Moving on Up

So, after playing around with WordPress for the last couple of days I decided that I am going to move my blog there. =) It is just so nice and fresh to use and I feel like it is something I have been wanting to do for awhile.
But I am still going to blog like I have... crafts, Pinterest pins, life, homschooling, and lot of photos! Same taste, fresh start.

I am not going to transfer these posts from the last 4 years to the new blog because with them comes all my bad tagging and such. I will have a page linking this blog on the new one though so if there is a favorite post you are looking for, it will still be here waiting.

Make sure to update your RSS feeds, links, and page saves to the new blog-

I hope you all will join me there! I am going to be looking for people to guest post, crafters to submit tutorials, and lots of other fun. See you on My Sunny Side Up Life!!

Yes, it is 1am...

So yes, it is 1am and I am blogging... I get a bit of insomnia when I am on a creative streak. Here's the story:
A fellow blogger named Elle asked me to write for a new mommy blog she is starting called Motherhood Uncovered. Of course I said yes because a) I like Elle, she is nice and b) It would give me a reason to craft more. However, the blog is on Wordpress and to co-write on it I would have to have an account. Dun dun dun... a whole new world of blogging people!

Well, I didn't want to look like a newbie when it came to this awesome new blog that I was going to be writing with other bloggers, so I started a new personal one to play around with called My Sunny Side Up Life. I have been thinking about branding my blog and making it flow better with my Etsy store, cleaning it up a bit and making it more professional looking. I designed the header after hours of watching Charlie and Lola with the girls... I am liking the feel of it though... clean with a hint of whimsy.

However, I don't want to throw anyone off who regularly visits me here, know what I mean?
So, what are your thoughts? Can I gently transfer everyone to the new blog or should I just stick with what works? (If you really have an opinion, there is a poll on the sidebar!)

My thoughts are this:
1. I now know how to tag properly so it will be a heck of a lot easier to find stuff on the new blog.
2. Wordpress is niiiiiiiiiice!
3. I can get a fresh look in and tie all my endeavors together
4. I won't have to hop all over the place to blog

but....
1. Wordpress is new and kinda scary to maneuver if you like to customize your look a lot
2. I don't want to lose readers
3. .... ummmm that's all I got!

so there you have it. I am up at 1am, playing between Photoshop and Wordpress and can't sleep because I have so many ideas... =)

9 Months Old!

9 months old already??!!

Well, three quarters of Miss Moira's first year is over! What a difference just a month makes in this baby's life and development...

* cruises furniture

* takes off diaper

* climbs stairs

* nurses a lot still

* clicks her tongue to call the pets

* stands up without holding onto something

* shakes her head "no"

* snorts and growls when she is mad

* still has only 2 teeth

* loves to be read to and played with

* favorite toys are matchbox cars

* gets into EVERYTHING!!!

"I'm pretty sure that I have places to go and things to get into!"

 Moira's personality is really coming out. She has developed quite the temper and will get reaaaallllly upset if you take something away from her. She has also learned the word, "no" and will shake her head when you say it... although she laughs and continues to do what you don't want to do. =) I am pretty sure that she is going to be fully walking by next month!

Sunday Pins

Yes, I am addicted to Pinterest... but look at all the cool things I found!!!

                      Source: photojojo.com via Connie on Pinterest

Photoshop Magnets!!!!!

                                               Source: cupcakesandcashmere.com via Connie on Pinterest

Cute side-table ideas

                                                                  Source: sleekidentity.com via Connie on Pinterest

Road Tape!

                                         Source: iamthegirlanachronism.tumblr.com via Connie on Pinterest

Love this quote!

                                                    Source: keikolynn.com via Connie on Pinterest

Hmmm... Hallloween for Klint and I?

                                                                Source: comicsfornerds.net via Connie on Pinterest

Can't forget a costume for Moira!

                                              Source: stylemepretty.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

          Love this hairstyle...

See... now wasn't that fun?!

Clothespin Dolls!

This is what I have been up to the last couple of days and I am loving the results! 

They are little dolls painted on no-roll clothespins that are about 3 3/4'' tall.

