The Train To Crazy

Los Angeles Fashion Resource

Have you been thinking about starting up your own little fashion business? So many people are doing it, why not you?? Maybe you want to know how to get your clothing designs manufactured? Or perhaps you want to know how to get your brand into stores or sart your own store? Maybe you just want to start small and want to know do the budgeting and pricing for your small etsy shop? 

Los Angeles Fashion Resource was created with you in mind! Jennifer Fairbanks is a clothing and lingerie designer. She started her business in 2002 in San Francisco, has opened multiple stores (learning along the way!), been a teacher and has written books. She started LAFR to help small businesses succeed without falling into some pitfalls she fell into along the way! Fantastic!

Here are some of Jennifer's ebooks she has to offer:

Fashion Unraveled explores the steps of starting a fashion design or crafting business. The book begins with discussions on developing a customer followed by detailed steps on what it takes to manufacture a product.The costing, pricing and budgeting part of this book approaches it differently than most other books out there.

Fashion Unraveled breaks it down based on you being a small business and not a multi-million dollar start up.

Products Unraveled is the second book in the Business Unraveled series. Following the same visual format as Fashion Unraveled, Products Unraveled was written for individuals starting a business in product development and manufacturing. This book introduces the concepts of customer development, marketing and working with contractors.There are many product based businesses and all follow the same basic rules. 

Products Unraveled introduces the manufacturing industry to the entrepreneur and walks one through the business implementation process. Products Unraveled sheds light on the practice of budgeting, pricing and developing a business plan.

So no more excuses! Now you'll know the ins and outs of how to get your adorable little outfits out on the racks! 

Check out the other ebooks and resources on Los Angeles Fashion Resource. I know you'll find it very valuable!

Thanks for being a new sponsor Los Angeles Fashion Resource!

DY(S)B: Sewing Patterns Books & Mags for Boys

The sewing book market seems to be exploding at the seams at the moment. Unfortunately, there are barely any patterns for boys in any of them! It's a shame! There are, however, a few out there that are worth mentioning.

 Sewing Clothes Kids Love is very popular right now. I've written about it several times, as have many other bloggers. I have yet to see anyone blog about the boy patterns. There are pants, shirts and a jacket that work for boys. The photos in the book look very "cool" and I think boys up to size 12 would enjoy them. Definitely worth checking out. Especially if you also have a girl to sew for. 

 Sewing for Boys: 24 Projects to Create a Handmade Wardrobe is coming out is September. This is written by the designers of Patterns by Figgy and, according to Amazon, will have patterns up to size 7. I know nothing about this book but it looks promising!

 Ottobre Design magazine is a great source for boy patterns. I have a few of these magazines and the clothes look fresh and well designed. Lots of knit shirts, jeans and pants. Search through the Ottobre site and buy just the back issue you like, or subscribe and receive 4 issues a year. There are 40 patterns for boys and girls in each issue but usually only a few go up to size 170 cm.

Do you know of any others?

Yes those are Amazon affiliate links above. Feel free to buy wherever you'd like!

Cuffed Shorts

I have a new sponsor! Welcome Lily Bird Studio! I'm very excited to show off some of her great patterns!

I'm going to be doing a pattern review for the Cuffed Shorts.

You know what I'm excited about the most? Is it that the pattern is sized 12m through 8? Nope. It's this:

There is a zipper!! Yay! I'm seriously excited about trying out this pattern. Now I need to check out my stash to see which fabrics I'm going to use!

Check out Lily Bird Studios to see what other great patterns are available (at terrific prices, I might add).

Do you want to make a pair of Cuffed Shorts with me? Ready to tackle zippers?

On the nightstand

A recent fave. I only recommend the best =)

Suzie Larson's Growing Grateful Kids: Teaching Them to Appreciate an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Places (Hearts at Home Books) is amazing. Phenomenal read. You can read a chapter in 20 minutes and put the book down feeling inspired. Seriously, check it out. This book is so much more than how to talk to your kids about gratitude. 

 

Using Freezer Paper to cut out patterns {a tutorial}

Welcome to The Train To Crazy! If you find this tutorial useful I hope you'll subscribe, follow me on twitter, facebook or Google+! Don't forget to check out Make It Wear It, the weekly blog party to showcase all those clothing items and accessories you've been making.

I find that using Freezer Paper when sewing from a pattern makes life a little easier. 

• You don't have to cut up your pattern piece
• You don't need to pin the pattern or use paper weights to cut it out
• You can easily reuse the traced pattern piece saving valuable time

So, here's how it's done!

To date, the most I've re-ironed a single pattern piece has been 10 times. I think it still has some life left in it as well so I'm sure I will be able to continue ironing it on for projects to come. Considering it takes less than a minute to iron a pattern piece on and cut it out, I'd consider this a success! And did I mention no pins or paper weights? What's not to love?

Do you use Freezer Paper to cut out pattern pieces?  

Urban Hoodie

A couple months ago Heidi & Finn sent me the Urban Unisex Hoodie pattern to review. Well, I finally had the chance to whip one up and I love it! 

This is size 6 mo. and was made from a pair of maternity sweats I never wanted to wear again in my life. It is fully lined with some green knit fabric. You might recognize it from this popular dress. The pattern is for knit fabric and has instructions for how to sew this with just a regular sewing machine. No need for a serger. I believe this took me about 2 hours to sew. Maybe a bit more or less. I'm thrilled with how it turned out!

I do have a confession: I haven't sewn on the buttons yet. I'm seriously considering sewing the buttons on the outside and doing velcro underneath instead of button holes. It is for a 6 month old, after all. Quicker is better.

Confession two: I didn't change a thing about the pattern. Not one thing. That's unusual for me, really. So, Now I'm trying to decide if I should go rouge and change up the buttons. What do you think?

UPDATE: Now that I've put this on my baby I believe the pattern runs a bit small so make a size up for your little guy or girl! The sleves are long enough (a bit too long?) but they are snug. Some people complain the body is too short as well (compared to the arms, definitely).

