A Working Title For a Busy Mom

One Day

2013-03-12T10:41:00.001-07:00

Last night I came across a list of day when A was about 6 months old. It made me smile and wondered what a normal day was like for us now. There is no such thing as a "normal" day with young kids. However, as we have no special plans for today I figure this is as good a chance as any to track exactly what our day looks like. I figured I would share so that I could go back and read it later. Maybe someone will get a smile from this entry or a better insight into exactly what it means to stay home with young children. Maybe it will do both for someone, maybe it won't. Either way, it is a good way for me to see exactly where all my time goes so here you are:

5:40am - Wake up when A crawls into bed with me claiming that she has had a bad dream. Hug her for a minute until she feels better and then DH takes her back to bed.

6:10am - T wakes up hungry. DH brings him in and I start nursing him.

6:12am - Realize that T is not wearing his splint. I am thankful he only bruised his hand instead of breaking anything and the doctor said that the splint is optional.

6:13am - Fall back asleep snuggling my boy.

6:36am - Wake up and realize that A is now in bed with me too. DH comes in and grabs the kids so that I can get a few minutes of sleep on my own.

6:54am - DH wakes me up to start the day. I realize that I am now 10 minutes behind schedule.

6:55am - Hop in the shower and shiver because I forgot to let the water warm up before I got in.

7:01am - Dry off and get dressed, while trying to convince myself that this shower should count as a "long" shower because I had time to shave.

7:08am - Head into the kitchen to make breakfast. Attempting to put two thoughts together at this hour with both kids talking at me is proving a challenge, but I do realize that DH has managed to get both kids dressed in outfits that actually go together for which I am thankful.

7:22am - Send DH to work with a granola bar because he isn't gonna have time to help us eat the french toast.

7:26am - The french toast is ready, but the kids will need more protein so I throw a couple of mini frittatas in the microwave.

7:27am - Breakfast is ready when A announces she has to go to the bathroom.

7:31am - Both kids are ready to sit down to breakfast so I jump on the opportunity before the food gets too cold.

7:40am - I realize that while T is okay with one piece of french toast and most of his frittata, A will happily eat her weight in french toast. I convince her to finish her frittata in exchange for half of one of my pieces of french toast and make a mental note to make enough for 2 hungry adults the next time I make this for the kids.

7:42am - T is done with breakfast and starts throwing his frittata which he had previously smeared in maple syrup. Clean him up and let him run off and play.

7:54am - A has finished her frittata and is happy that I saved her some french toast. I clear the table and drink my tea while she finishes eating.

7:58am - Realize that T is starting to pull toys out in the living room and if I want to vacuum at all today I better hurry.

8:20am - I realize that as much as letting the kids play with the vacuum attachments is a great way to make them look forward to vacuuming, it is also a great way to ensure that you never can vacuum the cobweb out of the corner when you need to without having to track someone down and steal their favorite toy...

8:36am - Finish vacuuming the carpet and realize that I should blog about this as a response to the question of what a stay at home mom does all day.

8:38am - Both kids are playing happily so I grab the computer to start typing.

8:47am - A asks me to grab her a doll blanket and I realize that she is pretending to sleep in the doll bed.

8:51am - T goes over to play too and they snuggle for a minute before he runs off to grab his own blanket.

8:54am - I move the stools from the kitchen counter onto the carpet so I can vacuum the kitchen and dining room. T starts climbing them and A decides she wants to use them to host a picnic. Explain to A that there are two stools and that she has to share one with T.

8:58am - T sees the computer and manages to reach up and open the CD drive. I look over in time to see him trying to use it as a handhold to climb on the counter.

9:00am - Realize that the reason T's pants don't look quite right is because they belong to A. Resolve to start folding and putting away the laundry myself instead of leaving it to DH. I don't really get to complain if I'm not the one doing it and really want to complain...

9:06am - As I am in the middle of vacuuming the kitchen and realizing that I am going to need to sweep too, A asks if I can come to her picnic. I ask her if she can please wait until I am done.

9:12am - The vacuum is stowed and I'm off to a picnic of fake food in the living room. But first I stop to take off my apron and take my allergy meds which I forgot to take with breakfast.

9:17am - T says he has to go potty. I pull off the sopping wet diaper and let him try the potty. He pees a little on the potty and is super excited. I put a fresh diaper on him along with pants that actually belong to him before giving him a giant hug simply because I can and heading back out to play with A.

9:24am - Explain to A that if you are so frustrated you are knocking down the tower you keep trying to build that maybe it is time for a break. She agrees to come back to it later and goes off to play with the zoo on her own. I head for the kitchen to sweep.

9:25am - T starts fussing and I realize that he has managed to tie himself in knots in the giant playsilk and cannot get out. I untie him and hug him for a minute before he wants down to play.

9:32am - Kids are playing nicely so I head back to the kitchen to sweep, only to realize that there is too much cat hair on the broom and I need to go outside to knock it off. I decide to sweep the front porch and water the flowers while I am out there and am glad of our new screen door because it means that the kids can watch and talk to me without me having to worry about them or the cat running off while I'm sweeping.

9:37am - Done sweeping and on to mopping while the kids are still playing happily.

9:55am - Finish mopping only to have both kids ask to help me mop as I am putting away the steam mop. After talking about it they decide that they are okay with waiting until next time. Given how hard I had to scrub to get the floor clean I'm thinking that next time will be coming sooner than they think.

9:56am - Stop to blog and see the email saying my audio book is in at the library. Do a mini dance of joy and hope the kids will be as excited about listening to it together as I am.

9:57am - A pushes T down. We all talk about our feelings and how it isn't nice to push. Snuggle both kids until A wanders off. Realize that T's feet are cold and stop to find his socks.

10:06am - Realize the cat is on the counter drinking my tea. I tell him nicely to stop and jump up to grab him. A immediately starts repeating what I'd said to the cat making me very glad that I'd settled for nice instead of using the words I wanted to...

10:10am - Text my sister with a question on how to make lunch. Realize that T and A are starting to fight over silly things so I send A to her room for a few minutes.

10:14am - A comes out and apologizes without being asked. We hug, snuggle and talk for a minute before deciding to head to the park for some fresh air. I scramble to put the dining room chairs back while A gets her shoes on.

10:27am - Realize that getting ready for the park would be easier if T wasn't being so fussy. Get him ready and wrap him on my back so I can get ready and help A.

10:30am - Punch myself in the jaw trying to wrap because I was distracted by the fact that T just said the word "wrap". He is happier now that he is on my back.

10:34am - All ready to head to the park with T almost asleep on my back :)

10:38am - A decides she has to go potty just as we are about to walk out the door and T now fully asleep on my back...

10:42am - Make it out the door to the park. A didn't actually have to go potty, she just wanted an excuse to make faces at herself in the bathroom mirror. A and I walk with T on my back asleep. Once we are there I knit a little while A plays. She is finally tall enough to reach the monkey bars so that brings some pretty major excitement. (I know, by most standards my life is boring, but it's my life and I like it.)

11:22am - A realizes suddenly that she actually has to go potty now. T wakes up just as we start to walk home.

11:30am - We are home and both A and T claim they have to pee. They both manage to make it and we have dry pants (or diaper in T's case) all around.

11:40am - A decides she wants to play kindergarten and grabs one of her bins while T has fun playing with a spoon. I decide to attempt to start lunch.

11:41am - I hear T opening the bathroom door and go to check on him. He is grabbing the stool so that he can get into trouble...By which I mean put away the silverware and grab a different spoon.

