Thursday, November 18, 2010

I make Christmas gifts because I am poor.

Homemade gifts are awesome. Right? Well, if they are cool gifts and not lame crocheted tissue box covers or really bad fruit cake. Who am I kidding? Fruit cake is always bad. I have started on a few projects in the last week. I am hoping the recipients of these gifts enjoy using them as much as I enjoyed making them. Here are a few examples:

Crocheted hats




Here are some lotion bars. Well, lotion "rounds". They are made of Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Beeswax and essential oils. These are Grapefruit scented.






I think that both are great gift ideas. I will say, even though I do enjoy making gifts, my hands hurt from crocheting :) And, I am usually up way after the kids are sleeping so I can keep up with it all. I am having fun though.

Any of you making your gifts this year? If so, please share! I would love to see your ideas.

Monday, November 8, 2010

My adventures in crochet



My mom loves star quilts. I can't sew worth a damn. So, I decided to crochet her a star quilt. I will NEVER do another one. I think it is beautiful though and I know she loves it, so it was worth the work. If you want one, you gotta pay me :)

I don't have to talk about my kids 24/7...

to prove that I love them. I love them more than ANYTHING in this world. But I don't need to tell you that, right? I sometimes feel guilty when I tell my husband that I need to get out of the house because I have been home ALL DAY with my children.

I sometimes feel guilty when another mother asks to get together, but it has to be during the day so all of the kids can be together, and I reply with "Maybe some other time". I don't say no every time I am asked. I actually say yes most of the time. I LOVE to see my kids play with others and I really do enjoy company, even if we don't get to speak to each other much during play time.

I REALLY feel guilty when I ask another mother to get together for dinner and drinks and I get the "blank stare" from them. Like, they look at me with this "how dare you want to be away from your children for more than 5 mins" look. I will note that this look has not come from any of my established friends. Most of the "looks" have come from moms that I haven't spoke to since receiving said "looks". Yes, I want to talk about other things than my kids. I want to talk about politics, health, a good book and maybe a little gossip. That is not a bad thing!

A part of me gets what others may think. But, I also believe that there are A LOT of mama's out there that feel the same way I do. I need a break sometimes. All good parents deserve a break. Yes, I believe I am a good parent. Just because I want to get out and have some fun does not, by any means, mean that I don't love or want to be around my kids. It just means that I would like to keep my sanity. Being a stay at home mom is a lot of work. I have 3 kids under the age of 5 years. It is a full time job. I am not saying moms that work outside of the home don't work just as hard, because they do. And they deserve a break too.

Now, with that being said, I certainly hope my mama friends can understand where I am coming from. I hope :) And, if you need a break, let me know! I need one too.