2SB

WE'VE MOVED!!!!!!

2012-06-17T14:41:00.001-04:00

If you're seeing this page then you've gotten ahold of an old page link!

You can now find 2 Sleeping Babies at www.2SleepingBabies.com

Come find us in our new space and check out our new look!!!!

Until Death Do Us Part ~ 30 Years Grown

2012-06-13T01:04:00.001-04:00

It's amazing how one change in a week can throw your whole perception of time out of whack. We didn't go to church on Sunday and I have been at a complete loss as to the day and date for the past 3 days.

So it was with much shame that I realized that I had let my parent's 30th wedding anniversary slip by almost unnoticed. I could've sworn that Wednesday was the 12th. I have been brainstorming and contemplating a gift for them for weeks. So I was totally caught of guard last night when my mom told me what Dad had done for her that day and that they have finally and officially booked their first anniversary cruise.

I'm excited for them, they've been wanting and planning on going on a cruise for 15 years, but something always came up. Braces, my dad would be out of town, they bought a house, my dad changed jobs, the air conditioner broke. That part of up where the "Paradise Lost" jar keeps getting broken, again, and again, and again...that was their cruise. And now they're going! Ok, well, in September they're going if you want to get technical.

Tonight I watched my mom try on dresses and swimsuits and we hashed out the ups and downs of each one trying to decided which ones she should take back to the store...of course, she's keeping them all!

As I drove home tonight, carried the boys to their beds, and took care of a few emails. I kept tearing up thinking about what the last 30 years have meant (besides the fact that I'll be 29 this year, eek!).

30. Thirty. 3-0 years. 3 decades. More of their lives together than apart (although that happened 5 years ago.)

Through 12 moves, 5 states, 2 children, and a war that had them oceans apart for the better part of 2 years. And much more time apart when you add up all the hundreds of overseas or out of state TDYs (Temporary Duty) that my dad had in his 20 years with the United States Air Force. Against all odds and with mountains of statistics piled against them.

It wasn't easy on either of them. They fought, there was tension. But they both have always been completely faithful to one another. Divorce was never an option. Never. No matter what.

One of my most vivid memories is of hearing my parents fighting in their room shortly after one of my friend's parents had gotten a divorce. I started crying, my brother started crying because I was and Mom and Dad came out to see what was going on. I asked if they were going to get a divorce.

My dad got down on his knees and looked us in the eyes, he told us "When Mommy and I got married, God made us into a chain. That chain can never, ever be broken. We might fight, but we love each other and we will never, ever get a divorce."

And they haven't. And they won't.

They have been an amazing example of what a marriage is supposed to look like.

It's not perfect, but they are committed to making it work. They may or may not be in love with each other day in and day out, but they love each other completely and without reserve. They keep their promises. And they promised "until death do us part."

I hope in 26 years that Aedyn & Jaron can say the same thing about Jake & my marriage.

I'm proud of my parents. They have achieved something amazing! Here's to the next 30 years and may they be the best yet!

**Of course, I have no digital photos of their wedding, so you get to see them at my wedding and wedding rehearsal, lucky you!**

I Messed With A Good Thing ~ Washing Cloth Diapers

2012-06-11T22:31:00.000-04:00

I wanted new detergent to go with my new dipes...

I had a really good thing going.

My diaper routine. I had no stink issues, no ammonia issues. It was perfect.

Prefolds, Flats, and Covers.

Vinegar and Arm & Hammer Detergent.

Wash. Rinse 3 times. Dry.

And then I decided that it wasn't good enough.

I wanted to use real cloth diaper detergent.

I wanted pretty, exclusive scents.

I wanted to say, "Hey, I'm cool, I use ____________."

Yeah. Big mistake.

I researched my options, I bought a bag of what I thought would be the best given my water type.

And my diapers have gotten worse and worse.

Ammonia problems.

Stink issues.

I've tried everything that the detergent told me to do (yes, my detergent speaks to me).

And I'm going back to my old routine. Besides that fact that my old method cost half as much per package and lasts longer that the cloth diaper specific, it's way too much work and stress!

Why, Why, Why did I have to mess with a good thing?

Manic Mommy Monday ~ Rain, Rain, Rain

2012-06-10T22:07:00.001-04:00

Waiting on the rain to go away...

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday hosted by The Gnome's Mom! Every week we link up posts that are updates about us and what is going on in our lives. Everyone is welcome to link up (scroll down to find the linky) and you can find more information on the main Manic Mommy Monday page.

We haven't done a whole lot this week.

The rain has all the outdoor playgrounds soggy and all the indoor playgrounds filled with rambunctious kids who knock Jaron down and teach Aedyn things that he doesn't need to know for another couple years at least.

The bad weather has also sapped my energy and patience by a lot.

But on the upside, Jaron is back potty training has anywhere from a 50-100% success any given day.

I've hit a bit of a road block on my move to Wordpress. For some reason my computer will not let me load the pages consistently. Sometimes they will load, I will change things hit save and then the page refreshes and can't be found. It happens in Chrome, IE, and Firefox. It doesn't happen on any other computer. Very frustrating.

I was planning on borrowing Jake's in the mornings before he heads to work, but a couple days ago he installed Windows 8. It's not ideal, so now I'm waiting on him to wipe the computer and reinstall Windows 7, so hopefully I'm be able to actually get things done and make the move before my Momcomm critique June 20th. No pressure there.

So tonight I give up...this week is full of appointments and activity but hopefully that means I'll get more done!

