Set your goals high but not your expectations. ~Dove

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Waste Less Wednesday--In Bullk

Do you buy in bulk?  We have a club warehouse and I try to stock up from their store when it's appropriate for our life style.  However, when I see sales in the grocery stores for products that we use are on sale for pennies, I opt to purchase the sale items.  Stock piling is a great way to buy sale items but I'm sure this isn't the smartest choice since we're trying to eliminate waste, but sometimes my wallet speaks louder.

With that said, I really am going to try and make a better effort at buying in bulk.  Our local club offers coupons, both in-store and online.  The in-store coupons come in the mail and they can be combined with manufacturer coupons to receive a bigger savings.  It's great to be able to bulk up but sometimes some of the items expire before they are used.  And with our small family, it can be easy to lose sight of those expiration dates.

As one site identifies, it might be a good option to split the purchases with a neighbor or friend.  That way nothing goes bad and you may even be able to buy other products that you wouldn't normally buy if you were the only consumer.

So do you have a stock pile?  Do you purchase from club warehouses or do you belong to a CSA?  I'm not involved with a CSA but do have a membership to a club warehouse.  I do not like the fact that I stock up on paper products but for now, it's what we do.

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

If you're like me and you find yourself spending too much money on granola bars, I found a fantastic recipe for making some from scratch.  This recipe is so easy to make, you may even find you already have the ingredients at home.  I had to pick up a few items as I wanted specific flavors in my granola bars.

The results:  My bars turned out a little crumbly around the edges (especially when I started scooping them out of the pan) and I think I could have used more water in my batch.  I did use a few tablespoons of water to make it sticky but I was afraid of adding too much.  Next time I'd definitely use more as there shouldn't be any dry crumbs in the batch.  However, despite some crumbs the bars tastes so delicious!  The honey and peanut butter mixture blend well together.  I could have added some mini chocolate chips but I'm finding these bars are light but chewy with a subtle sweetness and have a crunch from the walnuts. 

INGREDIENTS
1 cup maple syrup or honey (I used this honey)
2/3 cup chunky natural peanut butter (I used creamy natural peanut butter)
2 2/3 cups rolled oats (I used quick cooking rolled oats)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 cups mix-ins in any combination of the following: coconut, raisins, chocolate or carob chips, unsalted nuts, any finely chopped dried fruit such as dates, apricots, apples, etc. (I used 1 cup organic coconut and 1 cup chopped walnuts)
 
METHOD
Mix syrup and peanut butter until well blended. Stir in oats, flour, wheat germ, spices, and mix-ins. (I preferred to mix with my hands)
If mixture seems too dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time.
If it is too sticky, add oats 1 teaspoon at a time.
Mixture should be slightly sticky, but still easily spread in a pan with greased fingers.

Press into a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 centimeter) pan lightly greased. Bake at 350F/180C until barely browned. (I baked for about 15 minutes) Do not overbake! Cut while warm into desired sized bars.

When completely cool, remove from pan with a greased spatula. Wrap each bar separately in plastic wrap and then store in a zip bag or air tight container. These freeze extremely well.

Makes about 2 dozen bars.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Baking gone sour

Did you ever get really excited about trying a new recipe?  Something from scratch?  I'm sure I'm not the only one here.  It happened to me last night. 

I had a recipe for biscuits and was really excited to try them out last night since the baking time was 10 minutes.  I hadn't thought much about dinner but so far, I knew we'd have fresh, fluffy, homemade biscuits! 

When I search for recipes online, I like to write the ones I like down so I can save it in my own handwriting (instead of printing it out).  It makes me feel like it's more authentic that way, even though I just copied it from some website.  But this way, it makes me feel like I can tweek it if I want to and make it my own. 

There was a small problem last night because of my handwritten recipe.  Instead of writing baking powder, I wrote baking soda.  Well, you can only imagine how things turned out: sour

I made 12 biscuits.  And they were so gross I couldn't even look at them and unfortunately I left them on the baking sheet on top of my stove overnight.  There they were this morning staring back at me.  I had thought about taking a picture to share here, but why.  Why would I do that to you. 

They really smelled good baking too.  My husband came out and was wondering what was baking with that amazing smell.  We both ate a biscuit but the tang and bitterness of the baking soda ruined the whole batch.  But I am determined to create this batch again using the proper ingredients and share the results with my family.  It just has to be different the second time around!

Monday, March 29, 2010

A fat and happy weekend

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  My husband and I went away for a night and had a blast.  Freeport Maine has an overwhelming amount of shops.  From boutiques, chain stores, and the LL Bean Flagship Store, we had plenty to do.  But we were really looking forward to the dinner we had planned at the Inn.

The Harraseeket Inn served tea at 4:00 along with some afternoon snacks.  We tried to make it back in time but instead was able to grab a cup of tea before they cleared the table and prepare for the dinner rush.  I use 'rush' lightly because at the Inn it feels like you're stepping back in time.  Customer service is to the extreme, the front door is opened for you, the front desk spends well over 10 minutes with you explaining what to expect while you're staying there, where you can find all you amenities, and oh yeah--did we have any questions?  It was all a bit much for us, but I guess we weren't used to the hospitality they offered.

Champagne, fruit, with cheese and crackers were waiting for us in our room.  There were also flowers in a vase for me to take home, which I just remembered we forgot them.  The hotel is part of the Green Hotel Association and they take it very seriously.  From electricity to soaps to the food, everything was taken into consideration when going green.  I found it odd their bar of soap had the center removed because most bars of soap are not completely used and are thrown out.  So the soap company had eliminated that from their soaps which turned the bar into a ring. 

We had a four course dinner.  (The restaurant purchases their food from all local farmers and is organic)  Let me just say, I was fat and happy that night.  I started out with the Roasted Tomato and Vegetable soup with chive mascarpone.  YUM!  My husband got the Harraseeket Inn Lobster Stew, double YUM!  Next, I had Mirabel Farm's Butter Leaf salad with crumbled Maytag bleu cheese, crispy bacon and champagne vinaigrette.  My husband ate the Mussels and Cockles, sauteed Bang Island mussels and littlenecks, white wine shallot butter finished with houes smoked bacon.  He ate that so fast I don't remember him finishing it.  Entrees: I had the Butternut Squash Risotto with toasted pumpkin seeds, sage, asiago, garden vegetables.  SOOO good, my mouth is still watering just thinking about it.  My husband devoured the Filet Mignon with duchess potatoes, Maytag bleu cheese, oyster mushrooms and a demi glace.  Three down, one more course to go!  Desert:  We both ordered specialty coffee, I had the Italian Coffee, he had the Nutty Irish Man.  Both coffees were served with whipped cream on the side and a chocolate-chocolate chip biscotti.  (That's not desert)  But we enjoyed that while we wait for our desert.  I had homemade blueberry pie and homemade vanilla ice cream.  I can't even remember what my husband had, it was something chocolaty and in a layered cake, kind of like a tiramisu but not that.  He loved it though. 

