4th of July!

We had a lovely time at our town's 4th of July event.

Liza was quite pleased to learn that popcorn can be coated in fake butter and salt.

This girl is a popcorn fiend at home and she was absolutely zombie-like in her goal of eating as much of this salty/buttery popcorn as possible.

Pretty sure Liza will gladly vote this woman in to office.

Henry did his typical 'watch but not jump' with the bounce houses.

He also enjoyed standing in line and chickening out when it got to be his turn but Taylor nipped that in the bud after several rotations through the line.  

He also realized Taylor had not very well hidden Tic-Tacs in his pocket.

For whatever reason, Taylor made him close his eyes to get one.

Liza is to buttery popcorn as Henry is to Tic-Tacs.

We left the bounce house area, smoothed out our quilt and sat down to eat some fruit.

Real food.  Thank goodness.

Right around this time we found our friends....

and Henry found Tripp's "choochoo" umbrella.

Tripp had his umbrella with him for a very good reason.  We had rain showers earlier that afternoon and the sky looked quite gloomy.  My heart started frantically beating at the first 'boom' of thunder in the background and I grabbed our things and ran to the car at the 3rd raindrop on my arm.  

Have I mentioned I am absolutely terrified of lightening?

I am.  

Needless to say, we didn't stick around for the fireworks.

To be continued.....

Duck in a Bucket My Way.

The Pioneer Woman calls them 'Egg in a hole'.

We used to call them 'Bird in a Basket'.

Since Henry fell in love with Mervin the duck, we now call them 'Duck in a Bucket'.

Whatever you call them, 

it doesn't get much better than having your egg fried in to your toast 

rather than just sitting on top of your toast.

Oh wait, you're not like me?

You don't eat 3 fried eggs on toast every morning for breakfast?

You're family doesn't consume 2.5 dozen eggs a week?  

You don't daydream about finally getting that chicken coop and pet chickens all.day.long?

No matter.  

You can still enjoy your 'Duck in a Bucket' even if  you aren't an egg fiend like us.

Duck in a Bucket My Way


Eggs
Bread
Earth Balance buttery spread or butter


1. Heat a cast iron griddle or heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat until a tablespoon of butter melts.
2. While the griddle heats, use a circle cookie cutter or small glass to punch out the inside of each slice of bread.
3. Place bread on the griddle.
4. Crack an egg into each circle. 
5. When the underside of the egg is cooked and the bread is toasted. pick up on spatula and add a dab of butter to the hot griddle.
6. Flip over onto the melted dab of butter and cook until bread is toasty.
7. Eat immediately.

If it ain't broke...

Welcome to the First Annual Freedom of Cloth Carnival

This post was written for inclusion in the Freedom of Cloth Carnival hosted at Natural Parents Network by Melissa of The New Mommy Files and Shannon of The Artful Mama. This year’s carnival will run from Sunday, July 3rd through Saturday, July 9th. Participants are sharing everything they know and love about cloth diapering, including how cloth has inspired them.

***

I have a confession:

Soap nuts are a big fat fail with my cloth diapers.

I know.  I know.  I gushed and I gushed.

But, they are a fail.  A big.fat.fail.

Are you disappointed?

Did you buy into my hype?  If so, I do still love soap nuts for our regular laundry.  Our clothes are soft and our whites are white.  But, after about 6 months of washes with soap nuts, my pockets diapers are not functioning properly and were recently subjected to a looong day of stripping with blue Dawn dish soap and lots of hot water rinses to stop the repelling and leaking through the PUL.

So, we are back on the homemade laundry detergent.  And, I have to admit, I am really loving it.  Loving it so much that I'm not really sure why I ever switched the diapers over to soap nuts.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Right?

Right.

My homemade "diaper friendly" laundry detergent:
Equal parts -- 
Borax
Washing powder
OxyClean (I buy off-brand)


1.  Mix all ingredients.
2.  Use 1 OxyClean scoop of mix per cloth diaper wash.


Seriously.  This stuff couldn't be easier.  Or cheaper.  Or more convenient to dump into a big mason jar and proudly proclaim to have made your own laundry detergent!

