh well, she keeps us entertained.


we've been enjoying fall around victoria. the leaves everywhere make for a gorgeous season in our pretty city. i especially love the feeling of wanting to just cozy up with my 2 girls and snuggle with a good movie (loved toy story 3), a cup of hot chocolate, my knitting and the fireplace on. we even closed the blinds today during a windstorm and just kept it all snug as a bug in a rug inside.


on the sewing front here's what i recently made.


she's my new best friend. i had been meaning to make one since "tea cup month" on the site here, but time just didn't allow. i finally got to it though after a friend of mine inspired me when i saw her knitted version (thanks amy!). i used the "house on hill road" tutorial and it was very easy to follow and super fun to make. let's just say there are a ton of these being made for xmas pressies this year! i also noticed that about a week after i made mine starbucks is now selling there own "knockoff handmade" cup cozies. they had some with snaps and some with buttons. honestly though, as much as i love their coffee, i wouldn't buy a cozy from them. support your local artisans or etsy shops. handmade with love is much nicer than from a factory overseas :)

and now, i'd like to introduce you to my new baby............you ready?....you sure?.....she's awfully pretty......ok...here she is, right smack dab in the middle!


yep, can you believe it! i found another of the pyrex dishes in the turquoise! doesn't she look pretty with my other girls - blue sue (the bottom) and fate kate (the top). if you are new to the blog i name my pyrex, i know it's weird, but hey, we all have our quirks! she was rescued from a local thrift shop for the steal price of $6! i couldn't believe it. she's in great condition and even had the lid!!! let me tell you - i skipped out of that store whistling a merry tune!

i've also had my eye out for some fun secondhand bookends and fell in love with these wood carved ones from a new fave consignment shop in town. it had oodles of lovely things just begging to be taken home and these won out. i got a pair, real wood for $5! you like? they are up on the shelf in the new "sewing wall" revamp...don't worry, pics and posts to come soon!


what have you all been up to? how are your kiddos? i know there are a few of you who just had babies and/or are due any day now! any thrifting/vintage finds you guys have scooped on lately? leave me a comment, let's chat, share your pics & your thoughts!

*all images copyright luvinthemommyhood

moments in the mommyhood - i just couldn't resist

this is how my daughter looked when i picked her up from preschool yesterday. yes, that is my kid. not an avatar..haha. there were no butterfly cheeks, or hearts just paint...everywhere. i was quite taken aback. there is something about her face painted that weirds me out. she just doesn't look like my kid and i can't help but stare at her in awe. her teacher said mackenzie was proud of her face painting and spent most of the class working on her own face. mackenzie asked me to take pictures of her when we got home and luckily upon seeing them asked to have a bath..haha.


it was hard to do her paint job justice. it was her on her neck, hair, arms clothes etc...and hopefully not my car, clothes, carpet :( it was one of those moment's this week that was too adorable not to post. she also said this one liner to me the other day when we were, as normal, running late for something. i had asked her to help me carry something and she turned & looked at me with her hands on her hips, a 13 year old trapped in a 3 year olds eye roll and said "mom, just HOW many arms do you think i have...i'm not an octopus!". i just about died laughing. picture rachel zoe saying it and you'll get the idea of the inflection she used. priceless.

we've also been out seeing a lot of this......

and a lot of rain, wind storms, and a random huge pumpkins growing on the side of the road - only in canada i tell ya!


in other news, one of my favorite times of year is upon us - handmade holidays on www.sewmamasew.com! love it! i bookmark it every year and use it as handy reference even when it isn't xmas. i was over the moon, jig dancing and squealing with delight when the lovely ladies from sewmamasew asked if i would jump on board and help them find all the lovely tutorials (along with gabrien & georgia) that make up the month of november on their wonderful blog. ummmm, hello, of course i would!!!! so here's lil'ol me's board member introduction (see my pretty badge on the sidebar) pop on over and check it out. it's a mini interview with me. oh, and get ready for handmade holidays....it's gonna be a good one! i promise!


what are your plans for halloween? any ghoulish activities planned? hope you all have a spooooky weekend filled with ghosts, goblins, costumes and of course as my daughter likes to say "fairy princess unicorns"!

