Photo fun

I found a great little app for android. Pixlr Express lets you take and edit photos. It also lets you add "stickers" ala puri kura (print club) style.
I couldn't resist doing this one of my son, knowing how much my husband loves Peking Duck.
A similar app, although more limited to adding effects, is Pixlr-o-matic. I found it first and really liked what it did with my photos. The best part is they are both free, so enjoy your creative freedom with them.
The text bubble over Monkey Z reads the following:
Mmm... Duck. I'm definitely part Chinese.

Covering Milk and Apples for Bottoms

Yes, it's been a while. I am still pregnant... more so than ever, so I do not get much done these days. Most weeks consist of appointments with various doctors, dentists, and the like. I will begin weekly visits to the Ob in May, and hopefully, the coconut will grace the world with her presence early Memorial Day weekend (read: Friday).
As for covering milk, I found a great idea for a nursing cover. Its an asymmetrical shawl, but it works to cover the unsightly back fat that inevitably shows with the bib style covers. I think it cost about $6 and 2 minutes to make, aside from washing and drying time. You can see a version of it here. Since I have an aversion to photographs, especially this late in my pregnancy, I will spare you the fashion show.
I changed the dimensions a little based on the suggestions by Danielle at DIYDanielle. I simply cut the uneven edges to be even, then sewed the neckline. My dear sweet B-chan is the model in the pictures.

B-chan with the practice coconut and the Monkey

Nursing Shawl, showing asymmetrical shape

B-chan with the practice coconut under the shawl

Lastly, I finally got a chance to make some more flannel diaper wipes for the monkey and the coconut. You've heard of Apple Bottoms (the brand)? Well, this is not quite brand name but they are for the bottom and they have apples on them. I thought it was cute... All this took me about an hour while B-chan took the monkey for a walk. I finally got a little chance to sew.

Flannel from JoAnns that was on sale, apples for bottoms

Finished wipe, serged

And here's your free tidbit for the day! Drum roll,  please. I have officially moved up to... wait for it... a Mom mobile! It's daddy approved, even! Enter the 2014 Mazda CX-5, a small SUV with lots of cargo room and great gas mileage.It's a manual transmission, even! Props to the in-laws for making that happen. So, now we have our double stroller and our mom mobile. Aside from shifting clothes around, we're almost ready.

(L to R) Honda Civic, Mazda CX-5, Baby Jogger City Select (one seat only,
at the moment)

Build-a- bed 6 (rearranging things)

Follow the rest of the series with these links:
Part 1          Part 2          Part 3           Part 4           Part 5          IkeaHackers

Build-A-Bed

The elusive ladder

We actually need to finish this bed thing before May (read: before baby Yeh #2 comes along). So I was talking to the great and wonderful B-chan about it and worked it out that we should be done with the ladder by the end of April. We should probably be done with a lot of things by the end of April, but this post is about the bed...
I googled a tutorial for a loft/ bunk bed ladder by Ana White, but we still have to figure out how to attach it so that it slides in and out. The monkey seems to think that he can climb up on the ladder. I just don't want to be staring an unfinished project in the face when I can do absolutely nothing about it for at least 6 months.
Part of this whole build-a bed thing is completely rearranging pretty much the entire house so that the kids have the big bedroom. I was re-thinking things and figured it might be nice to have our bed back in the big room once the kids share a bunk bed of sorts. It means we'd be able to get at the drawers in the Malm chests that currently are barely accessible. For the small room, I've even seen a Murphy bunk bed! But that's later, waaaay later.

Musical Chairs...beds, desks, etc.

So, back to rearranging... I emptied our closet so that we could move our computer cabinet into our room. An empty closet clears it of our stuff for the Monkey and Coconut's clothes.

