Meg vs. Decor: Giveaway on Everything for the Love!

My amazing friend Emily just opened an Etsy shop, Little Boston Print Shoppe, selling her super fun prints. She is giving away three of these pillow covers to a lucky winner over at Everything for the Love, so pop over and check it out! I hope I win! And if not, I hope you win =)

Meg vs. Halloween: Gingerbread Mummies!

My friend Kelly and I got together on Monday to make some gingerbread mummies to share with our neighbors. I saw a few variations of this idea on Pinterest, and we couldn't resist trying it out. We each had a fussy baby in tow, so I didn't get many pictures, and in 4 1/2 hours we still hadn't finished. But by the next morning I had them all wrapped up and ready to go.

Here's big brother getting in on the rolling and cutting. I actually liked the cookies he did; they had missing and stretched body parts, which really was perfect for the theme.

I let the boys go to town on their cookies with some canned frosting and sprinkles, which kept them occupied for a while.

Meanwhile, we churned out the rest of our mummies, with white royal icing embalming and red sprinkle eyes.

 I think these have to be the easiest decorating job I've done with royal icing! Here is one of big brother's cut-outs. I love how it came out!

We used two different recipes for the two batches, since we have some friends that can't have dairy and wanted some of the cookies to be butter-free. The first is my favorite recipe from Sue over at Munchkin Munchies. These are the ones I have made the last few years at Christmas, and I could eat a whole batch myself.

The second is this recipe for Nauvoo Gingerbread from AllRecipes.com. It calls for lard (this recipe is old school!) but I used shortening and they came out really lovely and soft. They are very mild, so good if you have littles like mine that might be averse to a stronger gingerbread. Otherwise you might want to up the spice content to suit your tastes.

And you can also find the royal icing recipe over at Munchkin Munchies. It is perfect! (The sugar cookie recipe is my favorite too; Sue is the best).

Here they are all packaged up and ready to go. I was going to add some cutesy ribbon, but this was as far as I got.

And with the leftover icing and some chocolate chips I whipped up some googly eyes for future use.

It took me two full days to recover from the cookie mess, but it gave me a good excuse to go out and meet my neighbors after a whole year of living here!

Meg vs. Halloween: Easy Felt Bat Garland

Halloween is the first major holiday since my birthday, so I had to start out right if I am going to meet my goal of decorating for all of them. But I wanted to do it (1) without spending much if any money, and (2) without accruing bulky items that we will have to store or move later. So when I saw this bat garland on Pinterest, I knew it would be perfect!

I ordered a whole pile of felt for a felt board project I am hoping to get started on (on sale for $3 a yard at JoAnn.com!), and I had black thread already, so all I needed was to print out this template from Country Living and grab my scissors and sewing machine! Without all of the inevitable interruptions from my three little guys, I would guess that this is about a one-hour project, depending on how crazy you go cutting out bats. I cut out twenty bats, then ran them through the sewing machine one after the other to connect them all together.

We hung it out on the porch, and with our pumpkins I think it looks every-so-slightly festive. It also reminded me how much we still need to do on the house (cracks, peeling paint, fake bricks falling off...). But hey, I kept with my goal! And just maybe I'll make something more with the kiddos in the next week. We like to be last-minute around here.

I like that this garland is reusable but takes up almost no storage space, so we will have a start on our decorating next year! But these beauties won't last that long...

 Just the right sizes for my three munchkins. Stay tuned for a couple more Halloween posts before the big day! Then perhaps I'll get a more timely start on Christmas!

Meg vs. The Toddlers: "Spooky Bath"

Now that I have three boys three and under, the evening can get a bit overwhelming, particularly if my husband is busy and I am home alone. Saturday night he was off studying for a Monday morning exam, all the kids needed baths, and of course it was the witching hour for the baby. So in the spirit of the Halloween season, I told Big Brother and Little Brother they could have a spooky bath, which really meant that I threw some glow bracelets in the tub and turned off the lights. They loved it! They stayed in the bath tub for over an hour, which was lovely because I cleaned the bathroom and gave Baby Brother his bath while they were in one contained place. Beautiful.

I couldn't capture any good pictures in the dark, but these were impressive enough for my toddlers, who love seeing pictures of themselves and the things they do:

Spooky!

John vs. The Bathroom: The tile goes on...

Over John's fall break he got right back to work on the tile, and it is almost all up! Here's the bath surround:

The toilet area:

On Tuesday our awesome friend came over again to help John wire up a new light/heater/fan to replace the ancient one that had been there previously.

They also moved the boxes down so that it would be easier to tile around them.

So there's just this one little spot left, then grout, then the tiling is done! I am so pleased with how it looks, and I think John is pleased with how much he has learned and how well his first big project is turning out. Color me impressed.

