MommyCoddle

Three Things and the Winner, finally

One.

It is amazing how many curious, disapproving looks you get when you're out in public with a child who is sporting a shiner. Mary's black eye gets more colorful every day and the looks and questions keep coming. Of course when someone asks her what happened to her eye, she gets all shy, cringing from the extra attention. And answers sheepishly: "I fell."

She doesn't give them any details. Like the fact that the she and her sisters have been hanging out in the upstairs bathroom, because when the door is closed it gets really warm in there. And they've been bringing all their papers and books and crayons and toys into the bathroom. And she tripped on something and slammed that cute little cheek bone into the toilet. You know, little details like that.

Oh well. I have to admit it's kind of cute. And I've enjoyed photographing its colorful progression ever day.

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Two.

I've been getting some emails lately about people wondering if I'll be having a mini-swap #4. It has been on my mind and I'd love to know if there's still interest out there. I'd be happy to host again, though I think I'll make it a little smaller and easier to manage, if there's enough interest to do it again. Would you leave a comment or drop me an email if you're interested?

If you're new to the mini swap idea, you can read about it here. This isn't a sign-up or anything. Just seeing if there is enough interest.

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Three.

My computer crashed right in the middle of the Little Bird giveaway. I really apologize for not announcing a winner. And for some reason the post went up twice on my blog. So I combined all the comments and randomly chose a winner from everyone.

And the winner of the Little Bird tee collection is Christy who said:

I adore Miss Yum Yum and the mermaid designs. I really need to order some of these for my girls. My oldest has extremely sensitive skin and many tshirts/dyes irritate her skin. These sound perfect and soft!

Posted by: Christy | January 21, 2009 at 11:35 AM

Christy, please send me an email with your contact information so I can pass it on to JoAnna!

Congratulations!

mini {book} swap

Apparently, Dan "wronged" Emma the other night. I think it was something to do with him canceling baths because of all the bickering between sisters.

Emma. She's such a feeler. She feels everything with such gusto. I was upstairs when she brought the sign up to hang on her door and she showed it to me. I asked her if she thought it would hurt Dan and Mary's feelings. She told me that they hurt her feelings and I gave her some typical mom advice about that not making it right to hurt their feelings. And then she told me, "that's not how it works in my world!" And then collapsed into my arms. Poor baby. A full day of running around with cousins, swimming, meals away from home. Never touching back down for a bit of quiet and rest. So everything came storming out in emotions just before bed.

I do have to give the girl credit for taking the time to make the letters block letters. I mean, if you're going to make a nasty sign to hang on your door, at least do it with some style.

So, on a different note. That swap....The other night we were all in bed reading this book. Not your classic book that everyone has in their home library collection. No Good Night Moon, or  Guess How Much I Love You, or The Giving Tree .  And I don't even remember how I got this book. Maybe from a student when I was a classroom teacher. But dagnabbit (to quote the book) if it wasn't really good!

As I was sitting there listening to Dan read, it gave me an idea for a simple, quick and easy swap. A mini swap of sorts because it is kid-driven, but simpler.

Let's share a family favorite (children's) book, with another family. Something that might not be on everyone's shelf. Not necessarily the classics that are given out at every baby shower, but a discovered favorite. A book that surprised you.

And it's simple. It is just the exchange of a book. Nothing more, nothing less. From one family to another. So if this simple swap interests you, drop me an email and I'll mix everyone up and hand out partners. And seriously folks, I want to keep this simple. Just give a book, get a book. I have no plans to make pillowcase dresses for everyone in their family. Or embroidered floor cushions and handmade puzzles. Just a book--a gift that gives over and over.

So, if you're in, I'm in. And if only one person signs up, then well, I've got a great book to send you--not the one above, something even better....

Drop me an email, let me know if you're in. And if you are, here's a smaller version button for you to use

Happy Reading. Happy Thursday.