***

Visit Natural Parents Network for the most up-to-date news on the Freedom of Cloth Carnival!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants on the following themes. Articles will go live on the scheduled theme day:

• Sunday, July 3rd, 2011: Cloth Related Recipes — Writers share their best cloth-related recipes and tutorials.
• Monday, July 4th, 2011: Choosing Your Cloth Style — Today’s posts discuss parents' individual journeys to finding the cloth diapering "style" that best suits their families.
• Tuesday, July 5th, 2011: Cloth Diapering Must Haves — Parents talk about the most important items in their diapering “stash” and why they love them.
• Wednesday, July 6th, 2011: Wordless Wednesday, Inspired by Cloth — We asked parents to share their favorite cloth-related photo with us and turned them into a fluffy Wordless Wednesday photo montage on Natural Parents Network. Link up your own Wordless Wednesday post there!
• Thursday, July 7th, 2011: Cloth Through the Stages: From Infancy to Potty Independence — Today’s participants explain how cloth diapering has served their families throughout one or more stages of their children’s lives.
• Friday, July 8th, 2011: Cloth Troubleshooting and Laundry Day — Seasoned cloth diapering parents share their best tips and tricks for handling common cloth problems and tackling the diaper laundry.
• Saturday, July 9th, 2011: Inspired by Cloth — For today’s theme, we’ve asked writers to explore the ways cloth diapering has inspired them to become "greener" overall.

surfing.

Just sharing a few of my favorite links of the week:

Mama Birth's birth story of her 4th baby, a surprise unassisted birth!  I love the way she turns the story to the topic of midwifery at the end of the story. 

Mama Birth and her thoughts on eating her dehydrated placenta after the birth of baby #4.

Can you tell I love Mama Birth?  She is so very very real and funny.  I want to be her friend.

A HBA4C story from the ICAN blog.  HBA4C is code for homebirth after 4 (!) cesarean sections.  You can do it!

A Guggie Daily post about the "right" time to turn your child forward facing in the car.  I've been thinking about turning Henry forward when he turns 3 but this post was just the reminder I needed that no matter the age, rearfacing is always safest.

I feel like a free woman since I randomly made an appointment to chop off this mane I've been growing for two years to donate to Locks of Love.  I feel like myself again with my new short do!

Very excited about receiving my copy of " A Gift from Baby" from The Natural Child Project to review on OMML.  A book about babywearing, cosleeping and breastfeeding?  Sounds like just the right book for our collection!

And, last but not least, I can't stay away from Lynsey Stone's DWF Photography website.  Her birth photography is absolutely amazing and I love the way she links the mamas' birth stories to the photos.

What have you been reading this week?  Share your links!

Options and Empathy, pt.2

This the second part of a gentle parenting post.  Read part one here.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Henry is a lot like me.  He wants what he wants when he wants it.  He usually wants it right now and then he wants a little more.  He doesn't like people constantly telling him what to do and he likes to do things himself.

Oh, wait.  He sounds like a normal toddler.  And his little sister.  And his mama.  And his daddy.  And pretty much everybody I know, young or old.

Henry is a person, albeit a very short person, and I try my damnedest to treat him with the respect he deserves.

I'm not going to lie.  It's hard to be nice to Henry all the time.  He drives me absolute up the wall on a regular basis.  The tears.  The hysteria.  The pushing down little sister.  Combine his toddlerhoodness with sleep deprivation, the desire to do something I want to do for just one moment, and a busy little baby girl.....it gets to me eventually and I don't always do right by my little  boy.

But, I try.  I try to remember his brain soaks up everything he sees and hears.  I try to remember if I want him to learn to deal with conflicts in a positive manner, I must consistently model the proper way to deal with stress and conflict.

And, as the adult in the situation, I also try to structure his day so he can succeed in the behavior game.

Enter, my "empathy and options" mantra.


Scenario 1:
Henry is jumping, with his dirty little sandals still on his feet, on my pale yellow chairs.  I was obviously childless when I reupholstered those chairs.....
Ineffective: "Don't jump on the chairs." ----> I know this doesn't work because I've said it a million time.
Effective:  "Henry, I know you like to jump but I would rather you jump on the couch.  Or would you like to go jump on your bed?"
* Ideally, I would rather him jump into the swimming pool but it's a thousand and one degrees outside and we don't have a shady backyard so cut me some slack.

Scenario 2:
After eating breakfast at City Bagel this morning, Henry proceeded to blow water out of his cup's straw onto every surface of our house.
Ineffective:  "Henry, quit spraying that water.  You're making a mess."
Effective:  "Henry, do you want to sit on the back steps with me and spray water on the concrete?"
* It worked like a charm and he quickly tired of spraying the water once he was allowed to do so and moved onto his next activity.

So yeah.  Empathy and options.  I remember with all my might that he is my most special little boy.  I take a deep breath.  And, I give the kid a path to succeeding in which everyone is happy.

Handmade soap giveaway winner!

After entering the confines of 1-16 into the random number generator at www.random.org, commenter #11 was  the lucky winner!  

