useful mommy

Product Review: Huggies Goodnight Diapers

2009-08-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

When Emily was around 9 months, we tried everything with the resources we had-and she woke up wet every morning. Not just wet, but straight into the bath, stinky, soaked. I was sooo excited when I discovered that Huggies made diapers specifically for heavy nighttime wetters, I called Gabe at work in the middle of his day-just to share my exciting news. I somehow managed to contain my excitement and not call to tell everyone this happy news, much to their relief, I am sure. :)

Huggies is the only brand I am aware of that makes a diaper specifically for nighttime wetters. I wish other brands did, or I could find a cloth option, but I have so far been unsuccessful. And honestly, if this is something you need, there is not much to be said for being stubborn about it.

Pro's:

Baby wakes up dry.
Baby wakes up dry.
Baby wakes up dry.
See the trend? Its a wonderful thing to wake up to when you can't always choose when you wake up-at least you can control some of the circumstances. :)

Con's:

Occasionally Lucy poops first thing in the morning and that can leak some, but I'm pretty sure that is not a problem with the diaper-how many full, wet diapers hold poop well? This is not really a con against the diapers. . .

Bottom line: if this is something you need, it is VERY worth it. Hopefully you don't, but if you do, there it is. :) These are also available for subscription on Amazon to save 15% on a case.

Forgot the Bug Repellent? Doctor Burt's Res-Q Ointment

2009-07-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well, its not so much that I forgot the bug repellent, as I just did not think I would need it to go sit by the pool with the kiddos for 15 minutes. 15 minutes later, I re-entered the house with 13 mosquito bites-quite itchy!!

I spent a bit of time reading earlier this summer on how to make your own bug repellent. It looks pretty easy, and eventually more economical, but given that I was leaving town and scrambling to pull things together with as little investment as possible, I caved and bought the California Baby Bug Repellant, which I've read several good reviews on. Next summer I am excited to try making my own, but for this year, hopefully I can stretch one bottle through the summer. Since there is one month left, my chances are good. :)

However, having forgotten to apply it before going down to the pool, I was left miserably itchy, trying to make dinner. In my earlier research, I came across Burt's Bees Doctor Burt's Res-Q Ointment (in the little green tin) as a more natural alternative to benadryl cream. As it turned out, I had Res-Q Ointment on hand, and not benadryl, making the choice easy! I have to say, I think it works better than benadryl creams ever did! Five minutes after application I was itch free, and I still am, 4 hours later. Maybe Georgia mosquitos are a weaker breed than the ones in Michigan, but I am very impressed with how well this worked and will be keeping it on hand for our new Georgia home.

Help Pave the Way

2009-06-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

On my third time through this, I am tempted to slack off on this, especially since it feels like we just went through this. However, things went so smoothly last time, I think it would be foolish to leave the kids out of this wonderful process. I probably went a little overboard last time, but things went really well. (I have to admit, I do cheat a little bit. Both of my children love babies. Even so, loving babies and wanting to share your mommy and your house with a screaming little person can be two different things.) Here are things that we did that I thought were really helpful, a few that were less helpful, and one that is not for everyone.

We have included our kids right from the beginning. In fact, they knew about Lucy before Gabe did. I let them help me decorate his car when we told him, then the three of us hid around the corner and called to ask him to get something from his car. But we start talking right away about how the baby is growing in mommy's tummy. When the baby gets big enough, the baby will come out, but not until the baby is ready. Emily and Joe loved to sit next to my baby belly and talk to Lucy and give her kisses. And yes, they payed very close attention when Gabe showed them how to blow raspberries, too.
Get a baby doll. Lucy is still pretty young. I had not really thought about it. Plus, her big sister has probably 4 dolls? Thankfully, Grandma is looking out for her, and sent a little soft, baby doll in the mail. I have read a lot of moms recommending this for when the baby comes. She can change her baby while mommy changes the new baby, she can rock her baby, feed her baby, and so on. (Yes, be prepared for all of your babies and stuffed animals to start nursing if you nurse. :) Emily nursed from her belly button for the longest time-so cute!) But even now, I can start to get Lucy prepared. I show her the sign for baby, and I rock her baby. Then I help her rock the baby. And she smiles. And snuggles the baby. Then she throws it across the room. But we are getting there. It is a starting point for her, since she does not have any clue what is going on.
I will do a separate post on books, but showing kids pictures of what the baby looks like now, helps them to feel like part of the process even before mommy's tummy is looking big. The pregnancy books that specify what is growing this week and how big baby is are wonderful!
I let my kids watch children friendly birth videos. Yes. I really did. And when I say kids, I mean my almost 3 year old and my 20 month old. I really believe in preparing them. And when I asked them if they wanted to see the baby come out, they said yes. So preparation, here we come. The first time through one, I looked over at them and their eyes were about as big as they could get and they looked stunned. At first I thought, oops. I made a big error here. Then I started talking them through it: "It is hard work to get the baby out." "Some mommies make funny sounds when they are working hard." "Some mommies look grumpy when they are getting the baby out." I worked hard at just presenting it as a natural, normal thing. (And the videos we showed were postive ones!!!) We talked about how babies like to nurse when the come out, and it helps the mommy. By the second and third birth, the kids were getting excited as the baby heads crowned and would shout "here comes the baby!" and Emily would comment "he wants mommy milk." They were totally into it. It was really sweet. And completely comfortable with it. Obviously, this is probably not something for everyone. This would be too much for some kids. Others would love to be a part of the birth.
I let the kids pick out a present for the new baby, and baby got them LITTLE gifts too, but honestly, they were so absorbed in the baby, they really did not care about the toys.
TALK. TALK. TALK. Every opportunity that pops up, talk about what a new baby is like. A new baby eats mommy milk a LOT. It takes hard work to get the baby out, and mommy will need a few days to recover from that hard work. A baby only drinks mommy milk until the baby gets older (NEVER give the baby food without asking.) A baby needs lots of sleep. A baby needs lots of diaper changes. And so on. You know what this will be like. They may or may not. Let them know, let them be part of it. :) It goes without saying, be positive.

Why High Fructose Corn Syrup IS Bad

2009-06-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Have you seen these? Maybe not. When I saw this, I was savvy enough to know that High Fructose Corn Syrup IS bad for me and my kids. But why? That, I did not know. I should, but as with a lot of my health education, I know what to avoid, what to use, how to best use many things, and that is what I know. Most of the why's I have left up to people that I trust. Thankfully, WAPF (Weston A. Price Foundation) addressed High Fructose Corn Syrup in their Spring issue of Wise Traditions. Here is the quick version of why HFCS is bad for you. If you want to see the full article with the slightly more complicated science, or why they do not like Agave Nectar either, go visit their website. They have several articles about both. But for now :)

HFCS is more likely to cuase weight gain.
It is in a LOT of food, and therefor challenging to use in the advised "moderation".
Almost half of tested samples of HFCS also contain mercury!!!
HFCS can lead to mineral losses.
It can elevate blood pressure.
Reduced "cognitive function" in rats. (Seriously, I need all of the "cognitive function" I can get!)

Okay, this is a pretty brief and very basic list. For me, its enough. If you want to see the science and the studies leading up to some of the statements here, and more (I left A LOT out) go check out WAPF. They are loaded with info on bad things. :)

Kids sit still for free food-maybe?

2009-05-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

So, I usually try to post an amazing or simple recipe on Saturdays. But, since life happens-affordable ways to eat out are good to know, too. It turns out, the more kids that come along, the less you eat out. Forget getting all of them to sit still for an entire meal, just paying for them to eat is tricky-ridiculous. We used to stuff them full of cheese and apples and then just let them eat french fries. Which sort of worked. It is clearly not the healthiest option. However, my wonderful husband came across an amazing list today. This post has a list of where kids can eat free or for $1 on different days of the week. Some are local restaurants, but others are nationwide chains, like Applebees and Red Robin! It is worth checking out!

Or check out this site which allows you to search according to your zipcode and the day of the week. :)

So, once you make it to the restaurant, you are still stuck with keeping children still. A great way to do this-keep a magna doodle or two in the diaper bag! Go to family friendly restaurants where they have coloring books and crayons. After those run out, here are a few other ideas from Parenting Magazine's Melody Warnick:

Something's Missing: Dump out a few objects from your purse and let your kids study them for a a minute or two. Ask him to close his eyes, then remove on the the objects. See if he can figure out what disappeared. Then let him have a turn stumping you.
Food Mystery: Play "What did I eat today?" by giving your child one clue at a time: "I ate something green. I at something round. I at something that comes in a bunch." Once you guesses that you noshed on grapes, its his turn.
Rock the Vote: Have your kid give a thumbs-up or -down as you name different food, TV shows, or activities. You may be surprised to learn what he loves (and hates).

Of course, if you are really brave, you could pull out phonics flash cards or something educational. Or bring that chapter book you keep trying to get through with the kiddos. (We just got Charlotte's Web from Paperbackswap! I am soo excited to read it.)

Product Review: Bella Band

2009-05-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

About an hour after the truck left our home in Vancouver, WA to take our things to storage, I realized that all of my maternity clothes had been packed in the truck as well. Okay, no big deal, I was only going to take a few anyway, just in case. As with all of the baby stuff, I was not going to take up precious space with things that I may or may not need. However, it turns out a few things would have come in handy. (I also found a few maternity shirts that snuck along anyway-phew!) I am currently finding that even though my clothes still fit, pants are definitely much more comfortable unbuttoned. If only they would stay up when they are unbuttoned. Enter the Bella Band. This has got to be one of the most amazing, multi-use tools for pregnant and new moms!! I got it when I was pregnant with Lucy and trying to keep it a secret until 14 weeks, and it has been in my closet ever since. Even after the baby comes, it is great for a simple prevention for showing off some postpartum belly while nursing. While pregnant it does everything from prolong the use of non-maternity clothing to help keep up maternity pants when baby is just too big. This is so versatile and useful that I found it worth the $26 (off brands run around $20.)

First Trimester Survival Tips

2009-05-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

Now on my fourth pregnancy, I almost feel like this is old hat. If only it were a wonderful feeling old hat. :) But at least I have figured out some okay ways and some great ways to cope. It has varied for me each pregnancy, just like each pregnancy is different. But here are some starting tips "from the trenches":

Snack: little frequent, protein rich snacks can go a long way to managing and preventing nausea. (I love the Mrs. Mays nut and fruit snacks available at Costco-they have a natural, healthy source of protein-nuts, and about 6g/serving.)
Gum! I am really loving chewing on mint gum right now. In past pregnancies, there have been times where the thought of having something just sitting in my mouth sounds like a really bad idea. This time, a piece of mint gum has done wonders for taking off the edge so I can make dinner.
Preggie Pops: similar to the gum, having something in my mouth is not always a good idea, but when I was on the edge, these seemed to help a bit. And they were a yummy treat. :) Honestly, the drops seemed better than the pops. I had to be doing really well to handle a lollipop.
Minty goodness: Burt's Bees has a clay face mask with a very minty smell to it. Aura Cacia has a wonderful ginger/mint aromatherapy bubble bath. One of my favorite things to do when I was pregnant with Lucy, was to take a nice bath after the kids were in bed. It was worse in the mornings and at night, so this was a good time to just enjoy nice minty goodness with a good book.
Lemon in water: I have read that lemon can help with morning sickness. I am not sure how much it helps, but it sure makes that unappetizing 7th and 8th glass of water look a little more appealing. Much healthier than juice, but tastier than plain water.
Juice: speaking of juice, getting down those prenatals can be tricky at the best of times. One way I would get them down is to get a glass (of a healthier option) juice. If I used the juice to swallow the pills, and knew I had a cup of juice left to drink after the pills were down, it helped. Bribe yourself.
Make dinner count: I know there are amazing women out there who cook their way through pregnancy. I am not one of them. I am realizing that the pregnancy/new baby season is one where cooking ends up low on my priority list. One trick I am learning is to make a meal count for two or three. Whenever possible, I try to double the meal and freeze the other half. When I am having a really rough day, I can pull it out of the freezer and know that I do not have to work very hard to make dinner that night. :)
It is okay: It is okay to take a break. It is okay to nap on the couch while the kids are watching Blue's Clues. It is okay to ask for help. :) At least, I hope it is okay. My kids are all doing fine so far. And I get a nap to get through the morning!

Ah Ha!

2009-05-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

Ah ha! The reason for my recent apathy has been discovered. Well, apathy might be a bit harsh. Recent fatigue? Anyway, not only am I nursing a baby who would prefer to sleep in our bed at night (finally got some rules back in place on this!) but we found out that baby #4 is on the way around Christmas, give or take a few weeks.

Apparently four is the big number. It officially launches us into crazy, big family world. The one where people wonder if you know where babies come from. :) I am actually getting really excited about the timing. And of course, the baby. And Emily, well, it really probably goes without saying that she is very excited. She's been telling me for months that we need another baby. Now she just needs to talk to Jesus some more about the baby brother part.

We are excited for the next stage in our big adventure!! :)

The Emotional Bank of Mommy

2009-05-13T18:36:00.001-07:00

I have a friend who continually amazes me. When we get together conversation inevitably ends up at parenting. While I am stuck at " I cannot believe so and so did that!! What were they thinking?!?" She has moved onto God's parenting/training skills. "I am so glad God is patient with me when I make the same mistake over and over and over again. I wonder what He thinks when that happens?" And I sit back and think. I step back from the problem, the frustration and realize that God loves me and He loves my children. And, for some reason, has blessed me with my sweet chickies. Who are sometimes sweet and sometimes not. However, even on the bad days, they are still our responsibility to train. Until God completely answers my prayers to help me not ever get frustrated or angry though, here are some coping strategies I have found useful when life gets out of control and my emotions are quick to follow:

Get out of the house: it does not matter where. No, that's not true. Choose a location wisely: a place you know your children love. Go for a walk. Go to the playground, the library, the zoo, or Grandma's house (and maybe slip out for a cup of coffee :) Choose a place where the children will be happy and busy enough that they will be well behaved.
Go for a little walk. Just getting some fresh air does wonders for me. And for all of us. And Emily finding little treasures just helps me remember the sweet moments and not just the frustrating ones. (We are in a treasure stage where every little walk brings home piles of "treasures.")
Its okay to turn on the tv or a movie for a little bit to give yourself time to regroup. Just make sure you use the time well. Pray, call a friend, lie down and close your eyes, do some sit-ups, whatever you need to do in order to calm down. A little warning, my kiddos behave better after some shows than others. Blue's Clues or Bob the Builder seem to help them have positive attitudes and they will happily spend the rest of the morning fixing things. Not a good fall back every time the kiddos fall apart, but acceptable to occasionally keep mommy from falling apart. :)

Mostly: have fun! Gabe's new job has some longer hours, and one of our plans for this season has just been to make the most of the time we do have as a family. And it has been a lot of fun. This weekend Gabe has to travel. Rather than wear us all out with a great big to do list for Mommy, my to do list this weekend includes making a fort, reading books, watching a movie, making cookies, and maybe even painting. We are just going to have fun. I will probably do some laundry and maybe even try to clean the floor. But my only priority is to have fun with the kids.

I am finding joy in my family. And that goes a looooong when I spend all morning wiping poopy bottoms and reminding people to get poop in the potty rather than their pants. If we have a crazy day where I spend all day correcting someone. Or at least it feels like it, it will be ok. Its like a parenting bank. If we make a lot of positive deposits, the bank of Mommy can handle some negatives withdrawls without crashing. If we are in a constant state of withdrawing, Mommy crashes and Daddy is left with the peices when he gets home. Um, and while spending postive time as a family is soo important, don't forget the postive time with our Father. :) That is like a blank check-there is no end to the grace from Him.

Book Review: On Beyond Zebra

2009-05-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

Gabe recently expressed an interest in reading Dr. Seuss to the kids. Since then, we have been faithfully picking out some Seuss each time we go to the library. Well, each time we remember to return the last Dr. Seuss book. One of the last ones we got out, "On Beyond Zebra" was just amazing. He explains how most people end the alphabet at Z for Zebra, but for some that is just not enough. He continues the alphabet in a way that only, well, in a way that only Dr. Seuss could. If you have ever read "Dr. Suess's ABC" you might have a vague idea what I am talking about. A Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz is just the beginning of Suess's imagination when it comes to the alphabet.

Frankly, though, this is great! Not only is it fun to read, it stretches the understanding of letters. It is like learning the basic principles of letters and phonics, then just going absolutely crazy with it and having a lot of goofy fun!