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Everybody Dance Now!

2012-06-06T02:21:00.000-04:00

Ahh, the '80s...

I took my first ballet class nearly 24 years ago.

I took my last ballet class nearly 10 years ago.

Until Monday night.

Ten years ago, I was 18. I was in college and I was a ballet dancer. Granted I wasn't as good as I could've been and heaven knows I didn't have the right body type by a long shot, but I loved it. Then, in the middle of class - ironically the first time where I actually felt like I was excelling in my small jumps (I'm not a jumper!), and it wasn't just me, the instructor had even just told me I was doing better than before - I landed a jump, felt a pop and a tear and was in some of the most excruciating pain I could imagine.

I had dislocated my knee. It realigned itself on it's own, but the ligaments & tendons were trashed.

On top of the physical pain, I was an emotional wreck because I had just gotten back my full strength from some sprained ankles the previous semester.

It was hard that year, I changed majors and had to deal with the fact that I wasn't ever going to be the dancer that the 4, 8, and 12 year old versions of me dreamed of.

In my one attempt to do some light dancing for a friend's project my senior year I repeated the injury and had to have surgery to relocate my kneecap. Fun, fun!

I went to physical therapy until my insurance ran out. Then I'd work it on occasion when I went to the gym. It has never been as strong as I would have liked, but I didn't want to think about the injury, so once my knee was functional I just stopped working.

All of this explanation is to tell you what a big deal it was Monday night when I went with a friend to the first full class I've been to since the original injury.

While I was horrified at the lack of discipline in the classroom, it was nice to be back at a barre. My body remembered what to do much better than I expected, however, I was surprised at how much strength I have lost and it was pretty frustrating not to have my body respond in the way I wanted.

I'm OLD!

And I'm sore. Gloriously sore. So sore I almost can't walk tonight. But the right muscles are sore. I can feel the defined stripes on rotator and flexor muscles that have essentially gone unused and forgotten for the past decade.

I'm insane, I know. But pain is bliss.

I don't know that I'll stay with this studio after the summer classes are over, but now that I've tasted dancing again and I know what level class I need, I'm sure that I'll find a class somewhere. I thought I'd lost that part of my heart...but maybe it was just on a break.

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Manic Mommy Monday ~ So We Didn't Move

2012-06-04T23:57:00.001-04:00

I apologize in advance for the poor grammar & spelling you may be about to view...I'll try and edit tomorrow, I jsut didn't want to miss the link up!

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday hosted by The Gnome's Mom! Every week we link up posts that are updates about us and what is going on in our lives. Everyone is welcome to link up (scroll down to find the linky) and you can find more information on the main Manic Mommy Monday page.

I got pretty excited on Saturday. When I went to our leasing office to drop off our rent, I casually asked if any 3 bedroom units might be coming available soon. I was shocked when the manager said that she'd had someone move out the day before. (I really figured the answer would be no.)

We're not in dire need for the extra space, but we're a family of 4 with the plan to be a family of 5 in the not too distant future and having 3 bedrooms instead of two would be nice. The baby would be in our room for probably a year, but especially with three kids into things, having an office/sewing area that could be locked would be amazing!

So I hopped online and got all the information, rent increase, unit location. And I saw that there were actually 2 listed. We'd get to pick!

When we walked over to the building that both units were in, we weren't completely thrilled with the locations, but the one on the second floor might have worked.

My new jewelry set up...
so much I wasn't wearing because I never saw it!

The first floor apartment was right up against the parking lot. As in, our porch was less than a foot from the curb and the boys' bedroom window would be only 4ft from any car parked there. Add the noise and headlights shining into our bed rooms. It just wasn't right for us.

So we decided that we'd go with the 2nd floor unit.

We decided a day too late. It was taken.

So, we didn't move. We won't be moving for at least another 2-3 months (there's a 60 day notice here, we'd know if something were to come up).

But, since I was in the moving mindset, I actually did what I should've done 5 months ago. I unpacked and started decorating Jake's and my room. What a novelty!

It is so nice to go to sleep and wake up in a room that is not filled with boxes and piles of...stuff.

Of course, the rest of the house fell into chaos since the boys were less supervised than normal. I know that won't last for long though, even if I don't get to it right away the next time someone comes over I'll get the mess picked up. Maybe.

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Let The Hurricanes Come!

2012-05-31T17:11:00.001-04:00

June 1st. 100 degrees Fahrenheit forecasted. 3 weeks till the first day of summer.

The first day of Hurricane Season.

As most Eastern Coastal dwellers, especially Floridians can tell you. Hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th. But that's just a suggestion.

We've seen them in December, and this year we've already had 2 named storms before the end of May; Alberto & Beryl.

They receive their names the moment that they weather system is classified as a Tropical Storm, when the winds reach 39mph (What qualifies as a Tropical Storm versus Hurricane). If you want to know what the names will be for this year's storms and the process of naming them, check out this link.

Of course, occasionally everyone will be surprised by storms like the one last year that will forever be remembered as "The Storm That Was Never Named" but did more damage than many named storms that we've seen.

When we moved back to Florida with kids I didn't even think about hurricanes; until the season started. Then it was just worries about how we couldn't afford all the things we needed for a disaster kit.

This year was the first year that we've actually had a little stashed in savings, so yesterday we went shopping! We got the the pricey items first and over the next few paychecks will be adding water and some more non-perishable foods. I'm still debating if I really need duplicate first aid items just fr the kit or not. Maybe that will be next year's addition.