Lunch Box Tutorial Roundup

A lunch box is something that was on my "to sew" list this month that just didn't get checked off. Just in case you still have time, here is a list of lunch box tutorials that should inspire you to whip up a little something homemade for your school kids. Of course, when making a lunch bag or snack bags for your kids, be mindful that these are for food. Stay away from fabrics that are not safe for food.

Zippered top lunch bag by Blissful: I actually made a couple of these last year and really liked them.

Washable lunch bag by the Mad Quilter

Lunch bag by The Long Thread: I love this one!

Panelled Insulated Lunch Bag by Savvy Seams

Lunch Bag from Bend The Rules With Fabric via The Storque

Lunch Sack by A Lemon Squeezy Home: This is a great classic lunch sack

Cute Enough To Eat Lunch Bag by JoAnn's: I actually enlarged this pattern for the last lunch bag I made.

Then make yourself an ice pack, a cute ice pack cover, a few napkins, maybe a sandwich wrap, a sandwich wrap & mat, or snack bag and you're good! But please (PLEASE) don't use oil cloth, PUL or other fabrics that aren't supposed to be against your child's food. I say, who cares if it doesn't wipe clean, just wash it!

Have you made a lunch bag or box? Did you create your own pattern or use one you found?

School Clothes {pants & tank}

I recently bought a copy of Sewing Clothes Kids Love. When I opened the book I was overwhelmed by great color and design. I'm pretty sure the title is spot on as well.

These are my first projects.

The Dortje pants & the Brooklyn tank. 

Clearly the pants are long. I washed them and they shrunk up just enough that now they fit perfectly.

I followed the instructions pretty closely and the fit works well. I did eliminate the side seem allowances on the pants to accommodate my thin girl. The only thing I would do differently next time is make the tank longer. I added the ruffle on it because it was short. As a size 110-116 I assumed it would fit my 106 cm little girl. Guess not. The tank is great, just needs a bit of length. I'll definitely be making more. I really love the pants. They are a bit labor intensive when you add so many details but I think it is worth it in the end.

The book really encourages you to embellish and use ruffles, gathers, ribbons and appliques. These pants don't look much like any of the examples in the book, which is part of the beauty of the book. So many possibilities in each garment. 

I give the book two thumbs up. I especially love that the patterns go up to a size 11/12 and includes some unisex patterns. So, if you love sewing kid's clothes, grab yourself a copy of Sewing Clothes Kids Love.

Linked  

Go To Dress Pattern

Welcome to The Train To Crazy! If you find this tutorial useful I hope you'll subscribe, follow me on twitter, facebook or Google+! Don't forget to check out Make It Wear It, the weekly blog party to showcase all those clothing items and accessories you've been making.

After my obsession with this pattern passed, I set my sights on a another "go to" knit dress for my girls. When Kathy suggested I make a dress with long sleeves, I knew she was right. So, without further ado, I present, the Go To Dress.

The perfect dress for cool evenings and long winters. With long sleeves, a shoulder ruffle and an empire waist, how could you go wrong? What little girl wouldn't like a closet full of these? Comfortable and cute!

Perfect for adventures...

 
The possibilities are endless. 

Pair with some cute leggings or tights if you want, or not.

Make them subdued. Or wild.

Or just use what you have lying around. Mix up the fabrics with polka dots and stripes, add an applique or fun pockets, use an old t-shirt or sweater. Be creative.

Mostly just have fun with this Go To Dress!  Whip up a few for all the little girls in your life.

This pattern comes in sizes 12 months - 5. Please note that I have only tested sizes 18 mo, 4 and 5. After you make a Go To Dress, please post it in the flickr group so we can all see!

Download the Go To Dress Pattern and the Go To Dress Instructions. Now subscribe to my blog, please! Make sure your printer is not scaling the pattern to ensure you are printing it the right size. 

*** This pattern is generously offered FREE by TheTrainToCrazy.com and if you'd like to share it with others please link back here so they can grab it from this post. Do not put these downloads to your own website or sell these. Please do not repost this entire post. You may use the top picture as a graphic if you'd like to link a photo. Thank you very much. ***

UPDATE: I've had a number of questions from readers about this pattern. I've tried to address them all on the Go To Dress Q & A page.

 

This and That

Have you noticed the new features on the side bar of this blog lately? I'm starting to post some of my favorite projects and reads from around the blogsphere so go ahead and check them out! I am rotating them regularly.

On the right side you'll see what's coming up soon on this blog. 

As always, thanks for reading!! Don't forget to visit my sponsors!

***Canadian readers should head on over to From An Igloo for a chance to win a sewing machine!***

Reader Questions: Where do you buy cheap fabric in Boston?

A few of you have asked me where I buy discounted fabric in Boston. The short answer is: I don't anymore! But, I used to! There are a few stores that are worth a look.

Sewfisticated has two locations. I've only been to the one in Somerville (on the Cambridge line). I really like this store. It is clean, bright, and mostly dust free. There is a great selection of home decor fabric, silks, polyester knits, African fabrics and lots of cotton. I've found some great designer fabrics for $2.99 there. There is also quite a large selection of wool suiting.

Sew Low Discount Fabric is in Cambridge about 3 blocks from Sewfisticated. It is easy to go to both stores on the same outing. This store is definitely cramped and dusty though it is worth a look around. I found this swimsuit fabric for $2/yard and it is the same stuff found at JoAnn Fabric for $12.99 (regular price of course). If you are into making men's underwear there are hundreds of underwear band options, which I found amusing. 

Winmil Fabric is in Chinatown in Boston. Like any discount fabric store, you won't find the best customer service and the selection may be hit or miss but the prices are good. Oh, and a cat lives there, which seems extremely odd for a fabric store.

Do you have discount fabric stores near you?

 

Daphne Dress Sew Along

UPDATE: You can now find the Daphne Dress pattern here

Is this not one of the cutest dresses you've ever seen?

