Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Things are looking up!

Whew! What a year this has been.
Stomach virus and this crazy fever virus have just about done me in.
Bud was the last to contract the "fever".
C-R-A-Z-Y!


It has lasted 41/2 days so far. The worst day his fever was up to 103.8.
poor thing just felt terrible.
His fever got so high I ran him a lukewarm bubble bath.

Our version of "bubble bath is bubbles from the sky.
They love it!
I just fill up the bubble machine and turn it on.
Watching the bubbles fall is relaxing.
I think it helps distract them from feeling so terrible!

Finally, today he seems to be on the mend. He is fever free at least- finally! YAY!!!
Remember the scene from the ya-ya sisterhood when Ashley Judd's character is dealing with 3 screaming, puking kids all at once???
I remember seeing that and thinking- my stars! What a nightmare.

And I'm sure it was.

BUT, having 5 small children with a virus spread out over weeks at a time is no day in the park either. I have literally been holding someone for days on end. All the while, trying to tend to the other 4 children and cancel appointments left and right.


But, I am optimistic! I shouldn't complain. After all, my children are healthy and can fight off virus' and even though it has been a long few weeks somehow I think having them all sick at once would have been harder. It most definitely been harder to comfort them if they were having to share my lap.
So, things are looking up!
I still have high hopes for 2011. Everyone is fever free!!! hallelujah!!!
If you think about us though, please pray for good health in the
upcoming days for my little family.

Now, time to crank back up that sewing machine and get some Puddin Pop Kids ready to ship!!





Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Sick

We are full on sick over here. Not sure if it's the flu or just the gunk. Nevertheless, we're sick.
So, my little blog will be put on hold until we are not sick!
We may be making another trip to our friendly pediatricians office in the morning if my little monkeys aren't better. For now, we are trying to tuff is out. There's only so many times you can pay someone to say, "It's viral. Just wait for it to pass."
So, we will give it one more day.
And pray is passes today and my little guys feel better. (they really are pitiful)
And pray while passing, it doesn't pass on to another little person in my house! **horror!**


If you have an order in with me, I promise I am working on it. It may just take a few days longer, because, well, we're sick. Right now I have to do a lot of snuggling and cuddling and lysol-ing too!

Thanks for your patience.
Thanks for your prayers.
Happy Tuesday!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentines Day

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And now these three remain:

faith,

hope

and love.

But the greatest of these is

love.

1 Corinthians 13:13


Friday, February 11, 2011

Valentines Day and frustration

But not necessarily in that order... or together.



Let's start w/ frustration, shall we?


This little darling is a mess. All of the time... a full blown mess. Bless her heart, she is precious and sweet and loving and giving and willing to share, even when she is up to no good, which is a lot these days. She would make a perfect spy one day because she is quiet, calculating and quick.


Don't let the sweet smie fool you, trust me when I say, she gives a whole new meaning to crafty. Truly, she keeps me on my toes. I have to stay two steps ahead of her at all times, and when I don't, she ends up eating half a canister of sugar.... but that's another post.


Anyway, yesterday after she and her brother went down for a nap I let the trio stay up and make their valentines for their party on Monday. They worked so hard ad did a great job. After they cleaned up and laid down I started the treats to go w/ their valentines. Each one is taking a different valentine so they had different coordinating valentines treats for their friends.


Yes, it was right after lunch and they were pretty much wearing their PJ's
or underwear. Oh, and BBQ sauce. :) Busy day.


Monkey See's valentine treats were probably my favorites. I just loved how simple and cute they were. (and easy too). I made sure after everything was made I put it all away so that little hands couldn't get into them.



Fast forward to this morning. My laptop had run out of battery power while I was checking a shipping fee so I went to my office real quick to plug in and finish the email ( 3 minutes, tops).
When I walked back in the kitchen my littlest darling had scaled the counter tops, found Monkey See's valentine treats that were packaged in a box, opened it and was eating them. Of course she was sharing them with Bud, but still- she was eating them!! And poor Monkey See was beside himself, upset.

So now we have some half eaten valentine treats and the rest are a sticky mess covered in toddler finger prints. I only had enough for the class so their are no extras. And since they are made with a seasonal Christmas item, I can't make more because they are out of stock!!!