We rolled our way back to our room and had to plop ourselves to lay down.  I was so full it was awkward.  And it was then that I remember we had breakfast being served in our room by 8am!  YIKES... more food??? 

Believe it or not, I was ready for it.  I was more than ready, in fact, I was up and dressed by 7:15am!  I don't even do that at home.  But the meal arrived as planned and boy did they not let us down.  We each had an omelet, I had the veggie omelet, he had the lobster and cheddar omelet.  Bacon and home fries, strawberries, toast, butter, jam, coffee, orange juice, water, champagne... oh MY!  We were definitely in heaven with that breakfast. 

Shortly after we finished eating we checked out to go back home.  We could not wait to see our silly putty.  He had spent the weekend with his Nana and Grandpa ("Bumpa") and I'm sure they were looking forward to us coming home too.  Neither my husband nor I could think about food but we ordered lunch anyways and brought it home for my birthday lunch with my parents.  Lunch, a few presents, and yes some cake too, we had more than our share of a fun-food-filled weekend.

To make my weekend even more enjoyable, my silly putty is now calling me Mama  :)  He always knew my name but was always shy about saying it.  Why is that?  Anyways, I guess we stopped making it a huge deal for him to say it, and now he's saying Mama.  :) 

Friday, March 26, 2010

No poo - Week 2

It's now 2 weeks since no poo'ing and I still have no regrets.  My hair feels softer and easier to manage.  I do use the ACV rinse every day and baking soda rinse every 3rd day.

This week I noticed some changes and have been finding white crumbs coming out of my hair.  I don't mean food, it's more like white little sand pebbles.  It doesn't happen too often but it's been happening enough that I've noticed how weird it is to find it.  Could it be soap residue from my scalp?  Or is it dandruff?  I have never dealt with dandruff but I would assume that would be more flaky.  My hair feels very moisturized, not oily. 

Prior to using baking soda I was using Dr. Bronner's in my hair but found that would dry out my hair even more and was needing two conditioners in my hair.  After trying two types of leave-in conditioners, I was very disappointed because they only left my hair feeling stiff and clumpy.  I usually don't use extra hair products, just the usual wash/rinse routine.

So when I read the benefits of using the ACV rinse I was intrigued to see how my hair would react.  The rinse truely softens my hair.  As for my natural leave-in conditioners, they are sitting in my linen closet amongst the other products I no longer use.  It's quite sad really, the amount of money I was dishing out for something that wasn't right for my hair.  Maybe I'll need it, maybe not.  I know I'm not ready to get rid of them though, I'm not sure why.  That fear factor of someday I'll need it, but will I really?

Thursday, March 25, 2010

A night out for working Moms (WoMo)

Don't forget, I have plans tonight. 

That's what I told my husband as a reminder.  Plans?  I never go out.  I enjoy my home-time sitting on the couch and watching a couple of shows before bed.  Sometimes I'll savour a late night snack of chocolate chip ice cream.  If you see me eating that after 8, you know I'm splurging!  :)

So tonight I have different plans.  A group of local working mothers are planning on meeting up after the kids go to sleep.  It won't be a long night out since we all have to wake up and get ready for work in the morning.  This group is the first of it's kind for the local Seacoast Mother's Association (SMA).  Most mother groups are with SAHM and their babies.  I joined the SMA group when my son was a few months old and had  hoped that we'd go to some playdates.  But the playdates all take place during the day while I'm at work and J's at daycare. 

Tonight there is an approximate head count of 25 working mothers.  I was shocked when I heard about the final count.  The last thing I read was there'd be about 9 of us.  I'm intrigued to see what the crowd will be like.  Will I click with any of the other mother's?  I am nervous and excited at the same time.  I've been looking forward to the opportunity to meet other working Mom's and the possibility of starting friendships with those who have kids close to my sons age.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Soapy Business--Almond Soap

It's been a while since I talked about soap.  I recently finished up the Goatmeal Soap and now I'm using a bar from Sappo Hill.

I received this bar as a thank you from Sappo Hill.  After I found their product in a local market, I went on their website to find other locations in my area.  Come to find out, they didn't have anything listed in my state.  In fact, New Hampshire wasn't even an option.  So I sent an email and asked them about it.  After a quick response and an apology, they updated their records and added the store to their database. 

I couldn't wait to try the almond bar and found myself trying to hurry through my goatmeal so I could open my new soap.  The soap from Sappo Hill was wrapped in plastic.  I should note here that in my local store the soap is not wrapped in plastic.  In fact there is no wrapping at all, except for the cardboard box the bars sit in. 

After letting the water run over the bar, I swirled the bar round and round in my hands to create a lather.  I was not disappointed and found this rich, creamy lather oozed almond and it actually reminded me of sugar cookies.  I wonder if they were to add granulated sugar to this mixture it could feel like a lovely scrub for exfoliating.  However, this soft creamy lather was bubbling on my skin and I could have lathered it on my body 2 or 3 more times. 

The rinse made me feel clean and I didn't feel squeaky clean like some soaps have made me feel in the past.  But I didn't feel like I had soap residue either.  I probably could have gotten away with not using a moisturizer afterwards, but with the dry winter weather my skin has been requiring a little something extra to help out.  (I'll talk about that in a later post)

I'm not sure of the other scents from Sappo Hill but I can say I am not disappointed in their almond bar.  On a scale of 1 to 5 bubbles, I rate this soap 5 bubbles!

Waste Less Wednesday: Hotel Style

Happy Wednesday!

With the week half over I'm looking forward to the weekend.  My husband and I will be going away for a night.  My parents will spend the weekend with J and I'm sure will be exhausted and ready for a vacation by the time we come home.

We'll be heading east to Freeport Maine, approximately 2 hours from our house.  Freeport Maine is known for the L.L. Bean Flagship Store.  When I tell people where we're going, they ask: You mean L.L. Bean-Freeport?  There are over a hundred outlet shops in Freeport.  Sounds like a shopaholics mecca, right?  It kind of is, and L.L. Bean is sort of the hub of the shopping buzz since it's open 24/7. 



My husband chose the accomodations based on location.  The Harraseeket Inn is actaully walking distance to the outlets, which is the main reason we're going to Freeport.  The Inn is also known for their main dining room restaurant and tavern.  Everything on their menu is purchased locally in Maine.  If it doesn't come from Maine, they don't offer it.  The Harraseeket Inn is also part of the Green Hotel Association.  You may have heard of it, or not.  I hadn't, but after looking into it I realized there are hundreds of hotels that are members.