11:47am - A is done with her sight word practice and starts pretending to build words a la Word World.

11:52am - A is building words and T is retrieving the letters she drops. I am attempting to remember how to make risotto as my sister never texted me back. Thankfully I remember that it is okay to throw in some extra stock early on so that it doesn't burn while I'm running back and forth between the stove and the kids.

12:15pm - The risotto is done and staying warm on the stove. DH calls to say he is on his way home. The kids have been playing nicely at the table this whole time and sharing their activities and discussing them with me. However, the second the phone rings A decides to climb up on the table and tries to brush T's teeth with a clothespin. I pull T out of his high chair and he runs off to play.

12:19pm - The cat jumps up on the counter yet again, but starts purring as soon as I grab him down. I realize that he is just doing it to get attention and that he could probably use a hug.

12:21pm - Realize suddenly that T is out of sight and being awfully quiet. I set down the cat that I am still hugging and go check on him. I find him in his room playing quietly with his toys so I tiptoe out without disturbing him.

12:23pm - DH gets home and we start cleaning up and setting the table for lunch.

12:31pm - We actually start eating. Lunch today is chicken asparagus risotto following the formula in the Zuni Cafe cookbook that my awesome uncle randomly sent me. Once I figured out the technique I realized that risotto isn't actually hard and is a wonderful way to use up those tiny bits of leftover veggies, meat and cheese that would otherwise go to waste.

12:49pm - Finish up lunch and begin the work of getting the kids and the table clean.

1:08pm - We finally have everyone clean and ready to go. It is time to load the kids in the car and take DH back to work so that I'll have the car for the CSA pick-up this afternoon. On the way out the door I realize that I really need to pick-up the stitches for the sleeve on a sweater and that the 5 minute car ride will probably be the best opportunity I have all day so I grab my knitting bag as an afterthought.

1:14pm - Drop DH off at work.

1:17pm - Decide to hit Joanns for some more elastic.

1:19pm - Realize that I have to drive right by Hancock Fabrics to get to Joanns and decide to stop try there first.

1:37pm - Get to Hancock despite weird traffic and taking a wrong turn.

1:48pm - As I am searching the notions section trying to figure out where they are hiding the type of elastic I need A decides she has had enough. First she claims she has to pee, but admits when asked that she is just saying it because she is bored, then she runs off. I chase her down and explain that we have to pay for our stuff before we leave. On the way out I ask if they have a restroom because by now A is doing the potty dance. The cashier hands me the key and we head back to find it. Once we get there A says that she really doesn't have to go...

2:12pm - Talk it over with A and T who are now both in the mood for adventures and decide to head to Joanns to find the exact thing that we need.

2:26pm - Get to Joanns, traffic was better this time.

2:43pm - Find what we are looking for, including fabric for A. Take a number and wait for our turn at the cutting counter.

3:06pm - They finally call our number, but not before more fabric has a chance to hop into my cart after I realize that I promised my sister to make a petticoat for her wedding dress.

3:13pm - After the line at the cutting counter, the checkout line was mercifully short. We have now paid and made it back out to the car. It is late enough that I decide to head straight to the CSA and let the kids play at a nearby park until it is time to pick-up our share.

3:30pm - I realize that the car is awfully quiet. I check at a stoplight and realize that both kids are now asleep. I decide to skip the park.

3:41pm - I find a shady parking spot near the CSA and roll down the windows to wait for it to open. I figure that this is a great chance to knit, but I'm too tired to knit so I play word games on my Kindle and doze off while waiting for the kids to wake up.

4:45pm - I realize that the the kids aren't going to wake up on their own and it would be good to get on with our day. I wake them up and grab the bag and the kids to walk the block to our pick-up location. T is on my back in the Ergo and A is walking along holding my hand and carrying the bag for me. She finds an acorn on the way and we talk about it for most of the walk. At the CSA we got a plant start this week so I let the kids pick out which tomato plant we get and A snags a couple of radishes from the surplus basket.

5:05pm - Load the kids in the car and hand A the tomato plant to hold. T is acting hungry and A asks if she can eat the radishes. I wash the radishes and hand one to each kid. To my surprise they both seem to really like them.

5:19pm - A starts crying because she dropped the tomato plant. I pull over to rescue the plant and brush out as much dirt as I can.

5:35pm - We get to DH's work to pick him up. He comes out a couple of minutes later.

5:45pm - We get home and I put the tomato plant outside with my other seedlings that are hardening off. I then realize that the shade didn't move over as far as I thought it would and they are almost totally dried out. I grab them and head inside to water them.

5:55pm - T is crying because DH took a book away from him after he accidentally tore it. DH sits down to read to both kids which stops the tantrum. I ask him to grab me in 10 minutes and go lay down to rest and figure out dinner.

5:59pm - While being sad that soup takes too long to make, I suddenly realize that I have several jars of frozen lentil minestrone in the outside freezer and some bread that is getting stale faster than we can eat it that would be perfect for dipping. I leap out of bed to start the arduous work of throwing a jar of soup in the microwave while I type out this blog entry.

6:31pm - Set the table for dinner and eat.

6:51pm - I finish eating and get up to throw a the load of laundry I meant to wash this morning into the machine now. DH stays at the table with the kids who are still having fun dipping stale bread in their soup. I am happy that I managed a dinner that everyone loves when exhausted and feeling that we had "nothing" in the house.

6:57 pm - Stop to hug the kids.

7:05pm - Actually start the laundry and log on to the computer to talk to my sister and some friends for our normal Tuesday night hangout while DH gives the kids their bath. I moved my laptop into the kitchen so that I could make apple crumb while we were talking.

7:50pm - The apple crumb is in the oven, but I realize that I promised A I would fix her pony nightlight before bed tonight. I grab the screwdriver, pull it apart and start poking at wires. Eventually it starts working again. I put in a prayer request that the pony nightlight will continue to work.

8:00pm - Story time! The kids alternately play and snuggle while DH reads in an effort to help everyone wind down the day on a nice note. We are currently reading the second of the Boxcar Children books. This makes me happy as these are the books that finally taught me how to read.

8:19pm - Story time is over, but the kids still have too much energy. Let the kids run around like crazy for a while to burn off some of that energy.

8:45pm - Try again. A obediently lays down and tries to sleep, but she mostly winds up just laying there watching her pony nightlight. T still has too much energy. This is what I get for letting them nap late and then not running them around enough in the evening.

9:15pm - A is crying because her nightlight turned itself off and only I can push the button to turn it back on. T is finally ready to start trying to go to sleep. Nursing is still part of his bedtime routine most nights so I settle in.

9:35pm - T is pretty well asleep in my arms and I am enjoying the snuggles while remembering the horrific story I'd seen about a lady who tried to sell her kids on Facebook. A starts crying because her nightlight has turned off again and she needs me to turn it on. The noise starts to wake T up so DH runs in and tries to sooth her. He succeeds enough that she is willing to wait quietly for me as long as he stays with her.

9:40pm - T is back asleep and I tuck him in before going in to hug A and talk to her a bit about why sleep is important.

9:44pm - A is willing to go back to trying to get to sleep so I come out and blog. I then realize that the lights load is still in the washer and that I need to wash the whites too so that A and DH have undershirts for tomorrow.

9:58pm - Check on A and find that she has finally fallen asleep. Tuck her back in and give her one last kiss goodnight before slipping out to reboot the laundry.