This is "The Daphne Dress" and we'll be making it together in August because it is time for another sew along!!

<a href="http://www.thetraintocrazy.com/2010/07/daphne-dress-sew-along.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab308/thetraintocrazy/daphnebutton.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

This is the EASIEST sew along ever! The Daphne Dress comes precut with all you need (except your machine, thread and pins). 

This sew along is for you if:

• You own a sewing machine and really wish you could learn to sew for your little girl.
• You've been tempted to make a little girl's dress but are a bit scared of patterns.
• You'd love to sew but just don't have the time.
• You just plain love this dress (as I do).
• You would like someone to walk you through the steps and answer your questions along the way.
• You have a cute daughter/niece/granddaughter/neighbor that would look adorable in this dress.
• Want to make an all-season dress.
• You want to support mom run businesses.

Is that you??? If you order your Daphne Dress Kit by August 1st you'll get 10% off! Just mention The Train To Crazy at checkout and you'll get a 10% refund. What's more, if you order BEFORE July 21st you'll get free shipping plus the 10% off!! That's a great deal!

 

Kits Contains:

Precut designer fabric 

Simple instructions

Elastic

Safety pin

Everything you need to make a dress no one will believe is homemade.

Children's kits come in two sizes: 1-4 and 5-8 with instructions how to adjust for the different sizes within the kit.

Join me August 9-13th and you can get all your questions answered along the way!! Are you excited? I am!! Order your kit now! Grab the button for your blog if you'd like and get ready to make a dress together! Make sure you check out all of Oh So Sassy's dress kits. Maybe you'll find a dress even cuter than the Daphne Dress! She even has a skirt kit for you! The 10% discount applies to the entire site!!

So, are you going to join along??

Reader Question: How do you make a swimsuit?

After showing you the swimsuits I made, many of you asked me how to make a swimsuit. I'm pretty sure I'm not the person to ask. After all, I did a trial and error method. There are a few tips to having success though, so here's my advice.

• Start with a pattern or an old swimsuit/leotard to trace. There are a few great bloggers who show you how. I particularly like the picture tutorial at No Big Dill. No old swimsuit to trace? Everyday Chaos has a great tutorial.
• Use swimsuit fabric. It should have two way stretch. Most fabric stores carry swimsuit fabric. Stretch it and see how it responds. Some swimsuit fabrics are lycra, some microfiber, some spandex. I used a fabric that wasn't as stretchy as I'd usually like but for $1.99/yard I wasn't too picky.
• Use a ballpoint or stretch needle in your machine.
• If you don't have a serger, use a knit/stretch stitch or a small zigzag so your seams have stretch.
• Use nylon thread (though I used polyester). 
• Use swimsuit elastic (the clear stuff) for the leg and arm openings.

That's it. Now go make yourself a swimsuit! Anyone made women's swimsuits or boy's/men's suits? Any tips or patterns you'd recommend?

 

The GREAT De-Stash Challenge

I've been buying a lot of fabric lately. I have plans for all of it. Truly, I do. The problem is, I'll never get around to completing those projects if I keep buying more fabric for new projects. So, I have decided to declare a state of emergency and start The GREAT De-Stash Challenge. 

The challenge:

1. Organize the stash. You'll keep buying fabric if you don't really know what you already have.

2. Use only fabrics from your stash or your repurpose pile. 

3. Decide the length of time or the amount of pile you'd like to reduce. 

I'm choosing to use 50% of my stash before buying more fabric. That's A LOT of fabric. I mean, A LOT. This is going to be difficult!

Care to join me? Do you complain about your fabric buying habits but continue to buy more? Maybe it's time to start using what you have! Before you head to the store for that "one piece" you need to complete a project, maybe you'll see that you have something in your stash that will complete the job just fine! If you'd like to take the challenge just leave me a comment! I've made some buttons if you'd like to post about it on your blog. Feel free to grab one! 

A little shopping...

Happy Independence Day! Since a lot of stores are closed for the holiday, I thought you might enjoy a little online shopping. Have you checked out my sponsors? What's not to love about supporting handmade and mom run businesses?

And seriously, how cute is this? And I can't believe she can sell these so cheap!

This green is amazing. Maria makes great upcycled skirts for little girls and gorgeous mei tai baby carriers.

And while I may not be wearing a lot of jewelry these days, this bracelet really speaks to me.

Do you like to support mom run businesses?
  

July Sewing Inspiration

*** I've caved. You can now find The Train To Crazy on Twitter. Please follow me for all the latest updates and news***

Looking for some projects to make? (Check out the newly added link at the bottom)

 

Pickup Some Creativity will be hosting Sewing 101 next week. Always wanted to learn to sew? Go check it out. You can also find my series about learning to sew clothes here.

Lil Blue Boo has another great contest. "Turn a dull pile of knits into something amazing! You can sew them, knit them, tie them, glue them. You can make a toy, clothing, accessories....whatever you are inspired by! This challenge is wide open. Dye them, paint them, bead them or just rely on their raw ugly beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder right? What are knits? t-shirts, sweaters, jersey material, sweatshirts etc. Send me your before and after photos by midnight July 15th "

Brown Paper Packages has a new monthly project called Operation: Pay It Forward. 

Anna Maria Horner is collecting quilt squares to make quilts for families in TN who lost their homes. Are you dying to get rid of scraps? This project may be for you!

And, of course, Craft Hope always has a project going on. You still have a little time to make wash cloths to send to the gulf to aid in animal rescue efforts! A great project to work on with children!

NEWLY ADDED:

Samster Mommy is collecting new, handmade tutus & super hero costumes for the Alexa Foundation to donate to little girls and boys with cancer. What a great idea!

Know of any other sewing projects going on right now? Please share them with me!

Stay tuned for a fun new Sew Along here in August! It will be perfect, even for beginners!

Organizing my way

If you are anything like me, you want to do more things than are actually physically possible to accomplish in a given time period. You may also get a bit bogged down by the list. I know I do so today I decided to make my "list" more fun.

