I feel like something you scrape off the bottom of your shoe today.  My big toe is still broken and therefore still hurts when I do things like walk.  I also fell up the stairs yesterday (yes… UP the stairs) while I was carrying Evie and in an effort to absorb the blow, I jammed my knee.  My knee is no longer purty.  It is ugly and it is sore.  My back hurts, my teeth and jaw hurt (still and again), I’m feeling crabby and stressed and it’s going to be in the 90’s today and I HATE that.

In other words: it’s a Wednesday.  Woo hoo!

***

I was thinking last night about cloth diapering and the whole other language and set of acronyms you become accustomed to when you enter into that lifestyle and community.  And how someone who isn’t familiar with it would think I have totally lost my marbles.  You need an example?   Okay, here is a sampling of “diaper speak” using my own personal diapering journey as an example.

We gave up sposies when my DD was about 8 weeks old.  I never tried NB dipes like NB Mutts or anything or even KL0’s.  We mostly started off with simple UBCPF’s in a PUL cover.  I also got some OS BG 3.0’s to use and loved them until I got completely frustrated by the Aplix.  While Liam uses pockets and we swear by FBs for him, Evie wears fitteds now.  She started with GMs which are also OS and that is how I justified the price.  But I’ve become frustrated by GM so we’ve  transitioned to snappiable fitteds like BSRB UF’s (I love BSRB’s TIAN diapers for nighttime!  Nothing works better!), SP’s NRSS and SBs.  All of them are also OS but much cheaper.  Well, the SBs and the BSRB’s are, at least.  We just love fitteds and using wool as covers.  It’s what got me to start knitting.  Now, my favorite thing is to work on a yymn slot with BFL yarn.  Love it!

See?  It’s like LATIN.  So how many of you understood any of that?

I will admit, it was the terminology that made me scared at first.  I’m thinking I’ll post up a “Glossery” of sorts on my cloth diapering blog, so that people who are new to the whole thing won’t feel completely intimidated.  Because clearly, cloth diapering needs a translator.

***

Speaking of cloth diapers, I have some new ones headed my way that I custom ordered.  Am beyond excited.  Am perhaps in need of a life.

***

Liam has become a “Cars” dictator.  He would like for nothing else to ever be on the television other than “Cars”.  I have to limit it to once per day or else my brain will start bleeding.  I put in “Finding Nemo” this morning and the kid practically had an anuerism.    Is there a 12-step program for “Cars” addicts?  Shopping for his birthday (which is in like TWO WEEKS)  (LESS ACTUALLY, omg) will be EASY.  Does it Lightning McQueen or Mater on it?  SOLD!

***

I kinda want to kick Caillou in the teeth.

***

I better get back to my knitting.  I swear, I’m such a slave-driver.  But I have a few things I simply NEED to get through this week and I think I have a chance at getting it all done.  Woot!

***

Happy Wednesday!  The weekend is halfway here!

I’ve been a big time, grade A, first class blog flake lately.

Not exactly news for anyone who has been keeping track of my update schedule over here, to be sure.  But I’ve also been a flake in keeping up at my friends’ blogs.  Now THAT is pretty sad.  This knitting obsession of mine has taken over.  Any spare time is spent knitting.  And while I will often compose pithy and humorous blog posts in my mind while I’m knitting my bazillionth pair of baby pants, composing something in your mind isn’t quite the same as putting the knitting needles aside and typing it up on the laptop.  And Google Reader is literally starting to get cobwebs around the corners.  I used to do the bulk of my blog reading while I was nursing Evie, via my iPhone.  But lately I’ve been sucked into some stupid iPhone games and that is generally what I’m doing when I would normally be reading blogs.

What is my excuse?  I don’t have one.

And I feel bad, because I feel like I’ve missed out on some things with some of the bloggers I consider myself closest to.  What does it say that I just found out like two days ago that Brit’s blog was busted?  Something I could have helped her with, I’m sure, but I was a flake.  So I didn’t.

That’s not cool.

Shoot, I spend more time on Facebook, reading up on people’s statuses than I do reading their blogs.

This has to change.  I don’t want to be “that blogger”.  The one who is completely out of the loop and detached from the community.  I know notgoing to BlogHer this year has affected me this way.  Why bother to connect to the community when I’m not going to BlogHer?  What’s the point?  Of COURSE there is a point.  But when you’re a) lazy and b) occupied elsewhere, well… excuses come easy.

There’s no reason why I can’t keep up my blog and read my favorite blogs though I’m not going to BlogHer.  And there’s no reason I can’t do this while I continue knitting.  I just need to get my act together.

I hate being a slave to stats, but the stats don’t lie.  And they show a significant drop in the last six months.  Again… NOT COOL.  I’m letting people down.  I’ve become BORING.  GAH!

So I gotta knock that off.  Anyone have any helpful suggestions?  Wanna come over here and kick me in the pants?  Anyone? (Is anyone still here?)