I'm relieved though, because with such a mild winter, and the last few seasons being so devoid of storms making landfall in our area; I'm just not sure how much longer Central Florida's luck will hold. It's nice to know that we have what we need if we are without power and water for a few days.

And yes, because I could, I made everything match. The red container, the red lantern, the red emergency radio (that will use solar or crank power and charge our cell phones!) and I ordered a red flashlight online. I'm trying to figure out if I can justify buying new blankets to match instead of just using the ones in our closet. Probably not...unless I find a good clearance sale.

Are you prepping for Hurricane Season? What things are on your must-have list for your disaster kit?

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Bring Back My Child!! ~ Terrible Twos Take Two

2012-05-30T10:47:00.000-04:00

I really thought that we might have it easy when it came to Jaron and the terrible twos.

And compared to how early Aedyn started and how intense his tantrums were, I guess we do have it easy. (I know comparing children is taboo, but it's inevitable, so I'm not going to pretend that I don't.)

Still, the past week was more than trying. It was heartbreaking.

I watched my sweet, compliant, little boy who would do anything you asked him to with a sweet smile. Suddenly start refusing the simplest request with a hard look in his eyes. When it came to doing things he's not allowed to do, we went from a gentle reminder correcting the problem to repeated redirection and the resulting tantrum.

Maybe I should define tantrum because the boys' versions differ so much. Jaron's tantrums are pretty short, he is specifically mad at whoever has had the audacity to tell him no & after a few seconds he's done. (Aedyn's tantrums would last for a long time and he'd often forget what he was mad about in the first place.)

So now I'm left with disciplining my 19 month old.

The 19 month old that has me fighting myself. "He's just a baby, he doesn't know what he's doing." "He may not know what he's doing, but someone has to teach him what's acceptable/unacceptable behavior."

But before we can really start doing much we have to define his boundaries, and maybe redefine Aedyn's. So many of our issues have to do with Jaron wanting to do everything that Aedyn does. I don't feel like it's fair to remove some of the things that Aedyn is allowed to do just because Jaron is not old enough or big enough (i.e. walk down the steps by himself or use the computer); but we have to do something.

Maybe tomorrow I'll have some answers, but for today...we're just going to feed him to the dinosaurs...

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Manic Mommy Monday ~ Sleepless Nights, Yet Again.

2012-05-28T23:39:00.001-04:00

From the number of posts linked up an hour before the day is over it looks like it's been a full week for everyone.

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday hosted by The Gnome's Mom! Every week we link up posts that are updates about us and what is going on in our lives. Everyone is welcome to link up (scroll down to find the linky) and you can find more information on the main Manic Mommy Monday page.

I just completed the Second Annual Flats & Handwashing Challenge, and the accompanying challenge of blogging every single day of last week.

I did it! It's been awhile since I've been that disciplined and I don't think I'm going to go back to blogging 7 days a week, but it inspired me to post a little more often and proved that I can find the time if I really want to.

It was a little more challenging than it might have been though thanks to Jaron's new and coming teeth.

At least that's what I'm attributing it to. He's not been up all night every night, but several night last week I only got an hour or two of sleep.

He's also showing some terrible twos' behavior. Aedyn's tantrums started much earlier; and although I knew that Jaron would go through this stage of development, he is so sweet and even tempered that I thought in a back corner of my brain that I might get lucky and he'd skip it.

So between the lack of sleep and the frustration of dealing with two little boys who were very much acting their age I had a panicky couple of days.

I began to get nervous and concerned about how on earth I'd handle another baby when I was getting so worn out with just the two boys.

I don't have an answer, but I know that it will all work out. It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it.

So that's my thoughts for the week...

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

The End Of It ~ 2012 Flats & Handwashing Challenge

2012-05-27T16:26:00.001-04:00

Check out my thoughts from earlier this week:

Day 1 ~ Day2 ~ Day 3 ~ Day 4 ~ Day 5 ~ Day 6
Just in case you missed what's going on, nearly 500 people have decided to use only flat cloth diapers and wash those diapers by hand for this entire week! Crazy? Not really. You can read the reasons behind the challenge in this post from Dirty Diaper Laundry.

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It's the final day! Hooray!

I'm glad I participated this year and I learned a couple things that I didn't really think about in 2011.

#1 - I would gladly spend a dollar or 2 to take my diapers to a laundromat if I got behind on washing, or even once a week to reassure myself that they were truly clean. I'd machine wash, but still line dry.

#2 - Since I stay home with my kids it is worth it to wash each diaper as it is used. It was easier on my hands, and seemed to take less time. It also felt like I was able to get everything cleaner and I wouldn't have to worry about the stink building up as much.

**By the way, I wound up soaking my offending cover from yesterday's post in a bucket of water with 1/4 cup of vinegar for a few hours and then washing as normal.**

I'm looking forward to next year, while Jaron will be potty trained by that point, I'm hoping to have a newbie in cloth diapers and see how much that differs from a 6 month old (in 2011) and an 18 month old (in 2012).

So until next year, let us all value our machines while knowing that if they break down, WE CAN HANDLE IT!

And The Battle Begins! 2012 Flats & Handwashing Challenge ~ Day 6

2012-05-25T23:41:00.003-04:00

Check out my thoughts from earlier this week:

Day 1 ~ Day2 ~ Day 3 ~ Day 4 ~ Day 5
Just in case you missed what's going on, nearly 500 people have decided to use only flat cloth diapers and wash those diapers by hand for this entire week! Crazy? Not really. You can read the reasons behind the challenge in this post from Dirty Diaper Laundry.
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It took 5 days. Five. And I've got issues.