Rachelle , email Molly at mollyandollie(at)gmail(dot)com for the details of receiving your soap of choice from her Etsy store.

Thanks for all the entries and Rachelle, enjoy your soap!

"I wanna hol' Lulu."

walking.

  

Have I mentioned Liza officially started walking at 10 months on the dot?

Options and Empathy, pt.1

Even though I was confident it would never happen, I've found my groove now that Henry is no longer napping.  It was a rough first few weeks and I was certainly convinced I would never find any peace during my long day with two small children.  Remember how I have a hard time remembering it's not all about me?

Now that scheduling my day around Henry's looong nap time is a moot point, the new priority is ensuring Liza gets her two naps.  Her naps don't last long and the rocking and nursing pre-nap ritual sometimes last longer than the actual nap but these naptimes are my new sanctuary.

They are also Henry's sanctuary:  he frantically brings his trains into the front room as soon as he knows Lulu is asleep, he choo-choos in peace, we read long story books together and he helps me get supper prepped and ready.

In other words, I get to hang out with my little man and just enjoy him.  No fussing about keeping his prized possesions away from his sister.  No requiring him to be gentle and thoughtful.  No reminders of his "rules".

No wonder Henry has been sweeter and more well-behaved since I got my groove back.  He is getting special one-on-one time with his mama and two  dedicated chunks of time each day without that pesky little sister following his every move.

Now that I feel better about life, I am trying to be more patient and purposeful with our almost three-year-old.  This "positive parenting" blog and specifically, this blog post about the differences between authoritative, permissive and positive parenting was just the reminder I needed.

That blog's post made me realize I tend towards authoritative parenting.  I won't lie.  I say jump and I want Henry to jump.  I say pick it up and I want it picked up.  I say be quiet and I expect silence.

 Is it really to much to ask that he does what I want him to do when I want him to do it?

I am coming to realize that, yes, sometimes that is too much to ask of this busy little toddler.  Too much of my day is spent in a battle of the wills and I have a hard time deciding when to compromise, when to let go and when to insist he does what I say when I tell him to do it.

Now, thanks to that "positive parenting" blog,  my new Henry-themed mantra is "Options and Empathy".

To be continued.......

Handmade soap giveaway!!!

Raise your hand if you are a handmade soap snob.

*hand raised*

If your hand is not raised, you are seriously missing out on:

the lack of detergents

the clean and natural ingredients

the love that goes into handmade goods

knowing the bar of soap is fleeting so it needs to be truly enjoyed.

 Molly is my husband's coworker's sister.  Got that?  

She was sweet enough to surprise me with this lovely bar of Lemongrass Ginger soap.

Nice, huh?

  I, um, don't shower too often so I've yet to have the pleasure of a full body lemongrass ginger infusion but my hands and my face feel so fresh and so clean clean with this yummy bar of homemade soap.

And, now you are wondering where in the world you can get your very own bar of 'Molly and Ollie' homemade soap....  Of course, you can check out Molly's Etsy store and I feel sure she would be glad to sell you a bar or three or five or any of her handknitted goodies but you might also get lucky and win a bar of your choice from this giveaway!

What to do:

1. Visit Molly and Ollie and choose your favorite soap scent. 

2.  Follow Our Messy Messy Life using Google Friend Connect.

3.  Leave a comment stating the soap scent you want to win and wait to see if you are the winner!

I will use random.org next Thursday to pick a winner.  Feel free to share this giveaway :)

You know you're a birth junkie if you....

.....love to break down the poorly executed meta-analysis of homebirth data resulting in the infamous Wax Report.
.....refer to 'Failure to Progress' as 'Failure to Wait'.
.....understand the letters DEM, CPM, CNM, OB, EWCM, VBAC, HBAC, ACOG, NARM.
.....get your fix for birth junk through your Facebook news feed.
.....have a "favorite" birth story.
.....are up-to-date on various states' birth laws and current legislation in the works.
.....peruse birth photography sites, watch birth vidoes on youtube and of course, read lots of birth stories.
.....are beyond disgusted at our country's maternal mortality rates.
.....can explain the steps to encapsulating a placenta, whether or not you've actually done it.
.....know what "wet lungs" are and why a vaginal delivery is a good thing for babies.
.....question hospital Labor and Delivery policies and practices that do not improve outcomes and have been shown, time and time again, to be in part responsible for the rising rate of cesarean sections in the US.
.....know your state's cesarean section rate thanks to Jill at The Unnecesarean.
.....silently smirk on the inside when you hear "I/my baby would have died if I'd had a homebirth."
.....know exactly what I am referring to when I say 'Rixa and neonatal resuscitation".
.....think Ricki Lake is pretty awesome.
.....and you can curse me for this one.....know that natural birth really is best for mama and baby.