No longer do I have to stare at my fabric piles and patterns. I've stapled pieces of fabric next to pattern numbers so I know which fabrics in my stash would work well with which patterns. I'm absolutely loving this method of organization. Of course, these aren't the only two pages. So far I've organized my list for school clothes and discovered that if I make it all my daughter will have enough to wear a new outfit daily for a month. I won't be making it all.

How do you organize your "to sew" list? 

In related news: I've committed to the De-Stash Challenge. Will you join me?

Thanks to my new sponsors! Check them out on the left side bar! If you are interested in becoming a sponsor please check out my new policy

What does education mean to you?

Do you have any idea how lucky we are to have free education? Do you know what countries are like that don't have the infrastructure to provide education for the children? Can you imagine the poverty, the desperation? 

Care to skip a meal out or two this week and help send a child in India to school? Maybe a child that has been rescued from growing up in a brothel? Read the rest of the story here. We can't save them all but we can save some! School starts Thursday so we must act fast!

Think of these faces before you just pass up this opportunity.

 

Bits and pieces

• Farah has won the copy of Priceless: A Novel on the Edge of the World by Tom Davis. Congratulations Farah! I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!
• Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt is on sale for the next couple days at ChristianAudio.com. Use code RADICAL610 to get it for $2.49. You will not be sorry. I'm in the middle of it now and it definitely lives up to the hype! 
• Missy's daughter is wiser than we are. I'm pretty sure this is why Jesus said we should be like children.

So, is Radical a book you are considering reading/listening to?

Book Recommendation: Priceless [& a Giveaway]

I am sure I've mentioned it before, but I tend to start books and never finish them. I'm a good starter. Every now and then I'll finish a book within a reasonable time (a month). Very rarely do I read a book in all my spare time and finish it within a day or two. Well, guess what I did this week.

I received Priceless: A Novel on the Edge of the World 
in the mail last week from the author and had it finished within 2 days. It's good!! 

What I loved most about the book is that while it is not a true story, it is dripping with reality. This story is set in Moscow and the sex trade industry is the backdrop. From the first chapter until the end you won't want to put it down. It is an eye opening account of a very real reality for 27 million people in our world. Are you passionate about people and helping those who suffer? Then this is a book for you. Even if you are just up for a great story, this is for you.  

This is the second novel by Tom Davis. The first novel, Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World , is equally as riveting. Both novels clearly show Tom's passion for the orphans and the victims in our world. It is no surprise that he is the founder and director of Children's Hope Chest (an organization worth your time to check out). Tom's blog is also worth subscribing to.

Want to read the first chapter for free to see if you like it? Visit SheIsPriceless.com for a behind the scenes video and a free download of the first chapter!  

And now for the giveaway portion! I'm giving away a copy of Priceless (courtesy of Tom Davis) to one lucky reader. All you have to do is leave a comment! The contest will be open until Tuesday, June 22nd at 8 p.m. EST. 

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. 

Fine Print: I received my copy of Priceless for free from the author in exchange for a "honest, frank review." So there you have it.

Sewing for boy {pants}

I'm still loving Handmade Beginnings: 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby. After sewing the hoodie and booties I moved on to the pants.

The, oh so cute, pants. They are reversible and have a cute little panel on the bum.

I fell in love with these fabrics. They are bold and cute and I'm hoping they look good on a little boy. 

And these little ones are corduroy on one side and cotton plaid on the other. Oh, and they just might go with the booties and the hoodie.

The pants are the size 6-9 months. They are definitely intended to have the cuff rolled up. When it is unrolled, the pants fit my 19 month old. And she's not tiny so if you are planning to make pants just be aware that they are baggy and have the potential to grow with your child. That's a bonus in my book.   

Linking HERE

The BEST girls' dress tutorials

Summer is nearly upon us. It is dress season. I don't know about your girls, but my girls absolutely love dresses. That's a good thing, because I love to make dresses

There are a TON of little girl's dress tutorials out there in blog land. I've taken the liberty of narrowing it down to just my favorite dozen. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. Of course you will. They are cute, and free! And I really can't say enough about these. They all deserve you to click through and at least look at them! So much variety in style, color and design.

Ruffle Peasant Dress by TaDa Creations

Shirred Top or Dress by TaDa Creations

Sweet Shirred Summer Dress by Prudent Baby

Reversible Girl's Pinafore Dress by Stuff I Live For

Popover Sundress by Oliver & S

Last Minute Frock by Grosgrain Fabulous

J-Crew-y Ruffle Dress by KoJo Designs

Another Ruffly J-Crew-y Dress by KoJo Designs

Fairy Romper by Samster Mommy

"In The Garden" Shirred Twirly Dress by From An Igloo

Wrap Dress by Tiny Happy

Bubble Dress by Made By Lex

So what do you think of this list?

This list Works For Me. Do you have any favorite dress tutorials that I haven't included? I'd love to hear about them!

Christmas in April

If your house is like mine, you've likely thought "we have too many toys!" Over the years I've gotten rid of tons of toys the girls just didn't enjoy. I think what we have now are truly quality, creative, and enjoyable toys. There are still too many to play with. The best solution I've come up with is to rotate toys. 

Yesterday we brought up a few boxes that hadn't been seen since before Christmas. One giant rubbermaid tub was completely full of books. OH MY. The excitement level was insane. With every book they pulled out of the tub they squealed thinking of all their memories of that book. I have to admit, I was excited to see some of them that I had been so sick of when I packed them up. With a few months off where I didn't have to read Fancy Nancy daily I actually enjoyed her yesterday. 

Now I have the task ahead of deciding what to put into the tubs to store away for possibly Christmas in July. So many possibilities. I brought the trains out yesterday so I'm thinking maybe I'll put the blocks away for a while. And maybe some dolls. Goodness, when did we get so many dolls? And now I have a place to put some of the books I've been reading daily for the last few months. I'll see you in July!

Do you rotate the toys in your house?