Yesterday we were in Orlando all day, had a great time. Jaron pooped a couple times while were out and about and I tossed the diapers in a bag to rinse out and wash when we got home.

In case you missed my post I decided to be a slacker and put off washing until this morning. But I did rinse them out and let them soak in a sinkful of water with a couple Tbsp of detergent.

The diapers are fine.

The cover on the other hand. I CANNOT get the stink out.

I'm sure the answer is going to involve vinegar or bleach, but how do you do that handwashing? How much? How long? How much is it going to destroy my hands or my nose?

Trust me, I thought about just waiting a couple more days and dealing with it in the washer. But this is a real issue that a lot of people are going to deal with. So not I'm bent on finding the answer.

HELP! What ideas do you have? Are ya'll dealing with this too?

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Day 6 posts from everyone else!

Day 6 last year...Fashionable Flats!

Slacker Day ~ 2012 Flats & Handwashing Challenge ~ Day 5

2012-05-25T00:35:00.002-04:00

Check out my thoughts from earlier this week:

Day 1 ~ Day2 ~ Day 3 ~ Day 4
Just in case you missed what's going on, nearly 500 people have decided to use only flat cloth diapers and wash those diapers by hand for this entire week! Crazy? Not really. You can read the reasons behind the challenge in this post from Dirty Diaper Laundry.
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Day 5. I'm slacking. This is what my clothesline looked like yesterday. That's what it looks like today.

We were also out of town all day today. So my plan for tonight? Rinse out the poopy diapers from the day, pop them in the sink and let them soak overnight. I'll wash tomorrow. And now I'm going to bed. I've learned that sometimes it's ok to slack. That is all.

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Day 5 posts from the rest of this year's participants!
Last year I had to make more diapers on Day 5, this year I have more than enough!

Handwashing Diapers! ~ 2012 Flats & Handwashing Challenge ~ Day 4

2012-05-24T09:19:00.001-04:00

Check out my thoughts from earlier this week:

Day 1 ~ Day2 ~ Day 3
Just in case you missed what's going on, nearly 500 people have decided to use only flat cloth diapers and wash those diapers by hand for this entire week! Crazy? Not really. You can read the reasons behind the challenge in this post from Dirty Diaper Laundry.

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2011 Ikea Flat - Origami Fold w/ leg contour

Ahh, Day 4. We are officially halfway through the challenge!

The biggest thing that I have noticed this year is how much easier it is to handwash diapers from a potty training 18 month old than it is a 6 month old!

I didn't keep up with doing individual diapers, so I figured I would be spending quite awhile washing. Lo and behold, I only had 4 diapers & 2 covers to wash. Nice.

That's not to say that I'm enjoying the handwashing...speaking of which, hold on while I go disinfect my sink...thanks. It's a pain, it's killing my hands and it's one more thing to do. But if it were this or washing out and reusing disposable diapers? I'd definitely rather spend a dollar or two on hand lotion.

I also changed my washing routine up today, I still wash in the bathroom sink. I scrub each diaper individually. But once I'm done with the actually washing I squeeze them out and them set them aside. The first 3 days I rinsed each individually under the tub faucet. Today I rinsed them in the sink. It's just easier to stay in one spot, plus simpler than bending over the tub.

I'm interested to see how things go tomorrow. I'm going to be putting a flat into our Flip training pants since we'll be out and about all day. I've tried putting a flat on a standing toddler in a public restroom before - definitely not worth the effort and frustration!

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Check out how Day 4 is going for everyone else participating!

Day 4 last year I was finding my groove instead of changing it up!

Give Me A Hand! Or Two...2012 Flats & Hand Washing Challenge ~ Day 3

2012-05-22T23:58:00.000-04:00

Check out my thoughts from earlier this week:

Day 1 ~ Day2
Just in case you missed what's going on, nearly 500 people have decided to use only flat cloth diapers and wash those diapers by hand for this entire week! Crazy? Not really. You can read the reasons behind the challenge in this post from Dirty Diaper Laundry.

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Ahh, Day 3. Flats. Handwashing. Challenge.

Hands.
Chapped already. And no. I didn't learn from last year and use gloves this year. Fail.

Current bathroom sink fixtures

I had originally hoped that Jaron would be completely potty trained by this point, but thanks to me pushing him just a little too hard in a public restroom he regressed from 90% trained to 40%trained.

It has been nice though, because I've played around with my flat folds, so I'll have a few more folds that I don't have to actually think about when Baby #3 comes along.

Up until this week I've been a dyed in the wool Origami folder (Origami with leg contour/poop pocket tutorial). Love that fold! It's effortless and easy to fold right out of the dryer and store for later use.

This week I'm mixing it up a little with the Diaper Bag Fold (Video Tutorial). I'm not as thrilled with the extra bulk in the front, especially the way it looks under his clothes; but it's wonderful to have so many layers right where Jaron needs them when he's running around the house coverless.

Now for a secret. Flat diapers make amazing handkerchiefs. Seriously. Toss one in your bag in the am and you're good to go for awhile, even with a kid who's brains are falling out with all the power of Niagara Falls! They're also great to clean up spills and messes at home and while you're out and about. If you dye them or purchase patterned or dyed flats then so much the better, cuteness factor! Even when we're done diapering I can't imagine living without my flats...yeah, I'm addicted.

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Day 3 link up with Kim at Dirty Diaper Laundry!