So if you're planning a vacation somewhere and want to make sure your money is supporting a greener world, make sure you check out who is a member before booking your next getaway. 

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Pancakes from scratch

Weekend mornings we have the time to make a big, fun breakfast.  Lately it has consisted of whatever frozen waffle or pancake we have in the freezer, quick scrambled eggs with cheese, baked turkey bacon, and toast.  J was never a huge fan of the froze waffles or pancakes so I decided I needed to try a different route. 




I found a recipe from Amy over at New Nostalgia and gave it a go.  Not only did I have most of the ingredients, but it was really easy to prepare.  The only thing I needed to buy was the buttermilk and the whole what flour.  (My husband kind of cringed when he saw me putting the whole what flour in the carriage)  The recipe did yield more than enough for our family and I was able to freeze a half dozen for another time. 

I originally set my griddle on for 350 degree's but found the pancakes were cooking faster than I had anticpated so the first batch turn out a little darker than I had hoped.  I turned it down to 300 and I was able to finish the batch with better results.  I lathered butter and syrup on the pancake I served to J and after looking it over a few moments, he was interested in giving it a try.  He actually couldn't finish the single pancake but I was fine with that since he wasn't a fan of pancakes before.  I was impressed with the results and will continue to make these savory buttermilk pancakes in the future.

YUM!

We've sprung into Spring!


I'm still thinking about the amazing weather we had this past Saturday.  I'm not sure how high the temperature reached, but in our neighborhood it was windy, but fantastic.  And knowing the next few days were going to be cold, raw, and wet, we decided to take advantage of what Mother Nature had brought to us.

After cleaning out some of the flower beds in our front gardens, we noticed there were many spring blooms in process.  J was very interested in playing with the flowers but was quickly learning he needed to do nice to the buds.  Thanks to the previous owners of our home, our yard sprouts all sorts of flowers throughout the warmer months.



I took this before we uncovered all the dried leaves and grass

For the rest of the day we played in the yard discovering rocks and sticks.  We were even able to play with some of the kids in the neighborhood.  J even skipped his afternoon nap because he was having way too much fun being a boy and eating rocks.  :)

In our front yard

Under our back porch

Sticks and stones

Enjoying the life of a 16 month old...

Speaking of Love

A couple of months ago I stopped breast feeding my son, he was 13 months at the time.  I stopped because he was ready to move on.  He enjoyed cuddling before bed but he preferred to have a few sips from his sippy cup and then go back to cuddling with me.  At first I had a hard time with the transition but I was listening to his cues, and because he was okay with it, so was I. 

We started to develop other nightly rituals before going to bed.  Instead of nursing I would cradle J and snuggle him up in his blanket and talk to him softly.  I would talk to him about the day we had.  I would mention whether we had a really fun day and point out some key memories that would hopefully stick out in his mind.  If I asked him if he remembered a particular memory, he'd say Yah.  I also started teaching him to say, I Love You.  I would say it in a sing-song way and emphasize the 'youuuuuu'.  He loved it and would giggle for as long as I would say it. 

Then we'd be in the car, maybe to daycare or maybe to the grocery store.  It would be something to do and make it seem like a fun sing-song game.  I'd look through the review mirror and sing the 'I love youuuu' again and again.  Each time J would giggle with excitment. 

Eventually J started saying it back to me, the way most babies like to mimic.  But when he says it back to me, he's yelling it: "Uv Uoh".  We'd say it back and forth and giggle the whole time.  Then a few weeks ago he started saying it back to me as I dropped him off at daycare.

This morning was the first time that my silly putty came to me to tell me he loved me.  I was in the kitchen preparing his lunch and snacks for daycare.  He was babbling in the other room and looking out the front window.  I didn't pay too much attention until I heard him constantly yelling "Uv Uoh, Uv Uoh" over and over until I acknowledged him.  He had a huge grin on his face and standing in the doorway.  I could feel his love in that smile.  It was the first time that I honestly think he was telling me how he felt, rather than play the game.
playing in our backyard

Monday, March 22, 2010

Got baby on the brain

It'll be some time before I get pregnant again, but the thought of being pregnant is inviting. 

I remember the last few weeks of being pregnant and how I felt.  My lower back was sore and pinching with every step I took.  My ankles started to swell after the 38th week.  I was constantly out of breath even if it was just to hoist myself out of bed in the morning.  Sleeping was ridiculously awkward and to say I felt like a whale does not do justice for how you actually feel around your due date.  I would talk to other women who would look at me and could not wait to have another.  At that time, I could not imagine going through the ordeal all over again. 

But 16 months later I have the urge and can now say, I cannot wait to have a little baby growing inside again.  The mystical journey has left me with many magical memories.  Words cannot describe my journey.  But even though my personal journey ended on November 18th, 2008, the next journey started as a family of 3.

6 months


7 months


8 months


9 months

Teething terrors

J's been having a hard time with his teeth cutting through.  His first tooth cut when he was 9 months old and didn't do well with it then.

This past weekend was like having a drooling dog in the house.  We don't have a dog.  But we should.  The amount of drool that came out of his mouth was ridiculous.  (Just cut already!)  He has a couple coming in at the same time so it's hard for him to find relief.  I don't normally like giving him Motrin or Tylenol, unless he's absolutely miserable.  We faced that road last night.

J usually sleeps all night long.  He never wakes up, even when I visit him before I go to bed, if I have to straighten him in his crib because he's all twisted in his blankets.  He doesn't stir.  But last night he woke up screaming, multiple times. 

We waited it out for a few minutes to see if he was looking for his pacifier.  He's good about putting himself back to sleep.  But after a few minutes of listening to him cry and whine in his sleepy state, my husband took on the first visit.  From his report, J was still laying in bed with the nuk nuk in his mouth, looking at the stuffed elephant next to him.  He was crying to the elephant.  My husband said after he rubbed his back and head, J fell back to sleep.  But a few hours later, we all woke up again and it was my turn.

He was sitting there with a blank stare.  I wasn't sure what he needed and didn't want to scoop him up right away.  I tried to talk to him and see what he needed.  But he ended up with me and he had all sorts of energy, I almost thought he wanted to get down and play.  But after a few babbles I realized he was thirsty.  So off to the kitchen for some milk and another dose of Motrin.  Back in his room we cuddled until he settled down and his eyes were droopy.  He didn't fight going back to bed and I knew we'd have a good 6 hours until the Motrin wore off.

Exactly 6 hours later we're all awake again with screaming.  But it was at an hour where we only have 30 minutes until we need to get up for the day.  Luckily J was able to put himself back to sleep this time and our morning went as usual.  It was just another typical night with the teething terrors.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Can't sleep...