**I'm closing the swap. Thanks, everyone!!***

the birds and the bees

The birds:
I made cutting boards for my family two years ago in this sparrow shape and I've been wanting to do something else with it ever since. So last week when I had my sewing machine out, I tried a swallow-shaped pillow. However, I don't think they are going to work as a pillow. I haven't stuffed them yet, but I think they'll lose their shape and charm when stuffed. Now I'm thinking they'd make a great applique on a pillow....any other ideas?

My purpose for having out the machine was to make two of these friendly little turtles--a favorite homemade toy in our home, who are now wrapped up and safely on their way to a very, very, VERY patient family.

The bees:
Melissa sent me an email this week, asking me to blog about a very important project. The Great Sunflower Project is an effort to attract and count honeybees in personal and community gardens. If you sign up for the project they will send you a free packet of sunflower seeds to plant in your garden (or even a pot on your deck). All you need to do in return is take two bee counts (according to their simple instructions) and send in or fill out their online count. The whole count will take less than 30 minutes. I'm going to do it as a school project with Emma and Mary. I hope you'll join Melissa and me and be a part of this important project. (I'd love to know if you decide to join in!) Here is an article in the NYTimes about our honeybees in peril.

The birds and the bees:

First of all, no. I am not pregnant. But that doesn't stop me from getting inspiration from an amazing new book that April at Chronicle Books sent me last week. The book is called Nursery Style and it is by Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter of the California-based store, Serena and Lily. I love these kinds of books because I find so much inspiration and ideas packed into them. And I love paying attention to the little details--the artwork, the pillows, how the toys are put away, how an armoire is utilized, the curtains.

1. image 1, 2. image 2, 3. image 3, 4. image 4

Even though the book is aimed at nursery design, there are still so many great ideas in this book for anyone decorating a home with and for children.(stefani, I thought about you with those silhouettes in image 3. Can you do that?! :) So baby on the way or not, this book is full of beautifully designed living spaces, new ideas and fantastic tips and hints for decorating. And April, I want everything on page 74 and 75.

Happy Weekend everyone. Sign up for your bee count, read a good book and take it easy.
See you Monday.

shortest post in history:

Just popping in to say that I am working on swapping names...there are a LOT of you to swap around and type up on a swap list....I'll try to get it to you all tomorrow or Wednesday! thanks for being patient!

miniswap is full! thanks, everyone....

mini swap 3

What is the miniswap?
It is a mail swap between our children (for the children, by the children--with a little help from you and me)--a chance to let them get in on the fun of sending and receiving a brown paper package.

THE DETAILS

::We will swap by household. Keep in mind, you might sign up one child, but be swapped with a household of two or three children. This doesn't mean you have to put together three times as much stuff, but it might be nice to include something small for each of the children.

::Originally I didn't put an age limit on participation. But this year, I'm going to say two years and up. The idea of this swap is that our children are really participating. Please use good judgment about where to cap it off at the older end. (And just for the record, if you were my partner and signed up your four year old, but there was a 12 month old crawling around your house, I'd want to know so I could include a little something for him/her. I wouldn't want to leave those babes out all together. But I'll leave that up between partners.)

::The swap is open to anyone, so please be willing to ship overseas when you sign up.

::I always try to be budget-conscious. Try to keep the bulk of your swap goodies in the handmade or hand-me-down category. One year my partner passed on gently used books, a stuffed toy and other goodies (among other fantastic things)--and my kids loved it. And the sentiment behind her children wanting to pass on a special toy to another child was priceless.This swap is not meant to break the bank.

::Need ideas of things to include? You can check out the miniswap flickr group.  Or, leave a comment after this post of some of the highlights from last year. I'd love to hear and I'm sure others would, too.

::Please include a postcard or small map showing where you're from. (I forgot to do this last year, again... oops.)

::Please ship packages by February 22. That should give you about a month to put it all together.

HOW TO SIGN UP:

I will open the sign ups on Tuesday morning at 10:00am. ET. I think I can handle the logistics of 125 participants. I think. All you need to do is send an email to miniswap (at) gmail (dot) com and include:

1. your name

2. email address

3. location

4. name and age of your child/children.