Day 3 from last year!

2012 Flats & Handwashing Challenge ~ Day 2

2012-05-22T00:01:00.001-04:00

Check out my thoughts from earlier this week:

Day 1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, it's Day 2 of the Second Annual Flats & Handwashing Challenge.

You know you want this guy in your 2013 Calendar!
(Red Target Flour Sack Dishtowel w/ Snappi ~ Diaper Bag Fold)

Day 1 went pretty well. I tried to wash each diaper as I changed Jaron today, I remember last year that while it didn't take a ton of time, it took long enough to get everything washed each night. Doing things that way made my day a little choppier, but overall worked out quite well. I did end up washing 3 dipes and 2 covers at the end of the night.

I also think I might have found some new favorite flats. Up until now I have adored my Ikea burp cloths. They're absorbent and the prints are cute. But they're a bit thick and hard to wring out after washing.

Target flour sack dish towels. Are. The. Best. Thing. Ever. At least for now anyway. They're super thin and so easy to handwash and wring out. And they dry in about 30 minutes. And they are surprisingly absorbent, I think they're even better than my prefolds ~ and you can't beat the bright colors!

Since I haven't already mentioned it, I'll give you a run down of my stash/washing style for the week:

Diapers:
6 - Ikea Flats
6 - Target Flour Sack Dishtowels
1 - XL Tshirt

Covers:
1 - Diaper Rite Cover (while not my fav cover since it doesn't work well with a snappied diaper, in my opinion, but I've found that the KidCare workers at my gym like it with a pad folded flat, so that's there for them)
3 - Econobum Covers

Accessories:

2 - Snappis
1 - pair of old style Boingos
Handheld Showerhead

Washing:
EcoSprout Soap (Samples from The Great Cloth Diaper Change)
Rockin' Green Hard Rock
Sink for washing/soaking (It's easier on my back)
Bathtub for rinsing

Drying:
Clothesline on my screened in porch

Check out how Day 2 is going for everyone else in the challenge and take a look at how things went on Day 2 last year!

Manic Mommy Flats Challenge!

2012-05-21T01:06:00.000-04:00

Well, my Manic Mommy Monday Post is going to be replaced by something not to different this week.

I decided at 12:32am to participate in this year's Flats & Handwashing Challenge. It starts today and lasts through the end of the week.

I was on the fence not wanting to deal with the handwashing this week, but most parents are never going to "want to deal with" handwashing diapers either. But they may not have a choice.

Last year I took the challenge and then upped the ante and created a complete stash of diapers from things I found around my house...and I gave up my snappi for the week. I dealt with bedsheets that we so saturated in fabric softener that they leaked as much as the absorbed and with t-shirts that could not have been more adorable if I'd paid for them...

This year, the tshirts might make an appearance, but I'll be happily sticking to my store bought flats (Target flour sack towels & Ikea burp cloths) and my SNAPPI. I may also use a pair of the old style of Boingos. But diaper pins are the bane of my existence and I will. not. use. them. again.

In full disclosure, I'm doing this year's challenge because I can't stand to sit on the sidelines and watch everyone else have fun. It's shallow, I know. But if my desire for a social event shows even one more person that it is possible to use cloth diapers and handwash them instead of reusing disposables (or leaving them on longer than recommended) then so be it. Hmm...maybe it's not as shallow as I thought.

So welcome to the Flats & Handwashing Challenge 2012! Here we go!

Check out everyone else's reason for participating!

Read my Day 1 post from last year here!

Manic Mommy Monday ~ The Cost of Catching Up

2012-05-14T12:05:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday hosted by The Gnome's Mom! Every week we link up posts that are updates about us and what is going on in our lives. Everyone is welcome to link up (scroll down to find the linky) and you can find more information on the main Manic Mommy Monday page.

Jake was gone the second half of last week, he was at a conference in St. Louis. To battle my insane jealousy I decided to catch the house up for once and for all from when i was sick 2 months ago.

I got 7 loads of laundry wash/dried/folded/put away, 3 loads of dishes run through the dishwasher, the boys room, kitchen, dining, & living room all cleaned and vacuumed.

I still have about 5-6 loads of linens to wash, plus the dirty clothes he brought home ,and I'm not even going to look at my bedroom. I had also wanted to get a couple sitting projects done like packing up the boys too small/too big clothes and filing all of our paperwork for the past year that is currently taking up one of my laundry baskets.

Like I said, I'm behind...

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the progress I made, especially with two little boys underfoot, but I was out of the online world even more than usual. This week will probably be much the same since I'm trying to at least keep on top of the dishes and get the linens washed.

But I have a new reason for trying to knock out as much housework as I can and then keep up with the maintenance as I go.

This past Thursday I won "free for life" hosting on WordPress Engine. Since cost of hosting was the only thing really holding me back from moving from Blogger to Wordpress I'll be building and migrating over there hopefully sooner rather than later.

Sooner, because a few months ago I won a blog critique from Momcomm and I would love to get the critique on the new platform instead of the one I'll be leaving.

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

I'd love any tips on WordPress in general and especially on moving over there! I'm hoping to spend a chunk of time on Wednesday working on that and getting some posts written up from my coming soon list!

O, To Sleep!

2012-05-10T01:05:00.000-04:00

He also does interpretive dance while he sleeps.

I had to make Jaron put himself to sleep without me tonight. I say "had" because for my sanity and his emotional and physical health, it just had to be that way.

