Our Life Upstate

Monsters University

2013-05-20T16:36:00.001-04:00

I was so excited to find this fabric at the store the other day. I am very much looking forward to the new movie - even though I will miss Boo - she is too cute!

Extra twirly dress for Big Sister!

Short and tank set for Tiny Sister!

Big Brother is getting a pair of shorts as well but we had to pick up elastic for them today so pictures coming hopefully tomorrow!

The Letter K

2013-05-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's been a few weeks since I have done the Wednesday Blog Hop over at Focused On the Magic. This week's theme is the letter K. Looking through our pictures this is what I found

Kitten

Knight

King Louis

Future King

Everything My Daughter Needs to Know She can Learn From A DisneyPrincess - Snow White

2013-05-14T10:55:00.000-04:00

Ever since I read Peggy Ornstein's book "Cinderella Ate My Daughter " (a book I REALLY did not like but that's a post for a different day) I have been meaning to write a series about all of the good things girls learn from princesses. With the typical firestorm of objections that have come out because Disney just coronated Merida and added her to their princess line I decided that now was a good time to start my series. I have decided to start all the way back at the beginning with Snow White.

At the beginning of the story Snow White is dressed as a "scullery maid" and is forced to do chores. She is certainly not treated like a princess. Her station by birthright is princess but her wicked, yet beautiful, step-mother makes sure that she is not treated as such. She wears rags, she is most likely dirty, and she is certainly never pampered or well put together. Yet, when the queen asks the mirror "who is the fairest of them all?" the mirror answers, "Snow White." She is beautiful and "fair" beyond her appearance. Her sweet and kind voice attract a passing prince as he drives by on his horse. Her kind and gentleness allows her to befriend the animals of the forest and then the dwarves. Her sweetness convinces the huntsman to spare her life, even though he will lost likely be killed for it. She sees the best in everyone - from the unfriendly demeanor of Grumpy to the unwelcoming look of the old hag. Yes, she makes a mistake and trusts the wrong person and then needs "rescuing" by love's first kiss but we all need a little help now and then.

So, what can my daughter learn from Snow White? She can learn that no matter what you look like,

what you wear, or what your job your inner beauty will always shine through. To always allow the room for inner beauty in others. That just because someone is doing the job of a "scullery maid" (read as an menial job someone might look down on) they might just be a "princess" (read as totally amazing person worth knowing) on the inside.

My daughter can learn the value of being kind and gentle and good to everyone she meets. That you never know who's heart you touch just by being kind. You never know what "grumpy" soul you can open up and make smile when you are kind. My daughter can learn that when you treat others with kindness and a good heart they treat you the same way.

My daughter can learn that their is value in a job well done. That cleaning and cooking are jobs worth valuing. That taking care of others is a job of high value (remember the dwarves agree to let her stay so she can take care of them and their house). That is not a lesser than job. Whether it is a mother (or father) who stays home with her children or a daycare worker they are all doing a very worthy job. One that anyone can and should be proud to do and do well.

My daughter can learn that trust is an important gift. That giving your trust to someone is valuable. She can learn that sometimes you might give you're trust to an untrustworthy person but when you are hurt your friends will be there. They will stand by your side and hold your hand even when it seems that all is lost. My daughter can learn that trusting others usually pays off.

Lastly, my daughter can learn the value of not giving away her affections too easily. In order for that kiss to wake Snow White up it had to be love's FIRST kiss. Had Snow White gone around kissing all too many men she might not have experiences the true power of love's first kiss. My daughter can learn to wait. To let love grow before she rushes into her prince's arms (and more). Remember Snow White met her prince at the beginning of the movie she could have kissed him then and all would have been lost.

All in all my daughter(s) can learn many lessons from Snow White. It is all in the perspective that you have about the princesses and about the way you present the story. My daughters love everything about princesses and I am a Disney lover through and through. I will teach my daughters to see strength, beauty, courage, kindness, love, and more in the princesses. I intend to write this series as a post a week (well, more or less once a week - we all know how fast time flies with kids at home) until I've talked about all the Disney princesses.

A Letter To My Son's First Mom

2013-05-12T07:56:00.000-04:00

I don't know you. We've never met. We've never discussed anything. We've never shared a lunch or even a cup of coffee. We've never even been in the same room. And yet we are connected. We share so much that it is hard to describe. I knew we were connected from the first time I held our son in my arms. I knew you would forever be a part of me. I think of you often. I pray for you daily. I wonder where you are and how you are. I wish I knew you. I wish I could share so many thoughts with you. I wish I could ask you so many things.

Let me tell you about this son that we share. He truly is an amazing boy. He is kind and he is funny. He is sweet and he is very handsome. He can be shy, until he gets to know you and then he is a big ole goofball. He is smart. Too smart a lot of the times. He has a way of seeing the world that is truly amazing. It's like he can see the truth in any situation.

He plays hockey. He has since he was three. I know he picked hockey because of me. I know in Guatemala no one plays hockey and so I can take credit for his choice of sport. However, his natural athleticism he must get from you or from his first father. He certainly does not get that from Hubby or me. He has a terrific eye for photography. He has taken beautiful pictures ever since he was three or four, basically since the first time someone put a camera on his hand. He makes friends easily and he gets along with pretty much everyone.

