Someday this will be hilarious

Let's start with a story.  Big sister A recently confessed to us that brother M has been drinking hand soap. After a lot of Q&A with them we learned that brother M decided to mix hand soap with water (several squirts in a cup of water) and drink it so that he would get a tummy ache. Why would he WANT to get a tummy ache? So that he could lay in bed with the tablet and watch a show.  We are still not clear whether he reasoned this all out by himself or whether hints from big sis (who was present at the time of said drinking) were to blame. In any case, new rules about what happens when you get a tummy ache are in place and a lesson on the dangers of drinking/eating non-edibles has been given.  We called poison control just to make sure that he was not in any danger of liver failure or anything.  They confirmed that no, drinking hand soap is not that dangerous and will just "give him a tummy ache". Rad.

Next, a funny joke from today. A has been reading a series of books called The Rescue Princesses. The characters have a secret girl club. Secret clubs are a favorite conversation topic right now. Today at lunch A said, "I am in a secret girl club and M has his secret boy club. Mommy has a secret club for mommies." Then brother M piped up and said, "And Daddy has a secret Daddy Club with all the other sleepy guys."  So clever - Daddy wants to know where and when his club for men who like to sleep meets.   And little brother S has a club for "Light blue baby climbing tree frogs", which is how he describes himself currently.  He wants to go back to the zoo soon to visit his buddies.

Now on to a moment which will be very deja vu for my mom and my little sis. Daddy was working late. I was trying to make pizza for dinner and left the boys rolling out  (playing with) the dough and rolling pins while I responded to baby L's cries for her dinner. As I was in the living room nursing I heard M say joyfully, "We are making it snow!" I jumped up from the couch to assess the damage and this is what I saw:

 

Of course, daddy arrived just as we were about to eat a very late dinner --after I had swept the floor, thrown the kids into the tub, baked two pizzas, and gotten the kids in their jammies; (Big sister A was a marvelous helper with bathing the brothers and helping them get ready for bed).   Note for future reference - wheat flour plus water makes a glue and when dry it is like terra cotta. Big sister was not able to get it all out of S's hair on Friday and Saturday night baths were a nightmare. Through some trial and error I found that olive oil loosened the flour clay enough that I could scrub it out. Baby S was very sad by then and I hope he remembers that playing snow with flour was actually a very bad idea. 

First Lost Tooth

Last night that wiggly tooth finally worked its way out in A's hand. She was super happy and placed it under her pillow straightaway. We were not sure what the going rate for teeth is these days... I said that with inflation it should be about 5$, but we realised that would really start to add up and settled on 1$.

Family Schooling Summary

Big sister A was working on symmetry and shapes this week.  We had to work together to figure out some of the puzzles in her math book.  They can be tricky!

Meanwhile, Baby L was practicing her smiles.  I kept trying to catch her on film and only got a couple decent pictures of it.  

The kiddos each got new lunch boxes this week "for school".  They mostly like to use them for carriers for cars, books, dolls etc. Co-op school starts again tomorrow. Everyone is looking forward to visiting with their buddies again after our 6 week hibernation.  

Baby L went to church for the first time today. She is wearing a darling French dress that Auntie Gaelle gave her big sister A when she was that age.  My how the time flies! 

The two big kids went with daddy to check out "Family Engineering Day" yesterday at the National Building Museum.  They had a bunch of special exhibits and stations for kids.  It was all free and they came back with a big bag of goodies that were handed out. Daddy said that it was packed, but they had a great time doing it.  Here they are on the metro:

Family Schooling Summary

Big sister A has the photography bug and has been practicing her skills taking pictures of everyone.  Here are a couple shots of baby L she took this week. 

 It's been another quiet week at home. We did the usual routine reading and math work, plus some art projects and cooking. Dance class and a hike at the nature center were cancelled due to the snow.

 Brother M decided to give himself a haircut.  It was pretty bad in the back.  We buzzed it all off, but he still has a very obvious bald spot.

This is what the kiddos do while I am having a little sewing time:

Thread fortress building. Baby L is sleeping in the swing.

 The brothers are playing the ice breaker game:

Church has been cancelled for the last 2 weekends due to snow. The kiddos have been enjoying having snow days at a time when daddy is at home to play in it with them.  They ride the sled around the yard and yesterday they built a "snow fort".  Next time I am going to have to get out there and show them how we made them growing up (igloo style). Little brother S finally went out with the big kids this time. He has a stubborn streak and just would NOT put on his snow pants and I said he was not allowed to go out until he put them on.  He missed the last two times playing in the snow because of his refusal to get dressed for it.  And finally this time he decided he would.  He had a great time out there.

Showing how deep it was:

 The snow fort:

Big sister A showing us her first loose tooth. She is SO impatient for it to fall out.

Sew Special: More Madame Alexander Pattern and Doll Dress Designs

I have been doing a lot of dressmaking these last two weeks -- all doll size.  It's fun to practice drawing up all these patterns and I have enjoyed it. I think it is a great way to build sewing skills without wasting much/any materials -- making tiny versions of evening and cocktail dresses.  And lucky me, people collect these dolls and dresses, so I am paid to practice my craft.

Here is another draft of the silk Madame Alexander dress that I have been working on for a 20 inch Cissy doll. The other version had princess seams and this one is a cocktail dress with pleats. It is fully lined with a gauzy pink crepe.

This is actually my first draft of the same dress - also fully lined, but just in a cotton print.

Another project this week was expanding this little civil war style dress.  A client had purchased it and it was too small for her doll.  Here are the before shots:

And here it is after I took it all apart (the longest part of the whole process!) and added new sleeves with cuffs, an extra inch to the bodice length, and inserted a piece in the back.

Recommended Reading: 2 Books by Elizabeth Wein

I generally try to avoid books about the holocaust. They make me too sad. I have read the Diary of Anne Frank and The Hiding Place, but that is about it. These 2 books by Elizabeth Wein are about WWII from the allies' perspective, not about the jews specifically. They are about female spies and pilots.  I had no idea that young women were piloting planes in WWII. 

I think that the stories both strike good balance between the ugliness of war and hope. They are historical fiction and while the events and setting are plausible, they are NOT about real people.  I ordered 2 other biographies about women spies in WWII and am looking forward to reading more true stories about women's roles in WWII. Also, I did not realize when I started reading these 2, but they are companion books about some of the same characters.  So be sure to read Code Name Verity first and then Rose Under Fire. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Continuing another family tradition, I set out little Valentine's Day presents and treats for the kiddos when they woke up. Everyone got My Little Pony cards, stickers, and a little tin of candy.

 And a few other photo moments from daddy's phone this week:

 Playing with the baby bath tub that also serves as a toy bin, car, and laundry basket.

Brother M being a big helper too: