Two Kid Schoolhouse
Why I will never be a seamstress Nov. 17, 2007
Sewing is one of my pleasures. I do like to sew. Right now doll clothes are my specialty. They are not very high-quality. Just because I like to sew does not mean I'm good at it. I make a lot of mistakes. A while back I related my problem with keeping right sides together. But, I keep trying.
My little E is having a trousers crisis: we can't find any that fit her. So we decided we should make some simple elastic waist pants for her. We planned to start with some pajamas for practice. I had a large piece of flannel purchased for some long-forgotten project. One of the nice things about flannel is that both sides feel nice. Both sides look the same, too, if it's a solid fabric. This had a faint print of blue flowers on white. The wrong side of the fabric was just white. This is important to know. This is foreshadowing, folks.
Since elastic waist pants require only 2 patterns pieces, and I have sewn before (but not pants), I didn't bother to look at the layout instructions. We just pinned and cut. Then it was time to put the piece together. I remembered to put them right sides together. But they didn't go together. If you know how to sew pants, you know the problem. I can't exactly explain it. But I had positioned the pattern pieces in such a way that they simply couldn't be pinned right sides together.
I really try not to get frustrated and burst into tears in front of my children. It was hard not to. But I explained, as calmly as I could, the problem. I showed E that we could still make the pants, but they would be, uh, mismatched. Part of the pants would be all white; part would have the blue flowers. At that point I couldn't tell exactly how that would work out.
She cheerfully accepted the idea of the funny pants and we pressed on. Got the pants finished before bedtime, all except for the hem! They fit perfectly. They are cozy and warm and comfy. The front of the pants is white; the back has the printed side out.
For wearing at home, mismatched pj pants are fine. It would have looked better, and more intentional, if the front of one leg and the back of the other matched. But I couldn't have planned it that way.
Today we bought some corduroy to try again, this time to make some pants she can wear outside the house. I'll be checking the instructions for the pattern layout this time! |
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Nightgown too short? Add a ruffle! Oct. 8, 2007
About 3 (maybe even 4) years ago I made my little E a summer nightgown. It's made from some cute pink ballerina fabric, and she wears it all summer. I try to have it in and out of the wash the same day - though she does have other summer pajamas to wear when it's not available.
Well, it's really gotten too short for her. And worn out - the hem was falling down; not from the thread coming out, but from the fabric wearing through at the crease.
She really didn't want to give up her nightgown. So, yesterday we dug through the fabric stash, found some pink fabric, and added a ruffle. She'll be able to make it through the rest of the warm nights this year. Then into the keepsake clothing bag it will go.
It's amazing to me how she can keep growing up but now out. She is 8 1/2 years old and above-average height, but she still wears a size 4T dress as a top. I love it because it's long enough to cover her belly even when she plays on the monkey bars. |
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Anti-social Sep. 2, 2007
Yesterday my kids had their first experience with true anti-social behavior. It wasn't pleasant!
Since we moved I feel like I just blog about the negative things about our new home. Well, here it comes again. When we lived in Oregon, we didn't live out in the country exactly, but we had a lot of space around us. We didn't hear other people's noise. Occasionally we'd hear a dog barking, but that was usually only when the coyotes got cranked up, and it didn't last long. The only time we heard music was when a booming car went whizzing by. Most of the noise, other than traffic and planes, was our own.
In a neighborhood, it's a little different. The first weekend we were here, we heard the music of a teen party around the corner. It wasn't too loud, but not something we are used to. But it didn't last long. We also hear dogs more often. We are getting used to that kind of noise and it doesn't really bother us.
But yesterday was different. In the afternoon we started hearing really loud music from the neighborhood behind us. Now this neighborhood is physically separate from ours, even though the backyards join - no neighborhood streets connect us. It would be about a 3/4 mile walk to the house behind us. It's separate culturally too. People just don't mingle much. So other than the people directly behind us, with whom we've chatted over the fence once, there's no real contact.
So we didn't know which house the loud music came from, and we wouldn't have known the people anyway. It was really loud. We managed to eat dinner outside - it was one of the most beautiful days we've had yet, not too hot and not very humid, and we were determined to enjoy the backyard. But as the evening wore on it got louder. Finally we retreated indoors, closed the windows and turned the a/c back on. Sigh.