He looks like you. A lot. Most people in my family would say he looks like my brother, which he does, but he looks just like you. He looks more like you then either of my girls look like Hubby or me. It is odd sometimes to think that it is your face reflected in him that looks at me. He makes many facial expressions that are clearly mine or Hubby's but sometimes he makes one that I have never seen and I know it is yours.

He is a wonderful boy and we both have so much to be proud of. He is literally everything we could want him to be. This little boy who will turn nine in just a few short month. Well on his way to adulthood our boy is. This little boy that we share is amazing and wonderful and just so awesome. This little boy that we share has my heart, as I am sure he has yours. And even though we have never met and I know nothing of what your life is like through this boy I feel like I know you. And so, on this Mother's Day, as on all of them, I think of you, I pray for you, and I am keenly aware of just how much you are a part of my life.

All my love,

Upstatemamma

Dear Big Brother,

2013-05-07T15:47:00.003-04:00

There is nothing better than seeing you smile!!!

Love,

Mommy

Dear Tiny Sister

2013-05-06T10:35:00.000-04:00

Oh so big! Oh so grown up! That's what you are these days. You blow my mind with just how big you are. The other day we told you it was time to leave somewhere and you looked at Daddy and said, "not yet." There was something so unbelievably grown up about the way you said it. It was so incredibly sweet.

You are one month short of your second birthday and I simply cannot believe that two years has gone by already. You are very much a toddler lately. In every way. And you remind me just how much I love this stage. I love the way the simplest things can make you happy. I love the way you are interested in everything from the ants on the ground to the colors of the sky to the cars on the road. I love that a kiss makes everything all better. I love that you can be totally mesmerized by something and then hear your brother or sister and be off and running to them. I just love it all.

You and I went for a walk the other day. Just around our block. You wanted to be outside and I didn't want to walk by the creek and look for bugs so we settled on a walk around the block. You saw so many things that were exciting to you. The birds in the sky, someone's lawn sign, it all was fascinating to you. It was fun to see you truly notice the world for the first time.

You remind me how wonderful and beautiful life is. How beautiful people are. How amazing it all is. I hope you never loose that. Oh sure, the trees will get old, the birds will no longer make you laugh and clap but that is not what i mean. What I mean is that I hope you always see the world as something to b explored and amazed by.

I love you!

Love,

Mommy

May Squared

2013-05-04T13:44:00.001-04:00

It has been a week since I've blogged anything. I'm incredibly tired and very unproductive the last few days. Well, I feel unproductive. The truth is I have been very busy and have gotten a lot done but I still feel unproductive. At any rate it is time for another squared post. I usually do just the kids but since it is May and that means Mother's Day is coming AND the kids asked to take a picture with me yesterday (I think they may have something up their sleeves) I decided to go with this picture of me and the kids. So sweet!

You can see past squared posts here. :)

Slow Day - Kids Clothes Week Day Six

2013-04-27T20:00:00.000-04:00

I am usually VERY productive with clothes for my kids during Kids Clothes Week but today I just ran out of time. I have a list of things that I still want to do this week and I'm thinking that some of them might just have to spill over until next week (I'm already looking forward to the summer week) but that is okay too I guess.

This morning I had to run to the fabric store (I know, I know I should put in a bed and shower and just live there). I took Tiny Sister and we had a lovely time looking at fabric, picking up things to make coats for her and Big Sister (an almost worthless activity at this point as they will probably only wear them twice before it is too warm but I will shoot for them still fitting in the fall).

I did, however, have time to make this fabulous pair of reusable pull-ups for Tiny Sister. I am SO tired of throwing out money on the disposable kind but I can't get either of the girls to willingly wear any kind of "diaper" to bed. So, cloth diapers do not work. We started using Pull-ups when it was just Big Sister and we went through one pack a month but now it is a bit ridiculous. So, I figured I would give these a try.

I bought some adsorbent bamboo fabric for the middle and it arrived yesterday.

The project was fairly quick and I suppose we will see tonight if I put enough absorbent stuff in them. :)

We Love Cupcakes - Kids Clothes Week Day Five

2013-04-26T16:54:00.000-04:00

Whew! Today was a crazy, busy day. I totally wanted to have this post up HOURS ago. Ah well! It is what it is. Busy or not I am totally thrilled with what I made today. :)

It all started with this shirt that I made for Tiny Sister about a week ago. It is just a regular shirt that I bought at Wal-mart and I appliqued the cupcake on. I drew the cupcake out myself - it came out pretty well, don't ya think? :)

Well, once that shirt was done I just KNEW it would go perfectly with this pink cupcake fabric I had. I had seen so many cute skirts over the flickr pool this week that I decided to give one a try. I just freehanded it. It is an elastic waistband at the top. Half of it is the solid chocolate color brown and the bottom is the pink cupcakes cut twice the width and then gathered. Isn't it adorable?!?! I love it! Unfortunately, my pants loving girl is less than thrilled with it. :/

Meanwhile I had ordered this cupcakes on turquoise fabric for Big Sister and it arrived today. She was thrilled and danced around with her fabric. :) I had JUST enough time to put it together before we left for one of our homeschool gatherings. "You are the best Mommy EVER!!!!!!" she told me when I handed it to her. Yippee!!!