We've moved his bedtime nursing session to the beginning of our routine instead of letting him nurse to sleep. He was clamping down, HARD, as he fell asleep and would wake up screaming, refusing to nurse again, and would be up for 2-3 hours if I tried to unlatch him before he was deeply asleep. Ouch.

He does ok, if I lay down with him to put him to sleep, or has done ok. The past couple of nights, he's used me as a way to keep himself awake. An 18 month old, can only go use the potty so many times during a 20 minute period! And hearing "I wuv oo, Mommy" is incredibly precious and sweet, but when it becomes a game of, if I say this then she can't get mad of me...it just loses a touch of the sweetness.

I finally just decided that I was too much of a distraction.

So I told Jaron to stay in his bed, I loved him, stay in the bed. And I walked out.

He was offended, he cried, then he tried crying that he needed to go potty, then I heard pizza, apples, something I couldn't quite make out, and then he started to cry for me. By this point he was out of bed.

I went in, picked him up, gave him a kiss and repeated, stay in the bed, I love you, stay in your bed.

We repeated that 3 times, with varying amounts of crying or just talking to himself, or me, or Aedyn (who was asleep in his own bed) and once I called into his room for him to get in bed. He tried a couple different cries, to see what I would respond to. But after about 45 minutes he fell asleep, in his bed, talking to his toy plane.

I'm not thrilled with, or proud of him crying it out. But I don't even feel like it was true CIO, because it wasn't. When he called for me I went in to show him that I was there, but I also didn't stay.

I'm not 100% sure that this is what we will start doing every night. I'm sure it might be different if Aedyn was awake. But I'm ready for Jaron to start working towards going to sleep on his own. I don't know how long it's been since I got so much done after the boys were in bed, usually bedtime drains me so much that I'm useless.

I guess we'll see how he sleeps tonight. I'm sure that will play a huge role in deciding if this new bedtime is for keeps or not.

When did your kids start putting themselves to bed? Did they do it alone or did you encourage them?

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Manic Mommy Monday - Manic Mommy Tuesday -Sunday

2012-05-07T23:29:00.000-04:00

This week is going to be different. Jake will be at a conference out of town for most of the week and my parents will be out of town at my cousin's graduation. That means it's me. And the boys.

And a friend of mine who has already agreed to watch them one night while I'm at a social media event. God bless her.

And I decided at the end of last week to cut back from my all-day consumption of Coca Cola Classic to one serving a day. It had actually gotten to the point where Coke didn't even taste good to me, but nothing else sounded like it would taste good. Water made me sick to my stomach (still does unless it's ice cold). So it's time to give it up. Probably good thing to do anyway, better than having to do it after I get pregnant.

On that note, I was slightly less disappointed at the appearance of my monthly visitor this month since I got to try out a Lunette Cup for the first time. It's great! Took a few days to figure everything out, but by the end of last week I was sold. I'll probably do a review post sometime soon, but I highly recommend the Lunette for anyone thinking about trying a reusable menstrual cup. (Never thought I'd be recommending that kind of product!)

Jaron had a slight setback with potty training. He was doing so well, and I pushed him too hard to use the potty at a restaurant last weekend. He freaked out and then wouldn't use the potty all week. Of course, tonight he didn't want to go to bed so he kept telling me potty. We went a couple times and then I said no more. Two seconds later he tells me "Mommy, diaper wet. Diaper, pease." Sure enough, it has about a teaspoon of wetness in it. Repeat that twice. Time to pull out the big motivators and just get him trained, the cute little manipulator.

Guess that's about it for this week. Lots of goals about getting the house in order while hubby is out of town...we'll see if they get met!

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Holding Wind Chimes

2012-05-02T02:14:00.000-04:00

It never ceases to amaze me how much I pick up from my kids; and neither is older than 3 1/2 years.

The latest was a few evenings ago standing outside Cracker Barrel.

I love wind chimes, well, I love big chimes, not the little tinkly ones. So does Jaron. We were watching the chimes blow in the wind and he reached out and grabbed one of the cylinders; then he tried shaking it.

Of course the chimes didn't make the same sound and he wasn't pleased.

It got me thinking about life in general, but specifically what I want to be when I grow up. I tend to latch onto ideas or small things that are part of a larger picture, then I shake the heck out of them and get frustrated when opportunities don't pan out like I think they will.

So I've decided to make an effort to slow down and stop shaking the chimes. To let the wind blow like it needs to and reflect a little more.

To remind myself that just because I have a great idea that I can't make happen in 3 days flat is no reason to give up on it, and likely it will be better for all the waiting and refining.

Maybe it'll let me actually get some stuff done around here, maybe if I'm not so overwhelmed at the whole I'll actually get started on the first step. Maybe.

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Manic Mommy Monday ~ So What If I Make Travel Sized Babies?

2012-04-30T14:08:00.001-04:00

Sweet Avocado Frozen Yogurt, Yum!

At Jaron's 15 month Well Baby Check he was diagnosed with Failure To Thrive. The only symptom he has is being little. Developmentally he's above average in verbal, social, fine & gross motor skills, he doesn't look sick or un-healthy in any way. His height and his head circumference are between 45-50 percentile on the CDC charts. His bones don't show, he's just doesn't weigh a lot. Like most toddlers, he has people who comment on how big he is for his age as well as people who coo over how tiny he is.

I didn't feel like he had any problems, but I couldn't deny that he had only gained 8oz in the 3 months since his 12 month appt. So we agreed to see Dr. S, a GI (Gastrointestinalogist).