It was around 5:30 this morning when I woke up.  Anything after 3:30am gives me a small amount of anxiety because I start thinking, about anything.  I know this and when I see my clock (not this one) tell me the time anywhere after 3:30, I know my brain is going to start working.  So I guess 5:30 wasn't too bad.  But I was really looking forward to sleeping in till maybe 7:00.  Oh well. 

I do like to enjoy the house be quiet in the morning.  The tinkling of the heat as it kicks on and the warmth trickles throughout the computer room.  I forgot to put my slippers on and creeping back into the bedroom would make me feel like I'm in a combat zone because I'd be tip toeing and ducking while trying not to wake my husband.  He's a light sleeper.

I did try to go back to bed, but I thought maybe I should ramble my thoughts here instead.  The things that go through my head at the early hours are silly. 

Nuk.  That's the brand of the pacifiers my son uses.  We never called it Binky.  Nuk Nuk sounded silly to us so we went with it.  I only use the term when speaking with my son, or husband.  When my son started babbling words, one of the ones he decided to say was Ga Ga.  That's what he was calling the Nuk Nuk.  If we say either term to him, he knows what we're talking about.  So this morning, my mind was thinking about the Nuk Nuk and when to start weaning him off of it.  My thoughts have always lingered around 2 years old because around that time he'll be moving into the big bed.  But I would think I'd need to wean him off of the Nuk Nuk before the transition to the bed.  Right?  Then I thought I would need more than a weekend to transition him from the Nuk Nuk.  But really, how long does the transition last?  My mother was always told by her mother: 3 days.  Give any transition 3 days before the old habit goes away.  So that's what she did with me.  She took me out on our back porch when I was aroun 18 months and said we were going to get rid of the pacifier.  I actually don't know what they called it back then, but my dad refers to it the bink now.  Anyways, my mother and I pretended we were throwing away the bink over the side of the porch.  I watched it go.  That night, I searched for it.  My Mom says it broke her heart to see me search through the corners of the crib.  For 3 days I did that.  And her mother was right.  After the 3rd day, I stopped looking.  It was really gone.  But to this day that memory still breaks her heart.  I guess that is what I'm worried about, will my sons Nuk Nuk hold a guilty memory for me?  I hope not.

Marble.  We rescued Marble from the local animal shelter when he was 1.5 years old. 
This was in June 2004.  My husband and I were living in an apartment at the time and the apartment complex had rules about pets.  They had to be spayed or neurtered.  That meant the cat wouldn't be a kitten.  Then the complex charged a rent fee for pets.  $30 for cats.  Every month for as long as we stayed there.  Highway robbery if you ask me.  But he was a good cat and he was our baby.  He doesn't like to be held though, it seems like he had a rough kitty-hood and was never cuddled with.  It makes me sad to think what he could have gone through.  I don't think he was with his mother very long either because he has attachment issues and will sit on the arm of the couch and lean in on you so close, he might as well be on your lap.  But he won't do that.  He has stinky breath to.  He has really bad gums and we've been told we should pay for a cleaning.  But that's $300, or maybe more if they have to extract a rotten tooth.  We love him and he is an indoor cat and has never done any harm to any of our furniture.  Or has he?  This morning while I tried to go back to sleep I heard Marble clawing at the arm of the couch.  Or maybe his claw was caught and he was trying to pull it out?  No, it was too loud for that.  We used to have a cardboard kitty claw thing in our computer room that Marble would use quite frequently.  There would be reminents of the cardboard pieces and catnip sprinkled around the box.  The box was only $5 but I felt it was well worth the month since he used it.  But then when J was mobile and exploring every crevace in our home (we haven't really baby proofed), Marble's cardboard scratcher had to be moved.  J was starting to eat the little cardboard flakes that were around the box.  Marble is our first baby, but has been a trooper with have a new kid around.  It took him a while, but Marble has warmed up to J.  But after hearing Marble scratch the couch this morning made me realize there are things Marble still needs (ie: toys), and maybe get a new cardboard scratcher.

Coffee.  I've thought about making a cup ever since I saw the clock at 5:30 and have been trying to figure out how to maneuver through the kitchen without turning the light on.  Thanks to the daylight saving time change, 5:30 is like 4:30 still and it's pitch black outside.  Our bedroom is just down the hall from the kitchen and any light from the kitchen would seep into our bedroom and my light sleeper of a husband would blink his eyes and wonder what I was doing.  Yes, there are weekend mornings that he'll actually wake up very early just to have a cup of coffee.  But I didn't trust myself moving through the dark kitchen so quietly.  But since starting this post, the sky has gotten brighter and my husband is now awake.  Only to complain about how low the heat was and how cold he was when he woke up earlier this morning.  The bill last month was ridiculous and for some reason I'm the only one understanding that the heat has to be lower than it has been. 

Oh the warmer days cannot get here fast enough. 

I can't wait to plant my herbs, or even get outside and make a small garden.  I won't be able to do any digging today though, despite the warm temperatures.  Here in New England we could get snow tomorrow if Mother Nature decided to do so.  Any planting will have to wait until May.

And with that, I'm going to go enjoy my first cup of coffee of the day.  My lovely husband just told me it's the brew from Peru.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Dreaming of mice!

Not real mice of course.  The mice I'm thinking about is Mickey & Minnie Mouse! 

First of all, if you've never been to Walt Disney World.  I'm sorry.  Really, I am. 

Second of all, if you have been to WDW, then you may be jealous to know that we're planning our trip for next September, 2011!  Yes, I know.  It's a LONG ways away.  But we're planning on going with family.  By family, I mean our mothers.  Grandma & Nana are going to be a part of J's first experience with Disney World, and we're going to take the trip at his pace.  We're really looking forward to that part.

My husband and I have been to Disney a few times together.  I went twice as a child at 5 and 10 years old.  He went once when he was 10.  When we started dating we visited all the theme parks and did it all.  I mean, everything.  We were sore and tired by the end of the day.  But we had a blast.


Me and my husband, May 2004

The second time we went, I was 8 weeks pregnant.  I was extremely tired from the pregnancy and had many food aversions.  Not a very good time to be in a magical place like WDW.  We still had fun, but I was skeptical about riding all the big rides.  I love all the rides at Disney, and I normally don't get queezy on them.  But this visit was different.  The biggest thrill ride I went on was Tower of Terror.  My belly was doing flip flops after that.  So our visit was taken at a much slower pace.  I would need to sit and rest after walking for long periods.


April 2008 and 8 weeks pregnant.


April 2008 and we rented the sea-doo on Cresent Lake at the Board Walk.