Frustration!

So it's back to the drawing board. But, my Monkey See will have something special to take, I will just have to wait and whip it up Sunday evening when there is less of a chance Daisy can get her grubby little paws on them!

============================

Now to the valentine section of this post... It seems with every holiday I'm a little late to the party and miss posting about my decor. Since this isn't a home decorating blog, I guess it's no big deal. But, my children love to decorate for holidays and I like to do that stuff too so I thought I'd show you a little of what we have done.
Now, in my b.c. years (before children), I didn't decorate for valentines day (except in my classroom) and I don't think I knew anyone else who did either. But as with a lot of things that were b.c., that has changed.

So here ya go... A little valentines day decor...





We also hung up some of the birds from Puddin's last party and made a melted crayon valentine bunting but, I didn't get any pictures of those.

ok- here's hoping I can get something as a replacement for my little guy before Monday morning!

And a frustration free weekend for all of us!
Happy Friday!



Sunday, February 6, 2011

Weekend Wrap Up

So, it's Sunday night, the house is quiet, except for the hum of the dish washer... yes, it was finally installed! Not by me, or hubby. With more sick kids than we can arms our very kind neighbor came to the rescue!

So, this weekend Bud and Daisy were still under the weather. Seriously, all January we have struggled with sickness. It has just passed itself from one child to the next, then morphed into something new and gone around again and again!

Enough already.

Send me to the online store where I can buy some child sized bubbles, please!

Anyway, since they were still sick we stayed put and nursed the children. Puddin and Daisy played dress up.

Daisy has become Puddin's life sized doll. She is a willing participant as long as she gets to hang out in Puddin's room. And as long as she's willing to be dressed up, Puddin lets her hang out in her room. It's a win-win for both o them.

AND, since Daisy is such a busy, busy girl, It's a win for me too because I know where she is at and I know she's not making mischief. Because believe me, if there is mischief to be made- Daisy is most likely making it! She is a stinker for sure! But she sure is cute!

Monkey Do has also found a new "band mate" in Daisy. She scooped up Puddin's guitar after their last dress up session and she and Monkey Do started "rockin out".... yes, they did!
Watch out Partridge family!




Speaking of music... this is the littles newest obsession... It's really kind of cute! Wholesome with catchy melodies...


Monkey See spent some time behind the camera. He is such a doll!!! And such a snuggler. If I'm sitting he's usually in my lap. It reminds me of when he was an itty bitty baby and all of the "date nights" we had in the NICU.

And Bud, well, his newest comfort item comes in the form of plastic. That would be a plastic DVD cover. He loves them. Any DVD cover will do- he's not picky, but does prefer those with Barney or Dora on them. He looks at them and "reads" them more than books. If he's crying, give him a DVD case and he's a happy little guy.


And me, well, see for yourself.

Apparently the repetitive motion of lifting my children has caused some inflammation in my wrist. Official diagnosis is "overuse which led to tendinitis". I'm supposed to wear this brace for 3-4 weeks. It has happened before. Usually I have to get a steroid shot in my wrist but I'm opting this time to see if I can go without that. There's nothing quite like getting a long needle stuck in your wrist while 3 of your curious children clamor around you and the doctor to get a better view.
Oh the stories I could tell...
But those will have to wait for another night. Chicken pecking in a brace is hard stuff and I've got a bit more sewing to do tonight.
I hope your weekend was wonderful!
Blessings!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Safe Side

Generally, I try to keep things pretty light around here. I figure there is enough negativity out there in this world that I don't need to add to it. After all, I can look to my left and my right and see hurting people. Can't we all?

Sadly, the world we live in today is fallen and full of bad things. As a parent it's my responsibility to teach my children to be safe and navigate through this life as best as I can. It’s also my job to preserve their innocence for as long as possible. That is not an easy job for sure. Not only is it not easy, but, for me anyway, it's scary.

I don't like to think about the what if's too much. The fear of what if can be too gripping sometimes. And THAT is exactly what Satan wants. He wants me to be afraid to educate my children and prepare them for the bad things, because, that's when they are vulnerable. And, sadly, innocence is not something you can give back.

