DIY: Fabric Ruler Growth Chart

I love the look of those wooden ruler growth charts and thought about making one for Brody (and future babes). However, I don't like how big, bulky and "permanent" they are. When I saw a similar ruler style table runner online, I decided to combine the two to make growth chart that could be rolled up and stored away when necessary.

I opted for a grey duck canvas because it's flexible, yet heavy enough to lay flat and thick enough write on with Sharpie without soaking through. I had Mama Z do all the sewing, so she hemmed the edges and made the entire thing 12" wide and roughly 78" tall (don't forget to leave enough extra to sew a loop for the dowel rod). Because we have plush carpet in the nursery, I started the ruler at 6" so I could hang it off the ground to avoid dragging.

I first used pencil to mark my lines. The lines marking a foot are 4" long, the quarter-inch lines are 3" and the other lines are 2" long. I recommend using a square or triangle to make sure all your lines are level. I put pieces of masking tape on the triangle to mark the various lengths so I didn't have to measure every single line while trying to keep things level.

The numbers were printed out on regular text paper. (I opted for Bauer Bodoni if any of you design nerds care.) In order to not smear graphite or charcoal all over the fabric, I held the printout up against a window and used a pencil to scribble around only the edge of the numbers on the back side of the paper. Then when I traced around the numbers (on the printed side), only the necessary amount of graphite was transferred onto the fabric.

From there, I used black fabric paint to fill in the numbers. This was a bit time consuming and required two coats, but I'm super happy with how it turned out.

The lines were also painted on using black fabric paint. In order to keep my lines the same width, I cut a 1/8" wide template in a piece of cardboard. This part bummed me out because I used two different techniques and half the lines on the ruler turned out so much better than the other half. I started off dabbing my paintbrush inside the cardboard template. The lines turned out a little jagged. I found making smooth brush strokes through the opening made things look a lot cleaner. Gah, live and learn.

As you can see... the line quality is quite a bit different. Poo.

I used a very thin dowel, painted it black and hung the whole thing with thick, black string. A 3M adhesive hook worked great because it won't damage the door when I take it down someday.

Until Brody is old enough to stand up against the growth chart, I just took his measurements from doctors appointments and added them on with Sharpie.

Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out and it looks great inside Brody's room. However, I feel like Brody will outgrow the 6' 3" growth chart by the time he's a teenager at the rate he's going. 

Mud Run + Skinny Jeans... Here I Come!

On July 1, my mom and I made the conscious decision to start and stay committed to a diet and workout plan. I know, I said this way back in January. I'm horrible at this, but it has to happen this time. No more excuses. I'm tired of not fitting into half my wardrobe and being embarrassed by what I see in pictures. Especially now with Brody loving the pool, I don't need all these cute pictures of him splashing in the water with a whole lotta squish in the background.

My sister also recruited a few of her friends and myself to join her in the Grand Rapids Mud Run next month. I haven't run a 5k since....... ........ ........ uh..... sophomore year of high school? I can probably count on my fingers how many miles I've run since I stopped playing organized sports in 2006. Good Lord. I hate running. So in an attempt to not die over the course of 3 miles, my ass needs to get moving. Anyone want to join?! It's on Saturday, August 24... we'd love to have more people die run with us!

I have four main components to my weight loss/fitness regime:

1. Get Running (Couch to 5K) app - I've heard wonderful things about this program from a lot of people I know personally as well as testimonials I've read online. Week 1 has been a real eye opener to how out of shape I am, but it's doable. Run one minute, walk a minute and a half... repeat for 29 minutes. I like how it'll talk over my music and tell me when to switch up and how many seconds left in the segment so I'm not having to watch a timer the whole run. I'm super anxious to see how this program changes not only my running ability, but my overall attitude towards it as well.

2. MyFitnessPal app - I'm a huge believer that journaling is the key to successful weight loss. As long as you're being honest, you can look back and pinpoint exactly what you ate on days you gained and where the problem areas are. I love MyFitnessPal because it's super convenient to have on my phone, easy to use and it's free to join. I lovingly refer to it as "Facebook for Fatties." My username is andreaarchambault if anyone wants to join and lose some weight with me. :)

3. 30 Day Shred - I started this program a couple months ago and then quit after like two weeks. I know, shocking. I've decided to start up again and do this on my Couch to 5K off days. It's a great workout and nothing that's going to kill me, so I have no excuse why I can't plop Brody in his exersaucer and get through a 25-minute video. Jillian, work your magic!