We kept thinking it would stop, that neighbors of that house would complain. But it kept getting louder and louder. Aggressively loud. My husband went outside and checked the noise level - 85 decibels. I called the police. They said quiet hours begin at 11 pm, so unless I wanted to file a formal complaint, they wouldn't come out. Being new here, I didn't want to start making enemies already. Hoping this was a one time thing, we decided to wait till 11 pm.
I didn't think, till it was too late, to check in with our neighbor to ask if this was a common occurence. (We've only lived here a little over a month.) About 10 pm I walked a short way down the street. Many houses were completely dark. Then I realized many people go away for the Labor Day weekend. So perhaps we were the only people bothered! Hard to imagine, though.
The kids had to go to bed. E was very tired, and she went to sleep fairly quickly, but she was upset. Why are people so rude? I couldn't explain to her. J was another story. He was fretful and bordering on distraught. We realized the noise was much worse in his room and tried to find another place for him to bed down. Nothing worked. He complained of a headache and just couldn't settle down. He also expressed his lack of understanding. He was full of questions: How can people do this? How can this not be against the law? Why is it OK to blast bad music all over the neighborhood? And, "I think I heard some bad words in that music." I wouldn't be surprised. We're not talking Beethoven here. (Of course we did make sure he understood that it would be equally horrid of us to blast music we find pleasant. )
We looked up the laws and found that the music would fall under "disorderly conduct" which is illegal any time of day. So much for 11 pm. (Though there is some mention of quiet hours, which must be what the police officer was thinking of.) We decided to call the town office during business hours on Tuesday to discuss this so we're ready if it happens again. In the meantime, C called the police again at 11:05, reporting 76 Db in our back yard. The music was gone in a few minutes. J finally settled down to bed, and slept till nearly 8 - late for him. We all felt exhausted. Such loud music really does wear a person down. But I was also keyed up and couldn't get to sleep for a long time...
We had planned to check out a new church this morning, then go to the evening service of a church we had previously visited. We decided to skip the morning and be lazy. I had a moment of wondering what the early Christians, who risked death to go worship, would think of us. (For that matter, people in some parts of the world today.) Yeah, we're pretty weak.
I have to wonder about the people in that neighborhood. Wouldn't the folks next door want the music shut down? Since I couldn't see, for all I know it was a block party - though there was no sound of conversation or partying, just the relentless music and throbbing bass. It had to have been awful right next door. I wondered about the family behind us - the mom and boy seemed so nice. Surely she wouldn't approve of that? Maybe people are afraid to complain. There have been "incidents" in that neighborhood.
But right now I am mostly thinking about my own kids. Kids who would never dream of being so loud. Kids who can't imagine the mind of a person who would disturb a neighborhood like that. They are learning about anti-social behavior now.
Welcome to the neighborhood! |
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Slow down, you move too fast... Aug. 30, 2007
Tonight I was going to go out to a homeschool mom's night out/meeting. I had seen it announced on a local homeschool board I keep up with, and a new acquaintance suggested it too. I emailed the leader and received back a welcome and the directions to the place. It would have been the first time I've been out of the house alone for fun since we moved. I was pretty excited.
I was particularly excited because before we moved, going out in the evening was usually a hassle. My husband would get home from work just when I had to leave, so it was always a rush to get dinner ready for the family, get myself cleaned up and out the door on time. With him home (school hasn't started, but even when it does, he'll be home well before dinnertime) it would be so much easier!
Except time slipped away from me, and I found myself starting the pasta water 30 minutes before I had to leave. I was still dressed in sweats and a spaghetti-sauce-stained t-shirt. My husband had run out to the store and picked up a bottle of wine - a luxury we haven't enjoyed in a while. But I knew I wouldn't have a glass if I was going out...
So I didn't go. I shot a quick email off to the host of the group excusing myself. I had a "scheduling problem" I said. Quite true!
For a minute I was annoyed with myself for not being on top of things so I could go out. But that feeling quickly dissipated as I enjoyed a leisurely dinner with my family. It's true that we have dinner together every night, but it was especially nice tonight, probably because I had been rushing and then - just stopped.
