i've decided to do monthly shop updates on the first on each month, starting with may. some months i may only have a few things, some i may have a lot, but this way i have a regular goal to work towards and can keep things moving. the may 1st update is going to be a kick ass one: i finally ordered some new hemp/organic cotton fleece so have been working on some new patchwork baby blankets
and i have a few oobees left to finish up who got left behind in the last shop update when i ran out of stuffing,
plus i have actually, really, finally been writing up a pattern to release! remember these guys?
baby oobee sleep sets - a fleecy baby oobee with its own little pillow and quilt, all in a drawstring bag. i haven't made these for ages now but always wanted to offer them as a pattern. they are sweet and easy, a perfect project for a beginner sewer and a fabulous gift for toddlers (safe for babies, too). the pattern will be available may 1st, with a bit of a deal if you want the fleur playmat pattern as a bundle. yay!
and the other bit of super crazy news is that i'm taking the kids to canada this august! by myself, which makes the flight a fairly terrifying prospect, but all will be well once we get there. my hardworking husband is going to stay home and finish all the many bits that are still left to be done for our reno - painting, skirting boards, window sills, etc. all stuff that is hard to do with little ones around. so i get to hang out with family, visit friends, show off my cute-as-can-be kids and come home to a pretty much finished house. and have my husband free on weekends again. win, win, win, win and win. that flight though.... could be dicey. i'm not too worried about mae, she's fairly easy to keep entertained:
but a long flight is taxing on anybody and she is only three, after all. soph is an easy, easy kid so far and will be 14 months at the time we travel - fingers crossed that she is walking, would make things so much easier (we had to deal with 12 month old mae wanting to crawl all over disgusting LAX on our way to canada last time). still, she is going to be a bit of a handful, probably not going to be satisfied with hours of calliou like mae.
super exciting!! all of the above ... email me, let's make sure we catch up before then (preferably when most of my kids are elsewhere!)
ReplyDeleteexciting! It'll be nice to 'go back home' and spend time with family. As for the flight... deal with it when you get to it, no need to get all worried.. it might just be a smooth ride ;)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
I hope you'll manage it well, your girls are so cute!
ReplyDeleteVery exciting news! Wonderful to be visiting home. We'll be flying from Scotland to New Zealand next Feb with a wee tot so I'm already dreading that. Still, at least it's only one kid to lose... ;-)
ReplyDeletere: trip to canada...you can do it! in february of this year i flew as a solo parent with my 16 month old and 3.5 year old from melbourne to new orleans (to visit family)! 3 hours stop at L.A.X before new orleans flight was tricky as i hadnt slept and was delerious and the kids were running amok, very grueling..but doable!
ReplyDeleteI wont lie the trip from Canada to Oz alone will be hell but eventually you get there. I have now done it twice on my own with three kids in tow. Last year I had a 5 year old and 2 year old twins via LAX. This year I had a 6 yr old and 3 yr old twins via Vancouver to Montreal. You need a good supply of humour, lollipops and op-shop sourced small toys (think little pony etc.) plus the tv to get there and you can do it.
ReplyDeleteSophie might be harder work on the flight, but if she smiles like this a lot, it will be worth it :)
ReplyDeleteugh...and your fabric collection...just stunning!
ReplyDeleteYou'll manage, I'm sure - I have travelled on my own with the kids several times and have always thought of it as just a limited period of time (whatever happens you will get there eventually), however hard it is (and make sure you have a chance to unwind a bit at either end once you arrive). I go to South Africa to visit my parents which takes about 24 hours - the hardest trips were with a 6 week old, 2 yr old and 4 yr old and the following year with 13 mnths, 3 and 5. Can you book flights which travel overnight? You may not sleep but the kids probably will for some of the time! Juliex
ReplyDeleteexcited for your first of the month goal! i think working towards something specific like that feels good, too. : )
ReplyDeleteoh I hear you about the terrifying prospect of flying solo with 2 kiddos in tow. We thought about going to the UK with just me and kids and meeting with hubs later but I am also terrified at the thought as my girl cannot sit still and will chat up absolutely everyone. How long is the flight? Hope all goes well, just remember you will probably never see those passengers again! Bravo to the monthly updates!
ReplyDeletei always fly back to the states alone with my two littles. you can do it, you will feel like you do anything when it is all through.
ReplyDeleteHi Leslie,
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend a Trunki for Mae to pack her treasures. I bought one for my 2 year old Sophie in 2009 for our European adventure, it was the best thing, she loved packing her things away, she could sit on it during transit stops plus I could pull her along when running to the Gate at Heathrow like a mad woman!!!! She is using it continually as we travel back to Melbourne every 3 months since our move to Perth last year.
Best wishes for the trip, just keep thinking of the great times with family plus a finished house to return to!!
Christine
thanks so much for the suggestion, christine! i actually looked at those today (weird coincidence) and thought that mae would probably love it. but i'll have an umbrella stroller for my sophie since she'll only be 14 months so i won't really be able to pull and push at the same time. i picked up a dora wheelie bag for mae today and i think she will be more than happy to pull it along, she is very into doing EVERYTHING herself these days : )
ReplyDeleteYou will be fine on the flight, just dont expect too much, and you will probably be nicely surprised. I have flown solo with two kids to Hong Kong twice now (that is 4 trips) I know it is much less time, but the best flight was the one where they were super tired after we had to wait 7 hours at the airport for the next flight'cos I missed the one I wanted to catch (hubby works for an airline, so we are always on stand-by) Just be super organised, super calm, have some surprises (new things) for the kids to get excited by, and remind yourself it is only one day, only one day, I can do it, I can do it. This works for me :)
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