Don't Breathe

Okay, everybody hold your breath, don't move a muscle, and don't read this out loud....we may jinx it....my 4-year-old is playing by herself, in her room, with the door closed, of her own free will.  She's been in there at least ten minutes and I may have just ruined it by turning to my laptop, but I'm looovving it while it lasts!!  Praise God for new toys!

Merry Christmas to All!

I'm sure that one is the cause of the other, but I'm grateful that technology has enabled me to keep in touch with loved ones despite the rising cost of postage.  Sometimes I wax nostalgic about handwritten notes and cards, especially when I see beautiful stationary.  But for the most part, I really do enjoy the quick and expansive delivery offered by technology.  Hence, the annual Christmas letter has gone the way of a blog post for better or worse.

We kicked off 2010 with a one-year birthday party for C, and shortly thereafter, her much-needed first haircut.  J was putting in some intense research hours towards his phD in Computer Science through the spring semester as well as launching a new social/mobility development shop to pay the bills.  God provided abundantly more than we could ask or imagine when an independent investor took interest in their idea and generously funded the project for the next year.  

March was a big month as we experienced the first major surgery for one of our children.  A's surgery to correct both trigger thumbs went well and we rarely think about it anymore.  We had a fun, busy summer with softball for dad, swimming lessons for A, sledding (yes, in the summer), a princess birthday party for A, Rome-themed VBS, and the usual smattering of family visits and friendly dinners.  With the milestone of birthday #4, we also said goodbye to thumb-sucking.  

I spent a lot of time in the summer researching and planning for our first year of homeschool that kicked off in the fall.  We're taking some time off for Christmas now, and I'm looking forward to a fresh start in January.  With the new school year, came other new responsibilities.  J and I joined the leadership team for our class at church and also launched a new home group.  I continue to coordinate playgroups once a week for our class.  We've been blessed with growing friendships through our church community and count it a privilege to serve among them.

A started ballet lessons this fall.  Her favorite part is the lollipop at the end of each class if she listens well.  C attempted potty-training, but we'll hope to report more success with that in the new year.  We said good-bye to our first family pet; and fixed our first major gas leak (completely unrelated to the fish's death).

We were blessed with our third pregnancy in October and look forward to baby #3 arriving in early June.  The big ultrasound will be in early February, so check back for news of the gender.  With the end of my first trimester, I'm enjoying more good days than gross days.  It's time to break out the maternity wardrobe and show off the bump.

What a mighty God we serve!  Abundant in love and faithfulness!  I am grateful for so many blessings, including a slow week before Christmas with time for blogging.  How fun to look back on my year's posts and relive His goodness.  Thanks for indulging me.  May your Christmas week be calm, reflective, full of love and cheer.  May we all celebrate the coming of our King with praise overflowing and eager anticipation of His return.  Merry Christmas!

Why don't they tell you?

Lots of sources will tell you how much it costs to have a baby and raise that baby.  But nobody ever tells you how to budget for pregnancy.  Of course, there's the doctor bills and related medical expenses.  But I'm talking about the stuff that sneaks up on you.

Your grocery budget is blown because things sound good in the store but then repulse you when you get home.  Or, you feel nauseous and can't cook what you planned to cook so your menu plan goes out the window and you've got to go to the store yet again.  Or, you buy lots of expensive, pre-packaged foods to have on hand for days when you don't feel good.  Or--the more likely scenario--you call your husband and ask him to bring supper home which plays havoc with your discretionary funds.  And for some reason, none of the cheap restaurants sound good.  No, you're going to crave Outback and Carino's without fail.  

And what about all the latest remedies you try to make your tummy feel better?  Not free.  Or the assortment of prenatal vitamins you go through to find one that doesn't turn your stomach.

Then there's the utility bill.  Nobody tells you that your a/c bill is going to go through the roof in February because you already feel like the house is a sauna.  Better double your utility budget during pregnancy.

There might also be a few other incidental late fees or fines you have to pay because you can't remember what day of the week it is, much less when the library books or movies are due.  Maybe.  

None of this is escapable or avoidable.  You can try to plan ahead, but sometimes your body is going to dictate how the day goes.  You either pay with your wallet or your comfort.  I generally err on the side of feeling good and figuring out how to pay for it later.

Week in Review

Last week was a whirlwind around here.  I think everybody got together and decided that all Christmas social events should be completed before the middle of December, so they are all getting crammed into two weeks instead of three or four.

Monday is always our do-nothing day.  We stay home, do laundry, and recuperate from the weekend.  Last Monday I helped the girls make Christmas ornaments and sugar cookies.  The ornaments went pretty well. My only note to self is way to go on choosing plastic ornaments to paint, but keep in mind that wet paint on a plastic ball bouncing across your kitchen tile will make a widespread mess.

Tuesday was a mad run to the grocery store before ballet because my first attempt at a cookie recipe didn't work.  The second attempt turned out great and I took them to the ladies' cookie exchange for our Sunday School class that night.

Wednesday morning I attempted to take both girls to the dentist for routine check-ups.  We have new insurance so I had to pick a new office.  I chose poorly.  There were at least two dozen families in the waiting room and even though we had an appointment, I was told we would be waiting about an hour to be seen.  No, thank you.  I cut my losses and cancelled the appointment.

Wednesday afternoon, J graciously came home early so I could catch up on computer work...things like paying bills, reconciling accounts and ordering Christmas cards that really require a modicum of concentration.  He took the girls Christmas shopping for me and each other.  Can't wait to see what they got.

Thursday I dropped the girls off at a friend's house and headed out of town to visit a friend who just gave birth to premie twins.  Three hours in the car by myself is luxury, I tell you.  I got to listen to several podcasts from our previous church and spend some good time talking to God.  Also had a good, if quick, visit with the new mom.

Thursday evening we had a Christmas party for the band of hooligans that offices with J.  I'm so grateful that he is working with friends, enjoying what he is doing, and getting paid to do it with someone else's money.  We all enjoyed dinner together, corralled the kids and exchanged gifts.

Friday morning, I met our playgroup at a local retirement home to deliver Christmas cards the kids had made the week before and sing a couple of carols.  This was a first for me with my kids and I was thrilled with how well it went.  I was especially proud of A, who persisted in engaging several of the residents in conversation.  She did a great job asking and answering questions, giving me hope of doing something similar on a more regular basis.

Friday night I had bunko and I was so sad that my stomach was not cooperating.  I'd been feeling great and loving that my first trimester gross was mostly behind me.  Not so on bunko night.  I had to forego the usual yummy feast for a crustless pb&j.  How sad is that?!  I'm sure I'll make up for it next month.

Saturday morning, I made a couple of batches of edible treats to give away to friends before we all took off for the WalMart.  We were pushing lunchtime by the time we got done shopping, so we sat down at the Subway to have sandwiches.  Can I just say that is a people-watcher's paradise?!  Oh the things you can see from the WalMart Subway.

After naps on Saturday, we enjoyed an open house at a friend's home.  I like that Christmas is a good time to see faces that we don't see very often, meet new people, and keep up with existing friends.  Especially when it is at someone else's house.  After the open house, I paid J back for his earlier favor of time and he took off to go do some Christmas shopping on his own and go to a poker tournament with the men of our Sunday School class.  I came home, made some cookies, bathed the girls, and put them in front of a Christmas movie with a bucket of popcorn for supper.  I think popcorn for supper raised my cool-quotient a few points in A's eyes.

