The Fair is here!

I'm so excited! The fair is here! It is the highlight of my summer! This year I have the pleasure of introducing my daughter to it.
I have been a part of the Walworth County Fair since I was 9 years old! First as a member of 4-H, then FFA, and then until this year, a volunteer with some 4-H projects.
It was always something to look forward to, the last fun thing before school started. Working on your projects and animals all summer and then having this big payoff at the end of summer. Showing your animals and getting ribbons (and money).  The nervous feeling you get in your stomach before you go into the show ring. The pride you feel when you do a good job and the disappointment when you don't place where you think you should.
All those things are still imprinted in my memory and that is what I think about this time of year. How much fun I had and how I can't wait for B to be old enough to show, I hope she wants to. I keep trying to convince J that we need to start breeding sheep so that I have something to show, just so I can be apart of the fair again as a competitor.
But for now I'll be a spectator. Walking around eating junk food and seeing old friends. If your one of them and you see me wave Hi! Would love to see you!

                                           7 Month photo shoot! Can't wait for our first Fair!!

Suck Pad Tutorial

I love my Boba 3G! So does B, she loves to suck on the straps, I want my carrier to last awhile so I needed a solution. I could of bought suck pads but being the DIY girl that  I am I decided to make my own. And this is what I did;

Needed Supplies:
Flannel fabric
Cotton batting
scissors
soft tape
Velcro (I used 1" wide)
Sewing machine
Iron
Fabric glue

                  I always prewash fabric. Then make sure your fabric is nice and square

  

               Measure your straps where the suck pads would go. I add two inches to all sides.

                                                 Cut out four pieces of fabric.

                                         Cut out two pieces of cotton batting to fit in the middle of your fabric.

 I then folded in the edges 1/2 inch and ironed them flat. I put wrong sides together and then                    pinned and topstitched the entire thing

           Now to add the velcro. You want the velcro on opposite sides of the fabric. What I like to do is before you put the velcro on, fold it around the strap of your carrier to determine velcro placement. I like to use fabric glue to attach the velcro and then use a zig zag stitch to permanently attach the velcro.

   

I ran some decorative stitches of the area where the cotton batting is to prevent bunching during washing. But after that your done!  I hope your baby enjoys the suck pads!

If you don't feel crafty and would like to purchase suck pads for your carrier check out RedCharlotte on Etsy she has got nice ready made stuff for carriers. Let her know I sent you!

Blogging is Hard!

So I'm sorry about not being regular on my posts. See this post about my inability to even take a shower sometimes! So when I have a chance to be on the computer (usually after B goes to bed), I usually get sidetracked by stalking Facebook or getting sucked into Pinterest. Oops!! But I have a bunch of posts in the works so there is a bunch of stuff coming. And B is doing more and more fun things so we have a lot to talk about.
Thanks for reading!!

My baby is 7 months old!

Oh where has the time gone. I can't believe it's been 7 months since this cutie patootie came into our lives

And now she's getting so big and learning so many new things. She has two teeth, both on the bottom. She can almost sit up on her own (she uses the boppy for some stability still). She's started to play with/ eat solid foods, and her giggling is infectious. I can't wait for the next 5 months to see what she will do, how her personality will  develop, and what kind of trouble she'll get herself into.

                                                   Hi Mom

                                              Please no more pictures!

Perception Vs Reality

When J and I decided to start trying for a baby we thought it was going to take awhile, it didn't. We hit it out of the park on the first pitch (a little baseball analogy because it's summer). So all our plans of really saving our money for a year went out the window.
I worked 8 hours because I couldn't stay to help with emergencies, My Saturdays became a thing of the past because what good is a technician that can't take X-rays. We had 9 months to save for a baby and an unpaid maternity leave.
My perception of having a kid and the reality of actually being pregnant and having a child were way off.
I thought because J and I had no car payments and very little debt that we could continue the life we had before of eating out and buying what we wanted. The reality of it is we live paycheck to paycheck and have to ration our gas to make it to the next week. I had to go back to work part time because by the time you figured childcare and gas into the equation I''d be working just to pay for childcare. What sense does that make.
And sleep, showering regularly or eating a hot meal. Forget about it! People tell you this is going to happen, but you don't really get the actual reality of it until it happens.
I thought I was going to have this cute cuddly little baby who would lay quietly while I looked upon her. I got the cute and cuddly It took almost 8 weeks to get over the screaming demon child from 4p-7p.
I thought breastfeeding would be this easy beautiful thing.  In the beginning it was also emotionally draining, sometimes painful, and a steep learning curve. I am so glad I stuck with it because it got so much easier and I would be lost without it now.
So the perception and reality of children is really different and you don't really get it I think till you go through it.
Having kids is hard ,which any parent will tell you, you give up a lot for your children and your life will never be the same.
But I wouldn't give it up for anything!

                                                   
 

Big Latch On!

To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week today is the Big Latch On, so there are events around the country to attend. Unfortunately I won't be going to any big events I'll just be feeding at home like I do everyday :). If your close to any events please attend, I bet it will be fun and you be helping to normalize breastfeeding! Click the link below to find events in your area.
Big Latch On

World Breastfeeding Week!

It's world breastfeeding week and there has been lots of other bloggers who are much more articulate than I am about the issues surrounding breastfeeding. I don't think there should be any issues with breastfeeding, it is completely normal and shouldn't be sensationalized one way or the other.
Let's celebrate our ability to feed our children!
I love breastfeeding and am so glad I didn't give up. It is the best bonding time for me and B. Sometimes it's the only thing that calms her if she's upset or her teeth are giving her trouble.
Let's be supportive of women who breastfeed, if you see a breastfeeding mom in public give her a thumbs up or a smile, believe me for some people it takes a lot of courage to feed their child in public (and it shouldn't).
If you know someone who is pregnant and thinking about breastfeeding get her some books The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding,The Nursing Mother Companion, and Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for the Nursing Mother (my favorite) are great books. Get her a La Leche League membership they have lots of great advice.
Education about breastfeeding is the best thing for a new mother and the public.
Let's celebrate World Breastfeeding Week and if your a nursing mother Latch On!

Helpful links!
Kelly Mom
Best for Babes
La Leche League