p.s. for all you victoria folk, i'll be on c-fax 1070 tomorrow morning at 10:30am (PST) on "real parenting" with amy bronee dishing the dirt on "make-it yourself moms". if you aren't local, check out my about me page next week and you can find all my radio segments on there.

moments in the mommyhood - colds, colds go away, come again another day

don't you just hate colds? the weather is gorgeous here, sunny & bright and our whole house is sick with colds. mack's had it for a while, then she gave it to the hubs, then to harper and now me. we are all a bunch of runny nosed, sore throat sickies. i was shocked that the pictures in this post turned out. it was chaos to get the few shots that are here.

i feel bad for the baby though, it always breaks my heart when little tiny ones get stuffy noses. every time i go to breastfeed her i just wish i could do more to help her with her breathing. luckily, she's on the mend and today was better than the last few. hopefully her and i will get a bit more sleep tonight. speaking of sleep, i'm going to go and try to do just that....zzzzzzzzzzzzz, sleep.

(harper's already trying to figure out the handmade goodies..does my heart proud.)

anyone else dealing with the dreaded cold? what are your best tips for dealing with it when the whole family has it? secret remedies for 4 1/2 month olds? or what about breastfeeding mommas? i hate that i cannot take cold medicine - bah! c'mon ladies, share your old wives tales, i could use them :)

moments in the mommyhood - the unicorn has arrived

the unicorn has arrived (you all remember the post about the unicorn fairy princess horn i made). who knew that unicorn fairy princess costumes actually existed and not just my paper towel roll makeshift horn. i sure didn't. but man am i glad they do, cause how cute is this???? seriously! i can't stop making her put it on and run around in it and yes, i will openly admit that i put the head on and ran around with it on as well - how could you not? i think every little girl must have thought about being a unicorn at least once in her life.

it even has fairy wings, a mane and all! only request from mack is for a my little pony style applique of a flower on the body - no problem! gotta love a girl who asks for applique!

i've been feeling the need for some stillness and time to just sit and stare at my girls. harper is growing up way too fast. she's changing by the day and has the best laugh ever. this girl has got a chuckle squeal that could entertain me for hours. she also loves to sing. in the car, in her bed, on the boob, doesn't matter, she sings. we also found out she love michael buble - who knew?

this week has a been a very long one in our house. i've been working on the side lines for a fun post that will be up next month on sew mama sew!!! yep, that's right! can you hear me squealing with delight! i danced a jig and called about 3 people when i found out that i get to guest blog over on sew mama sew. oh, and did you see my pretty new button on the sidebar...the one that says "sew mama sew board member"? ahhhhh, joy. i'll fill you in on the reason for that another time, but for now, i'll just say that i am one busy momma! you'll also be seeing me later next week on "made" for part of dana's "celebrate yellow" as well. fun!

so how does one momma take care of a 3 1/2 year old who is starting preschool, ballet and a few other activities, a 4 month old, a hubby, laundry, chores, reorganizing the house, her blog, extra posts for others and stay sane??? i do not know....could someone tell me? when do i find time to sew? to sleep? i would love the inside secret. too many late nights for me. i've still been feeling not so great so fighting everything and staying up late working has been taking it's toll. i need a vacay :) or an iv filled with coffee hooked up to me first thing in the am...haha.

how's your week been? any of you fighting the new routines that september brings? what are your kids dressing up for this halloween - i love hearing costume ideas!

moments in the mommyhood - sewing labels, fevers & lots of poop

this was my night tonight. looks calm doesn't it? relaxing even? ha. i wish it had been like that the whole day and actually most of the night. we had our first day of preschool today, immunizations for harper yesterday that left us with a very hyper toddler who wouldn't go to bed till 9pm, and a 4 month old with a fever and let's just say lots of poop. heck, why not throw spit up in there too. yep, it was just one of those days filled with bodily fluids. a few outfits for me, a heckuva lot for harper and then throw in about 6 bibs, 5 burp cloths and 3 receiving blankets and that's prolly what we went through today.