We made it to church on Sunday, took naps, then said bye to J so he could drive a spare car to the new mom who's going to be living near her babies' hospital for a few months.  He got back home just in time for our own open house that we invited our neighbors to.

Needless to say, we all slept good Sunday night!  This week is proving to be much slower, thank goodness.  C threw in an ear infection to keep things interesting, but we're going to enjoy a break from regular activities and make sure we're ready for next week.

For the Kingdom

I follow several mommy blogs.  Some are friends, some are strangers.  Some are hilarious, some are profound.  Some are daily life, some advocate causes.  They all make me think, take me outside my own kitchen to other lives.  They shift my perspective and enlarge my tunnel vision.

I read non-fiction books.  Be-a-better-mommy books, be-a-better-wife books, know-your-Savior-better books.  Again, they broaden my perspective and take me out to a bigger world, an eternal world.

I hear great testimonies of how God is working in the hearts of those I love and those I didn't know existed.  My heart is stirred to desire bigger, bolder, more eternal goals.

My prayers are following this path.  What do You want me to do for Your eternal kingdom?  I know You don't need me to accomplish Your purposes, yet You take delight in allowing me to "help" You.  How can I help?  What cause would You have me champion?  What need do You want me to meet?  How can my little family be part of the eternal story You are weaving?  Are we doing it now... discipling our children and building relationships with others?  Are you preparing us for something else?  Did we hear You wrong along the way?  Have my ears gone numb to Your voice?  What more, Lord, do You have for me?  How can I be about Your eternal agenda?  Your kingdom come.

Dream On

Pregnancy does crazy things to your dreams.  Really vivid, detailed dreams that you can almost feel.  The only thing that separates them from reality is the absolute nonsense mixed in.  Where does the mind find these loose ends to tie together?  A recent sampling...

I was at church and the service was wrapping up.  I was a little concerned because I had asked the nursery to text me when the baby was ready to eat and they hadn't sent me a message yet.  When I arrived to pick up the baby, I took it in my arms cooing, "My goodness, you must be starving!"  I sat in one of the rocking chairs and proceeded to nurse my newborn kitten.  Yep, I dreamed my baby was a cat.  Even crazier?  The volunteers in the nursery thought it was perfectly normal.

Another night, I dreamed I was working at huge, global corporation for a man who was a less-than-ideal boss in real life years ago.  He decided we needed to have a company-wide celebration for something or other at the end of the week.  I was in charge of pulling together a global conference in the span of days.  The crazy part?  I sang in a gospel trio as part of the opening ceremonies.  You didn't see it, so you'll have to take my word for it....bizarro!

Then there was the dream that was obviously trying to tell me something.  I was trapped in a labyrinth ladies' locker room.  The door led immediately into a bathroom stall, but of course you never pick the first one, so I kept going.  The stalls were all linked together like a torturous maze.  Some of them were toilet stalls, some showers and some changing rooms.  You never knew who you'd walk in on.  Some of them had more than one door---aaaahhh, choices!  I just wanted to find a bathroom with a little privacy! Even crazier?  Every one I walked in on thought this was a perfectly normal way to conduct business.

This is the way God eases you into the year (or more) of sleep deprivation that accompanies pregnancy and new baby.  Humor always makes discomfort a little easier to swallow, no?

Gross

I'm tired of feeling gross.  I'm officially done with my first trimester, but the gross is lingering.  I can't really say it's morning sickness, just a general gross hanging over part of the day.  Nothing sounds good to eat, but if I don't eat, I'll feel worse.  If I pick the wrong thing to eat, I'll feel worse.  If I do feel gross, I can't think of anything that will make it subside.  I feel like this right now, that's why I'm whining.  I'm just ready to be done with gross.

Still Thankful

Happy belated Thanksgiving!  We had a great day feasting with family and friends.  J said it was the best Thanksgiving dinner he's had in a few years.  I ate myself miserable and sat up half the night wishing I hadn't had the second helpings.  The kids played well, the home team won the game, and the weather turned cold.  Definitely a good day.

Since we don't celebrate Halloween, I try to really emphasize Thanksgiving once fall hits.  This year, we made a Thanksgiving tree.  I picked a branch out of the yard and put it in a big canister full of rocks.  We wrote (or drew) things on foam leaves that we were thankful for and tied them to the tree.  By the big day, it was a little Charlie-Brown-ish, but we could see how much we have to be thankful for.

A is thankful for mermaids, fairies, ladybugs, Chick-fil-A, rainbows, her best friend, her mom and dad, the new baby, cousins, herself, pink, and various toys in no particular order.  C scribbled on leaves and we left them open to interpretation, until one of the last drawing sessions when she handed me a leaf and told me it was one of her cousins.  I obliged and wrote his name on the leaf to identify his portrait.

The grown-ups in the house are grateful for employment, good health, kind neighbors, loving family, precious daughters, each other.  Above all else we are humbled by the opportunity to thank our God for His loving kindness, His constant nature, His gift of salvation, His personal involvement in our lives.

We've been singing a Thanksgiving song this month cut and pasted from the psalms.  Perhaps you know it..."I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with praise.  I will say this is the day that the Lord has made.  I will rejoice for He has made me glad.  He has made me glad.  He has made me glad.  I will rejoice for He has made me glad!"

Not ready

C has shown some major interest in potty training in the last month or so.  I procrastinated on going all out because we had so much going on, including a couple of road trips.  Finally, I couldn't rationalize it away any longer.  I didn't want to miss the oft-coveted window of opportunity if she really was ready.  So about two weeks ago, after  a successful trip to the bathroom, I introduced her to big girl panties.  She did great for the first hour and I thought we might be on to something.  I asked her every half hour and she was eager to go try.  She had another success after that first hour, so I figured we were good for awhile.  Nope, she peed all over the kitchen chair two minutes after peeing in the potty.

Back to the bathroom we went.  I handed her a fresh pair of panties and proceeded to sit on the tiny stool blocking her exit for twenty minutes (!!!) while she wrestled with trying to put them on by herself.  At one point, it was so hilarious I went to grab my phone for documentation.  Unfortunately, I'm still trying to figure out my phone and missed the first five minutes of recording even though I thought I was getting it.  Aaarrgh!  The dialogue went something like this:
Mom: Do you want help with that?
C: No, do it.
Mom: (after watching another futile attempt to get one leg in each hole) Do you want help with that?
C: No, do it, Mommy!
Mom:  (trying to restrain laughter) Can I help you with that?
C: No, Mommy, own.  My do it.  (She patted me on the chest to indicate that I had my own panties to do.  She would do hers, thank you very much.)

While this video is not quite as thorough, it is pretty funny.  And I think it answers the question as to whether or not she is really ready to potty train.  So do the 12 pairs of panties I had to wash that morning.

Who's That Baby?

My mom recently passed on a photo to me.
















I asked A who that baby was and without hesitating she identified her sister.  The resemblance is pretty crazy, I think.  That's me opening presents on my third birthday.  What's even funnier is that everybody tells us C looks just like her daddy.  Maybe, maybe not.

