When we moved to Germany, I knew I would eventually be giving up my paid gig and my days would be filled with taking care of my son and the majority of the housework. I completed the switch-over two years ago and became a full time time parent. I was so excited that I would have the time to entertain my little guy and not have deadlines to face, conference calls to be on or external stress to bring home. We had a blast. He was my best friend and we went everywhere. My husband would come home from work, interrupting our play, and tell us we were the ‘biggest goofballs,’ that we had a bond like no other.
Toddler Swimsuit Tutorial
Of all the projects I was willing to take on, sewing a swimsuit was definitely not on that list. Call me crazy but the thought of trying to manipulate the fabric as it got pulled and stretched in my sewing machine just didn’t sit well with me. Then it happened. I found the cutest bathing suit ever, made by Eberjey. It was on sale and I had to have it….sold out. So I looked elsewhere and the only place I could find it was on the brand’s website for a price that makes my heart drop. Plus, the smallest size they sell is 2 years and I needed something closer to 18 months. So I decided to give it a try.
Swimsuit Pattern Tutorial
I created my own pattern using an old swim bottom. I put the swim bottom (size 9 months) on Sister and beside it being too short (can we say baby plumber crack?), it was just the right width which is what I needed. I drafted up how I thought the swim suit would be constructed and decided which measurements to take whenever I could get Sister to sit still (yes, it took some time).
10 FREE Summer Dress Patterns
I am always on the lookout for sewing patterns for the kids. Now that it’s getting warmer, I have dress patterns in my sights and have been on the hunt! I’ve compiled some of the cutest, cheek-pinch worthy, FREE dress patterns that I’ve come across.
Overnight Remedies for Dry Skin
Believe me when I say that I am an expert at having dry skin. It always tends to sneak up on me when I least expect it too. I can usually stay moisturized by applying lotion two times a day and drinking a ton of water but every once in a while, I’ll get a patch of crazy dry skin. I’ve tried everything to prevent it, including special lotions, sugar and oil scrubs, coconut oil and more but nothing seemed to work.
Frantic Friday #1
This is my first Frantic Friday post. Knowing that I won’t be staying at home with the kids in 6 months, I thought it would be fun to slow down and document the day, creating a diary of sorts. I may venture into recording our Fridays…we shall see. I hope not all of our Fridays will be frantic but with two kids, you just never know. Enjoy!
Mommy-hood Conclusions
I turned into a mom a little over four years ago. Before my initiation, I would have never given any of these things a second thought but alas, mommy-hood has enlightened me and so I thought I’d share my findings.
5 Things I’ve Learned About Myself While Living in Germany
Almost 3 years ago, we made the decision to pack up our life in the US and move our little family to Germany. I had never been out of North America and we wanted to give our son the experience of living in a different culture. We knew it would be hard to leave family and friends but we weren’t prepared for the toll it would take on Monkey whenever we had to say goodbye after video chatting or having someone visit. It seemed to take forever to feel like we “fit in” and then all of a sudden, time flew. Now it’s almost time to leave and return back to our life in the States. During our time here, I’ve grown a lot and learned so much about myself.
Cleaning House
It’s almost time for us to say goodbye to these floor-to-ceiling windows and our gorgeous view. We are a little less than 6 months out from PCSing (Permanent Change of Station/Moving) back to the States and we need to get rid of a bunch of stuff before we leave. Hooray! I love getting rid of junk (but not necessarily the process of). We’re allotted a certain amount of weight we can ship back and going over that limit is not an option for us. Below is my plan on getting myself organized and purging what we don’t need and although these are tips for moving, they also work for a big Spring Cleaning.
How to Fly With Kids and Keep Your Sanity
Occupying your children while trying to avoid tantrums and tears with 20 tips
I’ve travelled a ton with my kid-os but I’d have to say plane rides are the most challenging. From needing to be at the airport 2-3 hours early, lugging around a ton of bags, sleep schedules getting messed up, ears popping on the plane, and the list goes on… it can be difficult to figure out how to keep the little ones from having meltdowns of the century.