New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year!  I feel as though the holiday season went by in a whirlwind with lots of travel and family time.  Now that it is January 2nd, it is time to get back to the daily grind of Randy going back to work and me keeping our home running and our child growing/learning as smoothly as possible.  2012 was a year of big changes for our family with our move to Connecticut and me becoming a stay-at-home-mom.  Both of these transitions however are temporary and that brings us to 2013 being   a year of even bigger changes.  In March, Austin will become a big brother, in May, I will turn 30 years old (yikes), and in June, Randy will complete his fellowship and we will move to where his new career will take us.  There is so much to look forward to and that is just the first half of the year.  The second half will consist of me going back to work, making a house our home, Austin starting in preschool, and tons of weddings.

With all these changes, I'm really hoping that I can continue to grow as a Mother, Occupational Therapist, and in general be a healthier version of myself.  Here are some New Years Resolutions that I hope can help me evolve into that person.

1.  Help Austin adjust to each transition as smoothly as possible.  If this is a year of big changes for me and Randy, it is an even bigger year of transition on our two year old son.  While all of the changes happening to us this year in my eyes are good, they may seem scary and unsettling to our little man.  I think the easiest way to help him adjust is to try to maintain as much consistency in our daily lives as possible.  This will definitely be difficult around some of our bigger transitions (new baby and move), I think that as long as we take the time out of our day to make sure some of his most basic routines remain the same, that he should have an easier time with each change.  That will mean less sleep and downtime for me but I think it will be worth it in the long run.  (Sleep and downtime will come someday).

2.  Become a runner again.  Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love running.  I'm definitely don't fit the mold of a record setting runner (lean, long, fast) but I know that I'm a runner when I hit that stride (somewhere around mile 2.5) where it feels like I could run for miles and miles.  Running is therapy for me.  Its my "me time" and I can't wait until this baby arrives and I'm given the all clear to hit the pavement again.  My running goal for 2013 is to try to run 4/7 days of the week and to train for the Adirondack Ragnar Race set for this September.  Not only will this help me to shed my unwanted baby weight but it will help me to designate time for just me.  (win/win!)

3.  Learn to sew a quilt.   I love the way quilts help to make rooms look cozy and classy (especially ones now made with more modern looking fabrics).  My goal for this is to make our new baby a quilt for his/her new nursery.  My In-Laws set me up with materials and a book of quilt ideas as a Christmas Present so now it is just a matter of me sitting down and getting it done.  Once this baby's quilt is done, I'm hoping it will jumpstart me into making one for Austin's new room where he will transition into a twin bed.

4.  Get a new Job.  As much as I love staying home with Austin, I miss adult human contact and doing something I love.  Its also been difficult adjusting to not making my own paycheck.  Randy and I have decided that the best solution to this problem is for me to rejoin the workforce partime this fall.  I'm excited and freaked out by this all at the same time.  Will I be ready for this when the time comes?  How are my skills as a therapist since at that point I will have been out of work for almost a year and a half?  Will I be able to balance working and having two kids and a busy husband?  I'm hoping that each of these questions/doubts will work themselves out as time goes by and as far as my OT skills are concerned, I will have to keep my eyes peeled for some continuing ed opportunities so that it doesn't look like I've been wasting my time during my time as a stay-at-home-mom.  (ATTN: OT friends, keep me posted on continuing ed ideas/opportunities!)

What do you think?  Are these resolutions managable/obtainable?  What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Again, Happy New Year to you all.  I wish anyone reading this lots of love, health, and happiness for 2013.

Limiting Screen Time

Randy, Austin, and I have just finished a whirl wind two weeks of travel.  Over the weekend, we spent more than 13 hours in the car to be a part of my niece Molly's baptism.  How did Austin do on the trips?  Amazing, thanks to the car DVD player and movies like Ice Age, Cars, and Madagascar.  Ugh, needless to say, his screen time has been at an all time high with the constant travel, so we decided that we were going to set a goal to limit his screen time to keep him from becoming a electronics junkie.