I so desperately miss my friends "back home." Rarely did a week go by when I didn't have at least one set of mom-and-kids over, or went to someone else's house. I do need to meet some more people here, get myself and my kids connected (they are lonely too). But I don't have to do it tonight. There's time, I have to remember that. I didn't have friends immediately when I moved to Oregon 10 years ago, either. Sarah from Smallworld reminds me that it takes a while - maybe 3 years - to feel at home in a new place. We hope to be moving back home in 4 years, so... maybe we'll only feel at home here for a year? In any case, there will be another mom's meeting, and more opportunities. I'll keep praying for those, and in the meantime enjoy my evenings on the back deck with my little family. |
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Aug. 30, 2007
he other day I wrote about my kids being outsiders at a social event where no care was taken to help the kids in attendance get acquainted. Last night we went to another event that was much different.
This was the meeting of a Bible study group from a church we visited. We were invited by a homeschool mom I met while chatting after church. The hosts were seminary students and coincidentally, I happened to meet them at the first event (where my kids had such a bad time). It was interesting to walk up to these people and inform them that my family was the new one coming to their home the next night!
It was quite a different night. Everyone engaged the kids in some way. Though there were no boys anywhere near the age of mine, and he was slightly bored (aren't we all sometimes) he did a lot better. There were several girls so E had a good time right from the start. They were the very girly sort of girls so the 10 year old boy was not particularly welcome in their bonding sessions. Nor was he interested in being with them.
What a difference to a kid a little attention and empathy make. At one point the woman who invited us asked my boy if he was having a good time. He just said "no." Before I could say anything she said "That's OK to say that. I know it's hard for you now. It's tough not having any other kids around." Later we talked about more tactful ways to answer such questions while still telling the truth...
So, one bad evening, one better evening. Maybe next time there'll be a boatload of boys and no girls. That's the way it goes. At least this time the adults were a little more... oh, I hate to use this word, but... sensitive to the kids in their midst! |
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"Digital Mom" - this is just a scream Aug. 29, 2007
Applause in church - yes or no? Aug. 20, 2007
Yesterday we checked out another church. It was very nice. I had a minor quibble - when the little kids went up to sing some songs from VBS, there was applause afterwards. I am quite sure I am in the minority who thinks applause is out of place in church. The singers are there to sing to the glory of God, not for the entertainment of the congregation. Of course only a grinchy person would say not to applause preschoolers singing their little hearts out! But I just don't think applause fits in at church.
I have been in churches where the choir was applauded. Now that seemed really inappropriate to me. Is it a worship service or a concert?
So, am I off the wall to be annoyed by this? (I am easily annoyed, I know. And it won't weigh in any decisions about which church to settle down at.) C'mon, leave a comment, be harsh if you want to. Opinions don't hurt my feelings. |
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It's not your mother's pop culture Aug. 18, 2007
So what's wrong with being immersed in popular culture anyway? I was a child of tv and Disney movies and pop/rock music and I turned out OK, right? So why shouldn't my children partake of that culture too? Here are a few things:
1. Opie doesn't live in Mayberry anymore. TV is just not so innocent.
2. Licensed merchandise. I think at one point in my life I had a Barbie lunchbox. (But I never had a Barbie, go figure that one. I had a Tammy, a cheaper and less voluptuous doll.) There wasn't the vast variety of tv-related stuff that there is today.
3. The worst rock-n-roll lyrics of my day were the scandalous "Let's spend the night together" which, really, meant nothing to me at the time. Maybe there were others that went over my head, but I don't think so. Music is much more blatant now - forget about innuendo, it's all right out there. And how about Elvis's moves? Nothing compared to the crotch-thrusting we see today.
4. Mush brain. Really, it is so hard for me to discipline my mind - to study, to analyze, to read something... hard. I can't think of a better word. See? But I could sing you the themes to The Beverly Hillbillies or Gilligan's Island right now.
I blame my parents. No, not really. That's another part of pop culture I hate too. Blame. It's anyone's fault but mine. |
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Culture shock or, I'm raising a freak Aug. 18, 2007
Yesterday my little E and I went to a "High School Musical 2" party. The movie premiered on the Disney channel last night, apparently much anticipated. Our realtor has a daughter about the same age as E, and she graciously invited her to come meet some other girls. It was a fun and interesting evening.
First off, we have never seen "High School Musical" (1), which didn't matter for watching the movie, but put us at a disadvantage for conversation with the other girls. They were singing the songs, talking about the characters and the plot, talking about the clothes. They were nice, and pleasant, and friendly - not cliquish or rude at all - but still it was obvious E did not fit in. She was ignorant of the culture she was in, and couldn't participate in the conversation.