Meg vs. Labor: What to Pack

Since I am somewhat out of commission on the project front, there will be some baby posts on the horizon. I know I posted this list already, but now that we were surprised with an early arrival, I can more confidently say that I am satisfied with my packing list. So here it is again, and I'll do some explaining this time.

When it comes to the hospital, I am all about comfort and very little about frills. I am grateful for the great care I have received during and after my deliveries, but I can't help but hate the hospital, and want to be there the least amount of time possible. 

So here's a quick rundown of my list:

Clothing: I am the type that is happy to stay in the hospital garb until just before it's time to go home; there is always someone coming around wanting to poke or check or what-have-you, and it's just more convenient to stay in the gown. Not to mention that things are a little messy and uncomfortable after having a baby (thus the granny panties); why would I want to take that laundry home? 

That said, I still brought some grungy clothes in case I ended up being stuck in the hospital for longer than my 2-day average and got too sick of the gown. I also pack a nursing camisole to wear under the gown (as much fun as it would be to accidentally flash my hospital visitors, I have decided it's better to avoid it).

I threw in an extra tee and shorts for the hubs in case he wanted it, but he ended up coming home to put the big boys to bed and showering and changing then. But if you are having your first baby and your hubby is planning to stay with you the whole time, be kind and pack him a change.

I tend to go by the same philosophy with baby clothes as with my own; I have kept my boys in the little hospital shirts and blankies during their stays. However, with my second our room was really chilly, so this time I brought a long-sleeved onesie and an extra sleeper just in case. Luckily that wasn't a problem at this hospital. I also toss in a set of mittens in case baby gets to scratching his face, and of course everyone needs an outfit to wear home.

Toiletries: Just the basics here; I am not going to be painting my toenails right after pushing out a baby. Chapstick, deodorant, shower stuff if you are picky (if not, the hospital will have shampoo, soap, etc.), and most definitely a toothbrush and toothpaste. And bring pads you like; the hospital may provide tolerable ones, or may provide weird, awkward ones that you can't stand. (I heart the stayfree overnights with wings. Because the internet wanted to know that about me.) I also try to force myself to put on makeup, since people are always snapping pictures, so that goes in the bag as well. And hair ties are a must for getting hair out of the way during labor. Some people prefer a headband, but I have a giant head so bands don't stay put for me.

And again, be kind and pack stuff for Daddy as well (chances are, he won't be packing anything for himself).

Nursing Supplies: I think I may do another post on my product recommendations for nursing, but at the very least I would pick up some lanolin cream to combat the impending soreness. I personally have really dry, sensitive skin, and am destined for painful cracks, so I have a few extra products on my list: nursing shells to keep anything from touching me (ouch!), and Polysporin (like Neosporin, but better for sensitive skin) to prevent any topical infections (had one with the last baby, and it wasn't fun). You probably won't need the nursing pads since it's unlikely for your milk to come in before you get home, but they don't take up too much room just in case you have a longer stay or you have lots of milk come early (mine has come faster with each baby).

Bedding: Not strictly necessary, as the hospital has pillows and blankets for the asking, but nice to have, especially if you are picky about pillows. Since I went into labor surprisingly early, I hadn't put anything in the car, and we didn't miss them much.

Other baby supplies: The hospital should provide most everything, but there are a few of my own things I like to have on hand:

• Pacifiers other than the Soothie, in case baby likes it better. Also, some hospitals have anti-paci policy for nursing babies, so it's nice to have your own and not have to beg the judgy nurse for one. 
• Two of our hospitals provided dry wipes you had to wet in the sink. Kind of a pain, so I pack my own wipes.
• I am still completely incapable of getting a good swaddle with a dinky flannel receiving blanket. So I bring a nice stretchy swaddling blanket, since all my babies have loved a good swaddle. Some people swear by the Aiden & Anais muslin ones. I am too cheap to buy them, so I just picked out the stretchiest blanket from my stash of shower gifts. 
• Pump and bottle. this one is somewhat unique to us; cleft lip & palate runs in our family, and our first had a cleft, so I keep some feeding supplies in my bag just in case. Your hospital will have the necessary supplies if you end up needing them, but I like to have my own that I am used to.

Sibling stuff: This can be a tough time for big sibs, so having something special for them when they come to the hospital is nice. I was hoping to get some kits together with things for them and things for them to give to the baby, but didn't get that far. My mom saved the day and put together some gift bags "from the baby" for them to open, and they were thrilled.

Electronics: I think most of this stuff is self-explanatory. They help to keep in touch and stave off claustrophobia.

Car seat: Put it in your car a few weeks early, and make sure you know how it works.

Questions or comments or better ideas? Please share! I hope that this is helpful to someone!

P.S. Feel free to swipe and print my list if it suits your fancy!

Meg vs. The Baby: He's Winning...

... and that's okay by me.

Meet Baby Brother, who made his appearance September 14 via c-section. I may not be doing any big projects for a while. Maybe I'll post about how my mom took over my house and is even painting my doors!