Do you have anything to add?

a ring sling.

I am a firm believer in having multiple baby carriers.  Different carriers are good for different purposes and different age ranges.  My favorite carrier for Liza as a teeny little newborn is not my favorite carrier for toting around my almost 3-year-old little boy and my favorite carrier when Henry was a baby is not my favorite for Liza as a baby.

A girl needs options and baby carriers are no different.

Lindsay's favorite carrier for newborns is a stretchy wrap, her Moby.  My favorite carrier for newborns is a ring sling, my Maya Wrap sling.

The sling:

Newborns and little babies sit froggy style with their entire body sitting tightly in the sling.  Around 4 months, babies lose interest in the froggy position and will prefer to sit with the sling tucked under their hiney and legs out as if you are toting them on your hip.  I prefer a ring sling for the newborn and little baby stages but Henry is still comfy in the sling sitting on my hip.  For bigger babies and toddlers, think of the sling as a third arm holding onto your precious cargo so you can have your two arms free to do your mama thing.

The rings:

See how the sling has two metal rings...hence, ring sling.  The material loops through the rings making it easy to loosen and tighten so it can adjust perfectly to the size of the wearer and the size of the baby.

The pocket:

This little pocket was a big draw for me when I was researching ring slings but it turns out I've never actually used it.  It is just big enough for a set of keys, phone and wallet.  Seems convenient enough...

------------------------------------------------------------

Like anything in life, there is a definite learning curve with a ring sling.  But, a few whole-hearted attempts with a good video tutorial and/or in-person advice is all you need to learn how to comfortably and conveniently wear your baby in a ring sling.

And, just because like I think it's important for me to say these things a million and three times...

Babywearing is especially important with newborns because:

1. Skin-to-skin promotes milk production and a healthy breastfeeding relationship.

2. A "good" carrier mimics the mother's womb in keeping baby tight and close to the heart.

3. The constant movement of walking is good for development of baby's vestibular system.

4. There is no need to carry the hard plastic and non-nurturing carseat when you are in public.

5. People are much less inclined to touch your newborn when baby is tied to you with a piece of fabric.  Always a good thing.

6. Positional Plagiocepholy is much less a concern for babies who are worn rather than spending hours revolving between the carseat, bouncy seat and swing.

Love you baby.  Wear your baby!

This post on ring slings is part of an ongoing babywearing series:

Preaching the babywearing word

a soft-structured carrier.

a mei tai.
a woven wrap.
a stretchy wrap.

a Very Good Day by the numbers.

0.........pictures taken.
2.........hours spent playing at the park.
1.........orange button Henry found and toted around all day as he said "Dada show me dis".
72.......times I reminded him not to put that dirty park button in his mouth.
212.....playground stairs climbed by Liza over.and.over again.
3.........times I tried to push her down the slide only to watch her climb back up the slide with her grippy little monkey fingers and toes.
97......degrees outside.
1,046....degrees of heat index making me feel like I was going to stroke out at any moment.
612......rather surprising puffs of pleasant wind breaking the hot, humid air.
15........minutes of tears when I didn't properly mix Henry's peanut butter in the bowl.  "No, more mix mix."
59.......edamame beans that finally filled his bellly and got him to stop crying.
1.........crying 10 month old because she wanted to eat the edamame shells.
2.........hours spent at a friend's house just hanging out and letting my kids dig through all of her kids' stuff.  It was like old times, Hope!
15.......minutes to whip up a yummy and healthy dinner.
0........kiddie disasters during my dinner prep time.  Always a nice treat to cook in peace.
1........little boy who actually ate the yummy and healthy dinner.
1........little girl was was put to bed before I sat down to eat.
1........mama who enjoyed her yummy and healthy dinner with no crying, screaming or demands put upon her.

A Very Good Day indeed!

a teething panacea?

Throughout the ages, baltic amber has been well-known for it's pain relieving and curative properties.   Amber is  worn near the body in order for the analgesic properties of the succinic acid to absorb into the skin when it encounters body heat.

Modern day mamas use amber necklaces to help their babies naturally combat the pain associated with teething.

High-quality amber necklaces have individually knotted beads and securely close with screw clasps.  

Many mamas swear by the naturalhealing and comforting properties of amber necklaces for their babies and toddlers.

I am not one of those mamas.

I'm not a big believer in the mystical and healing properties of stones and crystals.

