My little pal

 My sweet friend Jamie was visiting from Phoenix a few weeks ago and took a few photos of us for the "about me" page for Camp Wolf's website. I love how they turned out and it's great to have updated photos of my little pal and me.

My helper

Miles has been such a good boy while I've been working on Camp Wolf. I try to always set aside time during my day to focus on him to go to the park, get ice cream or play in our backyard. He really loves helping me out too. It's so awesome to watch him grow into this amazing kiddo. He loves watering the front porch plans and he's pretty damn good at it too! He even helps feed the kitties which is just so cute. But with all of that said, I've also been letting certain things slide like watching Curious George alllll morning while I get to my emails or tear up the house so I can finish sewing a jacket. Nursing has been a doozy too. I wanted to stop breastfeeding after we got home from our trip but with all the excitement and craziness of starting a business, nursing was something that we could stay consistent with and stopping just sort of fell on the side lines. I've definitely cut him back a lot and I'm okay with waiting a bit longer to stop. He's still a little hellion with throwing and the tendency of not listening but man, he sure has a sweet heart. We got real lucky with Miles. He has a real love and understanding for animals, adores entertaining people, gives the BEST hugs and kisses and is genuinely such a happy soul. This boy has my heart. And even though our life has become more busy he is still by my side as my anchor, loving me each second of the day and you can't beat that.

Us lately

 I had a whole post dedicated to why I haven't really been blogging lately when at last minute I decided I didn't really need an explanation, life gets busy, plain and simple. I'm a mom to a fast paced, curious little boy who has me going non stop till around 11 at night and my alone time lately consists of Pinterest on my phone. I still craft, I still thrift and I still photograph all of the awesome things he does all day but finding time to write about it sometimes gets away from me. Most of my free was going towards a children's clothing line that a partner and I had been working on over the past few months. Unfortunately plans fell through so now I am working on a plan b. I could say so much more about the situation but I will share that I'm working on starting my line independently now. I'm also moving into a much larger area at the antique mall so I've been focusing my attention towards my new space and all the awesome changes that come with more room. Having a husband that can build just about anything is the best! Speaking of husband, Steve just celebrated his 40th birthday on Tuesday! We had a big bbq on Saturday with our friends and enjoyed a weekend off together. On his actual birthday Miles did the unthinkable and went to bed before 9 (!!) so Steve and I had a few drinks together, laughed our asses off and ate way too much cake. We had fun! 

Last week our cat Willow scratched Miles' face and left a nasty bruise under his left eye. Miles is pretty affectionate with our cats and she usually tolerates him but this time he grabbed onto her too rough and she hit him back. Poor babe looked pretty banged up for a few days. Thankfully after a half an hour of crying he forgot all about it. The weather last week was killer so we spent a lot of time in our backyard and at our neighborhood park. We can't wait for summer around here. Being cooped up indoors with a mobile kiddo can make us all a little wacky after a few months. Thankfully this winter hasn't been too crazy in Portland so we've had some nice days in between the rain. The upside to staying home more often is being able to work on forgotten old projects and a few exciting new ones.

 A recent haul of pretty shoes to the antique mall.

An exceptionally warm day!

 Hanging with dad.

 Snaking on fruit strips (the start of his bruised eye).

 Miles loves to climb! He likes to hang off of things too :)

The culprit.

Nap time in the car always lasts longer then at home!

Shopping tips!

Hi mamas and papas, over the past few months shopping with Miles has become a real challenge at times. Walking was a major game changer with my kid. He wants to run and explore everything possible when we're out which makes running to the store an hour long trip with a few tantrums along the way. Being a mama that picks and sells we are out at thrift stores, estate sales and target (duh) all day long but the number one thing I always try and remember is that my kiddo has a limit to his patience and if he's hungry or tired or even over stimulated it can increase irritability and at that point my errands can wait because my kiddo can not! I know as parents we try and use as many tricks to keep our babies from being out of control so I thought I'd share what helps our outings to be a little more tolerable these days.

1. I know most kids hate wearing sunglasses and hats but my boy loves them so to keep his hands occupied he plays with them and puts them on his and my face a good billion times.

2. STICKERS RULE! Seriously, this is a new one for us and he loves it! I keep a pack of stickers in my bag so while we wait in line it helps distract him. I stick them all over us and he has a blast taking them off my face and hands.

3. I recently added a ton of educational games and videos to my Nook so that Miles can play with it while in the shopping cart or car.

4. We try not to give Miles too many sweets but Redvines are the best and take forever for kiddos to eat.

5. Music makers are awesome toys and keeps your kiddos hands busy. Miles is usually happy sitting inside the cart playing with his light up guitar and tambourine.

6. SNACKS! Baby food pouches, fruit bars and string cheese are our jam! Miles is always hungry so I bring food that's easy for him to independently east while we are out for the day.

