Cheap and easy PJ's (with a huge impact)

 Ethan needed new pj's, like yesterday man.
BUT (and that's a big but)- I didn't have the money to go out and purchase a bunch of expensive pajamas.  On a side note- why the heck are pajamas so expensive?
Ethan's been wearing mostly my old t-shirts, which there's nothing wrong with, I just wanted him to have some jammies that fit him.

So- it's time to get creative (but not really- this solution basically slapped me in the face at the store).  I was walking down the center aisle at Wally World and I glanced over at the boy's undershirts and I saw a 4-pack of cute little t-shirts...and right next to them a 3-pack of boxer shorts.  I didn't love the colors of the boxers so I dug to the back and- woo-hoo - there was a package with the perfect colors AND an extra pair of boxers for free!

So enter creative, personalization.  Ethan has been begging me to make him a pj shirt with a baby Yoshi on it.  Here's the how-to.

You'll need:
a t-shirt
Fabric Paint (I use Tulip brand, and the colors I don't have in fabric paint I just use my craft paints)
a paint brush
a picture of the character you want to paint
a black fabric marker
That's it!

If you want to trace the character, tape the t-shirt on a sunny window and slide the picture into the shirt and tape it inside where you want the picture to be.  Use a pen, chalk, or a disappearing fabric marker to trace the image onto the front of the shirt.  Pull the shirt down, take the image out and put some cardboard in the center of the shirt.  Then, paint!  Be creative, do something that will match your child's personality.  I use the black fabric paint pen to add definition and detail to my pictures.  The baby Yoshi I chose for Ethan's jams is going to blow him away- I'm scoring some major cool mommy points today.  I can't wait for him to get home from school!

Speedy the Frog

Ethan has this way of getting me to do things. 
He owns probably close to 50 stuffed animals.  And he loves them all, individually.  I'm not kidding.  They all have names, likes, dislikes, personalities and they are occasionally referred to as my "other" children (by Ethan- not me!).  So when he asks me to make him a stuffed animal I say no- right?  Wrong.
I've blogged about how Ethan's super power is manipulation before.
Somehow I was duped into making Ethan a stuffed frog- did I mention he already has like 3 stuffed frogs.  I came into his room to help him get ready for school and he was in his closet crying.  I found out that the problem was that he couldn't find one of his stuffed frogs.  This was a problem because he wanted to take this particular stuffed frog to school because he'd earned a "bring a stuffed animal to school" pass.  I of course said he should take one of his other frogs with him.  This was no good.  No good because all his other frogs had already been to school.  Long story short- he convinced me to make him a new one so he could take it to school the next day.  AND he wanted it green, soft, fuzzy and ready by 3pm that very day. 
So, I hugged him, said "OK honey", took him to school, came home and created a pattern, cut, sewed, stuffed, and finished the frog by 3pm.
Geez, I'm such a push-over!

Ethan's Birthday

Ethan turned seven.  Sometimes I can't believe how fast time goes.  It makes me think- Am I teaching him how to be a good person, is he learning how to serve others, do I give him enough responsibility around the house, have I taught him how to know right from wrong and to make his own choices?  I can only hope the smallest part of what I'm trying to teach him is making it into his big intelligent brain. 
Ethan is my first child, so I don't have a point of reference for all of this.  He is my learning curve.  I want him to be a happy child and a successful adult- those two desires can really be hard to achieve together (especially if you ask Ethan). 
Some things I've learned:  Almost everything that is hard about your child at a certain age- they will grow out of it!;  New hard things come with every age; Don't make mountains out of mole hills; Decide ahead of time what is going to be a mountain;  Talk with you child- but more importantly LISTEN! (don't interrupt);  Routine saves you from a lot of headaches;  Lots of sugar and not enough sleep makes kids turn into monsters;  Children are always watching and they learn WAY more from your example then from what you say;  Give them chances to prove themselves;  Praise early- and often;  Be united with your spouse;  AND charity never faileth...
I don't claim to know much about parenting at all.  I get lessons everyday about how inept I am at it.  But I'm determined to be successful at doing my best and loving my kids. 
Geez- guess Ethan's birthday made me a bit introspective.  Enough about me, here is some things about Ethan:
He is super smart, funny, he likes to win, he will rise to the challenge if you let him, he can argue like a lawyer, he is so very handsome :) , he is sensitive, he LOVES to read (especially comics), he and his daddy like to share inside jokes and have similar senses of humor, he understands and applies things most adults would have a hard time getting, he is creative, he never forgets (that sounds ominous, ha ha), he is an early riser, he loves to swim, he loves video games, his favorite color is green and he likes frogs.
I'm grateful I get to be the mother of such an amazing human being.

Ode to a Mom

What is it about a mom that is so profound?
Is it their unspeakable beauty, their voice?
Or perhaps the way they look soft and round-
when they are carrying life inside them, by choice.
My mother is more special than any words could capture.
She loves, unconditionally,
easily,  her love endures
She is strong, wise, and sure-
Without a word she serves me happily,
I am in awe that God let me be hers.