A Day Of Poop :(

Monkey has been sick all week (my 6th kid, but 1st sick baby) and his main nourishment has been breast milk.  He only had a few bites of solid food per day.  Makes me so relieved I am breastfeeding.  I don't know what a bottle mom would do.

The return to (nearly) ebf has meant ebf style poop...and no mom ever complained of that lol.

Well....until today
  We were just less then 24hrs into snack sizez meals of solid food, so still ebf style poop.  Monkey had plans for that poop and twice pulled off hka undoes and pooped on the ground.

As bad as it sounds it is rh a good and bad situation.  Taking off undoes to poop is awesome awareness.  Getting him to poop on the potty, and trying to get dishes done without him pooping on the carmwt will be a whole new challenge.... Starting tomorrow.  I  also fortunate he is back into potty mode follow a week of being sick.

sewing pattern copy right laws - myths debunked: link share and discussion.

First off, here is the article

Ok so a quick over view and thoughts. Basically everything you were told you "couldn't do" you can.  The only thing the copy right law protects is the printed pattern.  The article explains why. 

What you can't do:
•You can't sell someone else's pattern as your own. 

What you can do:
•Make as many things from one pattern as you like.
•sell items you make from that pattern. 
• not give credit for the pattern
•sell items with "licensed" prints (ie Disney).
• modify the pattern. 

•trace your favorite diaper, make a pattern from it and yep, even sell it.  

Unknown:
•sell a modified pattern.  As in when I modified monster bunz pants to be a romper, shorties or soaker.  I don't know if that then makes it my pattern or hers at that point but I don't supply my modification.  I do tell others how to do the same and that is totaling legal. 

Why have you been misguided?
•Money basically.  People want as much as they can. 
•misunderstanding.  People create something and assume the copy right covers more then they thought.
•ego.  Lots a people, especially with today's internet age want to be the big guy, and they feel that most when telling people what they can't do.  In a perfect world their ego would be flattered telling you what they can do, but sadly most aren't there yet. 

So:
get sewing, selling and whatever else you wish to do just like the big designers out there.  Stop paying extra for "rights to sell", you have that.  Don't buy cottage licenses. Don't avoid the new frozen fabric prints.  Once you create it its yours! 

Enjoy.

A Family Scrap Book.

Our family has been very fortunate to have a wonderfully run Metis Centre (servicing First Nations, Metis and Innuit) in our community.  We have benefited grately from the beautiful site, neighbouring park and the programs.

The baby centric programs offer a free photo shoot each summer.  Last year we got great infant pics of littlest Monkey, daddy monkey and me.  This year it was almost the whole family (Monkey #2 wasn't there).

Following the photo shoot we get a jump drive of 15 photos to print and do what we wish with.  Our family got 51! I didn't print all 51 but I did get five 8x10's and many 4x6's.

Then I went to dollar tree and dollarama and loaded up with affordable scrap book items and some budget items like a binder and photo pages to hold it all.  Also some computer paper for full size pages.

Cocoa puffs and I organized and planned and played things out.  Eventually we put it all together.

I am so impressed and it was great mom and daughter time.  The subject and colours all flow great.  Of course we started with the family shot.  Not the best pic of anyone but we were all facing the camera, an accomplishment with 7 people.

We have the spring babies and fall babies (minus #2)

The girls and the boys

Mommy and daddy.

We flow through the kids.

The photographer took tonnes of baby Monkey.

And lastly daddy monkey and I....although for some reason the circle under my eye is super inhanced :/ but I liked this one better over all.

See it can be done on a budget :) yeah it clearly isn't a $60 scrap book, but that's fine, it's a regular family scrap book.  And I am thrilled.

this week in potty land

So we took 2 days off but Monkey wanted his undies so back on they went and I asked a Facebook friend about where she is at with EC (toddler the same age), and an IRL friend who is old hat EC.  She suggested I think of this time with an EC (elimination communication) mind set.