Before the movie the Disney channel had a tv show on that was related to the movie, and we were semi-watching that before the real attraction started. It was so dumb. E just kept looking at me with this quizzical look in her eyes. I just smiled and shrugged, trying to convey "go along with it."
Oh, there was a time countdown too, and when it got to the last 60 seconds before the movie, the girls started counting down the time with it. They were really whipped into a frenzy when it came to zero. They got up, screaming and dancing. Like that Ed Sullivan show with the Beatles, only these were 8 year olds!
Then the thunder and lightning started and something happened to the satellite. The picture got all scribbly and then when out. It came back quickly, though... this time.
The movie itself was OK. Cute, pretty innocent. The girls' clothes were the worst thing about it, for me. The dancing was fun except for those exaggerated thrusting movements. (I don't think Elvis was ever that obvious.) The story was silly and predictable (indeed, my hostess told me that the story was pretty much the same as the first movie), but OK. OKish, let's say. One thing that struck me - a good thing - other than the main (bad) character, the girls were mostly not model-thin. In fact there was at least one girl who was downright fat (obese) but not played for laughs - she was just another of the friends, not the fat girl. (Though one of the girls at the party - the only one who might have been called fat - commented very negatively on the fat girl's weight. Interesting.)
About halfway through the movie the satellite went out again. The girls decided to find a game and started up Twister. This was the most fun part for E. Then, the birthday gifts were opened. Yes, this was a birthday party, though we had been assured that no gift was expected. We stopped off anyway and picked up a cute pink flamingo beanie baby. I figured I wasn't going to send a kid of mine into a party without a gift, even if she didn't know the birthday girl. As I saw the other gifts - nearly all "HSM2" themed (except for some Hannah Montana items, which I believe is a tv show) I had a moment of panic. We'd brought something too babyish! I was going to bring shame on my child for bringing a dumb gift. But the flamingo was well-received. Whew. E had a hard time oohing and aahing over the movie and tv-related gifts, but she did her best. She was clearly out of her element - she has no clue who Hannah Montana is - but managed well.
She could not help herself from a slight eye-roll when one girl sighed and said with great emotion "I love Sharpay's (the main character, and yes it is pronounced like the dog) clothes!" Ugh.
The movie came back on and everyone settled in. By the end most of the girls were pretty tired, except maybe the ones who'd consumed 3 juice boxes and were a little cranked up. E was ready to go home as soon as it was over. She thanked the birthday girl for inviting, accepted her treat bag (all HSM 2 items, natch), thanked the mom, and sighed with relief when we got into the car.
She has no expectation of seeing these girls again. I think she had a nice time, and it was an interesting experience for her.
I thought about the fact that I'm raising a family of freaks. My kids have no exposure to all this stuff. We don't buy school supplies related to movie and tv themes. I teach my kids NOT to buy any items with movie and tv themes. And they don't seem to want them, even when they are related to movies they know - Narnia, for example. I am really, really happy about that. I'm happy that she didn't drool over Sharpay's clothing, which was... you know. I'm happy that watching that didn't want to make her take a hip-hop dance class!
But there is a bit of a downside too, isn't there? When we lived in Oregon we were in a little Christian homeschooler cocoon. I didn't do that on purpose - I would have loved more contact, more friends who were different from us. But that's the way it worked out. When we moved, I was happily anticipating developing friendships outside that box. But I am not sure those friendships will develop since we live in such a different world. Can a child who doesn't live a life saturated with media and entertainment really relate to a child who does? |
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Fidelia is here! Aug. 10, 2007
The new doll arrived yesterday. She arrived in the middle of a rush, so we had to bring her box into the house and then leave for a few hours. E was so excited but didn't complain about having to leave - she had been waiting what seemed like a long time for her doll. When we got home, of course she opened the box up right away. She was very exited but also I think a little sad that she has no girlfriends here yet, to show her doll off to...
This is one beautiful doll. Very well made, and just lovely to look at. Her clothes are so nice, too. I know any I make will just look shoddy in comparison. (But she will like them anyway!)
I am not sure if Fidelia will always be her name. She was chosen because she looks most like E's Bitty Baby,Sarah, so she is the big sister. So far Sarah is still sleeping with her little mama, while the big sister sleeps nearby.
Now I need to find my sewing machine and fabric and get to work on some other clothes!
Fidelia came from www.visionforum.com. Everything we have ever purchased from them has been very high quality, so I shouldn't be surprised that Fidelia is too. |
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Musings of a slacker homeschool Mom
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