I'll be excited to be at Disney, not pregnant and feeling sick.  But not only that, I'll be at Disney with my son.  He already loves Mickey and knows all the other characters from the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  By September of 2011 he'll be 34 months and I'm pretty sure he'll understand what is going on.  I know his memeories won't last, but we'll take care of that part.  This will be our big vacation with him before we start planning on baby #2.  That's the other thing that is really exciting.  :)

Burt's Bees Natural Toothpaste

I received a free sample of toothpaste from Burt's Bees the other day.  Their site was having a promotion on them and you could sign up to try the toothpaste. 

I have used Crest the majority of my life.  In the past I tried Tom's of Maine and liked their product too, but Crest has become my staple.

Anyways, I was excited to try Burt's toothpaste.  The paste came out gooier than I had imagined.  After srubbing my teeth I noticed a squeeky sound come from them while I brushed.  It reminded me of when the dental hygenist is polishing my teeth after a cleaning.  There was a slight gritty feeling in between my teeth after I rinsed.  So I flossed and that gritty texture was gone. 

I do like many of the Burt's Bees products but I'm still not sure if I'm ready to give up my Crest.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Daylight Saving Time... we need to go back!

I'm having a hard time adjusting to the Daylight Saving Time.  I just cannot wake up this week.  Usually I'm able to wake up on my own by 6am and in the shower by 6:30.  I'm dressed and in the kitchen by 7 to pack lunches and snacks.  7:30 we're putting on our coats and walking out the door. 

This week... not so much.

This week I'm waking up startled by my husband asking me if I'm getting up or not.  In a panic I check the clock.  It's 6:45!  Well, I suppose I should get up.  Before I can even comprehend what day it is, I'm in the shower letting the warm sprinkles from the shower splash my face.  Ok.  I guess I'm awake now.  (I usually like to lay in bed until I'm awake which is why I would lay in bed for almost 30 minutes.  But that was last week).

I do appreciate the ride with J in the mornings.  Last week, the sun would be glaring in his eyes and he'd be whining most of the ride.  This week, the sun is a little higher and not in his face as often.  The rides home after 5pm are a little different though.  That sun IS in his eyes now.  I guess we won't win.  Or he needs to learn to squint.  We have sunglasses for him from last summer, but they're too small now.  So we'll see how the sun hat goes.  At least he can put that on by himself.

I do like having brighter days on my ride home after work.  It actually relaxes me more during my drive.  The dark, cold, winter nights were so gloomy.  I felt like I was rushing home to eat a quick dinner and spend a few minutes with J before bed time.

This week, not so much.

J is refusing to go to bed.  He doesn't cry or whine.  He just tells us No when we ask him if he's ready for a bath.  He typically is excited and says, Yah!  So we've been letting him stay up a few minute longer.  All he's asking is for us to read him a book one more time.  Yet we've already read him the same book 10 times in a row.  My little book worm is learning that the books will be there tomorrow and we can read them again then.

Yes, my weekday mornings had more of a routine last week, before we changed our clocks.  I'm not one to hold a routine and I only try to maintain one for the sanity of my kid.  He has become a creature of habit and hopefully my lag won't affect him this week.  I'm truely grateful that he's still sleeping till 7, even during the new hours.  So even thought I miss the hour we had last week.  I am looking forward to the brighter, sunnier days ahead.


It's a Colbie Caillet kind of day

The weather has been in the 60's and I'm driving around in my CR-V with the sunroof open and listening to Colbie Caillet.  I forgot how her voice reminds me of summer time.  I love the summer.  I crave the warm sunshine or even humid weather.  I get giddy just thinking about how close we are to summer.

It was late summer of 2008 when I was 7 or 8 months pregnant with J and I was listening to Colbie's Coco album.  #12: Capri was on and the lyrics caught my ear.  I'm usually not one to listen to lyrics, I'm not sure why, but my ears gravitate towards the melodies and beats of the music.  But Capri captured my full attention and would sometimes become very emotional about the music.  It's such a sweet lulliby kind of song and when I heard it again the other day, all those emotions came back. 

Today marks my sons 16 month birthday.  Happy Birthday my silly putty!

Capri
She's got a baby inside
And holds her belly tight
All through the night
Just so she knows
She's sleeping so
Safely to keep
Her growing
And oh when she'll open her eyes
There'll be no surprise
That she'll grow to be
So beautifully
Just like her mother
That's carrying
Oh Capri
She's beauty
Baby inside she's loving
Oh Capri
She's beauty
There is and angel growin' peacefully
Oh Capri
Sweet baby
And things will be hard at times
But I've learned to try
Just listening
Patiently, oh Capri
Sweet baby
Oh Capri
She's beauty
Baby inside she's loving
Oh Capri
Your beauty
Just like your mother
That's carrying... Oh Capri

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

I no poo too

Okay, it's been a week doing the no poo method on my hair.  I have to say I am very pleased with the results.  I've read countless online articles and blogs about the no poo method.  It seems this can work for just about any hair type, unless you recently had your hair dyed you may need to tweek the method.

I haven't dyed my hair in over a year.  In fact, when I recently cut my hair I chopped off most of the dyed portions.  My hair isn't considerably oily, in fact I think it was due to some shampoos and conditioners that I used that made my scalp oily, which only made me wash my hair more frequently.

Since going no poo, yes it's only been a week, but I can already tell I don't need to wash my hair every day.  I could probably go every 3-4 days until I notice my hair just needs a wash to clean up.  And even then, my scalp isn't oily and doesn't appear to be unkept.  I chose to wash at day 3 or 4 because the texture of my hair needed some maintenance.  I still like to use the ACV rinse on the tips of my hair every day because I do blow dry my hair in the mornings before leaving for work. 

I have been debating about ditching the baby shampoos for my son and start the no poo method for him.  I barely wash his hair now.  It's only when he has smeared food on his head that I feel he's due for a washing, and using the baking soda would be perfect for just that.

The other thing that I like about not shampooing is that I feel my time in the shower has cut in half, or more.  When I used traditional shampoos & conditioners, I would sometimes use too much and I'd be in the shower trying to rinse my hair for what seemed like 10 minutes.  Granted, it felt great massaging my scalp under the warm water, but knowing I'm not wasting as much water say something about the no poo method.

I do encourage everyone to give this a try, even for a day.  After a little research to find out which method is appropriate for your hair type, I can guarantee your hair will feel lighter (as well as your wallet).

Thinking spring... Thinking Easter

I came across this toy on the FAO Shwartz site and thought it was just too cute for any active little toddler.  (Mine included).  He absolutely loves pushing anything around the house including pants, back scratchers, toy vacuums, popcorn popper... anything! 