Three down

I asked my doc if there was anything I could do to prevent the low amniotic fluid toward the end of this pregnancy that has necessitated inducing my previous two pregnancies.  She said about the only thing I had any control over was staying well hydrated.  I asked her for a goal...the usual 64 ounces a day, she said.  I've never been a good water drinker, so I thought I better keep track of it to see how I was doing.

Bad.  I'm doing bad.  Last week, I couldn't get more than 32 oz down in a day without feeling like I was going to puke.  I'm not trying to do it all at once, of course.  But after that fourth glass, I just felt like I could not possibly put more water into my belly.

I'm going for incremental change.  It sounds like such a simple thing, I feel like I should be able to do 8 glasses of water a day.  But for now, I'll be happy if I can consistently do 4.  Next week, I'll aim for 6.  Maybe by my second trimester, I'll be up to 8 glasses a day on more days than not.

I just finished glass 3 for today; one more shouldn't be hard.  Maybe today I can do 5.

What's That Smell?

This week has been a wild ride so far.  Sunday I came home from church feeling really weak and tired.  I went to bed and realized later that I was running a low fever.  I was laid out the rest of the day, couldn't eat much or stay mobile for long.  Monday I was feeling a little stronger, but still very tired.  My wonderful neighbor came over to play with the girls for a couple of hours while I took a morning nap.  I napped for almost four hours that day!!  Which explains why I laid in bed that night staring at the ceiling until 2 am.

Sunday when I was feeling so puny, I told J that we had to call somebody about the smell in our bathroom.  It was going on two months and we couldn't figure out what it was.  We thought maybe something had crawled into the wall and died.  You can understand our hesitation to investigate.  J spent a Saturday about two weeks ago taking apart the exhaust fan, hoping that whatever it was could be easily cleaned up from that pipe.  No such luck.  The smell was getting so bad that I was avoiding that room for the sake of my stomach.

Monday I called the pest control guy.  I explained the dilemma and told him I didn't know if he could help or not, but he was the first person on our list of professionals who might could help.  He showed up around 5:30 pm on Monday and said it wasn't anything dead.  He couldn't say for sure, but it might be natural gas. Hello?!!  Let me just say it did not smell like the usual sulfur, rotten egg smell you get from a gas leak, so that was not even on our radar.  Never mind that there is no gas source in that room.  It smelled more musty, earthy....I had cleaned the toilet with a toothbrush about three times hoping I could find whatever speck of bacteria was causing the odor.

J very wisely called the gas company to come check and sure enough, we've been living with a low-level gas leak for the last two months!!  We were both mortified.  God has definitely been watching over us.  It's a good thing we don't make a habit of lighting matches in that bathroom.

They shut the gas off immediately and Tuesday morning began the detect and repair process with the plumbers.  They were here all afternoon yesterday and all day today.  They finished up this afternoon, and the gas company will probably make it out to do the inspection and turn the gas back on tomorrow morning.  (Hurray for cold showers and microwave dinners!)  Turns out there were three slow leaks in the attic where the pipe sealant had started to decay, along with a couple of underground leaks between the meter and house.  So yes, they had to dig up part of the back yard.  Fun times, I tell you.

The wonderful part (no sarcasm this time)?  I felt amazing yesterday and today!!  Turns out the main side effects of exposure to natural gas are nausea and headaches.  It basically keeps you from getting the best oxygen supply you would otherwise get.  So you might also feel a little sluggish.  Who knew you could mimic the first trimester of pregnancy just by inhaling a little natural gas?!  Fortunately, the side effects are very short-lived.  I had my first prenatal appointment this morning and the doctor was not concerned about any harm to the baby and was glad that my symptoms were leveling back to normal range.  I told her time would tell if it really was the natural gas causing such intense nausea or not, but I like feeling so much better for sure!  Here's hoping the rest of the week has a little less drama.

Progression of an Idol

Our home group is studying the Peace Maker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande.  Our latest chapter was on the progression of an idol.  To me idols are pretty serious business.  If you have an idol interfering with your worship, its akin to cheating on God, prostituting yourself to some other lover.

Sande points out that conflicts reveal our idols.  First we have a desire, maybe even a healthy desire.  For example, "I desire peace in my home."  Not a bad thing.  It all starts to go bad when we elevate that desire to an unhealthy level and make it a demand.  When that demand is not met, say two small children decide to hold a pep rally in the living room, we begin to judge.  "My unhappiness is your fault.  You are to blame for my anger and annoyance."  Then we punish.  It doesn't have to be physical; it could be withholding affection, giving the silent treatment, lashing out, or hiding in the bathroom.  Whatever it is, we communicate that they will pay for our displeasure.

And that's how it becomes an idol.  We're no longer trusting God to be our only source of peace, joy, security, meaning, value.  We're saying what He did at Calvary isn't enough.  "In addition, God, I must also have ____________ in order to feel loved, valued and happy.  And if I can't have that, I can't possibly be held accountable to love others."  We become consumed with thoughts of this desire turned demand, we nurture it and it becomes a defining characteristic of our personality. "Yes, I'm the frazzled mom that can't possibly be satisfied with life right now; have you seen what I put up with all day?  I'll find my satisfaction later when my sleep isn't constantly interrupted."

Looking at it this way, it is obvious that idols run rampant in my heart.  And their plurality doesn't make them less significant.   Father God, show me the idols that I run to instead of You.  Ground me in the truth that You are enough and that my worth, my satisfaction are all about You, not others.

School Progress

We're about ten weeks into the first year of homeschooling.  That includes one intentional week off and several unintentional days off.  Naturally, we are behind on what I had planned for us thus far, but I'm pleased with our progress.  It feels good that I am learning along the way as well...about myself, my daughter, our relationship with each other.

I saw a light bulb moment this week as we practiced skip counting by 2's.  That was so encouraging to see her get it and think through it.  We've been working on counting to 100, and now we're moving into skip counting for math.  We've talked about the color wheel for art and had some practice blending colors. We've begun handwriting a little earlier than I planned, but she's doing well.  We need more free practice, though.

About three weeks ago, we hit a total wall with reading lessons.  I called my sister for advice while A bawled in her room.  I knew I couldn't give up because it would reinforce her giving up.  We were at an impasse.  My sister gave me a very encouraging pep talk and some great advice.  Unfortunately, it was heavy on the "make learning fun" ideas, which are my Achille's heel.

It was true, though.  I was trying to make A learn how to read like I would study for a graduate exam.  Just trudge through the dry workbook, check it off for the day, and be done.  I totally lack in the "fun" department.  So we took a week off, then spent another week just reading through BOB books.  This week, I only have two workbook lessons on the plan plus some phonics bingo, BOB books, and new library books for her to read aloud.

We're using a new chart that shows her what we're doing for school each day and she can stamp it done when we are done.  It also has space for an attitude face at the bottom of each day (another of my sister's great ideas).  She gets three chances (two eyes and a nose) to change a bad attitude before the face ends up frowning.  If we make it to the end of the day with no frown, then it gets a smile.  I printed out a hundred chart and posted that where she can stamp how many books she has read.  We've made it to 12 in a week.

