What I Learnt This Week

I learnt a few new things this week.  And remembered a few others too.

Have you ever had one of those moments when you are absolutely sure your child is up to mischief?  ABSOLUTELY certain they are getting into trouble, being disobedient, or otherwise giving you cause for alarm?  Then realised that they were in fact the perfect picture of innocence.  Not only were they NOT doing whatever you thought they were, but they obviously had not even THOUGHT about it.

Yeah, had one of those moments.  We were sitting in the lounge.  Munchkin was in Mamma and Poppa's spare room bed.  His first time ever in the big bed there, and while I knew he was really, really tired, I was unsure if he would sleep.  Then came the noise.  A banging sound.  Not once, but twice did I hear it.  Mamma commented.  She thought it was Munchkin.  I did too.  So off I went, flung open the spare room door all ready to growl my recalicitrant two year old.  Only to find him sound asleep.  So deeply asleep in fact, that he didn't even twitch from all my barging.  Not even an eyelash moved.  He had fallen asleep exactly as I left him.  Mouth gaping, eyes glued shut.  It was definitely NOT him making the noise.  I had to do a very quiet backing manouvre and manage to shut the door without another bang.  Then I returned to the lounge to share the story, chuckling away to myself at how conned we had been.  We have no idea what was making the noise, but it sure did sound like little feet banging happily on a wall.  Just not Munchkin's.

Photo taken after attempts made to wake Munchkin up...He was still not really interested in the world even after a two hour sleep!

All elastic is not created equal. Bought the wrong sort, of course.  Bought braided.  Should have bought ribbed.  This is because ribbed elastic will not curl up inside a hem (i.e. around your waist).  It sits nice and flat.  Braided does not.  Found that out by experience.  Then went and bought ribbed elastic.  Thanks to my friend for letting me know the difference!  No thanks to the shop person I originally asked what the difference was!  In case you are wondering, ribbed elastic has little vertical lines down it.  That's what makes it stay nice and straight.

The ribbed elastic is on the left, the braided stuff on the right...any ideas of something I can make with three metres of braided elastic??

Even simple sewing projects are difficult.  I am making a simple three tier, gathered skirt.  All straight sewing.  No tucks, no buttons, no zips.  Just an elastic waist, and a hem.  Oh, and did I mention the gathers???  Who would have thought that gathering could be so frustrating, time consuming, or difficult?!  I am reminding myself that this is about learning a skill.  Yes, I am getting some clothes out of it that are one-of-a-kind, and that fit.  YAY!  But I'm also doing it to learn.  And learning I am.

One should not place a set of drawers beside a child's bed.  And one should not place a wardrobe beside that set of drawers.  A situation that will be rectified tomorrow, after Boyo and I have had time to regroup from our horror at discovering Munchkin can climb onto his drawers from his bed and reach the top of the wardrobe.  No, we did not have the great delight (and heart attack!) of seeing him actually accomplish this.  I simply came into his room today (after realising his had probably not slept much at all - there was chatting and bumping going on, but I needed a rest so left him to it), and discovered the blankets from the top of the wardrobe on the floor, together with a collection of glow-in-the-dark stars from the side of the wardrobe.  I shudder to think how long he was perched up there for.  And I shudder thinking about how on earth we are going to rearrange his small bedroom so he can't climb on anything from his bed.  Ugh.  And this is my non-climbing child.  The one who didn't try to get out of his cot, not even at two and a half when we put him into his big bed.

Young children have incredible memories.  How did Munchkin know that the star goes on the top of the tree?!  He insisted on putting it up himself and told us exactly where it is supposed to go.  I'm guessing it might have been the launch of our Christmas in a Box ministry at church earlier in the year (around June perhaps?) when we helped decorate a small Christmas tree with lots of fabric stars.  But either way, incredible that he remembers that detail.  I do wonder what else he has stashed up in his mind already.

Popcorn is SUPER easy to make.  I'd forgotten how much so.  We've made a couple of batches.  What amazes me most is how quick it is to get from cold, hard little yellow kernels to fluffy white popcorn in your mouth.  Munchkin thinks it is a great snack food.  Mummy has to agree.  We now have a few little containers of it for on-the-run snacks.

I like to add a little butter, salt and icing sugar!

You can use almost an entire morning doing art and craft activities, even with an only two-and-a-half year old.  Just be prepared for a bit of mess.  And that you will probably finish off a lot of it yourself.  The flowers are a trick I saw others doing...I helped Munchkin draw the stem and leaves, the centre, and then I added the cut paper for the petals.  I think they look really cute.  When he's a bit older he could do something like this all by himself, I'm sure but for now this was a combined effort.  Ok, a mostly Mummy effort, but at least I can say he did SOME of it. 

And the other thing I am learning? Or rather re-learning because I really should know this by now.  It is that I hardly ever get anything done when I think I will.  It almost always takes longer.  You'd think I'd have worked this out after thirty-one years, but no, I still always feel surprised and a bit ripped off when projects end up dragging on and on and on.  The current one is my sewing.  Not helped by using the dining table in between meals, when Munchkin is asleep.  But there's also the half-finished cardigan for Munchkin for next winter too.  I have at least picked that up again and made some progress this week, after it sat for months on end.  And I think I am finally getting the hang of reading the pattern.  I am promising myself I must finish it before starting study.  But then you should see my list of things to finish before I start study!  Grin.  Ever the optimist in the to-do list department.

I suppose I should go and do something off tonight's list before heading to bed?!  Hehe.
Thank you for dropping in and reading my ramblings.

Amy