So, how do I do this?
We monitor what they watch on tv, the movies they watch, things they are exposed too… even experiences and people. Not because we are judgmental or critical, but because their innocence is precious and only lasts a small amount of time as it is.

Like most parents we have talked to the kids about strangers. We have told them to never talk to them or go with them. Never to take things from them or get close to them. We even purchased a dvd on stranger safety and planned to show it to the kids one day.
But what does a stranger really look like to a child?

Now, let me say, my children are all ok. We just had an experience last week that has left me shaken, rattled, rocked. Whatever you want to call it. It has also left me humbled and grateful to my Lord for his mercy, protection and guidance in our lives.

Some might say that what we experience wasn’t a big deal, that I’m making a mountain out of a mole hill. But it has been gnawing at me since the moment it happened, and to me that says something.

So this is what happened.

Last week I had an errand to run after I picked the trio up from preschool. Now, I go lots of places with all of my kiddos all of the time. I know what to expect from them and from those around us. Most of the issues arrive from others around us. Anyway, before we get out of the van I always explain what we are doing, who we might see, how long we might be there and what I expect from them behavior wise. Everyone has a spot on the stroller they are expected to hold on to and for the most part they do exactly what they are supposed to do. This day was no different.

We went inside the building and took our spot in line. We were behind 1 man and the place seemed a bit deserted. The building was very grand and ornate inside and had a large staircase in the center. Because of the openness an grandeur of the downstairs area, it had a great echo. Something Bud took full advantage of after about 5 seconds.
See, he doesn’t like to wait.
He wants out to run and play. Sitting in his stroller is sheer torture for him if it’s not moving. So it took about 5 seconds for him to start writhing about and screaming at the top of his little lungs. For the record, he is L.O.U.D. so it didn’t take long before everyone noticed- all 4 people in my line of sight.

One man in particular made his way over to us. He worked there and was dressed very nice and was wearing a name tag. He seemed to be in a position of authority. He began to talk to Bud, sternly, but playfully. Bud calmed down and seemed intrigued by this man giving all of his attention to him. Everyone else was still following all of our rules and they were being so, so good.
Pretty soon after things calmed down with Bud (btw, the man was still standing with us while we were waiting our turn in line), Monkey See asked about the staircase. It was a very large and grand staircase and he wanted to know where it went and what was up there. I explained that it went to the upstairs offices and there were probably people working up there. He wanted to know if we could go and see and I told him no, we were next in line and we didn’t have any reason to go upstairs. He was satisfied with my answer.

The man is still with us and heard the entire exchange.

A minute or so later-yep, still waiting- Puddin asked if she could go upstairs and see what was up there. I told her no, it was almost our turn and we would be leaving soon. Besides, we didn’t have any business that would take us upstairs. She was fine with the answer too.
A few seconds later, the man employed there, wearing he name tag, that seems to be in a position of authority, offers to take her upstairs and show her around for a bit.

WHAT?

I was shocked. As I type it, it seems harmless. Maybe it was, but it certainly did not feel harmless. As soon as the words left his mouth a wave of sickness came over me. Instinctively, I wanted to get out of there and get my kids back in the van as quickly as I could.

He just heard me say 2x that we would not be going upstairs and then this 40+ something man, a complete stranger, offered to take my 5 year old daughter upstairs, by herself to show her around! For what purpose??
There were no tantrums, screaming or crying, no defiance on the part of my children. No need what so ever for him to try and make a situation better by offering to take a child by herself where I could not see her.

It seemed like it took me forever to answer him.

It seems like I just stared at him in amazement for minutes.

I wanted to answer him calmly and I still wanted to be nice (why?? What is that about??) I should have told him right then and there NO- you have no business even making such an offer- you are a grown man asking to take a small child away from her mother to a secluded place! Don’t you know what kind of world we live in???

I didn’t say any of that. Instead I calmly said, No thank you. We are staying together. She has no business being upstairs where people are trying to work. He then said, “Are you sure?? I don’t mind!”

