What came on the UPS truck today

Ah, the UPS truck is always a fun sight - especially when you know it's bringing something good to your house.

Today we got new Nalgene water bottles for me, hubby and the Monkey! Hubby and I are Nalgene addicts - we collect the things - we've had ones with our college logo, ones that had bumper stickers all over them, ones from mountain towns, etc. Hubby tends to leave his at work so he always needs more than one. (And we always need water, especially at the higher altitudes - so it's the easiest way to always have it on hand).

It's totally dorky, but our old Nalgenes contained BPA...I've known about the chemical for years, as I studied it heavily in college (took a lot of environmental biology/ecology courses), but I just really wasn't that concerned. I still use BPA-containing bottles to feed the occasional bottle to Small Fry (he's had about 3 bottles since he was 6 weeks old). I just take a few precautions (like not heating the bottles - we actually use them cold, not washing in the dishwasher, etc.)

Nalgene just came out with a BPA-free bottle (the Everyday Tritan) that is the same wide-mouth and clear, cool colors, as the poly-carbonate bottles (the BPA containing ones). They actually do feel (and sound) a little different, but they are SO cool. AND coolest of all, they have these "Grip n' Gulp" sippy bottles for toddlers (in the same BPA-free plastic) - they are really cool. The Monkey LOVES his "water bobble", and I actually am going to get a few more - I think they'll become our every day sippy now.

Shhhhh...be vewy, vewy quiet!

Ah, the joy of silence. The Monkey has had a wee cold the past couple of days and I think Small Fry and I picked it up today. So, we're kind of lounging, I'm cleaning (since that is a chore that is never done). The Monkey easily went down for a nap, and then Small Fry followed suit (he's sleeping on the playmat next to me right now - unswaddled too - that's a big deal!).

So, besides the cats vying for my attention, I'm totally enjoying this relaxing moment. It could end any second, so I'm soaking up all the silence I can!

Pee-Kool Update

Well, it was an eventful week. Monday was easy. Wednesday was a little sadder. The Monkey decided "no pee-kool" in the car on Wednesday morning. I told him he'd have tons of fun and he'd enjoy it. He did okay walking into school until we got to his classroom, and then he refused to cross the threshold. His teacher who is SOOO nice, talked to him and together we got him in the classroom and mellowed out.

The teacher pulled out some paint and instantly, the Monkey got excited and forgot all about being sad. That was easy.

Friday, not so easy. As we pulled into the parking lot of the school, he started to say, "no, no pee-kool, bubbie (hubby's mom), daddy". He has been going to Bubbie's house a few mornings a week for the past few months, and has the BEST time, and he definitely misses her. I offered a toy he could bring into school with him, and that worked until we got to the classroom door again. He just broke down in tears, "mommy, hold you me" (he thinks you say "hold you" when he's asking to be held, we corrected him that you say "hold me", and so he's combined the two).

Oh, was my mommy heart broken. I just wanted to hold the Monkey and make it all better. After some bawling, his teacher came in, took over holding him, said "bye-bye mommy, we love you", and shooed me away. I got in the car and cried. I knew he would have fun and enjoy himself, but the mommy instinct to comfort your crying child is SO strong and I just wanted to make it better.

I enjoyed my Friday without work, and headed to Starbucks for a chai and scone, then to run some errands (and buy new clothes - for the first time in three years!!). I returned to school at 12:30 and the Monkey had a great time. The teacher said he just needed a little love and reassurance and he was fine. She also told me he was great with the other kids. It was a fantastic update.

Monday is a Jewish holiday, so school is closed (we're taking the Monkey horseback riding instead), so I'm hoping Wednesday will be less traumatic than Friday. It's been quite an eventful and "growth-ful" week - for kids and parents. :)

Monkeys Everywhere!

I'm in a sock monkey kick right now. The retro little creatures are hot again and I'm totally taken by them! I even stumbled upon the fantastic Etsy seller, BrightsIdea, who is selling adorable authentic (and updated) sock monkeys. I can't wait to purchase a "baby safe" sock monkey!

Check out my chronology of products I've created along with ones that are currently available!

About a year or so ago, Moda fabrics came out with their first adorable sock monkey line, "5 Funky Monkeys" by Erin Michaels. I loved the line, the retro styling along with endless possibilities for baby items (and the line was available in flannel too!), led me to purchase many pieces from the line. Not long after 5 Funky Monkeys, Moda released "Monkey N round", which focused on the fun the mischievous monkeys have, along with incorporating more pastel colors. With these two lines, I created many projects...

Ah, a favorite, the first Minkee/Flannel Baby Blanket - and it went to a good friend who is now looking for a duplicate in case her little one loses the original.

A diaper-mini tote.
Holds a few diapers and wipes, ideal for quick trips and easy to toss in any bag.

Another diaper mini-tote. I created lots of these in many colors...they were a popular item. (And it's interesting noting how much my photography has improved since the early days).

The Sock Monkey ribbon play ball. The ball itself is my most popular item, so I love to create it in many themes. Sock Monkeys were very popular. And I'll soon be creating a new theme ball with the latest sock monkey fabric line.