It's just not me.

It might not be my thing but stones and crystals certainly are right up the alley of a certain someone else who lives in this house and shares the parenting responsibility of these children.

Although I've never told Taylor this, I think of him every time I latch that pretty little amber necklace around our baby's necks.  It is just so very his thing.

I bought this "honey and butter" necklace when Liza was just a few months old with the hope it would ease her teething pain.  Henry realized the awesomeness of wearing pretty jewelry and quickly claimed it as his own.  I was fine with Henry wearing it because Liza's fat little neck was squished so tightly  between her shoulders and head and I worried it might get stuck in a neck fat roll and impede her breathing.  Now that Liza actually has a neck, they takes turns wearing the necklace and we have managed to keep up with it for over 6 months even thought it is off and on throughout the day.  Quite the feat in my book.

I wish I could claim this pretty little necklace was a teething panacea.  For us, it's just not.  It's pretty to look at and I appreciate the historical and natural aspect of wearing amber but that's about it...

Do your babies wear amber necklaces?

Babies on the Move.

Sister has discovered books!

'Babies on the Move' is her definite favorite.

Can it really get any better?

Babywearing and geography all in one sturdy board book just right for grubby little hands.

Oh wait, babywearing and geography are two of my favorite things.

Maybe this is my favorite book......

After all, it is much better than reading 'The Big Red Barn' from memory for the 1,983 time.

sisters and choo-choos.

We finally convinced Henry his trains "live" in his room.

≈

Liza is a little sister and what does every little sister want in life?  

Her older sibling's toys and/or belongings.

I know the feeling well as I am also a baby sister.

But, at least the prized possessions are now corralled into a manageable area making it much easier on me to monitor what toys Liza is and isn't allowed to touch.

Now that Henry is a Wal-Mart customer and owner of brand new trains and accessories, he is often found busily studying the sheet detailing all the latest Thomas characters and new bridges that is included in each new train packaging.  

After studying the sheet, he always tells me.......

"Dada gonna buy me Percy."

 Apparently, I need Annie and Clarabel and Liza needs Harold.  

Of course, all Liza really needs in life is that dammed choo-choo sheet.

So as Henry busily darts from corner to corner of his room, 

I conveniently knock over the  bowl of 'Made in China' cheapy toy handmedowns.

He sees that silly Pirate toy with a wooden leg and is distracted!

Liza senses her chance and grabs that choo-choo sheet once and for all!

Her enjoyment is short-lived as Henry knows that rustling sound a mile away but Baby Sister had the prize for at least a few moments.

And when you are Baby Sister Girl, 

you take what you can take and you get what you can get.

Such is your life.

a stretchy wrap.

Lindsay is a full-time mum to her own little Henry.  She loves natural childbirth, breastfeeding, living naturally and traveling with her little family in tow.  She, occasionally and hopefully more in the near future, blogs at Henry's Mama.

Well, I must admit that I am a bit flattered that I was asked to write a guest post on here! I hope I can fulfill my task to Laura's liking ;)

I seriously can't remember when I decided that I was going to wear my baby but I know that I bought my first wrap when I was 17 weeks pregnant. It was this crazy hybrid wrap that had a buckle around the waist. I thought it was genius! Fast forward 25 weeks and a forceps delivery later and I found that I couldn't walk upright, never mind wear my baby!! It wasn't until about 3 weeks post partum that I decided to give it a go. It was interesting. The wrap just wasn't supportive enough for a newborn's wiggly head and I didn't feel like it was holding up all 12 of his pounds.

It was while I was at a festival in my town (a beer festival nonetheless) that I noticed a woman carrying her baby in what looked like the best thing in the world! I stopped her and got all of the information I could out of her and purchased a Moby wrap the next day.

I must admit that when I opened  the bag and pulled out 5.5 metres of fabric, I was a little intimidated. I went onto YouTube and began watching loads of videos about how to wrap it on me and how to get Henry into it. It took me a few tries to get it just right but after the first few tries, it becomes second nature!

The thing I love about a stretchy wrap is how soft it is and how it cocoons the baby to your body. It is perfect for a snuggly newborn because they feel nice and warm and get to move with your body just like they have done for the past nine months. They also get to hear your voice and your heart beat. It's a great transition for them.

