Rocks as a Sandbox Toy

We recently went to Rock City at Mt. Diablo State Park, which is a large area of natural caves and big rocks for the kids to climb in and around.

Needless to say, the preschooler was quite taken by the place.

So what did we have to do when we got home?

Make Rock City in the sandbox, of course.

We are really liking the rocks as a natural alternative to plastic as a toy in the sandbox.

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Red-dish Cabbages in the Garden

 

These are looking like they are almost ready!

They have been growing in a shady spot in one of the garden beds for a few months and have escaped the slugs and bolting... they look almost ready to harvest!

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Making NY Sour Dill Pickles at Home - Fermented Pickles

We were at the Farmer's Market a few weeks ago and I asked our favorite veggie vendor for cucumbers.  He said "pickling or regular?"  A taste memory went off in the primal part of my brain and I kept thinking about the NY Sour Dills my grandfather used to make.

"Pickling."  I said.  "Four pounds."

I went home and looked up his recipe, then looking in my Joy of Pickling book.  My copy of my grandfather's recipe seemed like the proportions were off -- they were likely transcribed wrong at some point - so I used the ones from my pickling Bible.

After calling my neighbor/ gardening buddy and establishing that neither of us grew dill this year, we had to make a trip to Whole Foods for the herb.

Materials in hand, my preschooler and I assembled pickles.

Here they are, ready to sit for 2-3 weeks.

Here they are after 3 weeks and after being taste tested.  They are delicious! 

 I have been eating them chopped up in my salads (butter lettuce, spinach, carrots, cucumber, radishes, pine nuts, dried cherries, diced pickles).  I have them to a friend to taste and she said the flavor was spot-on but they could use some refrigeration to make them crunchier and to give more of a bite to the initial skin break.  

They were also fun to watch change from cucumbers into pickles in the clear glass container we usually use to make Kombucha.  They also seem like a food everyone likes and is familiar with, so I can get tehe fermented goodness into my family!  I am definitely going to make these again.  

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Cooking with Kids: on the BBQ

My little one had so much fun with this cooking project last week that he made us do it again this week.



We got a whole fish and had the fish monger slit it open and loosen the guts.  He didn't remove them because the little guy wanted to see everything, and they are actually quite easy to remove after looking at them, and not as gross as I'd always thought they would be.

We put some lemon and dill this week, and lemon and reosemary last week, and my son wrapped the fish in foil.

Then he wrapped peppers in another packet, and peaches with butter and cinnamon in another, and apples and butter and cinnamon in another, and bananas and cinnamon and butter in another, and eggplant - I had rubbed salt into it and let sit for 15 min then patted it dry- in another foil packet.  Last week we also did little potatoes and salt.

We put the BBQ on high with the lid closed for 10 minutes to heat up.  Then I loaded it up with foil packets. I cooked them for 10 minutes per side, then opened them up.

We ate them right out of the foil, except the peppers, whose skins we peeled off then I sliced them.

Yum!

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DIY Halloween Costumes

It's hard to believe it's time to start thinking about Halloween.  But back-to-school is here and Halloween is close on its heels.  

As an avid home sewer for my children, I always find the idea of making them an intricate Halloween costume hard to swallow.  It can be a lot of effort, and they only wear it once or twice.  Plus you can find nice costumes at consignment stores for $5 or $10.  You can't even buy the fabric for that, let alone the time you would spend!  Although now that they are getting older, the holiday will be more memorable, so I am feeling ready to make the big kid something to remember-- if he wants it.  

 

So where should I look for ideas?

There is always the blogosphere.  A search for "DIY Halloween Costumes" or "Kid Costume Tutorial" shows a ton of ideas for one kid or the whole family.  Everything from a dragon tail to a Dr. Suess family has been written about.  My favorites are the add-ons like the hats and tails.  That way, your kid won't be too hot or cold, especially since the weather here is so variable then... and mostly hot.  One year, we put our son in a Raiders Jersey and went to a party and it was so hot he couldn't even keep that on (That idea, by the way, was inspired by a trip to Target and trying to only purchase something we would use again).

Another option is going to a local fabric store. JoAnn's has a number of options.  You can sit and look through pattern books and choose a pattern, then buy the material and sew something up.  They also sell ready-made costumes there (how opportunistic- for those who are inspired then decide not to do it).