I'm learning to be flexible.  She's learning to talk to me about what she's feeling instead of digging her heels into a nasty attitude.  I'm learning that breaks are good and I have such incredible examples of well-done homeschool.  I still need help, and will always need help, with making learning enjoyable.  I need to take that into account when I choose my curriculum.  My goal is to foster a love for learning and that won't happen if it's no fun.  I'm so glad we started this year, to have this ramp-up time, this learning curve before kindergarten.  I know I'll keep learning about us as the years progress, but I'm grateful for a practice year.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

I'm reading--ever so sporadically--Radical by David Platt.  It's definitely getting some buzz in the blogosphere.  I don't think I'm to that part yet.  But I was overcome by this vivid picture of Christ's love for me:

"What happened at the Cross was not primarily about nails being thrust into Jesus' hands and feet but about the wrath due your sin and my sin being thrust upon his soul.  In that holy moment, all the righteous wrath and justice of God due us came rushing down like a torrent on Christ himself.  Some say, 'God looked down and could not bear to see the suffering that the soldiers were inflicting on Jesus, so he turned away.' But this is not the case.  God turned away because he could not bear to see your sin and my sin on his Son.

One preacher described it as if you and I were standing a short hundred yards away from a dam of water ten thousand miles high and ten thousand miles wide.  All of a sudden that dam was breached, and a torrential flood of water came crashing toward us.  Right before it reached our feet, the ground in front of us opened up and swallowed it all.  At the Cross, Christ drank the full cup of the wrath of God, and when he had downed the last drop, he turned the cup over and cried out, 'It is finished.'

This is the gospel.  The just and loving Creator of the universe has looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent his Son, God in the flesh, to bear his wrath against sin on the cross and to show his power over sin in the Resurrection so that all who trust in him will be reconciled to God forever."

Thank you, Jesus!  Hallelujah!

Here Comes #3!

Sorry it's been a ridiculously long time since my last blog post.  But I'll make up for it with exciting news...we're expecting baby #3!!  It's still very early in the pregnancy, maybe 7 or 8 weeks, so I don't have an official due date yet; but we're guessing early June.  By my standards, that's cutting it awfully close for too-hot-to-handle summer temps.  Brace yourself now for the whining.

They say that each successive pregnancy has more intense symptoms and they generally happen earlier in the pregnancy.  I'm willing to concede that point so far with the yucky, gross feeling that comes in waves throughout the day.  Ditto on the fatigue.  But I still feel very fortunate that I can ward off my symptoms with some saltines and a snooze.

So now my posts will take on a new element.  Life as usual, plus pregnancy.  I estimate it will be January before we find out if I have to change the blog title.  Stay tuned.

Goodbyes

Today we said goodbye to Peter Mr. Beta Fish.  It became apparent yesterday morning that he was not long for this world when I saw him just lying on the rocks at the bottom of his bowl using all of his energy to gulp big breaths.  I prepared A by letting her know that Peter didn't look well, that he might be sick.  She thought he probably just needed a break.  By late afternoon, I knew he was gone.  She kept coming back to check and see if he had moved.  This morning, she noted that he hadn't moved all night long.

So after naps today we discussed funeral plans.  She suggested putting him in the trash; I countered with flushing him to the ocean.  Really, I knew that we wanted to do a little burial.  As hard as it would be to talk it through, I knew it was a good opportunity to introduce death and temporary goodbyes.  J agreed, so we talked about Peter's body being empty now and how he was with Jesus in heaven (I know...we bent the theology a bit to make it applicable.  I figure we can straighten that out later.)  She colored a pretty picture and wrote "Peter" on it.  Daddy folded it into a little box and we tromped outside in the drizzle to lay Peter to rest.

It wasn't until Daddy was covering the hole that the tears came.  "But what about Peter?!" she bawled.  I immediately followed suit.  It's not the goodbye to the fish that got to me, but the goodbye to a little bit of her innocence.  This was a baby step into the harsh reality that the world is not all fairies, rainbows and ballerinas.  I was so sad to see her sadness.  I am glad that we persevered and took the opportunity to have a tough conversation.  And I don't think she'll be upset for very long.  She was asking for a new fish before we made it back inside.

Again?!

Yes.  Again with the, "When did you do that?! And where was I?!  How on earth?!"

In case you can't tell, that's pencil scribbles all over the wall.  When I first saw it, I made her come and listen to my scolding about how we don't write on the walls, only on paper.  Then she peeked around the corner and showed me the other wall she had scribbled on.  I gasped in shock and she thought that was funny, so she pointed across the hall to yet another example of her artistic license.  I was speechless.

As I was supervising the scrubbing, A asked if she had ever written on the walls when she was little and I told her no, this was the first incident of misdirected art at our house.  (I'm so glad it was pencil.)  But I can say with a smile on my face that the writing's on the wall...baby #2 ain't like baby #1.

Tiny Dancer

Yesterday was our first dance lesson.  It was a fun experience, in spite of the tornado warning that went through town while we were at the studio.

Notice no ballet shoes in that picture?  I'd been scrounging all over town to find a pair in her size that I didn't have to pay full price for.  As I tell A, we "really didn't want to spend extra dollars that way."  Can I just say that God totally provided!  I had all of the other pieces of her outfit and had saved more than half what the studio was charging so far.  But I had resigned myself to paying their price for the shoes.  We went in early so we could do our shopping and God provided a pair in her size that were FREE in the used bin!!  Thank you, God!

All the mommies watching through the one-way window were very impressed that the teacher got the little dancers to all line up on tape spots on the floor on the first day.  I was also amazed at how quickly you can transform a little girl into a prima donna.  Apparently, all you need is wall-to-wall mirrors, head-to-toe pink, a ponytail, some noisy fun tap shoes and her hands on her hips.

As she came out of the room, I asked her if she had fun and she nodded a very approving yes while showing off the lollipop she got.  Nothing like a little sugar to keep 'em coming back for more.

We'll do one 45-minute lesson each week.  Part of the time is spent learning ballet and another part on tap.  It's a real shame we don't have one of those special black floors at our house to practice tap dancing on. 

Preschool Boredom Busters

WARNING! Super-long post!

My friend Jenny did a post today asking for ideas for things to do with your preschoolers when you run out of things to do.  By my very nature, I am not a spontaneous, come-up-with-something-fun free thinker.  My poor children suffer a great deal because of my apparent deficit in fun finding.  I can play along with something they think is fun or use existing toys as they are meant to be used, but I seriously lack in creative, out-of-the-box solutions to boredom.  Which means we usually all get grouchy with one another and start bickering, or perhaps worse yet, we go out into the world with our boredom and spend money.

Over the past few years, I have compensated for this dearth of free-flowing fun with a skill that comes as naturally to me as breathing...making lists.  My mind makes lists in my sleep.  I make lists in the shower and have even been known to write notes to myself on the bathroom mirror lest I forget that important nugget before I walk the twenty steps to my kitchen, which we all know is the incubator of all great lists.  I shared my master list of boredom busters with Jenny and she said I had to do a post on it.  Et voila!