so link luv roundup, i'm sorry. will you ever forgive me? i promise you that you will return soon. life just seems to get in the way on tuesdays..i hope you guys don't mind. i thought the pics above and below might soften the blow. i also wanted a chance to show off my new sewing labels. i asked a ton and i mean a ton of peeps who they use for their sewing labels and it took me about a month to decide who to use and what to put on them. it was a much longer process than i thought it was going to be to design the silly thing. so after a lot of debate and a lot of scrapping bad ones i decided to stick with my little house and luvinthemommyhood. speaking of the little house have you all noticed the little favicon near the url now? so cute isn't it? i'm just happy i finally figured out how the heck to get it there :)


anyhow, back to the labels. i finally decided on an etsy shop called "mommie made it". i highly recommend her. i had heard a lot of good things about her and she was the most recommended to me. she had great customer service, fast turnaround & printing time and i got them from the states in just under a week. needless to say, i love them. i'm more than happy with them and isn't her packaging adorable? love the paper doll set that came with it. mackenzie was sure happy about that! i've already sewn up a few goodies with them on and they look super cute (i'll be showing them on here soon). so if you're looking for labels, don't need like 100,000 and want them for a great price - check out "mommie made it". my budget was not big to get sewing labels so i was happy to get about 140 i think for $30. she also has designs premade for you to choose from and will help with custom work as well. if you decide to pop over and order kindly say i sent you and tell her i said hello :)


any of you having a spit up kind of day? what do you think of the labels - you like? do you use sewing labels? what do yours look like? show me :)

p.s. sorry if this post is badly written...typing while breastfeeding a sick baby is not an easy task...she wouldn't let me type on the laptop easily so i had to write this in little installments as the night went on. it was either that or let my hubby type and that would have taken a lot longer...ahaha, sorry hun, you know i love you.

moments in the mommyhood - sufferin' succotash

i'm amazed at the fact that my baby girl is going to be 4 months old next week. really people, where the heck has the time gone? i can't figure it out. it's all a blur and i tried so very, very hard to remember all those little moments yet they are already fading. she's sitting, singing, rolling, and the best of all - having huge laughing fits! it's priceless and oh so adorable. we've been very lucky to have been blessed with such a good baby. she sleeps great and we hardly ever hear her cry.

she's usually a very calm, and happy baby until she wants boob. then watch out folks. her patience level is short when it comes to her food. i'm a bit scared about that for when she get's older but for now, we're loving the sleep and the smiles. i think it was because her birth was so traumatic that it evened out..haha, and maybe also because mackenzie (she was a very happy baby as well) never slept well and still doesn't. so goes the old myth that they get easier as they get older...ya right. come live with my kid..haha.


we spent the long weekend doing what i call "home organization 2010" to get ready for the hubby starting up school on top of work again. we are trying to streamline and simplify the whole condo. we spent 3 days doing chores and we pretty much only got the kids room done. yuck. yuck. yuck. wtf? i think it's going to take me 3 weeks and not 3 days. that's what happens when you have a 2 kids and live in a 2 bedroom condo. thank god i have storage downstairs or i would be insane at this point.

i'm planning on doing some furniture rearranging next week too and have a post getting ready that i will need your guys help with so stay tuned for that. it's time for me to get my sewing stuff in order and more functional and for my family to actually be able to eat at our table. it's getting pretty bad. are any of you living like this? are the ironing board and your iron the newest members of your family? any tips?


this week has also been a bit tough for me with my recovery. i know i haven't talked about the birth story at all on here and probably won't (long story) but i have talked about how long it has taken me to start to feel normal again. i was just turning the corner and starting to feel like "me" again - walking, exercising, getting out and about, not so tired and then wham. i did too much on friday. i felt it when i did it and have paid the price for the last few days. i know there are some new readers here on the site and it's been a long time since i mentioned the fact that i have endometriosis.

you can read more about my experiences in a post i wrote called "5 ways to parent when you aren't at your best" last year and when i started to feel pretty crappy i went back and read it. it helped me through and i survived. my heating pad is my friend and during times like those i love that i have this blog. it makes me feel less mad and angry at my body and draw comfort in the fact that i am not alone and that we all have each other to lean on. whether it's for an illness, a loss (hugs to c.l. - you know who you are), loneliness, happiness, or for those bad/good mommy days, this blogging community never ceases to amaze me. i heart you guys and thank each and every one of you for reading.


