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Under The Elms
DIY projects & reflections on life: our journey toward making a house a home.
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ParentingReflections

The Longest Year: My Recent Journey Through Uncertainty and Fear

February 23, 2021
CraftsDIYFreebiesSewing

How to Keep Your Masks Organized During COVID

October 6, 2020
DIYSewing

The Array Top: A Pattern Review

September 28, 2020
CraftsDIYHack and UpcyclesReflectionsSewing

The Deeper Story Behind Why I Sew: Thoughts on Embodiment and Pace

January 10, 2020
DIYSewing

Free Range Slacks x2

January 10, 2020
ADHDParenting

My Child Has ADHD!? The Early Signs and Our Desperate Search for Answers | PART 2

July 22, 2019

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ADHDParenting

My Child Has ADHD!? The Early Signs and Our Desperate Search for Answers | PART 1

by Meghan Fowler July 16, 2019
written by Meghan Fowler

title image

This is part 1 of a 2 part series.

(Meant to read part 2 instead? CLICK HERE) Recently I was enjoying a candid conversation with an acquaintance and we were mutually observing how full of energy and life my son is. And he really is. He’s energetic, he’s passionate, he is curious about everything, he’s bright. I went on to share that he’s actually been diagnosed with ADHD, to which this gentleman promptly responded, “NONSENSE!” – going on to suggest that there’s really no such thing as ADHD.

I understand that this is a view held by some people but, frankly, I find that kind of blunt reaction annoying, as I’m sure any parent would who has been on the same journey. But, alas, it wasn’t a battle that I was willing to fight at the time so I laughed him off and briefly responded that I actually do think the diagnosis is a legitimate thing. Interestingly, however, his remark represents the unarticulated question mark that seems to hang over so many interactions wherein ADHD is the topic of conversation.

The fact is, our journey toward reaching this particular conclusion about Ethan has been long, difficult, and it’s one that has involved so much thought and prayer and discussion and learning. So many perspectives have informed the decisions we’ve made: from deciding that we believe that ADHD is real, to the decision to have him assessed, to our acceptance of the diagnosis. Each of these issues has been rigorously processed and put through myriad filters, both professional (conversations with teachers and physicians, reading reputable books and other content) and personal (time in prayer and in discussion with people who know us all well, as well as – importantly! – our own sense as his parents).

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July 16, 2019
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DIYHack and UpcyclesSewing

DIY: how to turn an old bed sheet into a beautiful dress

by Meghan Fowler June 5, 2019
written by Meghan Fowler

how to transform thrifted sheets into gorgeous fabric and make this dress!

This was a super satisfying project. Taking a cheap white cotton sheet purchased at MCC (who doesn’t feel good buying things from MCC?!) on a journey through natural dye and fabric painting fun and all the way to a useful and pretty clothing item was so rewarding! It combined into one event my great enjoyment of saving money, making things, creating beauty, and doing so in a globe-friendly way (neither exploiting underpaid workers nor destroying the environment!).

So many of the items we dismiss as boring or garbage still have tons of life left in them. We just need to have our creative-eyes open and be able to imagine what something could become with a little joyful effort!

Keep reading to learn all the steps I took for this project!

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June 5, 2019
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CraftsDIY

Little Girls’ Necklace: An Easy DIY Jewelry Project

by Meghan Fowler May 3, 2019
written by Meghan Fowler

Title picture of necklace

When I saw a baggie of wooden beads with faces on them while browsing at Michaels one day, I snagged ’em. I have long wanted to make Ella a cute little lady necklace. I’ve seen these sorts of things online before, but didn’t want to directly copy anyone, so I kind of just sat on the idea for a while. Then I spotted this bag of tassels among my jewelry crafting supplies and the idea rolled together in my brain. This DIY could not be easier, and it’s something you can do WITH your kiddo, which makes it much more special and meaningful. So without further ado, here’s how we went about it:

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May 3, 2019
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Reflections

When Parenting Is Hard: A Perspective on the Challenges of Parenting a Child with ADHD

by Meghan Fowler April 24, 2019
written by Meghan Fowler

title picture

Sometimes parenting my son feels like climbing a mountain. Complete with the joyous moments where I feel strong, I exult in the beauty, I feel like I belong in the unfolding scene. Sometimes – stretching the analogy here – the climb feels more like hard work: like slogging upwards on loose stones, where every step yields a backward slide almost as far. Ugh.