7. Snack container and drink leashes are genius! Miles is a thrower so being able to attach his sippy cup to the cart makes life just a little bit easier.

This guy

November was a tough month for me and the little one so it's really great to feel more balanced the last few weeks. Why was this past month so hard? Miles and I were a pair of crazy, emotional babies but December is feeling much more focused and fun and I'm digging it! Miles has been so awesome lately! His ADORABLE dancing on the coffee table has totally outweighed his shitty self proclaimed 12:30ish bedtime the last four nights. He's been a good boy though, teething and all. I try to indulge in all that is still my itty-bitty baby but am so proud and excited for my growing boy even when he's being a rascal. Steve and I have decided to only have one kiddo so to think that this is it, I will never ever have another baby Miles again, is sort of a hard one to swallow. I mean, goodness, I know he's only turning one but truthfully everything is going to change pretty dang fast. Steve feels it too.

Saturday night feels alright!

 (Bubbie keeping me company at our yard sale a few weeks ago.)

Dudes, I didn't really do anything today and it pretty much ruled! Papa works on Saturdays (boo, hiss!) so Miles and I were left to fend for ourselves all day. We leisurely ate breakfast, watched a super awesome documentary on Netflix about the banjo (Steve Martin narrates!) and then took a two and a half hour nap with my boy. Such a good lazy morning I tell ya! Finally around two o'clock we bravely headed for the mall to check out some shoes for Miles. The mall was a zoo. Seriously, people are crazy there! We went to Nordstroms to see what size he even was now and we realized he was just a wee bit too small for most of their solid sole shoes but I did like the way Tiny Toms fit him. See my kiddo has fatty fat feet and for the record he did not get that from me. I have to squeeze them into most moccasins and even that is just too torturous for me to do so I was hopeful to find a brand that would work best with his cute fatty fat feet. Anyways, we jetted pretty fast out of the mall and headed to a thrift spot we like and made a sweeping victory in finds. Hooray! After that we headed home for some time outside on the hammock untill papa came home from work. Pretty much the rest of the evening was spent having dinner in our backyard and good laughs were had as a family. Steve pooped out pretty early tonight and Miles lingered on till about ten thirty-ish so now this mama gets a little mama time. Im enjoying sparkley berry lemonade in bed, listening to Nina Simone and window shopping online. My kind of night!

Yum, yum, yum!

Sweet blog I recently found. 

Kids neon toes and green kicks.

FUN for your feet!

I really need to do this to our shades.

Mandy is a stitch!

Stripes on Stripes on Stripes

 My little boyfriend and I shared some extra special moments laughing our tushes off the other day. I wish you all could have heard the silly noises I was making to get him to laugh! Oh, and what a fantastic, contagious laugh my boy has. Who would have thought a couple of knuckleheads would have made such a happy, loving, easy kiddo? These photos make my heart skip a tiny beat and feel all mushy inside. I just love him so.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Small Stuff

Miles is one radical little babe. Being a mama is awesome, you guys! This morning we went out to a few different plant sales and farmers markets and this little babe was so happy in my arms, hanging out in the sun. He was laughing and smiling at people and it was just a wonderful reminder that I am so proud to have such a loving baby boy.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Emily over at The Beetle Shack wrote something the other day that really stuck with me. She talked about being a stay at home mother and the exhaustion that can often follow that role. Sometimes its easier to share about Miles then open up about my personal life on here and while reading what Emily wrote I found confidence in her honesty to share something private about myself.

My body is a big mushy pile of paleness right now and it makes me a little sad. Im sure some of you are calling bullshit on my complaint but I know my body and this doesn't look like it. My entire life I have had some serious body image delusions thinking I'm larger then I am and as foolish as that may sound it has caused serious anxiety for me. I have struggled with getting dressed for as long as I can remember. My mom tells me stories about me being close to a year old climbing up my dresser to open drawers just so I could change what I was wearing multiple times throughout the day. I swear to you that occasionally it takes hours for me to get dressed to leave the house. In that time I have changed my clothes dozens of times and I can't begin to explain the crippling anxiety that starts to overwhelm me. Over the years it has been especially frustrating for my family and Steve who have to wait and wait and wait around till I'm finished. Part of this problem is how I view my body. I have always been a thin healthy girl but have really struggled to see that in the mirror. In junior high it hit me really hard and I started to only wear long sleeve shirts and jeans to cover my arms and legs because I thought they were too big. Trust me they weren't and it really breaks my heart how much I focused on these issues as a girl instead of  having fun with my friends. The reason why I started getting tattoos were to cover my arms and give myself confidence to show them off. During the end of high school and my early twenties I started to direct my focus towards friends and dating versus my obsession with weight and clothing. I don't remember being too hard on myself then, I think having a busy social life kept me occupied. During my pregnancy I actually felt really great about my body. In total I gained around 35 pounds and schlepping a huge belly around helped distract the extra weight I had gained. My post pregnancy body now has been a real kick to the head but I got to say that It hasn't bothered me as much as I thought it would. I think being so googly eyed over my boy has helped me cope with all of the new body changes. I'm not too far off from my pre baby weight but everything just feels and looks so different. My hips are certainly wider, my legs are much softer and my round stomach shows off a few stretch marks and don't get me started on the boobs. Honestly, I'm really trying to either embrace this body of mine or actually do something about it. There are days that I wish I wore a smaller pair of jeans or didnt have to worry about my flabby stomach but Im actually starting to be alright with my new curvy self. Certainly once the weather warms Miles and I can get back to walks to help tone my legs but for Christs sake I have to remind myself that only four months ago I was carrying a gigantic baby in there. And as far as the endless clothes changing goes I've had to have a selfless big old kick in the ass. There are times where I still struggle in getting dressed but I am diligently working on a change. With Miles in my life I really just cant justify obsessing over my outfit when theres this adorable little boy that I can simply go cuckoo over for hours instead- screw clothes. I do want to say that being with Steve has helped me find confidence in myself. He loves my curves, big tush and all and wouldn't want it any other way and I really really love him for that. I'm not saying a man praising your ass is the ticket to better self esteem but I know for myself having my sweet Steve love me the way I am right now sure can make a girl feel grand.