Tiny Sister took the skirt off as soon as she came inside and got her pants back out. She wouldn't even let me put it back on to take pictures with her sister. So we had to settle with the cupcake shirt to match her sister's cupcake dress.

Aren't they sweet together?

Kids Clothes Week Day Four - Repurposing

2013-04-25T15:46:00.000-04:00

Last summer Big Brother really wanted something he and Tiny Sister could wear together. He searched high and low for a Mickey Mouse fabric that he really liked so I could make him shorts for our trip to Disney World at the end of the summer. He finally found this fabric with blue and green stripes and Mickey and Pluto in a car on it. I didn't love it so I just bought the one yard. I knew it was more than I needed to

make him a pair of shorts but it was the smallest amount the place would sell me. After his shorts were done I hade JUST enough to the top of a sundress for Tiny Sister. After I cut the top I had a few scraps so I decided to cut them up and applique them onto the skirt of the dress. Red was a nice complimentary color and in the end I liked the dress a lot. I cannot believe I don't have a single picture of the kids together in these outfits. Mommy fail!

Fast forward to this spring and the shorts are too small for him and the dress is too short for her .......

So, I put them together and came up with an outfit that I am just IN LOVE with.

I took his shorts apart at the seams - literally. First I took the waistband off. Then I took the middle seams apart so I could keep the side seams together (I will show you why in a minute). Then I cut each pant leg down to the proper width. Cut the waist to match the new size and cut off some elastic. Then zip, zap, zoom I put the pants back together and she has a little pair of capris to wear with her "top."

I wanted to keep the side seams together so she could keep the pockets I had given him last year. She was not too sure she wanted a picture taken of those pockets but I managed to get one. :)

A better picture of the bottom of the outfit!

She is very happy with her new outfit - all smiles as she ran around saying "Mickey, Mickey, Mickey"

I'm linking this to this week's Make It Wear It - Did you see she featured my little cuties yesterday? :)

Side note - I did manage to find some more of this fabric on ebay so if anyone thinks they might like this outfit (or the shorts or the dress) just let me know and I can do that for you. :)

Who Says Robots Are For Boys? Kids Clothes Week Day Three

2013-04-24T13:04:00.003-04:00

For today I was very excited to use some scraps and a remnant I found when I was at the fabric store a week or so ago. I had picked it up and didn't know exactly what I was going to do with it. There was about a yard and a half which was good because both girls wanted me to make them something with it. Hmmm..... Now THAT is a challenge. I started putting it up against all of my scrap fabrics and finally decided that it looked really nice with yellow and orange.

For Big Sister I used the Flashback Skinny Tee as a tank top (tutorial here) to make the top half of her dress. I cut about three inches off the bottom since I was going to be adding the skirt directly to the top. Then I cut a strip of the robot fabric about ten inches long. It really was only a tiny bit wider than the dress. If I had more fabric I probably would have cut a second strip and gathered it more but I like how this came out.

And she seems to be very happy about it. She has insisted upon wearing it to the park today. It seems to be a good for dancing dress - this is her "getting down." That first picture is her making a "robot face." :)

For Tiny Sister, obviously I was not going to make a dress. I debated between pants and shorts. After all it is spring not summer and we still have a few months before the weather will reliably let us wear shorts. But in the end I wanted to use this orange fabric and I did not have enough for pants. Decision made. :)

Monkey see, monkey do. Her sister was dancing and prancing around and so, clearly, she needed to as well. She likes the robots a lot. :) The top is just your basic peasant top. I tend to find most peasant top directions to be a bit wide and so I usually cut them a size smaller in the width - I like the look that gives them.

The shorts are treasure pocket pants from Sewing for Boys just cut short to make shorts. They actually look very boy like without the peasant top to go with them. I really like the treasure pocket pants pattern. Very fun and you can do so many cool and fun things with it.

Ta-da!

Yellow remnant of my own - free, orange remnant of my own - free, robot remnant - $2.38

Sisters enjoying each other and their new clothes - priceless!

Kids Clothes Week Day Two - A Dress to a Pants Set

2013-04-23T14:07:00.000-04:00

Last year I made both girls a princess peasant dress. Well, it was not a very big hit. Big Sister did not like it because it had "puffy sleeves" (the sleeves that have elastic in them giving them that bubble or "puffy" look). I was never a huge fan of the dress on Tiny Sister because it was a bit long. So, I put it in her closet and figured she would probably be able to wear it this summer.

Fast forward a year and while it still fits her I just know she is not going to wear it because she prefers pants. Sigh! What a waste. :( BTW - look at how small she was a year ago!!!! I still think of her as little but oh my she is so much bigger than she was then.

Oh man!! It fits AND the hat still fits. It is too cute to go to waste. What to do? What to do? Hmmm.... what if I cute the bottom off and make it a shirt? Then she can wear it with pants! Yes, that might just work.

Now, I have this several inch long strip that came off the bottom that I really don't want to go to waste. What can I do with it? Matching ruffle pants, of course!! Isn't she just too cute in this outfit? The best part is she currently loves wearing hats so she really wears the whole thing. :) WIN!!!