I will then swap names randomly, and contact half the list with their partner's email address. That partner will be in charge of starting the communication between the two of you. . I'll let you know when families are paired and that first email goes out so that you can be watching your inbox.

Last year there were lots of problems with people's emails going into spam or junk mail folders, so partners thought they weren't being contacted, or their partner didn't want to participate. Please be watchful and aware of that problem. It is those kind of glitches that make it get complicated and extra work.

And lastly, PLEASE only sign up if you're seriously interested. Last year, I had a good handful of no-shows when it finally came down to it. It's frustrating when I turned away many people who wanted to be part of the mini swap and people who signed up didn't follow through. And more importantly, it left some pretty disappointed partners (and children). So please only sign up if you're really sure you can participate.

After sign ups close, I'll get together some code so you can put the button on your blog, if you wish. And as always, please pass the word on your blog that miniswap 3 is getting started.

Phew!!! I think that's it....I'm looking forward to another fun year of swapping!

Let's Do This::Miniswap 2

MINI SWAP 2 is closed...thanks everyone. I'll get names swapped this week!

It's that time of year again: the holidays are past us, things are slowing down and most of us are getting ready to snuggle in for the rest of the winter months. The perfect time for a little miniswap.

::So what is it?::
A swap between our children. I'm sure your children enjoying sending and receiving mail as much as mine, so why not let them get in on all this brown paper package goodness??

::Here are the details::
PLEASE, PLEASE read the "directions" carefully and FOLLOW them. I don't mean to be a "meany-pants" (as my daughter would say), but last year I spent so much time following up with people that forgot certain information, or sent emails to the wrong address, etc, etc. It was exhausting and confusing. So I'm doing my best to streamline everything this year. And hopefully, by doing that I'll be able to include more people than last year. So please, help make this easy on me....

::we will swap by household. Keep in mind, you might sign up one child, but be swapped with a household of two or three children. This doesn't mean you have to put together three times as much stuff, but it might be nice to include something small for each of the children.

::Last year I didn't put an age limit on who could participate. But this year, I'm going to say two years and up. The idea of this swap is that our children are really partcipating. So I am going to put a minimum age. Please use good judgement about where to cap it off at the older end. (And just for the record, if you were my partner and signed up your four year old, but there was a 12 month old toddling around your house, I'd want to know so I could include a little something for him/her. I wouldn't want to leave those babes out all together. But I'll leave that up between partners.)

::The swap is open to anyone, so please be willing to ship overseas when you sign up.

::I always try to be budget-conscious. Try to keep the bulk of your swap goodies in the handmade or hand-me-down category. Last year my partner passed on gently used books, a stuffed toy and other goodies (among other fantastic things)--and my kids loved it. And the sentiment behind her children wanting to pass on a special toy to another child was priceless.This swap is not meant to break the bank.

::Ideas of things to include? you can check out the flickr group here  Or, leave a comment after this post of some of the highlights from last year. I'd love to hear and I'm sure others would, too.

::Please include a postcard or small map showing where you're from. (I forgot to do this last year. oops.)

::Ship packages by February 5. I know the longer I have the more time I have to procrastinate. I figure one month is do-able?!

::Want to join? Here's what to do:: (this is the important, follow-the-directions part!)

• Send me an email at this address: miniswap(at)gmail(dot)com
• Please put "miniswap sign up", or something similar in the subject line
• Include your name and your child/children's names and ages.
• I will leave the address swapping up to you and your partner.

The following week, I will contact one of the two partners with the swap names. It will be up to that partner to contact the other family involved. I'll post here when I've sent out emails so you can be watching...

I will take names until Monday morning.  However, I'm going to put a cap on the participants at 150. I think I managed about 100 last year. And if all goes smoothly, I think I can handle fifty more. I HOPE??!!!  So friday or 150, whichever comes first...