10:02pm - Lights are in the dryer, but I stop to talk to DH on my way in to get the whites load.

10:10pm - The whites are now in the wash. It is getting close to my bedtime, but I still need to exercise and the whites won't be ready for the dryer for at least another 45 minutes. Consider frittering away time on Facebook, but realize I miss seeing DH so I go out and hang out with him and help with the dishes instead.

10:18pm - I thank DH for doing the final living room cleanup and we start chatting about that. I learn that the way that he hadn't really been running with the kids so much as trying to teach them to dance reels. I suddenly understand what A meant when she said that they had been running around the stools and it made me laugh. I love my nerdy husband :)

10:46pm - I am now folding diapers as DH is working on the dishes and he starts talking about tea. I finally can't take anymore talk without some to drink so I start the kettle to brew a fresh cup. I really wish I liked decaf tea, maybe I can get away with mint?

11:01pm - Take a break from folding diapers to read my blogs and web comics while DH showers. It feels nice to sit down with my tea. Check my pedometer and decide to skip the workout because I've walked over 8k steps today and I'm tired.

11:30pm - Tired, but hungry again because the soup has worn off and I don't want to cut into the apple crumb until morning. DH reheats the last of the risotto while I finish up folding diapers while thinking about the fact that I'd be done with the diapers if I hadn't hopped on the computer.

11:56pm - Check who all is planning on coming to our playdate tomorrow and put away the CSA share. As soon as it is away I will be laying out my clothes for tomorrow and falling into bed. I'm just glad that I don't have a couple of hours of work left anymore.

Expectations

2012-09-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

As I was sitting there rocking and nursing T to sleep tonight I started thinking. I started thinking about how big he has gotten. I started thinking about the fact that it probably won't be long before he no longer wants me to rock him to sleep (already if he wakes up when I set him down he rolls over, grabs his stuffed bunny and goes back to sleep). But most of all, I started thinking about the last year and a bit since he was born*.

T was very proud to "finally" figure out how spoons work.

My kids are a little over 22 months apart and I love that. I still remember when we told people we were expecting our second child the overwhelming response was something along the lines of "was this planned?" and "already?". Everyone went on to warn us that it would be hard having two kids so close together because A still needed so much from me. The thing is that T was very much "planned" and we were excited to have our kids close together. We knew what we were getting into. We knew that having two kids under two while DH was working full time and in grad school and while I was working part time from home would be downright crazy; especially since our family is pretty far away. We also knew that my sister and I are only 21 months apart and very close because of it. We felt it would be worth all of the work and crazy if our kids could grow up with the kind of bond that my sister and I share. Thankfully, it wasn't as hard as I expected (though that isn't to say it wasn't/isn't very hard sometimes) and our kids are very close.

A showing T how puzzles work.

As I was rocking my sleeping boy tonight I started thinking about why it was that the last year didn't seem so hard. In retrospect it really probably was quite hard, but I didn't see it that way at the time. The only reason I can think of for this is what my expectations for this last year have been. While I would have loved to have everything totally together before T was born, I knew that between being huge and pregnant in August and the time I spent chasing A around that just wasn't going to happen. Instead I made an effort to get highest priority stuff done first and work from there. Once T was born I expected that he would need to be held and nursed a lot. As such, when he occasionally wanted to be set down to stare at toys or the dust bunnies under the couch it was a welcome surprise instead of a relief. I also expected him to go through 12-18 diapers a day at first which meant that when he was regularly using 18-24 I just sighed and threw another load in the wash (we use cloth diapers, in case you somehow didn't know that) instead of wondering why my baby was peeing every 20 minutes (well, I also realized that this was probably due to the fact that he was also nursing every 20 minutes). I expected that A would have a hard time adjusting to having to share her time with me so I dusted off my carriers and made sure to do lots of stuff with her while T napped on my chest. Because I expected these things it really didn't seem like that big a deal to take my newborn and not-quite-two-year-old to the grocery store (well, that and the fact that I just strapped him to my chest and continued life). After all, it was a bit of a pain logistically, but the alternative was not having food in the house which would be even more of a pain. The things that I expected I could prepare for physically, emotionally and logistically.

A playing at the turtle pond while T napped on my chest.

What did throw me for a loop were the things that I didn't expect. I didn't expect that my labor with T would go so fast that my mom wouldn't even have a chance to start driving down from her house 2 hours away before I had him (thankfully we had wonderful neighbors who watched A for us until my mom made it down, I'm sad that they have since moved). I really didn't expect that after a short and comparatively** easy labor and delivery I would have some complications that make a full recovery take weeks. What I really didn't expect was that when I woke up the morning after T was born feeling great and wanting nothing more than to go home to see my husband and daughter that I would have to stay two more days because T was jaundiced. Honestly, those two days were probably harder than any other two days together since he was born and I think it is because an extended hospital stay was the one thing I didn't expect. I didn't expect that I wouldn't be able to go home to see my girl or that my new son wouldn't be able to wear the cute little hat I knit him because all of his skin would need to be exposed for the lights to work. I didn't expect that after a VBAC we would wind up staying at the hospital almost as long as I did after my c-section. I didn't expect that my mom would have to be watching A for that long while recovering from gallbladder surgery or that I wouldn't be able to bring her new grandson home for her birthday.

If you look closely you can still see the yellow around his eyes.

Once I talked to the doctors and the nurses and the lactation consultants I was able to get my expectations in line, however. I was able to see the silver lining and make the best of everything. I was able to enjoy the quiet hours I spent laying there with T under the lights*** bonding with my new baby in the same quiet way I had bonded with my older one. I was able to rejoice in the fact that the degree I had never actually finished had still given me the knowledge to speak intelligently with the doctors and nurses about the treatment and how to make it work for our family and our baby. Most of all, I had time to just be and recover in ways that I never would have had were I at home with A wanting me to read just one more story and instead had time to lay there and read my own stories on my Kindle.

The two of us under the lights.

This last year has taught me a lot. I have learned how to better juggle my life. I have learned just how much my almost-three-year-old can do to help and just how strong her will can be. I have learned just how fast a baby can crawl when he really wants to get to something before you can stop him. I have learned how much a barely-one-year-old can get into when his big sister is there to "help". I have learned how amazing it is to watch children grow and learn every day. I have learned how frustrating it can be when nothing goes the way you plan. I have learned how to let go and enjoy what I can. But most of all, I have learned the power of expectations and how they can shape our lives for better or worse.

He climbed up on his own and got down safely. I was
standing by just in case.

* I don't want to hear any complaints about my lack of blogging or pictures. As much as I love writing, I've been rather busy lately and my family comes first.
**Compared to A's birth. Honestly, even with the issues I had later, T's birth and the recovery after was way easier than A's. But that is a story for another day (if I ever find time). All I will say is that I prefer natural childbirth to a c-section any day of the week even though I am really, really thankful for the doctor that delivered A and kept us both safe.
*** The standard way to do phototherapy is to keep the baby in a bassinet under UV lights. However, T would not have any of that and would scream his little lungs out and refuse to nurse which just made stuff worse. The solution that we found with the help of a very helpful lactation consultant was for him to lay next to me while I was awake and to put the lights over both of us. Since I was nearby he stayed much calmer and was even able to nurse under the lights which would not have been possible with the standard protocol. This solution is not for everyone, but it worked really well for us and I am thankful for the staff that helped make it happen.

{this moment}

2012-06-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - Inspired by Soulemama. In her words: A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you want to participate head over to her blog and enjoy!