I'm the first to say that I'm guilty of indulging Austin's screen time.  He usually gets an hour or two first thing in the morning (sometimes I need a few extra z's in the morning since I've been battling pregnancy insomnia).  He is also a pro at using my IPad and IPhone and is notorious for watching videos of himself as well as finding apps to play. He requests shows after nap (depending on how much he watches in the morning, he may get one show).  Shouldn't I be able to entertain my child without having to resort to using electronic devises and the tv?

I'm happy to say that yesterday I was successful in limiting Austin's screen time to 30 minutes of PBS's Super Why! What did we do to keep busy? Practiced letter recognition and drawing pictures on Austin's new Magna Doodle with  magnet letters, played firetrucks, read books, practiced somersaults, nap time, played with stickers, played with Bananagram tiles, found similar shapes and colors with our Blokus board game, etc.  Needless to say, it was a busy day for me to find new activities to keep him going and there were multiple times throughout the day where I had to turn down his request for more "tb's".  But we did it, and I'm proud of us!  Now that its done do I think I could keep it up every day?  Probably not, especially once the new baby arrives and I have to split my time between newborn baby care and entertaining a toddler.  I do think that it is a worthwhile goal to set.  I think screen time is one of the nasty habits that become ingrained in our daily routines and it can be a hard habit to break, especially when you are staying at home on a daily basis.  My plan is to hopefully break us of the habit before the new baby comes so that Austin doesn't come to expect tv and other electronic devises as entertainment when Mommy is busy with baby.  I'm sure there will be cheat days but we will take it one day at a time.

Here is a link for suggestions on how to limit screen time for you and your family.  Do you have any other suggestions or ideas for how to limit screen time for yourself or your kiddos?  

Applying Appliqués

I've always been in awe of people who know how to use a sewing machine.  I'm amazed at people who can hem their own pants (a problem I face daily at my staggering 5'1"height), create Christmas gifts, make children's clothing, decorate their homes, etc.  I always thought, I could totally do that.  I took Home-EC (almost 20 years ago) and am sad to say that I don't remember much of our sewing lesson so needless to say, I've been starting from scratch.  A few failed projects later, my friend Katie suggested I try doing a tie applique for Austin.  She works with our friend Jaimee in a company called Preppy T which specializes in making personalized, appliquéd shirts at a reasonable price.  So after watching their routine a few times (Jaimee makes the appliqués and Katie does the sewing) and getting a few verbal lessons, I thought I would give it a go.

I bought my supplies at Wal*Mart because they are close, have a fabric section, and it was cheap which I think is a win/win when you are sure to make mistakes.  

Supplies:

Pellon Wonder Under (1/4 yd-there is extra for me to keep practicing)

Fabric for appliqué (1/4 yd again)

Garanimals white long-sleeved tee ($3.88 per shirt @ Wal*Mart) 

Coordinating thread

Sewing Machine
Iron
Seam Ripper

So first thing I did was wash my fabric and tee shirt to make sure that any later washings wouldn't shrink and potentially ruin the applique.  Then I ironed my fabric and shirt to make sure the surfaces were nice and smooth.  I then made a pattern out of construction paper of the tie for Austin's shirt.  I cut out this shape into the wonder Under and the fabric making sure that the bumpy side (fusible side) of the wonder Under was facing the same direction as the right side of the fabric.  Then I ironed the pieces together and cut away any uneven edges (My friend Jaimee told me its easier to skip the extra step of cutting out the Wonder Under until it has been ironed onto the fabric.  Lesson for next time, yay!).  I then removed the paper backing of the Wonder Under and ironed my fabric directly onto the shirt

Then I changed the settings of my sewing machine to make a zig-zag stitch and stitch width to 1 (All sewing machines are different so its best to try out the settings on scrap fabric before working on the final piece).  I threaded the machine and prepared my bobbin with the coordinating thread.  Then I took a break because nap time was over and there was no way Austin was going to let me sew uninterrupted.  