I just kept thinking, please hurry up and let us get out of here- please let this man go back to his work and leave us alone- and PLEASE no one ask to go potty right now!
Well, no one asked to potty (thank you, Jesus!) and we finally got our turn, but our “friend” did not go back to work. Instead he moved up in line with us and continued to stand there with my children.
I gathered them all around, did a head count and made sure everyone was on their spot on the stroller so I could see them and tried to quickly take care of my business. He offered them candy- I said no, not until we were finished with our business. Once we finished he held out the candy bowl and let each of the get a piece – I cringed.

Finally we were able to leave. I wanted to run out the door. I just felt so unnerved and unsettled. It seemed like it took forever to get the kids strapped in the van because I was shaking. I was trying to be calm but I knew I had to say something. After all, this was a “teachable” moment for sure.
Once we were strapped in the van and silently prayed “thankyou” and tried not to cry as all of those what if’s started to flood in my mind. So, as calmly and as ‘normal’ as I could I started some questions with the kids.
I said, “Wasn’t he a nice man?” Puddin said yes, he sure was. The boys agreed.
So my next question was, “Do you think he was a stranger?”
Puddin looked confused. The boys didn’t say anything.
So I said, “he was nice and he gave you candy, he even offered to show you around. But, did we know him?”
Her response was shock. “Momma! He was a stranger! “
Her idea of what a stranger was, did not match up with what she just experienced.
Needless to say the drive home consisted of lots of discussion about strangers and what they do and do not look like. How they might or might not act. And how yes, sometimes they are nice and wouldn’t hurt you, but other times they might be nice at first, just so that they can hurt you.
I remembered the video I had purchased and Hubby and I decided we had waited long enough to show it so we watched it that evening. It was really good and helped make things a little more clear for them about who and what strangers are and what they should do in certain situations.

Do I like that I have to show this video or share this story?
No. I can’t stand it.
I wish that children weren’t seen as prey in the world we live in, but they are.
I don’t know the statistics for children who are abused or attacked, but I know it happens and the people doing it aren’t always the “boogie man” types. Sometimes they are acquaintances, neighbors, people of authority, etc….

I don’t know I the man in our story was good or bad. I do know I don’t want to find out. Gambling with my child is not a game I wish to play. I urge you to get the video and watch it with your children. As parents, we need to educate our children and be educated ourselves. Awareness is half the battle.
In fact, I stumbled on a blog last week that I had never been to before. This broken hearted mother was sharing her tragic story and how they are handling it as a family. Horrible.
Maybe God led me there to make me aware- heighten my senses that can become dull sometimes by everyday life.
Be aware and do everything you can to keep your precious children on the safe side.
And if you are a safe adult, please never, ever offer to take someones child to a secluded place where the parent can't see them. That's just not smart!
Here’s a link to the video if you are interested. Amazon also sells the video too.

be safe!

What is the Internet, anyway?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Whoooooo Loves YOU??

What do you get when you cross this:



with this:

*while I do have this sweet hen with 3 chicks perched atop my shelves in my studio, this is not my hen. I was too lazy to charge my camera and take the picture so I did a google image search and found this one instead. Here is the source.

The newest addition to the Puddin Pop Designs Etsy Shop! But, I only have 3 of these left!

These knobby kneed darlings are swooping down for a limited time!

They require a little more time and effort to make, two things which are on high demand around here these days.


SO, if you want one of these cuties swing on over to my shop and take a look!

GIVEAWAY!

The GIVEAWAY has started on the Facebook page.
Just click over to Puddin Pop Designs on Facebook.
Once you leave a comment under anything the "Sale" album you will be entered to win!!!
Have a great day- and stay warm!!

Open For Business!

Wow! After a much needed rest, I am firing up Ole Bertha again! She's a little sluggish but i think she'll be fine!
I am 'reopening' the shop this morning for custom orders. I had planned to have several new items available to list but, the children have been sick all week and with the way this month has been, I haven't been able to get to that just yet.
Priorities.
So, as things are ready they will be listed. But, you can always check out the Puddin Pop Deisgns facebook page for more updates. AND... today only I will be having a giveaway on FB and offering a discount with FB orders only. So, you might want to check it out! I have a little special something I will have ready just in time for Valentines day! It's a hoot I tell ya!