Sock Monkey ribbon play ball - Version 2.0. I had to create more of these for some custom orders, and so the ribbon colors and fabrics were changed a little bit. I can't wait to use the Malibu Monkeys line for a new ball!

One of my favorite items, the Binky Bag. It holds about 3 pacifiers, and features a snap on one side of the strap. It makes the pacifiers easily accessible (since many of us can relate to the mad binky search when baby is crying). I made these in many colors too.

Another fun Minkee/Flannel blanket - I've been making lots of these as they are popular items. I tend to only make one or two in each style though and then move on.

Classic red monkeys.

Making a bib and burp cloth set. I love these since personally, I'm ALWAYS needing bibs and burp cloths for my spitty little one ;)

Pairing retro monkeys with another hot trend - pink and chocolate. This is one of my favorite items (I would have kept it if I'd had a girl!)

Again, using the beautiful pastel pieces from the "Monkey N round" line to create more blankets.

Another favorite blanket of mine - and this one is still available in my shop!

The piece that revived my sock monkey obsession. I wanted to make a fun onesie to coordinate with some pants I'd made for my little Small Fry. So, using my love of applique, I created this adorable design. It is quickly becoming a popular item in my shop - and is available now!

So naturally when I had the onesie, I wanted to create lots of coordinating pants.
All of the styles below are available in my shop (in 6-12 month size) and are available to be made in custom sizes too (from 0-3 months to 3T).

And last, but certainly NOT least - my favorite, a sock monkey theme "tummy time" quilt. It's just the right size for a baby to roll around on and then tuck into a diaper bag and tote along. And it is available in my shop ;)

So, the sock monkeys are in full swing in my studio...and I'll soon be creating lots of items with pieces from the new Malibu Monkeys line and adding in lots of other pieces from the other two lines. Enjoy!

The first day of "pee-kool"

Hubby and I were up and ready to go early (for us) this morning. I think both of us were excited and nervous, hoping the Monkey would be a good boy and quite sure he would have a good time. I guess hubby thought we had to be at school at 8:30 am (we had to be there at 9 am), so we carpooled and left the house about 7:45 am. Of course, when we're on time (or early), traffic was a breeze, so we were really early!

We got to school at 8:15 am, and since we didn't want to drop him off 45 minutes early, I made an executive decision to get Burger King breakfast (it's been years since I've had their breakfast...mmmm). We hung out in the car in the parking lot for as long as our nervous selves could handle it, and then headed to school.

The Monkey was so excited and cute, we found his classroom, and he was the first one there. He strutted in with his "Thomas the Train" backpack on. One of his teachers asked if he'd like to hang up his backpack (he has his own hook and cubby, too cute)...he politely declined and headed to the books. I dropped off the required "shared snack" and the Monkey's supply of diapers and then hubby and I headed to the office for a few minutes to drop off some forms.

Hubby wanted to go back to say good-bye, so we went back and the first thing the teacher said was, "Wow, he loves to read". Hubby and I giggled...NO KIDDING. That kid is one seriously cute bookworm. Hubby got in some kisses, I said good-bye from the door and off we went.

We returned promptly at 12:25 (they charge you for every 5 minutes you are late - that's going to force me to be on time!). The door was closed and the backpacks were lined up along the outside wall. We saw the Monkey running around, and he was really excited to see us. We met his other teacher and she said that he was really good today! I grabbed his backpack and noted that about 3 bites had been taken of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich - of course he was too busy to eat lunch (he made up for it at dinner).

The chatty Monkey had a great time, and after talking up a storm, he finally fell asleep on the car ride home and took a 3 hour nap. He said he had fun and he'd like to go back to "pee-kool", but he really wants to ride on a school bus.

I only got one good photo - he was too busy this morning to get any serious "first day of school photos". But he sure is cute :)

The storms tonight...

It's always beautiful when you're not IN the storms. There was a tornado warning earlier, I hope it didn't touch down and/or do any damage. I'm scared to death of tornadoes, having been in a couple when I was a little kid, but wow. I'm amazed by the power of the weather.

When I was getting my pilot's license back in high school, I had to learn a LOT about weather and it is such an amazing and powerful force. Anyway, I got some beautiful photos from our back deck tonight (facing northeast), just had to share.

I think I'm the nervous one.

Pre-school starts tomorrow (if you ask the Monkey, he'll tell you it's "pee-kool"), and I'm SO nervous and excited like it's my first day of school. It's really "Adventure Camp" that they hold at the synagogue for kids from 2-6 years old. The Monkey has been assigned his own room and he gets to go three days a week. This is the same schedule he'll have in the fall at the same school, and it'll be nice to give me a break, I'll go to work 2 days a week and spend one day just doing "stuff", like hanging with Small Fry, running errands, shopping, shipping MamaMade orders, etc.

I can't wait for it to all start...we got him a new Thomas the Train backpack, and new shoes (OMG, are Keens the best shoes or what?!? I want a pair for myself!!) I'm headed to the kitchen in a few minutes to pack up his lunch, his extra outfit, sunscreen and all the other necessities. Of course I also have to get myself and Small Fry ready to go to work, so I don't think the studio will see me tonight (bummer).

Oh well, I'll report back tomorrow and try to take some photos...hubby is going with us, so it's going to be a family event for sure!