After Austin went to bed, I started sewing.  I started at the bottom point of the tie and worked my way around the edges.  At first, it took me several attempts to get the needle lined up correctly with the edge of the fabric (seam ripper is my new best friend).  Once I got it, I moved pretty easily around the biggest part of the tie.  I had some major issues at the top with going off the edge of the appliqué and having to back up to do that part again (seam ripper to the rescue again).  Once I did one complete rotation around the tie, I noticed that the stitches were really close together on certain parts and farther apart on other parts.  My solution, go over it again to make it thicker.  This worked until I got back to that top section again and the old seam ripper had to come out again.   After an hour of sewing, I finally finished.  The top right corner was a little worn from all my seam ripping and their was a little hole where I forgot to lift the needle when I was trying to remove the fabric.  All in all, not terrible, just not great.   Below are some pics of the final project. I've already purchased another shirt to try again.   Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Not so bad from far away

Pretty messy up close. 

Eating an apple and picking his butt.  Classy!

I Predict Good Fortune

Growing up in the North Country with parents who didn't eat any Asian cuisine unless it came from a take-out restaurant, I never learned to use chopsticks.  I actually didn't even try until Randy and I had been dating for several years and his parents brought us to a Hibachi restaurant.  I was terrible at it but I gave it my best shot.  Then when everyone else was close to finished with their dinners while using chop sticks, I switched back to my trusty fork.  After lots of practice and many stained shirts, I finally feel like I can competently use chopsticks (with an occasional stain on my shirt).  Now, Randy and I eat stir fry (made by Randy or Trader Joes) at least once a week and occasionally splurge on Chinese food from a take-out restaurant when we are feeling super lazy.  Its easy and delicious.  While we eat Chinese food, Austin usually has his normal toddler fare of macaroni and cheese, pizza, or chicken nuggets (he is super picky).  Sometimes we even give him a set of chopsticks while he eats since he thinks they are fun and it frequently gets him more motivated to take more bites.  Because of this, one of the best gifts he has received in the past were his "trainer" chopsticks.



The Good Fortune Chopsticks made by the company Fred & Friends are great for kids and adults alike who want to use chopsticks but need a little help stabilizing the top of the sticks.  They sell at Amazon for a little over $7 a pair but are washable, reusable, and pretty durable for use by rough handed kids.  I am in no way being asked by Fred to endorse these chopsticks, I just am so impressed with how Austin has picked up on using chopsticks so quickly.  Also as an OT, I feel like so many children with fine motor issues could benefit from using them to help strengthen those small muscles in their hands that help with precision, grasping, and releasing.  There are tons of non food related activities you could do with them too!  (Carry small objects with chopsticks from point A to point B, separate beads into different sizes or colors in an egg carton, move game pieces around for board games using chopsticks).

Success!

Austin practicing (lefty preference?)

Rock the Vote!

Its Election Day!  Have your rocked the vote yet today?  I brought Austin this morning while I exercised my civic duty.  He was not nearly as excited as I was about it but I'm glad I included him.  I want him to be a part of the process for electing our governing officials and the best way to teach him is through example.

All the excitement has led to nap time here in the Kimball home.  Enjoy your afternoon!

Diaper Box Upcycle

I'm a Pinterest junkie and spend a good chunk of my unproductive time (Austin napping or engrossed in some sort of activity that doesn't require mommy intervention) pinning  everything under the sun.  Sometimes, I surprise myself and actually complete a Pinterest Challenge of my own.  Today, I brought one of my Pins to fruition and I'm beaming at myself on the inside.

This afternoon, Austin was literally driving me nuts.  He has hit two years old with a vengeance and I can only say that while it is easy to laugh at some tantrums, there are others where I want to be on the ground kicking and screaming too.  This usually means that Austin is craving some attention and possibly some structured play.  So after nap and a walk, I was picking up odds and ends around the house and noticed an empty diaper box sitting in Austin's room.  I instantly thought to myself, "you are about to earn a "Mommy Award" for awesome effort"!  So I brought the box to the living room, cut off the top edges of the box so that it was completely open on the top edge.  Then, I cut out an arc on the middle of each edge to make tunnels. Austin and I then went to town decorating our new tunnel with stickers that we have been saving from random trips to the grocery store and his birthday.  Check out my handy-work below.