Reading through dozens of books yesterday made me realize what a fantastic collection we have. There are so many great classic and not so classic fiction kids books out there. I think my favorite are all the non-fiction books. My kids just eat them up. Figuratively. It's so fun to be able to learn about science and nature. And while books like Make Way for Ducklings and Pete's A Pizza are always exciting around here, I think books about gravity, simple machines, animals and weather are chosen more often.

Right now we are enjoying (read: reading over and over and over) the Dr. Suess Learning Library books, Robert E. Wells books and the Lets-Read-And-Find-Out Science books. Here are some of our current favorites;

    

(Sorry, if you are reading in a blog reader you'll probably have to click through to view our favorites)

There are so, so many wonderful children's non-fiction books. 

Do your kids like reading non-fiction? Any favorites?

Sometimes you read things and must pass them on...

Scribbit wants you to evaluate if you are you raising a narcissist. All I have to say is READ THIS. She is so spot on! All parents should take a close look at their parenting. Want to know if you are a narcissist? Take this great quiz.

It's Almost Naptime nails the topic of designer babies. I'll give this 5 stars.

And, just for fun, what does your favorite color say about what career would suit you best? Let's just say this quiz said I should do exactly what I do. Well, what I did prior to staying at home with the kiddos.

The ad space giveaway ends tomorrow!

Reworking the reader. Again.

I mentioned a while back, somewhere, that I had reorganized my google reader and weeded out the blogs I don't read, or don't need to read. Well, the time has come to do it again. Don't worry, yours is still there. I cut some that I didn't think I'd cut though. Like Soule Mama. It doesn't really add anything to my life and we aren't friends so she's gone. I won't tell you who else I cut. But there were a lot of popular ones that I no longer feel connected with.

And while I think everyone should narrow down their reader, here are a few you should add if you don't have them already.

Be "The Hands and Feet" is amazing. I know many of you read Katie Davis' blog but Renee lives in Uganda as well and works reviving children suffering from severe malnutrition. Hours away from death she takes them into her home, feeds them every 15 minutes/24 hours a day if necessary and also teaches their parents about nutrition so that they can go back to their parents and thrive. Now THAT is something I can get behind! 

And are you reading Donald Miller's blog? While not every post is for you (unless you are a writer), he does have some EXCELLENT content. Really. Like his new project to change the world. I mean, THAT is something I can get behind! Of course, I still laugh thinking about his celebrity Amazon wish list.

And, while I'm on the subject of Donald Miller. I have a confession to make. I never finished Blue Like Jazz . I started off loving it, and then lost it. Literally. I had to pay $15 to the public library system, which I wasn't too happy about. I should have bought it off Amazon in the first place and saved myself a few bucks.

Of course you might already be reading this, but We Are That Family has been doing an excellent series on marriage (literally opening up their wounded souls to the world) and today she is heading to Kenya with Compassion International so I am looking forward to some gut wrenching, thought provoking posts coming soon.

And, because you can't read only thought provoking material, you must read Mama Sass because she's hilarious. And, I shouldn't say she isn't thought provoking because she IS! They'll just be thoughts of your crazy teen years and the awful jeans you wore or she'll make you think of all the stupid things you hate about facebook. You'll laugh anyway.

So there you have it! How do you decide which blogs to read?

Big ol' thumbs up!

I mentioned that I was hoping this little guy would change my life. Guess what! So far, he has done his job! My little early waker loves the little green light so much that she'll stick around to see it come on. Sure, she gets a little antsy but it is working. So, if you hear the pitter patter of little feet in the wee early hours of the morning, go ahead, get yourself a OK to Wake! Children's Alarm Clock and Nightlight. Seriously. 

Big Sister Designs Giveaway!!

This week I have a giveaway I am very excited about! There is a new Etsy shop called Big Sister Designs and it has the cutest stuff! Look at these cute Mei Tai style baby carriers! They might just make a few of you want to have a baby.

Check out these upcycled, lined pillow case skirts! So cute.

 

One of you lucky readers will win a Mei Tai! Perfect for your baby or toddler or to take to the next baby shower! 

There are THREE ways to win (and a bonus entry)!

1. Go visit Big Sister Design's etsy shop and leave me a comment letting me know what your favorite item is.

2. Become a friend of Big Sister Design's on Facebook. Leave me a separate comment letting me know.

3. Spread the word! Post about this on your blog, tweet about it or post it on facebook. Leave a separate comment with the link to where you shared!

Bonus: A bonus entry for all of you who have left a comment this month letting me know you are participating in the 25 Days of Christmas.

This contest is closed! 

Relaxing and reading

Christmas brings out so many emotions from people. People usually love it, or dread it. Well, I love it. I've been making a conscious effort to focus on the reason we celebrate Christmas and to keep it simple. And, I think we've been doing a pretty good job of that! It helps when we have no parties to attend, no family events, no traveling, nothing! 

There have been some great, thought provoking reads out there lately that I urge you to read, if you haven't already.

Missy at It's Almost Naptime challenges your mental picture of what the birth of Jesus was like. She is so right! If you've had a baby, you'll probably want to read this.

Know someone who grieves during this season? Life as Mom lets you know how to be there for them.

And, because I love to get your blood pumping, Just Mothering Through takes on the animal rights celebrities.

One week to go. Make it a good one.

Signing...

This post was first published August 5, 2008. Since we are back in the signing stage I thought I'd publish it again! 

So, if you have met me, or my kids, you know that we sign. Not fluently, mind you, but we do sign. I am a big believer in teaching your kids to sign. Not just because it comes in handy when they can sign "more" and "all done" but because it is a HUGE confidence builder and frustration deflector. I know this is somewhat controversial, but in my opinion, you should use ASL and not made up baby signs. Of course this is my opinion and I have no studies and scientific data to show you but in our experience it has been awesome. How many people who teach baby signs can say that their kids can communicate with people who are deaf? Not many. Here is our story and how we did it. 