I have tried several different methods of incorporating the "idea list" into daily life (i.e., the idea jar from which a child gets to draw ideas written on slips of paper).  But the current method seems to be working really well.  I have a "Today" page posted on a bulletin board in our kitchen and it has a checklist of things we need to remember to do like get dressed, brush our teeth, feed the fish, look at the calendar together.  It has four blank lines for Mommy's to-do's.  I try to write in my most important tasks for the day so that A gets an idea that my "chores" are not nebulous, vague and ongoing; they will end and I can check one off and come play.  Then I have a row of four big squares where I tack activity ideas that the girls can do on their own; another four squares for ideas we can do together; and finally three squares for ideas that C can do while I do lessons with A.  I typed up all of my ideas into a table in Word and cut them apart.  Each evening, I pull off the ones we did or that we turned our noses up at, and put on fresh ideas.  I get to control a little bit what we do based on the other demands of our day or my capacity to crawl about on the floor like a baby turtle.  But A gets some choice in the matter and enjoys seeing the new ideas come up.  I get the benefit of not having to think of things she can go do on her own.  I just suggest the choices for the day and she can do one of those or find something else.  When I take down an idea we've done, it goes in a separate envelope.  I won't dig in the "used" envelope until we're done with the "new" one so that the ideas stay fresh and are fun when they come around again because we haven't done them in awhile.

All of that explanation is to cover my insecurity over being so incredibly Type-A about having fun with my children.  I really wish ideas came to me naturally and I could sit in imaginary worlds for long stretches of time and be a kid with them.  Instead, I make lists.

The following list has been compiled from blog posts, parenting sites, books, other mommies, etc.  None of these ideas are mine.  Remember?  I don't do original.  Some of these ideas may seem obvious to you, but I frequently need the reminders.  Brace yourself; it's a long list.

• Plastic (or cardboard) coins and a piggy bank- bought or home-made.(Pringles can, slit cut in top)
• Chalk or light color crayons on dark construction paper.
• Scissors and paper (no other objective in mind!)
• Easy-to-use paper punch and strips of paper.
• Shallow bucket on a towel on the floor. Add water, boats, plastic fish, measuring cups, etc.
• Bucket of water and a paintbrush for outside painting. Works best on wood or concrete.
• Chalk on sidewalk or steps.
• Let them "wash" a few plastic dishes. Put an egg beater, measuring cup and baster in the water.
• A cup with non-toxic soapy water and a straw to blow bubbles. You may put it on a sheet of paper and add food coloring to the water.
• Make a necklace or snack chain with yarn (masking tape on end) and any cereal with holes; Fruit loops, Cheerios, etc.
• A plastic bottle (clean milk jug, well rinsed detergent bottle, etc.) and items such as clothes pin, straw, penny, etc., to drop in and then shake out again.
• Ice cube on a sidewalk. Works like sidewalk chalk, but requires no cleaning. (Also useful for cooling down.)
• Tape a sheet of freezer paper or newsprint to the floor and trace around the child (have them lie still on it with their arms and legs a little outstretched) and then let them color their self portrait.
• Cut (or tear) out fun pics from old magazines.  Use clippings to decorate a shoe box house, zoo, farm, city, school, park, etc.  Or make a theme collage (people, cars, letters, numbers, animals, etc.)
• Go through the house or yard or neighborhood and collect items to make a texture book/wall/gallery (focusing on touch...).
• Fill one side of the sink with water and add dish soap to create a place for objects to hide under. Give you toddler a pair of tongs and let them "fish" for the objects and drop them in a bowl on the other side of the sink. You could use all kinds of things as the treasures to be found: army men (could it be a rescue mission?), dice, canning jar rings, large legos, etc.
• Cut out some circles from cardboard and cover them in foil. Them put them in a bag to make a coin purse.
• Build with big cardboard blocks or boxes (city, roads, tallest towers, castle, etc.)
• Pull each other around the house on a thick blanket
• Play with beanbags – toss into boxes, toss to each other; “ring toss” – set up three different size boxes/cans at greater distances from the standing line.  Try to toss bean bags into each of the goals.  Outside, draw a “target” with chalk.  Toss bean bags into different sections of the target (can be bulls-eye or pie-shaped).
• Balloon basketball – take turns trying to throw a balloon into a pop-up hamper
• Play hide and seek
• Play duck, duck, goose
• Play Simon Says
• Play Mother, May I?
• Play foursquare outside
• Laundry basket boats – sail around the house collecting crew and treasure
• Play computer games – pbskids.org
• Button box, dry beans – sort, count, trade; in/out of different size boxes/buckets
• Beads, noodles – sort, count, trade, lace
• Poker chip money – sort, count, trade; in/out of different size boxes/buckets
• Play restaurant
• Play grocery store, toy store, book store, department store
• Play with play-dough
• Make art with stamps
• Work a few pages in a preschool workbook
• Rice bucket – pour colored rice into large empty plastic bin; put toddler in bin with scoops and cups
• Throw a party for a stuffed animal
• Throw a party for Daddy
• Play dress-up
• Play house/family – take the different roles of each family member
• Play doctor
• Make a tent indoors
• Music time – every one gets an instrument and take turns picking songs to sing and play along with
• Easel art
• Ball/car ramp –lean a long board onto a stack of books or table to make a ramp for cars and/or balls
• Draw a city on butcher paper (or on the sidewalk outside), then let cars and people play in the city
• Make lacing cards together by gluing pictures from magazines to card stock.  Laminate and punch holes.  Lace with yarn or shoe strings.
• Make a paper chain from strips of construction paper.
• Put on a puppet show.  Use curtain rod to drape a sheet across a doorway. 
• Make family puppets.  Use old photos of family members; glue to popsicle sticks.
• Make a puzzle out of front picture on cereal box.
• Cotton balls to play with – in buckets and cups, pinch with tongs, carry on spoon
• Hide puzzle pieces around the room and let the other person find and finish the puzzle.  Use hot/cold to give clues.
• Sew with yarn on plastic canvas
• Make a marble maze in a box lid or shallow box (or use a small ball)
• Work puzzles together
• Play a card or board game
• Go on a magazine scavenger hunt, finding the listed items in an old magazine.
• Use rope or long sticks to mark the two sides of a “brook”.  Have kids run and jump the brook.  Widen the brook with each successful attempt.
• Play follow the leader.
• Build and complete an obstacle course
• Play “monkey in the middle” trying to pass the ball to a friend while the friend in the middle tries to get it.
• Make shapes on sandpaper with various lengths of yarn
• Use different colors of felt to make faces – cut out eyes, ears, noses, mouths, jewelry, hair, bows; like Mr. Potato Head with felt
• Make a felt board by covering scrap wood with felt.  Cut out felt shapes to stick to the board.
• Scavenger hunt - Give children verbal instructions to collect a list of items (something smaller than your hand, something red, something soft, something longer than your arm, etc.).  Have them collect their items in a plastic bag or on-hand basket.  When enough items are collected, the children can compare their items, then return the items to their homes when finished.
• Flashlight tag – try to catch the other’s light with your own
• Tie a jump rope or long ribbon between two chairs; make a clothesline for doll clothes
• Big magnet – explore what is magnetic, what’s not (paper clips, washers, nails, etc.)
• Save a few paper towel and toilet paper rolls to make ball and car tunnels
• Color on sandpaper
• String together several empty boxes of various sizes for a stuffed animal train
• Stick rough side of Velcro to scrap board and attach soft side of Velcro to cast-off small toys (think Happy Meal toys)
• Wash the windows with a squirt bottle full of water
• Indoor tetherball (foam ball or balloon hung from a doorway; cardboard tube to bat at it)
• Paper cup pyramids
• Skate around the house in shoe boxes
• Make and climb a pillow mountain
• Use a toothpick to punch holes in black construction paper (put a dishrag under the paper).  Do a freeform design or trace a simple line drawing torn out of a coloring book.  Hold up to the light for a sparkling picture.

