Circles

 

Guess who can now draw circles? Henry really enjoys coloring these days and is getting pretty good at circles. He is also starting to at least aim towards staying in the lines. 

Have a great weekend!

Zippy the Elf: Day 1-5

This year we are not traveling for the holidays! I am excited to spend Christmas in my own bed and in my own house. And while I am sad to not see any family this year, I am super excited to start making our own family memories and traditions. Elf on the Shelf was one of the things I wanted to do so I will be posting the actions of our elf over the course of the next month. 

I was hesitant to start this year as I didn't know if Henry would get it but man, I should not have doubted. After reading all about the elf in the story book, I just knew he would love it. So in case you don't know, every holiday season Santa sends an elf to watch you and see if you are naughty or nice. Each night, the elf magically travels back to Santa to report on your actions. He can't talk to you but he can listen. You also can't touch him or he loses his magical powers. On Christmas Eve he goes back to the North Pole for the rest of the year only to return again the next year.

Since Henry is still so young, I have been planning simple things and having our elf sit up high. I know he understands not touching something but I thought I wouldn't tempt him-not at least for the first few weeks. We've also been reading the story each night so he continues to be reminded about the whole concept. I have been browsing ideas online and on Pinterest. I had seen people who wrap one book/movie/activity for each night in December for their kids to open and I wanted to do that too. Well instead of doing that, I'm combining them and our Elf is going to bring us Christmas books, make us popcorn to eat while watching movies and bring us crafty things to do.

 

Day 1: Our elf appeared tangled up in the Christmas decorations. Henry immediately found him and was delighted. Our first task was to give him a name. Names as submitted for voting: Henry-Arnold, Beckie-Zippy, Steve-Fizzy. Zippy was chosen by Henry. So Zippy it is. 

 

 

Day 2: Zippy returns and perches in a wreath. He brought along a note written on festive paper I colored. Note Says, "Henry, I'm excited to be your elf. We're going to have a fun Christmas together. I love my name too. Remember to be a good boy. -Zippy P.S. Enjoy this treat from me." Attached was a sucker. Again, Henry's face lit up when he found Zippy just sitting there.  

 

Day 3: Snip, snip. Someone was up late watching Harry Potter and cutting snowflakes. Complete with clippings on the floor. Zippy is so messy! Pinterest is a great resource for snowflake template/ideas. I just folded squares of computer paper into the wedges and free handed the templates on them before cutting. I am pretty proud of this one. 

 

Day 4: Taking it easy just sitting on a bird. I wanted to mix in simple ones with complex ones with treat/gift ones. That way expectations aren't always high. 

 

Day 5: Paper chain necklace. Zippy made a mini chain and left the supplies to make a paper chain counting down the days to Christmas. Henry loved making the paper chain and I'm crossing my fingers he doesn't rip it apart in a couple of days. He did insist on hanging it in his room...

Stay Tuned for more Zippy...

P.S. Henry is so crafty he even insists that Zippy likes to watch tv and that he should get a turn picking a show to watch. So after Mommy gets a turn and then Henry gets a turn, Zippy should get a turn. Guess what Zippy always wants to watch? Yo Gabba Gabba. Hilarious.

When your friend moves away...

Recently one of Henry's little friends moved away. We have really missed Lyla and her mom! Since Henry is almost three, I figured it would be best to just tell him the truth about the sudden absence of his friend. I didn't think lying about her going on a trip would be beneficial or any other such excuse.

So I made a plan. We planned an FHE about friends moving. I went to the library and had the librarian help me find a couple of stories about the topic and then I got out a map of the USA. We started by showing him where he lived, in Georgia and also other places he had been like Utah, California-where Mickey Mouse lives, Washington and Arizona. We moved a little person around to all the places. He chose the fireman to represent himself. We then placed him in Georgia and talked about how Henry has lots of friends here. We put a couple of little people on the map to represent Henry, Lyla and Maya (one of his other friends).

 

Then we had Lyla move away to Utah on the map. 

 

We noted that Henry still had Maya in Georgia with him.  For awhile he kept moving Lyla back to Georgia but we kept explaining that she lived in Utah now. He was sad that evening but now he understands better.

Then we read the stories from the library. I didn't like a couple of them but we enjoyed Toby and the Snowflakes by Julie Halpern.

After the story we drew Lyla a picture and wrote her a note, they are going to be pen pals. 

These things seemed to help him and it has taken a couple of weeks but I think he truly understands that Lyla is gone. She did answer his letter and he LOVED getting something in the mail just for him. Now when he talks about his friends he still mentions Lyla but he often follows it with how she "walked" to Utah. 

Happy Thanksgiving

A couple of days late but better than never, right?

