Mommy Brain

Anyone who has ever had children knows what I'm talking about. In fact, there was just an episode of Modern Family that covered the topic.

While I was pregnant, "mommy brain" didn't really rear it's ugly head. However, as soon as I came home with Little Bub, it really kicked in. In the beginning it was pretty harmless: leaving the house for Little Bub's first peds appointment with slippers on, forgetting why I went into a room or if I brushed my teeth.

And guess what? It's not getting any better. Just within the past week I took Little Bub to swim lessons without bringing towels, forgot to take my lunch to work, and left the house without my glasses.

Recently, I even drove 20 minutes to the grocery store, only to have to drive all the way back home because I had forgotten my purse. Of course, I had to drive back to the store because I hadn't gotten any groceries!

This article on Discovery News claims that in actuality mothers don't lose brain function, but instead their brains rewire based on a whole new set of priorities linked to the care of their children. That's all well and good, but what about the time I left the house for the first major shopping trip (read a 45 minute drive away from home) and I forgot to bring the bottle of pumped milk my 4 month old son needed, which I had left on the counter in an insulated bag. Let me tell you, nothing makes you feel worse! Luckily I was able to solve the problem by buying a new bottle and some formula at Wal-Mart.

Whatever the case, I sure wouldn't trade in Little Bub for anything in the world, including some lost brain power!

My Long Thanksgiving Weekend

Working in a school has its perks, I must admit. One of those is having a five day weekend to spend crafting and loving up Little Bub.

On Wednesday, I decided to take advantage of the unusually mild, sunny weather and take Little Bub to the park.











We brought our dog too. Poor Frankie. He's generally a good sport as long as Little Bub isn't reaching for a handful of fur.

On Thursday, we spent time with both sides of our family. My sister-in-law kindly agreed to snap a few shots for our Christmas cards. She has amazing talent!

 

On Friday, we went to go pick our Christmas tree. The past few years we used a fake one, but with Little Bub around we wanted to start the tradition of having a real one. It was a little colder outside, but still a nice enough day to walk around the tree farm.

The rest of the weekend was pretty normal. I worked on some crafts while Little Bub helped, Little Bub had swimming lessons and we took some much needed naps. I was sad to see the weekend come to an end.

Thank You Cards

Little Bub's birthday was now three weeks ago. I've been working on some homemade thank you cards and have finished them up today!

I was inspired by these thank you cards from my pinterest board (original source unknown).

It was a very simple project and perfect to fit in those extra ten minute slots you get between all the chores, work and playing you do with a one year old.

First, I picked some green paint I had in the drawer, poured it onto a small plate and cut an apple in half. I got out some sheets of white cardstock too.

 

Put the apple in the paint, making sure all of the cut side is covered and firmly press the apple onto the cardstock.

 

 

Repeat until you have filled the paper or made as many apples as you need.

 

 

Sometimes I had too much paint and other times I didn't have enough to make a good print. I made a lot of extra so I could pick and choose the ones I liked. I cut out the apples with just a thin margin of white showing around the edges.

 

To add something extra and because they were thank you cards (and I already had the stamp), I used some dark green ink and stamped the apples. First I experimented with some gold ink because I had used some gold accents in other party decorations, but it didn't show up how I wanted it to.

 

 

Finally, I wrote on the backs of the apples to thank each individual for coming to the party and bringing Little Bub a gift. Originally, I was going to paste them or tie them onto bigger cards instead of writing on the back, but with our Christmas cards arriving within the next two days, I'm just going to slip these in those envelopes.

 

Thank you cards are something that helps your children show their appreciation for things and don't take much extra time at all. As I said before, these small steps can be slotted into those times between other jobs and when your children are older, this might be something they actually enjoy doing on their own because it does add a little creativity.

 



 



 



Happy Thanksgiving

This is what I'm most thankful for this year.

 

 

A little man who is healthy, happy and continuing to grow everday.

Look how much Little Bub has changed in just one year! It makes me a little sad to see the difference. But he is still my little baby.

 

I can't forget to mention all the other blessings in my life, including my family, friends, home, job and the countless little things that make my life wonderful.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Gingerbread Man Hat

Finally it was a nice enough day to get some pictures of the gingerbread man hat. And Little Bub was content to have his picture taken in it. Most times, he just rips the hats off as soon as I put them on!

I was inspired by this hat on Etsy. It looked easy enough and it was a very fast hat to make.

