How to Braid Your Woven Wrap

Quick photo tutorial on how to braid a woven wrap.

Why would you want to braid your wrap? Well, the act of looping and pulling helps to "break it in."  You'll notice the more you braid, the tighter your braid gets....proof your wrap is softening up!

STEP 1: Tie a knot at one end that pinches a loop

See the short tail? That was the "end" I tied closest to. The long  tail that goes out the bottom of the photo is the rest of the wrap.

STEP 2: Stick your hand through the loop you just made. Ideally you want the loop to be *just* big enough for your fisted hand to move through. No bigger, no smaller. If you're loop is WAY off, adjust, otherwise, leave it and try for a better size next time because it's not that vital.  Now, stick your hand through the loop.

STEP 3: Grab the long tail of your wrap. Keep a hold of it, and pull your hand back out of the loop. (Sorry for the blurry photos.) 

The next photo shows the new "loop" you'll have made by pulling only part of the long tail through.

STEP 4: Put your hand through the new loop you just formed, grab the long tail, and repeat until you run out of wrap!

This is what a finished "braid" looks like on a size 4 wrap:

The end of the wrap is just sort of tucked under the braid at the bottom in this photo. To unbraid, just grab that loose end and pull! The whole thing will come undone.

One last photo....the wrap on the left is a barely broken-in size 4. The one on the right is a very broken in size 6. Due to fiber content, the wrap on the left will never make a braid as small and tight as the one on the right, but it will make a tighter braid than pictured and will start to lay flatter when braided.

Wishlist for G

Hi everyone!

Just a fair warning, this post is not for you. Hah! Well, it might be if you were planning on asking us what we wanted for Christmas. If not, then that's fine too. Don't feel obligated to get us a gift now just because I shoved our wishlist in your face.

Also, I'll be updating this periodically so apologies in advance for making you read this over and over.

For those of you who are going to ask what we want for Xmas, the truth is that we want things for our daughter, for the most part. 

The next truth is that we are a wee bit picky.  Next, I'm going to tell you why we're picky. It doesn't really make up for the fact that we're picky, but maybe it'll make you less annoyed by our pickiness.

1) G is so young she doesn't care what her toys and possessions are made of. She isn't coveting a Barbie or other toy made of plastic. As long as she doesn't care, we don't need to be giving her things that are toxic.

2) G still puts everything she grabs in her mouth. Again, why bother with things that are toxic?

3) We live in a lovely house with almost no storage. We don't have room for junk or things we don't love or use. I know that sounds blunt and harsh but such is the way of the world.

Ok, glad we got that out of the way.

Next up is a general overview of what we love and use:
*Unfinished, sanded hardwood toys and teethers. They can be finished with beeswax or other organic type waxes and even water-based food dyes.
*Food grade silicone
*100% cotton items. Organic is ideal if it's considered a "teether" but plain old cotton will do just fine.
*Made in the USA! Not only is it great to support our local economy, but it's safer.

Things we avoid:
*Plastics of any kind. Even if the package says "BPA free" there are still other chemicals that leach out.
*Microban and other antimicrobial coatings
*Polyesters (which are often doused in flame retardants)
*Anything scented or dyed with unknown dies. RIT dye is NOT safe for babies, for example.
*Toys "older than her age" like play makeup.
*Toys that use batteries, light up, or make annoying sounds. She's going to want them sooner or later so let's not rush into the annoying toy phase any earlier than necessary!
*And, of course, anything that is a potential choking hazard.






OK, so now I'm sure you're thinking, "What a party pooper! How will I find anything that makes this nincompoop happy?"  So now I'll give you some examples!   **FAIR WARNING** the links I am providing are to goods that are usually handmade, often on etsy. These things are NOT cheap. Please don't get 10 cheap gifts when you could get one awesome, handmade in the USA, organic gift. We are all about quality over quantity for sure. And we totally know the value, monetarily and morally, of the gifts. Also, clicking on any of the etsy photos should take you to the listing, and prices exclude shipping.

First up: a wooden teether with organic cotton "ears."    I think these are adorable. We have a similar one that doesn't have ears. Instead it has a pocket that holds ice cubes. Genius! I would love one more so I can wash one and still have one for her to play with.

From Bunbunbabydesigns on etsy. Organic cotton and organic maple wood ring. $12

From Rewoodtoys on etsy. Wooden teether. $13. We love any thing like this! 

Next up: organic cotton "stuffed animals". I love the clean, simple aesthetic!

From Soulrole on etsy. Organic cotton bunny. $15

From StarBrightBaby on etsy. Organic cotton giraffe. $18

Next, neato toys for when she's a bit older:

From SmilingTreeToys on etsy. Two sided wooden puzzle $15.

From LittleSaplingToys on etsy. Organic wooden blocks. $15. Can I say these are my absolute favorite? If anyone buys these, PLEASE let me know because I think I'm getting these for her for Christmas!

Also from LittleSaplingToys. Stacking rainbow. $40. LOVE! 

Next up: Quirky, fun clothing. I'm particularly crushing on bold, modern prints!

From FableBaby on etsy. Organic leggings, handprinted. $43. (Ouch on the price!)

From downhomeamy on etsy. Organic bibs. $19.95. (I'm crushing on all of her bibs SO hard. I might have to splurge on one or two if she's eating solids before Christmas.)

From Zmunki on etsy. Baby kimono!!!  $25

Stuff for mama and papa:

From TheVintageHoneyShop on etsy. Teething necklace. $18. (I love these. G rips my shirts or hair while she eats so these have been a real life saver. And they're just lovely, aren't they?)

Gifts for when she's much older:

From CakeInTheMorn on etsy. Toy map. $10. HOW CUTE.

