Tips For Avoiding Mosquito Bites

Now that spring is here and summer is nigh, the mosquitoes have decided to come out and play.

Aah, my old nemesis, the mosquito. I completely forget about mosquitoes until the weather turns warmer and suddenly there is a buzzing around my face as I am trying to get to sleep. This happened last night. I swatted blindly in the air a few times, trying to deter the insect from biting my face. Then I covered my face with the blankets, hoping this single pesky mosquito won't smell the carbon dioxide from my breath and come after me any more. Finally, having enough of the annoying buzzing, my husband got out of bed, turned on the lights, hunted and killed the mosquito. Thank you, thank you my brave mosquito killing husband!

The mosquitoes seem to be out in full force now and swarming our family with pleasure. My legs have so many red, swollen bites that it looks like I have chicken pox. My kids are complaining of being itchy and have annoying bites on their faces, arms, and legs. Poor kids. I have a "family friendly" mosquito repellent, but I'm not sure if it works too well. And especially with new generations of mosquitoes being DEET resistant, what can we use to avoid mosquito bites?

Generally you should avoid using insect repellent with DEET for children, as DEET is absorbed into the skin. If you feel you should use DEET, find a repellent with 10% DEET or less and make sure you wash it off your child when they come inside. Other repellents that are generally safe for children are citronella and soybean oil. Here are a few other tips from this article about repellents for children:

• Make sure to keep as much of her skin covered with clothing as possible, including long sleeve shirt, long pants, socks, and a hat.
• Wear light colored clothing, so as not to attract bugs.
• Avoid using any scented soaps or other products on your baby, since the fragrances can also attract insects.
• Apply insect repellents to clothing instead of to skin so that it won't be absorbed.
• Wash off insect repellents as soon as possible.
• Avoid areas with insects nest.
• Follow the instructions, including age restrictions on any insect repellent you are considering using.

You can also make your own repellent, or use these helpful natural tips for repelling mosquitoes outlined it this article.

You could also use insect repellent candles, lanterns, zappers, catchers, etc. But I find the best way for me to avoid those pesky bites is to keep covered.

For more information on mosquitoes and how to get rid of them, visit the American Mosquito Control Association website for some really useful information.

Lovely Blossoms

I had a little fright the other day. I looked out the window and saw white on the tree in my backyard. For one tiny, scary moment I thought it was snow, but thankfully I was wrong, The crab apple tree is in full bloom.

My kids love the flowers, and my five year old girl "E" likes to pick them (along with handfuls of dandelions) for a present for me. She puts them in a little cup with some water and arranges them so pretttily, often with long pieces of grass or other greenery that she can find. She puts them on the table and insits that they stay there all during our meals.

I'll have to get a picture of her flower arrangements and do another post on them.

It's so lovely to have blossoms now and to see the flowers start to bloom and have some colour in my world (besides the white and gray of the long winter). I think spring truly is my favourite season.

Kids Say The Funniest Things!

A few funny things my five year old has said lately:

1. While looking at some baby sheep in a field:

"Mom, those baby sheeps look like little white pigs. But I know they're sheep, not pigs because they have wool. But they should be pigs.

 2. "Mom, do animals get married?"
     "No. Animals don't get married.
     "Why? Is it because they don't know how to dance?"

3. Her own joke:
    Knock knock.
    Who's there?
    Why did the cheetah cross the road?
    I don't know. Why?
    Because she liked it!

4. "E" was helping me make supper. We were browning ground beef for tacos and I was telling her that the brown meat was cooked, and the red meat was not and that we needed all of the meat to be brown and to see no red.

(Speaking to the meat) "Come on red! Beat yourself up so you can be brown like the rest of the guys!"

 5.  "If I were made of noodles, I would bring my foot up to my mouth and eat my toe."

Birthday Cake and Card

On Sunday we had a little birthday for my son "G" who turned two. We had a few friends and family come over and have cake and ice cream. "G" absolutely loved the attention and especially loved it when we sang, "Happy Birthday" to him. His face lit up with the biggest smile and he clapped and cheered when we were finished. He had a little trouble blowing out the candles, but his sister helped him with that.

For his cake, I made cupcakes and placed them in the shape of a 2 and turned it into a caterpillar. It was so easy and quick and "G" loved it.