And I just had to throw in this last picture because I just think it is so cute with the wind blowing her everywhere. She was so funny! She kept telling me that it was "Winy" and "push me down" We moved so the wind was blowing the other direction and we were protected by the house and the photo shoot went way better. :)

Animals, Dinosaurs, Rides and Cute Clothes

2013-04-22T15:57:00.000-04:00

Today is the 15th anniversary of the opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom. I am, honestly, shocked to realize it has been 15 years. I remember when I heard they were going to be opening another park at Walt Disney World. I was working at the Disney Store at the time and all employees of the Disney company were given a single day pass to check out the new park before opening. The store I worked at was in southern Florida and so a bunch of us from the store made plans to go together.

My favorite and most clear memory of that day was going on Countdown to Extinction (currently called Dinosaur - renamed after Disney's movie Dinosaur came out). First I should mention I don't particularly like dinosaurs. They frighten me. I know it's silly but they do. So, we head into Dinoland and look around at all the dinosaur decorations and we start joking about how very "Jurassic Park" it is. We wait in line to get on the ride and are surrounded by dinosaur things - in very Disney like fashion there is tons to look at while we wait. Finally, we get on the ride and we wait... in front of a door like structure that we are waiting to open up and let us in. It stalls and we are stuck waiting for a few minutes. The jurassic park jokes start flying again. I could feel the terror building up in me as I wait. If you have ever ridden on Countdown to Extinction/Dinosaur you know that my terror was rewarded by a very large dinosaur trying to eat me at the end of the ride. To this day I do not really like that ride. The boys usually ride on it once while we are at Animal Kingdom but neither of them really like it all that much. There is something terrifying about that dinosaur (or maybe it's just me that is terrified).

Since that day I have been to Animal Kingdom many, many times. It is beautiful and I love the natural magic of it. After all, we live on a truly beautiful and magical planet and Disney gives us the opportunity to drive through some natural looking habitats (without flying around the world). When Hubby and I went to Disney for our honeymoon we walked into Animal Kingdom and were greeted by this beautiful bird just chilling out on the Eyton's Tree Duck sign. It was right there. We could have just walked over and touched. It was amazing to feel like we were just hanging out with the animals.

My favorite part of Animal Kingdom is the safari. I love all the animals. You get so close to some of them - it is truly amazing. Big Brother loves the safari too. Every year he looks forward to trying to get really nice pictures of the animals. Which is both easy and difficult to do. The animals are right there and the drivers on the safari do stop periodically so you can take pictures but sometimes you are moving when that animal you really want a picture of wanders by. The first year we went to Animal Kingdom Big Brother was so excited to see the giraffes since we did not have any at our zoo. That made them seem way more exotic to him I think. Once we were there he was

thoroughly fascinated by the rhino and the tiger that was "not behind glass." He took many, many pictures of both. Once again, he astounds me with his absolutely breathtaking pictures - especially when you remember that he was only five that year. This past year they had taken the little stint about the kidnapped baby elephant and rescuing him out of the safari and I was a bit disappointed. I don't know why they took it out (do you know - I'd love to know if you do).

Big Brother and Hubby love Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom and Big Sister LOVES Triceratops Spin. I can't quite figure out why she loves Triceratops Spin but only kind of likes Dumbo and the flying carpets over at Magic Kingdom but she does. Last year we were there first thing in the morning and there were so few people in the parks that we went on Triceratops Spin seven times in a row - without getting off. WOW! I was super dizzy.

Today also happens to be the first day of Kids Clothes Week!!! Yay!! I'm so excited!! Just like in the past I will be sewing clothes for MY kids this week and sharing the finished projects. Considering it is the Animal Kingdom anniversary and that we will be back in Disney (including Animal Kingdom) this fall I wanted to cook up some really cute things for the girls that have an Animal Kingdom feel. In the past I have usually had them wear their Pooh clothes that day since we always see Pooh and Friends while at Animal Kingdom. However, I managed to come up with an even better idea for this trip. And so I give you my Animal Kingdom themed projects for day one of KCW.

I started with this super cute leopard set for Tiny Sister. As I have mentioned lately she is really into pants (and therefor shorts for the warmer weather) and so I knew I would be making her shorts and not a dress. The top is your basic peasant top and the shorts are pretty much the most basic pant pattern cut into shorts instead of long pants. I simply cut them about three inches shorter and then cut a four inch ruffle to add to it. I cut the ruffle about twice the length of the each pant leg and then gathered them to create the ruffle look. Simple, easy and oh so cute for my littlest girl

For Big Sister I knew I would need a more pink option. And definitely a dress. In the end I found this super cute pink leopard (or is it cheetah?) print. Big Sister took one look at it and was instantly in love. I bought a matching pink and made her this super fun, extra twirly dress. Big Sister loves it! Which, of course, is the most important thing. Each of the two bottom tiers gets longer so that it can also be gathered. Just the same as the ruffle except that in the dress it becomes super twirly so when she spins the dress twirls out and is extra fun. I remember being a girl and whenever my mom bought me a dress (which was rarely) the first thing I did was twirl in it to see how far out I could make the skirt go. These outfits are cute and I like them a lot. They both have been added to the shop but they did not have enough Disney flair for me. Nothing to really say Disney to me. I mean, sure if the girls wear them in Animal Kingdom they absolutely will have an Animal Kingdom feel to them but not quite enough. I looked at them for awhile and thought about it. I debated and then it hit me. I knew exactly what they needed......