Mom and Son looking at camera

It bears noting that he has some ‘unique’ struggles… namely the ones resulting from ADHD. This is not to suggest that other parents don’t face challenges! We all do. Life is complex and we all have hard times. We all have difficulties we have to work through, or work at accepting, or both. If you’ve suffered or struggled as a parent, you don’t need a diagnosis to justify your pain. I believe that suffering is suffering; struggling is struggling, whatever the outward cause. But in our story, a diagnosis has helped to explain the shape of our particular challenges, and it’s helped to equip us to deal with those challenges constructively.

If you’ve suffered or struggled as a parent, you don’t need a diagnosis to justify your pain.

For us, the daily grind of dealing with attention challenges and behaviours resulting from struggles with impulse-control and anxiety can be really hard. Like, really really hard. And exhausting. After babysitting our kids for an evening, my mother-in-law – who raised 4 energetic kids herself – came to the door to greet us, totally exhausted, saying “you’re not crazy! That really is hard.” We felt such a rush of gratification at being validated like that. “YES, it is hard!” And, “Yay, we’re not crazy!” (Or maybe we are, but mostly because we’ve been driven crazy – haha. I jest.)

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April 24, 2019
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DIYSewing

Making Stylish Kids Joggers – A Pattern Review

by Meghan Fowler March 25, 2019
written by Meghan Fowler

For me, sweatpants are important from about 8 pm on, or if it “feels like a sweats day.” But to my 6 year old son they are important at all times. If I want to buy him a clothing present that actually touches his heart, it had better be sweat pants, sweat pants… or – yup! – sweat pants. Comfort and mobility are key.

Author's son running

Will he feel like he is in his jammies, while maintaining the greatest possibility for speed, dexterity, flexibility, and general sportsness? Secondary is “looking cool” – but his standards for this are (blessedly) very loose at this point.

The tricky bit is that finding skinny joggers that satisfy my aesthetic AND cost a reasonable amount is nearly impossible, and the cheapest ones are pretty shapeless. Or if they are nice to look at, they invariably have a massive waist and I end up sewing weird darts or whatever in the back just to keep them up. All of which is fine, really. Like in a deep sense, it’s fine.

To be clear: I’m not a clothing snob; I’m not judging you or your kids for baggy bum sweat pants, and I’m not judging mine either. I’m ok, you’re ok. Ugly sweats are ok. 👌 Kids don’t need to be super stylish. They need to be clothed, adequately warm or cool depending on season. That’s kind of it. Priorities, people!

Still, in the department of non-necessities, cute kids clothes matter to me. So, I set out on a mission to find a good pattern for joggers and make him some! A love gift for him, and a love gift for me too (cause I love seeing him running around in something that I made and like!!).

Fun creative project – yes!
Budget friendly – you bet!
Stylish joggers – yes sirree!
Good way to repurpose thrifted fabrics and clothes – yep!
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March 25, 2019
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DIYFreebiesReflections

Loving Your Kids to the Core (Plus, FREE Printable Wall Art)

by Meghan Fowler February 28, 2019
written by Meghan Fowler

I like you.

I love you.

I want you.

I accept you.

Countless times have I spoken these words to my children. These four short sentences have become my parenting mantra. They are words my heart thrills to in moments where my real-time experience makes them easy to mean. And they are words I wrestle to the ground in moments where I don’t feel the truth of them. In those times they are prophecy; they are me calling forth something I can’t see, naming something buried (even if for the moment) in my kid, or as it happens, in myself.

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February 28, 2019
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About Me

About Me

Welcome to my Blog

I am Meghan Fowler, the homemaker behind the Under The Elms blog. Welcome here!

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Recent Posts

  • The Longest Year: My Recent Journey Through Uncertainty and Fear

    February 23, 2021
  • How to Keep Your Masks Organized During COVID

    October 6, 2020
  • The Array Top: A Pattern Review

    September 28, 2020
  • The Deeper Story Behind Why I Sew: Thoughts on Embodiment and Pace

    January 10, 2020
  • Free Range Slacks x2

    January 10, 2020

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    Making Stylish Kids Joggers – A Pattern Review

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