Oops, there's already a cupcake gone from the cake in this picture. Just imagine it's still there. I used licorice for the legs and Skittles for the face and decorations on top of the cupcakes. "G" ate the candies off the cupcake, licked some of the icing, and left the cake. Then he wanted more candy. He had lots of fun. I loved using cupcakes because it made portion control so much easier and I found that it was not as messy as a traditional sheet cake.

It was also a friend's birthday this week and I made her a birthday card.

I used the "Sweet Treats" cartridge for the Cricut and used the card feature to make this cute birthday cake card. Shaped cards can be a lot of fun!

Geneology

Have you ever seen that show on NBC called, Who Do You Think You Are? It follows celebrities as they search for their family history. I find it fascinating. I've never really been interested much in family history and geneology, but after watching that program and sensing that feeling of wonder and amazement that people receive when they learn about their ancestors, I have become much more interested in finding out more about my family. I even went down to my local family history center and started searching. I can see why so many people are doing geneology now. I heard that geneology and family history is the number one thing searched for on the internet.

I found a great brand new website for people who need help in starting their geneolgy. It's called Find My Ancestors and has a great post titled What Is Geneology? It's a great article and ends with this:

So my answer to “What Is Genealogy?” is this: The quest born of a deep desire to know those who are related to you, how you are connected, and to understand how you came to be". When you succeed at this quest, the reward is better than gold. That sounds rather magical, and it is. How else can I describe the feelings I have that make what could be a mere hobby into an obsession?

This site is really helpful with lots of good tips (especially this page title Getting Started) and you can even hire someone to help you search for your ancestors. I for one can't wait to see what's in store for me up my family tree.

Crazy Cranky Kids

Why have my kids been so cranky today? I thought at first maybe it's just Monday crankiness, but today is a holiday. There is no school, no work and we have just been doing chores and the kids have been playing. We even slept in this morning. Is there a full moon? I mean, my kids are beyond cranky - they are out of control, crazy, grumpy, rude, not listening, hitting each other, and the list goes on. Is anybody else's day like this? It's making me cranky just writing about it.

Super Hero Cape

Today is my son "G"s second birthday. I can't believe he is already 2 years old! For his birthday I made him a super hero cape. I used a simple pattern that I found on a really cute blog Creative Kismet.

I made a few alterations though. For this pattern, it called for a serger, but I don't have one and don't know how to use one, so I used my sewing machine instead and stitched the two sides of the cape right sides together, then turned it rightside out and stitched up the neck.

For the super hero symbol I cut out the shapes and used fabric glue instead of applique to adhere it to the cape.

I then used a zig-zag stitch around each shape in their corresponding colours (I did all of this before stitching the two sides of the cape together). Since I am fairly new at sewing, I made a couple mistakes. As you can probably see in the picture, you can see some of the fabric glue through the white fabric. Next time I would learn to use an applique and try that out.

Another alteration I made was to use matching fabric instead of felt for the collar and I used Velcro instead of a tie to fasten the cape as this seemed safer.

The reverse side is Spider-Man. I know Spider-Man doesn't wear a cape, but it was the only superhero fabric left at the store (there was a sale!) and my son loves red.

I had a lot of fun making this easy cape (even though I was up until midnight finishing it off in time), and now my daughter is asking for one too. I'll just have to find some fun girly fabric for her and then I'll pump out another one of these fun babies!

The Emperor's Challenge

My sister-in-law and I have decided to run a half marathon this summer. I have started running and training off and on, but I really need to step up my game if I am going to be able to do this. The race is called the Emperor's Challenge and is a 20km half marathon up a mountain. It looks really challenging, but also a lot of fun. I don't think I would ever have done it by myself, but doing it with a friend is really motivating.

I ran this morning up a big hill near my home and the thought crossed my mind, "Do I really want to do this? Am I crazy?" But I just need to condition myself and run at least every other day. There are still 78 days left before the race and a lot can be accomplished in that time. I'm going to do it! Good, now I'm committed and hopefully motivated. Good luck to me.

The Toilet Is Not A Garbage Can

My 23 month old son, "G", loves to help around the house. He loves to help me vacuum and sweep the floor, set the table (which usually consists of grabbing all the forks and spoons out of the drawer and placing them on the table), and he especially likes to put things in the garbage.