Printer cabinet before move

Crib relocated next to changing table

I also completely rearranged the kids' room so that we could fit the Ikea Kids' loft bed where the crib was. Speaking of the new bed, I have read that it is better to make one big transition at a time. The poor monkey; he has 3 months left to be an only child, is teething, is (sort of) potty training, will need to adjust to staying with grandma and grandpa Yeh for a couple days, and will be moving to a real bed pretty much all in the next 3 months. But, I digress.
We are planning to get the bed this weekend from someone on Craigslist. Hopefully, it will work out that they can disassemble it enough to fit into the accord. I think we still need to get a mattress though.
For now, I took pictures of how the sewing corner looks after I emptied the monkey's toy shelf and added it to our old nightstands (see below). (I will post more pictures of the kids' room when the monkey is not asleep.) We got a different toy storage system from B-chan's sister. Yeah for hand-me-downs; just keepin' it green, and redecorating with stuff I already have.

Bookshelf with toy shelf and relocated toys

Creating new storage

Sewing/Office Corner

So the printer is cleverly hidden on the top shelf behind the little curtain on the cart. The bottom shelf holds my large sewing box. The cart, itself, needs to be shortened by a couple inches so that the sewing table will once again open the way it should.

Bookshelf over nightstands

The bookshelf needs to be attached to the nightstands with brackets and screws so that it is not balanced quite as precariously. It worked out, however, that the width and depth of the bookshelf are just small enough to fit over the nightstands.

Engrish strikes again!

Oh! Daiso!

Somehow I managed to lose my little timers I bought from Daiso to use when I am substitute teaching. I thought I might replace them today with essentially more of the same.
Little did I know...

Grammar Queen

For those that _really_ know me, you already know that I am grammar queen, something of which I am rather proud. (Case in point: the lack of dangling preposition in the last sentence. Grammar geeks, you get it, right?)
Well, as I was opening the package of one of the timers, I came across this most beautiful sample of Engrish. No, not English, Engrish.

What is it?

What is Engrish, you ask? It is a well meant attempt to translate from another language that doesn't really account for word order or choice. In some cases, it is token English (just for the sake of having words in English). Clearly a native speaker was not consulted prior to printing.
Typically I find that it is more common in a language like Japanese or Chinese, rather than, say, Spanish (I have studied all three to some extent). It often leads to rather awkward or just downright hilarious syntax, at least from a native speaker's perspective, that can be found on signs or packages. There is a whole website devoted to examples of it, even featuring this one.

For example...

One of the best examples I have ever found was a sign posted in a bathroom stall of a Japanese store which read the following: please flash for the next person. In this case it is easy to figure out that they really meant flush. I also know why the mistake was made: there is no short u sound in Japanese. However, the featured example of Engrish is rather ambiguous.
"All your base are belong to us", right?

Entitled to mine

Keep in mind this is my opinion and my interpretation of Engrish. While this interpretation may seem harsh or judgemental to some, it is meant to be amusing. The rest of the world learns the English language, among others, as a language of commerce, while Americans, in particular, sit back and expect the rest of the world to cater to them. I realize I sound stereotypical, and I have said nothing about at least making an attempt to communicate in another person's language simply out of courtesy or the Americans who become fluent in 3+ languages (and the like). But I digress.

The beauty of randomness

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what the Engrish has to do with a kitchen timer. It is just that random.
So for those of you who get a kick out of this stuff, enjoy!

There is careful use and handling of your backside.
(yellow text)

Resolved

I'm not usually one for New Year's resolutions, but I've decided to try 2 healthful practices. One I found out about while watching a program on public television. Drinking hot water with lemon every morning is supposed to have great health benefits. We shall see...
Although, if you do a search on Google quite a few sites pop up touting its benefits. For instance, La Jolla Mom has done plenty of research and summarizes the information in the following 10 points:

1. Immune system boost
2. pH balance
3. weight loss help
4. digestion aid
5. Diuretic
6. Clears skin
7. Freshens breath
8. Respiratory Problem Relief
9. Good supply of Vitamin C
10. Helps overcome coffee habit

While I do not need to overcome a coffee habit or lose weight right now, it seems that the health benefits for me are many. I have tried it 2 days so far, so it is too soon to tell what benefits, if any, I will experience.
The other practice is an Ayurvedic one for the health of the mouth. It's called oil pulling. My understanding is that it is kind of like swishing with mouthwash, but neither as rigorous nor as short. More information can be found if you Google Oil Pulling. My source is Oilpulling.com, but do your research carefully as there is probably just as much misinformation out there as there is correct.
I have not started this practice yet, but I will let you know how it goes.