Mickey heads!!

Or "Hidden Mickeys" as Big Sister says - I think she is missing the point :)

They obviously approve. :)

So, there you have it a little Animal Kingdom flair into the first day of Kids Clothes Week. I'm so excited to see what everyone else has made and to bring to life the many fun ideas I have in my head for the rest of this week. Be sure to keep coming back for lots more fun things. :)

I'm linking this post up to Focused on the Magic this week since it is all things wild :)

No, We Are NOT Getting Another Dog

2013-04-20T17:20:00.003-04:00

Back when we had just one kid we used to take Big Brother to all kinds of places. We would go to the Sports Authority and let him play with the hockey sticks (until he went from being a cute little kid to a real hockey player - then the people at the store did not like it anymore), we would go for walks around our neighborhood and walk through woods or look at the trees, we would go to the pet store just to look at the animals. Then Big Sister came around and we did some of those things but Big Brother started to think of them as less fun. They did not entertain him the same way and so we moved on to other things. Then Tiny Sister came along and we rarely do any of those things with her. Well, today we took all the kids to the pet store to check out the animals.

"A monkey, Daddy!" Not quite, baby, that's a ferret. :)

"Let me see!! Awwww!!! It's so cute"

They are cute, but awfully smelly.

What's in here? It's too tall for me, it must be very interesting.

"DOGGIE!!!!!"

"DOGGIE!!!!" (Pardon the blurry picture they were just so excited)

"Frog!"

"Big Sister, come check out these fish," Big Brother says. Apparently the pet store is not so boring after all. :)

Where All The Flora and Fauna are a Bit Fantastical

2013-04-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

The theme over at Focused On the Magic this week is Flora, Fauna and Fantasy. It immediately struck me that everything about the flora and fauna is fantasy. That when you are in the most magical place on Earth there is nothing that does not capture your fantasy.

After all, the flowers grow in the shape of the world's most famous mouse.

There are giant mushrooms that glow.

Being shorter then a mouse is not scary.

Dogs where pants. shirts, vests, shoes, and even hats.

Chipmunks can write!

Monsters are always available for a cuddle.

Your favorite prince is waiting just to hug you.

Frugal Living - With Ibotta

2013-04-16T08:24:00.000-04:00

Years ago I was really good at being frugal. Before I ever started writing this blog, I could have rivaled the best frugal mama bloggers out there. I could feed my family (tiny at the time - just the three of us) plus ten daycare kids for $75 a week. And we ate well, pretty healthy, with too much food leftover every week. I lived so frugally that when Hubby went back to school to become a teacher and we became a single income family I was still able to save the $25,000 for an adoption. I was a penny pinching, money saving, frugal living hot shot.

Somewhere in the last few years I have lost this ability. The idea of shopping at multiple grocery stores just so that I can save a few dollars has become way too much of a hassle. Convenience foods have become too, well, convenient. I rarely do any cooking - Hubby does most of it - and even if I do it is not the frugal cooking from scratch that I used to do but more like throwing some chicken breast in the oven and putting ketchup or bbq sauce on the table for whoever wants to dunk it. I guess that's not convenience food so much as it is lazy but you get the point.

I want to get back to my frugal ways. If I could go back to those days we could do so many fun things. And a bunch of boring things like add to our savings account and plan for retirement but ya know, priorities - fun! :) I have been trying to get better about the newspaper and clipping coupons. I don't fully understand how other people get tons of groceries for $5 but I keep trying. I've been following many a coupon clipping blogger for awhile now and am trying to just follow instructions whenever I can.

One awesome and fun thing I have found is the Ibotta app. I love it. It is just like couponing but it's on my phone - AWESOME! AND it can be used WITH a coupon. That is great because when you manage to have both you get super savings (I suppose if I could figure out how to have coupons for all the items in the app and JUST feed my family what is in their I would get my groceries for nest to nothing - how do people do that? I think my family is too picky). Basically ibotta is a coupon app. You sign up and download the app and you will have offers of items you can buy and get cash back for. Like right now one of the offers is for Capri Sun 100% juice pack. If I buy the pack I will get $1 in my app. After I have $5 I can transfer it to my PayPal account. At which point I can do whatever I want with it. I have had the app for about 5 weeks and I have made $22 just by buying things I need. Well, not just for buying them I guess. I have to click on the little circle and read something, answer a question, or share with my facebook/twitter. I will get $.50 or $.25 for each activity and depending on how many I do and how many are available per item determines how much I get for that item - usually $.50 or $1. Now, similarly to couponing I don't buy something JUST because it is in the app BUT I will buy a different brand if it is in the app and that makes it cheaper then whichever brand I would have bought.