When first becoming pregnant a year ago, I discovered a slew of amazing blogs about motherhood, crafting, baking, design and I am so thankful to now be apart of it. I dont have very many close girlfriends in Portland to get crafting tips and rap about motherhood with (besides endless phone conversations with my sweet sister) and reading these blogs daily has become such a joy for me. Having other ladies out there who expose honesty about being a woman, a friend, a mother or a wife has really helped find a stronger confidence in myself that has nothing to do with how my body looks.

Past few days

Hi, How are things? We're pretty swell here. How sweet is this photo of Mr. Miles? He has learned so much in the past month, I still cant believe he'll be four months in a few weeks. This baby boy makes me swoon! He really is such an incredible person and I couldn't imagine trading these special days for anything else in the world. Isn't being a mama the greatest? Miles is such an easy breezy boy too. He's laughing and smiling constantly now, sleeps almost through the night and wakes up around 10 in the morning (no joke!), eats like a pig, rarely fusses and loves smothering kisses. Sorry to brag! Its hard not to with such a mellow boy. We seriously count our lucky stars that we have it so easy with him. Watch out baby #2, your going to be a damn spit fire!

The weather here in Portland has been a drag. Most days Miles and I just hang at home or run out to a few near thrift shops to keep busy. Ive been wanting a solid project to do around the house and our bedroom is just the right place to start. I want to change the entire room with new lighting, art, color and furniture and I'm sure this will keep me entertained for months. Right now the room is too dark. The walls are a dark teal and burnt orange with big hanging red lanterns that unfortunately drown out the wonderful window light we have. Since I spend 90 percent of my day indoors because of the weather, I figured it was due time to give the bedroom a lighter look in anticipation for summer. I feel in love with the color scheme in this room and I think that If I paint the majority of the space mint green and use a rusty orange color on one wall that I could achieve a look similar to this but brighter. Ive been on the hunt for cool prints and maps on Etsy that I'll mix and match with framed photos of my family. Check out these awesome wood prints! Ill keep you posted on the room updates. 

What do you guys do to keep yourselves busy? I thrift a lot for the antique space and do crafts around the house. We go to the library and probably to Target way too often. Do you have any secrets of being a stay at home mom and not going entirely stir crazy with lackluster weather? I recently picked up a Sunday lunch shift at the restaurant to get out of the house without the babes and so that Papa and him can have an entire day together. It felt really good to make a little extra money and see my old friend plus Steve brought Miles by so I could feed him (so easy and awesome!) but happily its just one day a week. I still missed my little friend.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway ending this Friday.

Oh hey, I have Pinterest and Instagram now! What, what! Want to follow me? Find me on Instagram under MilesMama.

Messy day

Yesterday was one hell of a day! While out thrifting Miles had a poop explosion all over his car seat, pants, sweater, bum and back. Its sucked so bad. I left the diaper bag in the car and we were in the fitting room covered in poop but thankfully an employee helped me out and had us use their personal restroom to clean up. By the end of the day my head was pounding and I hadn't eaten since morning and felt horrible. When Steve came home I was all worked up that I took my frustration out on him. Poor papa was so tired from work that my attitude was not the way to welcome him home. Damn, just one of those hard days. Ive got to say though that Miles made my night so much better. He was such a terrific boy all day and by the end of the evening papa and I were laughing at funny things our boy was doing.

And also thank you so much Roxy for this lovely package for Miles!!
I'm falling a little behind this month on just about everything but within the next week Ill be sending Emily, Talia and Roxy their thrift exchange goodies.
For April I'll be doing another thrift exchange if anyone is interested?

sweet thing

I am such a happy mama, my boy is three months old today!