Have you ever given yourself a "Mommy Award" for your craftiness?  Let me know and maybe I'll be a copycat.   ;-)

Austin playing with my Master Piece prior to the decoration stage.

Tunnel Completed (our neighbor thought it looked like a fire station, we'll take it)!

Happy Halloween!

So I finally got motivated to decorate our door for Halloween Trick-or-Treaters.  It just took me until the day before Halloween and a hurricane to get me there.  I decided to do a pumpkin patch theme and to have Austin and his friend help me make the decorations.  Now I'm not about to go spend money on store decorations this year (Budget, Budget, Budget) and I have tons of construction paper from my working days so it only made sense to make our pumpkin patch decor from what we already had on hand.

pre-cut supplies separated into baggies

The night before I was super busy after Austin went to sleep getting all the supplies ready.  I cut out all the pieces each kiddo would need to make his/her own jack-o-lantern out of construction paper (eyes, nose, mouth, stem, pumpkin).  Since Austin and his friend are under the age of 3, I'm not about to hand them a pair of scissors for them to cut the pieces out themselves.  So tomorrow, the kiddos will paste the face pieces on their own pumpkins (I made a model Jack-o-lantern in case they need some inspiration).

 Then to spruce the door up some more, I made some grass, flying bats, a full moon, and a "Happy Halloween" sign.  See below for the final master pieces!

So since I have my degree in Occupational Therapy, whenever I do crafts like this, the wheels in my brain are always turning on how I can adapt my activity so any child could complete it.  So check out my list of adaptations in case you want to try out this activity (or one similar) with your own kiddo(s).  Feel free to comment with other suggestions and ideas!  Brainstorming with others is often the best way I get fresh and new ideas.

If the directions above seem to easy for your kiddo:
Let your kiddo cut out the pieces themselves after you have drawn all the shapes on the paper.
Don't give your kiddo a model to follow.  Let them use their imagination and knowledge of body parts to figure out where each piece should go on the pumpkin.
Give your kiddo the freedom to design each piece on their own by providing just the paper they will need for each part.

If the directions above seem to difficulty for your kiddo:
Give them a coloring page with the jack-o-lantern's face already on it.  No gluing necessary.  Let them color away.
Trace out the shape on the pumpkin so your kiddo has a target for where to glue the face pieces to.
Let them draw in the eyes, nose, and mouth instead of gluing.
Use glue-dots instead of a glue-stick or liquid glue to minimize sensory sensitivities to messy play.

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Our Finished Door

My Baby Turns 2!

A little over two years ago, Randy and I were blessed with our baby boy, Austin.  He has been the best addition.  He is joyful, silly, smart, and funny.  Its hard to believe that last week, we celebrated his 2nd birthday.  Time has flown by and our baby is now a big boy.

"Painting" wall at Kid City

Birthday Waffles

Randy and I decided to celebrate his big day (which fell on a Thursday) with a day of his favorite things.  I made pumpkin waffles for breakfast and then we watched his favorite movie (Ice Age) while we waited for his Daddy to come home from work.  When Randy got home, we piled into my car and drove to Middletown, CT.  After a special lunch out, we brought Austin to explore at Kid City Children's Museum.  He had a fantastic time using the pulleys to get apples, putting fish on conveyor belts, and watching the model train (his personal favorite).  After a few hours of fun, Austin was totally ready for his nap.  He fell asleep in the car and slept for almost 2 more hours when we got home (hurray!).  When he woke up, we let him open a few presents that had come in the mail from some of our friends out of town. 

Watching the model train at Kid City

 We spent the rest of Austin's birthday evening with a low key PB&J dinner, phone calls/FaceTimes with grandparents, and finished up with a Birthday cupcake.  Austin wasn't a big fan of the "Happy Birthday" song but came around after a 2nd try and the chance to blow out his candle. It was a very busy and full day but Austin had a blast and we couldn't have been happier to see him light up with each new surprise. 

Austin shared his cupcake with us! Thanks Buddy!

Happy Birthday, Buddy!  We love you!