if any of you are going through something or need to share please comment. this blog is for us to have conversations. i try to reply to all of your comments in the comments section for this reason. i think it helps all of us feel as though we are chatting and sharing. i love that. it's fun for me and i hope it's fun for you as well. don't ge me wrong, i do email some of you directly when it's personal or you ask me a question, but i've also tried to create a neighbourhood of sorts here for us, and what fun would it be to not know at least 1 of your neighbours right? so talk amongst yourselves, talk to me, heck talk to yourself. it's all cool in the mommyhood.

do you suffer from endometriosis or know someone who does? are you dealing with a chronic illness while trying to take care of your kids? are you like me and taking a long time to heal after a difficult birth experience? get your coffee/tea out, let's get our chat on :)

*all images luvinthemommyhood

moments in the mommyhood - sneak peek

life did not go as planned yesterday. the day started off good and then went haywire from that point on. all you folks out there with more than one child know what i'm talking about. you just get one down for a nap and then the other one wakes it up and your whole day is blown. harper is a great sleeper (knock on wood) but she just couldn't get a nap today...every time she closed her eyes that sneaky sister of hers would wake her up. poor thing. this didn't leave much time for me to do anything but what absolutely needed to get done.


so today's moments in the mommyhood was supposed to be filled with some adorable shots i got of our soon to be 4 month old and our fun weekend....but that didn't happen. so instead i thought i would give you a sneak peek with 2 of my fave pics from those photoshoots and also a peek at what are some of my fave vintage finds in our house...teacup month may be over but my love for loveable oldies isn't - and you all know about my addiction to pyrex.

so here you go......let me introduce you.....

her name is "mellow yellow", isn't she pretty? she looks fabulous with a fiesta salad and has been with me since i found her at a very dirty garage sale a long, long time ago. she cleaned up nice.

this is green celine (she's so fun) we like to make broccoli/cauliflower salad in her and with her is her pal orange lee, she's very worn but well loved. she is frequently accessorized with jello or pudding.

this is red ted. he's the stud of the bunch. he's been around with me for over 10 years. yep, we go way baaack. he has a fondness for cookies.

this is the newest member of our family...blue sue. she called out to me on a shelf in value village a few months ago as soon as i opened the door and if any of you have been to this shop you know how big it is. i saw her as soon as i walked in and we've been smitten with each other ever since. she has a special spot on display in our kitchen. she likes to be coddled.

and last but not least...i couldn't resist sneaking in a shot of our teapot. that's right, it's not old, but i love it anyways. it's from ikea and makes a great cuppa tea!

what are your fave treasures that you have found lately? comment below and leave me a link, you all know i wanna see! have you been having nap time troubles too? let's chat :)

*all images copyright luvinthemommyhood

moments in the mommyhood - just one of those days....

this tuesday have just been one of those days.....when nothing goes as planned, you're tired, your head hurts, your toddler won't listen, she won't share with her friends, your condo is hot, your baby won't nap, then the toddler gets a runny faucet nose and doesn't understand not to rub it all over the house and said baby, toddler won't go to sleep for bed till 9, baby later than that, hubby at school after work for final exam, you can't make that phone call you promised to a dear friend that's going through some hard times, you've hardly had dinner and can't drink booze because your breastfeeding, the email inbox is overflowing and there's no time for mom to do her link luv roundup because she is so friggin exhausted. that was my day. can anybody else out there relate?


so here's some pics of the culprits, my adorable girls. i have to say, i was ready for a big ol'rant when i sat down to write this but just looking at these made me feel ten times better. it feels as though it's been a long summer, a lot of good, but also a lot of new adjustments for the whole family. looking at these made me feel truly blessed and so very thankful for my girls and the hubs (luv you). but that aside, we all have those crappy mom days when we are mortified that there is a fly on the wall who is going to whisper all your secrets about those "not so proud" mommy moments we all have. i had a few today. but i'm off to bed, as i schedule this post, to try to erase some of those moments and to curl up with some good ol'project runway reruns to ease the inner bi*ch in me :)


have you been having any bad mommy days lately? let's all make each other feel better. i know there are a lot of you out there that are single moms, or moms who's hubbies are away, overseas, working a lot and not home (mine) and it always makes me feel better when we can all give each other a little pick me up and some support to get through "one of those days".

