honey-do

I promised Cecilia we would do a project today, so I set her up with some glittery paint and a canvas, and I hopped on the computer to see if I could find one for myself.  I follow a blog called Under The Sycamore and found this great idea for a responsibility chart.  After all at 3 1/2 she can do many things on her own (with supervision of course) and I want to establish it as more of a routine. Here is the link to the DIY project: www.ashleyannphotography.com/blog/2013/08/30/keeping-mom-sane-kids-responsible/

They made their chart for a family of 5 so here is my version for 1:

A thin piece of plywood 

I love Martha Stewart's craft paint.  I used a standard paint brush to paint the ends of these clothes pins.

I suppose you could use just one color for your pins, but I loved this combo so much I chose to do four.

Sharpie has these new watercolor pens and they're Wonderful. Super fine tip, and drys just as fast as their regular pens.

                   

Here is the end result and I couldn't be more pleased!  I chose to write Honey-Do on mine but you could put the name of your child or the initials of multiple children.  The idea is when your child completes their task the clothes pin moves from the top of the chart to the bottom (or the other way around depending on preference).  I feel the possibilities are endless….. Plus I have a lot more clothes pins!

13/52

Cecilia loves jumping in muddy puddles, so I let her get good and dirty.

Room To Grow

A cozy place to rest

Over the past year as my little one has grown, so has her room.  We live in an apartment and she needed some more room to play.  Since it's just her and I most of the time, we swapped rooms and I couldn't be happier with the move.  So I thought I'd share the evolution of her room, and perhaps you'll see why it's my favorite space in the house.

The reading nook

 This nook is made up of some of my favorite findings.  I found the black NWxSE pillow on the Dot & Bo website, the tree round pillow is from Etsy, and I made the clover pillow from Heather Ross fabric.  I purchased the Plaid blanket from Nordstroms on sale!  It's great for cuddling.  We got the "Toadstool" at a toy store in NW Portland. The star lamps are from Ikea.  I DIYed them with Martha Stuart glitter and decoupage glue.  Bits of blue still pop through, but I love the results.

"Hugo" the hedgehog Original painting by Emily W. Martin recreated by my sister Angeline

All sorts of sorts

While I love many things displayed on these shelves one of my new favorites has to be the Yellow Submarine Piggy Bank.

Old but new

I can recall as a child playing with a house just like this one at my grandmothers house, so you can imagine how it delights me to see my daughter playing with one.  However it is under new occupancy; Doc McStuffins and her crew have moved in.

The Collector

This is the focal point from Cecilia's bed.  The collection on this wall really do display many of her favorite things.  She loves these old timey keys from Pottery Barn, Butterflies (caterpillars actually but she enjoys the end result too) from a boutique in Bowling Green KY, but most of all her Pugs!  We recently gave our pug Sammy to my mom since we are moving to Alaska.  He is getting old and will be much happier staying here with her and her pug Olive.  So we adore this paper mache pug from Anthropologie, as a sweet memory of our dear puglet.  


I hope you have enjoyed looking around Cecilia's room.  What's your favorite space in your home?

12/52 A portrait a week

Spring is here and bubbles are a sure way to make fast friends.

St. Patrick's Day fun (Portland Oregon)

DIY Headband

She loved the bagpipes, but entirely too loud for her taste

11/52

Sweet Silence

Fleeting Moments

It's amazing how quickly children change.  It seems like just yesterday I was given the greatest gift one could ever receive; my child.  I keep saying to myself "I can't believe she'll be 4 this year", and it's true.  I truly cannot believe it.  How is it someone so small can grow into something so magnificent.  I find myself staring at her (creepy I know); I don't want to forget that little button nose, or how her hand fits so perfectly in mine.

Today Cecilia and I went to Lewisville park in Battle Ground Washington to enjoy the weather.  It's such a beautiful park.  First we took a nice walk along the water collecting sticks and listening to the birds.  In the midst of all the loveliness is a Wonderful playground.

Between the trees it looks like a child's' utopia 

This bar slide was a newly acquired skill today

In all honesty today was really just an ordinary day like any other, but my little one makes everyday extraordinary.  I encourage you all to take hold of these fleeting moments with your child(ren) and really enjoy them.  As they say "they'll be grown before we know it", and they might not want to hold your hand, or ask you to play.  So say yes.  You'll be glad you did.

Rainy day fun

As a mom in the Pacific North West, you have to get creative for those inevitable rainy days.  There are a bunch of places to play on the Oregon side that are indoors but I don't always like to venture that way due to traffic coming back to Washington.  In my search to find more indoor local Free Play I came across one of the best Libraries EVER!   At the Downtown Vancouver Library is an entire floor dedicated to children.  LED lights adorn the floor leading your little one to various fun activity zones.  

There are these amazing interactive sculptures for the children to play in.  They are infused with all kinds of treasures for any little explorer to find.  From constellations, and the alphabet, to a global map made up of coins.  Each country is made up of it's currency!  Crazy Cool right?!?! 

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This is one of my favorite books to read to Cecilia.  Back when I was a Nanny in Seattle, I would read this to the kids and they loved it!  It's about a little boy who ventures into space to save his best friend, a stuffed animal named Horsie.  It's a sweet story that holds a lot of sentiment for me.  I love those kids and it warms my heart to read it to my little one.

There is a wheel that's attached to a giant chain wrapped around gears that when pulled rotates this giant fan, blowing around these colorful raindrops.

This is by far Cecilia's favorite thing to do at the Library.  These gears and sprockets are magnetic and allow your child to try their hand at engineering.  There is a magnetic wall they go on, but my little trail blazer places them on a table that makes it easier for her to see her, as she would call it, "Project".

I love this Library.  It has provided a friendly, safe, and creative environment for my little one to play.  We will be sad to leave it behind as we journey to Juneau, but I know that it will have helped mold some of her fondest memories, and nurtured her interests.  I hope that if you ever pass through the Vancouver Washington area you will stop by and see for yourself.  It is truly a gem.

Please share with me some of your favorite indoor play spots be it local or abroad.  I'd love to hear about them.  Who knows we just may find ourselves out that way someday.

10/52

vindie baby

Today we received our order from Vindie Baby!  I purchased the Mireille Blue Trench Coat during their outerwear sale and I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for this little coat.  I couldn't be happier with the quality, and it's everything I hoped it would be.  I purchased it a few sizes larger for future wear, but that didn't stop me from trying it on Cecilia.  

The Packaging was darling, and there was even a hand written thank you note from Catherine Vargus the Co-Founder of the company.  I first came across Vindie Baby when Catherine herself left a comment on one of my blog posts; and I'm so glad she did.  I encourage you all to check out their shop @ Vindiebaby.com, and support indie stores.  

Thank You Vindie Baby!

9/52: A portrait a week

Cecilia is quite the climber.  At the park she runs right towards the latter archways and concurs them with ease.  I captured this photo just as she finished saying "Mommy I'm just like Curious George", and she is.  Her curiosity has led her to discover new skills and has helped mold the confident, self assured little girl she is today.