 

Gingerbread Man Hat

 

 Supplies Needed:

-Worsted Weight Yarn

-Size J Crochet Hook

 

Hat Instructions (1-3 Years Size):

 

With brown, ch 3, slst in first ch to form loop.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as hdc), 9 more hdc in loop. Join with slst to first hdc. (10 hdc)

Round 2: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch. 2 hdc in next stitch and each stitch around. Join with slst to first hdc. (20 hdc)

Round 3: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next stitch. *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next stitch. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (30 hdc)

Round 4: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next 2 stitches, *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 2 stitches. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (40 hdc)

Round 5: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next 3 stitches, *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 3 stitches. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (50 hdc)

Round 6: Ch 2, hdc in same stitch and in next 4 stitches, *2 hdc in next stitch, hdc in next 4 stitches. Repeat from * around. Join with slst to first hdc. (60 hdc)

Rounds 7-14: With brown, ch 2, hdc in next stitch and each stitch around. Join with slst to first hdc. (60 hdc) Do not finish off.

 

First Ear Flap

Row 1: Ch 2, hdc in next 15 sts. (16 hdc)

Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 10 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (14 hdc)

Row 3: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 8 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (12 hdc)

Row 4: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 6 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (10 hdc)

Row 5: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 4 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (8 hdc)

Row 6: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 2 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (6 hdc)

Row 7: Ch 2, skip next stitch, hdc in next next 2 hdc, skip next stitch, hdc in last hdc. (4 hdc)

Row 8: Ch 2, skip next 2 hdc, hdc in lath dc. (2 hdc) Finish off.

 

Second Ear Flap

Row 1: Skip 14 hdc on round 14 from edge of first ear flap, join with slst in next hdc, ch 2, hdc in next 15 sts. (16 hdc)

Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 10 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (14 hdc)

Row 3: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 8 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (12 hdc)

Row 4: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 6 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (10 hdc)

Row 5: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 4 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (8 hdc)

Row 6: Ch 2, hdc in next stitch, skip next stitch, hdc in next 2 hdc, skip next hdc, hdc in last 2 hdc. (6 hdc)

Row 7: Ch 2, skip next stitch, hdc in next next 2 hdc, skip next stitch, hdc in last hdc. (4 hdc)

Row 8: Ch 2, skip next 2 hdc, hdc in lath dc. (2 hdc) Finish off.

Edging: With red and white together, slst in back of hat near the seam. Ch 1, sc in next stitch and each stitch around. Finish off.

To make braids: Cut 3 white and 6 red pieces of yarn, 36 inches long. Pull halfway through the bottom center of each ear flap. Separate into 3 equal groups and braid to desired length. Tie a knot in the bottom and trim the ends.

Make 2 cheeks: With red, ch 3, slst in first chain to form a loop. Ch 2, hdc 5 times in loop, slst to join (6) Finish off.

Mouth: With white, sew a couple of stitches across to make the mouth.

Eyes: Sew two large black buttons onto hat.

Optional: For girls, you could crochet a little bow or even just make one out of ribbon and sew that to the top of the hat. I've even seen ones that have little black eyelashes! Check out the girl version on Etsy!



Favorite Finds

Last night, my husband and I went on a much needed mini-shopping trip and dinner date. We made a couple stops and I am so excited about some of my purchases I wanted to share them!

One of our last stops was at Old Navy. Some of my favorite hand-me-down sweaters for Little Bub are from there, so I though I'd see what they have for this season. Well, it was a bust for the sweaters, but I found some other things for Little Bub.

I love the colors of the bodysuits. I think Little Bub looks great in gray and blue things, so these were perfect! And of course, I just love penguins.













I couldn't pass up the hooded fleece. It's just adorable. And the fact that it's a zip-up makes it even better! We're all about the zip-up hoodies in this house. They keep Little Bub warm without puffing him up like a marshmallow, they're easy to get on and off and the hood adds an extra layer in case of wind or rain.

Finally, I bought the booties for Little Bub to wear as slippers in the house. Any mother of a baby knows how difficult it is to keep socks on a baby's feet. Little Bub is famous for pulling his socks off and throwing them around the house, or even backseat of the car! I'm hoping these little things will stay on his feet better and keep his feet cozy this winter.

Buttons

Soon I hope to be sharing a crochet pattern for a gingerbread man hat, but I still have to find the perfect buttons for the eyes.

 

When I was finished with the crocheting part, I got out my jar of buttons to search for big shiny black ones for the eyes. I don't have any, but Little Bub was very interested in playing with the buttons. At first, I was nervous about him trying to put them in his mouth, but he didn't even try once.

 

 

We did some sorting by colors, but that wasn't as fun as picking them up and waving our hands around to get them off. There may still be some buttons swimming in the carpet, but it entertained Little Bub for about forty minutes!