we apologize for the interruption + now return you to your regularly scheduled program

You may have noticed our extended absence from the blogosphere. I apologize to those of you whom have emailed or commented and have not received a reply. Things have been 'busy' to say the least. I will get back to everyone as soon as possible :)

When I last blogged I had mentioned I would be possibly returning to my beloved artwork. Unfortunately things didn't progress the way I would have liked and every thing's on hold again for the moment. In all honesty, work is at the very bottom of my list right now. It's funny how having an incredibly hectic and fun filled summer can really put everything into perspective. In just a couple years my miniest papercut will start kindergarten and my eldest will be getting ready to go to high school. I think I need to enjoy them while they still need their mommy :)

But, that doesn't mean their will be NO artwork altogether! We've been doing some fun art projects around the house and we'll definitely be sharing. We love all our followers out there and hope you'll keep on following our crazy life:)

Stay tuned for more of your regularly scheduled program...

let me catch my breath!

Our house is buzzing with activity now that the kids are home for the summer. We've been so busy that it seems like they've been off for over a month already, it's hard to believe it's only been a couple of weeks! So far we're spending a lot of time outdoors, but we haven't started our park hop yet. I guess I'm not the only one who's a creature of habit in this house...my kids like to go where they know too:) But the Mr. + I have big plans for the next 2 months to keep the kids occupied and interested-a fishing trip, indoor water parks, outdoor amusement parks, a trip to the cottage and possibly even a short road trip too! Hopefully there's enough time to squeeze it all in, and have a bit of time to relax as well.

NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS!! I'm in the early stages of working again. Yippee!!! OK, I'm not going full force yet, but I can see the possibilities and I am elated!! Yes, I have done some artwork:) The mini papercut was somewhat co-operative, but it was still a challenge trying to find time and space to work with her climbing all over the place and trying to stand on all of my beautiful paper. But I'm not complaining! I'm just so happy that I proved to myself that I could do some work again, under time constraints, and still manage my little one who was trying to wreak havoc amidst it all. I'm hopeful that this is just the beginning of more to come :) I think a pat on the back is well deserved!

park hop

I've decided to try something new with the kids this summer. We try to spend as much time as possible outside, but we always go to the same parks, the same walking trails and the same libraries. But a few weeks ago I came across an article challenging parents to take your kids to a new park everyday, basically getting out of your comfort zone, literally. I thought this would be a great idea since there are an abundance of different parks, and splash pads in our area, but we never really venture out into new territory. I have to admit I'm one of those moms who finds a park and sticks with it. Hey, why fix it if it ain't broke, right? But I think the kids would see it almost like an adventure to go to a new place everyday, and I'm making a conscious effort to make sure that we are spending most of our summer outdoors as opposed to being couped up in the house playing video games.

And to get things rolling, as far as being outside goes, we've managed to make it to the farmer's market and the splash park a few times already. The mini papercuts are out for the summer as of next Wednesday, so let's hope I can get everything mapped out by then! And fingers crossed that the weather co-operates too! :)

{embrace} the camera thursday

You may have noticed a bit of an extended absence from us. No reason really, just catching up on everyday stuff. Plus I don't want to bore everyone with what I bought at the grocery store!! ;) With school coming to an end for the summer and the kids finishing up all their regular school year lessons, we're ready for a REALLY relaxing next few months...hopefully :)

So here we are, the mini and me, getting set to do a little shopping before the big kids are home from school. We haven't embraced the camera in a while, but I hope you've all been participating with Emily :) If you haven't joined in yet, then what are you waiting for? Grab your camera and your munchkins and take some pics together...believe me, they'll love you for it!

system malfunction

It finally happened. My computer is on the verge of crashing and I've been spending the last few weeks clearing all of my photos and files onto an external hard drive. That's a lot. I have roughly 4 years worth of pictures of the kids on my laptop, and a few years back when our first computer crashed I had the first year of my son's life on there. A friend of ours saved most of the pics and videos but a lot was still lost. I think I have everything cleared from my laptop now and I'm shopping for a new one, so for the next few weeks there will be very few pictures accompanying my blog posts.

I know, boring but bear with me because we've decided to revamp all the bedrooms. That's right, all 3 at the same time. The painters should be coming within the next week or so to give us an estimate on the kids' bedrooms (they have striped walls that need to be sanded, and unfortunately I cannot do it myself with a little one attached to my hip) and once the rooms are painted the real fun begins! Even though we did most of the master bedroom/nursery makeover just a little while ago, I never really got around to fully completing it and have recently changed out the bedding for our bed and transformed the crib into a toddler day bed. Stay tuned folks, we're in full on decorating mode now :)

happy easter!