4. Charting - Like I said earlier, being able to assess your progress is so important. I'm a huge yo-yo dieter, but when I've been successful in the past, it has been because I log my food and exercise in every single day. I threw together a chart in Excel that outlines my weight when I wake up, my weight before I go to bed, calories consumed, calories burned, what exercise I did, how much water I drink and how many Apple Cider Vinegar shots I did that day. (I read Apple Cider Vinegar aids in weight loss... so it's worth a shot... literally. Hahaha. I'm so awesome.)

I'm also looking for a little advice from you guys!

• I need real running shoes... not my old volleyball shoes from seven years ago. I don't need anything super fancy or expensive, just something that is actually meant for running... because I'm old and everything hurts when I run. Any particular shoes come to mind?
• I desperately want to get back to bike riding, but with Brody in tow. I've decided to go with a seat rather than a trailer, but I also ride a mountain bike with thicker tires that don't fit more baby carriers. Has anyone ever used the Topeak BabySeat? Yay? Nay? Any other suggestions that fit over a 26 x 1.95 tire?

So anyways. It's go time. After the roughly 47 lb. weight gain during my pregnancy, I dropped 25 of those pounds during the first week Brody was born and another 11 pounds during my last stretch of working out. I've been (literally) sitting on these last 11-13 pounds now for almost five months. So join me... I'd love to connect with some people on MyFitnessPal or hear about your progress doing the Couch to 5K program! 

The New Mama Mobile

For almost two years now, I've been driving the Malibu. Not just any Malibu. THE Malibu. The one that used to belong to my husband. The one that hauled around deer carcasses in the trunk -- had enough fast food wrappers, half eaten Little Debbies and sticky Mountain Dew cans in the backseat to legally classify him as a hoarder -- had so many grease/animal blood/fish gut/greasy food/mystery stains on the seats that I contemplated just lighting it on fire rather than cleaning it.

Yeah, that one.

Welp, it has been on it's last leg for a couple months now. (Thank God.) Plus the art of hauling Zora, Brody and all their crap necessities back and forth to Muskegon had become an issue. I was leery putting the 90 lb. crazy dog in the backseat with Brody... you never know when she's going to get excited and start frantically pacing from window to window. However, putting Zora in the front seat with me also made me super nervous since she likes to stand and put her face against the windshield.

So obviously I needed a bigger, safer vehicle for me and my babies.

Insert my brand new 2013 Dodge Durango SXT SUV.

So in addition to my favorite features like the sunroof, back up camera, Uconnect and a great stereo, the touch screen can store and display pictures of Lil Man. Thank you engineers who cater towards people who have super cute babies that they want to stare at while driving. 

And thank God for the backup camera. I had such a hard time backing up vehicles (even the tiny Malibu) that I simply refused to ever back-in anywhere. Now I can throw it in reverse with a teeny bit more confidence.

Clay and I had checked out a ton of SUVs and didn't even have the Durango on our list of possibilities. A salesman decided to grab the keys and show one to us anyways. It didn't spark our interest until he showed us the fold-and-tumble second row seating. Obviously we don't currently need third row seating, but the ability to tumble the bench seats gives us like a dozen layout options when we need to transport Brody, Zora and a ton of crap. 

Why more SUVs don't have the tumble seats is beyond me... it's what completely sold me on the vehicle. 

So yeah, this mama is super excited about being a first time SUV owner. Thankfully my husband knows that he is banned from the Durango without my permission and is fully aware that I will bury him in the backyard if I ever find so much as a Mountain Dew can left in there. Dog hair allowed. ;)

Side note: Google Reader disappears on Monday, so be sure to follow me on BlogLovin' to get your Brody fix!

Father's Day + Brody's 1st Pool Adventure

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! I hope everyone had an excellent day spending time with family and celebrating the joys of being a parent.

I had a bit of trouble coming up with a gift for Clay's first Father's Day, but this is what I ended up going with...

Custom prints available in my Etsy shop! 
It's the latitude and longitude coordinates and the date and time Brody was born. The bottom says "You became a father."

Clay went golfing with his dad in the afternoon and then joined us at Mama and Papa Z's house with the rest of my extended family for pool time and some grilling. Thankfully the rainy and foggy weather disappeared and it ended up being a beautiful day.

Since we FINALLY had a nice weekend, I was able to get Brody in the pool! I've been dying to do this for such a long time. He LOVED it!! He kicked and splashed like he does every day in the bathtub. He drenched himself (and me) and it didn't bother him at all to get water in his eyes. What a champ!

So I had a ton more great photos of him in the water, but apparently Dropbox failed me tonight. Gah.