I did start thinking though, just like we end the alphabet with Z (which is fine by me, 26 letters is plenty, in my mind) often, we stop with "Horton Hears a Who", "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!", and "There's a Wocket in my Pocket". But there are so many amazing books written by Dr. Seuss, some with serious lessons to be learned, some to help learn letters, numbers and rhymes, or some that are just plain goofy. Either way, it is worth checking out a few you have never read and trying them. Just be careful which ones you choose before bedtime-some can be pretty long! :)

Product Review: Baby Bjorn Carrier

2009-04-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I did not start out to own a Baby Bjorn. 5 weeks after Emily was born, my husband encouraged me to use some of the generous baby gift money to buy a plane ticket and take my first little baby to Michigan to meet her grandpa, and other great grandparents, and uncles. However, to get a first time mom and a very tiny, hm, my babies have never been tiny-small. To get a first time mom, a small baby and all of the baby equipment a first time mom faithfully carts everywhere through security and on and off two planes and then into a car on the other side. Plan of action: take a bit of gift money to Babies-R-Us and get a baby carrier, just simple, efficient one. Nothing fancy. I was all set to go for the lower end.

Unfortunately, this is one of the things I like about stores like Babies-R-Us and Segals-they have several options available to try out before purchasing one. A sales lady came up and had us try on several with Emily. Blast! I really liked the Baby Bjorn Carrier. It was significantly more comfortable than the others. So the sales lady tells us how wonderful it is and why. This was 4 years ago, so I do not remember what she said, but I liked the carrier. Then, she tells us that they do not have them in stock and we would have to go to Target to get one. Seriously? She tells us how wonderful this carrier is, which maybe she is just selling a product, but she is sending me somewhere else to buy it? Hm.

Okay, so I ended up at Target buying the basic Baby Bjorn carrier, four years ago before I knew about the wonders of Craigslist. But, it worked wonderfully for the airport. Emily did a great job and we managed the 5+ hours of flight time quite well. Okay, summary time: :)

Con's:

$$ ($80+) less than an ergo and many other carriers, but for the style of carrier, it is spendier, especially if you go for one of the other variations-however, it is often available on craigslist
not compact to carry, not like it takes up a ton of room, but you cannot mash it or fold it and tuck it in a diaper bag, like a moby wrap or a pocket sling

Pro's:

very comfortable for a small baby, works for about a year, but it does get a little less comfortable as the baby gets bigger, I still use it for Lucy for shopping (she's 9 months, maybe about 17-20 lbs?) it works great for shopping, but I would not choose if for hiking if I had other options
very easy to learn how to use, quick to put on and take off
easy to put a sleeping baby onto a bed
comes in lots of pretty colors, some cost more
easy and sufficiently manly for daddy to use (or easy for a babysitter or other caregiver)

I like using this one. While I prefer the Moby Wrap for most use, I did use this one a lot while I was learning how to use the Moby and while Lucy was getting used to a carrier. She was a little particular about when they should be used. I used to laugh at our first Bradley class teacher when she referred to her Baby Bjorn as her "back-up carrier", but now I understand. I am glad I have it, but if I had to choose just one carrier, this would not be it. That being sad, I would be very sad to part with it.

Costco Without Blowing the Budget

2009-04-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

I do not know how many other people have this problem, but it is very hard for me to get in and out of Costco without spending at least $50. If I am doing really well, the kids are doing well, no one is hungry and I have a list, I can. But even so, I often pick up one or two extra items.

The other day, we took the stroller into Costco, bypassing the huge carts and made our rounds. We did get a few more grandmotherly comments this way, but I made it by all of the easy meal frozen foods that looked a bit tempting to my hungry tummy without grabbing one. The foods I needed fit perfectly in the basket of the stroller and the rest that I did not need, I left on the shelf because I did not have room. Another plus, my stroller is a lot easier to maneuver around Costco than the big cart and it does not have to be returned to the cart corral when I am done with it. :)

Okay, really I just love my stroller and this is another great way for me to use it, but even so, it is an idea worth repeating, I think.

Maria Montessori

2009-04-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

So, it turns out that just about everybody has an opinion about how children learn. And how they think they learn affects how they think children should be taught. I guess that makes sense. I have a few myself. I think my children have a few ideas of their own as well. Joe's ideas appear to involve not wearing pants. Sigh.

There are a lot of educational philosophies based on one, or a combination of theories by different psychologists and educators. I thought I would start with a fun one: Maria Montessori. Montessori has always fascinated me, although, I have to confess, I do not think I have the discipline to follow it. Plus, I really like just playing and getting messy. I am pretty sure children do, too. At least mine sure seem to.

Maria Montessori (1870-1952) started her school in Italy in 1907. I think of it as the "little adult" method. Yes, this is an extreme over simplification. Since I do not want to blog about just one method for pages and pages, I will summarize a bit, and maybe I will go into some things more later. In a Montessori classroom the teacher directs the activities which are divided into four big areas: daily-living skills, sensorial, academic, and cultural and artistic abilities. The goal of these activities is to build skills and to build the "inner construction of discipline, organization, independence, and self-esteem through concentration on a precise and complete cycle of activity" (Lillard 1972, p.71) Basically, the student chooses from several teacher selected activities that are self-correcting, completes the task, puts it back, selects another one. Obviously a little different depending on the catagory. For a different description of the Montessori method see Wondertime's description here.

I used to be fascinated my the Montessori method. However, it was not my favorite method. More of a "there are some very useful techniques and ideas that could easily be included" method. Don't get me wrong, the children in the classrooms I have visited seemed thrilled. I am just a big fan of opportunities to explore. Here are some things that I take away from Montessori:

They can do it. Montessori preschools have child size everything so that children can do everything that they need to. Wash their hands, get and pour themselves a drink, get a toy, put away a toy. Yes, pour the drink. From a child-sized pitcher to a child-sized glass. When I student taught preschool we were encouraged to have the children do as much as they could to put on their own winter gear, for the same reasons I do now, I found that a challenging prospect. It is so much easier to throw a child into the gear myself. However, three children later, I am starting to catch on. It takes a ton of time to get three children ready to go. And just like those preschoolers, my children would prefer I do it as well. However, my same son who insists he is incapable of putting pants on at my request, often shows up wearing different pants when he decided the pants in his drawer were so much cooler than the ones he had on. Bottom line: they can do it. I may have to help with some things, but we can get there. And maybe we start a policy of they try it first. This is not only helpful for me, it is helpful for them. To succeed in a task is pretty thrilling. Just ask my husband how I feel when the kitchen is clean at any given point in the day. :)
Do not be afraid to set higher standards. One of the things that fascinates me, is the children are happy. They are doing peaceful activities and they are happy. Not only that, they get out one project, complete it, put it away and find another. This is not like life at my house. Only in my wildest dreams. But I am working to accomplish my dreams. Maybe not that high, but all children are capable of a lot. And maybe when I spend all day seeing the shortcomings (aka sin) it is hard for me to remember that, especially when I miss one child's success because I am dealing with another child's sin, or poop. As a mommy, I am continually working to up the standards. I just occasionally need a little reminder that they can do so much more.
There is a sequence in learning. Sounds obvious, right? Well, sometimes I forget. Why is Joe always wearing his underpants backwards? It could be becuase he likes to be able to see Buzz Lightyear, which he clearly cannot do if Buzz is on his butt, or it could be becuase mommy never taught him how to tell the front from the back. Given the number of times all of his clothing ends up backwards, there is a good chance I neglected this skill. We taught getting them on, but I forgot the last part-front and back. This is a poor example, but often I find myself getting frustrated trying to teach something, and realize I forgot a step. I need to back up and start from the beginning. As if they know nothing about folding laundry, much less how to fold a napkin correctly, because they probably do not. I need to teach how to flatten and fold before I can teach how to fold in half once, and then another time and then once more. Take a deep breath and back up.
Did I mention they can do it? I think this is one of my favorites. I think I freaked my grandfather out when I let my 18 month son carry glasses to the dishwasher, but he so very much wanted to help, and I reminded him to be careful, and he was only to hand them to the person (his daddy) loading the dishwasher. With the reminder to be very careful, he did a great job!!

Recipes From Wonderful Kitchens

2009-04-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, new and wonderful food are not very high on my priority list right now. In fact, my biggest goal is to feed my family healthy meals regularly without trashing the kitchen or getting frustrated with the children for being needy while I am trying to make dinner. I can only feed, hm, no I take that back. The kids would eat foods they love day after day, I think. Gabe and I would get grumpy though. Lucy, well, Lucy is in her own particular food world. Here are a few places to get wonderful and healthy meal ideas.

Passionate Homemaking: Lindsay has some amazing recipes on here. When I am looking for a new recipe to try, I end up here more often than not. We love the waffles, chicken curry, and the grilled veggie sandwiches are incredible!
Nourishing Gourmet: I recently rediscovered this one, and have only had a little time to look around, but I am very excited to try the recipes, and Kimi knows her stuff. Also a good place to link to other health minded mommies and their recipes.
Cooking Light: Um, some delicious recipes, but you have to be saavy. Although they are starting to change, they are still trendy healthy-meaning that they follow the latest health trends. So be aware and ready to substitute as necessary.

Book Review: In Surplus

2009-04-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

Um, no, that is not the title of a book. But Family Fun featured this book site that looks like a lot of fun, so if you are in need of a good book to read with kiddos, but like me, prefer to go the library with an idea of what I want, check out justonemorebook.com. A little more handy than amazon. I am sure that not all of the books are worth reading, but I am always excited to find another resource.

Dinner for a Rough Day

2009-04-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

As I waded through the grumpy post nap kiddos, I realized that not only was the meat for dinner still partially frozen, the back-up plan for that meat required the beans to have been cooking all day. Okay, no big deal. I will just call Gabe and asked him to pick up canned beans on the way home. Well, I called and left a message. When he thoughtfully called back, I could not hear anything he said as all of the children were screaming. Finally, some words broke through "do you want me to just pick up some dinner?" What kind of a question is that?

Dear husband had signed up for Ruby Tuesday's e-mail list. They periodically send out bogo coupons. So, the kids finished the leftovers and went to bed. And Gabe ran two minutes around the corner and got dinner. And it was good. And quiet. And good. And, well, quiet. Plus, it did not leave me with additional clean up, giving me a few more minutes to try and catch up on other details, or just rest.

I really try to avoid asking Gabe to pick-up dinner on the way home, or even grab something once the kids are in bed (a great in-house date idea, though, if babysitters are difficult to come by.) However, he is very generous in offering them when I have had a rough day. In fact, since little person #2 showed up, these days are more frequent and I have tried to prepare for them. In addition to having meals in the freezer or Trader Joe specials, getting these coupons in the mail or e-mail is one way to make rough day meals more feasible. I also try to keep things on hand for grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Well, I am off to squeeze in a relaxing bath as Lucy is actually asleep when she is supposed to be this evening. Any suggestions for a baby that sits up the second she is remotely awake? Or feels she does not need to be asleep?

Oh, I actually meant to plug Ruby's a little more, we have been very impressed with their TueGo service. Some places pull this off poorly, but Ruby's goes on the list of places that pull it off quite well.

Product Review: Moby Wrap

2009-04-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

I love love love love love love my Moby Wrap. Granted, I do love all of my baby carriers, which is why they are still in the house. But I am quite fond of this one, and although it is probably not my first choice for taking all three kids shopping, I have used it for that and will do so in the future. Why is it not my first choice? Well, honestly, it is not the time factor. It is that I have yet to master putting it on in a way that does not drag the ends through abundant puddles. :p

You really have to see it to understand, and it is possible that you have seen one already, if you obsessively pay attention to baby products like I do. Otherwise, you may have missed it. A moby wrap is essentially a long peice of comfortable fabric that you wrap around yourself and then tuck baby in, safely and secure next to mommy, or daddy. Here is the summary of pro's and con's:

Con's:

"steep learning curve" meaning, it takes a bit of practice to get it on easily, although once you have it down, I would argue that it does not take much more, if any, time than another carrier
drag factor, when putting on outside, you do have to watch for puddles
it does eventually stretch, but pops back into place when you run it through the washer and dryer
not likely to be simply handed off to another care-giver to use (maybe this is a pro?)
cost-if you buy it new, it is around $40 (this might also be a pro becuase for the amount of support it gives, this is a reasonable price, to be honest, plus it is easy to find on Craigslist.)
it claims to be useable for children up to 40 lb's, I have not tried it with my older children yet, so I can not verify this (making this possibly a pro, but I do not know)

Pro's:

lots of beautiful color options
many options! can use baby facing mommy on front, baby facing out on front, baby on back, both newborn twins in front, nursing, cradle-similar to sling, kangroo time, etc.
easy to nurse discretely while wearing, and helps support baby-mommy feats of greatness-I nursed while hiking wearing this, and while it was a little harder on my back than sitting on my couch to nurse, it was totally doable!! And I did not have to slow anyone down to wait while I feed Lucy
I used this one in church to get Lucy to sleep, not only is she held close to my body, unlike other carriers where I have to place a blanket over my parrot-baby's head, I was able to tuck her head into the carrier making it difficult for her to move, bring the other side around to block her eyes (making sure it was still open enough for air movement!!) and she was off to sleep in minutes-priceless!
it is amazingly easy to wash-it does not distort any of the material going through the washer or dryer, it only puts it back into its original condition
becuase you are in charge of arranging the material, it can cover as much of your shoulders and back as you want, meaning it can be more similar to a traditional carrier, either way, it provides a lot of support to a tired mommy back, giving another reason to be one of my favorite carriers
very compact to transport, comes with a little sack that fits easily into most diaper bags

As with most baby things, it is important to evaluate what you are likely to use things for, what your specific needs are. Unfortunately, this is not information most people can for you, nor is it honestly something most moms know right away. I am on my third and still figuring these things out. :) But I have a lot of fun trying different options.

Another Organic Cheat Sheet

2009-03-31T18:07:00.000-07:00

I stumble across these occasionally and always read them diligently to tuck away in my brain for when I need it. Unfortunately, I suffer from mommy brain and three minutes into the grocery store cannot remember all of the items on my list, much less a list I saw in a magazine two weeks ago. The current magazine is Cooking Light, although, upon closer inspection, I discovered that it came from the Environmental Working Group's website. You can get this guide from them pretty enough to print and frame here. (Well, maybe not quite that pretty.) I like these lists because it helps me know how to prioritize my budget. Which foods are okay to fudge on and regularly or occasionally buy conventional, and which foods I want to make sure are organic whenever possible.

Best to buy Organic:

Apples
Potatoes
Lettuce
Cherries
Bell Peppers
Spinach
Peaches
Nectarines
Carrots
Celery
Strawberries

Contain trace amounts of pesticides (less crucial to buy organic):

Pinepples
Eggplant
Asparagus
Onions
Broccoli
Mangoes
Kiwifruit
Bananas
Avocados
Cabbage

One thing I also keep in mind is the size of the person consuming the food. If I am buying for a bunch of young adult guys who will consume most of the food in front of the, I probably will buy conventional if its not on the worst foods lists. If I am buying for my little baby it will probably be organic because her system is smaller.

Roasted Brussll Sprouts-Yum!

2009-03-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Oddly, this is my family's favorite vegetable. It disappears quickly off the table before any other food is touched, regardless of the food it accompanies. Yes, it is a battle between all four of us at the table, including the 2 and 3 year old. Usually Mommy and Daddy let the 2 and 3 year old get dibs, because really, what parent is going to prevent vegetable eating? I do not remember eating this growing up, but my husband's family enjoys it and wonderful Betsy came and taught us a new way to prepare it-easy and yummy!

Preheat oven to 425
Cut brussel sprouts in half (trim if necessary)
Toss with butter, salt and pepper (approx. 2T butter, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper/lb of sprouts)
Bake for 15 minutes (maybe a little less? Sometimes they come out a little crispy around the edges if we are not paying attention)

Did I mention easy?? :)

Book Review: DK's Peekaboo Series

2009-03-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

These are the best baby books! Do they have the best writing? No. Do they have a brilliant toddler plot that will entertain Mommy and Daddy, too? No. Are they on my top 10 children books to make sure you read list? No. So why are they so great?

Peekaboo flaps that are large, most of the page, really
Bright colors
Touch and feel textures
Featuring pictures of other babies
Did I mention big peekaboo flaps?