I love their cute pointed toes and of course we had to make a few ballerinas from the bunch, lol.

The clothespins are really cheap and you can let your imagination run wild-

I made a fancy lady, some chilling dolls with hoodies, a few ballerinas, some chic chicks with heels...

seriously, it was more fun for me to create the outfits I think at times!

AJ is really loving the dolls and is working on making a juice container into their home. =)

I have heard that there are even bigger clothespins out there, 7 1/4'' tall!!!
Hopefully I can get my hands on some and make some even cuter dolls for the girls.
I am already putting cute outfit ideas together... lol.

I love simple crafts like this that the girls love to play with!

(if you love the dolls but don't want to paint your own you can buy some here from this wonderful Etsian! 

She is a great artist and has BIG dolls too!)

Some Tuesday Luvin'

Hi all! How is everyone doing this fine Tuesday? We have had a great day of cleaning and gardening, plus some new fun developments in Miss Moira's growth. She has discovered the stairs, the toilet, and how to take off her diaper! I seriously can't take my eyes off of her... she is so fast and the poor thing bumps her head or falls down tons everyday in her quest to walk.

Anyhow, here are some cool things that I have found, tried, or heard about:

How to make a book cover bunting

Easy DIY magazine art

The 7-day toy cure for busy parents

One of the coolest A-B-Sea posters I have ever seen!

Buy one here!

I love cool kids lunch ideas... here's a whole collection of cuteness!

If you noticed at the bottom of my blog there is a new widget which is our library... 

I am still adding to it but it is a really cool thing to have to keep track of what you have read, 

want to read, or are currently reading!

It is powered by Library Thing and super easy to use... 

Speaking of reading, here is a whole collection of great book lists 

if you are looking for something new to read!

                                                                                Source: lushusa.com via Connie on Pinterest

Finally, here is my new crush from LUSH- Toothy Tabs.
Did you know that over 1 billion toothpaste tubes end up in landfills each year?
I thought that we were being eco-friendly using Tom's toothpaste,
but here is an even greener alternative.
There are a couple different flavors and I was left with clean teeth and no weirdo after taste.
(Plus at $4 for a box of 60, you can't go wrong with the price!)

 

Here are some other random links that you may enjoy:

S'more Cookie Bars

Yummy Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Create a Sunken Trampoline

and finally...

One of my favorite Pinterest finds so far...

"Read a little, try a little, wait a while, watch."

Lately I have been reading a lot of really cool blogs and article about unschooling- mainly the radical kind.  Where unschooling means letting you child take the lead in their learning, radical unschooling extends that thinking to their whole life. A well known unschooler put it best:

Unschooling includes trusting your child in what they choose to learn.  Radical Unschooling, which expands unschooling philosophy to parenting, means you extend that same trust to other areas of your child’s life, like foods, media, television… (It) requires thinking outside the box and a huge dose of courage.
Parenting is supposed to be joyful, and it can be when we learn to connect with, rather than control, our children.  We were raised in a different era, where the majority of the parenting focused on obedience and doing what we were told…Once you understand that there is a more respectful, fulfilling way to live in  harmony with not only our children, but also with others, you are well on your way.  Just learning that a new parenting paradigm exists is often the first step in someone’s journey to a new awakening.    ~ Dayna Martin, Radical Unschooling: A Revolution has Begun


There are many aspects of my life that I want to improve upon but the way I parent is the top of the list. The bottom line is that I don't want to make the same mistakes my mother, and many parents in this country, made. I don't want my kids to have childhood memories that involve spankings, guilt, harsh criticisms, groundings, bribery, and feelings of not being "enough".

I want my girls to lead a life that they enjoy, be productive members of society but not feel like they are "supposed" to do anything that does not feel right for them. I don't want them to enter careers that they are not passionate about, that they will dread going to every day. I want them to take what they learn in their youth and let it grow into something beautiful and real.

But how does one go from the norm of chores, set bedtimes, basically a very controlled environment to a whole life unschooling approach?? Well, I am taking those first baby steps by following the mantra,
"Read a little, try a little, wait a while, watch."

