My two neighborhood mom friends are working moms, so they signed up their daughters for a late afternoon mixed media class at 4cats art studio, because it worked with their post-daycare pre-dinner schedules.  My time is flexible, so I thought sure, this will be great. Sonya will get to do art with her friends and I’ll get to catch up with mine, too. Without thinking about the natural flow of our late afternoon routine, I gave in to peer pressure.

Sonya and Leena wake up from their naps around four in the afternoon. By the time they eat a snack and Sonya finishes strapping on her shoes, we’re usually running very late, if we even make it at all. The art studio is up the hill past the playground, and sometimes little feet get sidetracked. When I do manage to steer Sonya past the swings and the slides, where she plays every afternoon except on art class days, she has a hard time focusing on new tasks that close to dinner. I have to repeat each instruction several times, but she often gets distracted mid-step. Then she wanders around and inspects the pots of paintbrushes, pokes the artwork hanging on the walls, or goes to the window and waves at people passing on the street.

I assembled most of this ladybug while Leena tried to snatch and devour chunks of clay. Sonya rolled balls for the head and each of the dots, but it was really up to me to put it all together. Sonya did paint it, though, and she did a wonderful job. She’s really proud of it, and I think that’s money and effort well-spent, even if the experience is a bit haphazard and oddly-timed for us. We’re definitely going to continue taking art classes! Like the wonderful portrait painting class, which was with older kids, and therefore, didn’t require me to stay, we might pick something similar and earlier in the day so that we can all enjoy it more!

Just a few more classes of this session to go! We’re currently working on a papier-mâché fish.

One of my readers Maggie suggested making Sonya something out of Daddy’s old clothes to help her feel connected to him while he’s away. That was a wonderful and well-timed suggestion! After weeks of waiting for a part to arrive, I just picked up my sewing machine from the repair shop! It works just like new!

Sonya has been really happy about wearing this Imke shirt all day! It’s made from two of Daddy’s repurposed T-shirts. [He's seen wearing one of them here].

Sonya sat next to me while I was sewing, bouncing up and down in her chair, intermittently clapping her hands as I did the shoulder seams, attached the neck band, put in the sleeves, and closed up the sides. She wanted to put it on immediately! Finishing the hems was absolutely out of the question.

It was a really easy and quick pattern to make, even though I had to rip a few seams because I kept forgetting one of the fundamental rules of sewing— RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER! Nonetheless, the end result looks pretty professional— except I need a serger to finish the edges with a polished overlock stitch.

“I want to make another one Mom! With Daddy’s Iron Man!” Sonya said. She was referring to Daddy’s favorite t-shirt, with a silver foil-printed Iron Man on it.

Don’t worry, Big D. I told her no. But then she threw this curveball—

“Maybe Leena need a Daddy Iron Man shirt?”

True. Leena does need an Imke shirt so she can be wrapped in Daddy’s love, too. We’ll do more cutting and sewing tonight. We’ll try to stick with worn-out old athletic shirts, though. They’re really soft, and despite many washes, they have the added bonus of retaining traces of Daddy’s scent.

“I smell him, Mom!” Sonya said, pulling the fabric to her face and taking in a deep breath.

This is our first project out of the colorful book Sewing Clothes Kids Love. It certainly delivered on the title’s promise!

On July 8th, 2011, exactly a week before Sonya’s 2nd birthday, NASA launched STS-135, the last mission of the American Space Shuttle Program. I cried when I watched the webcast in my living room that morning, whispering the countdown along with Cape Canaveral.

Since I grew up a mile away from Mission Control in Houston, the mystique of astronauts, shuttles, rockets, and space were such an integral part of my everyday life. As the Atlantis shuttle left the atmosphere, I felt a very important part of my childhood shrinking from view, something intangible and profound that I wouldn’t be able to share with my daughters.

But then I won a make-your-own space pod kit and a bit of that dream was stirred in my heart again. And in our living room, we began to build STS-136.

For awhile, the construction stalled after the first stage of the rocket had been built. But this weekend, we decided to make the final assembly push and get it launch-ready.

Sonya used a special saw-and-punch tool that comes with the kit from the genius Australian company makedo. You might think— well, I could just do that with a box cutter and duct tape. But you couldn’t— not so simply and not so quickly, and not if you’re as young as Sonya! She enjoyed putting in the special blue makedo connectors. And our finished hexagonal space pod was an amazing wonder to behold.

I can’t tell you how happy I am to see how happy Sonya is about her little space pod. She loves getting in, closing the door from the inside with a rubberband latch, and going on her space voyages with her Eeyores.

