10.23.2012

also, proud.

when halloween costumes starting coming to a target near us two things became certain (i know they were certain because my kids told me so) - ge man was going to be spiderman for halloween and chunk was going to be "bat guy". ge man chose to be muscled up spiderman, but i couldn't find a single reasonable batman costume for the chunk. why is it that little girls have to be princesses, cupcakes, bees, and kitty cats when little boys get to be super heroes, fire fighters, and monsters? why is it that when we dress females up like fire fighters, cops, and super heroes they suddenly have to show their bellies or wear a mini skirt? and, on somewhat of the same note, why can't little girls underwear have toy story or trains on them? why do we have to tell our little girls that they are only good enough for frilly dresses and sensitivity, but our little boys get to run around and save people with their brains and their brawn? i want my little girl to dream of being anything she can dream of, and i am tired of society and the idiot toy / clothing industry trying to tell her anything different.

but i digress. on my hunt to find chunk an acceptable bat guy costume i was completely let down. the ones for little boys were very disappointing, and the ones for little girls contained copious amounts of cheesy looking fake leather. plus, the symbol was often in pink, which i am pretty sure isn't very bat guy. my little chunk knows what bat guy looks like - she often makes him breakfast just before the snake kills him - so there would be no pink substitutes. i gave up entirely because i wasn't about to spend 30 + dollars on some ugly costume that neither chunk or i would be happy with. and that's when i had my ah-ha moment.

i would make it myself.

i am a little less than a year in my quest to become a more craftier version of myself. i have learned a lot about my sewing machine this year, but not enough to sew an entire costume. surely there could be an easier way. there was. first i needed to secure myself a plain black long sleeved tshirt size 3t. did you know that this is hard to do? you can find many a plain short sleeved black tshirt, but not long. also, they do not have them in the girl's section. i found mine in the little boy section in target after a lovely lady from jo-anne's sent me in that direction echoing my same irritation.

bingo. business time. after that the rest was easy - 4$ tshirt from target, 3$ pair of black tights, 3 yards of black tulle and 1 yard of yellow tulle from jo-anne's 6$, black and yellow satin ribbon from jo-anne's 2$, bedazzling heat tool and yellow bedazzle beads from micheal's for 15$. we already owned the batman ring i used for the bow from ge's bday party last year - so win on that.

side note - if you frequent jo-anne's or michels and have a smart phone - there's an app for that! i save wonderful amounts of money each trip with their coupons. craft win.

i used this tutorial to help me make chunk's tutu. i printed out the bat symbol and traced it onto chunk's shirt with a white fabric pen, laid out my beads, and heat glued them on (wow those things get hot!) i glued satin ribbon bows onto and alligator clip and added the ring to the top to finish off the outfit. it was all so easy. and totally not cheesy. and super adorable. plus, chunk is happy.



been a long time.

well hello there, internets. i keep telling myself i am going to be better at blogging, a lot because i want the records of life for the kids down the road, but wow is that a commitment i suck at keeping. honestly we are living so much life that i am exhausted by the end of the day. between playdates, preschool time, laundry, yard time, foods, sleeping, cleaning, fighting, saying no a billion times, laughter, hugs, and kisses for boo boos - there is no time for blogging. none. right now i can sit down because chunk is quietly making "breakfast" for her astronauts. you would think sweet, but that is actually a bad sign for her toys. breakfast turns into a bath and by the time you know it the snake has arrived and is eating your face off. who said two year olds can't be sociopaths?

we have met a wonderful group of friends here in nova and the kids are currently attending at least 2 play dates a week. both kids will squeal with excitement when it is time to go see their friends and both have blossomed beautifully in the last 6 months. ge man is actually opening up for the first time ever and is talking and playing with little kids his age. this all makes my heart beat happy sounds. we often worried about him socially, but he has progressed amazingly here. luckily we have met some wonderful people and the kids of our group all get along swimmingly.

chunk is a full time talker with new phrases entering into our conversations with each passing day. her favorite thing to do right now is give commands to her parents, and pretend that her toys are in serious danger and in need of rescue. her current favorite shows are still (sort of) - mouse, captain hook, and little einsteins. she is starting to sing songs, count to 10, learn her abc's, and is getting better at focusing during crafting time. she is a little ball of energy, but prefers to play by herself rather than others. little miss independent. little miss drama. full time job.

ge man is doing exceptionally well. i am so happy that we kept him out of preschool this year because he simply needed one more year to find his confidence and his voice. he is loving our preschool time and is starting to show a lot more interest in science and math. he can read over 60 words and is writing his vocabulary out with ease. we are currently working on days of the week, seasons, and calendars. he loves to get answers right and i love praising him for it. his favorite show is phineas and ferb and he is really starting to pick up on jokes and humor. we have already started having conversations about bullies and how to stand up for our friends - getting him ready for kindergarten is my primary focus over the next 10 months. i can't believe that happens in 10 months. mom sigh.

the astronauts are down and it is time for real life strawberries. off to the glamour.