And please, help pass the word on your blog, too.

Alright, please forgive the overload of details. I'm just attempting to keep this slightly organized. No "meany-pants" intended!!

And check back here for more updates and details.

Have FUN!!

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And here's the code, if you'd like to copy and paste a button into your sidebar:

<a target=_top HREF="http://mommycoddle.typepad.com/"> <img
src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/343039242_9a8452b861_t.jpg" border="0"></A>

A good swap indeed.

What better way to start your week than with good mail, no?

Last week, I received a package from my partner for the handmade jewelry swap. I was lucky enough to be paired with the organizer and jewelry-making genius of Jo. She was such a sweet partner and made me the perfect necklace from vintage buttons.

We both agreed how intimidating it is to create jewelry for someone else. When I make my pendants, I'm almost always making something that I like, or that I would wear, but when you create with someone specific in mind, there's a lot more second-guessing of your choices involved.
Jo also included some yummy organic milk chocolate (gone.) and one of her lovely wood block prints.

Jo, it was all perfect. Totally me. You hit it right on! Thank you. thank you.

A Sewing Starter Kit and Good Mail

Yesterday my little sister hit the double digits. Since she received a sewing machine last Christmas, I thought I'd put together a little sewing starter kit for her to hopefully get her inspired. I included some fabric from my stash, ribbons, notions and even some cotton tape with her name on it so that she can tag her creations.

The fabric for the bag is from an IKEA table cloth--a nice heavy cotton twill. When I brought it home, it was way too big for my little table (which I knew when I bought it), so half became a re-sized tablecloth and the other used for the bag.

I've also gotten some great stuff in the mail as a result of some fabric I offered up for swap last month before we moved. Some beautiful earrings from Dawn at ruralmama--that have increased my earring stash by 300 percent! Really--I wear earrings, but I had lost all pairs (at least one from the pairs). It is so fun to have some to wear again. And I WILL NOT lose these! She also sent some neat
vintage black buttons that I LOVE, but my camera just would not cooperate. I think the batteries are low...

And this doll came from Mirre at Kisskus. My girls love it (I think I love it more). It is the perfect hug-ability. And of course, there's no sharing with these kinds of things in this house, so we've already swapped for another. She sells them via her shop, along with some other sweet baby toys.

Swap-O-Rama!

I am long overdue on posting the wonderful goodness that arrived in our mailbox last week from Mary-Sue and her children Annika and Pedar. They were our wonderful partners from the miniswap and we have so enjoyed getting to know them better. I wish that I was a wee bit wiser, and had my camera at the ready when we opened the box, because instantly the contents were grabbed, loved and carried away to special places around my house. Our package was filled with so much thought and love and care...it truly was overwhelming. So, though it doesn't begin to do justice for all that was included in our swap, here are some highlights (mary was napping during the photoshoot)....oh, and the box was FILLED with little pink hearts, attached to different gifts with notes about each item. It was so fun.
For starters, she made each of the girls one of these aprons, with their initial stitched on in buttons! I love them, especially because we have one craft apron that the girl's usually argue over. Now they each have their own and they are way more fun than our plain old off-white one!

Each of the girls got one of these adorable summer skirts. I'm thinking they will be the perfect thing to wear over bathing suits? Although Emma wears hers now over her pants, of course.

This went up in Emma's room right away.

And here's some more of the wonderful things that I could round up. Emma loved the dolls and I spent the first day cutting and cutting and cutting....and look at the wonderful bag and treats that Mary-Sue included for me! The bag has great pockets, which I LOVE... she included a wonderful book,
some herbal rub for my girls since they were both sick when we were talking, a candle and do you see that beautiful linen towel with the red poppies(?)...I don't know if I can even bear to use it!