Flats Challenge Day 3 - For the Love of Flats!

2012-05-23T14:17:00.001-07:00

For those of you who somehow missed it, I am participating in the 2nd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge. If you want details click the link, but basically everyone who is participating (almost 500 households) agrees to use flat diapers that are then handwashed and air dried for a week. Each day those of us with blogs try to talk about the same topic so that we can all share our ideas and learn from each other. The topic for Day 3 is "How do you use your flats?".

Being me, I assumed that this question was asking what your favorite folds are which I briefly touched on in my last post (origami for T and pad fold for A). However, when I started looking around I saw that this post could be a lot more broad. The topic isn't just flats this week, but flats in general. That is a topic I can really get behind (please pardon the pun).

Tired boy models the origami fold.

While flats may not be me normal "go to" diaper, they do see a lot of use in our house. How hard our water is seems to change a couple of times a year and when that happens I have to adjust my washing routine for my diapers. While I'm figuring out what's wrong I switch over to flats because they are the easiest to get clean and the fastest to get dry. If I can get any diaper clean and dry quickly it will be flats. My cotton prefolds are next on the list (and my general favorite), but they are still harder to wash and slower to dry than the flats. I also love flats for when my baby is in between sizes of diapers. When the infant prefolds were just a touch too small and the next size up was still rather giant, flats fill the gap. When A became a supersoaker and was leaking out of her diaper at night a folded up flat provided the extra absorbency we needed to save the sheets. Flats are also really breathable so when we have had problems with diaper rash a flat with a wool cover gave our kids the air their bums needed to heal.

A much younger A sporting a flat and shorties during last
year's challenge. We use the same set-up for rashes.

However, the place we use flats most often is as a backup against running out. A despises disposables and refuses to wear them. Now that she is verbal she claims that they hurt, especially when she pees. Because of this we can't really plan to buy disposables if we run out of diapers due to lack of planning. We keep a few flats and two one-size covers in the car in case we run out while running errands or visiting friends and we keep a stack of flats in the house in case we get behind on laundry. We try not to need these back-ups, but when we need them it is nice to know we have them. I especially love that I don't have to worry about leaving A in a wet diaper if she uses her last one when we are at a friend's house or carrying a half naked T in to the laundry room because I didn't realize until it was too late that I hadn't pulled the diapers out of the dryer yet.

A still loves her flats, this time in her training
pants!

How about you? Do you use flats in every day life? If so, how? Click here to read everyone else's answers.

Flats Challenge Day 2 - What Am I Using?

2012-05-23T13:32:00.001-07:00

As I said yesterday, I am participating in the 2nd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge. Basically everyone agrees to use flat cloth diapers and then to handwash and air dry them for a week. If you want to hear more about the challenge follow the link above. As part of the challenge anyone who has a blog is encouraged to discuss a variety of topics in an effort to get the information out where anyone can see it and make it easier for us all to help each other. The hope is that if one person is having problems they will be able to blog surf a bit and find a place where someone else has posted a solution. These posts are also nice to refer back to later on if you wind up in a situation where you are having to start from scratch or run into a problem. All that being said, today's (well, really yesterday's, but I'm running behind) topic is "supplies" so I'll blather on about mine :)

Since I did the challenge last year and cloth diaper normally I already had everything I needed. Well, actually, I have WAY more than I really need :) That said, I'll do my best to lay out exactly what I'm actually using this year in hopes that it will help someone else who is buying a stash for the first time. The supplies really fall into two categories, diapers and washing supplies. Since I have two kids that are very different ages I'll lay out what I'm using for each.

The diapers and wipes are folded and ready to go.

T. is 9 months old and is still very much in the traditional diaper phase. For him I am using the Ikea "burp cloths" that I bought last year for the challenge. I have 24 of these, but am not coming close to using all of them. I think if I had to do it again I would only buy 15-18 of these and I know that in a pinch I could get away with 12. I am using the origami fold with these and securing them with a snappi and then putting a waterproof cover over them. I use onesize covers and both he and A are currently in the same size so I have WAY more covers than I need. I think I could get by pretty reasonably with 4-5 covers and have managed with 3 in a pinch. The brands we like are Thirsties Duo, Bummis Super Bright and Blueberry covers, but both of my kids are long and skinny so we really need that double gusset. We are also using cloth wipes from Green Mountain Diaper and with two kids and washing daily we'd probably be okay with 24 wipes. That's it, diapers, wipes, covers and a snappi...pretty simple really. I also use some fleece liners, but this is just microfleece that I found on clearance and cut to size, nothing special and $4 worth of fleece got me more liners than I can ever use.

The flat on the left is folded to the same size as the original
insert on the right.

When it came to figuring out diapers for A. I was a little more worried. She is 2.5 years old, very active and in the process of potty training. She still needs something when we are out and about or when she's sleeping, but whatever she's wearing has to be easy to pull up and down in case she suddenly realizes she needs to go. We'd been using the Flip Trainers which are nice because they have a wipe-clean reusable shell and a bunch of cotton inserts so you can get away with fewer pairs. The insert is held in place with velcro which my active toddler really needs to keep everything from shifting. I tried pad folding the Ikea flats we are using for T, but they kept bunching. I tried the Flour Sack Towels I got from Target last year and had the same problem. Then I remembered the Gerber Flats that I'd been given at my baby shower before A was born. They are small, overpriced and not terribly absorbent, but they also have a looser weave than anything else I had. I pad folded one to the same size as the insert and gave it a try and sure enough it worked! The weave is loose enough that they stick and the lack of absorbency doesn't matter so much when it is just meant as a back-up. I will say that we have had one leak when A. wet her bed this morning, but as she normally wakes up dry I am going to consider that a fluke. We actually started using this system over the weekend and last night was the only time we've had a problem with it. We are using two of the Flip shells and going through about 3 Gerber Flats per day. Since the Gerber flats come in packs of 10 (I think) you should be plenty fine with just the one pack.

A wanted to help with the washing.

The final category is washing supplies. For this I'm keeping stuff pretty simple. I throw the dirty diapers directly into a 5 gallon bucket that has a lid (I dump any poop into the toilet first, but a quick shake of the fleece liner and it comes right off). Once the bucket is half full I switch it out for a new bucket (I have two and they are worth every penny) and start the diapers in the old bucket soaking. I use a cheap plunger with holes drilled in it for agitation, Charlie's Soap and Oxiclean for washing and a clothesline in the backyard for drying. I'll go into details in another post, but this set-up when combined with the hot and windy weather we've been having has made it a lot easier than I remembered. I think the secret is the second bucket because it means that I'm not under any pressure to finish the wash cycle before I can change the next diaper.

Here is a short list for a toddler and a baby for those that just want to skim:
18-24 Ikea "burp cloths"
1 pack Gerber Flats
4-6 PUL covers
2 Flip Trainer Shells
24 GMD wipes
24 homemade fleece liners
2 5-gallon buckets
1 plunger with holes in it
clothes line
medium wetbag for when you out and about, though a plastic grocery bag will work if needed.

That's it. Really, that's all I'm using to diaper 2 kids and the crazy thing is that those supplies would last me for both kids from birth to potty training if they had to. If you want to see what everyone else is using head over to the main page for Day 2.

It's That Time Again!!!