So remember my list from last week of things I wanted to get done?  I’ve been slogging through, diligently.  Some things, like dying the yarn, I haven’t gotten to yet.  Not so much with the organizing existing yarn and needles either.  But I have done all the laundry, knit my little tuckus off, mostly set up the Hyena Cart shop (I plan to open it tomorrow, God willing) and, now, I have opened the craft blog.

Aren’t you all proud of me?

I’m sure there is still work to be done, kinks to iron out, plugins to install.  But for the most part, I’m pretty proud of the craft blog.  I hesitate to call it a knitting blog since I’m sure to stick other things on there besides knitting from time to time.

In the meantime, if you are interested in seeing what I’m doing, knitting-wise, please keep an eye on slackermama is a craftymama.  I am sure I will astound you all with my amazing knitting prowess.

It wasn’t but a few months ago that I could barely cobble together a baby cap without making a bazillion mistakes.  And now?  I can craft beautiful works of art in record (for me) time.  Yesterday, I finished a pair of small knit shorties in roughly 24 hours.  True, I barely did anything else besides change diapers and eat, but the fact is, I DID IT.  Tuesday night, I had started the waistband on this project shortly before going to bed and got about an inch of that done.  The rest was done yesterday.  I finished around 11:30 last night.  Okay, maybe it was closer to 12.  The point is I FINISHED IT.  And they are too adorable to believe.  I feared that since they were going to be a plain color, that maybe they wouldn’t be that exciting.  But they may just be my favorite completed project yet.  There’s something about the heathered yarn, the lush green colors, the cute smallness (without being UBER TWEE like the newborn longies were)… See for yourself!

Aaaand for those of you who are sick of all the knitting talk, I WILL get that craft blog going and I WILL keep posts like this to there (unless I have something notable to discuss in the realm of crafting).  But I just had to share my accomplishment.  Not only are they ADORABLE, but I finished them damn quick.  Go me!

I have to share with you what I “discovered” yesterday.  I’d like to say that this took a lot of forethought and planning and my super-genius mind crafted this all up with perfect intention.  But… not so much.  See, I often troll the knee-high section at Target looking for socks that I can turn in to baby leg warmers.  You’ve seen those Babylegs?  The little legwarmers that babies can wear up to their juicy thighs to keep their legs warm, knees protected, etc and so forth?  I love them but I don’t love the price tag.  I saw a tutorial online for how to sew them yourself and VOILA.  I had a couple made and was pleased with the results.  It’s a simple process that involves cutting off the heel and toes and taking the “foot” part to make a cuff that you sew onto the “leg”.

Well, yesterday while in the process of making up a few of these, I sorta fuxed up one of the cuffs.  Annoyed, I left the cuff off and pulled the bottom of the “leg” tight while running a zigzag stitch along it.  GENIUS.

And you should see how adorable they are when she’s NOT wearing Hello Kitty shippers (shoe+slipper=shipper).  But seriously… COME ON.  How cute are those??  With the lettuce-y edge?  And it took like TWO minutes to do.

I kill me.

Now, if anyone spots any bright rainbow striped knee-high socks, will you think of me?  I’m rather desperate for rainbow baby legwarmers.

***

In other news, I’ve been rather productive since yesterday’s post.  The legwarmers weren’t on the list but they should have been because they were definitely on my “to do” pile.  So what have I done so far?

• Craft Blog – well… I installed it.  Does that count?  I put a few plugins on there.  And that’s about it.  I need a design.  And, you know, POSTS.  Will keep you all tuned.
• Last minute customs for mom – I finished one of them!  The very cute and very twee newborn longies!  And I’m 2/3 done with the other, which are adorable small shorts.  These need to be recieved in the mail by her next Wednesday so I have to get these done ASAP so I have enough time to wash and mail them.  But check the longies:

• Finish setting up HC shop – Yeah… no.  Haven’t even touched it.  But I’ve thought about it.  Does that count?
• Post here every day – so far so good!  Hey, it may be a little on the late side but IT STILL COUNTS.
• Post to cloth diaper blog – GULP.
• Organize iPhone – YES!  I did this today while knitting.  I’m so multi-talented.  And now I can fit all my songs on there as well as podcasts, apps and ringtones.  Go me!
• Organize yarn stash – Nope.  Have not even looked at it.  This WILL get done.
• Organize knitting needles – Didn’t do this yet either.  But I looked through the needles my mom gave me last night.  Just need to track them all in Ravelry.  And then I can plan what needles I want to buy (am thinking I want 4-5 more pairs of Addi Turbos).
• Laundry – I’ve done some (diaper laundry), but the rest is still begging for my attentions.
• Dye yarn – Nope.  Still sort of waiting until I get a scale to weigh yarn on so I know how much I’m dealing with.  Believe me, that’s kinda important.
• Find scale – I saw a bunch on eBay but alas, my PayPal tree has run out of leaves.  I need to get cranking on these customs so I can get paid!

Whew.  Okay, it may not seem like I’ve got a lot accomplished.  All I’ve really done today is knit knit knit.  But if I can finish these shorts tonight then I will be able to get a LOT more done off this list.  Go me!