Even as I sit and write this, I'm realizing there is so much that I forgot--the grey squirrel puppet. I think I may be having more fun with it than anyone else. I'm pretty funny with puppets, I've realized. Of course, it's easy to get two giddy girls cackling when there mother is hiding behind a chair putting on squirrel dramas. Oh, and the sun catcher--Today, I caught emma standing on the counter at the sink, spinning it...and the books, and Lily, and the jewelry for emma....I know there' more that i'm forgetting, but thank you so much Mary-Sue and Annika and Pedar. Your thoughtful package made three girls in Wisconsin (i won't be able to say that for very long) very happy! xo.

I think the miniswap was a success. And I think a Fall round just might be in order...

Swap Anyone?

I'm in cleaning mode. I've had this huge bolt of fabric that I bought from Crate and Barrel for a long time and I've never done anything with it. So, I'm giving it away.    All GONE !! Sorry.

I kept a little for myself and still have five yards for the giving or the swapping. It is 100 % cotton.
Leave me a comment so that we can keep track of what's been taken and I'll get in touch with you for more details via email. I'm going to keep it to a one yard minimum so that I'm not sending out lots of packages. Enjoy!

Dawn: 1/2 yd. Jeanne: 2 yds. Stephanie: 2 yds. Mirre: 1/2 yd. Sound good?

Brown Paper Packages...

I've got mail on the brain. First of all this wonderful little parcel arrived in the mail today from Jackie.

I admired her children's PJ pants (Jackie, I tried to go back and find the original picture on your blog, but couldn't...hmmm..) and told her I had been wanting to make some for my girls, so she sent me the pattern she used. Not only that, she sent along some adorable buttons (enlarge the picture, it's worth seeing them up close!), some beautiful vintage fabric and look at the card she made! I'm just going to keep it at my desk to admire. Is it from one of your linocuts, Jackie? It is all beautiful and I love it. I can't wait to pull out some of those patterns. Emma has already asked me to make her the little cross over swing dress...but I'm thinking I just HAVE to start with the pants and that little jumper top with pockets! Jackie and I have both shared our grumbles about dragging children to the post office, so I know the sacrifice it took to ship this little package!

I've also got my miniswap package on the brain as well.

I know that I need to get it out by the end of this week, so I've been doing a little knitting and sewing and picking up a few things here and there for my Canadian partner Mary-Sue and her two children....(who ironically are almost the IDENTICAL ages as Emma and Mary.)

Well, I had one other little crafty endeavor to share today. Something completely random that I whipped (wrapped would actually be a better word for it) last night. But Dan is out of town and I haven't gotten his crafty opinion of it yet, so I'll wait to share it...

He'll be back in time for dinner this evening and I'm ready to collapse into his arms. Mary has been very sick while he's been away...

...enough so that we've been to the walk-in clinic and had chest xrays. Let's just say my sweet little Mary is still suffering from some major doctor's office fears after her Christmas eve incident.

She screamed bloody murder from the moment the nurse tried to take her temp in her ear, all the way through the chest xray (it was horrible, and of course I shed a few tears, again!), to being approached by the pharmacist in a white coat at the drug store. She's traumatized. But better (now that Dan's coming home, of course!) She's still coughing so much that she has to run to me and cling to my leg until the coughing passes before she can return to whatever she's doing. It's been a rough three days....Thank goodness for a little sunshine and balmy 37 degree weather ( I live in Wisconsin, remember!?) I even saw a kid in shorts today. It's not THAT warm...

MiniSwap Flickr Pool

It looks like some packages are already starting to roll in, so I've established a flickr photo pool to share pictures of our swap goodies. Please photograph the treats you received in the mail and post your pictures to the group. I only ask that in your photo description you include who the package was from and their blog/web address (if they have one). I think this should work and it avoids having me juggle all the pictures via email. If you don't have a flickr account, you can sign up for free account here.

Join the group pool here.

MiniSwap Button

I forgot to post this help from Blair on how to put the miniswap button on your blog. These directions are based on typepad. If you're still having trouble, let me know and I think I can send you the HTML code.
Thanks for this Blair!!

