The knitting has been on hold for a few days in favor of sewing, so I could make this dress:
DD is very happy with it, though only time will tell how much wear it will get. The hem is a lot straighter than it looks in this picture! It has some growing and moving room for sure -- but one of the things I like about kids at this age is that they look great in anything! If you've read past posts, you know DD's crazy about purple, and this dress is an attempt to replace a previous favorite purple dress that is being rapidly outgrown and has been so well-loved it has its own map of permanent stains... you get the picture. Vital Stats: New Look (Simplicity) Pattern #6309, made in cotton quilter's calico with satin ribbon trim. Has a zipper in the back, but otherwise quite easy.
Ever seen the movie Kiki's Delivery Service? The dress in question is a "Kiki dress," and it even formed the basis of DD's Halloween costume last year. I love the movie, originally done in Japanese by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) because it avoids the Disney/Hollywood formula of good vs. evil, and is slower-paced than many American kids' movies. More like real life, in other words, though there's adventure as well. It's about a young witch in traning who, at age 13, must leave home and find her own way for a year as part of her training. There's adventure, self-discovery, supportive family relationships, chances to talk about cliquish social behavior by some adolescents, and so on. It's not a movie I thought a 3-year-old would particularly enjoy, but I don't find anything objectionable in it, and she experiences it at her own level.
Fluttering On
The daily BabySteps from FlyLady have been pretty easy these past few days. I've been carrying on with the routines established so far, and have added making my bed in the morning (my half, really, since I'm usually up before Tim -- maybe he'll catch on!) and doing a mission from Kelly each weekday. The missions are tasks of 15 minutes or less, and they focus on more detailed cleaning and decluttering in a different area of the home each week, known as that week's zone. The idea is that if you do each zone for one week each month, along with various types of daily clutter control, things stay more or less company-ready all the time. The other daily BabySteps have involved reading essays available on the FlyLady web site.
It's a little disquieting that it feels easy. But I guess that's what the Baby Steps are all about -- it shouldn't be overwhelming to establish these habits! I'm finding that with things far less cluttered, it's easier for me to see what needs to be done (like taking out the trash or recycling, or moving something to the garage, etc.) and just do it. When things were more cluttered, these tasks would get lost in the clutter and neglected. Things are in good enough order now that I actually find I've spontaneously done some of Kelly's missions before she assigns them. Cool.
One part of the before-bed routine FlyLady suggests has been extremely helpful, with DD attending preschool for the first time: laying out clothing for the next day. We have to get an earlier start than we have for our various activities in the past, so DD and I agreeing on what she will wear the next day, and my thinking through what I will wear, has been a great source of peace and efficiency in the morning. We need all of those that we can get! I'm hoping that since we're establishing some good routines now, things won't be quite so crazy when the new baby arrives.
Wish me luck! I wish you the best.
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