When Naomi was about 14 months old she still wasn't saying any words. Nothing to be too alarmed about but she wasn't even doing baby talk so I started looking into how to teach her some signs to help with her frustration. I checked out a few books and videos and then stumbled upon Signing Time, The best baby sign language videos!. We watched a couple from the library and realized that Naomi was able to watch the 20 minute video through a couple times and was able to remember nearly all of the signs on the show. Most of the shows have about 30 signs in them. They were engaging and she loved watching them. This was great considering it was really her first TV watching experience. 

  I did a little websurfing to find more out about Signing Times and was so impressed with how the videos came about. You can read about it at Signing Time: Our Story. The great news is that they are at the library, and on PBS in most areas. Having a DVR we went the PBS route and recorded all of them. There are now about 26 videos you can get I believe. Give or take a couple. (Updated: There are more videos now!)

By the time Naomi was 18 months old she was saying about 5 words consistently but signing nearly 300 words, and Signing ABC's and Numbers. Impressive? Yes, but I think any kid can learn to sign. You do need to learn the signs too so sit down and watch the shows with your kids.  

You don't have to start them as babies either. My niece, who is autistic, started watching the videos when she was 3 or 4 years old and caught on very quickly. I think most ages up to even late elementary school will enjoy these shows. Daphne started watching them a bit younger than Naomi but didn't catch on as fast. She was our very verbal baby and spoke nearly 300 words at 18 months but only maybe 50-100 signs. She is really getting into it now though. And it does take kids quite some time to figure out how their fingers work. I think signing really helps with fine motor skills. When Naomi was around 18 months old she had a "conversation" on the ferry with a woman who is deaf. The woman was so thrilled that this little baby could talk with her. Granted she was a baby so the conversation was more like "boat, water, bird...." When Naomi was around 2.5 we ran across a man who is deaf in Costco's parking lot and her conversation was a bit more mature, "nice to meet you, what is your name? my name is Naomi..." 

Both of our girls learned their alphabet, colors and numbers by signing. I think there really is something to learning with more of your senses other than just sight and hearing. Not that kids need to be pushed to learn their letters... We are hoping they will keep all these signs in use and in their memory vaults until they are old enough to take some classes. It could be very valuable as a second language. So, this is why I think you should stick with ASL over made up signs... I wholeheartedly recommend Signing Times as a way to teach your kids signs. Yes, it is TV so if you have a problem with that then just get over it because this show is awesome. The ONLY drawback to the show is that you'll have the songs stuck in your head, forever. 

How has your experience with signing been?

Updated: We don't have Signing Times on our PBS station here so we've invested in some of the DVDs and are really happy we have! 

Christmas from the heart

A friend posted on facebook the other day about her dilemma between trying to live simply and also trying to support the local small businesses in this economy. It is an interesting dilemma. If nobody spends any money then the economy gets worse and less people have jobs and the economy gets worse and the third world gets poorer and on and on. Yes, I realize this is a simplistic version of reality.

My take on it is to not give up buying or giving entirely. Make a Christmas budget. Give the first portion to organizations that feed, clothe and take care of people's medical needs. Then, because we have to spend some money, buy intentionally. Meaning, don't just go out to the local Stuffmart and blow your budget in the dollar aisle (though it is SO tempting). Here is my take:

• Buy supplies and make gifts. 
• Buy handmade or gifts that support a cause. (that's right, go ahead and click through each of those links and do a bit of Christmas shopping) I guess you could also throw local shops in here as well. After that,
• Support Amazon.com. Okay, that's a bit of a joke, kind of. 

I've read some good stuff about christmas shopping lately.

Jude at Pajamas are Clothes gets on her soapbox. It's a great soapbox. 

Donald Miller's Amazon wish list is one of the funniest things I've read recently. Please read it.

And, completely unrelated to Christmas, have you read Katie Davis' latest post? Challenging, for sure. I'm not sure I entirely agree with her but maybe I should.

What do you think? What is your take on how and where we should buy gifts for Christmas?

25 Days of Giving Kick-Off

  Can you believe it is December 1st? Are you ready to prepare your hearts, minds and children for Christmas? I am pumped up this year and I hope you are too. 

Just joining us? We are starting the 25 Days of Giving, which is a daily celebration of giving of ourselves. We are taking advantage of the days leading up to the celebration of Jesus to teach our children the true meaning of Christmas. Tired of your children opening their Christmas presents and then asking if there are more? Frustrated that your children think Christmas is Santa's birthday? It isn't too late to jump on this train! I've written some helpful posts to get you started. 

What is the 25 Days of Giving?

What are some free (or nearly free) activities we can do?

What are some ways we can use our money and resources to give in a way that children understand?

The holidays stress you out? Worried that this will take too much time to organize or will feel unnatural?  Here is a list of 25 activities for you! Just print them out and chose one a day!

Is life hectic for you right now? New baby in the house, 17 house guests? You don't need to do this every day if that doesn't work with your life right now. Last year I had a one month old baby and believe me, there were more than a few days we didn't stick to our schedule and that is okay! This isn't about adding another thing to your "to do list." 

I've heard from nearly a dozen of you that you will be joining us this year and that is so exciting! I'd love to hear more about your ideas!

How are you planning to introduce this to your family?

How are you connecting the idea of giving to Christmas?

Do you plan to document your 25 Days of Giving? We'd love to read about it! 

And finally, there will be a giveaway again this year. The winner will be among those of you who join us on this journey, whether it be for just a handful of days or the full 25 days. Hint: make sure to let me know you are joining us! Once again, this will not be a traditional giveaway but you'll just have to wait to find out what it is!

Day 1 is about to begin!

The 25 Days of Giving is just around the corner?   Can you believe tomorrow is Day One? Are you excited? Be sure to check back tomorrow for the official kick off of the 25 Days of Giving! 