Despite the alarming price for this adorable toy, I found out this is eco-friendly and made by WonderworldWonderworld uses only Water-based paint for our wooden toys so to minimize: child exposure to chemicals, a health factor use of underground fossil fuel, reducing CO2 emission, industry refinery reducing CO2 emission and chemical waste release to the environment. Wonderworld as a strong advocate of protecting the environment, insists on using only rubber-wood that is of replenishable source and widely accepted throughout the world as the environment-friendly material. Wonderworld strictly uses only non-toxic color and laquer constituent for all our products. This not only contributes to the safety proposition for children but also demonstrates our determined commitement to mother earth.


Eco House

The site looks fairly new and if you're looking for a price, they suggest calling.  The company is in Thailand so if you're looking to buy locally made products, this may not be a good option. 

Waste Less Wednesday is brought to you by the letter G

Happy Wednesday!

Happy St. Patty's Day! 

Think green when you're drinking that pint today.  I don't mean the color green, although adding color would be very festive!  The Green Daily talks about different options when it comes to organic beer.  If whiskey, vodka, or gin is your choice, there are not many organic options but there are a few to choose from.

To keep with tradition of drinking a pint of green beer for the holiday, there are other options when making your beer green naturally.  The easiest way is using green food coloring, but is it the safest?  The Center of Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) feels the food coloring needs to be banned all together.  I won't go into detail on this issue as my point today is to have fun and enjoy your drink of choice, safely.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Poker face

I don't have a poker face.  If I'm not happy, I have a hard time acting like I'm not.  Maybe it's because of the environment I work in.  I sit in a cubicle all day and really only leave to get another cup of tea or head out for lunch.  And even then, I'm by myself.  I enjoy having solitude. 

I'm an only child and am the youngest of all my cousins.  So I've been around grown-ups my whole life.  Socializing in a group of people is hard for me and I sometimes steer away from anything that could potentially put me near the center of attention.  (My wedding day was so hard.  I literally had to paste a smile on my face.  But really... It was one of the best days of my life.)

My husband is the same as me, although he has a type A personality and works as a sales manager.  So at work, he is a different person than he is at home.  We are both home dwellers and enjoy being home.  But he'll tell you that's it's not easy being married to me.  (Yeah I'm that much of a *****)... nooo.  What I mean is, he has a hard time reading my face.  Am I being serious or not?  In his career, he has learned how to read body language and how to take those cues to make a sale.  At home, sometimes I feel like he's selling me on something.  Whatever it is, when we're planning our day on a Saturday.  But he has found not knowing my cues keeps him on his toes.  And I don't mind that he doesn't feel the need to change who I am.  Although I do realize it can be hard and I need to communicate better.

Since having J I feel like I have opened up more.  In a goofy way.  I'm very goofy with J and will sing all sorts of silly songs with him, at the top of my lungs too.  And there is no way I consider myself a singer.  Most days in my life outside my home, I find myself to be very quiet.  I just feel like I don't have much to say, that's all. 

So when people see me, usually I have to force a smile.  It's really hard actually.  You see, I have been 'blessed' with the frown.  My mothers side of the family all have this issue and we look like we are frowning.  The corners of our mouth naturally arc downwards.  My mouth isn't as bad as some other peoples in my family.  But we all have it. 

I've been known to have a stare, or stoic face.  Yes, it may look blank, but when people tell me, "you need to smile", it really irks me.  I am smiling, can't you tell?  I'm sure I get that attitude from my father.  He would really enjoy living in the woods of Maine, alone. 

Ironically my son smiles ALL the time.  He is wearing a smile so often that there are days when I'm tired of smiling back.  But I cannot NOT smile at him, he's just the cutest thing.  Ever!  I am so glad he does not have my frowning face, nobody will tell him he needs to smile more often.


After his 1st hair cut (which was hard for him) he still had a smile at the end of our visit.

Monday, March 15, 2010

My thoughts kept me awake last night...

I have to admit, that even though the doctors had blood work done on J, my mind still wonders why he eats the way he does.  He's like a bird most days and the saying, Wait it out, they'll eat when they're hungry, can only last so long.  Right?  He's almost 16 months old and I can see he's already trying to show he has a voice and can make decisions on what to eat, when to eat, and of course how to eat. 

The doctor gave me a suggestion, if I wasn't opposed to it.  We would try giving him Periactin for a while.  What's a while?  She gave me a prescription for 3 months.  I was shocked at the possibility of how long I'd be giving J this medicine.  But of course I felt I was at my wits end with J's eating habits and felt if there was anything I could do to help him improve his appetite, I would do it.

As I left the pediatrician's office, I began to wonder what Periactin was.  So I did some research and found out the medication is prescribed for allergies and/or migraines.  In elderly or children, it is used to increase and appetite.  Side effects?  Well, weight gain is part of the side effect when taking Periactin.  Of course there is a list of side effects but the two that stuck out for me was, drowsiness and overactive. 

I had not known how drowsy or overactive J would be, so I decided to give him the Periactin for a week.  But I wanted to start him on it this past weekend, just in case, if for some reason he turned into the incredible hulk or something.

So an hour before dinner on Friday night, I gave J his 1/2 teaspoon of Peractin.  He didn't seem to mind the taste.  Almost an hour late J started to fuss a little.  I asked him if he was hungry and in his usual response: YAH.  So I put him in his high chair and was trying to buckle him in when he seemed to get very aggresive with me.  He would start pulling on my arm and shook it while screaming.  Hungry maybe?  By the time I got him some food he was a lot calmer and happier.  He did eat more than his usual portion.  I was impressed at how much he ate.

The next morning he got his next dose, 1/2 teaspoon, and an hour later he was ready to chow down.  I kept it simple and made him a bagel and cut up some grapes.  Usually he eats maybe a quarter of the bagel, but this morning he had almost a half!  Throughout the whole day I found his appetite was increased and I began to worry that he'd make himself sick because he wouldn't know when to stop eating.  He did nap rather long in the morning (2.5 hours), and when I went to go get him he looked at me and said No when I tried to pick him up.  The day progressed as usual and we even made a trip to the mall.  We ate lunch at the mall and he had 4 chicken nuggest and a few (maybe 6) french fries.  He's more of a 1 chicken nugget kind of kid.  I was shocked but pleasantly surprised at his appetite the whole day.

Sunday was a little different.  Even though his appetite was there, he seemed to be running around in overdrive.  He was clearly tired in the morning for his nap but refused.  It was like the medicine was keeping him awake.  I don't mind if J is clearly not tired, I don't like forcing him to nap when he's not ready.  But he was clearly tired.  I started to worry that these side effects may be more important to me than his eating. 