A good friend, Melissa, gave me that advice when I asked how to even begin changing how I approach my kids. Do I just let go of everything and let the chips fall where they may? No! Then they would take over the house and it would be an urban version of Lord of the Flies! =)

So this weekend I decided to take some steps and do away with a set bedtime and media monitoring. We will see what happens and watch our kids enjoy life in a stress free, full of joy way!

If you are interested in reading a bit more about unschooling, this is a great article to get your mind thinking of the possibilities! 

Soul Pancake Bites: #2- Overreacting

When is the last time you overreacted? Was it worth it?

Me being me, I tend to get all up in arms first and think about it later, especially if it is a topic that I am passionate about. Things like birthing, breastfeeding, homeschooling, vaccinating, gentle parenting, arts education, animal welfare, Spanx... these are all things that I will get on a soap box about. 

Yesterday I was confronted about one of my personal beliefs and actually tried really to be diplomatic and informational instead of confrontational. I posted an article about Radical Unschooling on my facebook page about how there are some serious drawbacks to demanding blind obedience from our children. Right away 2 people who I was "friends" with said that you need to make kids be obedient or else they will run wild, etc.... I wrote back and explained that this is a completely different school of thought and is the exact opposite of being neglectful or not parenting. Well... it was like talking to a brick wall (or 2). Right away I was told that this was nonsense, it couldn't possibly work, and that basically you have to show kids you are the boss. 

So I had 2 choices: Write yet another response and hope that maybe there would be a crack in the wall or just let it go because some people don't want to learn, they want to prove that they are RIGHT. Well.... I not only didn't respond to the posts but I also deleted them as friends. And then I took it a step even further and posted this on my page: 

ok friends, here is where some of us have to part ways. This is my space and I don't really feel like I should have to censor my beliefs on parenting, religion, etc. You are more than welcome to read my posts or ignore them, be curious, ask questions. But if you obviously don't agree with something, that is fine, don't read it. I am not going to try to convince you otherwise but I am not going to have a debate to defend my beliefs. I will gladly share my research and answer questions though!

Yes, it was my temper coming out because I then went on a mass deletion spree and took off all the people who cause me to censor my articles, thoughts, etc. Surely, I overreacted to 2 people arguing with me about an article- I could have just said nothing and gone about my merry way. But, what about the next article that I found about gentle parenting? Or the one connecting the Hep B vaccine to SIDS? Why should I have to hide the research I am doing because there are some who are too close minded to consider, even for a moment, that there is another way to do things than how we were brought up?

I fully realize that sometimes I would be better served to think first and then act accordingly, after I think things through. But at least in this instance I feel a little lighter in that I don't have to carry false friendships where people are just bringing me down. Definitely overreacted but well worth it!

Crayon Canvas

So remember this craft?

It is flying all over Pinterest and the web and I HAD to try it.

Here is what I used:

• 18x 24 canvas ($7)
• Box of 120 Crayola Crayons ($5)
• Glue Gun
• Blow Dryer

Here's how I did it:

1. Draw a straight line (lightly) across the top of the canvas

2. Figure out how many crayons you need to go across the top of the canvas

3. Arrange your crayons in whatever order you want

4. Use a hot clue gun to attach the crayons, I used a dot toward the top of the crayon and the middle. 

5. Now the fun.... Use your blow dryer on its hottest setting and on high to begin to melt the crayons

BUT here is my best advice: point it straight down or else wax will fly everywhere! 

Also, it is best to switch to low once the melting gets going, you have more control. 

6. Once it looks how you like it, admire your new artwork for only $12!

How We Roll

Don't mind the messy playroom in the background!

Klint brought out his old video game system and introduced the girls to old school gaming, lol.

The played Donkey Kong, Ninja Turtles, and so much more...

Even Moira got a controller of her own and would glance at the TV

to see what was keeping her sisters so entertained. 

Both Gabby and AJ loooooove games, they ask for our phones all the time,

and have a DS to play on as well as the Play Station....

we are all novice gamers!