You could also look through your child's books for a character, or choose an animal or object they like, and go from there.  I tend to shy away from the sexualization (the skimpy dresses for the girls and the swords for the boys) of the holiday, especially for the little ones, and gravitate towards the animals and objects like balls, fruits and vegetables.  

You could also look to found objects and used items for inspiration and draw an idea from what you have around.  A kid could be a package being delivered from UPS and all you'd need to do was take a package and put arm and head holes in it and duct tape it over the shoulders.  You could take balloons and strap them to the child to be a bunch of grapes.  They could also be an Olympian and just put on their favorite ballet leotard or a bathing suit and you could make a medal from ribbon and a circle of cardboard with glitter.

For the littlest ones, though, especially without siblings to dress with a theme with, there are such cute non-mobile baby costumes.  Who can resist a tiny baby as a pumpkin?  Or in a pumpkin?  I saw a woman with a newborn one year dressed in  brown with leaves in her hair (a tree) and her baby in a Moby carrier with her baby in an owl cap. So cute.

Whatever you end up deciding to do for Halloween, it is fun to participate somehow

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How to do a Mei Tai Hip Carry

The Mei Tai carrier can quite easily be used as a hip carrier (in addition to it being great at back and front carries).  My guess is that this works best after baby gets substantial head control-- maybe around 5 months or so.  The model in these photos is 15 months old.

To do this, first tie the waist.  Bring the carrier front to the hip and hold the child there (through the carrier).

Then pull one top strap over the shoulder and the other around the body (at the top of your ribs).  Cross behind baby's back and tie these, either behind your back or behind baby.

You should feel the weight just lift off, and you will have quite a bit of mobility as well.

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Where Have I Been?

I know, it's been a little quiet here on the Blog.  This is what we have been up to...  :)

 

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Little Heartbreaker Pants as Shorts

  These are the "Little Heartbreaker Pants" from the book called Sewing for Boys. This is my second pass at this pattern (first is here).

 I modified the pattern to make them into shorts.  To do this, I folded my pattern piece up so I could leave about four inches from the crotch down the leg.  Then I ironed a hem and stitched to the top and bottom of my ironing.  

 I used Michael Miller's Tot Town Dig It fabric for the exterior (at the little guy's request) and a mustard with cherry blossoms from JoAnn's for the accent (also at his request).  I made my own buttonhole elastic using FOE and snaps.  

 These are the size 2/3 and he is solidly a 4 or 5.  I have found the sizing in the book to be way too generous, although I may need to widen the elastic in these to make the waist looser.   

 They fit the legs nicely and the pockets are just right, and the fly and pleat are nice touches. 

 

 

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Purple Poolside Purse by Delia Creates

The Purple Poolside Purse by Delia Creates was a bit of a headache to make, though I do like the finished product.  It is a nice size for a large tote, and I like how the straps are short and keep it close to the body. I also like the waterproof material on the outside to keep the contents dry, since I usually put it on the inside so I can store wet items of clothing.  She even accounts for the need to carry wet items with the exterior waterproof pockets.

It does have some faults.  For one, I put some heavy things in it, and the straps tugged, leaving the space under the straps (where it meets the bag) sagging below.  I need to stitch the straps to both sides of the bag here.

When making it, I didn't understand how the exterior pockets worked, so they ended up not meeting the straps perfectly and this could look a lot nicer.  I don't like how the straps aren't long enough to go all the way to the bottom on both sides.  Next time, I will cut the straps a lot longer so they will go into the bottom seam.

I also ended up needing to adjust the bottom size (mine was a lot shorter lengthwise than she specified, and I had to cut some off as I was stitching).  I don't love when bags have the bottom as a separate piece, since you end up sewing with odd corners, an issue she also acknowledges.

For the interior, I added a zipper pocket on one side a la J Caroline Creative's Hobo Bag and did a large patch pocket on the other side.

I like how she has you make the interior and exterior, then attach them together at the top. I did orange thread on the top for the exterior and green below for the interior and I like how this detail turned out.

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Baby Using a Spoon

 

He is now almost 14 months and using a spoon so well.  He has so few drips, and his aim is pretty darn good.

We LOVE Baby-led-weaning!  Our baby uses cutlery, bowls, plates, etc. and eats all sorts of food and I'm sure baby led weaning is why. It's really remarkable.

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