Hope it's helpful!  And if you have go-to ideas that work at your house, please, please share.  I need all the help I can get!  Obviously.

First Day of School

Today was A's first official day of homeschool!  We've been looking forward to it for a while now.  Here's the excited girl in her first-day-of-school dress.

We did art and reading today.  For art, she practiced drawing rectangles so she could make stick people with "muscles."  We also made a first day of school time capsule and filled it with a sample of her handwriting, her painted handprint, a piece of yarn as tall as she is, and a drawing she made.  If I remember where I put it, we'll take it back out in the spring to marvel at her progress.  Here's our little art student...

And our eager tag-along

C decided today that she wanted to try sitting on the potty.  I was amazed that we managed to accomplish any goals for the day in spite of 3-5 trips to the bathroom so she could sit on the potty and play with the toilet paper.  Hopefully, she'll forget all about it for a few more months.

We've been doing reading all summer, so it was nothing new.  Even though I know A has a big capacity for words, I'm still impressed at her progress and how quickly she is catching on to each new phonics rule.  Today, I introduced the "nch" and "tch" endings.  She read with confidence, "Tex will clench his drink in his left hand.  Tex will crunch his thin chips and sip his soft drink."

Throw in the usual dishes and laundry, some time playing baby turtles on the floor, giving "swimming" lessons in the ball pit, and letting the little mommy put her big kiddo to bed and you have a very full day.

It's no trite thing to say that God gets all the glory for the success of this day.  I absolutely cannot do this in my own strength.  To God be the glory for the things HE has done!!

Overwhelmed

I've been feeling really overwhelmed lately.  Lots of transition and new beginnings at our house.  I've been putting together a sketchy lesson plan for our first year of homeschool and trying to pull together some activities to keep C busy while I do lessons with A.  That has taken up a lot of my personal bandwidth this summer.  (That's how nerds communicate their capacity to process information.  I try to speak geek with my hubby whenever I can and sometimes it overflows into meat space.  That's where nerds have to interact with real people in real space instead of over the interwebs.)

We're also in the midst of changing our guest room/office into a playroom/guestroom.  We've moved the bedroom suite out and brought in a sleeper sofa, thereby insuring that no one will ever sleep overnight at my house again.  I'm trying to clear the room of it's old purpose and figure out it's new purpose without spending any money.  For now, that means a mountain of papers that need to be shredded or filed.  The encouraging thing is that if you wait two years to file your paperwork, a lot of it will be obsolete by the time you file and you can just throw it away.

Once the paper is clear, I'm wrestling with what I really want to put in the room so that A can enjoy it vs. not wanting C to decorate my walls with said enjoyment.  I enjoy these kinds of dilemmas and the energy that comes with a new configuration, but it's been keeping me up at night and that's not cool.

The reason we're changing the room around is to accommodate a new home group that we'll be leading this year.  I found out last week that we don't start the new group until mid-September, so that has helped me breathe a little bit.  I was thinking we only had two weeks to figure out the new room, what our group is going to study, our schedule for the fall, find a sitter for the group's kids, etc.  Two extra weeks helps a lot.

But I don't handle transition very well.  I sleep better when everything is settled.  I want the decisions to be made, the schedule mapped out, duties delegated, prep work done.  I want to have a great beginning for our new school year and our new home group, and I want to think it through enough that we finish well, too.  Until we're off and running, I'll be fidgeting with ideas and questions, wondering what the optimal solution is to each scenario.

I've been listening to podcasts from our previous church and have been reminded that unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain (Psalm 127:1).  I don't like spinning my wheels, so I pray we've heard rightly, that we'll keep our ears tuned to His voice and that God will be glorified in our home, through our family.  And if God is building it, it seems much less overwhelming.

Sense of Style

I can't handle heels, but C's got it down.  Leopard print, no less.  Maybe it's the low-slung diaper with no pants that improves her balance.

And if I can't do leopard print shoes, I'm certainly not bold enough to try a wild animal print skirt.  But I think she looks like a million bucks.

I've been a headband girl for years now, but the bright, sparkly ones seem a little young for me.

She's got quite the sense of style, no thanks to me.  Maybe she gets it from her dad.

Photo Backlog

Here's a few photo highlights of our summer so far.  

Sitting in the fire truck during a playgroup tour of the fire station

Playing princess checkers with Great-Granddaddy

Transforming a fridge box into a castle for A's birthday party

A's fourth birthday party

Hanging out with cousins

Looking for planes to take off at the municipal airport

Now if I could only get them into an album so easily.

18 Months (Just Barely)

I'm really late making notes about C's 18-month milestone.  So late, that she's almost 19 months old.  Here's hoping I can focus long enough to finish this post in one sitting.

At 18 months, C, you are so affectionate.  I always said your sister knew no stranger, but you've upped the ante.  She wanted to talk to everyone we saw; you want to hug them all.  You do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, or species.  It doesn't even have to be an animate object.  You recently pitched a fit at the splash pad because you couldn't figure out how to hug the fountain of water coming out of the ground. You're starting to accept that sometimes you can't give a hug and blowing kisses is a reasonable substitute.  It's a shame those lizards at the pet store were in a cage and only got an air kiss.  (No, we weren't pet shopping; only passing time out of the summer heat.)

You like playing with baby dolls, looking at books in your bed, coloring at the table (and sometimes on it), taking your clothes off and trying to get them back on, racing your sister, wearing other people's shoes, dancing, most foods (pickles, olives, onions, french fries, all fruit), crunching ice, telling knock-knock jokes with no punch line, mimicking A (for better or worse), swinging on the big girl swing, helping mommy sweep, and sitting in a big chair at the table, just to name a few.

Elmo is your new crush.  It's the first time I've seen you glued to the television.  I found a pair of Elmo pajama's in the 24-month hand-me-downs and you've worn them all week.  I could hardly get you to take them off the first morning.  I made the mistake of letting you see that Elmo band-aids exist, and you had them open before we checked out.  We'll enjoy it while it lasts, because I've got a hunch that Disney princesses are not far behind.

You are fascinated by steps.  The only one we have at our house is the curb at the end of the driveway.  On rare mornings, when I'm feeling like I can handle the heat for fifteen minutes, you go almost to the street and step on and off the curb as many times as you can before the heat and humidity cause a chemical reaction that turns your mama into She-Hulk.  Any other time you see steps, you want to give them a try.  When the weather is cooler, I promise to find a big, long set of stairs somewhere that you can go up and down to your heart's content.

You're hitting the "let me do it myself" stage with full force.  It started with buckling your booster seat after you got out of it.  Now you want to buckle yourself into it, and you also want to buckle your own car seat.  You also fiercely want to be able to dress yourself, but you're just not that coordinated yet.  Boy, do you get mad, mad, mad when I have to intervene and help you.  You want to dress your baby dolls, too, but that takes awhile to master.  Your big sister has finally figured it out, thank goodness.

Your 18-month well-check was pretty routine.  We got sent to the pediatric orthopedist, but that turned out to be nothing to worry over.  I'm supposed to keep an eye out for your fourth front tooth on the bottom.  It hasn't come in yet and it might not be there at all, since most of your one-year molars are in now.  Also not a problem, but we might have to take some steps later to make sure there is space there for your adult tooth.