Any felt pretend play toys! I can't wait to play with these myself, hahaha. These are all from CreationByM on etsy with varying prices. Tell me these aren'te the cutest, most creative toy foods you've ever seen!!!!!

OK, OK. I'm done with the food! For now.

Be Better

When you know better you do better
-Maya Angelou

Parenting should really just be called, "Making lots of choices in a sea of overwhelming information that everyone else will judge you for no matter what you do."

Let's face it, no two people parent alike. Even spouses have big differences. We should celebrate the fact that kids are all unique because of how they are parented. Instead, as parents, we judge one another, disrespect individual choices, and attach guilt to things that are truly none of our business.

I'm an outspoken mama with big opinions. I know I come across as overly confident, but honestly, that's because I don't do wishy-washy or uncertain very well. It's a side of me that stays off the blog...

I'm also quite an extremist according to some, and I'm OK with that. I don't wear any of my choices like proud badges, really, I don't. If I blog about them, it's for the sake of education. I get lots of questions and a few "Why the hell would you do that?!" comments, so I blog. It hope they help people who are wondering how/why I do somethings, and I don't blog to defend myself.

OK, that said, there are some parenting choices that completely pain me to see other parents make. I don't say anything unless something they're doing is blatantly illegal. I even bite my tongue if what they're doing is potentially dangerous because their choices are none of my business, in the end. 

All I ask is that you do your research, don't rely on what you find on Facebook or even a cursory Google search, and ignore your friends' tidbits for the most part. I know it takes more time than listening to comments on facebook, but isn't your kid and family worth more than that?



Here are the "big" ones for us that I urge everyone to really research:

1) Car seats: Make sure they're properly installed, make sure you're fastening the harness correctly, and make sure you are confident in your choice to be rear-facing or front-facing.

2) The products you bring into your home and use on your children:  Just because you get it from your doctor or from Target doesn't mean it's safe and non-toxic. If you can't pronounce an ingredient, leave it be. Babies have a much higher surface area to volume ratio meaning things absorbed in their skin affect them much more. 









Fun facts:
I learned the prenatal vitamins that my doctor had prescribed when I first was pregnant contained nearly illegal amounts of LEAD. Seriously.

BPA isn't the only dangerous chemical that leaches out of plastics. Minimize plastic use at all costs. Don't let your kids chew on plastics. There are so many other options. Avoid using plastics in situations with thermal flux such as heating leftovers or a water bottle left in a car.

Monday

I keep this blog as true to myself as I can. I'm an upbeat, zany mama with a crazy sense of humor and a very short attention span.

So I was tempted to pen a snarky blog about the amazing hipster dinner I made last night and leave it at that, but Google is pissing me off royally by not loading my photos, and honestly, it's not Google's fault.

The fact of the matter is that I'm upset today and looking for someone (something) to take it out on.

Here's why I'm upset.

This is what I woke up to:

ONE GUNMAN IS DEAD and police say there may be two others at large in the shooting of at least 10 people — including 'multiple victims that are deceased'— at Washington Navy Yard at a building housing the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters, above. The AP is reporting six fatalities, but there are conflicting reports on the number of victims, and the number of gunmen. -FOX NEWS

Yes, people are murdered, gunned down, every day. Probably every minute. But I just sent my husband off to work after saying some not-so-nice things to him in a not-so-nice tone of voice. I sent him off to work to the Navy Shipyards here on the West Coast.

You might say, "Andria! Washington State is not Washington DC. Be happy! He's fine!"  And I say to you this:

"Every morning I see him off to work. Every morning, I tell him that I love him and silently hope he'll be home sooner than later. I never, ever entertain the thought that he might not come home. I never consider the fact that perhaps one of his own colleagues might somehow bring a gun into an area with relatively high security measures to gun down fellow sailors. And now? How can I ever send him out the door without thinking about that? My small sense of ignorant happiness is pretty much gone. I can't help but sit here, stunned, and think that he's probably safer underway than walking around his offices on land. I can't help but add "gunman" to the list of things I have to be afraid of for him.

I'm afraid of a lot of things. Maybe I'm not afraid of more things than the average person, just different things than the average person.

Speaking in public? No problem.

Needles? Bring it on.

Driving in pouring rain during rush hour in downtown Seattle? Turn up the radio!

Flying? Love it!

Heights? Please, let's go up on the roof!

However, I'm terrified of Halloween decorations, the thought of a tsunami washing over my house, wet things touching my skin, clowns, car accidents, dirty velcro (seriously), not having steak in the freezer or fridge, getting a paper cut on my eyeball, and most of all, losing my loved ones.

The things I just listed? I'm not scared of them. I'm TERRIFIED of them. They occupy my thoughts and my dreams. They make my palms sweat.  I cried walking into Goodwill last year when a goblin thing was motion-activated and had glowing eyes and started moving. I yelp in pain if I step on a wet towel left on the floor. I flinch every time I take a bill out of an envelope. I'm subscribed to NOAA alerts that let me know every time there's an earthquake and if a tsunami might happen as a result.

I cope by breathing, hugging my dogs or my baby, and by stress eating. (Again, not a joke.)  I also cope by pretending none of those things exist or can ever happen to me. Yes, I get by because I have the "teenage-not-ever-gonna-happen-to-me-so-what?!" attitude. 

Things that make me realize that my fears actually COULD happen to me really shake me and mess up my day.

The point of this whole weird, downer blog isn't to make you depressed or want to not be my friend anymore because I live on Planet Weirdo.  I just want you to hug your loved ones, never take for granted that they'll come home, and for heaven's sake, stop posting horrid news stories on your Facebook!

I'm off to eat my second and third breakfasts of the day while simultaneously hugging my dogs and baby.