With the rush of Halloween-it being the first holiday of the season-and then the burn out of holiday activities combined with the anticipation of Christmas, I kind of feel like Thanksgiving is the middle child. I spent so much time and energy making Halloween special for Henry that by the time Thanksgiving came around, I was done. 

We have a couple of traditions though that we do each year.

1. We make a "I'm Thankful for..." poster. We had a special FHE about being grateful for our blessings and then we started listing on this big piece of paper what we are thankful for. We tape it up and for the next few weeks we jot down our ideas. Henry actually seemed to understand it this year and here are the things that he was grateful for:

crayons, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, water, Mommy, Daddy, letters, stickers, pirates

Sometimes he would say funny things too like he was thankful for "W."

2. We watch all the Thanksgiving episodes from Friends. 

We had a nice day with a big dinner hosted by our friends the Gardner's. We brought homemade rolls and homemade stuffing. After overeating, we headed home to recover and that night I braved Walmart to replace our broken Wii. They actually had everything well organized and except for one fight at the Xbox games between a mass of football player sized men, it was pretty civil. I was home by 8:20 to eat another piece of pie and relax. 

Happy Monday! I hope that you are being as productive as I am.

Gallegos Family Pictures

 When my Grandpa passed away earlier this year, my mom inherited boxes and misc albums of family photos. She meticulously scanned, edited and compiled all of them for the family. A couple of months ago I received a disc of over 400 pictures of my Dad's family. Well I finally got around to looking at it and thought I would share some of my favorites.

 

 My Grandma Anna

 My Grandma Anna when she worked on fighter planes during WWII

 My Dad at two, I see a lot of Henry in him. In fact, Henry thought this was a picture of him.

 Some family vacation to northern California, my dad is on the left. I think my brother Micah looks a lot like him. I just love this picture, there is something so nostalgic about a family road trip vacation from the 1960's.

 Here I think my Dad and Uncle Marc were flying to Great Britain. My Dad is on the left. I LOVE my Grandma's hair and suit in this picture. She is wearing gloves at the airport!

My Dad worked for the LAPD and here he is in his uniform. It looks brand new.

I'm so grateful for my mom and all her hard work!

Make It Work Monday

I am dedicating the title of this plan to Tim Gunn.

So I am not a great housewife. I think I am a good mom and wife-I mean, I am fantastic!-but when it comes to the everyday keeping my house clean and organized, I'm just ok.

Or at least I was until I came up with this plan.

Monday is my favorite day of the week. Its the day I get everything done. I plan to be productive and work hard all day. Knowing I am going to accomplish most of my weekly goals and prep work in one day not only motivates me to work super hard but it also allows me to really enjoy the work.

Here is what I do on a typical Monday.

It starts Sunday night. I sit down and take a look at my week. What do I have going on? Steve and I chat about our plans, letting each other know any changes to typical schedules or things we have planned. So if he has school off on Friday or has extra office hours or if I have a book club or RS activity, we make note. Its great starting the week knowing what we have in store. I also keep track of everything on a family calendar in the kitchen.

Next I make a menu for the week. I do it Sunday night so I can collaborate with Steve on what he might like/not like on the menu. Plus, I often get in a rut so it is nice to get fresh ideas. Or if we have been eating one meal too much now is his chance to let me know. I also take into consideration our calendar. If I know we have FHE on Monday, I usually choose something simple to make or if it is one of the nights where Steve gets home later, I make something in the crock pot because by 6:00 I am done being alone with Henry and I know a complicated dinner will only stress me out. For example: it doesn't make sense to have a huge meal the night of the kid's soccer games so maybe if you wanted to try a new recipe, put it on a day where you will have more time.

From the menu I make a grocery list. I only go to the grocery store once a week and then Sam's Club once every other week. Sometimes I will run into the store for a stray item but I try not to. I make a detailed list including items for lunch, snacks and anything we might need for the week. Since I go to the grocery store on Monday, I try and take into consideration fresher items being used at the start of the week. I also try and utilize ingredients in more than one meal. Hawaiian haystacks is yummy and most of the leftover toppings can be thrown on a pizza the next day. Having a menu really helps me stay organized and I feel like I not only spend less money but we waste a lot less food.

These things sound simple but they make a world of difference.

Monday I hit the ground running, literally. I try to at least exercise on Monday. It is a great way to start the week with energy and then you can always have one workout checked off your list.

I also start a load of laundry as soon as I am up. Monday is the day I do all our laundry. Usually it is between 4-6 loads. I do all our sheets and towels, all our whites and 2-3 loads of colors. It sounds daunting but knowing this is the only day I have to do it is comforting. I start early so I can have my first load drying and my second load in the washer by the time I head out for errands.

Just a sampling from a few weeks ago-you know-when I originally meant to write this blog...

