A handful of bits and bobs

This has been a long day. Not having managed to sleep at all last night, house chores this morning were even more exhausting.  On the plus side,I managed to strip down the travel 'furniture' i.e. pram, pushchair and car seats, so that I could disinfect their fabric.


When it comes to the stripping down of such items, I would recommend  to get the assistance of an experienced person, such as a friend who has children below the age of 10.  The friend in question would still have a vivid memory of how it is done therefore speeding up the process.  Make sure you follow attentively what is removed from where, as the reassembly will be a nightmare otherwise.  If possible, get the friend to commit to come over to help you reassemble the 'furniture' should you not manage to do so by yourself.


I'm currently working  on another doll - the details of which will remain secret for the time being.  The reason is that I'm making 2 of the same - one for Creature, and one for a friend of mine who offered ever so nicely to make us a Nappy Bag.  I'm loving the large amount of handmade items Creature is accumulating.  I know s/he won't appreciate it for now, but when older, I'm sure s/he will appreciate the time, energy and effort put into the making of such items.

By the way, do you people recall the blog regarding Autism Spectrum Disorder?  I came across this article,which I though may be of interest.  Seems like psychiatrists are wrestling with the same question I ponder frequently myself - where does one draw the line between quirky/unusual and abnormal? Having said that,I feel that this revision is a step backwards.  We'll see how it will affect people worldwide I guess.

The Calm Before The Storm

I don't know if this happens to you guys as well - but, whenever I'm close to a deadline, instead of panicking, a strange calm overtakes me.   My mind gets split in two.  There will be one half urging me to get to work on whatever it is, screaming and running about, throwing a scene.  The other half will opt for a laid back attitude where procrastination is dominant.

At the moment,I've got a list of things that need to be done before the end of next week [for obvious reasons], however the only thing I feel like doing is sleep.  Knowing that this will be the last few moments of complete silence I will be getting for a while makes me appreciate it more and wanting to savour it.

Tomorrow I've got another prenatal class.  I must remember to let the midwife know that this may very well be my last one so that if there is any important info she needs to dish out, I'll be sure to obtain it.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering what the doll I was making is, here's the finished result:

Yep. It is a bunny rabbit.

 As silly as it may sound,  the idea that Creature will be popping out soon is strange. People around me, as well as myself, got used to the pregnancy. To think that there will be another major change happening puts you back to square one where you have to learn how to deal with it all. 

I'm quite looking forward to finding out whether Creature is a boy or a girl. It will be odd not calling him/her Creature after having used that nickname for so long! 

Be crafty. Save some money.

In my previous blog, I've mentioned I like crafting things.  There are a variety of reasons why one should craft. It is fun, it helps you recycle stuff like old clothes, magazines, and junk mail, and it is inexpensive. I won't say it is free, because it isn't. You still need to buy certain supplies. But in the long run, it is indeed cheaper than opting for store-bought items.

Here are a few links to help you get started. If you find anything else that you may want to share, drop me a comment!

http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/index.html
http://u-handbag.typepad.com/uhandblog/2007/04/one_of_the_medi.html
http://scrapbooking.about.com/od/gettingstarted/ig/How-To-Scrapbook-/

Besides from crafts, the Internet is an awesome place to help you get things that you'd normally be costing you an arm and a leg throughout the child's... well... childhood... for free.

"Such as what?" you might ask.

Such as colouring books, and workbooks to help teach your child[ren] how to read and write.  All you need is to find a few minutes to download and print some material that is freely available online, et voila! Not only have you just saved yourself some cash, but you also get a say in what goes in the colouring/exercise book and what doesn't.

Again, here's a few links:

http://www.kidopo.com/
http://www.kidslearningstation.com/

There is also another source I have left untapped that can be a money-saver as well as healthier - home-made weaning food. I believe that deserves a separate blog though, so I'll leave it at that for now.

Here's a few pictures of stuff I have crafted myself:

Elf

 

 Golliwog [a.k.a. Golly Dolly]

 Ragdoll

Sample page from my Baby Book