Basically, this has everything a baby actually wants out of a book, other than chewability. Lucy absolutely loves these, it is a guaranteed laugh every time. I actually picked up two of these for Joe when he was a baby. He seemed less inclined to sit still in a rocking chair and just read than his big sister. He would, but he enjoyed it more if we threw in DK's Peekaboo books, or their Touch'n'Feel books. Something active for a wiggly little baby to do. Something tangible.

So, no, they are not classics, or even quality literature, but babies sure do enjoy them. And that is worth a lot.

Lucy is wondering why the computer is beeping while she tries to quietly read her book so Daddy can keep sleeping. :)

Cities on the Cheap

2009-03-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

Found this new great cheap date, or well, just about anything you may want to do in a city resource. The Aquarium we would love to take the family to for Emily's birthday, so much cheaper thanks to this site. They have city specific versions, which may or may not include your city, but your chances of one day being in one of these cities for a vacation are pretty good. Go check out Cities on the Cheap.

Product Review: Honest Kids Juice

2009-03-25T18:23:00.000-07:00

Um, yes, I realize this is more of a food than a product, but even so, I am VERY excited about this new find! We found Honest Kids Juice first at New Seasons for a special road trip treat. But then, we found them at Costco!! 18 pouches for $6.99 (I think, I will double check next trip.) As far as I am concerned, they have no cons. Okay, maybe the disposable little packages, but upon glancing at their website they want you to recycle them so they can make bags and school supplies out of the pouches and they will donate $.02/pouch recycled to a school or organization of your choice. Hm. Here are some of the pro's:

At Costco, a reasonable price for an organic juice box
10g of sugar per pouch (!!! YES! That is all. Less than a serving of plain yogurt!)
no high fructose corn syrup
yummy flavors
great for bribes, rewards or just a special treat (I like to use ours for story time, I am reading the kids Little House in the Big Woods, which does not have as many pictures as they prefer, but if they have their juice in hand, they sit still and listen well. And I do not have to fight them. Maybe not the best precedent but we all enjoy the time.)

Another Great Resource

2009-03-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am working on the preschool thing as I have time. Lucy is a bit ornery about life right now. We are getting there. My big priority for this week: get Lucy on a schedule. Preferably, one that involves her sleeping through the night.

In the mean time, here is a great resource for finding out what exactly that word you cannot pronounce on the bottle of your baby's shampoo bottle. I have seen links to the Environmental Working Groups cosmetic safety database on health minded blogs, but never bothered to check it out. Thanks to the study about formaldehyde I was doing a little extra research before buying some soap on line (the only way I would have enough brain capacity to look for anything on the label beyond the big baddies.) And I came across an ingredient I did not know. So I went where I usually went to find things out. Google. Although, wikipedia is wonderful, too. :) Knowing I wanted something that would be heatlh saavy, and not just descriptive I scrolled down a little until I found the EWG gem. Not something to use everyday, but useful to keep bookmarked.

Today's Excuse

2009-03-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Emily ate my power cord. Sounds like a lame no homework excuse, right? But no. Emily chewed a hole into my power cord. I am thankful that she and everything else is okay. No curly hair. No fire. I am not really sure when it happened. I did encounter her chewing on the cord and explained that was not okay and asked why she was chewing on it. She was hungry. Arg. Thankfully, my husband replaced it. No more watching movies on the laptop for Emily for a little while.

Sleep Guide

2009-03-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Sigh. It appears that I may not be cut out for the six posts/week blogging. But I will keep trying. My current problem is that Lucy is being cranky during what is usually my blog time, rather than sleeping, like she usually does. Lucy decided to ditch sleeping through the night when she had to share a room with 7 other people while we moved across country. Okay, I will admit, that is fair. However, the hours she has been keeping lately, are not. I think she slept through the night once since we have been here. And I felt like a completely different person. She was a better sleeper as a newborn. Which means I have let her learn some bad habits. Drat.

So while I am here deeply regretting sending my copy of Babywise into storage, here is a great little chart to help you find a sleeping book that might match your personality and views on parenting. I personally felt the word "controlling" might be a bit strong, but oh well. In the mean time, here are some practical tips if you are new to the sleeping baby, or not sleeping baby problem, regardless of which book you choose.

This is not a one size fits all solution. With my firstborn, I was a passionate, sold-out Babywise person. I have come to realize, it mostly depends on your personality and that of your baby. If you are content nursing your baby through the night for as long as your baby wants, that is your choice. Some mommies sleep better with baby right next to them. I am not one. But I no longer think moms are wrong for wanting that. Enjoy the stage. It will not last forever. Find what fits you and your family best.
Read each book with a grain of salt. While I was pregnant with Lucy I inhaled parenting books. I am not sure why, but I did. One thing I noticed, most authors think that theirs is the best way. They are often negative towards other perspectives, no matter how much they try to be polite about it. Take the negativity for what it is. They disagree because they believe in their method, not because the other method is "wrong."
I read and implement Babywise. However, this can mean different things to different women. On my third time through the book, I realized that he is not very specific on some things. He is very helpful, and mostly what I would call specific. However, it is relative to where you are coming from. I am a medium strict. Maybe getting less so all the time. That could explain a few things. I know moms that profess to use the babywise method and it looks completely different for all of us. Most books have guiding principles that can be implemented with flexibility.
I think this is the most important one. Chances are pretty good, if you are not sleeping through the night, you are praying that your baby will sleep through the night so that you can, too. :) I know I am. However, pray as you seek out wisdom from others, whether authors or other moms. Again, what worked for them, may or may not work for you. I have found God to be incredibly faithful in providing peace. He makes the path I need to choose clear in all areas of parenting, including when to start solids. No problem is too small for prayer.
This is similar to the previous one, but go with the peace. If you feel uncomfortable about it, find a different way. Um, as a side note, listening to your baby cry is uncomfortable. This is different from not feeling peace about allowing your baby to cry. If you felt that allowing your baby to cry was the right decision, but are now feeling uncomfortable and rethinking, talk to your husband and ask him to pray with you. I appreciate the less emotional perspective of my husband, just as I am sure that he appreciates my slightly more emotional perspective. :)
None of these problems will last forever, or make or break your child. While my life feels like it revolves around working out Lucy's sleeping and eating issues right now, the truth is, this is a short season and it will be resolved soon. Realistically, this is small in the scope of problems Lucy and I are likely to encounter. Take for instance that she laughs at me when I try to correct her. Yikes.

Product Review: Bumkin Bib

2009-03-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

Again, a wonderful gift from Grandma! When Joe turned 1, Grandma got him two of these bibs. And he lived in them. I just visited the Bumkins website. It was a very dangerous thing to do-they have art smocks! and so many useful and good quality products. We have had these bibs for a little over a year and a half, and so far so good. No tears, stains or other problems. It is really easy to wash, you can hand wash it at the sink with dish soap, or just throw it in the wash with other laundry and hang dry. (Guess which one I do.)

We have the "Junior Bib", which has short sleeves, meaning it keeps the shoulders clean. You know, for that child who is in the middle of eating steamed carrot or spaghetti and has an orange face and chin, and turns his head to see why big sister is running through the room. Never happens at my house. :) They come in a variety of adorable patterns and styles. If you do not want a bib that is quite so tenty (however, if your baby is truly eating, I think you do want the tenty bib) they have other options. (I feel I should plug Ikeas's 2/$4 bib with long sleeves and a pocket here as the best bib deal I have found. However, these are too big for little babies like Lucy.)

Important info to note from the website:

machine washable
odor resistant material
bpa, pthalate, pvc and vinyl free (pvc may contain lead! it is a common material for bibs)
waterproof (it truly is! Joe ate probably close to half of a watermelon wearing it-there was watermelon water everywhere, but not under the bib. I think there was an entire pond in the pocket of the bib.)

Also worth noting, very easy to smoosh into a diaper bag without taking up space. :) You can buy these at Bumkins website, or many other places on line, but it is worth noting that a local baby company, Babyworks has a great price on all three of the basic bib styles.

Flip-Flop Season, Well, In Georgia, Anyway

2009-03-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

It might be a little early to post this, but, since I just dragged my three kids to the mall in search of good children's flip-flops, here it is:

The Children's Place has the best deal I have been able to find for both children's flip-flops and sunglasses. Both are $3.50 for one pair, or $5 for two pairs. And that is the beginning of the season price. I think we got Joe some at the end of June for $1.50 last year.

The flip-flops are fun, colorful and have elastic around the heel. If you are looking for a pair of shoes to hand on from child to child, this is not it. However, if you are looking for a well-priced pair of shoes that you can wear almost everywhere all summer long and toss at the end of the season-this is it. The kids lived in theirs all summer last year. It looks like they are going for a repeat, as Emily tried to wear them for naps and bedtime yesterday. By the end of the summer, Emily's elastic had lost its zing. It did not affect her ability to wear them. And honestly, they looked like they had been lived in for five months. It was time to part with them. So, they are not perfect, but the price sure is nice. Oh! And they are light weight, too. For smaller children, this is an important detail.

And for the sunglasses, just your basics. Cute patterns, different sizes and styles. But no Spiderman or Dora sunglasses here. If this is a negative, then go to Target. But these are a much better price and cute. They have both boy and girl styles.

Both of these are worth the trek to the mall for me. Even though our mall here does not even have an indoor playground. What were they thinking?

Education Series

2009-03-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hm. well, I feel like a wuss, but I think it is going to take me another week or two to pull this together. I really want to do it well, and tonight turned out to be not a good night to try and organize my thoughts on this. Drat. For now, I am going to remove my library book from Lucy's aggressive chompers and try to pull some things that will be useful to most moms from my stuff, and not just the nerdy random facts that I find fascinating. :)

My Favorite Starter Baby Foods

2009-03-08T19:04:00.001-07:00

Here is a short, quick list of my favorite and easiest (oh yes, the two adjectives are very connected) baby foods.

Banana: take as is, and much before serving.
Avocado: so good for baby, slice and scrape off a mushy spoon full as feeding baby.
Yam: cook in oven ahead of time. I cook a whole bag from Trader Joe's, then peel and remove any spots, and chop into serving size chunks and freeze like that. I have been mixing it with mommy milk just before I serve it to Lucy. I used to mush it and mix it with butter and sea salt, then freeze it. But it is soooo much easier to cook, freeze, then prepare. Preparing is not that hard, plus it is easier to store this way. Otherwise, I have to have a bunch of tiny containers, or an icecube tray.
Applesauce: already prepared. Great!

I started mixing babyfood for Lucy with mommy milk this time around. We had a stomach flu go through the house just after I got her eating solids, and it put us back a week or two. Even after she was all better, swallowing solids made her gag and throw up whatever was in her tummy. Yippee. I finally gave her foods VERY watered down by mommy milk, as I figured mommy milk is sooo much better for her than any other food. Plus, I do not have to worry about things like floride and chlorine in mommy milk. Now, to just get enough into her tummy that she should not be hungry in the middle of the night. Or one hour into the night. Sigh.

Book Review: Everywhere Babies

2009-03-06T17:48:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law sweetly got this book for us when Emily was little and we were getting ready for Joe to arrive. It has babies, well, everywhere. Written by Susan Meyers, Everywhere Babies is an adorable book to read, or just look at. It goes through baby basics, "Every day, everywhere, babies are born-fat babies, thin babies, small babies, tall babies," and so on. Babies are born, kissed, carried, fed, like toys, are loved, etc. There are so many things to get out of this book. At first, Emily and I would read through it and talk about how we used to do that with her. Then, we talk about how the new baby will be born. Maybe we will have a small baby. Most likely we will have a bigger baby. At first our baby will eat mommy milk. Then our baby will have to learn to eat big kid foods. Don't ever give baby food unless Mommy says it is okay. Sometimes we like to look through and name the babies. We decide which one reminds on most of our friends.

I have to say, I also really enjoy reading this book. The illustrations are not only sweet, they are very realistic. Who cannot relate to the picture of the mother sound asleep in rocking chair, baby nursing in one arm, a book in the other hand. Or the dad in his boxers and undershirt on the couch blowing raspberries on the babies belly, probably while mom is asleep in bed. The pictures make me smile, laugh, want another baby, or just be content in the season I am in. Even if you are not in a season where you need to help someone get ready for a new baby, this book is a lot of fun to just read. Very well written and very well illustrated.

A Little Random

2009-03-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

Note to self:

It is not worth it to buy the round laundry basket, even if it is more than half the cost of the other ones. You will spend the rest of the basket's life stealing it back from children who think it makes the perfect steering wheel for their car.

Sigh.

Product Review: Munchkin Fresh Food Eater

2009-03-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

I contemplated these with Emily, by Joe I knew that I wanted to avoid plastics as much as possible and these really did not seem necessary, but, while trying to find some baby spoons the other day, I saw these at the store. And the label said BPA free. Even better, it is mommy hands-free. You set it up and let them go at it. Well, as it turns out, at this stage, that means playing the drop it on the floor game. Thankfully, Lucy has a fan club that is excited for a reason to get out of their own seats to help the poor baby sister. Here is what the Munchkin website says:

All the nutrition with none of the risk.

This award-winning product allows your baby to enjoy lots of delicious foods without the choking risk. Simply put a piece of fruit, vegetables or meat into the mesh bag and snap shut. Your baby can chew, suck and enjoy all the whole food goodness and taste, with only the tiniest, digestible pieces coming through. Your baby gets great flavor and you get great peace of mind!

A mommy reviewer on the site had the idea of putting ice chips in for a teething baby. I seem to remember reading that frozen is not so good for baby gums, but I remember that teething is one of those periods that stretches my mothering principles. And, since ice cubes alone are too slippery to hold, this could be a cool idea. Or, maybe the slippery cube distraction was the only benefit?

Pro's:

Mommy hands-free
Baby likes to chew on all sides (could be a con?)
Colorful
Mostly easy to clean (dishwasher safe)
Really does let mushy food through well

Con's:

Falls on the floor
Have to use with mushy foods (not necessarily a con, but does limit the options and is worth considering)

In summary, cool idea, and I hope it will be useful as Lucy figures it out. (She is still mostly enjoying chewing on the handle and dropping it on the floor.) However, it is by no means necessary. And, as a caution, don't forget to let sweet babies pick up tiny bits of food as they get older. It is a helpful way to develop those fine motor skills, when developmentally appropriate. :) Also, while it is BPA free, it is still plastic.

The Ultimate Evil Plastic Resource

2009-03-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

This is really amazing. I am just starting to look around at the different options, but I am always really excited to find a pretty thorough listing of products and what to use and what to avoid. Go check it out at ZRecs Guide. I especially like the confidence rating. As with all things, do your own thinking, but so far, I have appreciated their insight and agreed with what I have found.

Before We Begin

2009-03-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

I think I might be a bit of a closet nerd. Or maybe not closet. I think this is really cool. I have been reading parenting magazines since I was in highschool. In my defense, I spent a lot of my time helping moms out, and it was helpful information in tiny, well illustrated bits. Nothing heavy, like a textbook. ;) I also find developmental psychology pretty fascinating. I always loved reading about it in the parenting magazines. Even getting to take a whole class on it. Maybe getting to take quiz after quiz on developmental stages in pretty much every class. Well, maybe not that part. Anyway, until becoming a parent, I completely devoured this stuff. Honestly, it can be useful, or at least interesting to notice and identify the stages as they pass by in a blur.

Now that I have my own children, physical and even mental development take a back seat to spiritual development. Yes, I realize that they are all connected. However, I would say that, other than time spent taking care of food and bottoms, most of my time and concern is spent encouraging spiritual development. I include discipline in this category, but cause that is the reason why I discipline. That plus my sanity. All of those weeks and months spent learning the socially acceptable discipline methods are thrown out the window after months of living in the trenches. I have come to the conclusion that discipline feels like a battle sometimes because IT IS A BATTLE. The most important battle I will ever fight. It is the battle for my children's souls. There are a few implications here. The first and most important one, is, not to sound cliched, but this is a battle that must be won on my knees in prayer before it will be won anywhere else. And here is the hard part, what does God say about discipline. Well, lots. But as with most things, He did not include a detailed handbook. (Oh, I really wish there was one for potty training.)