I think the truest expression of how much Sonya enjoys her space pod is the fact that she fell asleep in it. When all had gotten quiet in the early afternoon just after lunch, I tiptoed into the living room and peered into the pod.

When I look up at the night sky and I know that, yes, we are part of this Universe, we are in this Universe, but perhaps more important than most of those facts is that the Universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up — many people feel small, because they’re small, the Universe is big — but I feel big, because my atoms came from those stars. There’s a level of connectivity — that’s really what you want in life. You want to feel connected, you want to feel relevant. You want to feel like you’re a participant in the goings on and activities and events around you. That’s precisely what we are, just by being alive.

— Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist

Because the connectors are reusable, I’m sure that when we have more time over the summer, we’ll rebuild or remodel the space pod. By then, Leena will be walking, and STS-137 will need to be large enough to house two astronauts.

I am so grateful to LMNOP magazine and makedo for having this fantastic contest! We really loved our kit!

Dida sent us home from Texas with a book about renewable energy. It included a mini-kit to build a solar car. That was our big morning project. First, we spent a few minutes reading about how to catch the sun’s power— turn light into electricity. We focused on learning one new and impressive word: photovoltaic.

Then we got out all the pieces for our car: cardboard body and spoiler, front and rear axles, four plastic wheels, wheel gear, motor, and solar cell.

Then Sonya made sure we had all the pieces by matching them to the pictures in the book.

Then she put the wheels on the axles and I assembled the rest of the car while she supported me with vroom vroom noises.

“It’s going to go all by itself?” Sonya asked. “Photovoltaic?” she added, tossing out the fancy new term she’d just learned.

We went outside to test-drive it. I had to futz with the gears a little bit, but the car eventually started to move forward. Unfortunately, sidewalk friction was stronger than the power we could harness from the sun. However, Sonya and I were both impressed by the loud buzzing sound our car’s tiny motor was making.

As we paused to take off our sandals before going inside, I decided to seize a quick teaching moment. Sonya is growing some grass in the sunny entryway.

“Remember how we talked about chlorophyll and that’s why plants are green? So they can use the sun?”

“That means photovoltaic, Mommy?”

Sonya is good at absorbing and synthesizing information like a sharp blade of grass soaks up the sun. Made me realize that we should start learning more about science and engineering.

I get really excited about each month’s Fun for Little Ones section of our Family Fun magazine, because it has a craft that two-and-a-half year old Sonya can do independently. Even though we enjoy collaborating on projects, Sonya really gets a thrill out of being able to have creative control from start to finish. It develops her sense of confidence and know-how.

The April issue had a wonderful idea inspired by a plant called a pussy willow, which has long stems and fuzzy capsules called catkins. Sonya used a marker to draw the branches.Then she used gold and red colored ink pads to make the fingerprint catkins. Some of the fuzzy capsules are blowing away in the wind.

The simplicity of the project made it perfect for a toddler. It also gave us an opportunity to learn about the natural world.

Meanwhile, I’m saving all the issues for ideas when the girls get older.

Those of you who know me (even a little), know that I LOVE space. So it makes perfect sense that I would enter a contest to win a space pod kit sponsored by fabulous Australian kids’ magazine LMNOP (which stands for Laugh Make Nurture Organize Play).

And sometimes the stars align. Because guess what?! I ACTUALLY WON!

Our prize makedo space pod kit arrived in the mail today! WOOHOO! It’s a really clever, simple idea. The box includes plastic connectors, like tacks and hinges, for creating things from recycled cardboard, plastic, and other materials.  This makes it versatile, eco-friendly, and creative. And it means that our space pod will be one of a kind!

We gathered up all the cardboard we could find (which wasn’t a whole lot), and Sonya got busy sawing. You can sort of see where she sawed her left index finger between the knuckle and first joint, but she insisted that she was going to keep doing it herself.

I felt really excited that she was excited. Then she felt more excited that I was excited. It was a feedback loop that amplified our mutual excitement. We kept talking about it all day. As soon as Drex got home, Sonya immediately started chattering about the space pod we would all be building to take us to the moon. First, we need to find a lot more raw materials, though. 

A few days before Leena’s birthday, we made sparkly blue Play Dough party favors for the guests. Here’s our simple recipe:

Best Homemade Play Dough Recipe

In a large mixing bowl, measure:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cream of tartar (helps with stretchiness)
• few drops of food coloring (or you could use beet or carrot juice to tint)

Then add:

• 1 cup boiling water (heated in a tea kettle)
• lots of glitter (optional)

And stir, stir, stir!

