Adventures in Life

Let me tell you about my six year old son, Severus.

Severus starts his school day hearing my words: “Be kind, be respectful, be brilliant, be brave.” and every day after school I ask him how he was kind, respectful, brilliant and brave in his day - he always has an answer. During his parent/teacher conference, his music teacher {whom we don’t get to meet with} sent a special message letting us know that Severus is the joy in her classroom, in her day. His teacher loves how sweet and friendly he is, after his first day of school ended she told me “I love him” and hasn’t wavered. 

At home, Severus is six years old. He talks all day, his imagination is wild, sometimes he uses his freezing power to freeze me halfway down the staircase and I play along. Always. Even in my busiest, saddest, worst moments, I freeze wherever he freezes me, because his laughter at me freezing in place is worth a few moments of my time. He is helpful, he is responsible, he is full of hugs and awkward dancing. He loves video games, his pet fish Shaun the Cool Fish, YouTube {DanTDM is his favorite, followed by Awesome Disney Toys}, and hates cleaning his room. All day, every day, he tells us how much he loves us. How much he loves his family.

His favorite thing in the whole wide world is being a brother. He idolizes his older siblings, he absolutely adores his younger ones, and this year we added a set of twins. Twins born at 34 weeks and 2 days, who spent almost three weeks in the NICU. 

The time for us was really difficult, more difficult than I could write at the time. We were lucky that the babies were always coming home at some point, we never feared for their lives, or their health, we were just waiting for all functions to get it together. The NICU staff were mostly wonderful, we were thankful that we lived close enough not to have to displace our family to be closer to the hospital. One thing that made it easier for us by leaps and bounds, were donations of lunch, gas and parking pass vouchers that we received through the Hailey’s Hope Foundation. It took some pressure off our finances, and more importantly, our days. We were able to sit at Au Bon Pain and share a chocolate muffin while we waited for the doctors to make rounds, or for the babies to finish up their tests, to give Thaddeus a change of scenery and a little more freedom. 

This year for Christmas, Severus has asked for two things {well, he’s asked for a thousand things, but these two the most consistently}: a Hatchimals and to make a donation to an organization that helps children. Together, he and I have chosen the Hailey’s Hope Foundation.

And here’s where I ask for your help, because Severus mentioned if I asked my friends to donate with us, that we could make “like… FIFTY DOLLARS”. I don’t want to set up a GoFundMe, we don’t really have a goal number in mind, and they seem like such a hassle, so I’m asking for your trust and confidence, there are two three ways you can donate: 

1: You can send a “friends and family” amount to my PayPal account {which started empty, so anything that goes into it will be donated}. paypal.me/starsalignedllc {You don’t need a PayPal account to send money to mine.} If you leave your address in the note, Severus and I will send you a thank you note and doodle. :)

2: If you’re not comfortable with that, donate to the foundation directly. http://www.haileyshopefoundation.org/how-to-help/donate/

3: Amazon Smile! http://www.haileyshopefoundation.org/amazonsmile-banner/

Severus will be doing chores around the house in order to contribute himself {we’ll tally up what he’s earned and add it to the final donation total, instead of giving him money that he will undoubtedly lose}. We will match his earnings.  

If you have any questions PLEASE ask them, I’m completely forthcoming and am happy to overshare if necessary. We know it’s almost the holidays and money is tight, if you wouldn’t mind reblogging this, that would be just as helpful!

We’ll be collecting donations, and making annoying progress posts {both here and on Facebook}, until December 5th.

Pavo Duet Violet

wrong side oh so right. and having a ringsling for quick ups and downs for a toddler works best for me. and when you’re not using, it’s easy to fold and you can just chuck it in your bag. winning.

Gosling Chambray is the first quad blend (cotton, merino, silk, linen) by @ankaliatextiles and it’s really an incredible wrap! And look…all 3 of us smiling at once in a picture! 🎉🙌🏽

Zeeb 2.0 is very underrated. Back wrapping a tiny baby, and especially in public is very much a challenge, because 1) I am always the only adult when we are running errands 2) there’s no mirrors 3) need to be quick when wrapping in parking lot This is when Zeebs 2.0 WQ shines for me, it glides nicely for the second pass, so ‘no stuck under baby’s butt’ pass, or not high coverage. It just glides through, yet the micro grip, it will stays in place. It has lovely pleats, but still cushy enough. Although thin for a Pavo, it is dense that it doesn’t sag after Rupawan’s bouncing antics. Due to the thin quality, the leg pass do not cut or pressured into her tiny thighs. Although you do need to double knot, instead of single knot, to secure your carry.

Let’s take it way back! #peekabooLu!

Farrand Peony 100% · 100% cotton