You warm my heart and make me smile with your big, tight hugs and happy face.  You're getting over an ear infection and I had to hold you in the rocking chair through a few naps this week.  It wasn't convenient, but it was my pleasure to comfort you and have you relax into my arms.  What does God have planned for you, little bit?  How can I help you get there?  Can't wait to see.

Seeds Discount Expires Tomorrow

Just in case you've been meaning to go get yourself a Seeds cd, I wanted to remind my loyal readership that my discount code expires tomorrow.  So if you want yourself some good music, take advantage of the 20%  off and enjoy!

No News

You know the saying...no news is good news.  Sorry to take so long to report it, but C's appointment last week with the pediatric orthopedist was uneventful.  At our 18-month well-check, I asked the doc if we should be concerned about her little toes turning in.  He said the infamous, "I don't think it's anything to be concerned about, but let's consult a specialist."  That's the same thing he said before A's thumb diagnosis and surgery.  So I was a little apprehensive.

Apparently, there is no pediatric orthopedist in our town, so I had to make an hour and a half drive north.  I was less than thrilled to learn that the reason we got such a quick appointment was because we were seeing the nurse practitioner.  Nothing against the nurse practitioner, but if you drive an hour and a half with an 18-month-old in the back seat, you kinda hope to see the doctor.  It took us longer to walk from the car to the office than our office visit took.  Probably because I let C toddle along holding my finger the whole way.  She was not happy about being stuck in the car that long.

The diagnosis is hip anteversion, but nothing that won't be outgrown.  Basically, she is pigeon-toed (which we knew) and the best treatment is to wait for her to outgrow it.  Braces used to be recommended, but they've found that braces don't help significantly more than just waiting, so let's not do that to a toddler.  The straightening will be very slow and gradual and I was told that we may not even notice it.  It doesn't affect her mobility or activity, so it's not a significant concern.

So, no news is good news.  Sorry it took so long.  This week has been a crazy busy week, but more on that later.

Genius

There are two ideas we have implemented recently at our house and all I can say is, "Genius!"  They are not our own ideas; we borrowed them from the interwebs.  But we love them like our own.

The first solves a really old problem...how to get the preschooler to stay in her room until the sun comes up.  Both my children wake up when the light penetrates their curtains and it was really becoming a problem for A to stay in her room.  We had used an alarm clock that would play music when it was okay for her to come out, but she never knew how much longer it was going to be until the music came on.  I saw a really fancy preschool alarm clock online that had several different lights to go on/off at various times plus music. Looked brilliant, except for the $50 price tag.  J said he could rig up something similar with a plug-in timer that we use for Christmas lights.  Voila!  He plugged a dim bedside lamp into the timer and programmed it to come on at 6:45 am and go off at 7:00 am.  The idea is you stay in your bed until the light comes on, and you can leave the room when it goes off.  Works wonderfully!  Goodbye to the 4-6 interruptions between 6-7 am asking, "Can I get up and play yet?  Now?  Now can I get up?  How many more minutes until I can get up?"  Genius!

I found the second idea while searching for ideas to compile "busy box" activities for C to do while I am doing reading lessons with A.  Another mom mentioned using a small, inflatable pool to let the toddler play with rice, beans, buttons, beads, etc. while mom is nearby helping the older child.  Genius!  Especially since I already had the pool and the rice.  Only problem was keeping the older kid out of the fun.

What would we do without the internet?!

Four Years Old

Dear A,

You turned four this month. I'm a little late making notes about it, because we spent so much time getting ready for your party and then recuperating. You wanted a princess party with princess cupcakes. I did my best to give you all you wanted without selling out to Disney.

You started reading last month, and I can't slow you down. You're sounding out street signs, billboards, and magazine headlines. Daddy has been reading chapter books to you at bedtime for a few months now and you soak up all the new vocabulary. Sometimes I hear you narrating your play and it sounds so sophisticated.

You love to color, especially with markers. You make a picture for somebody at least once a day. You send them to the office with Daddy, mail them to cousins and grandmas, and still I have a big stack to sneak out of the house somehow. Your drawings are taking shape with recognizable people and houses, suns and flowers.

You have successfully quit sucking your thumb and got to paint your nails for the first time as a reward. 
You're still stuck on a sippy cup, but I'm working on phasing that one out, too. Your afternoon nap is becoming less regular without the help of your thumb to go to sleep. You've been enjoying quiet time every other day or so. At night, you want to sleep on the top bunk and sometimes you even make it to sleep without your beloved meatsy.

You ask so many, really good questions. "Where did the white plug in C's room come from? (electrical plug) Why do some kids have the same as me and others don't? (referring to body parts) Mommy, do you have a baby in your tummy or did you eat too much ice cream? (the latter, unfortunately)"

You're a great big sister, very helpful when you want to be. But it's hard to play with C sometimes, because she just doesn't understand your rules yet and you are all about the rules. You'll have to learn how to work things out with her because she's getting big and she's not afraid to hurt you. Today you made a "park" for her in the living room with lots of things you thought she would enjoy. You promised that she could play however she wanted and you wouldn't get angry. That was a very big gesture on your part.

I'm really trying to work with you right now to be a smidge less dramatic. You tend to have huge reactions to little problems, and the resulting battle is very draining. So then the next meltdown is a little bigger and the whole thing kind of snowballs our day. You have so many words, so it's really frustrating when you resort to flailing around on the floor and screaming. With God's help, we'll smooth out that rough edge before your next birthday.

I am so proud to call you my daughter and feel blessed beyond measure that God has placed you in our family. I pray we will have the wisdom and love to cultivate your soul into the beautiful masterpiece He has envisioned.

Gross Out

I think of all the nasty things I have to deal with as a mom--from bodily fluids to smushing bugs--black, chunky water that comes squirting out of stagnant rubber ducks has got to be one of the most repulsive side effects of a good time.

Lazy Day

Mark it - I think today has been the closest our little family will come to a lazy summer day this year. Nowhere to go, nothing huge to do. We played trains, read books, the girls even played while I got some things tended to. We ate popsicles on the patio for snack, then I filled up the pool. The girls are swimming while I blog. Wish there were more days like this one in the foreseeable future. How did our summer fly by so fast and furious?!

Beautifully Said

I have a lot of admiration for well-written blog posts that communicate truth and love in a way that is hard to ignore. Here are a few posts from blogs I read that made me say, "Amen!" or "Ouch!" when they arrived in my inbox.

Love is Not Colorblind

Better Me Than You

Herein is Love

How to Live a Better Story

10 Ways to Instantly Become More Attractive

How to be Disorganized & Unproductive at Your Job #1

How to be Disorganized & Unproductive at Your Job #2

Some of these are brand new, others are really old. I've been holding on to some of the links so I could share them here, and this is my way of de-cluttering my inbox. I think that takes the prize for laziest spring cleaning ever!