I gave this medicine at least a week, and we're only on day 2.  My husband actually asked me if we really needed to wait a week.  I told him he could have just been that way because it's been raining here for 2 days (still raining on day 3) and maybe he was just cooped up.  Maybe it was because I'm 'Mum' and he was acting out on me.  I still want to see how he does during the day today. 

I warned daycare about the side effects and what they may see from him.  They were shocked to hear the other side of him because they never see that from him.  So who knows?  Maybe he'll be fine today.  But last night I woke up thinking about this medicine and wondering if I'm doing the right thing.  I'm trying to listen to my gut and the more I listen the more I think I need to stop giving him the medicine.

He has eaten SO much better.  In fact, he ate more than me during dinner last night.  I will definitely give that much to the medicine.  But the side effects, I just don't know.  Is it possible that the side effects won't be as noticeable as the days go on?  I don't know.  If it were in my system, how would I react?  Then I even thought about only giving him the dose once a day instead of twice.  I'm torn and I think waking up last night still thinking about it is telling me something.

My baby is growing up

My husband and I took J to get his hair cut.  Officially.  His hair was such a mop, I could not finagle a quick "snip-snip" like I used to.  He was constantly wiping his hair out of his eyes, he would get so frustrated with the length he would start to whine.  I hadn't thought much about what to do with his hair.  So when the stylist ask me what I wanted for him?  All I could think about was something that would get his hair out of his eyes and away from his ears. 

Both J & I wore smocks, he wasn't too impressed but did it anyways.  After a little spritz of water to his hair (which he did not like), the stylist started snipping away.

I tried to talk to J about what was going to happen.  We sat at home and I explained he was going to get his hair cut by someone else.  Snip snip snip is the sound I made and used my fingers to look like scissors across his forehead.  He thought that was the funniest thing and tried to mimic me.

But when we were there in the salon, it was a different story.   He cried, in the beginning, but was a trooper and sat on my lap during the whole time.  At the end of our visit, he was happy to be done, and to have no more hair in his eyes.




Friday, March 12, 2010

Green Oil

I'm due for an inspection on my car this month and I usually get an oil change done at the same time.  I happened to stumble upon a green motor oil that is slowly making it's way to automobiles.  I found some online reviews and consumers mentioned they got better mileage from their car when using the green oil.

Green Earth Technologies has developed this oil that is environmentally safe, made with American grown base oils, biodegradable, and did I mention made in the US?

Yes this oil is biodegradable but won't biodegrade in your car.  If it leaks, you won't be panicking when your pets trample through the puddles.

I'm not very car savvy so I won't go into the specific details with the oil or other products they sell.  But I will say they are available in many stores already.  Why haven't they been marketing this product better, I have no idea.  But if this product works well in smaller devices and has been tested on the race track, then it shouldn't be long before we see more advertisements.

I'm not sure how the price of this oil compares to the competitors, but I would imagine it isn't cheap.  But I'm willing to give it a try if it means I save on mileage for my car.  That alone will help me.  And my wallet for gas.

Has anyone heard of or used this product?  I'm interested in hearing about it!

Pooh

We introduced Winnie the Pooh to J the first time he slept in his bassinet, which was pretty much his first day home.  We didn't have a mobile because our bassinet was the pack 'n play.  So to give him something to look at while laying in bed, we pretty much shoved Pooh bear in his face.  Those two little beaty eyes would stare back and protect him all night long. 

About 7 weeks old and napping with Pooh

As J grew he would start to play with his Pooh bear.  The particular Pooh we have has a bell inside his belly so it would rattle around and play tinkle tinkle noises.  J slept in our room until he was 7 weeks old.  J was a grunter and we could not get enough rest while he grunted in his sleep.  So we moved him to the room next to us which is our computer room.

There was really nothing fancy in our computer room, except for the bassinet, changing table, chair, desk, and computer.  But it was where J slept until he was 5 months old.  We then moved him to his room, to his own, real, crib.  My heart broke.  My baby was growing up.

Moving J to his crib was a huge step for me.  I'm not sure how my husband felt about it.  At that time, to me, my husband didn't have the sort of attachment I had with J.  I was breast feeding and still waking J for a midnight feeding.  His bedroom was no longer in the room next to ours.  It was upstairs from us, a whole flight of steps, about 15 steps high.  My heart broke.  But we made sure to keep Pooh with J because I knew that J would wonder where he'd be.  He'd wonder where I'd be.  But did he really?

I think I was the only one with the anxiety.  Maybe I needed my own Pooh bear.  Actually, I still have my teddy that I grew up with in my night stand.  He resides there, all tattered and worn.  He's my teddy.  I still get emotional thinking about how special my teddy is to me. 

Being silly with Pooh bear

Pooh has become that special to my son.  When he sees Pooh he gives him big hugs and smooches.  Pooh still rattles with glee every time my silly putty tosses him around in the crib.  We do keep a few other stuffed animal in the crib with J because there are mornings where he wakes up well before we're ready to get him.  So these toys are there to occupy him and keep him company.  They've become staples to his bedtime scene and when we travel away for the night, we usually take a couple of them with us.  Who knows if J really needs them.  I think its for our own security in knowing he's got a few buddies in his bed and can keep watch over him. 

Pooh also spends the days at daycare and when J sees his Pooh bear he knows it's nap time.  I've been told he giggles with excitement each time and will grab Pooh by his little red shirt (it reads: Baby's 1st Pooh) and J will shove his face into Pooh's belly.  It melts my heart and makes me sad when I hear things like this.  But I am grateful to know Pooh bear is there to comfort my silly putty when I cannot.

A recent nap with Pooh and the other friends

Thursday, March 11, 2010

My adamant little helper

Note to self:  Acknowledge the positive acts.

My silly putty likes to help me, a lot.  He likes to help clean the tray on his high chair by handing me all the food particles he doesn't want to eat.  If I'm not prepared to accept these offerings they'll end up on the floor.  He knows this is not where they go, but apparently I'm the one that needed to be there in the first place. 

We have a gas stove.  My silly putty likes to help me turn the knobs when their not being use, or if they are being used.  Typically these knobs are fun to touch when I'm making dinner.  He's Mummy's big helper of course. 

We have a cat, Marble.  Last night I put food in the cats dish and told my silly putty to let Marble know his dinner is ready.  "Bahble, eshis ihes hisls eety"  My silly putty likes to help feed Marble even though he's already been fed.  This morning he took one of the cans of food and placed it in the cats dish.  "Thank you hunny but the kitty doesn't need food right now, lets put that away to clean up."  He responds in a sing-song, "Eeen ah, eeen ah"  (His version of our song on Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Clean Up).