Brody is also an excellent sharer. Like I mentioned in my last post, Brody hasn't felt very well for the last week. Welp, now my mom, grandma and myself are all sick. The only two times I've been sick this year, happened right after that cute lil mug coughed right in my face. So generous.

I wonder what that says about my immune system. I fight off anything I come across in public, but when Tank coughs in my face, I'm damn near out of commission.

So after a rough night of flu-like symptoms Saturday night, I felt a smidge better most of Sunday and then the symptoms came rushing back right after dinner. So thanks Lil Man, I appreciate it.

Six Month Checkup + Family Nuptials

I wasn't sure if Brody's coughing and chest congestion this entire week was because of teething or maybe allergies, but poor Lil Man has seen better days. When he sounded like he was coughing up a lung at breakfast Friday morning and we could barely get food down him because he was so plugged up, I decided to give the doctor a call. They managed to squeeze him in as well as give him his 6-month wellness check that was scheduled for Monday anyways.

Thankfully it's nothing more than congestion and we just need to wait it out. His wellness exam went well. He flirted and jabbered with the nurse and doctor, but no shots until he's feeling better. Tank measured 28.5 inches tall (96th percentile), weighed 21 lbs 8.2 oz (94th percentile) and had a head circumference of 46 cm (97th percentile).

Cheesus.

I'm so going to have one of those boys who are towering over me by the time he's a teenager. 

Friday evening was another Archambault wedding for Clay's cousin out in Lawton. Mama and Papa Z came over to watch Brody and Zora for the evening. Because we're super old people, we left around 9:30 (past our bedtime) and headed home.... and I missed Lil Man. xoxo

Fences + Birthday Cake

This weekend, like most, went way too quickly. Brody, Zora and I loaded up the car and went into Muskegon early Saturday morning. My sister's boyfriend had plans to fence in his backyard over the weekend, so after dropping Brody over at Great-Grandma's to spend the day with her and Aunt Bernie, I went over there to lend a hand. 

Afterwards, I was supposed to go out with Clay to his unofficial 10-year high school reunion, but too much fresh air put me into a small coma. So Brody, Zora and I passed out at my parent's house.

Baggy sweatpants make an excellent little chair for Brody's buns. 

Sunday was my nephew Jarrett's 4th birthday party. It was a beautiful day outside so all the kids (grown men included) ran wild around the backyard. Unfortunately, Brody's been having some teething problems. Poor little guy was pretty hysterical. After some Tylenol and cuddles, Lil Man called it an early night.

Momma Z and I started an apple cider vinegar regiment over the weekend. I've been reading how beneficial it is in the following areas:

• Cures hiccups
• Reduces nighttime leg cramps
• Whitens teeth
• Has anti-tumor potential   
• Prevents bladder stones and urinary tract infection
• Strengthen the immune system
• Increase stamina
• Alleviate symptoms of arthritis and gout
• Reduce sinus infections and sore throats
• Balance high cholesterol
• Improve skin conditions such as acne
• Protect against food poisoning
• Increase metabolism which promotes weight loss
• Improve digestion and fights constipation
• Prevent muscle fatigue after exercise
• Fight allergies in both humans and animals

Blah blah blah and all those other good things. So yeah, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm starting out with 2 tsp. three times a day so hopefully something good comes out of it. 

Weekend With Bernie

My Aunt Bernie (Grandma's sister) flew in from California on Friday to spend a few weeks in Michigan with all of us. It was wonderful to see her since the last time she was here was my wedding (July 2010). It was very exciting to finally get to introduce her to Brody. Unfortunately, we had a very rough day yesterday with teething issues so he wasn't his usual bubbly self.

Side note: Brody's second tooth finally popped through the other day. Why didn't anyone warn me that Brody was hiding dagger-like puppy teeth in there?! I'm afraid to put my finger in his mouth again.... which is why you breast feeding moms out there are super brave souls. Kudos to you.

Anyways, Saturday was spent catching up on freelance work and photographing my little bug. He's so adorable with his helmet... I just want to squish his face. xoxo

I want to squish Zora's adorable furry face too. She's such a good girl. Brody and her are going to be BFFs someday soon... unless Brody continues to pull her fur out.

Saturday night, we met up with my parents, sister and her boyfriend for dinner, then spent the rest of the evening with my grandparents and Aunt Bernie. Wonderful time with family.

Helmet initiation is going spectacular! Friday night was his first night sleeping in it and it went off without a hitch. Yesterday he had to go 8 hours on, 1 hour off and other than being a sweaty lil man with sore gums, he did so well. Breaking-in time is over and from now on, he has to be in the helmet 23  hours a day for however long it takes to fix his flat.