Sleepy Time

It can be a challenge sometimes to get SweetPea to go to bed. So I made this chart in hopes that is may help things along. SweetPea usually doesn't have as much trouble staying in bed as procrastinating getting there. So for us the "stayed in bed" part includes going with out much fuss. Basically she picks an animal and uses the animal to get to go through the bedtime routine. She can gallop like a horse, hop like a bunny, etc.

I also made this chart to help teach her a little about reading clocks and when her bedtime is. She can compare the chart to the clock above it. When they look the same it is time to start the bedtime routine.

Finally, I have been making some blankets as baby gifts. My mother-in-law has made similar blankets for all of my kids and they are so handy. I thought they would make great gifts. Now I just need to get them to all of their new owners. Some of them have been waiting for a little too long.

Fairy Wings and Tutus

Recently, SweetPea had a birthday party to go to. We thought it would be a fun gift to give her fairy wings and a tutu. So SweetPea helped me to make them for her friend. I have directions below on how we did it.
First we made the wings. You start by taking two wire hangers and breaking the hook off the top. This was pretty easy. I just bent it back and forth until it just popped off.


Then I used some duct tape to tape the two hangers together where I had broken off the hooks.


I then folded the hangers together to make them point backwards a bit. It just looked better than them being flat.


Then I gave them a bit of shape as best I could.


Next i took a pair of Kids tights. I couldn't find adult pantyhose in white. I cut the legs off right where the pantie began. I then slid one leg over each wing and tied them in the center.


Next I cut the leg openings of the pantie off to make "straps" for the wings. I just slipped the loops over the wings. And Finally I tied a big daisy in the center to cover the knot and tape. I added a few extra ribbons and glued smaller daisies to the ends of the ribbon. I think I turned out really cute.


The tutu is really easy. I have made several of these for SweetPea in different colors.


Usually I use a piece of ribbon or elastic, or a bit of both so they slip on and off pretty easily without me having to tie and untie tutus all day long. But this time I used the waistband of the tights I used on the wings. It worked out perfectly.

You simply tie strips of tulle and ribbon onto the waistband. You can buy tulle by the yard and cut the strips, but I personally like to find the tulle that is sold on a roll. It is about 6" wide which is a great width. First you want to decide the length of the skirt. I made this one about 18". So I had to cut strips 36" long because you fold them in half to tie them. You tie them by folding the strip in half and looping around the waistband and pulling the ends through the loop. I took a picture using ribbon because it is easier to see what I mean than to use the tulle.


I usually tie 2-3 pieces of tulle or ribbon at once. Then you keep tying strips all the way around the waistband until the tutu is as dense as you want.
I also found it is easier putting the waistband around my thigh while tying the tulle. I find it fun to come up with themes for the tutu, changing colors, lengths, densities, materials. You can also play with the shape. Varying lengths of the strips or how you cut the ends. The yellow and white one Kiah is wearing with the wings above used about 1.5 rolls. It was not as dense as some tutus I have made, but I thought it was great for a fairy.

Product Review - NasalClear Battery Operated Nasal Aspirator

Here is my review on epinions.com

Luna's review of NasalClear

Or, here it is written out!

"After the birth of my second child I was told about the Graco's NasalClear battery operated nasal aspirator. I thought it sounded like a neat tool, but not really worth the money. Especially since I had a couple of free nasal aspirating bulbs that I had gotten for free from the hospital. But after the birth of my third child I decided to give it a try, especially since we had already been through a bout of RSV.

"After using it, all I could ask myself was "Why didn't I buy this sooner?" I can't even explain the number of physical battles of will and power I had with my first two children over clearing their noses. Luckily, my very strong son learned at an early age how to blow his nose. I try not to kick myself too hard for not buying the NasalClear for them.My youngest has benefited greatly from the NasalClear. She hardly makes a peep when we have to use it. If she does get a little restless I just turn the music on. (yes, it plays music!)

"And the music seems to do the trick to help calm the nerves to get the job done. It is so much faster using the NasalClear too. And the aspirator only has to be inserted one time, as compared to the repetition of squeeze insert release, repeat of a traditional aspirator. I find it to be much more sanitary. I don't have to expel anything into a tissue, or fidget with the traditional bulb under the faucet, unsure as to how clear it is ACTUALLY getting. The Nasal Clear is easy to clean.

"There is another company that makes a similar product. As far as I could tell it uses a small balloon/bulb that is disposable for the reservoir. I chose the NasalClear because I didn't want to have to buy replacement parts all the time, and make sure I had them on hand and in the right place. Not to mention I hate creating more trash, just more for me to lug to the curb. "

Help me out and read my review at epinions! For those of you that don't know, you can earn some money writting reviews for products on epinions. But you need people to read your review and deem it helpful. So if you have a product you love (it doesn't have to be baby related) write a review. It isn't a lot of money, but it is kinda fun knowing you might get paid for spreading the word!

Project 365 February 2009

What is Project 365?

Project 365 January 2009