The practical information: 
The Moby wrap is made from a sweatshirt like material and is 5.5 metres long. I am 5'10" with a few extra pounds and found it to be plenty long enough. Some other stretchy wraps are made with thinner, stretchier material but that's why I chose the Moby- it felt sturdier to me. I was able to use it comfortably up to 15lbs. The manufacturer says that it can be worn up to 35lbs. I have a few friends who have worn stretchies up to about 20lbs but in my experience, the wrap does tend to sag a bit, no matter how tight you wrap it when your baby gets heavier. The other thing is that babies over 20lbs should go on your back as humans are not physically designed to carry that kind of weight on our fronts. I personally would not do a back carry with a stretchy because I don't think they are sturdy enough. I think the Moby is the perfect newborn wrap so you can cuddle up close and keep an eye on them.

It is machine washable and dries relatively quickly though I wouldn't recommend putting it in the dryer too often as it does tend to shrink a bit. (It stretches back out in a few wears though). It is completely adjustable to whoever is wearing it because each individual wraps it around themselves- so it's great for Dads as well!

I loved my Moby when my little man was small. We have worn it in Scotland, Germany, France, America (and obviously England). It has saved me in the airport because I have my hands free to go through check in and security (some airports over here let me keep it on since there was no metal buckles). It kept me warm in the winter and allowed me to do the housework when Henry just wouldn't be put down. It has seriously saved me on so many occasions! I am a total woven wrap convert now but I am sure I will pull out the Moby when the next little one enters our lives :).

This is us in Scotland when Henry was 8 weeks old. He is a bit lopsided. He fell asleep and it was a quick wrap!

My favourite part about wearing Henry when he was small- I could rock him to sleep in it and then eat dinner out with my friends and family. Brilliant! (Now his head is past my chin!)

Preaching the babywearing word.

I've had the pleasure of using this spiel in real life on two occasions, representing Mississippi Friends of Midwives at our local community market and in the checkout lane at the grocery store.   However, it has played out in my head many more times and I hope to find the courage to approach strangers and preach the babywearing word!


The scene:  Me wearing Liza in our Boba, a SSC, and the other mama wearing a Bjorn, a crotch-dangler.

Me:  Your baby is so cute!  Isn't it great to be able to hold your baby but still have your hands free?
Her:  It is nice.
Me:  Yeah.  I love babywearing.  I've worn a Bjorn before and man, did it hurt my back!!
Her:  Ummm, yeah.
Me:  You know, there are lots of different carriers on the market and with a "good" carrier you can comfortably wear a baby and even a toddler for hours.  My son is almost 3 and loves riding on my back and my husband's back.
Her:  *insert shocked looked on her face*  Really?
Me:  Yeah.  You should google "babywearing" and check out the different options.  They might seem expensive but you can use it for years and even sell it when your babies are all grown up.
Her:  Ummm, okay......


My goal is to sound approachable, full of southern charm and "nod and smile" my way into convincing a mama that babywearing is wonderful and doesn't have to be limited to Baby Bjorns. 

Do you have a babywearing spiel?

Guest post at Alternative Mama!

Please check out my guest post, Evolving Thoughts and Breastfeeding, at Alternative Mama's blog.  This post circulated in my brain for a long time and I felt Alternative Mama's blog was the perfect platform to explain my current thoughts on breastfeeding my sweetest little girl.

Please check it out and, ummm, leave a comment.

You do know that blog comments are the new hug, right?  Right.

Cooking, Freezing and Super Nannying

The whole of Saturday was spent with me laying on the couch, sneaking back to bed, silently cursing my children for being so loud and whining about my achey body, sinus pressure and general ickiness.  It was bad and considering that Taylor only called me out on it one time was quite the miracle.  I was convinced I would never feel better and I was doomed to a life of miserableness.

Good thing I woke up feeling remarkably better this morning!  Still tired and achey - can't quit whining until I am *all* better -- but functional, which is a great deal better than yesterday.

In my daze of laying on the couch yesterday, I came up with two plans to make my life better:

1. Cook ahead and freeze meals during the weekend so we can begin eating dinner once again since I have officially accepted that Henry has given up naps, thereby leaving me zero cooking time during the day.

Since Liza and I were up at 5:45 this morning, I had plenty of time to meal plan and write a grocery list.

Bottom to Top:
White bean cake "dough" for oven baked bean cakes to accompany our dal
Spaghetti
(2) bags of veggie filled coconut curry
(2) bags of lentil dal -- I totally lost interest in cooking by the time I got to the dal so it is quite dry and not so tasty.  I'm hoping it resurrects with a good reheating and perking up.
*Not pictured is the the double batch of chili bubbling away in the crockpot or the double batch of pizza dough I was too lazy to make.

2. Introduce "Family Rules" to our Super Nanny-style "Time-Out Chair".

 Three minutes in the TOC has worked wonders with Henry in the past few days.   It was a major battle the first day for him to stay in the chair but consistency taught him if he didn't stay put, I would plop his little butt right back down.