2012-05-21T09:40:00.002-07:00

Time for what you ask? The 2nd Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge is happening this week and I've decided to attempt it. I did it last year and we managed to finish despite a daytrip and a stomach bug that ran through the family that week. Last year I learned that handwashing really wasn't that bad. I even learned that since I live in a warm, dry place with hard water I am able to get cleaner diapers faster when I handwash them and dry them outside in the sun. All in all I considered it a success and while I wasn't about to sell my washing machine I knew that I could use flats and handwash them if I ever needed to. This was especially reassuring because my daughter A. refuses to to use disposable diapers because she claims that they hurt (or did the last time we tried one on her over a year ago).

Now I bet you are asking yourself if everything went so well last year then why am I even hesitating this year? Why am I saying that I am "attempting" the challenge instead of assuming that I'm going to do this no problem? Well, there are a couple of things going on. First of all, last year I only had one baby in diapers and that baby was a toddler who really didn't use that many diapers. This year I have a not quite potty trained toddler and a baby who goes through a lot of diapers. The second reason is that we have plans for family fun during the challenge and having to take the time to handwash diapers would get in the way. The third reason is that while A is getting pretty good at using the potty, she still needs training pants and I couldn't figure out how to make that work with flats and didn't terribly want to handwash those. The bottom line is that I've gotten lazy. Yup, that's right, I said it, I'm worried that I'm too lazy to complete the challenge this year...

Who can argue with these cute diapers for a baby boy?

The more I thought about it the more I realized that this is exactly why I need to try it. So many women don't get the chance to be lazy and I just need to suck it up and deal. I complain that it's a pain to wash diapers when all I have to do is throw them in the washing machine and push a few buttons. I complain that it is a pain to go to the grocery store with both kids when I can load them in the car and drive. I need to stop complaining! I don't know if I will manage to complete the challenge or not this year, but I do hope I will remind myself of how lucky I am and stop complaining so much. I am hoping that by doing so I will be a better wife and mother. Wish me luck, I think I'm going to need it.

Turns out the overpriced Gerber flats work just fine as inserts
in her normal training pants.

If you want to learn more you can explore some of the links below or click here for the main post and to link up yourself.

{PHFR}

2012-04-06T07:54:00.010-07:00

For quite a while now I have been reading a blog called Like Mother, Like Daughter. It isn't a professional blog, but instead started out as the blog that one family used to share with each other. I don't know how I found it and as far as I know I have never met any of the wonderful women who post to it, but I absolutely love being able to see this part of their life. I also love all the great ideas and advice that show up. This blog (and a few others) has really helped me to be a better wife and mother for which I am thankful. One of the things that they do every week is called "Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real" which encourages everyone to look for these things in their own lives and share them. I am finally participating, hope you enjoy.

{Pretty}

This picture was taken at the local botanical garden. It is absolutely beautiful this time of year, but unfortunately the camera battery died after this picture so it is all you get.

{Happy}

How could this picture be anything other than "happy"?

This was taken first thing in the morning the other day. I think I had left T. playing in his crib while I started some laundry and walked back in to find this. A. knows she isn't allowed to climb into the crib so she was doing the next best thing by holding his hand and talking to him.

{Funny}

Ever since A was born we have tried to keep the cats away from the babies while they were sleeping. Marco (our brown tabby) is okay with that since he prefers adults anyway, but Max has always taken issue with our stance. He is the cat that really would prefer to sleep in the crib with the baby and the reason we keep A's door closed at night. We have finally given up with T. though because he loves Max even more than A. does. I had to run out of the room to help A with something just as I was putting T down for his nap and when I came back 5 minutes later this is what I found. T. had fallen to sleep gazing at and petting Max while being soothed by the purring. That is a hard thing to argue with, though it pretty funny to see them curled up together :)

Even funnier (to me at least) is this picture. I had gone to a baby shower and the guests were sent home with some ballons for their kids. It was an evening shower and I got home while A was in the bath asking DH if she could please have some balloons. She had no idea what was waiting for her in the living room, but was so excited she ran to play with them while still dripping wet.

{Real}

My girl is growing up. She is fighting naps (even when she needs them), has decided pony tails are where it's at and is helping in the kitchen. She is definitely two with all the highs and lows that come with that.

{this moment}

2012-03-17T08:18:00.002-07:00

{this moment}

2012-03-09T00:04:00.001-07:00

{this moment}

2012-02-24T09:40:00.004-07:00

{this moment} - A Double Dose

2012-02-03T00:12:00.003-07:00

{this moment}

2012-01-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

{this moment}

2012-01-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

Time Marches On

2012-01-03T14:00:00.006-07:00

When I graduated from high school my dad and I went backpacking to celebrate. It wasn't just any trip either, we went all the way up to Wyoming and backpacked through areas he and his friends had visited back when they were young and stationed nearby. Since I didn't have a good pair of boots and was missing some other equipment we stopped at a sporting goods store in Denver he had frequented back then and I found a pair of boots that was just right.

The boots were perfect; they fit just right and were on sale to boot.

I wore the boots for that trip as we hiked up, down and through the Wind River. I was wearing them when I saw my first moose in the wild and when we set-up my new tent in a hurry because a rainstorm was blowing in fast. I wore them for hikes with my dad closer to home and I took them with me when I went off to college. I wore them for field trips when I was studying Wildlife Science. These were the boots I wore the day my whole class woke up to sheets of ice covering our tents at a wildlife refuge in New Mexico. They were the boots I wore on a three day trip to Organ Pipe and down into Mexico. They took me over hills and down into valleys in search of birds, plants, and animals that we were studying. In college I also met a guy that I kinda liked who had been in Boy Scouts as a kid and a teen. We talked about hiking, camping and backpacking along with other things. We started dating, but he wasn't exactly great at figuring out where to take me for a date other than out to dinner. Eventually he suggested we go hiking together so he could show me some of the local trails and I wore those boots for what was probably the first date we went on that was more than sharing a meal. As time passed I introduced him to dispersed camping and we explored some of the local trails together. Eventually that guy became my husband and he learned that anytime I was having a bad day the best thing he could do was toss me my boots and day pack and take me for a hike or even send me out on my own*. I wore those boots when we were hiking every weekend even after I got pregnant with A. and they helped me keep my balance the whole time. Having kids might put a damper on the time outdoors for some, but we did our best to just bring the kid(s) along. Through the years I kept wearing those same boots my dad had gotten me when I graduated high school. They were starting to get worn, but they still did the job. I wore them for A's first camping trip and when we took her on hikes in the nearby mountains. After T. was born we haven't been as good about hiking so my poor boots have had to sit in the closet. Over the weekend the weather was beautiful so we called up some friends and met for T's first hike. Yesterday I realized just how worn my boots had gotten. The soles are as slick as tennis shoes thanks to the hundreds of miles that they have walked with me. The upper on one is torn because these are, after all, over ten years old. I have replaced the insoles at least twice, but they have lost a lot of the support they used to offer. I made a mental note to start looking for a good price on boots since new boots (at least ones that will last me another ten years) are pretty well out of my price range. Then, last night we stopped at REI on the way home because my husband needed to run in for something real quick. When he was there he noticed that they had a bunch of shoes and boots leftover from the REI garage sale preview event over the weekend including some Vibrams that he thought might fit me. Since both kids were asleep in the backseat he stayed in the car while I ran in...I didn't see any Vibrams in my size, but I did notice a nice pair of boots. I looked at the tag and they had been marked down from $175 to $65 because they had been worn outside. I checked the soles and they were dusty but brand new. I wavered for a minute because $65 was more than I was planning to spend right then, but I knew it was a good deal for the boots. After a minute I decided to at least try them on and found that they fit perfectly. They didn't have insoles, but I use prescription orthotics in my hiking boots anyway and I happened to be wearing my old boots and hiking socks since we were just coming back from a hike. Sure enough they fit perfectly and when I put the boots on they fit my feet perfectly too. I decided to bite the bullet and buy them anyway, but I knew I would have to hurry as the kids (and hubby) wouldn't be happy sitting in the car waiting for me too much longer. I ran down the the register and when they rang them up I learned the true price...you see, the sale had ended the day before and they just wanted to be rid of them. I bought a new pair of boots for $10.85 plus tax!