Last week they updated the app and now they have "bonuses." Some of them are good for extra money

- there is a newbie bonus for those of you who don't have the app yet. I'm not eligible for it because I've had the app for awhile but once you have uploaded two receipts with at least one offer on them you will get an additional $2. They also have bonuses for uploading at least one receipt a week ($1 for four straight weeks), redeeming so many offers per month (this month it is $.50 for the first 4, then $.75 for the next five). They also have other bonuses that don't seem to do anything but give you a badge. I don't really understand them. There is a badge for sending $10 for PayPal, then another one for sending another $20, there is one for answering questions, etc. They don't seem to do anything. They don't give you money and they don't seem to have an advantage. Except that they give you these badges on your bonuses page. Hubby loves them though. He says it makes the app like a video game and I am pretty sure he has now decided to "compete" with me to see who can have the most badges. Men are so weird sometimes.

The thing I like best about it is that it deposits the money in my PayPal account. Sometimes when you save $3 a week it can feel like it just doesn't matter. $3 does not really matter - or so it can feel. BUT when it is all put somewhere like that you can see it. It becomes more real - to me. Plus, I can choose to do something other then buy more groceries with it. Which is exactly what I am doing. Right now I am just saving it for a later date but once I decide what I want to do with it I will tell you. :)

Dressed To The Nines

2013-04-15T10:35:00.002-04:00

We aren't especially formal people. We rarely get dressed up for anything but I do go all dressy for Easter. So, when I saw that Project Run and Play was doing Spring Formal Wear week I knew I would use the kids Easter outfits. I put a lot of thought and care into making the kids just the right outfits for Easter. Of course, I gave NO thought to what I would wear and so I wound up in the nursing dress I made last summer. Which wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't decided to get stupid cold that day.

If it weren't for the curtains from our old daycare room in the background this would be a fabulous picture. Especially when you consider all we did was set the timer on the camera.

I love these dresses I made the girls. They are incredibly elegant. Big Brother took this picture of Tiny Sister and I just love that he added in the Easter basket. I swear this kid is going to be a photographer - or he should be. I gotta find a way to encourage him to keep shooting pictures. I wonder what I can do with the pictures that will make him feel more validated and involved. If only I had thought to put her dainty shoes on her she would look like a commercial. :)

Both girls dresses are the same style. They are the Manhattan special occasion dress from Sewing Clothes Kids Love. It's funny because that seems to be my go to pattern spot for the girls stuff for sewing challenges but I don't actually use it very often for other things. The patterns tend to be a little bit work intensive and while they come out REALLY pretty they area bit much for the everyday. But that's what I love about the challenges - challenging myself (pssst - speaking of challenges did you know that next week is kids clothes week - I am SO excited!!)

Big Brother got himself a fancy shmancy suit. Big Brother is usually my hardest critic when it comes to clothes. He is all about COMFORT. I don't blame him. I mean who wants clothes that are uncomfortable. He is super sensitive to clothes though. Tags bother him to the point that I have to take them out. He HATES being dressed up. He finds collars VERY uncomfortable. So, I made him the Heartbreaker pants and the Out On The Town jacket from Sewing for Boys. The jacket has no collar which works for him. I made him a coordinating raglan shirt to go with it. After it was all finished (and I had taken the pictures) I realized that I probably should have added two buttons to each of the sleeves. Not functional, just decorative. I did change the front pockets a bit to be more like regular suit pockets. He said he loved it. It doesn't feel like a suit at all he told me. :) Win!

It was a little cold out so this outdoor pic outside the restaurant was a little rushed. No time to take many many versions. But there you have it. Three little cuties all dressed up in their springtime formal wear. They clean up pretty well, don't they?

I'm all joining in Make It, Wear It over at The Train to Crazy so I am linking up there too. :)

It's All In The Details

2013-04-11T08:42:00.000-04:00

I took the girls to the fabric store with me on Monday. Mondays are our days to hang out and do "fun" things - typically meaning we go to the book store. I often use that as a chance to go to the fabric store that is close to that book store that they like. So, as we were picking up the things that I needed Big Sister found this turquoise fabric with butterflies on it that she begged me to buy for her. So, I made her a turquoise dress and as I was making it I started trying to come up with a plan for a cute, coordinating out fit for Tiny Sister. Check out more handmade clothing items at Make It, Wear It.

They were both pretty surprised when they woke up and had matching clothes yesterday morning.

A very cute little girl, very happy with her butterfly set. :)

Isn't she too cute?!?!

As I was debating what to do I had the "It's All In The Details" theme for Project Run and Play in my head. That's when I came up with a butterfly applique. I made it by printing a butterfly coloring page and cutting it out. That gave me the shape. Then I cut out the fabric and appliqued around the outside. Then for the details I added the stitching around the middle section to make the caterpillar part of the butterfly. I added stitching across both wings for a little extra detail and even stitching coming out of the head for antennae.

Jasmine, Jake and June - JJJ

2013-04-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

This week's theme over at Focused On The Magic is the letter J. It did not take too much looking through my photos to find some J friends.

First we have Jasmine. Jasmine is my all time favorite princess. She has been ever since her movie came out. I think Jasmine is both strong and smart. She knows when to fight and when to use her power. She wants real love and she is not afraid to look for it (and find it) in unexpected places.