It took us 6 weeks to get an appointment and in that time Jaron gained 1.5lbs.

Dr. S still ordered an x-ray and urine and stool samples (can't say how thankful I am that Jaron decided to potty train when he did, made getting those samples so much easier!). He told us to try and up Jaron's calorie intake and asked to see us again in 6 weeks to see where we were.

Upping the calories was interesting, Jaron just wasn't interested. We tried milkshakes - he would drink a few sips and then nothing else. We finally started giving him some juice again, just to keep him hydrated, he won't drink much of anything besides juice, breastmilk, and milkshakes IF he's in the mood.

In the past 6 weeks he gained a total of 3 ounces. Dr. S was not impressed.

Granted, I guess I could've tried harder. But I really don't think anything is wrong. It's hard to be motivated to fix all these special meals when I know that tiny kids run in our family, when there are NO other factors that indicate that anything is wrong. (His urine, stool, and xrays came back normal.)

I guess I'm motivated now. I have exactly 8 weeks to pack 2 lbs onto Jaron's little frame. If he doesn't gain 2 lbs by then Dr. S wants to do an endoscopy and extensive bloodwork. On the upside, he wants to draw the blood while Jaron is under anesthesia for the endoscopy.

We'll see what happens, I still don't think anything is wrong, but I doubt myself. I also know that there is wisdom in going through the process of ruling out other causes for him not gaining; I am just terrified of letting them put him under general anesthesia. I need to find out if I'll be able to stay with him or not, if I can I'll feel a whole lot better.

Prayer and thoughts are appreciated, as well as quick, easy, tasty high-calorie snack ideas. We tried avocado, but have to sneak it in (plus they're pricey), he does eat quite a a bit of cheese and whole-milk yogurt.

This was before he stood up...

Aedyn
Aedyn has a had a pretty good week, despite trying to run straight through a sliding glass door at a friend's baby shower this past weekend. The funniest and saddest thing that's happened in awhile, poor kid. He would've laughed it off if he had been awake, but he was about 3 minutes out of a very deep nap, and really not sure what happened.

Between stunts like that and his climbing adventures this week, I'm just waiting for our first ER trip.

Us

Jake and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary this week by going to dinner at The Melting Pot. Delicious, but a lot of work! We'll probably go back for a cheese or dessert course, but I doubt going for a full meal will happen again. It was still a great experience! And of course, we didn't get any pictures of us...just the food...

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Four Years of Marriage ~ We More Than Just Made It

2012-04-27T01:08:00.000-04:00

It has taken me three days and multiple attempts to write this post. Between being up all night, dealing with allergies, my fourth wedding anniversary and having to wrangle two very much not sleeping babies it's a wonder I've got five minutes to sit down now!

Today was our 4th wedding anniversary. It seems like forever ago that I was walking down the aisle. And we took off on the whirlwind that became our life.

Exactly 9 months and 1week later we welcomed Aedyn into the insanity. A cross country move. A house. Jaron. A job promotion. And a cross town move and here we are.

While I gripe and complain about Jake's work hours and how tired him is most of the time. I don't say often enough how much I appreciate and respect him for doing what he has to do in order to take care of us.

We were spoiled, in a way, during his time of unemployment. He got to spend every day with us, he cooked, he cleaned, we just lived. Money was tight, but we were happy, we were together.

I know he would have loved nothing more than to keep things that way. But we couldn't live off of unemployment forever. So he got a job and slowly began spending more time away.

I hate that we can't have the best of both worlds.

Every time one of the boys does something new and Jake doesn't know for a day or two I'm struck by how much he has sacrificed. Aedyn learning to unbuckle his own carseat. Jaron being able to sing most of the ABC's. Those are just the most recent.

Throw in the fact that he still thinks I look like a million bucks and more even after 2 kids and 60 extra pounds; yup, I picked a good one.

I have a wonderful husband. And I love him. I'm proud of him and am so thankful for him. Happy Anniversary Honey! Four years down and a million more to go!

Consider this my brag post for the week, by the way, we spent our anniversary shopping for me appropriate "Professional Attire" for an event next week and then he took me to the Melting Pot for supper. He's good.

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Manic Mommy Monday ~ Breathe in the Pollen

2012-04-23T21:52:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday! Every week we link up posts that are updates about us and what is going on in our lives. Everyone is welcome to link up (scroll down to find the linky) and you can find more information on the main Manic Mommy Monday page.

Ahhh, Spring! After thinking that winter skipped Florida completely and we just had a limbo season of slightly less hot before summer took hold about 3 weeks ago, today is refreshing to say the least.

I've got all the doors propped open and enjoying the wind tunnel they create. I'd open the windows too, but we live on the second floor and I know both boys would be trying to lean out...not worth the worry. The stuffy nose is. I'm not sure what it is about filling my house with pollen that the outside air brings, but the house feels cleaner...could also be that we spent the morning picking up and my hubby did the sink-full of dishes, but I credit the fresh air coursing through the apartment.

Look by the big black rock

We also have babies! I posted a few weeks ago about our mama fish issues, and my hope that our not-quite-balanced-balance would keep them de-stressed enough to actually drop the fry. (Yup, that's me sounding technical.) I have no idea which mama they belong to since none of them look any thinner, but oh well, maybe in a couple days they'll lose the belly before they turn up pregnant again. Another fishy fun fact, females will store milt (sperm) from the males and can use it up to 8 months later to fertilize eggs.