Since this party favor was for a magical Fairy Brunch, we decided to add some extra shakes of silver glitter into the dough before rolling out large balls to put into 125 mL glass jam jars I had in storage from last summer.

Then we decorated the jars with scrapbooking embellishments from our local craft store. Sonya helped tie ribbons around each of the jars.

Then we stored them in the fridge until it was time for the party! (Leaving out one jar for Sonya to play with, of course!)

There are several Play Doh recipes floating around the internet, but I think this recipe is the best. It uses simple ingredients, makes a suitable amount for a toddler to stir and knead, and lasts up to a month when refrigerated.

I leave the jar out on the counter for awhile before we play with the dough, and if it’s still a bit cold, we use our Dragon Breath to warm it in our hands before we begin playing with it. You can also use organic flour and leave out the glitter and food coloring (substituting natural vegetable dyes) to make it a natural, organic dough that’s great for young babies to sculpt!

We miss our Big Family.  We wish we lived close enough to give hugs. Guess we’ll just have to send our love by post.

Get a long roll of paper— long enough to fit with your arms outstretched, ready to hug. Hold very still while a grown-up traces around you. It shouldn’t tickle. But giggling is allowed as long as you don’t wiggle.

Draw your face, hair, and any other details you want to include. Use crayons, markers, paint, glitter, stickers. Get creative.

One lucky family member will be receiving this first hug in the mail. You’ll have to take it out and let it give you a SQUEEEEEEEZE.

This sweater has been over a year in the making. It was intended as a Christmas present in 2010. A friend of mine, who works as a graphic designer at a major video gaming company, designed the pattern for the Ark Reaktor.

I decided to inset the Ark Reaktor into this brigade pullover pattern with a snug military fit and offset zippered collar that I thought would look great on Drex. (I was totally right!)

I chose a beautiful and really warm dark gray alpaca wool blend. Oh my goodness. To see the picture of Sonya when I started knitting this! She was just over a year old! And so precious! And where was Leena in these pictures? Where?

The body was knit in the round— ribbing on the bottom and up the side. When I got to the chest, past the Ark Reaktor, there was a hitch. I had no idea how to knit the shoulders, attach the sleeves to the body, or add the zipper to the collar. I turned to my friend Molly Ann. HELP!

She did it! She finished the sweater before this Christmas. I was, am, and will be forever grateful. But really, even though Molly Ann and I get joint credit for making the sweater, Drex really makes it. Don’t you agree?

He’s channeling his inner Tony Stark— recent trip to Las Vegas, dashing facial hair, and ongoing computer wizardry. The sweater fits perfectly.

Check out that well-done offset zippered collar. Molly Ann rocks.

The sweater represents a lot of time and effort spent knitting an expression of my love and admiration for Drex. I hope he’ll wear it and enjoy it for years to come.

Before leaving for the holidays, we had to prepare the home for our absence.

Everyone pitched in for a full Ruthsteam effort, and we got the whole place spruced up so that it would be a welcoming sight when we come back from Texas.

When I turned around to pick up some floor clutter, Leena pulled up on the couch. I went totally berserk, “Look at you, Leena! Look at you! You’re standing!” I gleefully exclaimed in my totally berserk Mommy voice while she calmly looked at me, completely relaxed and steady, like this isn’t the very first time she’s done this!

Leena will be sitting, standing, and crawling towards her first Christmas! Meanwhile, I’m trying to catch up to the fact that she’s eight months old.

Sonya took her two Eeyores out for an icy wintry stroll around the block, and I finished a T-shirt quilt for a little extra holiday spending money.

I am so grateful that I can find meaningful work while being connected to what I find important. Because I don’t want to miss turning around and catching Sonya and Leena doing the next amazing thing.  I hope they don’t get tired of hearing my totally berserk Mommy voice cheering them on.

When I took stock of this past year to create our annual Christmas card, it seemed that everyone else accomplished a lot more than I did. At first, I felt flummoxed that another year had gone by without me doing something amazing. Then, as I rifled through the gigabytes of pictures in my iPhoto gallery, I realized something.

Zen moment: When Sonya was born, I thought I’d taken a detour from my career in medicine. When Leena arrived less than two years later, I realized that I wasn’t on a detour. I was finally on the road that I was meant to take.

And if there’s another important lesson my girls taught me, it’s this: pulling yourself up from the ground can be hard, and once you’re standing it can be precarious, but you just have to exude confidence, and before you know it, you’ll be walking on your own.