Still trying to decide if you want to participate? It doesn't need to be difficult. This shouldn't be just one more thing that makes you dread Christmas! This should be natural and fun. Just Mothering Through has posted her 25 activities and it really shows how natural this can be. Don't stress about how this is expensive or time consuming. The point is to focus on God's gift to us by learning how to give of ourselves during this season. Our culture has told us is all about focusing on yourself and what you want. This is about focusing on what it is really about.

Still not convinced? Still stressed? Just print out this easy and almost free list of activities. {If you are reading this in a reader you will need to click through to see the list} Make a chain or put them in a jar to do one each day. There, how easy was that? 

25 Days of Giving

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow!! Are you joining us? Feel free to use the button above!

Stocking stuffers

So, I think I've collected the majority of the stocking stuffers I'm giving the girls. Simple things like a little wooden spoon, some wiki stix (but the generic cheap $1 ones), an ugly scarf I found for 50 cents, you know, good stuff. This isn't random stuff but "stuff" they'll actually love and use.  I've been eyeing a few cute things over at Land of Nod. These "All Mixed Up Stacking Puzzles" are SO cute! And right now Land of Nod has free shipping on all their stocking stuffers. So, if you could, be a doll and head on over there. Just be sure you click the link on the left! Or, if you've already planned out what you are getting your kids but really want a cute little play kitchen are some super fun bedding for your little one, just Create a Gift Registry for Baby at The Land of Nod

So, while we are trying to make sure our Christmas isn't focused on the receiving end of things, we are still giving our girls a few gift and a stocking. If you narrow the number of gifts down, it really forces you to think more about each purchase. I think we've decided on 4 gifts. Probably. One outfit (I'm making them), one stuffed animal (also homemade), one book and one toy. I think we can stick to this. I think. We don't have a great track record in this department, however. 

And, since my girls don't know what the word "blog" is, and they never surf the web, I think I'll divulge some of my gifts ahead of time!

The 4 "and a half" year old:

The Book: Dr. Suess Beginner books set. Like 10 books in one for about $10 from Costco. Can't beat it.

The outfit: can you say plaid?

The stuffed animal: either an elephant or maybe Molly Monkey. Can't decide. She IS super cute. And I could give her a matching plaid outfit... hmmm....

The 3 year old:

The Book: Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings  Did you ever read this as a kid? I LOVED it. I know most of the poems are a bit above a 3 year old's head but she just loves poems and rhymes right now. In fact, she also loves to mimic- in rhyme. So, if you say "let's go" she says "mets ko". You get the picture. Constantly. It is actually humorous and if she's going to mimic I'll take the rhyming mimic any day.

Outfit: more plaid, but different.

The stuffed animal: more of the same.

The not so baby, baby:

The book: a Lift-the-Flap Board Book  I love lift the flap books. So much more interaction and fun. But, they have to be the sturdy board book variety or those flaps don't last as long as they should... at least around here.

The outfit: more plaid. Oh, she is going to be so cute!

The stuffed animal: seriously torn. Leaning toward the elephant for ease but that monkey is too cute.

The toy: We have a tradition of giving the girls a puzzle of their name. They love them so the not so baby will be getting her own this year.

Notice I left off the toy part for the older girls? I really don't know! No idea. I was thinking about this awesome calendar at One Step Ahead. The price was throwing me off. In fact, I've been eyeing it for months, and months. But that 3 year old, the one with the internal alarm clock of steel, has a really difficult time grasping the concept of "last week" and "yesterday" and lots of other related words. So, after hearing a friend of mine may be getting this my jealousy took over and now I am considering it again. And while we are on the topic of ridiculously cute and expensive wall hangings. How about this one? And this idea is amazing, but probably ridiculously easy to make yourself.

Anther idea I had was to make them some doll diapers and clothes. BUT, that sounds like more work. And let's be honest. IT IS THE END OF NOVEMBER. Sorry for the shouting, but I think I'd better get sewing!

Now, that's enough procrastinating. Tomorrow night I'll actually get some of this done. Probably.

What are you doing for gifts this year? any great ideas?

More ideas for 25 Days

Now that you have some free ways to show kindness to others for your 25 Days of Giving, here are some not so free ideas. Please remember that one of the goals of giving is to include your child so if you are sending money to an organization that might not connect with them emotionally. Be creative, educate them about what the organization is trying to do. Teach them about poverty, homelessness, global poverty and the lack of clean water, or whatever you are donating to. If you are giving food to the food bank or donating clothes, have the children take it themselves. Let their 5 senses experience the activity. If you are buying a gift for someone, let them help pick it out and wrap it.

• Contact your local mission and adopt a family for Christmas.
• Create care package for children in hiding in the jungles of Burma through Christians Concerned for Burma. I wrote more about it last March.
• Chose a child to give to through a giving tree or Angel Tree.
• Sign up to sponsor a child through World Vision, Compassion International, Children's Hope Chest or other child sponsorship organization. You might consider choosing a child that has the exact birthday as your child to create a bond. 
• Contact your favorite local charities and find out what items are on their "wish list". Have your children help you purchase items on that list and deliver them.
• Donate food to a local animal shelter.
• Donate to Toys for Tots.
• Buy a needy family a Christmas Tree.
• Hand out flowers to strangers. I think next time we do this we'll have a note attached to each flower.
• Donate warm clothes to shelters.
• Choose a gift in a charity's Christmas giving catalog such as World Vision, Orphan Relief & Rescue, Compassion International, World Concern. There are many, many more organizations out there that you can donate to.

Any great organizations you want to share? What are some other creative ways to bless others?

Orphan Sunday

Did you know tomorrow is Orphan Sunday? 

Do you think about orphans? Does it seem like a problem a world away? I encourage you to take the day to think about them. Think about what your life would have been like if you were an orphan, alone, hungry, without hope. Take the day to pray for the orphans. Just one day. One day out of your life to think about orphans as people, as children with names and hopes and dreams. Take one day to truly love them. See if that one day changes the rest of your days.

From the nightstand

As I've mentioned before, I read to many books at once. I've been known to read 75% of a lot of books.