Ginger Plowman's book, "Don't Make Me Count to Three": A Mom's Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline is such a wondeful resource. One of my friend's responses to this book was "Where has this book been and why didn't someone give it to me when my first was born?" And that pretty much sums it up. Here is why I completely love this book:

It is completely biblically based. She has Bible verses to back up everything! It was the first parenting book that I read that I did not feel leaned too far one way. Not too strict. Not too lenient.
Lest I feel overwhelmed by my lack of memorized scripture, she has a "cheat book" with common discipline issues and the verses that relate the them, as well as some recommended phrases for helping kiddos work through it.
She has a wonderful combination of worst moments we can all relate too, happy moments that remind me why I love being a mom, encouragement to persvere, and very clearly explaining why this is important.
She walks through several comic and very relatable situations from her own life and clearly lays out guidelines for working through the most common issues.
Did I mention the "cheat book"? More like a calendar, called Wise Words for Moms? Destined to hang in my kitchen once I find where it was packed?
I usually begin discipline books skeptically. This one, everytime she would make a point, it felt like what my heart had needed to hear for so long. The mommy heart that is torn between compassion and tenderness, and knowing that discipline is a necessary part of parenting (and the occasional or regular frustration.)

I really cannot say enough good things about this book. It is on my list of books I think all mommies with young children should read.

Why am I starting a preschool/education series with this? Because as useful as the rest of the knowlegde is, or can be, this is the most important thing. Teaching our children to love Christ and training the in the way He instructs us. If we cannot do these things, the rest is meaningless. :)

Hotch Potch

2009-02-28T18:00:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite recipes! My wonderful mother-in-law gave it to us when we got married with a handy little book full of their favorite recipes. The pilgrims brought it with them to the NEw World from Leyden, Holland. It is oh so versatile!! I can make it the day before, during nap time, it really does not matter. It does not freeze so well because of the potato, but could be done if necessary. The potatoes are just a little extra mushy, I think. I have frozen it.

Serves: 6-8

1 chopped onion
4 chopped carrots
4 chopped potatoes
2 tsp parsley
2 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
2 c cubed cooked chicked
2 tsp salt
2 cubes chicken bouillion
1/2 tsp black pepper

Chop vegetables-put in saucepan. Add herbs, chicken and broth.
Cook until vegetables are tender.
Boil then turn down to simmer.

Another wonderful point, the ingredient list is pretty flexible. I have added (very deliciously) mustard greens or kale to sneak in some extra yummy nutrients, I like to add celery, and we definitely prefer fresh parsley, but like I said, it is flexible. I also use broth/stock instead of bouillion. I think I followed the directions carefully the first time or two, but now I mostly just wing it, as long as I have the necessary ingredients.

Guest Reader

2009-02-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

My children are pretty comfortable with all of the people that show up at the door. It is a rare person that comes to our house who brings out our childrens shy streaks. The first question that comes out of their mouth is "will you play house with us?" Often, they ask people to read them as well.

I could not think of a book to review, so I thought I would just pass along the encouragement to make sure that your children not only get to read with you, but they also get to hear someone else read. Whether its Grandma and Grandpa, the librarian at story time (some books stores also offer story time, although not usually as wonderful,) or an audio book. Listening is a learned skill, and like all skills it helps to practice in different settings. I know of parents that play the Bible on cd, or classical literature while their children are playing to get them some extra exposure. Personally, I like to get ones with picture books, set the kids up on the couch and get something done. My kids, however, prefer to snuggle with Grandma while reading. Either way, it would be difficult to read too much.

Health Tips

2009-02-26T19:50:00.001-08:00

When I was growing up, my dad was very careful and meticulous about wound care. It came as a surprise to me that this was not standard in every home. However, the more I learn about exactly what types of germs are available on the playground, the more thankful I am for my dad's careful care of our boo-boo's.

I found this in the February 2009 issue of Parenting-looked helpful and practical, so I thought I would pass it along.

Infection Prevention

the standard advice: Scrub up.
toddler twist: For cuts on his hands, fill up the sink with soapy water put some toys in there, and have him search for them under the bubbles.
the standard advice: Apply antibiotic ointment.
toddler twist: Put the ointment on and then immediately distract him with something he loves. This way, he'll have something else to think about besides wiping off the gooey stuff before you have a chance to put on a bandage.
the standard advice: Keep it covered.
toddler twist: Those character bandages are kid-friendly for a reason: "Some kids like to wear them like a badge," Dr. Yan says. Stuck with a plain one? Put a sticker on top of it. He's still peeling it off? Try to be extra diligent with the ointment.

(Beware the character band-aids-they can be overly loved. We now have a rule that you only get a band-aid if you are gushing blood. It turns out the kids and I have different definitions of gushing blood.

Product Review: Crayola Twistables Slick Stix

2009-02-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

I think we have finally recovered from the flu. I might need to start spraying Gabe down with lysol at the door. He never gets sick. He has been sick twice in the last week. Maybe we just need to adjust to a different germ zone. Note to self: next time the stomach flu is looming, pick kid movies fro the library that I do not mind watching over and over. Bob the Builder got old pretty quickly. Oh well. Anyway, I found myself very busy trying to keep up on the laundry and keep everybody happy, and well, not throwing up. Hopefully, everyone is well on their way to better.

My mom sweetly sent us a package with goodies for the kids. Mostly stuff to make valentines to send to people, particularly great-grandparents. She knows me very well. One of the goodies was Crayola Twistable Slick Stix. I have to be honest. My first thought was, "Mom. Sweet thought, but what were you thinking?" At first glance, they look messy, a bit tricky for toddlers, and did I mention messy?

They ended up working really well. The kids loved them.

Pro's:

Easy to use, although probably for slightly older kids. 4 is probably perfect.
The colors and textures were very appealing.
Although the label does not say washable, I did not have trouble getting it off the table and floor.
Less messy than oil pastels, but similar texture, with vibrant color.
Perfect addition to an easel-great and colorful kind of like paint, but minus the mess and do not need caps put back on quickly like markers (a skill we are working on, but still lacking.

Con's:

I think 3 might be a little young, Emily twisted too much and it fell off, causing emotional trauma. It was pretty easy to stick back on (although a little messy) but I had to push and twist it back in, it did not just twist back in.
They left out purple. I do not know what they were thinking.
"Product containes colorants that may stain."

As with all things, requires some supervision, but not all on crazy preparation and supervision that paint would, but a different and exciting enough experience for kiddos that they do not notice that is not quite as tricky as paint. Good call, Grandma.

Tummy Flu Survival Tips

2009-02-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

I think about any parenting book will give you the basics-keep nursing, no solids, b.r.a.t. (banana, rice, applesauce, toast) diet, lots of little sips of water. Here are a few practical mommy and house survival tips.

You will be doing laundry, embrace it and move on. Set up a "station"-extra towels, blankets, clothes for baby, clothes for mommy, diapers, diaper wipes. Think ahead. If you used one already, chances are good you will need another one.
I like to set up a "station" using towels, waterproof pads if necessary, or blankets on a floor. A place where it won't matter if throw-up ends up everywhere. Someplace where I will be comfortable to just spend the day snuggling with my baby.
Other things useful to keep nearby: phone, glass of water, book for mommy, kleenex, anything you might not want to wake a sleeping baby to get.
Obviously, washability is key. :) Any toys, books, blankets should be easily washable-preferably in the same load.
Any other ideas?

An Encyclopodia of Natural Healing for Children and Infants by Mary Bove is my favorite resource for what to do when your child is sick. She has a section on boosting immune systems to avoid illness in the first place. Of course, prayer is the most helpful thing, as always.

Book Review: Tea for Ruby

2009-02-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

This one caught me by surprise. The four of us stepped into the library this morning. We returned a few books, and grabbed a few more. This book has a very pink cover, and is about Tea. At least according to the title. Often at the library, I look for authors I am familiar with (I am big time cheating here between working at libraries for several years and all of my time spent working with kids) or I go on the basis of the cover and preview when I get home. Trying to keep track of three kiddos and preview books seems like a lot. I usually pick MY book out online before I go to the library. So, I picked this one up,not expecting much, other than tea and a very girly girl. To top it off, it is written by Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. I do not have any valid reason for this, but I prefer to avoid books written by celebrities. But we took this one home. And promptly read our new stack from the library.

I actually like it. The little girl, Ruby, gets an invitation to have tea with the Queen. She spends the book telling people she get to have tea with the queen. Each person responds to a specific rudeness in her behavior, "Ruby, I hope you don't interrupt when you have tea with the queen." Each page has an illustration of her being rude, and then one of her with the same people, all dressed up and behaving politely. I really enjoyed the illustrations, but it was especially nice to find a manners book that was pretty basic and best of all, all of the words were brief and interesting. So, a wiggly person could most likely manage to sit through this one and hopefully pick up a few things. :) There is a sweet surprise at the end, which I will leave a surprise. (Wow, I feel like a person reviewing a book for reading rainbow. . .) All in all, it was a sweet way to introduce some basic manners without reading book that presents them like rules.

Organic Cheat Sheet

2009-02-19T18:18:00.000-08:00

I often stumble across priority lists, like this one, and find them useful. This one comes from Greg Horn's book Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability. This is a cool little book becuase, well, it is little. Pretty much every chapter is a nice short list like this one. He lists the short version, and the chapter is him going into further detail. This list is from chapter two: Sustaining Health from the Inside:

The Top Ten Foods to Buy Organic

1. Meats: Theser are high on the food cahin, and thus can concentrate chemicals from the animal's diets in their fatty tissues.
2. Dairy products: Also high on the food chain and ric in fats, which is where harmful chemicals become stored.
3. Fish: While not strictly organic, it is critical to buy wild fish and avoid all farmed fish, which can contain high levels of contaminants.
4. Berries: Strawberries, raspberries and other berries including grapes have a thin, absorbent skin that you eat. These fruits are heavily sprayed and tend to absorb more of the chemicals that they come in contact with during produciton.
5. Salad crops: Lettuce, spinach and celery are highly sprayed and have no outer shell to protect the part you eat--the leaf.
6. Mushrooms: Mushrooms are highly absorbent, and conventional growing uses powerful fungicides between crops to keep stray species from invading the intended crop.
7. Root crops: Conventional potatoes, yams, carrots, onions and other root crops can be sprayed with fungicides as well as pesticides, and the parts you eat grow in direct contact with the chimicals.
8. Bananas: Banana plantations use up to 20 times more pesticides per acre than crops grown in industrialized countries. Conventional bananas are often grown iwht a blue plastic bag of pesticides placed over the soft, absorbant skin of the fruit. Enough said?
9. Waxed Fruit: That shiny apple has a wax coating that locks in the pesticides and makes them very difficult to wash off.
10. Coffee and Tea: Technically not "foods," but hot-water brewing can concentrate the residual pesticides used in the growing process while it is extracting the "good stuff." Remember to use an unbleached filter and to avoid the Styrofoam cup like the plague!

It is a very handy little book for a basic intro into sustainability. If you are looking for some basic, non-overwhelming guidelines, it is worth taking a look at.

Product Review: Huggies Diapers

2009-02-18T19:02:00.001-08:00

This might be more of a gripe than a product review. When we found out we were moving, I packed up the cloth diapers and bought some Huggies to get Lucy to Atlanta, since I did not want to wait for an order of Seventh Generation to show up. (Nor did I have the brain cells left to really think that in depth about diaper choices.) I just wanted to warn my fellow mommies, before you buy the huggies, I have had trouble with the prints coming off on the onesies. It is getting very frustrating. At first, I thought maybe it was just the ones from Costco. But no. I am not sure about Huggies Supreme, but the regular huggies with the mickey mouse pictures rub off onto clothing. Mommies beware.

On a happy note, the kids had their real first thunderstorm today. :) Joe decided he liked them because he connects Lightning McQueen from the Pixar movie, Cars, to the storm. Whatever works for you, sweetie.

A Few Minutes of Sanity or Getting Dinner Made : JitterBug Music

2009-02-17T19:49:00.000-08:00

Today was a victory for me (I hope!!) After a week of tricking and forcing Lucy to eat solids, she finally started realizing that she could open her mouth and eat food! Why am I forcing my daughter to eat solids? Well, she is irritable, cranky, and wants to eat every one to two hours or so, day and night. However, she does not want to eat food. She would be content to just nurse all day, but well, I am not. So, in go the solids. She screws up her little face and tries very hard to not get any more in her mouth. The first day or two, we would get her to laugh and then we would sneak it in. Then she learned what was going on, and would clench her mouth closed and just give you a cute toothless granny grin, with her mouth clenched shut. Finally finally today, she started to open her mouth and actually eat the food!! Hooray! Maybe it was the clapping when she put food in her mouth. Probably it was the prayer, either way, I am excited to (hopefully) not be wrestling my 7 1/2 month old to get her to eat solids a few times a day.

The recent newsletter from Cool Mom Picks mentioned jitterbug tv, kind of like a muscial youtube for toddlers. All toddler music videos. It won't buy you a lot of time, but it is music for kids. And a few back to back can break the chaos for a few minutes of cooking dinner. Anyway, its kind of fun. Not to promote plugging kids into electronics (of course, they don't have to watch the video) but its a cute way to spend a few minutes.

No Coffee Or Red Box In Atlanta! (Or At Least, by NW Standards) Part Two

2009-02-16T18:13:00.000-08:00

We did finally make it to Atlanta. Got lost trying to find the house, of course. But we made it. The kids were so excited. And then, to their extreme excitement, we let them sleep in our new walk-in closet. After spending 5 nights with all seven of us sleeping in the same room, we thought everyone might appreciate their own space, more or less. They were sad to move out of the closet the next night, but are enjoying their new room.

The next night, we finally got around to returning the red box movie that we had picked up on the trip to keep the back seat happy for a few more miles. Tinkerbell. Promised as a reward for getting poop in the potty. Not one I have any desire to see, much less, own. We drove to the McDonalds down the road and did not see a Redbox. Ok, well, maybe we missed it. I went up to the counter to ask. The lady just looked at me. "Do you mean, like, a red box? To put food in?" No. Oh dear. This is not good. Thankfully, Gabe got on his iphone. There was something like five in the entire Atlanta area. What on earth? They are everywhere in Portland! How can you not have Redbox?

It got even more sad. Ok, granted, I was getting pretty spoiled at home in Vancouver. Gabe roasts his own coffee, and we are about 5 minutes to Peets, Tully's, Starbucks and several smaller coffee shops. LOTS of options. ONE starbucks is about 10 minutes away. There are a few small "coffee" shops nearby, but they were not open at 10 in the morning. What is the point? And one got very confused when Gabe tried to order me a latte. Not a good sign. And they don't have coffee places in the grocery store. Yes. I confess I was getting very very spoiled. But, needless to say, I am beginning to question how civilized Atlanta is.

:) Okay, I really am actually really enjoying it here so far, but we are definitely grateful we are just here for a short season.

Book Review: C is for Caboose

2009-02-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

I am really enjoying our new library. I was pretty impressed with the book selection so far. Although, I must say, I think they have rules posted on every single surface. Anyway, we, well, Joe found a great book. I am discovering that alphabet books are a dime a dozen. There are alphabet books, there are really pathetic alphabet books written for the sake of being "educational" and then there are really good alphabet books. I think that C is for Caboose: Riding the Rails from A to Z is n the really good alphabet catagory. Almost all of the pictures are old photos or posters from the railroad. Many of the letters have two examples to go with them. Sure, some are simple, such as A, which is for all aboard. But most of them were things I did not know anything about. Which means that both the kids and I learned a lot reading this book. I now know about zephyrs, bullet trains, monorails, and the Flying Scotsman. I really enjoyed both the illustrations and the words. Another bonus, the little tidbits were pretty short, so it help the attention of wiggly kids. Of course, it helps that it is about trains. :) This book was good enough to make it on next year's Christmas Wish-list.

No Coffee Or Red Box In Atlanta! (Or At Least, by NW Standards) Part One

2009-02-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

We made it! 6 days on the road, 2 cars, 4 adults, 2 preschoolers, 1 baby, 1 policeman, and 2 frosties, and countless coffees later, we are in Atlanta, GA. I am so grateful for all of the grace God gave us. Most of Lucy's poopy diapers were timed while we were stopped, or about to stop. The kids did really well, no more arguments than on a normal day. No car problems. No driver problems. It was a really a wonderful trip. Almost like a vacation. A really really intense vacation.

It took us the entire first day to figure out that we needed to fill up Lucy and the gas guzzling car with the trailer, and hopefully take care of any and all other necessary details. Seems pretty basic, right? But man, it is pretty challenging to line up all the needs of 7 people and 2 cars on a three hour schedule.