Jake is super cool. He is a pirate in Neverland - but not a bad guy like Captain Hook. I like Jake because he and his crew of Neverland Pirates teach teamwork and celebrate individuality.

This is June and she is from Little Einsteins and the truth is I don't know much about her. Big Sister likes her a lot but I've never seen the show - the TV show that is I have seen her at the show at Hollywood Studios. She is cute and she wears a purple dress though. So, I am sure she is pretty cool too. :)

Spring Equals Ice Cream

2013-04-09T10:18:00.002-04:00

Well, it is official! Spring has officially come to Upstate NY. I know this not because the weather has turned warmer or the snow has melted or the birds have returned. I know this because Vicky's Tasty Treats has opened. Vicky's is around the corner from us and we enjoy walking there and getting ice cream. Each of the kids has had their first ice cream cone there (see Big Sister's here and Tiny Sister's here - apparently I need to dig out pictures of Big Brother's at some point but that is pre-blog era). It is always exciting when we notice that they are open and we can head out.

ICE CREAM!!!

YUM!

It feels funny as it melts on my tongue.

Ever the dainty child. She just sits and slowly and yet neatly eats her ice cream -while she checks out whatever her sister may be saying or doing.

The girls are licking their ice cream cones and Hubby is apparently growling - what's up with that? :)

Ice cream makes everyone happy. :)

Dear Big Brother,

2013-04-07T10:41:00.001-04:00

Well, my little man, you are now half way between your eighth and your ninth birthday. Way too close to growing up then I would like. I think maybe we should reverse time and take you back a few years. I just told Daddy last night that I wish I could go back and hold baby you again. Just for a few days. I wouldn't give you up but I wouldn't mind a few more days with baby you. I wouldn't mind to be able to hold you in my arms and snuggle you close again. I would take the time to stare at you while you sleep and to memorize your little laugh. Those things that slip away so fast we barely notice.

Of course, I cannot go back. Which is okay in it's own way too. I love hanging with you lately. You are fun to talk to. People always talk about how hard the teen years are but sometimes I think your age might be more difficult. Your head is all full of ideas. You have opinions on so much and you actually understand enough for your ideas to have merit. At the same time you are still young and there is so much about the world that you do not understand. Things I don't even know that I want you to understand. I know it must feel like your ideas are not considered as heavily as you would like sometimes. That is not true my baby. We listen and we hear you and we even do things your way when we can but sometimes we know better.

We have lived more life then you have. We have seen and heard and done more. We know things about the way other people think or feel or whatever. We do, on occasion, know best. We want you to be successful and we want you to do all that you want to do. You are at a hard age (for me). I feel lost in what to tell you and what not to tell you. I feel confused on what you are old enough to know and what I should protect you from. I know that you are reaching that age where the things I do not tell you will probably be said to you by someone else. I know I cannot protect you forever. And yet I still want to. I don't want to explain all the nastiness the world can offer. I want you to see the world as full of wonder and magic and fantastic things.

I wish I could keep you little forever. Freeze you as you are today. I wish you never had to grow and understand the harsher realities of the world. I can only pray that I have given you enough good in your life that you will be able to look past all the bad and see the good. I love you my little man! We will learn together. I will guide and I will watch as you learn new things - good and bad. I will hold your hand when it gets scary. I will always be here for you. I will always be here to talk and listen and to help you understand. Together we will navigate these new waters of you turning into a crazy big kid (and then a teen and then a grown up) but do you think you could slow down just a little?

Love,

Mommy

Dear Tiny Sister,

2013-04-06T10:31:00.002-04:00

You, my angel baby, are very, very funny lately. You seem to have figured out the how and when of saying things to get a laugh. Add that to your incredible cuteness and you regularly crack us all up. Your smile is so sweet and your personality is so joyful. You are a pleasure to be around and do things with.

You must be going through a growth spurt lately because you have been napping everyday for a few days now. Since you don't usually nap this typically means you fall asleep nursing in my lap. Usually you don't let me put you down. Truthfully, I love it. I love spending that time snuggling with you. You will grow up so quickly and these naps will be nothing but memories. I wish I could freeze time and just get a few more minutes in of holding you. You are already so big and you will only get bigger.

You are pretty much a full blown toddler at this point. I had forgotten how fun this stage is. Toddlerhood has always been my favorite stage, rivaled only by infancy, but I had forgotten how truly fun it is. You know so much and you have strong opinions about what you think and yet you are still learning something new every single day. You are generally happy to be challenged and try something new. Only occasionally are you frustrated by what you cannot do. It is so fun to watch. You don't typically throw tantrums but you do, occasionally, cry when you don't get your way. Not tantrumy fit throw crying but deeply sad crying. I don't know if that makes you better or worse then most toddlers. It hurts my heart to see you really sad like that and I typically WANT to give in when you cry like that. Luckily for both of us a hug and a kiss and a little distraction moves you on.

