ballet bag

When we showed up for Bees first ballet class last year, each little girl proudly carried in her tap shoes and ballet shoes in little bags. Most of these bags were pink satin (no surprise) and most involved bright pink sparkles and fur trim. I am still easing my way into the world of little girls and their love for pink and sparkly, so I told Bee we would make a bag.. and though it wouldn't be bedazzled in hot pink glitter, it would still be cool.

We used the Drawstring Travel Bag pattern from Heather Ross' book Weekend Sewing, which has cute boxed corners. For the R, I followed the applique techniques Heather uses on another project in the book, the Patchwork Trimmed Baby Blanket. (Be warned that some letters are trickier than others, you're in luck if you named your child Lily!)

Since Bee goes to ballet class with her cousin, we made one for her as well. I love seeing these two cute girls march into class each week with their matching bags.

The ballet bag works really well for us. The shoes go right back inside after class and the bag lives in Bee's bottom drawer, alongside her tights and leotard, so when it's time for class everything is in one place.

I love watching these girls dance in their black leotards. Their class is getting more serious now, with lots of barre work. (Bee sometimes asks her dad to write an R on one hand and an L on the other so she can remember her right and left.) Ballet is so beautiful, even performed by 5 year olds... And don't get me started on the tap dancing.. ridiculously cute!

christmas gender reveal

My little brother and his family were visiting for Christmas, and they are expecting their third child. As we opened up our gifts Christmas morning, he pulled one special gift from the pile and called the family to attention.

My sister-in-law had had an ultrasound earlier that week, and they didn't know what they were having. They asked the ultrasound technician to write on a piece of paper if it was a boy or a girl, and then they went to a clothing store and picked out a boy outfit and a girl outfit. They gave the note from the ultrasound visit to the clerk at the store and said they wanted to buy either the blue boy outfit or the pink girl outfit depending on what the note said. The clerk wrapped it in a box so they couldn't see which outfit they had purchased.

They wrapped the box and opened it with us on Christmas morning, so we could all find out at the same time that they are having.. a little girl!

It was so fun to see the reactions of my brother and his wife, my parents, my kids, and my niece and nephew as they all found out. By far the most exciting gift we opened Christmas morning and one of the most creative gender reveals I've seen.

a healthy start to the new year

Most New Years resolutions include something about health.. but I often lose my focus after a few weeks. I get busy and forget that I was trying not to eat sugar, or that I promised I would work out more. This year I'm trying something new.. thanks to my dad.

My dad has been avidly studying nutrition the past few years. He's read over 100 books on the subject, scours the web everyday for interesting articles, and has even started reading medical journals (just for fun!). I live nearby, so alot of our conversations start out "I was just reading this great book.." or "Did you see that cheese article in the NY Times?"

He's taught me a lot, and I've been encouraging him to start his own blog for quite some time to share his wealth of knowledge. It's now up and running and it's called Word of Wisdom Living.

Last week started one year of "Healthy Changes", one thing you can change in your diet or lifestyle each week. He'll post one each Monday for the rest of the year. The first Healthy Change is about drinking soda, and you can read it here. This week's change has to do with fried foods. You can even download a little sign each week to help remind you.

The blog is a family affair. I'll be helping him along, suggesting topics and doing the design work. My little sister does the photography. My mom acts as editor and cheerleader. There will be recipes (like this one for a healthy breakfast) and book reviews, links to nutrition blogs and interesting news articles.. lots of little ways to make your family healthier, one step at a time.

I know I'm biased, but my dad is a really smart guy.. and I think we could all learn a lot from him. Here's to a happy (and healthy) 2011!