Yesterday I asked "G" to put a lid to a glass jar (that used to have pasta sauce in it) into the garbage. He took it, ran out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. He often puts things into the bathroom garbage so I didn't think anything of it... until I heard the toilet flush. I am pretty sure he flushed that lid down the toilet, for now the toilet is plugged and no amount of plunging on my part has made it unplugged. I think I may have to call a plumber.

Geocaching

One of my new favourtie hobbies is geocaching. The official geocaching website says, "Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game. Players try to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, using GPS-enabled devices and then share their experiences online."

Basically, to find a cache (or treasure) you log on to the website or application (I use it on my iPhone) and use a GPS to find the treasure. It gives you a map, a compass, and clues. It is really fun. My daughter E really loves it. Some caches are small and only have a paper and pencil to sign your name, but others are large enough to hold little treasures. When you find one of these, you can take a treasure as long as you leave something of equal or greater value in return. Last time I left a bracelet and my daughter took some stickers.

What`s neat about geocaching is that you can find them almost anywhere in the world. There are tonnes in the area I live and we are still finding them all. My mother-in-law (who introduced me to geocaching) found one when on holiday in Hawaii. She was hiking up a volcano and a geocache was hidden along the trail.

Want a new and fun outdoor activity with your children, or friends, or even by your self? Then give geocaching a try.

A Little Sleep Deprivation

Last night my son was up and screaming at least half a dozen times. He had a fever and was uncomfortable. I had given him a cool bath, placed a cool cloth on his head, gave him lots of fluids, and then finally gave him some medicine to bring his fever down. But still he was waking up. I tried all the usual things to put him back to sleep: find his soother, find his puppy, fix his blanket, change his diaper. He would go back to sleep and then wait long enough for me to just fall back asleep and maybe start dreaming when he would cry again. Around 4am, he woke again. I helped him get back to sleep, not doing anything really different from the other times, but this time it worked. He finally continued to sleep.

This morning I woke and helped my daughter with morning stuff. My son "G" stayed asleep with all the noise we were making. It was geting later and later in the morning, he was still sleeping and I was starting to get a little worried that he was still sick and that maybe his fever had come back (it broke soon after I gave him some medicine in the night). I was starting to worry that he had an ear infection or something and that I was going to have to bring him to the doctor. But just as I started to worry, he woke up. It was 11am. He rarely sleeps past 8am. I rush in to feel his forehead, and he is nice and cool. Thank goodness! I don't know why he had a fever, hopefully just a little 24 hour bug or something. Now he is happy and running around being his normal self, chipper as ever. At least someone got a good rest.

Taking Off

My 23 month old son "G" is a runner. Every opportunity he gets, he runs as fast as he can away from me. His favourite place to go is the middle of the road. He is so fast, I can't believe it. I have opened the car door, turned to grab him and he is already at the end of the drive way and almost onto the road. He's too big to carry every where and he insists on walking anyway, and refuses to hold my hand, so it difficult to keep him close. I am seriously considering getting one of those toddler leashes. It would strap on to him like a back pack or harness around his shoulders and then have a leash that I can hold on to. The thought of strapping my son to a harness and leash makes me feel a little silly, but it might be the safest way to keep him from running into the street. Just the other day I was picking my daughter up at school, and "G" took off and was in the parking lot before I could catch him. It was frightening. I am aware now of what he wants to do, so I guess I just need to be extra vigilant.

Quilt Squares

I've been kind of crafty lately. My last two post have been about my new Cricut (that I love), but I have also been working on some quilting squares. My mother-in-law asked me to make 4 squares (one for each of us in the family) and send it to her. She is making a quilt for her mother (my husband's grandmother) for her birthday. We each had to make the square reflect ourselves or something we like.

Mine is a colourful flower, and the first one that I attempted.

My 5 year old daughter "E" drew a picture on her square of a mountain, birds, the sun, grass, and flowers. I then embroidered over her pencil drawing with coloured thread and used buttons for the sun and flowers.

For my 23 month old son "G" I traced his hands on fabric then sewed them on the square.

My husband wanted his square to be of his guitar and amp. He loves music and is an excellent guitar player. He didn't have time to sew it (or the inclination) so I did it for him. I'm not much of a sewer (obviously) and have only done a few projects like a baby quilt, and some aprons for "E". But I must say, I am rather pleased with how this one turned out. First I want to show you the originals.