Before I leave the house I also jot down a list of my things for the day. I love being able to cross things off a to-do list. Each time I cross something off, I am motivated to keep going so I break down tasks into smaller parts. Instead of just putting "clean house" I break it down into "clean Henry's bathroom," "dust living room," "sweep kitchen," "empty dishwasher," etc. This helps me have manageable and doable tasks. Its also easier for me to see something simple like empty the dishwasher, know it will take less than 10 minutes and then complete it. I put everything I want to accomplish on my list and usually have way too many items to complete in one day on it. 

After we have eaten breakfast, gotten ready and gathered everything for our errands we head out. Since I don't work my etsy shop on Sundays, I also answer any convos from Sunday and prepare any outstanding orders for shipping. I like to get out of the house before 10:00 am so I can be home to unload everything and accomplish a few chores before lunch. We take the recycling to the local free drop off, head to the post office and then go to the grocery store. Since this is my work hard day, I try and make our trip to Walmart as fun as I can. We go and see the christmas decorations, look at a few toys and always get a cookie. 

Once we're home and we've had lunch, I start to tackle my list. I work through things by trading off a task for home, a task for etsy. I also try and mix it up by setting a timer and seeing how many things I can get done in 30 minutes with the promise of a break after the timer goes off. I also set aside things I can do while watching tv and save them for when I watch the newest episode of Once Upon a Time. Folding laundry is a great excuse to watch tv. Ironing is also a great tv multitasking activity.

By dinner I am ready for a break and since I have a menu in place I know what I am cooking and I even know I have all the ingredients on hand. After dinner we have FHE. After Henry is in bed, I get back to work and finally get into bed on nice clean sheets and know I have done my hardest that day.

I don't always follow through with a ton of my to-do list items but I am working on being okay with items undone on my list. Instead of looking at the things I didn't cross off, I try to focus on all the things I did accomplish. There is always another day to finish tasks. 

Some final tips:
-Get a friend to do this with you. My friend, Andrea and I recently had a chat about our Mondays and she started doing something similar to my routine, we text throughout the day encouragement and our tasks done. I know that Steve cares but sometimes I just want to share with someone who really knows the thrill of actually putting away the last load of laundry. Or the proud moment of finally doing that chore you hate doing.
-Maybe Monday won't work for you so you could easily tailor this to your own schedule.
-Come up with "rewards" to keep yourself going, whether it is Diet Coke, reading a chapter in a book or watching tv, you know what will work for you.

bexcaliber: groopdealz

Yes, I am doing a groopdealz even though I hate when people spell things with z's and two oo's. You can find these fabulous savings here. I'm offering 3 pillow choices at 30% off. The deal goes through Thursday of this week, so act fast.

Weird Weeks

So its been weird around here lately. A couple of weeks ago, the week of Halloween to be exact was just a bad week. Henry all of a sudden got freaked out by his room and he has been sleeping poorly ever since. He wakes up almost every night and can only fall asleep with one of us laying on the floor next to him. I am sleep deprived and sore from sleeping/laying on the floor. Even as I type he is crying in his room for me to come in as it is bedtime and I am going to try to let him cry it out. Sad.

We just plain had a bad week and this past week wasn't terrible I just feel like we spent it recovering from the terrible one before. Isn't it crazy how a bad day can turn into a bad week? Steve and I even had a small pity party for ourselves at the beginning of date night. Allowing ourselves the drive to the restaurant to rant about what was bothering us and all the things that went wrong that week. It helped and was actually kind of fun. Voicing my frustrations with my lack of running motivations, Henry's sleep craziness and even just my irritation with the weather helped me realize how small all those things really are. Small but real.

So this week is going to be better and here is why. I finally figured out what was bothering me and what had me in a funk.

I had recently finished major projects in my life and didn't have anything really waiting for me to work on. I am a person driven by tasks. If I don't have a plan or a project I fall apart or drift into nothingness. And as a person who derives their daily confidence on production, I NEED things to do. So I had completed Christmas inventory and training for the 10k. Suddenly I was adrift work wise, should I start new fabric patterns? Should I just focus on plugging Christmas? The less I had planned, the more I felt like I should be doing (prepping for end of the year taxes, craft show season, new designs, marketing, AHHH!) I became overwhelmed and shut down. Instead I read 4 books in quick succession and had the terrible feeling of accomplishing something while not really accomplishing anything. I love reading but never allow it during the day. It is the ultimate indulgence to me as even while watching tv I can work, clean the house and care for/play with Henry.

I also had met my running goal (the 10K) and wanted to keep at it but with the weather turning chill, Steve getting to campus earlier for work and me just plain having no energy from no sleep, it didn't happen. And then of course I was too hard on myself for only running once a week when I knew I could do better. This week, whatever I can do will be enough in this regards.

