Ezra's Denim Car seat Blanket

I decided it was time for me to make a little blanket I can keep in the car for Ezra. I decided to use Simple Lines Baby Blanket, which I found for free online. I can't get over how cute this little blanket turned out!

The yarn I used was a gift from a dear friend who I don't get to see very often. I have to confess it has been sitting in my stash for quite a while because I just couldn't commit to a pattern for it. It is a worsted weight cotton made from recycled blue jeans and is a perfect weight for a blanket, so I finally found a pattern I felt would show off this unique yarn.

The pattern calls for dk weight but since my yarn is worsted I went up a needle size from what is recommended in the pattern, and honestly, I could have gone up to US8 and the pattern would not have looked holey. Anyway, the pattern is very simple and was an easy knit. It is available in different sizes and I chose to make the small since all we need  is a little something to throw over Ezra when he is in the car.

My biggest challenge with this one was that this was my very first attempt at attaching fabric to the back of a knit blanket. I found the owl print at Joann's and just knew it was made to go with this yarn! So, I pinned the fabric to my knit blanket, made sure I had no wrinkles and  used my sewing machine to sew the two together. Since they are different colors, I used white thread for the top and black thread in the bottom, this made the thread blend well with each side of the blanket. I'm not gonna lie, I had to rip out two sides and smooth the fabric out and try again. Sewing over knits can be tough because they are so stretchy. Even now it isn't perfectly fitted together but, in the end I'm really happy with the result. The pattern shows yarn texture so beautifully and was so easy, I just know I will be making more of them.

I still have a bit of the owl fabric left, so I decided to try making some bandanna drooler bibs out of it. I'm not nearly as in love with how they turned out, (it's just a lot of fabric bunched around his neck) but they are still cute. I saw them on Pinterest a while back and the tutorial on how to make them is here.

Camping with a Toddler and/or Baby

So we just got back from a camping trip with our little ones (the oldest is two years old and our youngest is two months old) and I'm looking back at the first time we took our oldest camping last summer. I remember scouring the internet for tips on camping with very little ones and having very little luck getting specifics. So today I thought I would share my two cents on camping with a toddler and infant in tow.

First up: Safety. Our first concern when camping is making sure the little one doesn't jump into the "pretty fire". Fortunately we have taught him that fire is VERY hot and to never touch it. We did this by introducing fire with candles at home long before he ever had the chance to be around a big fire. Now he has the self-control to look but never touch. And obviously, it's also important to always keep one eye on the little one. So, if you can, you may want to include more adults in your camping experience than mom and dad. Two of my brothers came with us yesterday, and I have to say they helped make the time much more pleasant than it would have been if it had just been Jeff and myself tending to little ones and trying to put up a tent, organize the site, make a fire, and cook food. Trust me, it helps to have the kids outnumbered.

As far as packing for the first aid kit, we make sure we bring sunscreen, Family bug spray, burn cream and bite cream in addition to our regular kit contents. The infant is too little for sunscreen so I make sure to bring hats and keep him shaded. If he liked to be in the car seat I would have used that for a little shade, but alas, he seems to view the car seat as some kind of torture device. So I just had to make sure we kept him in the shade of the trees. I also keep bug spray away from anything that would get near his face.

There are a few items that I found super handy when camping with the little ones in tow. The first of which is a picnic quilt. A blanket is nice because you can't hold an infant all the time and it is nice to have a clean and fairly bug free spot to lay little one down so you can get something done. Our baby was kept fascinated for quite a while by the trees and clouds above him, and he enjoyed napping on the blanket much more than in our hot tent. It is also a great spot for a toddler to lounge while reading or playing quietly. Some of my best camping memories as a kid are when my Mom would read to us in a shady spot on a blanket. (It is also a nice clean spot for diaper changes). Yesterday the ground was wet so I used a vinyl tablecloth underneath it to keep it from getting wet, I'm thinking next time I will take a tarp and safety pin it to each of the corners. The waterproof bottom was also nice when it started to rain because we were able to fold it up and keep it dry easily.

Baby Wipes are another camping item that I found really handy for more than their traditional purpose. Since we were camping in hot weather it was nice to give the kids a "wipe bath" before bed so that they felt at lease a little refreshed while trying to fall asleep. They also came in handy for various clean-ups around the site.

It was also nice to pack our toddler a few books and toys that he could play with by himself. These kept him busy while Daddy was busy with the fire and kept him from getting in the way (to a certain extent). I chose flap books, a look and find book, and a few that he finds to have very interesting pictures. These also came in handy keeping him entertained when we had a little rain shower and had to spend half an hour stuck in the tent. He was able to read a book while the grown-ups played cards.

There was very little "gear" I ended up needing but there were a couple items that I wouldn't want to be camping without. The first is a folding rocking chair. It has been so handy in soothing both our kids! Our toddler finds rocking the best method for soothing, so it was nice when he had a couple upset moments that all toddlers have in the course of a day. But it was also nice to have a nice spot to rock the baby during his fussy times as well. I found my chair for around $50 at Amazon.com and I use it for much more than just camping.

The other piece of gear I found indispensable was a travel bassinet which we also got from Amazon for around $25. Since our baby is still very young it was important to me that we had a space for him that would keep him safe from being accidentally smothered by clothing or a misplaced bag while we slept. This provided a safe sleeping area which made it possible for me to sleep well too! It's also nice because it folded up small for packing up.

The final item I really needed for baby was a baby carrier. It is hard to go on hikes if you have to carry little one in arms. It is also nice to get some things done around the campsite while keeping baby happily snug against mommy or daddy.

The other thing I would advise, though I think this one is obvious, is packing a few extra clothes. You never know when your baby will barf all over you and himself, or your toddler will dump his plate of food down his front.

For me this whole enjoying the great outdoors with our very little ones has been a bit of trial and error. We have started introducing camping by just going for one night. This has enabled us to not overextend ourselves and gives the toddler the chance to get used to the concept of camping without a really long trying experience. And even though it leaves you really tired, I feel it has been so worth it to share God's creation with our little ones. I will say this though: don't be a martyr. If it starts to thunderstorm and pour cats and dogs, don't feel like you have to tough it out. Camping should be about building fun memories, which is why we left our site this morning (without making the eggs and sausage for breakfast) because of a crazy downpour. Don't worry, we had a happy end-of-camping breakfast at Tim Horton's on the way home.