Yes Monkey is showing just pre potty ready awareness so use it all to talk about it.  Oh look you had a pee.  This one is in your (undies/diaper/potty) etc.  And on aand on, no pressure on him or me.  Just knowing I am giving him the words and concepts that he will soon be ready to use.

Today was interesting in that Monkey reacted to a wet diaper with being whiny, but wet undies by taking them off.

 I  am happy with this (but dread him doing that if he poops in them lol)
  He clearly prefers his undies.  I don't know why cuz he can't tell me yet and why is a complex thing to answer.

I guess knowing why isn't as important as seeing it as a step and supporting it.

It is exciting to see him learn and grow though.

Monkey Undies With A Decorative Knit

Yesterday my order from Simplifi Fabrics came.  I ordered a cute safari knit print for some more Monkey undies.  1/2 meter was enough for 5 cuts but I did 4 (hoping to trim out a sweater with the rest).

To add a decorative knit to your Monkey undies (pattern here) just cut a third core peicw using your knit and lay it over the absorbent core prices.

To help prevent slipping while adding leg cuffs and waist band I basted the three layers together.  Ibuaed the diamond stitch but zigzag would work too.

potty training: it's OK to try again later

So my lil Monkey is nearing potty training age.  He will be 16 months on the 28th.  The training pants (monkey undies) are made and in progress of making more.  Potty training plans are in place.  We are practicing in the mornings.  But he isn't ready yet.

How do I know he isn't ready yet?  Well little clues.  The main one being when he peed on the floor yesterday he didn't seem all that aware.  He isn't in anyway fascinated by the pee he gets in the potty either.  His potty success is entirely based on my timing.

There are signs we are getting close though.  He tries to pull off diaper or undies if he poops.  He likes flushing the toilet when I dump his potty.  This is awesome as it scares a few toddlers.  He isn't resistant to my attempts.

So what path do I take?  I am getting him on the potty in the morning.  I am not pushing.  If he is done I encourage one more try then let it go.  When he gets undies wet I show him, touch it.  Tell him he had a pee.  And it would be fun if he gets his pee in the potty.  I am not holding high expectations.  I will keep looking for readiness every 7-10 days.  I do not want to miss that window! I also do not want to frustrate h.  It can be a careful balance.

Potty training #4; potty fear and losing the window

Potty training #4 started easy.  I thought he would be the youngest one trained.  He was a talker which made things easy and he had siblings using the potty.  Cocoa puffs was his little hero and he followed her everywhere.  He started at 16 months.  By 18 months he was pretty much day trained but occasionally needed a reminder.  He was also using the big toilet.  He was nervous about the big toilet and wanted me to hold both his hands.  I was OK with this.  It had been a smooth easy ride.

Then one day I was helping my dad and left the kids with their dad (I was married to a real arse at the time).  I told him about monkey #4, that he was nervous so please hold his hands and reassure him he would not fall into the toilet.  You'd think a dad would know this, but that's how little time he actually spent with us.

According to my daughters he was busy playing video games and told  Monkey 4 not to be a pussy and just go sit on the toilet.  Cocoa puffs went with him.  She was 3.5 and tiny, she was smaller then monkey 4.  He fell in the potty and Cocoa puffs couldn't get him out.

I came home to him still in tears.  He wouldn't sit on a toilet or potty.  There was a lot of tears and eventually I said he would need to go back in diapers and we would re learn when he was a little bigger.  By 2 I was trying again but we had missed the window.  He seemed to be completly un concerned.  By 2.5 we were still at it and failing.  At my wits end I started saying it was unacceptable.  Diapers are for babies.  And I gave all potty trained kids a treat at the end of the day for a day with out paccidents.  That worked and he trained with in the week.

I wish I had never left him with his dad.  I wish I had gently  insisted he face the fear and use the potty.  Missing the window was a nightmare and frustrating for us both.