*all images copyright luvinthemommyhood

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

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

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

moments in the mommyhood - sisters

our little one is almost 8 weeks now (insert my tears), time is going by way too fast if you ask me. i know that sounds cliche but i can't help it. the idea that i am never going to get to smell that newborn smell again, go through all those little, special moments of having a new baby in the house, that miraculous bond you form with your child...it's all so priceless and i'm having a hard time saying goodbye to all that. she's already growing out of clothes and it just breaks my heart to know that no other child or ours is going to ever wear them. trust me, 2 is enough, i know i'm done, but i just can't seem to help getting all emotional about it. is it just my hormones, mommy exhaustion or have any of you gone through this as well?


we're adjusting to the "new family of four" life around here. things are looking up. i'm feeling a bit stronger, our routine is now down pat (at home that is), and i've figured out that she is very dependent on her evening bedtime routine. so no late nights for the hubs and i anytime soon. i'm not messing with a baby who sleeps 5-6 hours straight each night - noooo way! big sis is not sleeping that great still, but she's always been like that and we are working on some sleep training with her right now as well. hopefully there will be some peaceful nights around here soon....ok...a girl can dream right? hahaha.


it's been fun watching mack get used to having a sister. she loves the idea of it and if anything, loves harper too much. we're dealing with the "i love her so much i want to smother her with hugs, kisses, and lay on her so i can be close to her" scenarios at the moment. it's pretty tricky because you don't want them to feel as though they can't touch her, but at the same time you have to teach them not to maul the other sibling with love. the tantrums have lessened as well. what's my secret? home movies. yep. not diego, or dora or caillou, but home movies. she loves watching them and we both could sit for hours cooing at how cute she was and still is. it reminds me that she is still my baby and still needs lots of love and attention. this can be hard when you have a new love in your life and all you want to do is just stare and coo at your new baby. it's a tricky balance and one that i've only just begun to get a hang of.


mack just looked so big and grown up after harper arrived that it was jarring to jer and i. where had our baby gone? when did her feet and hands get so big? look how tall she is? it was like she metamorphisized overnight into a big child and not our toddler. i'm still a bit in shock and we still sit and stare at her a lot and wonder where the time has gone. i guess that feeling doesn't ever go away does it? it probably just changes along with life. it's sure been fun watching her show off her new baby sister to her best friend sadie. the two of them have lots of fun taking turns holding her and posing for the camera.


i hope you have all been liking the little changes around the site lately. i've been stunning my brain senseless lately working on html and coding all day for a few days there. now, trust me when i say this isn't my forte. i don't enjoy it, but i don't have anyone else to do it, so i figured now is as good a time as any and sat down and did it. i'm not done yet, but it's on it's way. minus the stupid blogger problems on tuesday...yikes! i had a heart attack at 8:30am when i noticed that all my comments for the giveaway were not showing up even though i was getting email notifications. do they not know how sensitive and emotional new moms are? seriously! WTF! i lost it. i spent every free minute i had scouring the internet and help forums until i got it fixed and it involved a heck of a lot of recoding and widget changes. what does that equal? not fun! but don't worry, they are all there and i have all of your emails saved in case something else happens, the count was off on the homepage but is correct on the actual post and it looks like it is correcting itself today. so boo to you blogger!


i got the hubs to take a day off this weekend - it's a miracle!! yippee!! we're hoping to enjoy the sunshine that has finally made it's way to the west coast and attend some festivals, petting zoos, beaches and just have some fun! and yep, you all know there will be some of my fave coffee drinking involved as well....i don't get out of the house that much, so the weekend is my time to indulge! i figure napping is out of the question, it just doesn't happen for me and then i get disappointed, so setting a goal to have a frappuccino on the weekend is something I CAN make happen :)

what are your plans for the weekend? any of you watching the bonds between two new siblings develop? got any tips? or are you wondering how that's going to work in your house with a new baby on the way? let's chat. it makes my day :)

p.s. - have any of you read this post from "made by rae"? it's got me seriously rethinking some of the things on my blog...eeek! share your thoughts.

all images copyright luvinthemommyhood

moments in the mommyhood - we made it out of the house!