Here is what I'm reading now. 

Raising Kids for True Greatness: Redefine Success for You and Your Child So far I'm loving it. Highly recommend.

Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality Oh wow was I loving this until I lost it...

Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life This is a lovely book about living in today. Beautifully written.

What are you reading?

If another plate or bowl slides off the table I'll scream

When we got married we registered for nice, heavy ceramic dishes. They are great. Of course, the dinner plate is too big to fit in most cupboards, they are thick and take up a lot of room, and the plates are too heavy for kids. But they are pretty. SO, with this last move, I kept them in the box and ordered myself a few boxes of plain white Corelle dishes. They are light weight, break resistant (we test this theory daily) and my favorite part is they stack so well that I can fit the whole set on one shelf. Who could ask for anything better?

The downside: They are light. Light and slippery. Slippery and light. What happens when a smooth table, a Corelle bowl full of sticky rice and a preschooler collide in one location? Well, rice stuck all over the floor, of course! I have had to retrain my children to hold on to their dish with one hand while they are eating so that the scooping fork or spoon doesn't shove it right off the table. Sometimes multiple times a day I was pulling my hair out cleaning up breakfast, lunch or dinner off the floor while a hungry kid cried because she just accidentally tossed her food on the floor.

 Enter: my solution. The silicone hot pad. Sent to me from above... the stove. I now put it under cereal bowls and plates cluttered with grapes and bananas to prevent what had become the inevitable. Brilliant, if I do say so myself. A silpat will also do the job. It works for me!

My three year old reads!

A while back I mentioned that I started teaching Naomi to read. Yes she is three years old. Yes she is learning to read! Our reading lessons have come to a halt. We got to lesson 76 in our book and then Maggie was born. Naomi has been asking me to do a lesson every day but I just haven't had the undivided attention that I need to give her for the lessons.

Just because we haven't hit lesson 100 doesn't mean that she can't read! She blows me away by how much she can read. For example, she can read Go Dog Go and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I love it! She loves it. Every time we sit down with a book she tries to read some of it. Most books that we read are a bit over her head but there are always words she can read in every book.

So, yes, you can teach a three year old to read! Some of the unexpected side effects of her learning to read have included her learning to write and in turn becoming better at drawing and controlling her pencil and crayons. Though, maybe someone can tell me, is it normal for kids to sometimes write things backward or is that something I should be concerned about? Today she wrote Daphne's name backward, mirror image backward. Odd? It seems like it could be normal to me but I don't really know anything about the brain in this matter.

Some of you had mentioned that you were going to start using this book to teach your kids to read. Have you started? What do you think?

Update: For those of you who have asked, I use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and I highly recommend it. The biggest requirement your child needs before you start this book is the ability to pay attention for a while. Naomi isn't very good at that so it made our lessons a bit more difficult but we still had great results. The book claims you can teach advanced 3.5 year olds and all average 4 and 5 year olds to read. We started before Naomi was 3.5 and she did fine. See my full review here.

Signing...

So, if you have met me, or my kids, you know that we sign. Not fluently, mind you, but we do sign. I am a big believer in teaching your kids to sign. Not just because it comes in handy when they can sign "more" and "all done" but because it is a HUGE confidence builder and frustration deflector. I know this is somewhat controversial, but in my opinion, you should use ASL and not made up baby signs. Of course this is my opinion and I have no studies and scientific data to show you but in our experience it has been awesome. How many people who teach baby signs can say that their kids can communicate with people who are deaf? Not many. Here is our story and how we did it.

When Naomi was about 14 months old she still wasn't saying any words. Nothing to be too alarmed about but she wasn't even doing baby talk so I started looking into how to teach her some signs to help with her frustration. I checked out a few books and videos and then stumbled upon Signing Time, The best baby sign language videos!. We watched a couple from the library and realized that Naomi was able to watch the 20 minute video through a couple times and was able to remember nearly all of the signs on the show. Most of the shows have about 30 signs in them. They were engaging and she loved watching them. This was great considering it was really her first TV watching experience.

I did a little websurfing to find more out about Signing Times and was so impressed with how the videos came about. You can read about it at Signing Time: Our Story. The great news is that they are at the library, and on PBS in most areas. Having a DVR we went the PBS route and recorded all of them. There are now about 26 videos you can get I believe. Give or take a couple. By the time Naomi was 18 months old she was saying about 5 words consistently but signing nearly 300 words, and Signing ABC's and Numbers. Impressive? Yes, but I think any kid can learn to sign. You do need to learn the signs too so sit down and watch the shows with your kids.

You don't have to start them as babies either. My niece, who is autistic, started watching the videos when she was 3 or 4 years old and caught on very quickly. I think most ages up to even late elementary school will enjoy these shows. Daphne started watching them a bit younger than Naomi but didn't catch on as fast. She was our very verbal baby and spoke nearly 300 words at 18 months but only maybe 50-100 signs. She is really getting into it now though. And it does take kids quite some time to figure out how their fingers work. I think signing really helps with fine motor skills.

When Naomi was around 18 months old she had a "conversation" on the ferry with a woman who is deaf. The woman was so thrilled that this little baby could talk with her. Granted she was a baby so the conversation was more like "boat, water, bird...." When Naomi was around 2.5 we ran across a man who is deaf in Costco's parking lot and her conversation was a bit more mature, "nice to meet you, what is your name? my name is Naomi..."

Both of our girls learned their alphabet, colors and numbers by signing. I think there really is something to learning with more of your senses other than just sight and hearing. Not that kids need to be pushed to learn their letters...

We are hoping they will keep all these signs in use and in their memory vaults until they are old enough to take some classes. It could be very valuable as a second language. So, this is why I think you should stick with ASL over made up signs... I wholeheartedly recommend Signing Times as a way to teach your kids signs. Yes, it is TV so if you have a problem with that then just get over it because this show is awesome. The ONLY drawback to the show is that you'll have the songs stuck in your head, forever.

How has your experience with signing been?