I love my new boots and can't wait to take them out next weekend, but at the same time I can't help feeling like it is the end of an era in some ways. My old boots are trashed, you can zoom in on the first picture and see that, but they have also been my boots for over a decade. They have served me well in times of stress and transition. They have seen me through all the major transitions in my life. They where there when I left my parent's home and made a place for myself in the grown up world. They were there when I was figuring out how to deal with a roommate I didn't like and when I met my husband (who I like rather a lot). They were there when I needed to stomp through the woods for class field trips because I decided to study wildlife science instead of engineering. They let my husband and I go on fun (and free) dates through our courtship and early in our marriage. They were on my feet when A was driving me nuts with teething. They have made it easier for me to introduce the wonders of the outdoors to my kids. Maybe I'm a little overly sentimental, but I will miss these boots...I'm looking forward to all the hikes and memories that my new boots take me on though. Here's to hoping that the new boots will see as many miles and memories as the old ones.

* Please note that it isn't a good idea to go hiking on your own unless you know what you are doing and are properly prepared. Just having a cell phone when you are in a remote area is not enough as you may not have service. Please remember to hike safely at all times.

Time Flies

2011-12-22T09:47:00.004-07:00

I've been really bad about updating my blog lately. It's sad because I have as much to say as ever, but I haven't had the time to sit down and write it out. I keep coming up with things that I want to talk about, discussions I'd love to have and pictures I want to share...but my perfectionism kept telling me that first I had to post something about the (not so) tiny baby that has invaded our family and our hearts. A good blogger would have posted a birth announcement (and probably sent them out to friends and family as well, but that's another story). I am not that blogger so this is what you get. A little over 4 months ago after a crazy fast labor we were blessed with a little boy whose name begins with a T.

He is adorable and sweet and we love him to bits. He is growing and developing faster than I feel he ought to (not complaining one bit, but he's already getting so big that I'm miss the squishy newborn he was). I have a zillion other pictures that I could force on anyone who is still reading this thing, but if you are reading this you are probably seeing them on facebook as well (or getting them via photo text in the case of my sister who refuses to use facebook).

As you can see A is having such a hard time adjusting :)

She is actually doing really well. Sometimes she is sad that she doesn't get as much of my undivided attention as she used to, but she seems to feel that having a brother makes up for it. I'm proud of my big girl and how mature she's getting too. She is turning into a big helper and is growing quite the imagination as well. Everyday she has some new story that she acts out on her own. I can't wait for T to be big enough for them to play together so I can watch what they come up with.

I am going to try to be better about updates here, but we will see...

Easy Glazed Carrots for Toddlers

2011-07-02T20:25:00.004-07:00

We tend to try and stay away from processed and pre-packaged food at our house so I've never understood the point of things like the Gerber Graduates which are basically TV dinners for toddlers. However, days like today it might have been useful, too bad we didn't have any nor did I want to run to the store to get some.

This afternoon was spent running errands and we didn't get home until late. Normally this would have meant a quick stop somewhere to grab dinner on the way home, but we'd decided to do the Eat at Home Challenge for the month of July so while we seriously considered stopping in the end we didn't. This isn't a huge issue for us grown-ups since we can grab a snack now and wait a bit for dinner, but it was pushing A's bedtime so she needed to eat and eat now and preferably a balanced meal. The solution was actually easier than I thought it would be. We cut up some cheese (lunch meat or canned beans might have been better, but I forgot to grab more at the store last night), grapes and half a roll. Not bad, but I really wanted a veggie. After a minute of thinking I invented this recipe:

Toddler Glazed Carrots:
1 carrot (sliced)
pinch of brown sugar
sliver of butter

Put the sliced carrot into a small glass bowl, top with brown sugar and butter and microwave for 45-60 seconds or until carrot is fully cooked. Stir well and blow on it until it is cool enough to eat.

Maybe not the world's healthiest dinner (especially after DH decided she needed strawberry jam on her roll), but it is tasty, filling and reasonably balanced. The best part is that it took less than 5 minutes to throw together which is a lot less time than we would have spent waiting in the drive-thru line and not really any worse than reheating a TV dinner. Plus, it is a heck of a lot cheaper than either of those other options :)

I'm posting this recipe because it would also come in handy on those days when DH and I want to have salad as our veggie because A. really can't handle the lettuce. We almost always have carrots in the fridge so I can mix her up an easy alternative and we don't have to avoid salad and other hard to chew greens.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T21:05:00.006-07:00

As I read my normal blogs today and check out links that friends post to Facebook I have to count myself lucky. I read of husbands and fathers that work all week and then spend the weekend or evenings out with their friends instead of with their children. I read of husbands that cheat on their wives, providing a bad example to their children. I read of fathers that don't know how to change a diaper and of dads that consider watching their own kids for an hour or two while their wife runs to the store to be "babysitting".

I am glad that my daughter has a father that will play with her, even if playing involves being used as a changing table for her doll.I am glad that she has a father who will read to her after a busy day at work while I'm busy making dinner or trying to get 5 minutes to myself.I am glad that though my husband has to work on the weekends sometimes, he still takes time to go on picnics with us when he doesn't.I am glad that my husband considers this to be the highlight of his "Father's Day":I am glad that as I am typing this I hear splashes and squeals of laughter coming from the bathroom as my husband takes care of bath-time (something that is very hard for me at this point given the size of my belly).

In short, I am glad that I have a husband who doesn't just assume that his role as a father ends at conception. I have a husband that helps me with the chores and considers my role as a stay at home mom to be a "real" job (which, considering the hours I work it really should be). I am even more glad to know that he enjoys his role as a father. When I thanked him today for being so involved he simply remarked at how sad it would be to miss out on all of the amazing things our daughter does. Most of all, I am glad of the role model he will be for our son (did I mention we are having a boy?) and the example he will be to our daughter of the kind of husband she should expect.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's Story Time!

