City Living

I'm working on a super secret project that involves lots of adventures around our city. Syl is a huge contributor to this project, or, maybe not so much a contributor but my trusty sidekick. It's really interesting to get her perspective on aspects of the gritty parts of St. Louis. Like the Graffiti Wall, she's totally into it.

Dressing It Up

Sylvia has been reading a lot of "Fancy Nancy" lately, and so here we go with the dawn of dressing up, accessories and all. At zoomagination, she had the helpers put her in every animal costume available, then she would walk around acting like said animal. This dress below is silk and originally $125. The store was going out of business and my mom got it for $10! I finally had to make her take this dress off because it's so balmy here, the silk was sticking to her sweaty little body.

I've learned my lesson about glitter projects, we have since moved these activities outside.

Here she is pouring glitter on our lawn weeds, anticipating the arrival of a glitterless fairy.

Yes, there is a baby in there. This is how his morning nap looks. Did I tell you he weighs 22lbs?

Photo of Easton waving done by Sylvie. And yes, the floor I was letting him crawl on was pretty dirty, making the tops of his legs black. All I can say is he definitely has second baby syndrome (not to be mistaken with shaken baby syndrome, eeks!).

Another fancy outing, equipped with her homemade "S" cape and crown.

It'd be rather difficult to make this into a help wanted ad

Thinking back to my pregnancy with Sylvia, I am shocked at all the details of motherhood that I was completely oblivious to. I mean really, I knew I'd be stuck wiping asses all day (when they turn 4, I wipe no more), I knew my body would be permanently and forever and ever altered, I knew I'd have to answer a gazillion questions over and over again. What's funny is that out of the gallons of knowledge I've accumulated about motherhood, the job description is like that of nothing else on this planet. No one, no book, no guru, no friend, can truly prepare a woman for all that comes with the lifelong, pay-free, career that is mama. As I was nursing Easton down tonite, I was writing a mental list of all the things that would be in a craigslist ad for motherhood, and I'm leaving out the totally obvious ones that anyone (unsolicited) can inform you of.

Wanted: womb with no view, vessel for life which needs constant nourishment, may cause strange symptoms and loss of any/all mental stability, will be a part of your life forever and ever amen

Wage: unconditional love (except when you ban tv), total clinginess (especially when making dinner), an exuberant amount of hugs and kisses (even when covered in the foulest concoction of dinner and paint)

Job Description (again, not gonna state the obvious here, these are all descriptions I have come to realize with a 3 year old female and subsequent 8.5 month old male. things could feasibly be added here daily):

~permanent body alteration. not just after pregnancy, but why is it that we can't figure out a way to harness the mass of 60lbs worth of 2 humans to tone down the abs? Seriously, my arms and back are solid muscle (ha! I said solid muscle) but my abs? Sheesh, a bowl full of where-a-baby-once-was blubber.

~must be able to listen to a play-by-play of every bit of activity going on. even if you are totally right there, watching it all happen. someone will always be telling you exactly what's going on. really. believe me, this takes complete zoning out skills.

~must be able to catch child when they heave themselves dangerously off non-threatening playground equipment. even if the child was in NO IMMEDIATE DANGER.

~killer of all creatures. because even the microscopic ones can do eternal harm.

~crust picker-offer. and I mean off of any and all surfaces. to do this task you must abandon all neurosis of cleanliness and germs.

~strange odor detective.

~hand signaler. when far away from tantruming child in a public place, you must perfect the art of disciplining with your hands. and your maddest, most disappointing face.

~bad word speller-outer. I'm positive many of these words are going to show up wrong under spell check. but I'm keeping them in. because you must know your S-H-I-T.

~master manipulator. don't worry, the kids will learn the art of this one early too.

~world class convincer of everything. be it "the park really is closed all day" or "rub it off. it doesn't really hurt." some may call it lying, I just say you're redirecting from the truth.

~you must be ok with forgetting to put on deodorant. or brushing you hair. quite frankly, those other parents at the playground should be pleased that you put on a nursing tank (because who can really be bothered with bras anymore?).

~time-checker. time is never on your side. in fact, this description should be "clock-hater," because bedtime never comes early enough.

~sweaty kisser. and by this I mean you kissing your really sweaty child. because it is just plain mean to say no to a kiss from your kid.