The amp:

His Guitar:

And my quilt square:

I think it turned out well, "A" likes it anyway. I first cut out the basic shapes of the guitar and amp and then used fabric glue to  put them on the square. I used sequins for the pots and silver thread for the guitar strings and mesh of the amp. For the lettering, I used my Cricut and glued that on as well. I used my sewing machine for all the stitching (outlines, mesh of the amp, frets on the guitar neck, etc.). It was a lot of fun, and I hope Gramma likes her quilt.

More Cricut

I think I'm starting to get a hang of my Cricut. I'm testing a few things out and having tonnes of fun! I made a couple of cards, just trying out a few things.

This one is for my good friend who just had a baby boy:

Ooh I love it! Making cards is so much more fun when I can make adorable little giraffes!

Here's another that I did for some future date:

The grass was a lot of fun. For the grass, flower and leaf I used the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge. For the text and giraffe I used the Sugar and Spice cartridge.
And a few birthday cards:

I'm not sure if you can see, but there are a few presents on each of the cards that I popped out. Not the greatest pictures, I know, but I've never claimed to be a photographer. For the text on these brithday cards, I used the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge.
I think I'm going to have to be careful not to spend too much time on this and neglect my kids. It will be tricky, 'cause it's so much fun!

Cricut

Hooray! Yesterday my mother's day gift (that I picked out for myself) came in the mail. I got a a Cricut Expression (die-cutting machine) and Your Story (book binder and laminator).

I am so excited to make fun cards and scrapbooking pages. I have been making my own cards for years, but I had limited resources and they always looked amateur. Now there will be more things that I can do with this new machine and it will be lots of fun. So right away I unpacked the Cricut and tried it out. I'm still getting the hang of it but here are my first two (simple) attempts.

Hopefully my mother and mother-in-law won't see these pictures before they get them! I couldn't wait to show the pictures though, I'm too excited about my new Cricut! Next step: get some fun cartridges and get to work!

Not A Baby Anymore

I think it's time for a toddler bed. I've been putting it off as long as I could but now I think it is inevitable. My 23 month old son "G" has learned how to climb out of the crib. Yesterday I put him down for his nap. He was fussing a little when I left and then I heard a 'thump' and then the doorknob turning. He opened the door, looking guilty, and said, "Hi Momma." Then this morning as I was getting ready I heard him open the door again. There's no use keeping him in a crib anymore, and I don't want him to hurt himself by climbing out of the crib. "G" will be two this month and he's getting so big. Putting him in a toddler bed is the next step - he won't be a baby anymore.

Busy, Busy, Busy.

It has been busy lately, and it's getting busier. So much is going on. My 5 year old daughter "E" is finishing up ballet for the year and has classes, dress rehearsals and performances. She is also playing soccer twice a week and is in school. My husband "A" is working hard and playing just as hard. He is the lead guitarist in a band and they have been booking gigs, recording, and are going to be playing in a few festivals coming up. My 23 month old son "G" is just a crazy, busy boy and always keeps me on my toes. For myself I am finding that I am a soccer mom, a ballet mom, and a groupie. Not to mention I am a youth leader in my church and we have activities once a week as well as a campout coming up. I am starting to train for a half marathon and trying to plan a weekend getaway for just me. I am planning on seeing the Broadway musical "Wicked" and need to plan for babysitters etc. I have to travel six hours to go and see it, but it will be so worth it.

Scheduling has been rough and it's stressing me out a little. I always told myself that I would never be one of those mom's with their kids in every activity and so busy that nothing really gets done and I have no time for myself. It's not that "E" is in a lot, the two activites just overlap for a few weeks. But it's all the activities from the whole family combined that make it difficult. Well, I guess I'll figure it out.

My Muse

The shower is my muse. Let me explain.  Shower time is alone time, me time. I'm away from the kids, chores, the phone, and everything else in the house. It's all about me. I love the shower. And when I'm in there ideas and thoughts come to me. It's my brainstorming time. Characters and plots develop for my writing projects. Complications in my stories that I have been thinking about and mulling over, suddenly I know how to resolve them and they become clear. It's great. I get some of my best ideas in the shower.

Sometimes I wish I could stay in the shower for hours, but then little hands knock on the door or the hot water runs out, and suddenly my creativity is interrupted and the muse is gone. I need to get back to the real world where little people need me, chores need to be done, and I am Mommy again.