{this moment}

2011-06-03T08:08:00.001-07:00

Meeting the Challenge

2011-05-31T16:04:00.006-07:00

A week ago I did something crazy, I signed up for the Flats and Handwashing Challenge. The challenge was based on a news article that reported that poor families were leaving their babies in wet/dirty diapers for hours or even trying to reuse disposable diapers because they couldn't afford to buy more. It sounds crazy, but considering that disposable diapers cost anywhere from $0.18-$0.31 each I can definitely see the temptation when money is tight, especially considering the fact that even toddlers A's age use an average of 6-10 diapers a day and newborns may use upwards of 15. After all, with disposable diapers you are literally throwing away money each time you change your baby's diaper. The seemingly obvious answer for these families (and anyone else who is looking for a frugal diapering alternative) is to use cloth diapers. Yes, there is a start-up cost, but if you plan ahead and start buying while you are pregnant you can get the basics you need to diaper your baby for about $20/month until you're set-up and then diaper for the cost of a few loads of laundry per week for the rest of your diapering days (including future children). This is a great solution for those of us staying home with our children and trying to make one income stretch to cover a comfortable middle-class lifestyle that includes a house or nice condo with a washer and dryer. However, many of the families that are poor enough to have honest trouble affording diapers also don't have easy access to a washer and dryer or have to pay an arm and a leg for each load at the local laundromat which will pretty well negate the savings of cloth diapering. That was the basis of the challenge. Flat diapers are the cheapest diapering alternative as well as the easiest to wash. For between $60 and $80 you diaper your child from birth until potty training and they are thin enough that they can be handwashed and hung up to dry. Plus, some of them are really cute!
Now, you are probably thinking "that's great to know, but why would you volunteer for something like that when you have a perfectly good washing machine in your home?" I have two reasons, the first is that I got sick of people telling me that they couldn't afford the "luxury" of cloth diapers so they would be "forced" to use disposables. I wanted to prove to myself that it was possible to do this affordably in spite of excuses. My second reason is basic preparedness. While if something were to happen such that we couldn't use our washing machine for cloth diapers (either it broke or we were traveling/camping) we could always just buy disposables, I have yet to find any brand that doesn't give A. a nasty rash after a few days. I wanted to see if it would be doable to still use cloth diapers to spare her the rash if we didn't have access to our washing machine. With this in mind I talked to DH to see if he would be on board or if this challenge would mean I had to change every diaper for a week. He agreed to humor me and I did my best to make it easy on him by prefolding the diapers to make the diaper changes easier...So how'd it go? Honestly, it wasn't what either of us expected. A. decided to start the challenge out with a bang and I got a "dirty" (as opposed to just wet) diaper for my very first one. I rolled my eyes and dumped the solids and continued to have an easy day. That night I washed the diapers and was shocked at how fast I was done (it took maybe 20ish minutes to wash everything). I hung the clean diapers up in the bathroom and went to bed feeling like I was on a roll. What I hadn't counted on was the lack of air circulation in the bathroom, half the diapers were still damp in the morning. I moved the drying rack into my sewing room and packed up the diapers that were dry for a daytrip of shopping, visiting family/friends and fruit picking a couple of hours away. The trip went well and we had a great time, the flats really aren't much harder than prefolds when you are on the go and that's something we've done for a while. That night I washed the diapers while DH was putting A. to bed and then moved the drying rack from the bathtub to my sewing room right before I went to bed which meant that they were pretty much dry by morning. Wednesday was a great day until my wrist started hurting so after a quick count of what was clean I decided to wait until morning and bite just bite the bullet and wash while A. was awake. Turns out that she was more than happy to play or watch while I was washing the diapers and since it was daylight I was able to hang the diapers up outside. Outside the diapers dried in less than two hours and the breeze helped make them softer, I was an immediate convert to washing during the day and the challenge seemed easy from there until Friday night when DH came home with the stomach flu...By Saturday we were all sick and Sunday morning was spent washing diapers while feeling really crummy. I have to admit it was really tempting to just throw everything in the washing machine when I went into the laundry room to get the detergent, but my stubbornness wouldn't let me. Instead I sucked it up and washed everything with the hottest water I could and some oxiclean just in case and then hung it on the line in the sun to help kill any germs that might have survived. It was a lovely, sunny, windy day and after a few hours the diapers were clean, soft, dry and all together lovely and we only had to make it through until morning to be able to say we'd done it. Comparatively the remainder was a breeze and DH actually kept using the flats after the challenge was over, though he threw them in the pail to be washed in the machine. He summed both our thoughts up pretty well when on Sunday night he said the challenge "really isn't that bad". Would we do it everyday? Probably not, unless there was a real reason not to use the washer. However, the flat diapers we were using are super cute and work really well. Handwashing, while not something I would choose, is doable in a pinch and we will definitely be keeping this in mind next time we want to go camping or travel somewhere that a washing machine isn't available. It's also nice to know that if the washing machine breaks I don't have to worry about A. getting a nasty rash in disposable diapers if it takes a week and a half for the parts to come in...I just have to budget a little extra time for washing stuff by hand.
How about you, do you think this is totally crazy or worth trying? If you have a baby (or are expecting one) would you consider flats if money was really tight? Would you consider cloth in general for that matter if you had easy access to a washing machine, but money was tight? Would the cuteness win you over even if money wasn't tight? (Just idle curiosity on that last one :)

{this moment}

2011-05-06T11:10:00.002-07:00

{this moment}

2011-04-29T10:48:00.001-07:00

Bedtime Stories

2011-04-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

When A. was around 4-5 months old DH and I realized that we really needed a better bedtime routine. She was going to bed whenever she was tired and then we'd collapse on the couch for a bit before getting up to do all those things that you can't do when you are busy holding a baby all day (like cooking dinner). At that point our bedtime routine basically entailed giving her a bath and then rocking/nursing her until she was almost asleep. At that point we'd set her in her bassinet and stay with her until we knew she was asleep. It worked, but the whole thing just felt like a chore. At the time we were also both really tired and not having much fun. We got to talking about how to make it better and decided that we really needed to start reading A. a bedtime story. (The exact details of how we decided that a lack of a bedtime story was the root of the problem are rather blurry now due to the lack of sleep...) The question became what to read her for a bedtime story. We'd tried having one book that was her standard story, but that got boring really fast so we decided to try reading her "real" books. I think we started with Anne of Green Gables because I'd been telling DH how much I liked it and how I couldn't wait until A. was old enough to read it with me. Suddenly DH and I were having a great time because he would read while I nursed A and then after we put her to bed we'd sit (or stand and work together) and talk about the book.

As A. got better at eating solid foods we expanded the routine. From the time she was able to fling food in the general direction of her mouth the routine has been to eat dinner as a family (which would frequently mean DH and I taking turns feeding A. and eating ourselves trying to finish before the food got cold). Then DH will take A. in and bathe her while I got my first real break of the day, this was especially important when she was just starting to eat solids because she would be covered in food. We were lucky in that it was warm when she started to really feed herself a lot so we would just strip her down to a diaper before dinner and then let her have fun knowing that the floor would mop and she would wash. After her bath we dress her in her PJs and then all sit on the couch and snuggle while DH reads a chapter from the book we are working on. When she was little I would use this time to nurse her so that she'd be nice and full before bed, now she likes to either play quietly or snuggle depending on how tired she is. The story gives us all a chance to wind down our day together and A. is generally ready to go to bed right after. Within a few minutes she is asleep and DH and I can enjoy the rest of the evening together.

I don't know why it took me so long to think of reading real books to A. because it is a great solution for our family. However, it also seems like it isn't something that is commonly done so maybe that's why. We don't try to force her to listen, we simply ask that she be relatively quiet while DH is reading. If she is having trouble being quiet we offer her the chance to go to bed and finish later. Sometimes she asks for bed, but mostly she quiets down and snuggles with us while DH finishes. We aren't trying to turn her into some sort of super genius or anything, but I do hope she will learn to love books and the stories they tell. Lately she's been really into having me read her picture books, I've actually had to set a limit on the number of books I'll read her each day because I want her to play on her own too. I don't know if it is because she likes the books, or the cuddling or that the love of reading is sinking in, but whatever it is she's asking for it.

