Sew Liberated

sponsor giveaway :: megan nielsen patterns

Another fun giveaway for you today! I was thrilled when Megan Nielsen of DIY Maternity contacted me about sponsoring Sew Liberated. I found her site when I was pregnant with Lachlan, and was eyeing all of her uber-stylish maternity patterns. (Then we found out about Lachlan's heart and - well, sewing was on the back burner for a while! ;)

But I'm really excited that Megan is giving away a Maternity Survival Pack, a collection of four of her most popular mama-with-child patterns, as well as her non-maternity Darling Ranges Dress.

A bit more about Megan Nielsen Patterns: 

Megan Nielsen Patterns are created with the intention of making sewing a more enjoyable rewarding experience, by completely rethinking the way patterns are currently produced. All patterns are full size and come on sturdy semi translucent paper. They are accompanied by a instruction booklet complete with easy to follow directions & diagrams, ideas for how you can customize your design to be more unique (complete with sketches!), a pattern log and place to take notes on your projects. Everything comes packaged in a roomy and sturdy envelope that is easy to close.

Leave a comment to enter! The winner will be drawn at random on Sunday, Jan. 29th, and announced on Monday, Jan. 30th. Good luck!

Use discount code SEWLIBERATED at checkout for 20% off your order.

a kid's day

Waking up. Sometimes I need toothpicks to prop open my eyelids. I don't drink coffee - it never became a habit, and it gives me the jitters. My dad always used to say that cofee tasted like licking concrete. (We always wondered how he found out what licked concrete tasted like.) 

All of this to say that mornings are not the easiest time of day for me. It's always too early. 

Along came boys. Two of them, who are up-and-at-'em, ready to eat and play about three nanoseconds after their eyelids pop open. 

Several months ago, we were fortunate to receive a visual activity chart from A Kid's Day. It has greatly smoothed the wake-up ritual for both myself and Finn.

As we wait for breakfast to cook, I pull out the custom-made labels and hand them to Finn to attach to the tree chart. It gives us a moment to talk about our plans for the day. Transparency in routine has been helpful for Finn, and this little chart has helped me to maintain a predictable rhythm to our days. 

I try not to put *every* little thing we do on the chart - just the bigger "events." On a typical week day, I might pull out the following labels: inside play, outside play, errands, lunch, nap, tea time, art activity, dinner, music time, bedtime. That's plenty for us.

I do find that I need to put the chart up on top of a dresser ocne the labels have been placed, or else the temptation to completely rearrange our day (the labels are magnetic) is just too much for Finn! Here's a video of how Traci, the creator of A Kid's Day, uses their chart - I like how she has it stuck to the wall.

And the good news - A Kid's Day is giving away a Regular Tree Chart with 20 customized activity labels to one of you! Just leave a comment below to enter, and if you love their charts, earn extra brownie points for "liking" A Kid's Day on Facebook. What a wonderful home business, don't you think! Let's help spread the word!

Comments close on Sunday evening, January 29th. The winner will be drawn at random and announced on Monday, January 30th. Good luck!

little red wagon

Thanks a whole bunch for all of your photobook suggestions! Now I just have to decide which service to use and jump in. I also love that many of you have been using photobooks to document a year in the life of your child, giving the gift as a birthday present. Lightbulb moment! I happen to have a little guy about to turn ONE in almost exactly a month. ONE! And it's a big one. 

If I could afford to give a little red wagon at every baby shower I was invited to, I would. It's the one toy that I think is worth having around for the older baby. (Other toys? Especially for this age? Let's just say that the world is their playground, and I think it better to give kitchen utensils if you can't afford the wagon! ;)

We've had so many good times with this wagon of ours. (Oh my heart. I just found these pictures of when Finn was the same age as Lachlan is now.) We never put it away - it's been in constant use since Finn was about eight months old. The wagon and the kitchen.

It's proven to be an agent of mischief, 

of many laughs,

and even of sibling connection. This is the big one right now - Lachlan can push Finn around (slowly) and Finn can push Lachlan around (quickly) and they both think it's just the bee's knees. Finn also enjoys following Lachlan around and helping him turn. As he says, "Lachie, you're always bumping into things! Let me help you get unstuck." Yay! I like hearing that. It's better than "Mama, help! HELP! Lachlan wants to play with my tractor and he CAN'T! He's going to EAT IT!" 

Thank you, little red wagon. You're a toy that they're likely to remember when they're being nostalgic about such things when they're in their twenties.