So this week I have a plan. I feel slightly refreshed from my work respite and will renew my energies with a few new designs for the shop. I was also invigorated by a trip to a new fabric store. If coming home with 15+ yds of new fabrics isn't a shot in the arm, I don't know what is. I was also contacted to do a groopdealz so that will keep me busy as well.

And as the clock quickly ticks away to the holidays, I'm in full Christmas felt food production which is so satisfying and fun to work on. I might even sneak in a few Christmas carols this week if the mood turns dark.

So stay tuned because we're starting the week off right with my Make it Work Monday Plan! You don't want to miss it. It will change your life. Seriously.

P.S. Henry stopped crying and fell asleep by the time I wrote this! Hooray for crying it out. I am a believer.

bexcaliber: branding

Lately I have been thinking about gradually rebranding my company. As much as I still love the red chair on aqua design, I don't think it is really relative anymore to what I am doing. So I am going to start trying out new graphics using the geo modern fabric line as inspiration. I have also wanted to start incorporating this branding in my packaging. I am always impressed when I order something and it arrives in thoughtful packaging. Sure it is easy and cheap to just throw your product in a bubble mailer but I feel like I can do better. You know what I mean? It is those little things that keep customers happy and coming back for more.

So I created a couple of stamps. I selected this star pattern which I loved but never made into a fabric design (that will be amended immediately) and the word "thanks." I have to say, I loved scraping out these designs on this soft rubber. So fulfilling. Luckily months ago I thought it would be a good idea to dabble in block printing and I already had all the materials on hand.

This was such an easy project and I can already envision myself surrounded by an army of hand carved rubber goodness. Too bad I only bought two blank stamps. Just a hint: when doing words make sure you write it out backwards so it prints correctly. I wrote the "thanks" backwards with a super thick Magnum sharpie.

 

So I have been stamping my mailers and tissue paper for wrapping and I love it. Each stack of outgoing pillows is wrapped in tissue paper and closed with a sticker. I think it was totally worth all efforts. Well, I outsourced some of the stamping to my friend so I could finish up Christmas. Thanks Andrea! Mailers have fewer stars, this was just a demo but Steve and I both agreed too many looked sloppy.

 

And a new business card too. Getting ready for craft show season and the holidays.

I just feel like this design is way more the direction I am going. So now I need to revamp my shop banners and avatars but that is a project for another day.

Happy Halloween!

 After last year's success at Halloween I was dubious if we could top it. I am a huge fan of family costumes. I think it is so fun and makes you be that much more creative. Plus, who am I kidding, I love dressing up. So this year we opted for Super Henry, Evil Steve and the Damsel in Distress. Mostly I chose this since Henry loves super heroes, Steve could wear all black clothes plus a cape and I could be pretty but not foolish.

 Henry loved his costume. I was worried because he didn't want to wear his mask or the cape at our ward Trunk or Treat but once I pinned the cape to his sweatshirt so it didn't tug on his neck, we were in business. I made his costume and embellished the sweatshirt. He chose the color scheme. I gave him a couple of options in the fabric store and he chose silver and blue. I made the H by free handing a cool letter on white cotton and then heat n bonded it to his cape. I sewed way too many sequins and shiny ribbons on for embellishment and he sure did sparkle.

 For the sweatshirt I used stretchy sequins on his cuffs and waistband so they would stretch and still be comfortable.

 His mask was an adult one I trimmed down to fit his face. Overall I think I spent $10 since we already had the sweats.

 He loved Trick or Treating and got the hang of it really quickly. He was really good at holding our hands and walking on the sidewalk. He would go up to each house, knock and then either say "trick or treat" "please" "Happy Halloween" or "thank you" before he got any candy. If they offered the bowl for him to choose from, he only took one piece. So polite. After each house, he quickly said "We're going to the next house now."

 Steve's costume was just black clothes, a felt mask I made from scraps and a $5 twin sheet cut into a cape. You can't see the back but there is a huge sequined S, its subtle.

 For me, I was going for a girl who was out on the town or maybe at the opera who gets kidnapped by Evil Steve. So I got all pretty and then mussed it up. I lost an earring, cried through my mascara, smeared my lipstick, etc etc. Henry came to my rescue and saved me! I made the tulle tutu for $5 and then wore a white skirt and my wedding dress slip to give it that huge flouncy look.

 We went trick or treating with some friends. A tiny dinosaur and a bumblebee.

Here is a good shot of the back of his cape. Super Henry to the rescue! Overall it was a perfect Halloween. Henry did so well, he didn't even get upset when it was time to go home. And was happy to just have one candy.

And for me, I am happy Halloween is over. After an entire month leading up to it, with lots of crafts, decorations and prep, I'm done. But I love how much Henry enjoyed it this year. He would tell anyone who asked that he was going to be "Super Henry" for Halloween and that daddy was going to be a "billin" (villain) and mommy was going to be an "ansel in dress" (damsel in distress).