I think our most exciting moment was between Vegas and the Grand Canyon (referred to by Emily as the Gran Candy.) We have been making a lot of progress in the potty training area, and are down to one child in diapers, and two mostly just wearing one at night (Joe still wears a pull-up when we leave the house.) Emily has had a harder time with "#2" and has worked really hard to make progress. However, she is also prone to false alarms, novelty stops (seeing a new bathroom) and playing the potty card to get out of something she does not want to be doing. A little bit before lunch, she starts squeaking and moaning that she has to go poop. Ok. What do you do? Out in the middle of the desert. I mean, there is NOWHERE to stop, even if we wanted to. Joe is poopy in his pull-up and not happy about it. Lucy is screaming becuase she is tired and does not want to go to sleep. We pull over and grab the potty from the back. In the middle of getting Joe unbuckled to take care of him, we look up and there is a police car behind us. Oh yes. Out in the middle of the desert, a half-naked child sitting on the potty next to the car, one whining one in the car, and one screaming baby in the car. Can you get arrested for child indecency? Or ticketed?

The policeman used his speaker to ask if we needed any help. How do I answer that? Yes, would you please change the pull-up? Or how about the screaming baby? No, we are ok. Thank you. Just had a toddler potty emergency.

We spent the next few minutes on the side of the road while Emily played with rocks but could not manage to get anything out. (Do scorpians like to hang out in the rocks next to the freeway? How about snakes?) Joe, of course had to use the potty as well. And we hit the road again. We had potty sucess on our second emergency stop. Phew. The next day we put pull-ups on both of them and answered questions, "Yes, you are wearing a pull-up. Yes, you may go potty in your pull-up." and "I know you need to go potty, but we are in the middle of nowhere . You may hold it until the next stop, or go in your pull-up." all the way to Atlanta. Thankfully, we are back on track in our new house. Phew. Thank you, Jesus.

Hm, all of the children are asleep. I had better get some, too. I will continue the brief summary of our Big Adventure tomorrow, and then hopefully return to normalcy. (Ha!)

(Pictures to come!)

High Fructose Corn Syrup and Mercury

2009-01-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

We are almost all packed and ready to leave on Saturday, thanks to the abundant help from our wonderful friends and family. Makes me very sad to leave. I am checking my e-mail regularly to see if anyone wants to buy something on Craigslist and that is about it. However, while checking my e-mail, I found a blog posting from Safe Mama about a blog posting at Eco Child's Play citing research (this chain of sources is getting long-sorry!) that 33-50% of commercial high fructose corn syrup contains MERCURY.

Just in case you were tempted to believe the pro-high fructose corn syrup ads, here is another reason why you should AVOID HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP . (HFCS is bad, so I find the ads entertaining and shocking-not informative.)

Back to packing. :) Or maybe a movie break with the wonderful family.

Finally News

2009-01-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

I am sorry for not writing recently. We just found out that we are moving, and as things often go around here, we got to talking and realized the sooner we can empty out our house, the better. We are praying for a renter right away. So, until we are moved and settled in, I think my blogging will be sporadic and a little random. I am really excited to get back into it once we are moved in.

Thanks for your patience!

The Magic Light, or How to Sleep Longer

2009-01-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

I love love love love the magic light. And the friends that suggested it are very dear to my heart as well. Our kiddos were waking up at 5:45-6 AM on a regular basis (weekday, weekend, any morning.) Correction, E was waking up and 5:45-6. J would get up with her, not to be left out, and would stumble downstairs, unable to walk straight he was so tired. And, inevitably, both would start falling apart around 10:30, if they made it that long. Well, those of us with toddlers know that, if you put a toddler down for a nap at 10:30, it is a rare toddler that will sleep anymore that day, causing another breakdown around 4 or 5.

While complaining about our situation to a friend (and confessing our new weekend coping strategy of 6 AM showing of Toy Story 2) we discovered we are not the only parents who have faced this problem! We are just not the most creative parents who have faced this problem. Creative solution: buy an outlet timer at a local store (I got mine at Target.) Plug in a lamp or nightlight (ours has a fun, subtle, blue light bulb to make it even more special.) Set the timer so the light turns on and a parent selected time. Tell children they are allowed to get out of bed when the light turns on. (Not doing so is clearly disobeying mommy and daddy.) The light is quiet and does not wake up any children that may still be asleep, but is noticed immediately by any children waiting (patiently, we hope) for the okay time to go pounce on mommy and daddy. May your mornings also be filled with rest or productivity!

Glass Baby Bottles

2009-01-10T23:48:00.000-08:00

Ooooooo-new glass baby bottles. The secret materialistic person inside of me is drooling. . . . and the practical person inside me is remembering my avent nipple and E's Klean Kanteen in a drawer downstairs.

iphone Baby Monitor

2009-01-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to review Game Plan this week, but it will have to wait for next week as I think I need to watch it one more time before reviewing it.

If you have an iphone (or if your beloved husband has one) you should check this out. A few potential pros and a few potential cons. . . but intriguing.

Paperback Swap

2009-01-08T22:28:00.000-08:00

My life has some craziness in it right now. Well, I meant besides my three munchkins. We are still waiting for a final answer on whether or not we star or go, and I feel like so many things in my life are on hold for the big decision. So, I started looking at things I would do if we moved that maybe I would do anyway, such as parting with my beloved Combi Twin Savvy via Craigslist. I have been going through my house, physically and mentally making lists of things to post on Craigslist. I have one list to post even if we don't move, and one list of things that I will probably post if we do move. Big things are already posted so I have time to work down the price.

But then, I hit a snag. The bookshelf. Some people do not have bookshelves. We are NOT those people. My father-in-law very sweetly made us a bookshelf as a birthday present our first year of marriage. We needed it. This was a floor to ceiling, two rows shelf. BIG. Gabe and I, married only six months, filled it up! So now, one house, three kids, and some additional shelving later, it is really time to weed out. All of those books cannot be worth the shelf space, right? And, indeed, many were not. But, posting on craigslist could work, amazon seemed unlikely except for maybe one or two. So where to go?

Our brother has been telling us about paperback swap for a while. I was surprised how easy it was and how many people wanted books that I had. And now, the best part, I get books too! How does it work? I post my books, wait for someone to request them, ship the books (I pay for the shipping) and then I get credits. Then, I get to use my credits to request books for me and my family. Why does that matter when the point was to clear space? Well, there are still books out there I would like to own, or books I cannot find at the library that I want to read. And, if I do not want to keep it, I just turn around and post it again.

Another completely almost hassle free way to get rid of books is to take them to the library. They use them in their booksales to raise funds for the library. A way for me to support my local library without actually donating money. (Um, yes, this is E sitting on the potty reading a book with her sunglasses on just under two years ago. Believe it or not, it was the only picture on my computer of any of my kids with a book.)

Product Review: Green Toys Tea Set

2009-01-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here trying to think of what my kids got for Christmas that I could review. How could I have forgotten. The first thing my children ask a guest when they walk in the house is, "do you want to play house with me?" followed closely by "can we have a tea party?" And, oh yes, Joe is quite comfortable having his own tea party with water from the bathroom sink on the floor. But Emily prefers to go all the way with tea, cream, sugar and cookies. Thank you, Grandma, for setting the standard high (and trying to teach my sweeties manners while you were at it.)

Emily was given this Green Toys Tea Set for Christmas. It has all your basic tea set necessities: four tea cups, four spoons, four saucers, sugar bowl, and creamer.

Con's:

Its plastic-but wait-its bpa and pthalate free, though.
It is pretty light, and if you are not careful, little hands can slip or tip. But I assume this would be the case with most?
No pretty patterns. :(
Well, they can actually put water or tea in it, but I guess that's the point, right?

Pro's:

Its plastic! It will not break! At least, not yet. My kids are pretty tough on things, but this is definitely going to last a lot longer than porcelain.
The colors are pretty, and not too girly-which is a plus since what Emily does, Joe does.
It is "green"-made of recycled plastics. See how green they are.
Okay, the kids love it.

All in all, I would have to say it is a great product. I am happy to not be exposing my kids to additional toxins, supporting a company that is paying attention to their impact on the environment, and my kids love it. Besides, unless I help them, at this point the worst that can happen is they spill water on the floor. It has been kept downstairs (wood, not carpet floors) for obvious reasons. (As an innocent bystander noted, there are barbarian tendencies.) So, yes, this is a hit and I would happily recommend it, as long as you are willing to accept the risks involved in tea parties as a general practice.

Amazing Avent: Avent Nipple in a Klean Kanteen

2009-01-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

In between our second and third children, I began reading. Not that I was not reading before. But apparently, I was not reading all of the required mommy reading. Say, for example, the things that tell me every single thing to not let near my children. Having babysat for the 13 years before I became a parent, I thought I was in a pretty good place. When I was pregnant, I learned why breastfeeding is important. Okay, well, it makes sense why would not have necessarily known that one. Anyway, after hearing mutterings of evil plastic I looked into it. And I have blogged about this before. Overwhelming and potentially expensive, this is not my favorite topic. But if I am going to be concerned about soy, I should be concerned and aware of at least bpa.

Okay, so I will start with the smallest person. Lucy. Well, her pacifier is her most used. That is pretty easy to find a bpa free option. We did get her a really nice one, and some more basic ones for when we leave the house. I also got her a really cool bottle that I was so excited about. The Adiri Natural Nurser, well, honestly, looks like a breast. My son refused to take a bottle, so I thought this would be the perfect, devious solution should my next child feel a similar elite snobbery. Well, Lucy loved to cuddle it like she does mommy, but since I got the newborn one, she got frustrated with the flow. So, rather than invest in a new one, which I considered, I put my poor tired brain to work.

Avent makes their peices interchangeable. Which is kind of amazing. You can take a nipple from the bottle and put in the sippy. You can take either sippy spout stage and put it on the bottle. You can put the handle bars and lid on the bottle, and so on and so forth. But, their bottles have bpa. (Although, I am pretty sure the sippies do not.) So, if Klean Kanteen uses an avent sippy spout, maybe I could use an Avent nipple with a Klean Kanteen. In an endeavor to avoid as much plastic as possible, I gave it a try with Emily's Klean Kanteen. I pulled out a 3 nipple from our attempts to get Joe to take a bottle, and YES!! You can use an Avent nipple with a Kleen Kanteen sippy.

So what? You still have to have the Klean Kanteen sippy you say? Well, yes. But if you are worried about these things, you were probably going to end up there anyway, right? Or maybe you are like me, and you can just borrow big sisters for now. Its not like my baby is using a bottle all the time, or it would be a different issue. I would go ahead and invest in some glass bottles.

Ah ha! I found it!

2009-01-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I knew I had seen a great, simple recipe for home made finger paint. I saw the recipe in the September Wondertime, got really excited about, and set it down to deal with some child-related problem. The story of my life, right? But then, I could not find it when I went to write about it and share it with you. So, this morning, in a rare moment of peace, I found it again! Rather than lose it in a pile of magazines again, this time I tore it out. Here it is:

Edible Finger Paint

Pour 2 cups cold water into a large bowl. While stirring, slowly add 2 cups white flour. When mixed, divide into smaller bowls and add a drop of food coloring to each.*

*"Growing Up: Paint Primer" Lynne Bertrand, Wondertime. September, 2008.

A Different Thought on Childbirth

2008-12-23T22:06:00.000-08:00

Wow, it feels really good to be blogging again. :) Still no word from Atlanta. Good thing I did not count on an answer Monday. My husband reads this blog, I think, and he showed this to me. I do not know about most women, but I hit a point in each labor where I KNOW without a doubt, that if someone offered me drugs to reduce the pain, I would say YES! I spent a good chunk (yup, the transition chunk) of my last labor trying to figure out how to tell my husband (who is as passionate about natural birth as I am) that I wanted to have the next baby in the hospital with lots of drugs. I have since moved passed this view point, although it did stick around for a few hours after my baby was born. My point in this, I understand that feeling of the pain of childbirth and then, when you hold your baby in your arms-who really cares? I know I don't. When I finally got to hold my baby girl in my arms, I did not even care what gender she was. I just wanted to hold her and look at her and pretty much just do that for the rest of the night. Go ahead and check out this blog entry by Joe Rigney.

Intro to Child Development

2008-12-23T00:22:00.000-08:00

I was just sitting down to start my intro to preschool and realized that Christmas is this week, New Years the next. Plus, I find out tomorrow if I am moving next month to Atlanta, GA. So, I think I will wait to start this, because I am very excited to do it, and I want to do it well, not just barely holding it together while my life goes into boxes headed for storage units or a crazy car full on people on a big adventure. Not to mention Christmas!!! So I will take my time and read and get to it either in January, or if we move, after we move. :)

Not What I Planned

2008-12-22T23:31:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is almost here and I have accomplished none of the things I had in mind for this month. Mostly due to illness. I managed to feel good for a few days to scramble to get ready for our Christmas party, cancel one due to illness, have my parents arrive, and start feeling sick again. Yippee. At least my mommy was here. :) So now I am scrambling again to pull everything together. Spent the evening in the kitchen. I did get plates for the nieghbors put together as well as pecans for the family. Almost there. Last year, I was pregnant with two toddlers running around and doing stuff for the neighbors seemed very overwhelming to me. This year did not turn out much better. So, I developed a simplicity plan. The first year we did it with friends and we all brought stuff to contribute. I have to confess, I felt overwhelmed even then, but everyone pitched in, and it got done. That year was quite beautiful.

Now, I make chocolate chip cookies with holiday m&m's (oh so festive!), brownies (oh yes, from the box!) with sprinkles on top, and some filler: another festive cookie if I am feeling ambitious, sometimes we are given cookies from Gabe's office-especially the butter cookies in a tin, ginger snaps, or candy from the store. This year my mom had the idea to get pretzels (circle or waffle) put a striped Hershey's hug on top, melt it in the oven for a few minutes, pull it out and put an m&m on it. I think they turned out pretty well. The original plan was for my eager helpers to help out. Unfortunately, they started coughing up a storm and were banned from the kitchen, or at least from coughing on food on the counter. :)

Now if only I could finish my advent calendar before Christmas.

Not a Slacker

2008-12-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

Well, Lucy loves us all enough to share her sick germs with us, or, at least with me. So, here I am again not writing anything and behind on the house. I am hanging onto the hope that this will pass quickly before the house falls too far behind. Hopefully, I will be writing again soon.

Product Review: Ikea

2008-12-03T13:51:00.000-08:00

Well, we are back in the swing of things. Maybe. Running behind as always. ;) We are taking it "easy" for a few days for mommy to work on training hearts and bottoms. Today has been rough, but good. I am hopeful. Joe discovered a new game: throw balls into the seat of Lucy's jumperoo when she is not in there, obviously. Emily discovered a new game as well: dangle baby sister upside down over the edge of the couch until Mommy finds me. At least it is a very short couch. Lucy was grinning. Silly girl.

Christmas music is playing on Pandora and I am trying to plan out my Christmas stuff. So, this is more of a Christmas suggestion than a product review, mostly. Ikea is quite amazing. A generous church in Washougal is letting us use their building for our Tuesday night meetings. I don't know if they had a lot of donations or somehow managed to have an incredible budget, but they have the coolest stuff in their children's rooms!!!!! A lot of it comes from Ikea. Lucy used the baby gym last night. It was just about perfect as baby gyms go. If she pulled hard enough, the swinging toys detatched for her to throw around or eat.
Pros:

Simple, not over stimulating.
It did not take up a ton of room. Arches can be removed.
Easy to wipe off, or machine washable.
Bright, cute, soft material toys (no evil plastics ;) (I do not know about the materials or fillings used.)
It is relatively small, only 3 feet wide.

Cons:

Um, lets see, well, if you don't like the shade of green, you are not going to like the toy.
It does sit on the floor, meaning if this is not a first born or only child baby, you have to stay in the room with baby all the time. (Lest your child decide to invent a game involving hanging sweet little babies upside down.)