I felt he needed a bit more direction with the TOC so we went full-force Super Nanny and wrote our "Family Rules".  The former elementary school teacher in me needed to frame the rules in a positive light but "Be gentle" didn't seem clear enough and "Let Lulu keep whatever she has in her hands" wasn't good....so, 'No hurting' and 'No snatching' it is.  The plan was to tape the rules to the door by the TOC but we are all out of tape due to a certain little someone ripping up books with her grubby little hands.

I am probably completely jinxing myself but he hasn't hurt Liza or snatched a toy away from her all.day.long.  Seriously.

******DISCLAIMER******
Due to the nature of acting like I have my life together and my ducks in a row publicly on my blog, I am now doomed to a week of parenting failures and baby disasters.

But, at least we'll have supper to eat.

Call her what you will.

Call her what you will:

 Lila

 Lulu

Liza

 Sissy

busy

 little sister

opinionated

 well-dressed

ridiculously cute

Elizabeth Ophelia

homebirthed or breastfed.

No matter the many options, my favorite thing to call her will always be.......

all mine.

In Henry's words:

"I bot dis at de store".

"I need dis.".......as he gathers his Thomas books to point out every train he doesn't already own.

*concentrating*

Notice the tucked-in chin?

That means he is thinking real hard.

"Choo choo.  All abor."

------------------------------------------------------

Henry is super into his trains and various vehicles right now.

He has also discovered the toy aisle at Wal-Mart and now that he knows where his favorite trains all live, he is convinced he "needs" them all.

Houston, we have a consumer.

Thumbs Up or Down?

Two Thumbs Up  - What do you think of my blog's new look?  I think it is pretty fantastic and I love love love that Cat and I hashed out every.single.detail of the redesign via email.  Even though we've never met face-to-face as I was recommended her design services by a mutual friend, Cat quickly figured out my style and how to make my blog more Laura and less Blogger.  Check out her design blog IN A NAP'S TIME to see the other sites she has designed.  I was so impressed to see how each blog is different and unique to it's author and how Cat really captures personality through her design elements.

Two Thumbs Up - Henry slept until 9:45am this morning.  That is officially his latest wake-up time in his entire life.  The day before I was so worried he was getting sick but I really think he was just physically worn down.  After a good night's sleep, he was in much better spirits with little to no nasty cough present.  Woo hoo!

Two Thumbs Down - Liza has her first ear infection.  She's had a wet cough since Easter that just won't quit and my instincts -- or was it the goopy sealed shut eyes and the ear tugging -- told me things had progressed.  Sure enough, Ms. Ellen said one ear drum was pink and bulging.  We hashed out the reasons for putting her on antibiotics or waiting it out for a while but the antibiotics won. Hopefully, she will be feeling better soon.  I feel so bad for her not feeling well but she is about to drive me crazy with the barrage of tears at every dropped toy...

Two Thumbs Up - Liza is 10 months old today!  I have lots to say about my soon-to-be toddler but for now, I'll just leave you will the idea that I'm cheering for her on the inside when she snatches toys away from her big brother.  This is horrible of me, I know.

Two Thumbs Down - Henry is transitioning nicely into his new zero nap routine.  I'm pretty sure everyone is tired of hearing about how I'm not ready for him to stop napping, but really, I'm not ready for this.  Don't expect this topic to go away anytime soon whether we are chatting about it in real life or if you are a bloggy buddy.

Two Thumbs Up - My blog was accepted into the BlogHer Network!  Who knew that random online form I filled out last fall would actually lead to something?  I'm not going to lie:  BlogHer ads on other blogs drive me a little crazy but you can only pinch a penny out of a roll of toilet paper for so long and I really am excited about growing my readership and having a blog support system.

And, the winner is..........

Two Thumbs Up!

In which I try to learn a life lesson.

I'm really feeling it these days.  Tired.  Apathetic about a dirty house and supperless nights.  It doesn't even bother me when I see Liza toting a ziploc bag around the house.  Seriously.

Life with our two babies has changed, yet again.  Just when I'm feeling good about my life as a mama, things change and I feel left in the dust with these children three miles ahead of me.  In my former life I would have been quick to say I am "flexible; good with change".  Now I'm  not so sure.

Liza is taking 3-4 steps at a time and I really think she will be walking within the week!!!  I really like a little baby walking so this is a great development for me.  She is also only content playing with Henry's toys, namely his much beloved trains, which is not such a great aspect of anyone's day as this tendency tends to cause great drama and tears shed by both kids.