~must be able to carry heavy amounts of guilt on a daily basis. guess what I'm doing while writing this post? yep, feeling guilty about it. because moms should be grateful for their child's health and happiness, not dwelling on the negatives which leads me to...

~negative-dweller. bitching about things makes the things funnier. to me, at least.

~positivity-seeker. someday, I will laugh at these moments.

Oh I'm sure there is more, but I can honestly say that almost everything on this list has occured to me in the past week, or today. And this is why I'm so tired and not updating very frequently. It's been a hard week and it gets annoying to keep coming on here to bitch about my 3 year old's public freak outs and my 8 month old's new not sleeping schedule. For me, humor helps. Humor and the hope for a strong drink in my future (I think I've been home every night for a month, and I'm not even pregnant!).

As He Moves and A Study in Curls

We are in full-blown baby-crawling zone. I've been spending my free moments moving things, shifting life, adjusting our house to suit our newest little crawler. He is soooo into everything, but he's not too quick yet. I guess I've been avoiding the idea of him getting to this stage, procrastinating everything that is involved with a moving baby with the need to put everything into said mouth. Evidence of what he is capable of doing when I turn my head for a few seconds:

Over went the trash cans, down came the curtains, and he is happy as a clam. Luckily we still have outlet covers throughout the house, cuz I have a feeling this guys is going to be one of those that enjoys "testing" stuff!

We finally made it to the pool Wednesday evening. The weather has been pure crazy around these parts, with air so thick and swampy you could practically swim in it! When we got home, Sylvia's hair was so curled from the chlorine, I had to sit her by the window to capture their pure spiral essence. Though she looks displeased, she was simply sitting still for mama. All these with a point and shoot, can't beat the cheap cameras (I digress, it is a "nicer" point and shoot),


It may sound cheesy, but I love photos of kids looking up. Some may thing they are looking to the heavens, I like to think they are pondering the next tantrum.

Late Night, Good Times

Sometimes, on the ultra-rare occasion, Easton goes to bed considerably earlier than Sylvie. I then get to join in on the "wearing her out" phase of the pre-bedtime routine. I swear that I spend 80% of my days putting babies/toddlers to sleep (and 18% fixing meals, the last 2% is saved for losing my marbles). Easton passed out at 8pm, so Syl and I decided to go on a late evening adventure (yes, I speak Diego). And if you had to go to that link, you are sooooo not a parent.

Anyway, we got in my incredibly stinky car (windows totally got left open during tropical rainstorm number 1) and headed downtown. Because really, where else do you take a 3 year old at 8 pm on a Sunday night? Post-storm, it was a balmy 72 degrees, so we parked on the cobblestone that leads to the Mighty Mississippi. Syl is in love with this river, so we hung out and threw pebbles. Actually, she threw pebbles as I was on the constant look-out for late night mother-daughter murderers. What can I say, I'm really paranoid and totally untrusting of strangers. We were safe, only families leaving the Arch as it was closing. We then did the next logical thing to do with a 3 year old at 9 pm on a Sunday night: we cruised the Landing. Oh yea, lots of drunks parading around loudly. Luckily Syl is unaware of the "fun" effects of alcohol, she was just stoked to be out so late at night.

I drove us across the MLK bridge into Illinois so she could enjoy the view of our city from afar (ok, I got lost and took the wrong exit and ended up new the Illinois landfill). As I watched her in my rear-view mirror, her window all the way down, hand catching the balmy breeze of a Missouri August nights, I saw a reflection of myself as a child. She was tired, thinking, enjoying, being, living her life moment-to-moment. She wasn't worried about anything, she was totally happy to be in that stinky car in that stinky St. Louis air, oblivious to the worries or woes of adult life.

And I was happy too.

Whale are you up to?

Does anyone out there watch Whale Wars? That show totally had me in tears tonite. Damn you, Animal Planet, damn you for making me feel like I'm sitting on my couch on a Friday night doing nothing while beautiful whales are out there being slaughtered. I wonder if I have the time to launch an anti-whaling campaign..........

Michael Jackson Dance Party

MJ Dance Party
Uploaded by southcityslings. - Family events, birthdays and parenting videos.