Check out Ikea for cute little gift ideas for little one that won't break the bank or leaving you feeling paranoid about evil plastics. ;)

Vacation

2008-11-22T15:48:00.000-08:00

We are leaving for a week with the family in Boise on Monday and Lucy is sick and wants only to be held by mommy, so I think I will be taking a break . Plus, I don't know if Grandma even has internet at her house. So, I will be back on December 1st. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Kid to Kid Ideas

2008-11-20T15:06:00.000-08:00

A friend and I were brainstorming kid to kid gift ideas the other day. Last year this friend very sweetly helped her daughter make cookiemen tree decorations and her daughter handed those out along with a cookie to eat to her friends. It was very sweet and thoughtful. Here is what we came up with two days ago:

Playdough kit (the powdered ingredients and directions, maybe a bottle of food dye, and a cookie cutter)
Cookie mix (and a cookie cutter if sugar and directions)
Finger paint mix, and directions.
This isn't something you make, but Ikea has these really cute animal dolls right now for about $1.50 each. They are adorable and dressed up like ladies and gentlemen. That would be something fun to let a child pick out.
Bubbles! We have started saving our bubble wands to use with this or with the bulk bubble bottle. :)

I think mixes are a good idea. Its not an "I am making you do all the work gift" but rather an "I am getting it started so you can make it together with your sweeties." My kids love to make stuff with me and half the time I am too overwhelmed trying to figure out what I am doing, much less how to best include them in the project. This way, it is already there, all you have to do is follow the directions and be willing to get a pan dirty. The kids were going to pull it out for a drum anyway, may as well use it for something quiet. ;)

Fuzzi Bunz

2008-11-19T14:17:00.000-08:00

I love Fuzzi Bunz! I have read reviews, and I guess people either love them or hate them. Really though, how many diapers can you put on your child when you leave the house and think about almost as much as you think about a disposable diaper? I use these on Lucy at night time with a thirsties doubler and it works for almost 12 hours for those morning when one of us just does not want to wake up. Rumor has it that the elastic does not hold up as well as you would hope. However, I have had some for about two years and they still work fine. Granted, the elastic may be a little less elastic than it was two years ago, but it still works just fine (maybe especially since it does not have to keep in newborn poops?) The ones that Lucy has are the new generation Fuzzi Bunz, so I am curious to see if they hold up better.

Pros:

These are the diapers I use when I leave the house. Sometimes with a doubler, depending on the child and the length of the trip. But they hold a lot and I have only had leak problems when I don't pay attention and let somebody inhale a lot of liquid and forget to change the diaper in time. My fault, not the diaper's.
About a 7 or 8 on a 1-10 scale, 10 being super trim.
Reliable. (Yes, its the same as the first one, but worth two pros.)

Cons:

If you don't have baby on a flat surface, it can be a little difficult to get it on right. But it still works just fine.
They are a little spendy. ($17.95 -19.95, unless you get a package deal.) For me, it is worth it to have a few really good diapers. Actually, I ordered one on diapers.com with my disposables for a trip and it ended up being a really good deal. I got a case of disposable and one Fuzzi Bunz with the code BABY10 for $10 off the order and free 2 day shipping.

A few things I have noticed about cloth diapers, and perhaps in particular reviews:

Pay attention to the reviewer. Cloth diapers will NOT last as long as disposable. Do not expect them to last that long. Depending on the child, once every 2-3 1/2 hours.
Different children have different shapes, or, well, peeing styles. If you have a child that pees very quickly all at once, you will have different diaper needs that a child who pees slowly. Lucy has chunk baby thighs, and when I first tried her cloth diapers it took me a few days to figure out how to use them on her body. I think at first she was a little too small. But I also had to tuck the diaper in and tug her thighs out a little, so the diaper was on her bottom, and not her bottom and half of her upper leg. :) I love chubby babies.
Most cloth diapers do work, it just takes a bit of tweaking to figure out how and for how long. It may or may not be the best fit for you and your diapering needs. A good way to figure out what you need before investing a big chunk of money is to order a sample kit like the one from diaperco.com and try out some different types. I've also found that I like different diapers for different things. I like fuzzi bunz for going out, but I do like my swaddlebees a lot at home. It is hard to beat a prefold in price, but daddies do not really prefer prefolds.

What is your favorite cloth diaper?

I Love Innovative People

2008-11-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

This is a little more of a traditional gift idea. And by traditional, I mean get gifts. Yeah, I know. . . . . .but if you're like me, you would rather bypass well intentioned gift givers and send them in the right direction. That way you are not left with the moral dilemma of wondering if its ok to just "lose" that favorite toy that they got for Christmas. (A.K.A. the Barbie Dilemma.) Besides, I would rather my kiddos have a few really good toys than a bunch of not so great toys. It makes sense to have stuff that will last through all of the kiddos.

The idea: Amazon wishlists. Amazon has a newer wishlist feature that is similar to a wedding or baby registry. Actually, I think it can be those things. Or, it can just be a Christmas or Birthday or a just because (hint hint Husband) list. So, my kids now have one. One big giant one where I put each child's name in the note for the item. I sent it to Great Grandparents who are internet capable. We shall see how it goes?

My Monday Mission: Education 101

2008-11-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

I want to start doing a summary of education philosophies. Partially because I want to review it to help me be intentional with my own children. And partially to be a resource. Who really wants to pick up a text book? Okay, I might know a few people who would. What I want to know is, do you have any questions about preschool or general education philosophies? This could cover anything from play, math, science, reading, how much time, what books, etc. It may include things not really preschool, like liberal arts, etc. Basically, I would love to know what you are thinking and answer any questions. Time to put that silly diploma to work.

Thank you!

Potty Note

2008-11-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

Ikea has a similar potty to the Baby Bjorn smaller size one for $3.99. How could you beat that?

Getting Rid Of Evil Plastics Without Going Broke

2008-11-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

When I started looking into plastics, I had this moment of panic. Have you ever realized how many baby things are made of plastic? Pretty much all? And how many of them end up in mouths? Not to mention the ones that are supposed to be in mouths. Where do you draw the line? What do you do about it without going broke? I am far from having it all figured out, but I am making little steps here and there, and will eventually get there. Maybe? Here are a few starter thoughts.

Use canning jars instead of ziploc when possible (and definitely avoid ziploc with warm things-wait until they cool down.)
(Costco has an 18 piece pyrex storage for $29-$23 with the coupon. I don't know about the lids, but the food does not usually touch them.))
Check out lists like those on safemama or z re commends-you may be surprised at what things you already have that are ok.
Use it as an excuse to weed out an overstocked toy collection. ;)
Sell the old on craigslist and use the $ for new, if needed.
If you were buying bottled water, stop. A new stainless steel water bottle will pay for itself soon. Or, use a glass jar with a lid.
Reduce the most frequently used by the smallest family member first. We started with pregnant mommy's water bottle, then big brother and big sister's sippies, then daddy's. We are working on food storage, choosing better options when there is not a perfect one, or we have not been able to buy the best option. Aluminum foil over saram wrap, old yogurt cartons over ziploc when my few glass options are out, although trying to mostly use canning jars or correlle bowls with lids.
Never heat things in the microwave in plastic. (Or just skip the microwave all together.)
Buy things that more readily absorb the evils in glass containers (oils are a good example.) Buy made on the site peanut butter and transfer to a canning jar when you get home.

Lucy traded her bpa free pacifier in for her more convenient fists after a few months. :)

Book Review: A, My Name is Alice

2008-11-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

I love this book! My kids love this book! They thought it was quite hillarious. We had to rename the guy on the J page Josiah because one of the characters was named Emily. I really enjoy reading books that make my children crack up, but this one made me crack up, too. You know how when you read ABC books and you get to the "X" page and are positive they made it up, unless they used the good old standby, xylyphone? Well, Jane Bayer just goes all the way, and while he did not make up his "X" names, he makes everything else about this page up in a clever and funny for mommy way.

I am biased, because I really enjoy Steven Kellogg, but I thought this was another good one from him. He illustrated it and Jane Bayer wrote it. Jane Bayer included several words with the letter sound and used a repetitive rhythm that is as fun to read as it is pleasant to hear. And, of course, with Steven Kellogg illustrations, I would read it anyway. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by what I was expecting to be just another standard alphabet book.

Christmas With Kids

2008-11-13T22:50:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to figure out how to get me kids thinking about others this holiday season-what a great opportunity for it! And yet, they seem to have grasped very quickly the part about them getting presents. And with all of the different family members, they end up getting at least three different Christmas's. Plus, they are the only grandkids on all sides. This makes for a lot of selfish opportunities. Sigh.

Gini lent me her Advent calendar book and I am excited to look through it. It would be a good way to repeatedly direct them to the real meaning of Christmas. One way or the other, we will do some advent something this year. For now, here are a few gifts that kids can make pretty simply for other people:

Plants with pots painted by sweet kiddos. If you have a younger person who may end up combining all the paint colors leaving you with a brown pot, you might try sponge or potato stamps- a lot of fun for kids to use, and with a little guidance will leave you with a pretty final product, but still made with love. (Don't forget to put a plant in it.)
Stationary. Get some plain stationary and let them put fingerprints on it and you take a pen to make fingerprint animals, flowers, etc. Their fingerprints, your special touch. Or, do two thumb prints in the shape of a heart. Add a little ribbon to tie it all together. :)
Let them decorate the travel mug. I used paper that the kids had painted to put the pictures on for a few of our picture travel mugs.
Good old handmade ornaments are always enjoyed if only because they were made with love. Pine cones with glue and glitter. Snowflakes made from popsicle sticks. The list is pretty endless.

Happy creativity!

Product Review: Crayola Color Wonder Finger Paint

2008-11-12T22:40:00.000-08:00

Recently, I found Crayola Color Wonder Finger Paint on clearance at a drug store going out of business. I have the markers. I think the preschool teacher in me is not a fan. But the mother in me mostly likes the markers. Anyway, I thought we would give the finger paint a try. If nothing else it would at least buy me a few minutes of peace. BUT REALLY, other than the color changing thing, you may as well smear vaseline on paper. Truly. Even the color thing is diminished by the oil like substance making the paper translucent. Not to mention the kids got gooey. I mean, it was clear goo, but still goo. The kids went through the whole pack of goo in one sitting. But not all of the paper. The paper can be used with the markers-the one redeeming value. OK, well, it did buy me a few minutes of peace. ;) All in all, this was a flop. A good idea in concept, a flop in practice.

On a side note: cardboard swords and shields-not a flop in practice! In fact, rather amazing, other than potential risk to eyes, which the kids seemed pretty careful of, and maybe? the risk of paper cut? they were quite harmless. No smashed fingers. No sting if you swat hard enough. In fact, they were pretty flimsy and floppy and that bothered no one.

A Few More Thoughts for Christmas

2008-11-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

Regardless of what approach you take, a cheaper, thoughtful and useful option is always nice. Cheap can be pretty easy. It's the others that are tricky. Here are some starter ideas. Use one, or use them to get your brain moving. :) Happy planning.

Lindsay had some great ideas on her blog. I was going to suggest pillow cases and aprons, but she included those. :) However, my kids have homemade pillow cases from their aunties and LOVE them! Plus, they are pretty simple to make. You can find cute material that will be special and unique to their favorite things. I want to make my kids aprons this year. Joe loves to help in the kitchen and its just wrong when he wears his sister's pink, lacy and frilly apron.
Wondertime has some great ideas of food to make. And in their pictures they always have clever packaging ideas-making food look very cute. (I just really love the picture of the kids ankles paper chained together. :) OK, so they won't let you look at this years ideas on-line yet. You would have to buy the magazine. (Or you may borrow mine.) This month has a recipe for rosemary pecans, which they packaged in a sugar pourer-very cute. I think we will just use a pint size jar, though. (Nourishing Traditions has some yummy nut treats, too!)

1 pound unsalted pecan halves
2 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary
1.2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbs melter butter

Heat oven to 350 an toast nuts on a cookie sheet, stirring every so oftern, until they're golden and toasty, about 10 minutes. Combine the other ingredients in a large bowl, then toss in the nuts to coat. (Catherine Newman, Wondertime Magazine. Dec 2008)

My husband is planning on roasting coffee for our family members, but that only works if you have a roaster. However, for $10 (I think?) Starbucks has mugs you can put pictures of Grandma's most favorite people on the planet in. A portable boast book that can hold coffee!
Blurb is a little spendy, but not nearly as much as you would think. Especially if you can give it to both Grandma and Grandpa and have it count for both of them. Picture books start at 12.95 depending on what size and how many pictures. We did this last year and it was a big hit. It wasurprisingly easy to make it look good!

If I get more inspirations I will send them your way. :)

Fairy Tales

2008-11-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Let me share with you my oh so sneaky plan. This weeks theme is fairy tales. Next week is good manners and the following week-is Thanksgiving!! Do you see the ultimate plan? Knights and princesses+manners of knights and princesses (according to current rules, not middle ages code of conduct)=very polite toddlers at Great-Grandma's for Thanksgiving. :) (Knock on wood. . .) Anyhow, that's the plan. We shall see how it works out. Even if it is not everything I hope for, it has to be better than not, right?

Facts, Terms and Principles (as I see them-yes! I am the teacher, I can define terms any way I want! ha ha! Well, maybe not.)

A Prince or Princess is someone who loves other people and thinks of other people first.
A hero is someone who does a hard thing(s) to help another person or people.
Fairy Tales are pretend stories that are told to make people happy or sad and to teach how to do heroic things.
People use words, pictures and songs to tell stories.
Knights fight for honor (honor is "an adherence to what is right.")

My big goal for the week is to use princesses, princes, knights etc as a tool for proper behavior. And thus lead into good manners next week. OK, yes, I have some massive ulterior motives here. But it is good for them. And they will have fun. Last week's cars will be recycled into swords and shields if there is enough cardboard. The princess dresses will come out. I checked out a stack of fairy tale books from the library. Found a bunch of Tomie dePaola books, I am excited to read those. And we will keep on working on the usuals.

Drumroll Please: Saturday's Post! (On Saturday!)

2008-11-08T21:42:00.000-08:00

Since the past few weeks have been a little busy, I have not been playing around with new recipes, a luxury for those with both mental and physical energy. ;) So, I thought I would share something I have been slowly learning this year. We have an open door night. Which, is a lot of fun, but it is also difficult to plan for, as the crowd may or may not know ahead of time if they will be showing up. A large chunk of them are guys.

How do you make a meal for a crowd of unknown size? A few early attempts left me eating the same food for the rest of the week. Some other attempts left the guys hitting McDonalds after I had gone to bed. Here are a few tips that I have been learning:

Make a lot of food. You would think that's a given. But just before Lucy was born, I failed this one, regularly. If you keep popcorn on hand, you can make some up for munchies later. (Or I usually have stuff for a crisp on hand, too.)
Choose a food that you can freeze whatever is leftover (soup, spaghetti, chili, chicken curry.)
Didn't make enough? Throw in a few sides. Some green beans from the freezer. A quick biscuit or roll. A salad. A fruit salad. Some rice. Side dishes can fill in a lot of holes. I think my mother-in-law uses this trick to use less meat at dinner to feed her family. She is a very clever lady. This is a trick to get a flank steak to stretch a little further, allowing for a nice meal without going broke on a steak for a lot of people.

Obviously, meals that don't revolve around meat as the main course help. Soup, stirfry, taco or grilled chicken salad. Use your imagination. I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to hospitality for a lot, any tips to share?

Getting Closer: Friday Review

2008-11-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

This is more of a review of an author than one specific book, but here it goes. We found this book at the library this week: The Boy on the Bus written and illustrated by Penny Dale. It took me a few days to place why this book looked familiar. When I was a in high school, spending every spare moment babysitting, I found a book called Ten in the Bed at the library. I checked it out and dragged it around to all of my babysitting jobs. I was enthralled with this book. I wanted to read it forever and ever and ever. (Might be a useful quality in a book right now, eh?)

So now I have read a grand total of two book written and illustrated by Penny Dale, which does not qualify me to recommend all of her books. However, I really enjoyed both The Boy on the Bus and Ten in the Bed. And I think I will request Ten Out of Bed from the library. The illustrations are sweet and enjoyable. Actually, very adorable. The words are variations of the familiar nursery songs-a big plus for reading to toddlers! I am a big fan of books that have staying power with moms. It takes a lot to be willing to read a book over and over and over again.

On a completely unrelated note, Ralph has a song called Abbie's Alphabet Soup. I am not sure how I feel about Ralph, his music seems fine. His music video's disturb me, but not my children. Regardless of how I feel about him and his music, it is worth pointing out that this is an alphabet song that presents phonic sounds for the letters! (He looks less scary on his website. Maybe I just don't like his suit in the music videos.)