Happy Easter everyone! We hope you all are having a wonderful holiday weekend :)

{embrace} the camera thursday

That's us doin' our thing. My squirmy wormy who loves to be upside down and me:) Hope you all linked up with Emily today to share the camera love!

a year + a half

I meant to post this last week and completely forgot! Here's my little lady hamming it up for the camera :) Wow, how time flies! She definitely marches to the beat of her own drum. Loud and boisterous but still sweet and silly too. Yup, the miniest papercut is growing up fast, and we're enjoying every minute of it!

chandelier envy

Image via ATELIER Abigail Ahern

I love chandeliers, but because we live in a condo with concrete ceilings, and we're planning to move soon, I don't want to spend the money or the effort to have something hardwired. Not to mention that I also do not want to drill any holes in the ceiling that I cannot fix. So I admire from afar the beautiful chandeliers that hang in so many others' homes and wait patiently for the day when I will have one too. Sigh.

Image via PBTeen

We are currently doing a mini makeover on the eldest papercut's bedroom. She's 9 years old now and has most definitely outgrown the pink and green stripes I had so lovingly painted for her when she was 2. All the furniture is in, and we are in the midst of choosing paint colours, but something is missing. Can you guess what it is? Yup, a pretty chandelier. But instead of sulking about not having one I have decided to make one out of cardboard. Light enough to hang from fishing line suspended from the walls as opposed to the ceiling, and relatively simple enough to make with a toddler running wild underfoot :) It may not have any actual light, but I think the final product will make a stunning statement in the room, don't you?

hop to it

No, we didn't hijack a toy truck. We're prepping for Easter this week, getting goodies ready for all the cousins we'll be seeing over the holidays and readying ourselves for a visit from the Easter Bunny:) The kids are excited to go hunting for chocolates, and resume playing video games (they both gave up video games for Lent, which was no easy task, especially for my son), and we're all looking forward to having a nice long weekend.

The older papercuts have been painting eggs at school as well as participating in an Easter play about Jesus, and we'll be doing some craft projects on Good Friday since they'll both be home. But the mini papercut and I have been hopping around town shopping for all the presents for the other kids. She's been surprisingly helpful, but maybe it's just because she thinks all those toys are for her. Hope you're all having a wonderful week so far:)

{embrace} the camera thursday

This is rare...I'm actually posting this on the correct day, and it's a pic of the whole family :) Did you remember to embrace the camera today? Well head on over to Emily's blog and share the love! Oh, and a big congrats to Emily and her family on their newest addition! Elsa looks like such a sweetheart, and you're all so blessed!

confessions of a shopping momma

As a mom I'm always on the lookout for great deals, whether it be groceries, household items or clothing. But while shopping for clothing or just simply browsing, I find that I naturally gravitate towards anything kiddie related before looking for anything for myself. Since I spent most of March at home, only really venturing outside to grocery shop and do school taxi runs, I felt like I deserved a little bit of retail therapy.

It's funny how having kids really changes the way you shop for yourself. When I look for a purse I make sure there's lots of compartments for sippy cups, diapers, wipes, changes of clothes and snacks. When I try on shoes not only do they need to be comfy , but I have to be able to run after a small child in them. Jeans need to have a rise high enough that when I crouch down to tie my little ones' shoes I'm not giving anyone a free show with a view of a plumber's crack :0

So how did I fare on my little shopping spree? Pretty good! I bought a purse that fits all the necessities for my munchkins, jeans that cover everything they should and even some goodies for the kiddos. So here's a little something I want to say to all you mommies out there...treat yourself every now and then. You all definitely deserve it! I bet your kids and hubbies would agree ;)

a spoon full of sugar

So, after being sick for well over a month I thought things had finally gotten back to normal. Well, sort of...for me at least. Unfortunately after getting back to almost 100% my poor little guys all got sick :( Yup all 3, all at once. But the worst is over and everyone is well on their way to a full recovery.

And now what's next for Little Papercuts? Right now I'm playing it by ear. My miniest papercut is proving to be my most challenging child yet. I thought by now things would be moving along smoothly on the work front...juggling a small child and papercut artwork should be a breeze (ha, ha,ha). I did it when my son was about this age, so no problem, right? Umm, yeah, tell that to my crayon covered wall. My miniest papercut is certainly a handful (wow, that's an understatement), and the crayon on the wall is just the tip of the iceberg. Lets just say that in the 18 months she's been alive, she's probably spent more time in timeout than both her siblings combined! She's a spitfire for sure:)

In the meantime I've been trying to figure out how to fit a fourth bedroom into our cramped apartment. I'm looking for something temporary but stable, and at this point I'm stumped. I have a few ideas, but nothing that really seems doable. All suggestions are more than welcome:)

huh, did you say something?