Playing with Marble's can food

Yes, my silly putty may not fully understand when help is needed but I know he means well and I let him help me as much as possible.  He's still only 15 months so I try to explain (age appropriately) why things don't need to be done at the moment.  But I can see his motivation and there will be a time when I won't have a good argument for not doing something.  Sometimes the rules will need bending, I can accept that.  I cannot wait.
It's hard to say No to this face

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Waste Less Wednesday

It's Wednesday and that means we're getting our trash picked up today!  I always feel a small sense of cleansing on Wednesdays even though our garbage collects in a corner next to our basement door.  But I often have a debate with myself as my trash piles up, was there something I could have spared from the garbage man and given it away on Freecycle?


Freecycle is an online organization where local communities can post items from their home and Offer to potential Takers... for FREE.  Once an Offer is posted, you have the opportunity to contact the owner and request the item(s) they are offering.  If you are the first person to respond, you win!  I find a lot of potential frustration for these posts is that many Takers do not arrive at the designated pick up spot to collect their new treasures.  I've seen multiple offerings for items that have been posted over the course of a few weeks.  Some of the items offered have been old magazines (for the craftier folks), empty baby food jars, appliances, toys, clothes, doors, furniture, and office supplies. 

If you have not used a service like Freecycle, I encourage you to check it out.  If anything, it may help eliminate the amount of 'stuff' you leave on your curb for the garbage man.

Venting to reflect

I found out yesterday that J has a double ear infection.  He has been teething for a while and his 7th tooth cut through on Friday.  But since then he has lost his appetite.  I stayed home with him over the past two days and finally took him to see the doctor.  He was so lethargic on Sunday, he could barely pick up his head.  With a 104.3 temp we knew we weren't going out, despite the very mild weather, we spent the sunny day indoors and cuddled.

There were moments when J would be hungry and want to poke through his cabinet.  Yes, we have a cabinet designated for all of his snacks.  I helped him up on the counter so he could pick what he wanted, but when it came to actually eating something, he got mad. 

He would stand in the kitchen and scream.  Not a playful scream.  He had tears and the screams were meant for pain.  I cannot imagine what he was feeling like but his expression was painful to watch.  All I could do was give him some Mummy hugs and hope he wasn't mad at me for the way he was feeling.

So when I found out he had a double ear infection, along with 3 teeth cutting any day, the poor child needed help.  As soon as I got his medicine I gave him a dose.  We had a small bite to eat for lunch and he was off to take an early afternoon nap.  He slept for almost 3 hours and when he woke up he actually look rested.  He was still grumpy but I could tell the antibiotics were already working.

The doctor had asked me if I could tell if he had an ear infection.  "Doesn't he pull on his ears?"  No.  He sort of pokes at them but he likes to acknowledge his ears from time to time as a game so it didn't occur to me that he could have been pulling at them. 

This morning we had to wake J up and he was still a little groggy when my husband was putting on his shoes.  J slept soundly throughout the whole night and we even got a good nights rest.  I was pleasantly surprised to see J acting like his silly self again.  I missed my silly putty.  He still has moments where he cannot communicate with me and will just scream.  It seems that he has discovered how screaming can relieve a lot of different emotions that he is unable to communicate.  But he also is known for walking around the house giggling. 

It's been a long weekend for me, a whole 4 days with a kid who has a bad head ache.  I'm back at work today and it's only been a few hours but I miss him like crazy.  Through all the bad moments we had, the ones I remember the most are when we colored (cah-cah), read books (boog), and made play-doh.

My silly putty


Being a big boy and mixing the play-doh


"OOOHHHH"


One of our happier moments from our long day

Friday, March 5, 2010

Out to Lunch---March

I went out to lunch today, by myself and sat in a local cafe with a sandwich and cup of coffee.  The corner table by the window was available so I sat there: Me, Myself, and I.  The cafe wasn't too crowded, but there was enough foot traffic coming for a cup of joe and others walking on the sidewalk while peeking in through the windows.

I wasn't there long, but it was long enough for me to feel like I had a moi moment.  I wish I had a magazine to thumb through but it was equally pleasant to just sit there and look out the window.  There were kids in the next room who would toddle out into the main entry way and look around, look at me and stop to just stare.  With my mouth full of sandwich, I would smile at the young girl and her little brother.  But I think they wanted to hop up to my table because it was elevated from the floor they were on.  But they were pleasant and turned and paraded through the cafe while their Mum tossed their garbage from lunch and collected their belongings.  The whole time I was missing J and wish I didn't have to be at work today.  But it's Friday so I spent most of my time at the cafe wondering what fun plans we could accomplish this weekend.  The weather is supposed to be extremely spring-like so I hope to make it to a local playground.

My week in general has left me feeling exhausted.  I need to schedule more 'me' moments throughout the week.  There are a few things I enjoy doing that help me escape from my routine, even if it's for 15 minutes.  I think every Mum needs to schedule their time and make sure it's a task that can be completed. 

Lately I've been enjoying my book and read a chapter or two.  Sometimes at night I'll try and read an hour to have my fill.  I think back and wonder how I managed to read an hour and have it only feel like 15 minutes?  Lately, it's been easy to do.  Another thing that helps me relax and feel restored is coloring.  I have done this even before my son was born, so it sounds silly to realize how long I have done this, but for me it has helped me feel grounded. 

I wish I could climb these trees and read a book

Suzanne at the Mother Huddle also wrote about similar experiences that have helped reconnect her soul.  I think sometimes we forget how important it really is to remember who we are as a person.  My patience has run thin this week and I'm exhausted.  This week, I have forgotten who I am and what ingredients make me. 

Next time, I'll need to keep some bread crumbs with me so I can find my way back.

Show Mummy your teeth!

If I ask J to smile, he doesn't know what I'm talking about.  But to ask him where his teeth are, that's a different story.  He'll show those pearly whites to me every single time.  It's like he's proud of them, as though he found them somewhere like burried treasure. 

Showing off those teeth

J's been teething again.  It seems like we have a short period where he has no drool and I take a big sigh of relief.  For now.  Teething is so torturous for my little man.  He is always developing a fever of some kind along with a very runny nose.  We're constantly running around wiping his face with a tissue.  He has come to learn about these tissues and now likes to help us (him) out by wiping his nose all by himself.  What a big boy!

But those teeth, they really are something magical because they put this huge grin on J's face.  It's just too cute for words and he knows it.  So yesterday morning we had a mini photo shoot in our kitchen.  He insisted on flashing those teeth at the camera, despite the crazy double flash that was in his face.


The first picture and he was really posing for this.

Oh the light is starting to bother him but he's determined to show his teeth

Now he's just being goofy

'Alright Ma... I think this is enough'

'Really, we can stop now'

Yup, even with me he just can't keep those eyes open.  I really need to figure out how to use my camera!

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