Behind Still: Thursday's

2008-11-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

Hm. I think I need to find a new time to blog. After the kids are in bed does not seem to be working for me. Or maybe we need to slow down our social life. Not likely to happen.

Lucy thinks her brother and sister need a padded and sound proof room. Her life would be so much more peaceful. But for now, she is loving Grandma day. Big brother and sister are at Grandma's house until tomorrow. EVERYONE is happy (Mommy misses them a little, though.) Emily's toys played "beauty and the beast" this week, Joe's toys played "Mommy and Daddy are going bye-bye and we are going to Aunt Abbie's house." So, for today, we will catch up this week and try to persevere next week. :)

I am excited to start a Christmas series on Tuesdays and Thursday, featuring DIY gift ideas, budget gifts, how to get children thinking about other people (novel concept, right?), missions thoughts, and maybe a few other things. For now, here is a starting thought. This is something our church has fully embraced, and I think its a great idea, but since we do not really go overboard, plus have the only grandkids on both sides (who are also blessed with six greatgrandma) it leaves me with a lot fo evaluate. Check out the Advent Conspiracy.

Also, putting together a list for Grandparents? Check out these not the walmart toy book catalogue ideas.
SafeMama 2008 Safer Toy Guide

Cool Mom Picks Safer Toy Guide 2008

Here are pictures of our cardboard cars-the big preschool project for the week. :) They are currently dying a slow death up in the kids room. (Maybe to be recycled into swords for fairy tale week??)

First Wednesday Review (On Thursday): Baby Bjorn Potty

2008-11-06T21:17:00.000-08:00

Ok, I am still a little behind. We were blessed with a date night last night. What's a girl to do? :)

I have been doing book and movie reviews on Friday-always on the lookout for a great children's book to survive the adored repetition. I want to start doing product reviews on Wednesday. I don't know how many times I have wanted or needed to buy something and have been overwhelmed by the multitude of options. I want to buy the one that is perfect for me and my family-or at least really close. Before buying something, I spend hours and sometimes days and weeks online during naptime doing research. (Case in point: my stroller. My poor husband gets major kudos for his patient listening to more detail than he ever wanted to know about stroller options and prices!) I have discovered that there is a lot of junk out there. Thankfully, there are a lot of innovative parents as well. (It is my dream to be one of the latter, for now, I'll just enjoy their innovativeness.)

I thought I would put my own reviews out there with hopes of helping other moms make those decisions. So here goes reveiw #1: Baby Bjorn potties.

Pro #1: I have to confess, the biggest attraction here for me, is the "eew gross" factor of potties. Have you noticed how toddlers are incapable of keeping fluids where they belong? Shocking, right? Even if it all makes it into the potty, making it all into the toilet without any spilling or dripping its a miracle. What makes Baby Bjorn's better? There are no seams. No nooks and crannies to make cleaning difficult. One or two pieces, and all very easy to wipe and clean.

Pro #2: Both have the shield for little boys. (Random toilet tip: boys can stradle the toilet backwards-facing the tank, allowing them to feel older, more like how daddy does it, without the mess for mommy to clean up.)

Pro #3: Small and moderately easy to store.

Pro#4: Cute and simple colors without being cutesy. I'm sorry. I know kids love cutesy. I am now the mother of three. I am done with cutesy. They can have cutesy band-aids. If I have to look at it everyday and clean, I want a say in how it looks.

Pro#5: The smaller one is currently living in my car. Emily has a fear of automatic flushing toilets. Can you blame her? This way, she has a potty option that does only exclude automatic flushing, it also does not require me taking all three children into a germy public bathroom. Enough said.

Pro#6: It seems pretty comfortable. No complaints so far.

Pro #7: ITS EASY TO CLEAN! (I felt this was worth two.)

Con#1: The small one is pretty small.

Con#2: The small one scoots on floors. Yes. In front of company. Half or completely naked children enjoy scooting out of the bathroom to join the people eating dinner. Perhaps more a problem with the children than the potty, but something to be aware of.

Con#3: I imagine this is a problem with all potty chairs, but little boys need to double check and make sure parts are on the right side of the shield.

All in all, I have been very happy with our potty chairs. My only complaint is that they do not train the child. That would be my dream potty chair.

Lucy's Early Brainwashing-I Mean Introduction to Good Things

2008-11-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

What exactly is a good thing? Well, the kids have sung her Aunt Abbie songs since day one (sorry, Aunt Ruth. Keep hoping. Maybe the next baby will not so very much prefer Aunt Abbie.) And now,she sits watching Fox News dutifully watching the exit polls and election results. We found a book about elections and voting for kids and so we talked with Emily and Joe about it. I am not sure how much they understood. Emily wanted to vote for Cinderella. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. We'll hit it again in two years.

Our theme this week is transportation. I have to confess a lack of enthusiasm for this particular theme. But, I managed to find some fun books at the library, there are oodles of fun songs, and best of all-we made cars out of cardboard boxes. Boasting moment: We used coffee cup lids as headlights! What better than another way to justify coffee? I will post pictures of the cars tomorrow.

Can you tell how enthused I am about transportation? I don't really even want to write about it. No brilliant ideas here. But I do need to make one other boast-new achievement of mommy greatness: nursing while hiking!! Lucy's bottom was supported in the moby wrap (and other things discreetly hidden) while I held her shoulders and head with my arm. It was wonderful to be able to feed her and not make the entire crew wait, or just my wonderful husband while everyone else walked ahead.

Please don't think that my boasting means I have it all together (or when I share ideas.) I do not have it all together. In fact, the stuff you see on here are probably the only accomplishments I will have during the week. Although, I cling to the hope that things are happening in my children's hearts and minds that may not be visible to me as I persevere on the mommy front. (Every now and then something peeks through and I am encouraged.) My life is made up of triage parenting and scrambling for a moment to get something else accomplished (like cleaning the bathroom that never stays clean.) Who is screaming the loudest? Or rather, whose need is more urgent? I lean very heavily on God's grace. Ok, poopy diaper calls.

Not a Usual Monday

2008-11-03T23:06:00.000-08:00

I will do my Monday Preschool post on Tuesday this week. Tomorrow is the last of this round of birthdays. Hopefully things will slow down? (That may be an empty hope. . .)

I had a rough day today. Maybe postpartum depression? Or stress build-up? Maybe just a need for a good cry. Anyway, while the kids watched their movie upstairs, Lucy and I sat in the kitchen to read my Bible. (That's where Lucy's bouncy place is located right now.) I just started reading Isaiah yesterday. So today we read chapter 2. At the end of chapter to is what I think must be one of our pastor's favorite verses. At least, he is always pulling it out.

"Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" Isaiah 2:22

It struck me as a multi-faceted fact. We are brief, our time here is passing. Ultimately, we are insignificant and small.* During my rough spot today, this was a great reminder of two very different facts, both, oddly, were helpful to me.

1. These times will not last. These troubles and frustrations are small and brief. They, too, shall pass. I will not forever be outnumbered by people who depend on me for everything. Money may always be tight, but the current fatigue will not last. Lucy's night time issues will be resolved. And so on.

2. These times will not last. The sweet moments I have today will not always be here. The way Lucy sings while latched on when she's done eating will disappear. The way Joe runs around with his chopsticks and pan will disappear. The way Emily turns her shoes into people and plays "house" with her shoes all the way home will disappear. And I will miss them.

So, basically, it was a reminder to me to enjoy the season I am in, for it will not always be this way. Both a good thing and a sad thing, all at the same time. OK, I must attend to my screaming baby. It could be a long night. I think I will just enjoy the snuggles once I get her calmed down.

2008-11-01T21:45:00.001-07:00



A neat resource with discounts and a wishlist of quality toys and places to get them.  (Lookers beware!  The toys look really neat and good-read as not cheap.)

Tea For Kiddos

2008-11-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

I love when my mom visits! She gets my sweeties eating things I would never think of trying to feed them. Like coconut oil just on a spoon. And tea. She got my kids hooked on tea the last time she was here. It turns out to be an economical and healthier option to juice. Yes, sometimes I add honey, but sometimes I add coconut oil, too. Anyway, it is really easy to make up a pitcher and keep it in the fridge. When someone is sick, it is pretty easy to sneak in a cold tea, or echinacea tea. Or, I found this yummy yummy Raspberry Infusion Tea at Trader Joe's. (Yes, I know the picture is backwards, but that's the way it came through photo booth and I think its pretty funny. :) It makes a delicious treat for both mommies and kiddos.

Book Review: Maisy's Rainbow Dream

2008-11-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Part of my preschool plan is being intentional about which books we are reading. Ok, most of my preschool plan involves being intentional about which books we are reading. Its an easy starting point for me. So, when we go to the library, I try to get a number book, a color book and an alphabet book. A little extra practice and exposure never hurt anyone, right? This week's color book was Maisy's Rainbow Dream by Lucy Cousins.

Maisy has a crazy dream about things that are different colors, conveniently the same order as the rainbow. (Watch for the items in her bedroom when she wakes up at the end of the book. :) The book itself is not anything amazing, but it does go through the colors. It is well paced and few words/page, making it an easy read for my two and three year olds. The pictures are bright and colorful-lots of opportunity for color practice. And, like all dreams, it is pretty crazy silly. Which was what I enjoyed. Emily and Joe were laughing pretty hard, and I enjoy seeing them laugh about stuff-especially when it is not that forced fakey laugh.

We enjoyed the other Maisy book we got from the library, but I have not read enough to make an accross the board recommendation. :)

Better Diapers

2008-11-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

Apparently most of my friends already knew this little secret ;) but here it is anyway. Seventh Generation diapers can be bought for less on Amazon.com. If you subscribe to the diapers (commit to getting them anywhere from once a month to once every six months) you save 15%, making them a just few cents more than buying huggies at Costco. (I will pay attention next time I am in Costco and get the exacts.) But I was excited to find a way to get the better for my baby diaper without spending a lot more than I would on other diapers. Plus, they don't have annoying patterns!! I was getting so tired of Mickey and Minnie, I bought Target diapers the other day (they were on clearance!) and was thrilled to see other things on them.

(I still use cloth, but my older two wet too much at night, and every now and then we are gone too much and I fall behind on laundry, or we take a road trip. . . )

The Ghost of Coffee Past (and nice dates on a budget)

2008-10-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

I had every intention of posting again last night ad catching up, but the ghost of coffee past showed up for about an hour and a half last night-just as I was about to start getting some more work done before heading to bed. Note to mommy: do not have that second cup of coffee later in the day. It does not seem to do you much good, but affects the baby and keeps her up. . . . . . way too late.

We have been trying to find cheaper ways to get nice dates lately. A friend told me about a couple that was very very tight. They got all dressed up for their date night and took candles to McDonalds for their date night. I would take the food and go somewhere else, or even cook a meal to take somewhere else before doing that, I think, but still, kudos for the effort.

We have been really enjoying happy hour, lately. It does require getting out a little earlier and definitely not late. Gustav's, Claim Jumper, Beaches (Vancouver) and Mint (Portland) have amazing happy hours. We have also been enjoying happy hours at the pacific food's chains: Newport Grill, Stanfords, Portland City Grill, Newport bay, and Manzanas. The best part about these places: we bought the gift cards at Costco-for $80 we get two $50 gift cards-yes, $20 worth of free food, basically. :) Plus, if you use them at happy hour, it goes pretty far.

Although, that being said, who said a date had to involve spending money? ;)

Monday's

2008-10-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

Well, the middle of birthday season finds us all very tired and very behind. Everyone has taken a nap, the kitchen counter has been found, and no one starved over the weekend-thanks mostly to Grandma! One more weekend to go and we should be in the clear. At least birthdays mostly fell on weekends this year.

This week's preschool theme is Space. I am so excited to read the books we got! We cheated and read one about Neil Armstrong last week-did you know that he would work 25 hours to pay for one hour of flight instruction? But, the end result was he had an aviator's license before he could get a driver's license. :)

Facts, Terms, and Principles:

There are eight planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
We live on Earth.
The planets all orbit around the sun.
The sun gives us light during the day; the moon and stars give us light at night.
We group the stars into constellations; sailors used these to help find the way home.

I am excited about our projects this week. If I can get caught up and organized (ha ha. . .) we will make a planet mobile. Either way, we are definitely going to make our own constellations with glow in the dark stars on the walls. I am still viewing preschool as pretty low key and afraid to make any huge commitments when I cannot seem to keep the house clean for more than a few days at a time. (I made it almost two weeks a month ago! New goal: one month clean!)

Quinoa for Breakfast!

2008-10-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and had been dying to try it. Its from 101 Cookbooks, a website full of mostly nutritious and yummy recipes. (The rustic potato chowder is amazing!) It was really easy to prepare-set it up and leave it! Well, and the throw in a few things when its done cooking. Overall, pretty easy to fix and pretty easy to clean up from. And, it felt more filling than oatmeal, but being a Saturday, breakfast was a little later in the morning. The recipe for warm and nutty cinnamon quinoa can be read here, that way you can read Heidi Swanson's comments. My comments:

I am excited to try it with coconut milk?
Don't forget to soak the quinoa with whey or vinegar. :)
I used maple syrup since I didn't have agave, although, upon further reading, I do have honey.
It took me a few minutes to get used to quinoa for breakfast, but ultimately, I think I'm a fan. A high protein grain-a warm and yummy way to start the day.

Halloween, or 35 days of not taking the kids shopping

2008-10-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

Halloween, yippee. . . ok, it used to mean candy. A LOT of candy. Yummy. Now, it means 35 days of strategic driving, parking, and diversions when I leave the house with my kids. Do the stores really have to choose their scariest costumes to display? I would not mind so much if it were just me. My kids are kind of easily scared. . . in his defense, Joe picks it up from his sister and copies everything. I spend trips to the store trying to distract my children, getting them to look in the other direction, or finding a way to avoid walking by something all together. All of my griping aside, it is one of the few, the only? time of year when some neighbors are coming to your door! What a ministry opportunity. Some families give candy with tracts, some choose to give the really good candy, some go trick-or-treating as a way to practice remembering the names of neighbors less seen, or to meet new ones. Whatever way you choose to participate, or not, this is a huge opportunity to get to know your neighbors and to make a statement. Let it be a good one. :)

Our church handed out this list of ideas and I thought I would pass it a long. I have to confess, I am not terribly keen on my kids being around children dressed as witches and scary monsters. (Yes, a lot of costumes are sweet and adorable.) Maybe this is a good opportunity to talk about how choices people make when they do not know Jesus? I am still working on this. Definitely a good opportunity to continue asking God for parental wisdom. Any good ideas? Anyway, here is the list.

1o Easy Ways to Bless Your Neighbors on October 31

Begin praying for your neighborhood now. Ask God to show you what the needs are.
Contact your neighborhood association or local community center. Find out if they have any planned activities for the evening, and offer to help out.
Set up a coffee or hot cider table on your front portch or on your front lawn for all those trick-or-treaters! If possible, have a portable heat source available.
Help clean up your street on November 1.
If you have the technoloy, show "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" out on your front porch for a little nostalgia!
Give Starbucks gift cards to a few parents who brig their kids trick-or-treating. It's something they'd never expect!
Ask your single parent neighbor how you can help make the evening less stressful for them.
Set a goal of learning at least one neighbor's name when they come to your door with their kids. Follow up with them later in the week and offer to help them rake leaves or clean their gutters.
Offer to hand out candy at your elderl neighbor's home.
Don't live in a typical neighborhood? Talk to your life group (or a good friend!) about how you can be missional together!

Facts, Terms, and Principles

2008-10-20T23:06:00.000-07:00

Back in preschool teaching days, we had these sheets that we sent home with a letter every week with a list on it. We called the list "Facts, Terms and Principles", which is a fancy way of saying goals. It was a list of basic things that we wanted the children to learn that week. Things to point out while reading or doing activities. Things for parents to mention at home, or while driving in the car. . . I think we had 12-15 on the list. I am not nearly that ambitious right now. I am going for five. This week's theme is Autumn. Here's my list:

1. Autumn and fall are the same season.
2. Autumn comes after summer and before winter.
3. The leaves change color and fall off the tree in autumn.
4. God made the trees so they do this.
5. In the spring, the trees get new leaves.