I wish I could say that I've been away for 3 weeks because I've been super busy with artwork, sewing and a bit of a bedroom makeover for the eldest papercut, but I would be fibbing. Unfortunately I have been sick for the last 3 weeks: 1 week of a cold and 2 weeks of an ear infection. Yeah, that's right, and EAR INFECTION!!! I'm not going to go into all the gory details, but let's just say that it has NOT been pretty around here! See that sweet little face, yeah she's definitely up to no good! It's amazing how much trouble she got into since I could only hear out of one ear. But things are getting back to 'normal' just as the bigger kids start March Break, which is good news for us all:) We'll see how our week progresses!

sesame street love

You have to watch this video!!! The mini papercuts and I absolutely love this song, and I can guarantee if you have little ones, you'll love it too :) Such a great message, and a cute video to boot! Good job Sesame Street and Will. i. am. ! Enjoy!

sick sixteen

My little Zoe-bean is 16 months old now and she's still crusty with a cold. Sick. Yuck. This is the first time she's been sick like this, runny nose, cough, phlegmy...you get the picture. But amidst all her miserableness (is that even a word?), she's still got super sweet goofy smiles, and her big open-mouth wet kisses, sure to make everyone else sick too! But look at that face. Gotta love my little monster, she's growing up so fast!

{embrace} the camera thursday

Wow 2 Thursdays in a row, we're on a roll! So yeah, I'm not in the pic, but here's a glimpse at what a typical evening in the Little Papercuts house usually looks like...kids in their pj's playing video games with daddy, and the mini attempting to join in too:) Oh, and yes, everyone's homework is done BEFORE getting in front of the TV! Go post your pics and link up with Emily and spread the Thursday love:)

just because

This is Olivia the pig, as drawn by my son Alex for his sister Zoe for Valentine's day. Isn't it cute? Olivia was probably the first character from any show that my daughter really fell in love with, and considering I always refer to her as my little piggy, it seemed fitting that her brother would draw this for her. I love when my kids do sweet things for each other, just because:)

incr-EDIBLE cakes

You may recall me mentioning that my son just turned 7 not too long ago. I am very fortunate to have a hubby who has a friend whose wife makes cakes. We're not talking your regular run of the mill plain ole sheet cakes with a bit of frosting. See those crocs in that pic? Yup she made those for us!

Since we were having our son's party at a reptile zoo (yes, you read that correctly) we decided to go with 2 small crocodiles, one chocolate and one vanilla, and you might also notice that one of those crocs is chowing down on Kirby (one of my son's favourite video game characters) a really cute personal touch. While the live snakes and lizards were a huge hit for everyone, we have to say that the cake was by far the star of the show. The amount of detail on these cakes was ASTOUNDING!!!

Jenny Bell, the talented cake designer/baker behind incr-EDIBLE cakes went far beyond any of our expectations. The crocodiles were so realistic, right down to all the little scales all over their bodies, and to top it all off, the two cakes were super yummy too! I could never attempt to make anything this wonderful, and Jenny (a mom to 2 young boys) makes it look so simple and effortless! If you are in the GTA and need a special cake to celebrate with, Jenny is definitely your gal:) You will not be disappointed! For more information you can contact Jenny Bell at (416)561-7774 or drop her an e-mail at incr_edible_cakes@hotmail.ca

Thanks so much Jenny, we loved our cakes! You are AMAZING!!!

we heart you

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day! With the older kids at school today partaking in their own Valentine festivities, it's just Zoe and me today (hubby is getting some well deserved sleep after working all night).

Unfortunately the mini is sick and teething, so our day will be spent getting lots of rest :) She's still a cutie though!

So here's a big hug from the Little Papercuts house to yours! Hope you all have a sweet day with your loved ones!

{embrace} the camera thursday

We've had such as busy schedule as of late, the mini papercut seems completely 'off', that we decided to have a leisurely afternoon at home. As you can see she's become much more interested in the camera since the last time we participated in {embrace} the camera Thursdays, and I also cut her hair...no more baby hair :) Did you remember to link up with Emily today? Well, what are you waiting for? Grab your camera and get going!

happy belated birthday alex

My son celebrated his 7th birthday at the end of January, but we just had his birthday party this past weekend. Alex is a sweet, funny and caring child, who loves his sisters with all his heart. My bottomless pit, with the never ending appetite (Between you and Z we're going to need to put a lock on the fridge soon)!! Full of spunk and so much energy, but a really hard worker too when he needs to be :) So to my little guy, Happy Belated Birthday!! We love you so much!

new year, new perspective

Yes, we've returned from a bit of an unexpected break from the blogosphere. I hadn't intended to even take any sort of hiatus, but the hectic schedule of Christmas and New Year's left me completely pooped, and before I knew it Chinese New year had flown by without even a 'Hello' from us! So, my apologies, but we're ready to get back to business (so to speak).

I had mentioned before Christmas many of the things I hoped to be doing in the new year...well, there's been a change of plans. My hopes to return to work are on hold for at least another year or two. No, I'm not pregnant. But I realized that work will always be there. I still have the desire and drive to have my own flourishing business, but for the time being I have to focus on being a mom.

My mini papercuts are growing by leaps and bounds, and the miniest of them all is a handful, to say the least. She is a little tornado full of excitement and curiosity, and while not all days are good ones, I can't imagine missing even a second of her crazy antics! So for now Little Papercuts is on a break. We'll still be blogging about all our everyday stuff, but work stuff may not be anywhere on the map for a bit. We hope you'll 'follow' us around for all the fun in the meantime ;)