You have decided lately that you love wearing pants and shorts (not that it is warm enough for shorts but I have started making summer clothes so you wear them in the house). I am thoroughly amused by this.I have found myself having a ball making you new clothes. Apparently, even cute sundresses get old and I can now get excited over cute new short sets. We bought you your first pair of sneakers last week. I cannot believe you have never had sneakers but since I wouldn't put sneakers with a dress I guess you obviously haven't. They are super cute and you are so happy with them. You ask to put them on all the time - even when we aren't going anywhere.

As always, you are a little punk. Among your favorite things to do lately is take ALL of the (way too many) books off of the bookshelf and leave them on the floor. I love that you love to read but I so wish you did not have to look at ALL the books EVERY day. Your current favorite is Llama Llama Red Pajama which Big Sister now has memorized and can "read" to you. I love hearing her read it and then I love hearing you "read" it when she is done. So precious. That sweet little voice of yours calling out "mama....Maaaamaaaaa..." More then once I have come running only to find you are at the part of the book that Baby Llama is upset.

You are so cute. You are so special. You are a pure joy. You are beautiful. You are smart. You are fabulous. You are amazing. You are my baby. And I love you.

Love,

Mommy

Mama Knows Best

2013-04-05T13:40:00.002-04:00

As parents we need to support each other. As parents we need to assume the best, not the worst, about each other. But how do we reconcile that with when someone does something that we choose not to do? Something that we choose not to do because we believe it is not what is best for our children? That is the position I found myself in this morning. A facebook page that I follow stated that they had begun sleep training their "almost one year old." They went on to say that the baby had "only cried for an hour from 11 - 12 and again for about fifteen minutes at 4:30." Overall they felt things had gone well. Many people came out to support her and tell her that they had done the same thing, their own babies had cried for much longer, etc. All of this made me very sad. The idea of those babies crying, alone, for their mamas made me sad. I unliked the page.

I unliked the page not because I think this woman is wrong. Not because I think she is a terrible mother. Or she doesn't care about her baby. Or even because I disagree with her decision. I unliked the page because I know this conversation will be ongoing for many days. I know many more people will tell their own stories of sleep training their babies. All of that will make me sad and I don't want to see it in my facebook stream. I like the page and I will most likely like it again in a few weeks when the sleep training is over. I did not tell the page owner I was leaving, or why I left.

The thing is I KNOW she is doing what is best for her family. I do not live in her house. I am not a part of her family and I have NO judgment on her whatsoever. As a matter of fact, if someone else were to say she was a bad mom, or she didn't care, or she was lazy, etc I would defend her. I know nothing about her personally but I am still sure she is none of those things. I am sure she loves this baby very much - just as much as I love mine and just as much as you love yours. As parents, we make the decisions we make based on our experiences, knowledge and feelings. We can only be the parents that we are. We can only have the experiences and feelings that we have. Trying to parent the way someone else does will not work for us. We must each parent the way we see fit. We must make choices based on what is best for our children, in our house, with us as parents. All of those things matter and all of those things lead us to the decisions we must make.

Personally, I will never again leave my child to cry alone - at night or during the day. For any reason. It does not matter to me if s/he has done something wrong, if they are awake at 3am or if they are just in a bad mood. I will not leave them alone (unless they ask but so far none of my kids want to be alone when they are upset). Because all of my experiences have lead me to this point in my life and that is the decision I feel is best. Period. If you feel the best thing for your child is to allow them to work it out themselves then go do it. That is what is best for YOUR child with YOU as their mom. If I was their mom would I do something different? Yep, I would. If you were my child's mom would you do something different? Yep, you would. Because that is the way it works. We are all individuals and we come together in a family and all of the dynamics work together to make us do, say and react the way that we do.

My only real opinion on what someone else does with their child is that they should do it because THEY think it is what is best. Not because their mother, mother-in-law, sister, brother-in-law, even husband/wife thinks it is best. As parents we should never go against our own instincts when caring for our children. We are given those instincts for a reason. We should always do what we believe is best. I suppose if husband and wife disagree they have to work it out but that is a different issue. Do what you think is best. I may not be able to encourage you to do that thing. I may walk away from the conversation because it makes me sad but I still support you. I still know you are doing what is best for your family. You are the mama (or daddy) and you are caring for your family. You know best. You always know best.

April Squared

2013-04-04T08:40:00.000-04:00

It is the fourth and that means it is time for a pic of the monthly pic of the kids. I took these last weekend outside the mall after a trip to buy the girls Easter shoes. You can see Big Sister is wearing hers and Tiny Sister is wearing the sneakers she convinced me to buy (because I'm a sucker but can you believe the girl has never had a pai of sneakers?!?!).

Three on Four

Mommy, why am I standing on a big rock?

Look at me!! I'm adorable! No, I'm adorable! (I love this shot)

You can see past months of pictures here.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2013-04-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it is Wednesday and time for a little Disney magic via the Wednesday blog hop hosted over at Focused On The Magic. This weeks' theme is April calendar shot. Since we have never been to Disney in April it was time to get creative with this one.

I took this picture of a very wet and desserted Magic Kingdom while hiding in the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor as it poured. Typically speaking we don't mind a bit of rain while we are in the park. It is to be expected. Especially since we are in Florida in August - it is going to rain pretty much at some point every day. No biggie. This was a downpour though. We bought ponchos moments after this pictures was taken and went about enjoying our day after that. :)