Our big activity this week: Family hike!!!! I am really excited about this. We are going to make a scavenger hunt out of it. We will make a list with things like an orange leaf, a yellow leaf, an acorn, a puddle, and so on. Then we will have lots of fun looking for these things. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Sneaky Spinach

2008-10-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

I am not an advocate of sneaking veggies in with dessert, or other sneaky ways of getting kids to eat veggies. I think veggies are great and that it is possible to make them in ways that the kids will enjoy, and I also think it can be another area to disobey mommy. Yippee.

That being said, I am not opposed to cutting my daughter's broccoli into teeny, tiny pieces in her stir fry, or making dinners with the vegetable tastefully mixed into the main dish. I am very much a fan of eating dinner in peace every now and then. . . or maybe every night? To share a peaceful meal opportunity with you, I thought I might pass along these wonderful recipes with spinach in them.

This one is more frugal than my other macaroni and cheese recipe, I think. Well, if you make a few changes. :) Cooking Light's Penne with Pancetta, Spinach, and Buttery Crumb Topping (aka: fancy smancy mac'n'cheese) is very yummy! It has 6 cups of chopped, fresh spinach in it! I hear pancetta is pretty pricey, and I had bacon on hand, so I just used bacon, although, you might be able to try sausage? I am not sure. And of course, healthy substitutes of brown rice pasta and soaked grain bread crumbs would help. We all liked this one tonight! I am excited to try it out on some guests.

Joe helped me make the bread crumbs in the food processor, and I think it would be fairly easy to encorporate helpers. Prep time seemed pretty minimal (I'll try to start timing these things) and clean up was pretty decent as well.

My mom has made this one for as long as I can remember, and there are several varieties, but this one is my favorite. I loved it growing up, and am so happy to see my children enjoy it. They usually ask for more. One morning, we were in a hurry to get out the door, so I heated mine up while buckling the kids in the care. I handed the kids cereal bars (a special treat left over from a road trip) and grabbed my bowl of spinach souffle. Joe threw a fit when he saw what I was eating and wanted some too! It is more like a quiche, but we always called it spinach souffle; I am not sure why. IT IS REALLY EASY!

6 eggs
16 oz cottage cheese
1 8-10 oz pkg of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (or fresh works, too!)
8 oz cheese, cubed
1 stick butter, cubed
6 Tbs flour

Mix all together, bake at 350 degrees in a greased 9"x13" pan (or slightly smaller.)

There is a lot of flexibility with this recipe. I've seen my mom put all sorts of cheese in it. She has even used cream cheese, although, I'm pretty sure it was with another cheese. I have used all sorts of grains to substitute for wheat, and it has turned out fine. Lately, I have been throwing in Bob's Red Mill gluten free hot cereal mix, because it is in my pantry. This can work for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is best eaten warm.
Make in the morning tip: cube everything the night before. :)

Plastics 101

2008-10-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hey-just saw this article on The Soft Landing and thought it was worth pointing out-its a great 101 for those not sure what all the fuss is about, or where to start. Plastics can be a little overwhelming (I'm still figuring all the details out.) Anyway, its a good basic intro-check it out.

Book Review: Animals: A First Art Book

2008-10-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, so much for routine. A midweek round of food poisoning threw me off. So, here I am, getting slowly back on track. Yippee. :p To top it off, my computer ran out of battery while I was feeding the baby, and I did not save my first draft. Drat. I apologize. The first one was really good, we'll see how this turns out. Here it goes.

I am always looking for fun ways to expose my children to culture. I love cultural experiences such as plays, opera and art museums, but the problem is, I have the attention span of a toddler. This works out great for my toddlers, not so great for my husband. Luckily for me, he is very patient. Attention issues aside, there are a lot of great ways to sneak some culture in, or just have fun with it.

We found this book hiding in the juvenile art section of the library last week. Lucy Micklethwait's Animals: A First Art Book has a variety of art from Renoir to Warhol and the artists use a variety of materials, from scrolls to eucalyptus bark to paint on. The words are very simple concepts such as stripes and feathers-different ways of grouping animals. It is not anything astounding, but it is a simple and easy way to look at some artwork of different styles and from different eras.

Another idea is to go check out art books from the library-the kind full of just artwork, not so many words, and look through them together. (Pre-read to see if there is nudity or other things you would rather not explain or expose your kids to- just because its classical or cultural does not make it good.) Play "I Spy", take turns finding things on a page, or you be the boss-you find it first and tell your helper what to find, like reading "Where's Waldo". (Can you find a dancing bear? Can you find something red? Something brown?-yes, a great opportunity to practice colors!) Another cute book is You Can't Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum, by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman. This one has less artwork, but a cute story. Have fun!

Still Needs Work

2008-10-14T22:11:00.000-07:00

Daddy: What is the primary purpose of man?
Emily: To get dead.

OK, well, we're working on it. We'll get there. Its only Tuesday. Emily called me "school teacher" while we did preschool this morning. She makes my heart happy.

Preschool Has Begun!

2008-10-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

As I stood in line at Safeway today, the bagger asked Emily if she was in school yet. She told him she was doing preschool with her mommy. I was so proud and happy-especially since she sounded proud and happy. :)

I'll try to get pictures of our calendar and post that tomorrow, but for today: memory verse tip. Obviously dependent on the child, but Emily has learned two Bible verses in the last two days. One at church, and one today. We have been repeating them during the day, but here's the best part-she really wants to! We say them and then she asks, "Can we do it again? Can we do it again?" Does it get much better? Here's the trick, we've been doing sign language with the verses (its really helping me, too!) This site has some basic, or less basic signs, but really, its ok to make up your own for personal memorization, too. Go for it, have fun!!

Starting tips:

We're using the same sign for God and Lord.
If I can't find the specific word, I look for one with a close meaning.
If the sign looks too complicated for Emily and Joe, I simplify, or look for the sign for a similar word. (Shout instead of declare.)

Remember, we're saying the verse with the signs, so the point of the signs is just to help us remember the verse (kinesthetic and visual additions to an auditory and verbal skill.)

For our memory verses right now, we are doing the one from church, as well as one from our family devotion. I look ahead each week and pick one that is simple and relevant for our memory verse. We'll see how it goes, this book is a little mature for them. It takes a little over two years to go through it, and the readings are short. So, I think its really good for them to hear it, and we'll keep reading their Bible(or this one,) too. And, when we reach the end, we will restart, and it will sink deep into their hearts. :)

Dish Washing Addict

2008-10-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

I have this problem. I know it seems like an odd problem, but my son LOVES to wash the dishes. What's the problem? Well, both of my children want to do it if one does, and if the dishes are behind, it overwhelms me, much less trying to figure out how to let them tackle a mountain, or hill of dishes without creating a moat around the sink. The other day, I let them watch tv just so I would have to fight them to do the dishes by myself. Something is wrong with this picture, right? And what about in five years when I really want them to help with the dishes?
Here's what I have learned:

Joe is quite happy with some water, a brush, and one or two dishes.
Emily can wipe off and rinse pretty well with some occasional guidance and a dishrag of my own for a few missed spots.

So, the new plan is to have them help after breakfast. Our dishwasher is to the right of the sink. I will set Joe up on the left side with two dishes, a brush and some water. Emily gets the scraped dishes on the right side, with a few inches of water and a dishrag. A towel will probably have to be on the floor to catch the water, but I am optimistic this plan will work. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Book Review: George Shrinks

2008-10-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Emily found a new favorite book this week (read: we read this book two or more times every day this week.) William Joyce's George Shrinks is pretty simply written; its the pictures that are fascinating and make the literary experience adventurous and funny. A little boy awakes to find he shrunk during the night. The story is a letter his parents left him, detailing his chores while they are out, expecting him to be his normal size. However, being the (mostly)obedient son, he completes the chores creatively. Emily and Joe enjoyed the silliness, making cat noises, and looking for frogs while George waters the plants, but this books highest praise: we're not sick of reading it yet. :)

Baby Shower 101: Part Two

2008-10-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, where were we?

Clothing, of course, is always wonderful. For a non-first born, consider seasonal clothing that may be different from the previous children, or chances are good that the previous children stained some clothes when they started moving or eating, or wore out some knees in pants. :) Or, for a mom on a tight budget, she may be able to stretch some money garage saling, or may enjoy an opportunity to pick some stuff out for the baby, herself. (My mother-in-law sweetly did this, and I really appreciated it.) Pajamas and socks seem to be more rare at showers than other clothing items. Or, of course, if your budget is tight, hit the clearance rack! 12-18 months and up, seem to hit at least two seasons. At least, so far, in my experience. Making those safe choices if you're not sure how quickly this little person will be growing.
A nursing cover either the original brand, one made by a WAHM from ebay or craigslist, or it would be easy to make one yourself, is a wonderful blessing for a nursing mother who would rather not sacrifice time with friends and family.

I think those are my top tips for someone looking for a babyshower gift. Baby carriers and wonderful, but would take up an entire post or more. Same with strollers. If I think of anything else, I will add it later.

Baby Shower 101

2008-10-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

As the mother of sweet little babies, for the last 3 1/2 years, I often get asked what is a really good baby shower gift. And I never know what to say. But then, I think about it, and here's what I come up with. I'm writing it down here, so next time I get asked, I have a quick reference! :)
My list of new mommy needs-or it sure would be nice to have!

Boppy Nursing Pillow!!! This is not something you need for very long, depending on how quickly your baby grows, or three babies in, I am starting to get skilled with just a pillow. That being said, it is a lifesaver for those first few months of nursing. One less thing to figure out while you are trying to figure out a proper latch. Plus, its great for helping older siblings hold a baby, or to give a baby an extra boost to sit up (and extra padding should they tip over.)
A good swaddling blanket can go a loooong way. :) I don't know about everyone else's babies, but mine only use those silly receiving blankets for a few days, and then they are reduced to burp and booger blankets. Flannel works nicely. However, the swaddle blankets that it seems like everyone has, are kind of pricey for a peice of flannel. You could just make your own from a large square peice of flannel. Or, if price does not scare you these are really wonderful. (Actually, you get two for close to the price of one flannel blanket-$30/2 or $44/4, making these a good deal.) Aden and Anais makes light blankets from muslin that get softer everytime you wash it. Its not quite as soft as flannel, but still very soft-and so much cooler! We took ours hiking, and wrapped it around Lucy in the carrier. It protected her from the sun and the wind, while helping her take a nap, since she wasn't being over stimulated. To be honest, she spends a lot of our time out, in a baby carrier under her Aden and Anais blanket.
A good bottle may be worth having around. Evenflo has a nice, basic glass bottle. For fun check out silikids. Or, if you're worried about colic, Born Free has a complicated looking glass bottle. To check out the plastic options, try this chart. If you are not sure what BPA is or why you don't want it in your baby bottle, see here.

Preschool: Music

2008-10-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have my own 24/7 preschool! The trick is how much we actually learn. . . But a friend asked if we wanted to do a homeschool preschool coop recently, and I am so glad she did! A wonderful kick to get me going. I have wanted to, but have been a little nervous about trying it with all three. Last time we tried, Joe was still napping in the morning, and it was just Emily. Now it would be Joe and Emily, and hopefully Lucy napping. But I am hoping to start next week, and I will post my basic "lesson plans" for anyone interested. I think the goal will be one group project/week, and daily reading, art, music, sensory, and free play time. Mostly, I hope to just be intentional about how we spend our time and what activities are available.
I had hoped to get a lot more done this weekend, but oh well. Weekends have this amazing ability to run away. I did download a few songs from iTunes, though. Music is an important part of child development. Even better when you can get other good things in with it, such as Bible verses, abc's, counting, colors, or just getting wiggles out. Here's a few of my favorites for a place to start. (Please keep in mind, my tolerance level for preschool music is pretty high.)

Seeds of Courage by Seeds Family Worship: very practical verses put to catchy tunes. I don't mind having these stuck in my head. :) In fact, when I'm up with a croupy baby, these are wonderful to have running through my head.
Imagination Movers: They have some of the songs on their site! Some of my favorites are 7 Days a Week, Shakable You, Mover Music, and Can You Do It-great for getting wiggles out!
Barney: I hate to say it, but he has some great children's preschool songs.
Sesame Street or Disney have a lot of options as well. :)
Local Libraries are a wonderful resource!

Recipe: Puffed Oven Pancakes

2008-10-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

I tried a great new recipe this morning! It was so easy and quick to prepare-and here's the best part-clean up was a breeze! I think it would be very easy to have little helpers, too. (Just watch out for the hot skillet!) This is a big struggle in my kitchen lately. The kids want to help cook and wash dishes. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it could be. It will be, once I get them trained and figure out the best strategies. Maybe I'll do a post on this later. Any suggestions? Anyway, this recipe from Better Homes and Garden's Cook Book recommends to serve it with orange marmalade and fresh fruit. The fruit sounds great, but it works without it. I used the powdered sugar I had on hand, but they also suggest whipped cream. Fruit syrup was an easy low-prep addition, but it would be easy to use too much. My brother put lemon zest on his.
This makes 6 servings (I think I would make two, maybe three to feed the 6 people at my table, but some of them can be big eaters.)

2 Tbsp butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt

1. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet in the oven at 400 degrees (takes about 3-5 minutes.)
2. While the butter is melting, use a whisk or rotary beater to beat the eggs until combined.
3. Add flour, milk and salt-mix until smoot.
4. Immediately pour into the skillet.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and well browned.
6. Serve and top as desired!

Thank you, Riley!

2008-10-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

I used to be very scared of snakes. When I was little, all my brother had to do was hiss like a snake and chase me and I would freak out and scream. My poor mother. A snake got loose in our classroom in 4th grade. Unfortunately, I was the one who noticed as it slithered by my foot. I was shaking for the rest of the day. That was me. And then, I started to babysit for a six year old boy named Riley. Riley's chief ambition in life was to be just like Steve Irwin of Jeff Corwin. In fact, we would play Steve Irwin instead of playing other games little boys usually play. It was his favorite thing to do. Riley had about 50 rubber snakes, of varying sizes and 10-15 large stuffed ones. Yes, stuffed. Why someone would even think to make such a thing is beyond me.
One thing my brother taught me was to show no fear. So, I grinned and stuck it out. I even got books from the library so we wouldn't spend the entire time playing Steve Irwin. I learned a lot about snakes. I did not learn to love them, but I did learn to respect and even admire God's incredible workmanship and imagination in creating these colorful and sometimes even beautiful creatures.
And it served me well. When a guest and Emily brought a snake to the door the other day, I did not freak out. Yay! I stayed calm and showed interest in this exciting moment in my children's life. And now they don't know that mommy is quite unfond of snakes. I hope it always stays that way and that I am able to pass on a healthy respect for part of God's creation. Thank you, Riley, for unknowingly teaching me about beauty in dislikable things.

I think I'm back

2008-10-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

Ha! Three months postpartum (well, in a week) and I think I'm finally feeling back to normal. Or at least much more normal. I am no longer pregnant, sick and uncomfortable. The house and kids are probably more or less as under control as they are going to get. Well, I thought so until I decided to try potty training child #2, who has been asking to use the potty for months. We'll give him a few more days before deciding to try again in a few months. I haven't felt up to writing, unfortunately, but I have been doing some reading.
I have a problem with motherhood. Being informed is the first step to making safe and healthy choices for my children and teaching them how to do the same. However, becoming informed takes a lot of time. To top it off, sometimes too much information can be a little overwhelming and scary. So, I've been finding blogs where other moms are doing a lot of the research and sharing it. What a clever way to share the mommy load! Thank you!! So, I thought I would pass a few of these on.

The Soft Landing Blog a great plastic 101 resource! Researched and frequently updated what's safe and what's not as well as current news political and otherwise related to plastics. Plus some other general health and safety issues.
Safe Mama I haven't spent a ton of time on this site, although it looks very helpful. My favorite part: cheat sheets!!! If you are looking for a safe sunscreen, sippy, pacifier, etc, this is a great place to start! Yay for cheat sheets! Their glossary is very helpful, too.

It is so wonderful to have other mommy's concerned about these things and helping the rest of us to be informed. My only caution is information is like watching the news. I have to confess, I usually avoid the news. I cannot watch it. I trust God to take care of me and my family, but watching the news helps fear become a larger issue in my life than it needs to be. I have enough issues as it is. :) I am not completely ignorant, I just look for the news I need in a way I can control what I absorb and how dramatically it is presented. I got overwhelmed when I first started looking into plastics. The truth is, I will not be able to protect my children from all evils in this world, environmental or otherwise. I will just do the best I can and trust God to do the rest.

I will continue to update this list as I discover new great finds!