Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Nap Time!

I'm sure most Mom's know the scenerio...You're planning on spending some extended time at a friend's house...with your kiddos....during (dah dah dah doom music) nap time. There are kids your child's age & they have a set nap time - so you need to make a plan...fast!   Many children are also required to provide a nap mat for their preschool classroom or daycare setting. If any of these situations sound familiar...you need a travelling nap mat!


I made this one for my son last year. I filled it with poly-fill & used a trifold design. I did some box stitching at each fold so that it could fold up compactly & added some handles, so that when it's folded up, it can be carried like a briefcase. I also attached a color-coordinating pillow.

We "practiced" taking naps on it at home before taking it on the road. My little guy loves his. He uses it now for Pre-K.


I used decorator-weight material & poly-fill, but it is washable.  I think if I do something like this again, I'd probably just buy a kinder-mat & make a washable cover for that instead, but this one is suiting us well for now & I love watching my little guy snuggle up on it!


Monday, May 31, 2010

Monday Musings #1

Welcome to my Monday Musings #1. This is not my family site, but I've decided I want to use this site to talk about things that happen, life questions & stories as well as crafts.  My family site http://mintnclandy.com is reserved more for what's happening with my family life, and this site is more for my personal musings and crafting fun!

I wanted to share a story with you about a crazy little something that happened to me while taking my two little ones to a local park. It was my first time trying to watch both kiddos outside at one time. I was giving my 3 year old some freedom on the playground & monitoring my newest addition in her carrier, when the nearest school bell rang and a swarm of youngsters, wide-eyed and ready to attack after a full day of being cooped up in a classroom, descended onto the playground. There were probably 30-40 kids playing on a small playgound, (I'm assuming) waiting on their respective parents to pick them up.

I was trying to watch my 3-year-old who was being swallowed into the massive swarm, when a small boy approached me. He started a conversation with me, but to be honest I don't remember what he was chattting about...blah blah blah astro-physics this...and blah blah...quantum mechanics that...(not really). Then it happened, one of the genuinely most hilarious & strange conversations I've had in a while....here it goes:

Awkward Boy: Oh, your baby is so cute. Is it a a boy or a girl?

Baby is obviously swathed in pink from head to toe, but I guess he assumed it's safer to ask. 
Me: Thanks! She's a girl. 
Awkward Boy: Oh, she's a cute girl. I couldn't tell, because she kind of looks like a boy baby. Well, actually all babies kind of look alike.

Me: You're right, they do. She's a girl (smile). 

Awkward Boy: Yeah, look at her feet! They are so tiny. bladdy bladdy blah.... ( I was watching my guy attempt to climb up a ladder surrounded by giants!) 

Me: (distracted) Uh-huh

Awkward Boy: I normally don't talk to strangers you know. (Lucky me!) But you have a baby, and people with babies are generally harmless. Unless of course that isn't your baby. That is your baby isn't it?

(LOL) 
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I wanted to ask him where his parents were. As exciting as our conversation was, I was slightly distracted by my small "chicken-little"- esque friend.

Nice to know that I'm considered "generally harmless". Although, t's true, his lack of concern still made me nervous for kids & what they learn about strangers. I laughed and marveled about this encounter all day long. His parents never did show up. I heard about his entire family life story. Interesting stuff.

Anyone had any interesting conversations lately?