Sunset in a Pink Tutu

8 month post

Mama is sooooo annoying with that camera.

We've entered the phase of Easton's baby-isms where time is invaluable, as in, I have no time and when I do, I don't spend it updating this here blog. His official 8th month on this planet is tomorrow, the 11th, but since I have a spare moment (which should involve cleaning, laundry, eating, ect) I'm writing now.

Easton has begun to crawl. Eeeek! I know, crazy times! Syl didn't start crawling till her 10th month, but Easton has to keep up. He is still in the slow, only sometimes, forgetting that he can do it crawling stage. But I'm pretty sure he'll be a mover and a shaker in the next week. He is pretty much officially eating normal real people food. He really doesn't enjoy eating from the spoon, so I'm not going to keep bothering making food for him, or buying the expensive organic jars that he ingests like 1% of, then gets thrown out. So I'm throwing all precautionary hazards of "DON'T FEED THIS TO YOUR BABY OR ALL HELL WILL BREAK LOOSE" into the garbage. I'm doing it my way, the way that works for us. And really, doesn't everyone get annoyed with the short-order cook status of motherhood?

He cut his top 2 teeth like moments ago (at least, that is when I noticed). It may explain why his lovely nighttime sleep schedule has been shat upon lately. He's also been a bit crankier the past few days. But hey, if that's the worst he can get while teething, bring. it. on. Syl was a nightmare teether, this is nothing. Plus more teeth for Easton brings on the opportunity for more real people food. Yeah!

Why sit still for a photo when you could flip upside down?

Don't know his weight, though I'd say it's about 21lbs. And my back really feels every last ounce. With Syl weighing in at a whopping 39lbs, I can say my back and arms are the strongest part of my body. If only I could make a sling that uses my abs....

I've also become the World's Best Ring Sling Nurser. Since he insists on nursing for his naps (unless the miracle car seat nap occurs), I've gotten quite talented at laying him sideways in the sling to nurse him to nap. We only do this in public places, for at home, we lay in bed. Mama's back needs a break sometimes!

He is a typical happy baby, putting everything in his mouth, cherishing every ounce of attention from his big sister (and trust me, it's a rare gift she provides him), beginning the "stranger danger" phase (which is really cute, he throws his body onto daddy or mama and buries his head into our chest), and has the most genuine laugh. He enjoys picking up toys and banging them on things to see how loud he can be. He only "talks" when he is super tired. I totally understand this one. I mean really, he's got 2 loud-mouthed ladies to compete with. Learn now, my boy. Learn now.

8 months later, I'm so glad we're here. Though newborns can be easier and precious to view, that stage was very difficult to get through. The next 6-8 months is my all time favorite part of baby/toddler hood. Ya know, before they can talk, talk back, tantrum, and hurt you emotionally of physically. Before they start to grow away from mama-love and into the hellish caves of AGE THREE!

Wednesday Remains

Wednesday mornings have become a time "off" for me, and by "off" I really mean "half-0ff," since I still usually have baby. Dave goes in late and takes Sylvia on whatever half-day adventure they can muster. Be it the Science Center or a free summer movie, it's away from me and it's full on attention to Syl. A win-win for all. Today was a bit different. Some Mafia ladies got together to meet at Remains, a clothing warehouse that primarily exports to other countries, but also stashed 2 huge rolling bins of vintage fabrics. Though closed to the public, we were able to spend all morning sifting through the dusty bins, sorting and grabbing whatever fits our needs. Now, this may sound lovely and grand, but it was very dirty and an allergic nightmare. Plus, vintage to one means trash to another. And we all remember the polyester overloads of the 70's. So no, it wasn't all perfect vintage yardage by any means. In fact, out of the huge bins, I only brought home 12 lbs in material (and at $.50 per pound, that's a whole $6!!), 2 huge pieces being beautiful quilts that I plan on keeping in tact. The nice thing about the experience was how sharing and considerate everyone was, since we are all crafters and fabric whores. Someone would hold up a cool piece, and everyone would offer it to everyone else before keeping it. If 2 people wanted something? The fabric was divided. It was very peaceful and fair. I'm currently washing all my goods and will sort through and decipher what gets made into what later tonite. I still can taste the dust in the back of my throat, but I say, it was a beautiful, child-free morning well spent. Plus we're invited back in a few months. Though I'm unsure if my lungs could tolerate it.