Just another day at Casa de Krebs!

Homeschooling the Free Way

So I have been gearing up for another fun year in homeschooling. Last year was sort of a blur, with a new baby and getting Gabby to simply enjoy learning again... it was fun, but sort of challenging to find our groove. We are still going to have an eclectic type of schooling going on, but with a little more structure from all over since I have discovered that left to her own devices, Gabby really doesn't put forth any real effort. (AJ on the other hand is downright pissed that she can't read yet, so she is jumping on the school wagon!)

This year I want to get Gabby in the habit of not only putting forth her best effort, but also taking the time and patience to look for answers herself instead of waiting for me to feed them to her. We are also going to add in an into to a foreign language- Italian, as well as violin lessons and swimming. But, I wanted some more resources and some sort of list for myself to keep track of the topics we are covering so I went in search of some free curriculums and resources... man, oh man, did I find some!!! Here are my favorites so far:

Scott Foresman Math and Science Curriculums: First off, these are absolutely FREE work books and sooooo nicely done! While I may not do these page for page, at least I can have some order in the topics that I introduce and a starting point for our explorations.

Lesson Pathways Guided History Lessons: Again, we may not follow this exactly, but I like having a weekly focus so that I can get out the appropriate books to spin off of, for instance, we can read The Little House series while studying early American history. (We didn't focus a lot on specific history themes too much last year so I am going to cover the year 1 lessons this year...)

Spelling City: One aspect that Gabby really enjoys is writing so this year I am trying to expand her written vocabulary and spelling. She is great at spelling words phonetically, but likes to have a word bank to work off of if she is writing something important.

The Learning Page: I am a sucker for wacky holidays like Hug Your Cat Day and National Clown Week! This site has the traditional and wacky holidays plus lessons to go with them!

Finally, have you ever heard of the Daily 5? Basically it is a way to get kids to become better readers by approaching the process from different angles, something that is important because not every kid learns the same way. Everyday you have the kids:
1. Read to themselves
2. Read out loud
3. Listen to reading
4. Practice writing and
5. Do word work.

Now, we were already doing everything on the list, just not every thing every day. I am going to try to not only have Gabby do these, but myself as well since it is good to model the process and let's face it- I love books!

If you are a teacher and prefer a more formal classroom setting, be sure to check out my sorority sister Katy's Pinterest board for the Classroom. She is a teacher and is finding some really cool posters, organization techniques, and neat ideas to implement!

                                                    Source: shadytreediary.blogspot.com via Katy on Pinterest

(I have updated my homeschool resources, so be sure to check them out! Lots of free fun stuff to be had!)

Our Week...

We played, we cleaned, we cried, we laughed...

we watched our newest member of the house play with his fellow felines,

we worried over Miss Moira's mysterious allergy,

we slept in and stayed up late.

It was an interesting week!

Baby Medical Mystery

So I am calling out today to all you mamas with kids with allergies, mamas who have some experience with mysterious skin issues, namely-hives:

This is what it looks like at first, then they get bigger and redder, then they fade out...

 Poor Miss Moira has been getting hives very randomly for the last 5 days. We can't figure out a common trigger and there is no rhyme or reason to the time or severity. It is driving me NUTS!
They don't seem to bother her at all and most of the time disappear as fast as they come. What is crazy is that nothing in our daily life or diet has changed. No new foods, no new household products... nada. And it has happened when we were out at a museum, at the park, 10 mins after nursing, after playing on the floor, etc.... I thought at first that she got bit my something but there are no bites, just lots of hives. They usually start on her legs, then the arms, and face- never any on her stomach or back or under her hair.

I thought that maybe it was a reaction to me eating a ton of cherries and her eating cherry puffs, but I stopped that days ago to see if the hives would stop and they keep on coming strong.... AHHHHH!!!!
Poor kiddo looks like she has the plague when they are full force!

So..... any thoughts on how to figure out what is the root cause? I have been writing down every episode and there is no pattern to the hives, no linking factor. Help!!

Sorry for the bad pics, it was late and photo composition was definitely NOT on my mind!