I'm no Super Mum!

I'm sat surrounded my all three children due to #1 being off school ill. Unfortunately both him and his younger sister have upset stomachs so it doesn't look like we are going anywhere today. The place is a mess with toys everywhere, I feel like I've got 3 extra shadows and quite frankly I have forgotten how exhausting it is having three young children at home all day. However upset #1's stomach maybe (and believe me it's awful!) on the face of it he seems fine. It certainly doesn't seem to have affected his voice and his constant list of demands. But I am no super-mum, or even an octopus and he is beginning to realise that not treated right I can be just as stern as his teacher! 

But this week is no where near as emotionally draining as last week, which quite frankly was a week to forget and just as I thought it couldn't get any worse I realised mid way through Friday morning that the black Tahitian pearl that sits proudly on my engagement ring was missing. Well as I'm sure you can imagine, Madame here who was already an emotional mess rather lost it, and started wailing and turning the house upside down, much to the puzzlement of my 3 year old who found it all strangely exciting as he loves a good treasure hunt! And quickly got his magnifying glass! Miraculously, after calming myself down, I re-traced my footsteps and found it amongst tissues in my coat pocket!! It is now at the jewellers, and I've got my fingers crossed that it will come back as good as new as they have warned me that it needs to be drilled there is a chance it may break. I am being positive (well trying) and believing that it will all be ok!

So after all that "excitement" with the ring I decided that Friday afternoon I must do something nice with #2 that didn't include watching his mummy cry!  He has been asking for awhile for a cape, but it's always at the wrong moment, either just before bed or just as we've about to leave the house to do the school run, so I suggested that we made him the cape that he wanted. After he got over the fact that I didn't have any purple fabric, as apparently all superheroes have purple capes, he settled on blue and then choose to have two circles on the back and did surprise me with his colour choices. He sat on my lap patiently while I used the sewing machine and it was a great quick project that we both got something out of. Though it wasn't until after we'd finished and I put it on him that I realise it looks like he has one big target on his back!  

Of course as soon as #1 saw it he wanted one and they decided that they wanted to go to the party Sunday as superheroes. Unfortunately in my usual forgetful manner, it wasn't until 5 minutes before we left the house that #1 reminded me that I hadn't done him a cape so not wanting to upset him I spent a hectic moment cutting and sewing and explaining that it wasn't possible in the time scale to sew the words "super hero" across the back! It wasn't until we were running to the party that I realised I had made the cape the same size as his younger brothers so it was in fact at least 4 inches to short! Oh well, as I said I'm no super mum and considering #1 took it off after 10 minutes on this occasion I really don't mind!

There's nothing like some scrap!

Let's be honest this sewing lark can get quite expensive. 

All those fat quarters mount up, the wadding, threads, the list is never ending, and with all the great on-line shops around and sites like etsy it's very tempting to keep buying. Of course the end results are more personal and unique than most things you can buy, but making something yourself is usually the more expensive option, so this is where I think thrifted fabrics and re-purposing textiles can play apart.

I love having a rummage through other peoples junk whether in a charity shop, at a car boot or a jumble sale so was delighted a couple of years ago when a friend introduced me to my local scrap store. I'd never heard of the scheme before and didn't realise until recently that there are over 100 scrap stores in the UK and I believe elsewhere in the world. The general idea is that local businesses and people donate safe scrap to their local scrap store who sell it on at a low price to playgroups, schools and the general public, who then in turn reuse and recycle it!
The scrap can be anything from paper to plastic, wool to wire. In the past I have been lucky enough to find 3 rolls of vintage wallpaper that I used here, blank envelopes for handmade cards, and an endless supply of paper and card for the boys to use in their art work! In fact if your children love crafting this is definitely the place to go.

And to my pleasure my local scrapstore also have a whole section dedicated to fabric.

Of all shapes and sizes. Some large like the fabric above which was over a meter in length and I have already used it to make a scarf for myself. Some small pieces perfect for patchwork.

Some floral,

and some vintage, like this double sheet.

And when you think this was all acquired under one roof in one shopping trip it can't be bad.
I'm not sure if the schemes are all run the same way, but at my local store you pay £5 for a years membership and can then fill a supermarket size shopping bag for £1. With larger items like the vintage sheet being also a pound. So what can be better than a fabric fix that's easy on your purse, the enjoyment of finding such a diverse mix of vintage and new, plenty of materials to keep the kids happy and busy and the thought that in your crafting your helping to reduce landfill sites.
If you would like to find out more head over to http://www.childrensscrapstore.co.uk  or follow this link to find one close to you.
Fingers crossed that you may just discover your own little crafting haven.

Anxiety and play dough

It's been a strange few days even the weathers up and down. We woke on both Saturday and Sunday to a sprinkling of snow, which then quickly disappeared, especially on Saturday which turned into a lovely sunny day, enabling us to spend time in the garden doing jobs we've been wanting to do for weeks. The spring like weather got us excitedly planning our veg plot. I must get the seeds out and see what we need to order. J's put a request in for sweetcorn and peas, it's great that he remembers the allotment with such excitement.

It was a good distraction as there's been a lot of stress in the house. As children grow their personalities and characteristics become more apparent. Some surprise you others are more familiar and it's easy to see which parent they have inherited them from. J's been doing well at school, slowly finding his feet and building good relationships with his teachers and the children around him. And then bang, Thursday night it all changed. Seeing a child so upset and worried is horrible and the need to wrap your arms around them and make everything alright is overwhelming.

It had been arranged for J's class to put on an assembly for all the parents and carers this Monday. A great idea for most the class, but for a child like J the thought of being in front of so many people is a nightmare. We are only just starting to see the depth of his anxiety and how it grips him. Trying to calm him down Thursday evening was a struggle. He could not understand how a place where he was beginning to feel safe and secure could suddenly make him so anxious.

We are very lucky that the school treats all the children as individuals, so with their agreement we made the decision not to include him in the assembly, and to not take him to school until it was all over. Even with these promises it's been a difficult few days, ending with a very disturbed night last night for J. A night full of bad dreams, a night when he just couldn't settle. And as I lay in bed next to him I couldn't help but feel quite guilty. If you were to ask me to stand in front of 60 plus adults and sing and talk, I would be a nervous wreck and the thought of it would take over my thoughts for days before hand. I would be just like J, I guess this is one trait I have unwillingly passed on.

And then there's the two year old. Not realising for a moment what his older brother is going through and still so blissfully unaware of the pressures life has in store. For little A, the fact that his mummy has found such a quick and easy play dough recipe is all it takes for contentment. If only everything in life was this easy.