Vintage fabric, oh so cute

2 quilts saved by me from total obliteration

Tank Top to Kids Skirt Tutorial

Craft websites/blogs are all about wardrobe refashioning these days. I love it, especially because I've begun to feel guilty about purchasing new fabric, even if I'm going to make an article of clothing out of it. It's still contributing to the production of a new item, and it costs money. And though I'm sure there are a gazillion tutorials about this already, I made my own one day. Because I'm a sewer of instant gratification. I don't want to fuss, I don't have the time. When Easton woke early from his nap the other day, I whipped this skirt up for Sylvia in a matter of minutes. Yes, I have a serger, so that makes it about 3 minutes quicker. And yes, the machine was threaded and rearing to go. That said, this project should take you 3-8 minutes total. And I'm all about that.

Here we go!!

You'll need an old shirt, a ball point needle, thread, elastic

Step One: pick your old tank-top that doesn't flatter you anymore because you kept on having babies and sit-ups aren't your best friend. This is a stretchy knit top, size medium. This should fit a kid from 18 months to maybe 6.

Step Two: figure out the length of the final skirt (my daughter is tall at age 3, so I decided on around 12" long). The length also depends on where you want the skirt to fall on girls legs. Like short skirts for your girl? Cut it shorter! I like it to cover her knees, because I'm a modest prude and all. Allow for very little seam allowance if serging, and maybe 1/4" if sewing regular. Cut at the desired length.

Step Three: Serge where you just cut, or use a knit fabric needle and do a rolled hem. Or just leave it. Who cares? We're refashioning here! And really, stretchy knits tend to not fray all that bad.

Step Four: Measure kid's waist. I already know my daughter's belly is about 22" where her skirts tend to sit. Subtract a few inches for elastic stretchiness.

Step Five: Put a Ball Point needle in your machine. This helps when sewing stretchy knits, though you can get away with a regular. Place the elastic over your serged hem, sew into place, then get ready to roll.

Step Six: I'm using 1 hand for the photo, but this requires both hands. With the needle down, you will pull the elastic and skirt taught backwards with your left hand (as shown below) but with your right hand, you will be guiding the skirt into the machine while pulling the elastic taught the opposite direction. Get it? I know, totally confusing. There's probably an easier way to say it. Since we're sewing the elastic exposed, you need to stretch the elastic and the knit skirt so it gathers while being sewn. While the needle is moving, the elastic will be gathering with the skirt to make it stretchy. When you stop sewing, the needle needs to be down. When you start sewing again, pull everything taught. Is that more clear?
Step Seven: Continue all the way around the skirt. If you're running out of elastic, pull tighter! If you're getting back to the beginning and you have too much elastic remaining, don't pull so tight. It takes some practice, but we're refashioning here. It's all about recycling and figuring it out, and this is my first tutorial, so cut me some slack!
Step Eight: You're done! Put it on your baby's head!

No, give it to the kid it was intended for. Look, she loves it! Totally comfortable, reused, refashioned, 5 minute skirt.
Any questions?

Out Like a Lion

I can't believe it's August, and I feel like I say that at the beginning of every month. But time changes differently when you stay at home with 2 small children. The only way I realize what day of the week we're on is when a bill is due, a library book needs to be returned, or we have a playdate. Other than that, schedules and dates are out the window. But August brings some anticipation of fall, preschool preparations, daylight savings (which I am actually looking forward to this year, it's so hard to get kids to sleep when it's still daylight out!). This fall, I shall look forward to things to do, schedules to set, a little one about to crawl, and changes all around.

I present to you Lioness Sylvia, Queen of the Glowing Afro.

Last night we got a sitter (my mom) because I wanted to go out and Dave had a show. I picked up a friend and went to the Craft Mafias Big Ass Indie Craft Show. It was so packed, I got to see very little crafts. But I did enjoy Leslie Hall and the LY's, who were totally freaking awesome. It's great to get out of the house amongst the living, feel youthful and free, and take my time on the town. I was gone for over 4 hours, which is the longest I've been away from the kids since Easton was born. Though very tired today, I feel invigorated of the notion that I wanted to do something that would make me happy, I was able to do it, and it was awesome.