Kids Eat Free

My brother-in-law sent me these links to sites that help you find good restaurant deals with kids in tow. Thought others might find them helpful and putting them here keeps me from losing them. Enjoy!

http://www.mykidseatfree.com/welcome.asp

http://www.frugalliving.tv/free-stuff/kids-eat-free.html

Here Goes

Today is the day we say goodbye to thumb-sucking. Well, at least we take the first step and hope it works a miracle and we can really say goodbye to thumb-sucking without having to figure out what further action may be necessary. I just painted A's thumb with yucky clear polish marketed to help folks stop biting their nails.

First I said a little speech, "Thank you, thumb, for your years of service providing comfort and well-being. You have been a good friend. But, A is 4 now, and it is time to say goodbye to baby ways. It makes us a little bit sad to grow up, but we're also excited to see what will come next." We told her she could get pretty pink polish once we knew she was all done sucking her thumb. As the yucky polish went on, she cried and said, "I don't want pink polish." Then we took turns blowing as hard as we could on her nail to dry the polish. That turned pretty silly, so we ended on a good note.

She's already had one run-in with the bitter polish in the last half hour and it did produce some tears. But mainly she just wanted some juice stat to wash away the flavor. I told her that I used to suck on my fingers when I was little girl and my parents put the yucky polish on my nails, too. I distinctly remember waking up screaming in the middle of the night when my usual habit betrayed me. I hope I will be able to summon my compassion tonight if the same thing happens to my daughter.

We have no plans for today, so we'll hang out at home and see what kind of progress is made. Here goes...

Confessions

Since I have blogged about my attempts at natural beauty and cleaning solutions, I feel the need to confess when I use a commercial alternative. Because I know you're all out there hinging on my every thought on the subject. So this blog post is brought to you by my fear of hypocrisy.

Baking soda shampoo - 90% usage rate. It has really helped that I repurposed a big conditioner bottle to use for my homemade shampoo. Because it holds so much, I feel like I can use a lot each time and not have to worry about refilling the bottle every time I bathe. Using more of the solution helps with the itchy scalp. And I don't really mind dousing my head with cold water during the summer.

Homemade laundry detergent - 100% usage rate. Seems to work pretty well.

Homemade dishwasher detergent - 0% usage rate. I think I screwed up the last batch by trying to mix it in the box. I think my ingredients got layered instead of throughly mixed. As a result, I was washing several loads with borax, then several loads with baking soda. My dishes were getting chalky. I got tired of re-rinsing, so I just went back to Cascade. When I get close to running out of that, I may try the homemade again. But this time, I'll mix it in a bowl first, then funnel it into the box.

Lanolin chapstick - 100% usage rate. Love it!

Homemade deodorant - pfththtbth! Let's not even go there in this heat.

Oil-cleansing method for my face - 100% usage rate. Can't say enough wonderful things about this!! Of all the natural things I have tried in the last year, this one sounded the strangest, but has definitely been the most beneficial and worthwhile. If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out.

Double-edge safety razor - 30% usage rate. I probably feel the most guilty about this one. Every time I use my expensive, plastic cartridge refill, I feel my own words burning in my ears. I confess I was over-zealous on this one. I do love the frugality of the razor refills for the safety razor, but I can go a lot faster with the modern one. Since I rarely have time to gingerly coax the razor across my skin, I find myself bypassing the safety razor for the more expensive alternative. On days when I do have the luxury of more than ten minutes to shower and shave, I choose the safety razor to help save on the expensive refills.

Coconut oil for my hair - 100% usage rate. Seems to work well as a leave-in conditioner for the ends of my hair

Pure cocoa butter for lotion - 0% usage rate. I don't think I even blogged about this one because it was such a flop. I've read great things about the moisturizing properties of cocoa butter and how pure cocoa butter is even better. So I found some and forked over the dough for it, but it's practically impossible to use. It's so solid in it's container, that I have to scrape it out with a knife. Then, I would need to warm it in the microwave in a glass bowl to make it spreadable. Of course, you have to wait for it to cool because who wants to rub hot oil on their skin?! But don't get distracted and forget about it, or you'll have to start all over. Not worth it.

Ah, confession is good for the soul. I know I feel better now.

Love Me Tender

I was feeling pretty cruddy yesterday morning and A was so sweet. I laid down on the couch for a few minutes to recuperate from C's morning circus and let the pounding in my head subside. I told her my throat was scratchy and she ran away. I basked in the silence for a moment and then almost cried when she returned with a damp wash rag for me to put on my throat. Isn't that sweet?!

She played very patiently with her little sister on the floor while I rested on the couch. She paused to bring me a blanket and lovingly spread it out to intermittently cover both my toes and thighs, but not at the same time. She asked if she should bring the thermometer, but I told her that wasn't necessary.

When J got home from work, he banished me to the bedroom to rest, but not before A asked him for a cup from the cabinet. She's so proud that she can fix a cup of ice water from the fridge and usually has one waiting for Daddy when he comes in the door each evening. But this time, I was the honored recipient. Then she ran to get me another rag for my throat.

Thank you, God, for tender moments that help sustain us through less-than-pleasant personality phases. I shouldn't be amazed that You can love me well through a preschooler.

It Could Happen to You

God likes to humble me. That's one of the many reasons He blessed me with children. I have a tendency to stare blankly with my head cocked to one side when I hear mothers describe crazy things their kids do. Your son put a rock in his ear? What made him do that? Why would your daughter use lipstick to paint her wall? This sort of nonsense doesn't happen at my house. Your toddler took her dirty diaper off and carried poop around the house?! Where were you while this was going on?

Well, to be perfectly honest, I was reading a rather intriguing blog post about how guilty I should feel for using antibacterial soap (is any commercially-available product guilt-free and safe for consumption these days?). And in my defense, I'm fighting a sinus infection, so my brain is a little fuzzier than usual. So when C walked in to the kitchen this morning to put something in the trash, I was glad she announced it so that I could check to make sure that it really was trash before she threw it in. Why, yes dear, the trash can is a good place to deposit the poop from your diaper. What the heck?!!

And yes, she was walking around in nothing but a diaper so she had easy access. When I went to get her out of her crib this morning, she had super-soaked her diaper and I had to strip her down immediately, then change the sheet. I decided to wait until after breakfast to put play clothes on her. I thought I was saving myself some laundry. She has never before indicated an interest in taking her diaper off, although she has randomly landed on the tabs and pulled them open when I'm changing her. So I should have known she was capable.

I guess while I was engrossed in my blog, she did her business and decided to investigate. I'm soooo glad she made a bee line for the trash can. The mess stayed contained in the diaper and on her person. I whisked her off to the bathtub and hosed her down, making good use of a disposable washcloth sample I found in the cabinet. Once clean and dry, I locked her down in a onesie and a pair of overalls for good measure.

While she was in the bathtub, she begged to rescue the bathtub baby hanging from the shower hose to dry. I gave it a good squeeze to confirm it was dry and handed it over. She likes to feed her baby dolls whatever she is eating in her high chair, so I buckled her and the baby doll in and gave her a waffle. When I came back to her with a juice cup a few minutes later, her tray was full of water, she was soaking wet and a small pond was forming on the floor. Apparently the baby doll was not dry and more importantly, it's secret identity is a ShamWow!

So to recap, before my breakfast this morning, I stripped a urine-soaked baby and bed, washed a poopy baby, and mopped stale bath water off part of my kitchen floor. Don't laugh...it could happen to you. Or it already has and I laughed. And for that I am truly sorry and humbled. Next time, we'll laugh together.