All that being said, it is hard sometimes to find a good book for a toddler. She isn't old enough to really talk through dark parts of a book, but she is old enough to actually listen and understand most of what is going on. Simpler books tend to be easier for her to understand, but if they are too simple DH and I don't enjoy them as much. We are hoping to be able to continue the tradition of a family bedtime story until our kids are at least mostly grown and since we are obviously planning on more kids than just A. being there to enjoy the stories we will probably be going back to revisit old favorites at various points. At the same time it would be nice to have a good variety of books on our list. So far we have read the entire Anne of Green Gables series, Little Women, Little Men and Watership Down. We are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods. We are currently debating whether or not to continue with the Little House series or if we should read Wind in the Willows next. Any thoughts from my literary friends? Also, does anyone have any suggestions on other books we should add to our list? I'd love any suggestions I can get.

Making Dinner Happen

2011-04-25T14:10:00.004-07:00

Lately I've realized that I'm generally really tired by the end of the day. Maybe it's being pregnant, maybe it's chasing an active toddler or not getting enough sleep. It is probably a combination of all of these things. However, no matter the cause, the effects are getting bothersome. I haven't had the energy for blogging and even if I did I haven't had a lot of energy for doing neat things to blog about. The biggest effect though has been on dinner. I'm sure that any of you with young kids know how hard it can be to make dinner quickly with a toddler trying to get your attention or even when said toddler is "helping". My old solution was to either do some prep while A. was napping, or more often to just wait until DH got home and whip up dinner while he played with A. Since the two of them love spending time together this worked really well for a long time. However, now by the time DH is home from work I'm tired and just want to sit down and rest for a bit so we were eating more convenience foods or opting to eat out more often. On the surface these options are okay and they certainly still get us fed. However, they aren't great for the pocket book and it gets increasingly hard to combine eating out with eating healthy. This has been really bothering me lately because I feel like in some ways I am failing my family (gotta love that mommy guilt). Thankfully, I am working on some solutions. Since I figure I'm not the only one to run into this problem when life gets crazy I thought I'd share what I'm doing right now and ask for suggestions for improvement.

The first thing I'm working on is planning ahead. When I'm tired thinking comes harder for me so I tend to put it off hoping that it will be easier later. Unfortunately, before long I find that I'm in the 6pm time crunch and still don't know what to make and have to figure something out now because A. has to get to bed. In the past I've tried to plan a weekly meal plan, but something always comes up and throws off the schedule. I'm hoping to get to the point where I can have a weekly plan with enough flexibility to really work, but in the meantime I am focusing on having a plan before bed the night before. This goal is smaller and thus more obtainable which means I'm not failing at it nearly as often. DH and I will take a couple of minutes after A. goes to bed each night to look at what we have in the fridge and what needs to be used. Then I come up with a meal plan for the next day based on a combination of that and what the schedule is looking like. If I'm not sure of the next day I try to come up with a back-up plan too just in case and then pull anything I'll need that is currently frozen up into the fridge to start thawing.

The second thing I'm doing is to take advantage of A's nap to get dinner started. I don't have to have everything done, but if I have dinner started or even just have prepped ingredients by 4pm the whole evening seems to go smoother. I got this idea from this blog. It has a ton of tasty recipes that can be done in bits and pieces through out the day. Before I found it I had never thought of prepping a casserole in the morning when I had energy and sticking it in the fridge so that I could just pop it in the oven 40 minutes before dinner instead of trying to push through the end of day exhaustion.

Right now these are the two things I'm focusing on. An example of how it works would what we are doing tonight. Yesterday when I was digging through the freezer to grab out some frozen veggies to go with dinner I accidentally ripped the plastic on some ground beef. This made the dinner decision a little easier because I knew that if I left it in the freezer it would get freezer burn so I pulled up the meat. I realized that I had been craving Swedish meatballs for a while, but hadn't made them because they require you to have thawed ground beef (mine was always frozen) and the time to mix and shape the meatballs, brown them, make gravy and then simmer them. We've been on the go a lot and when you are getting home from a play date 30 minutes before dinner there just isn't time for that. Today we didn't have any plans, but I also finally realized I could use a small crock pot. This meant that after lunch I put A. down for her nap and then grabbed the (now thawed) meat from the fridge. I mixed and shaped the meatballs and then browned them in a skillet. Once they were brown I put them in the crock pot and then made gravy with the pan drippings, beef broth and some Marsala wine. I let it boil long enough to cook off the alcohol and then poured it over the meatballs in the crock pot. I set the already hot meatball mixture to low and it is now simmering away making the house smell nice. At that point I realized I really needed to sit down because my stupid ankles were starting to swell (this happened when I was pregnant with A. too, no amount of water, rest, salt, etc. ever helped much, but my blood pressure was always really low so no worries). While A. is playing this afternoon I'll wash and chop up some broccoli and throw it in the top of the steamer and put the whole thing in the fridge. That way, when DH is home we can hang out as a family for a little bit and then I can slip away to the kitchen to start some rice and boil water to steam the broccoli while he plays with A. If I'm really on top if it I'll have the water and rice measured and the pots on the stove so I just have to turn on burners, but we'll see. Worst case, if I do nothing else today, I can start some rice and put the last of the giant bin of salad on the table and call it good. We'll have a balanced, tasty meal and I don't have to feel bad for collapsing on the couch as soon as DH walks in the door because dinner will be busy making itself.

These are helping most days, but I'm still not getting a "good" dinner on the table every single night. I'd love to hear suggestions on how to improve this plan or any other tips for getting a healthy, tasty dinner on the table when you are exhausted at the end of the day. Please share.

{this moment}

2011-04-21T23:01:00.004-07:00

Tuesday Tip: Bacon

2011-02-22T13:19:00.002-07:00

I don't know about you, but I love bacon. The only problem is that it is really expensive for a food that isn't terribly healthy and mostly adds flavor and fat. For us bacon is a "sometimes food". Most of the time I keep an eye on the sales and look for coupons, but sometimes I really luck out. You see, I don't care if my bacon is pretty, or uniform, I just like the flavor so I keep my eyes out for "bacon ends and pieces". Not every store carries them, but if the store you go to cuts their own bacon keep an eye out for it. The ends and pieces are the slices that are too short, too thick or thin, the ends from pieces that are too long, etc. The are whatever is leftover that isn't perfect, but they are still bacon and generally cost half as much as the normal kind. Sometimes you'll get bits that are mostly fat and other times you'll get big hearty bits that are more like ham than bacon. You can either eat them as is and enjoy the variety (which is my favorite way) or chop up the bits you don't like and use them on salad, in omelets, on pizza, etc.

The other tip I have is to save the bacon grease after you cook bacon. All you need is a glass jar that you can keep in the fridge. After you cook your bacon pour off the grease into the jar and save it in the fridge for later. By saving it you are saving it instead of pouring it down the drain you are saving money and your drain at the same time. This may sound silly and a little overly frugal, but bacon grease has a great flavor and can really enhance a lot of dishes and the bacon grease is free (once you've already bought the bacon) while butter, margarine and oil have to be purchased. Instead of scrambling or frying your eggs with a little bit of butter try bacon grease. Then you can get the flavor of bacon without actually making fresh bacon (or eating all those extra calories). It is also great for frying greens, the flavor of the bacon really pairs well with the more bitter greens and can help take the bite out of them. Next time you want an interesting, and cheap, side dish try using some of that bacon grease to fry up potatoes, add a little garlic powder or season salt for a dish that really says "comfort food". There are so many places that using bacon grease in place of butter or oil can enhance the flavor of the meal while cutting the cost just a bit (especially if you use real butter).

How about you? Have you heard of bacon ends and pieces? Do you save your bacon grease for use in later meals? If so what is your favorite use for bacon grease?