Henry is still refusing naps in his "I no need go night night" manner.  But the catch is, he really does neep a nap.  He turns into demon child around 1:00 and wants me to "lay" on the couch with him by 4:00.  He can't seem to understand that I would *love* to "lay" with him but it's just not going to happen, kid.  The exact moment I lay down on the couch with him is the exact moment Liza decides to attempt to pick at the duct tape covering the faulty plug, or she crawls into the bathroom, or she gets stuck under a chair, or, or , or.  Trust me, it's always something.  He also doesn't listen to anything I say but I'll just leave that sentiment alone without further explanation.  I have a feeling the discourse would get lengthy...

The thing is, I am having to work really  hard keeping these little people happy.  It's hard.  And, I'm having a hard time adjusting to not having 'me' time during the day.  I'm seriously missing those days when I could pop on the internet, upload a few pictures, work on a blog post, check my facebook pages, read a few blogs, veg out on a birth story.  I'm also really missing leisurely preparing dinner during Henry's 4 hour naps and I'm pretty sure Taylor is missing eating dinner,  too.  And of course the house is messy...

Are you seeing a trend?  It's all about me.  What I am missing.  Why I am tired.  How I don't have any time for....yep, me me me.

These children are truly teaching me a lesson on selflessness.

While I'm having an extrodinarily difficult time taking this lesson to the next step, Taylor deserves some serious props.  Henry is in a not so great place with sleep right now battling between refusal to accept sleep as a positive aspect of life, the bad owl living in his air vent and a new fear of the dark.  He needs security at night that all is right in his world and that translates to Taylor becoming his bed buddy.  Taylor lovingly and willingly lays down with him at night until they are both sound asleep, gets out of bed when I um, remember to fetch him and then returns to Henry's bed for the rest of the night.  It is not a sleep arrangement we ever fathomed but it is what our little boy needs right now and at this point, we are just glad everybody is getting some sleep.

So, this morning, I am thankful for having some 'me' time as Liza is content playing with  cords and pieces of paper from the recycling bin  her new water bottle and Henry's new habit of sleeping late when he doesn't take a nap the previous day.  I am thankful for my kids' attempt to teach me little life lessons and of course, I am thankful for my husband who is along for this crazy ride of parenting our babies.

 And, I am thankful for you.  Thankful for having an audience willing to read my crazy, endless analysis of the trials and tribulations of parenting and thankful for the many comments reminding me that I am not alone in taking this parenting business seriously.  Thank you.

"PeaBu" Balls My Way.

Peanut Butter Balls My Way

1 part local honey

2 parts natural peanut butter

3 parts powdererd milk

1. Mix ingredients.

2. Shape into balls.

3. Refrigerate.

Have I mentioned Henry has completely outgrown his sensitivity to dairy?  

Woohoo!! 

 I am still preparing dairy free meals for dinner due to Liza's intolerance via my breastmilk but we are very thankful for this unexpected turn of events.

Hen's life is definitely a little bit better with the simple pleasure of dairy products. 

Liza's favorite things.

Maybe there is a mythical baby somewhere in this great big world that plays with toys.

Maybe.  Maybe not.

All I know for sure, is that my baby is not that mythical baby......

This baby likes:

Unpacking.

Don't leave your purse on the ground unless you are prepared for it's contents to be dumped.

Hiding.

Well, I guess it's not hiding unless it is purposeful but there have been multiple times in the recent past where I can't find this baby.  She has been found behind doors, under chairs, under her crib, trying to climb into the tub and generally, in places where she doesn't need to be unsupervised. 

 Somebody needs to keep a better eye on this baby.  

Eating.

Be it edible or non-edible, organic or inorganic, plastic or wood, this baby has likely sucked, chewed and mouthed it.  Everything she spies goes straight.into.her.mouth.  

Of course, it doesn't help the situation when your big brother thinks it is a riot to give her non-food items and say, "Here, Lulu, eat dis".

Guess what?  She falls for it every time.

Duh.

wordless wednesday....

Lulu is l.o.v.i.n.g. her Dada these days:

She cries when he leaves for work in the morning.

 She only wants him to hold her in the evenings.

And she makes her preference perfectly clear when he tries to hand her off to me and

 she clings to his shirt like a little hip monkey.

She loves loves loves her Daddy and I love seeing it.

I especially loved seeing it tonight at City Bagel as Taylor juggled both kids on his hips and 

I sat back and read a magazine article about Justin Bieber.  

It's the small things.

And yeah, I realize I'm not very good at this wordless business.