For typepad users:
Go to the Control Panel section of your weblog and click on Files

Upload the mini-swap button as a new file (I just dragged it from your 
pg onto my MAC desktop pulled it from there.)

Click on the file to get its URL code  (Copy this to paste later)

Go to an existing typelist or create a new one, then add this as a new 
item

Fill in the link title with <img src="(put your filename here)"

Fill in the link URL with http://mommycoddle.typepad.com

This should put the button on the webpage with a link back to you.

  That should do it.

Miniswap Update and a few details

Thanks to everyone who has signed up so far for the miniswap and for all your enthusiasm. I've really enjoyed peeking at everyone's blogs and websites. I can only imagine the kinds of treats our children will be receiving in the mail. And I think one of the neatest things is that the swappers are from all over the world!! I am going to try to get together a frappr map for everyone to sign, so we can see where everything is coming from.

We have now jumped over the 50 participants mark, so I'm going to close signups at the end of today. I am staying on top of replying to everyone's emails and adding them to an email list for communication. But please be sure to send an email to the mini swap address that is in the first post, instead of just leaving a comment.

I forgot to mention that I'd like to put together a flickr gallery at the end of the swapping, so I'm hoping everyone has the resources to do this? If you don't have one already, flickr accounts are free and easy to set up. Otherwise, if all else fails, I guess you could email a digital photo to me....

Also, some of you signed up your little ones. Once partners are passed out, you might want to contact them with ideas for your child. Or perhaps the package could also include some activities to use as your child gets a little older...just thinking out loud on this one.....

And finally, here is the HTML code if you want to include a button on your blog...I think this should work if you copy and paste it into one of your lists...blair, help me on this one??

<a target=_top HREF="http://mommycoddle.typepad.com/"> <img
src="http://static.flickr.com/26/90925396_2eba8ddfb2_t.jpg" border="0"></A>

Once the signups close tonight, I hope to have names swapped by the end of the weekend (as long as my girls keep taking these great afternoon naps).

Looking forward to the swap and seeing all the wonderful packages from your talented families.

Join In On A Mini Swap

NEXT MINISWAP coming late summer/early fall....

(Sorry, swap is closed. There's been a great response. Hope to have partners out to you asap!)
Two things that I know (I know a little more than two, but anyhow):
1. I love swaps
2. My children LOVE getting/sending mail.

Since before the holidays, I have been toying around with the idea of putting together a swap among our children. I know how much my girls love to get special packages in the mail and not a day goes by that Emma isn't sitting at her desk writing letters to family and friends. So I thought it would be a blast to put the two together.
This is the first swap that I have put together, so bear with me if I miss some details or leave things out, but here's the plan: (thank you blair for talking through all this with me!)

• We are keeping the swap within a broad theme "To brighten the winter(rainy day) Blues"
• There is no age limit for the children that partcipate, however the idea is to have your children be included in the creating of swap goodies.
• We will swap by household. Keep in mind you may only include one child, but you might have to create a swap package for a home with three children. You do not necessarily have to create a package three times as big, just include a little something for each child and things to share.
• Do your best to keep all things "handmade or hand-me-down". You might go out and purchase a few small things or treats, obviously, but do your best to keep the majority of things within the H & H category.
• You need to be willing to ship overseas, so that anyone can be involved.
• Some random ideas of things to include: drawings, paintings, stickers, activity boxes, small trinkets, a zipper bag of art supplies, a pair of mittens or softie, directions and supplies for an art activity, a small handed down toy, glitter and pompoms, a postcard(or little map) of where you live (can we all include one of these?)
• Goal is to ship by February 25th, so that packages will be received around the last week of February to beginning of March.
• Interested??: email me: miniswap (at) sbcglobal (dot) net
• Include your name, the names and ages of your children that will participate and your shipping address.
• Once I see the interest that's out there, I will close the sign ups and randomly swap households.

Suggestions, more ideas, questions...send me an email or leave a comment!! And please pass it on, so we can get lots involved!