we've made it out of the house! yep, that's right! i finally ventured out into the big, bad world all on my own with the two girls. yay for me! albeit it wasn't far...ok, it was literally a 5 minute drive, but i was early and relatively no chaos happened during the preparation for it if you don't count spilling coffee all over an outfit that took me half an hour to find, that somewhat covered my "overhang". darn it. but i recovered, changed and we had a great play date with two great friends and their kids. i got spoiled and they had a little bday celebration for me. so all in all, it felt great to get out of my house :)


harper has been doing great! she's such a good baby. i can't resist bragging a bit because my first baby was a bad sleeper, but harper slept from 9:45 till 5:45 on thursday night!!!! *&*&!! holy cow! we've had a few long sleeps at night now, but that was the record breaker. now to get her to do that every night! she is 6 1/2 weeks now and i'm guessing weighs about 12 pounds give or take.


people have been telling me not to be shy and to not avoid putting my pic up with the baby, so here ya go. a nasty ol'photo of sickie ol'me. i am not vampire white anymore, but my hair is still a mess and i am sans makeup, so please avert your eyes if it is too much a of a shock! i need my hairdresser to come rescue me!


all in all we are surviving. routines are being made, some sleep is getting slept, my laundry doing has been exceptional (one load a day!!!), dishes are clean, i sometimes get a shower, toys sometimes get put away, baths are given, diapers changed, princess dress up done, and a whole lot of fun is being had...ok, when there isn't crying and tantrums, but on the most part we are having fun with this new adventure into functioning as a family of four.

ohhhh, and i better not forget...the winner of our stella & dot giveaway is......

Kristin said...

I've always wanted a Stella & Dot piece, but I guess my daughter could have one first! kelgeeinaz(at)aol.com

congratulations kristin!!!! julie will be in touch with you in regards to your prize!!!

how is your week? any of you adjusting to a new family arrangement? about to have the 2nd baby and nervous? anyone willing to tell me where the heck the month of june has gone???? leave a comment below, or vent, or say hi....whatever floats your boat - i just luv hearing from ya!

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moments in the mommyhood - week 3 & still alive

week 3 has come and gone and my little baby girl is now a month old!!! boo hoo...time has gone by way too fast. it's been hard to try to memorize all those little moments knowing that i will never have a newborn baby again, it just makes my heart break. the pics below are from our little household last week....


harper's been smiling up a storm (and not gas smiles folks), is weighing a happy, chubby 10lbs 5 1/2 oz, laughing in her sleep, figuring out she has hands and is reaching for my face, cooing and gurgling, and man, oh man, is she strong. the doc says this kid is at a 2 month old level....aiaya. looks like we've got another fast mover on my hands - mackenzie was the same way.

harper loves bath time and so does mommy and daddy. i usually bathe with both girls, but sometimes our schedule and my energy don't cooperate and harper gets her own bath. proud daddy and i have lots of fun with bath time...but we are always aware of the danger....i know you know what i'm talking about ladies...the poo or pee! we've both been pooed and peed on by both kids, so the fear is high, but the reward is so worth it! i love babies when they are all clean and cuddly!


our 3 year old is having a bit of a rough time adjusting at the moment which is making things a bit more stressful than necessary around here. she seems fine with the baby and has no negative feelings towards her, but her acting out is all in listening and discipline. she thinks she rules the roost now and can basically do what she wants cause mom can't move so well and is exhausted with anemia (yes, i am anemic and dealing with that on top of my surgery)...hahaha, plus i haven't left the house for 4 weeks except to go to the doctors - can you say "stir crazy"? needless to say my life has been a bit trickier dealing with her than it has been taking care of the baby. ahhhhh, toddlers - don't you just love the terrible 3's??? i'm looking forward to getting back to my old self and our old routine and shaking up that little terrors vision of the house she now thinks she is in charge of.

i know there are more of you out there dealing with this same issue, cause you've emailed me. so here's to all of us, for dealing with tantrums galore, piss on the floor and so much screaming you have to lock down the windows and doors! you are not alone. come beatch here, leave a comment...share your advice ok? it sure as heck makes me feel better :) consider this a virtual hug. we'll get through it...we always do...right????


p.s. a giant thank you to all of those wonderful friends of ours who have dared to take my 3 yr out of the house to play and to give me a bit of my sanity back while we endured our first week alone without help and to my folks for watching her and i for 3 weeks - love you guys!