It's harder to find the babies today than it was yesterday, so either they've gotten better at hiding or some of them have been eaten. I'm not really sure which I prefer. Of course I'm feeding the big fish extra and trying to give the little ones a shot at life, but if they survive it means I'm going to have to either give them away (work) or throw them in the pond where they'd be food for bigger fish. Neither option particularly appeals to me, but I guess that what I get for being irresponsible about what type of fish I bring home.

Since the Great Cloth Diaper Change is over (and was a great success, more on that tomorrow) Jaron is officially out of diapers. We may still use them at night for awhile as insurance and to give us more training pants to have ready during the day, but 90% of the time he stays dry through the night and for the past few days has had 0-1 accident per day. He still takes a lot of reminding, but he also asks/tells us when he needs to go some of the time.

Aedyn has been handing out some prize winning attitude this week. We're trying to curb that. Most of it is talking back when we tell him to do something, or rationalizing whey he shouldn't do it. Throw in a good dose of ignoring anything said to him that he doesn't like with a side of outright defiance and you have a good idea of what our house has been like. He also frequently tells me that he loves me and I'm his best friend...I'll be glad when that side of him is back in control of his body more often!

Jake worked 60 hours in restaurant this week, plus several hours from home. Frustrating and tiring on all of us, but he's really trying to get ahead so he can take some vacation time next month. So we're digging our heels in and trying to make the best of it.

I'm making some slow but steady progress on the project I've been working on and am working out a few of the kinks. Jake and I are also going to try and sit down and figure out exactly what we can finance out of pocket, how much I can do without money, and ways to pick up some financing. Fun fun fun!

That's about it for this week! I have two little boys to get to bed, so check out some other Manic Mommy Posts and link up your own!

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Diapering Time of Year

2012-04-19T01:19:00.001-04:00

April is a pretty significant month, since the Great Cloth Diaper Change is this weekend I'm reminded that it's been almost a year since I started blogging on a regular basis, seems like forever ago! And at the end of this month I will have been married for 4 years...wow, funny how that went by so fast.

Kim at Dirty Diaper Laundry also announced yesterday that the 2nd Annual Flats & Handwashing Challenge will be May 21-27. Woohoo!

Last year I used flat diapers exclusively, nothing can beat the price or trimmness! So I Upped the Ante and found things I had around the house to create a completely free stash of dipes. I know some critics felt that I wasn't using true "flats" when I didn't cut up a t-shirt before turning it into a diaper, but I felt that it was in the spirit of proving that cloth diapering is feasible in low income households.

Which brings me to why I cloth diaper in the first place.

It's cheap.

That's it.

Sure, it's better on the environment. Sure, it's better on my baby's sensitive skin. Sure, the diapers are so much cuter than disposables.

But I'm saving thousands of dollars over purchasing disposables.

My stash is a little haphazard. Mostly flats and prefolds and covers; these are my regular use diapers and I have a sufficient amount of these alone. But 10 various pockets that I was either given or won are nice to have when someone else is watching the boys. We spent about $75 on our stash. They paid for themselves in the length of time it would take us to go through 4 boxes of disposables (1-2 months).

We used 2 boxes of sposies with Jaron; one we bought, and one we were given, before starting cloth because I didn't think he would be big enough to use the diaper covers I already had.

When baby #3 comes along I'm going to try my best not to let a single disposable diaper touch his or her little bum. I'm planning on making some super soft flannel flats to take to the hospital and if the nurses don't like it, oh well. Jaron's bottom was red from day one until we switched out of Pampers into another brand, so that's my first reason. My second is just because I have a pretty strong dislike for the one hospital that I can deliver at and anything to keep us separated from the "system" sounds good to me.

Just to be responsible I'll probably research cloth diapering in a hospital a bit more, but I'm pretty convinced that it's the way to go next time around. We'll see, the big thing is the cost, not personal vendetta, so I know we have a total win from the start no matter what I decide about the hospital.

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!

Manic Mommy Monday ~ Moments of Normal

2012-04-16T11:35:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Manic Mommy Monday! Every week we link up posts that are updates about us and what is going on in our lives. Everyone is welcome to link up (scroll down to find the linky) and you can find more information on the main Manic Mommy Monday page.

This week has been one that is very close to what I'd like to call normal.

I'm holding my breath because I don't want to jinx it. We had some definitely highlights, a visit/playdate with a friend who I haven't seen in years and who just moved nearby. Getting familiar with my new, upgraded sewing machine.

Some lower points, Aedyn's having a week of testing the boundaries (again... He has 2-3 weeks where he's a perfect angel, then weeks like this week and last week.), he's also going through a growth spurt and eating more than I can. Jaron is copying his brother's attitude, so we're trying to figure out how to teach him that the attitude/words is not acceptable while understanding that he is just copying what he sees and not necessarily exhibiting the motive behind it, obviously watching his brother get in trouble is not enough.

Jaron is weaning and potty training at the same time, NOT something we planned, it just happened that way. I finally got around to making him some training pants to save our rental carpet (tutorial later this week). And overall, he pitches a 5-15 second fit if he asks for milk and I remind him that Mama milk is for bedtime. Otherwise it's all good. And I decided that I'm going to let him continue to use the potty only when he asks until this next weekend because...

The Great Cloth Diaper Change (GCDC) is on Saturday! I'm co-hosting our local event and on top of not wanting to be running to the potty every half hour, I don't want to put him back in diapers just for the day.

Jake had a long week at work and it's felt like we haven't really seen him at all (a common problem, I know). Hoping that since the new kitchen director started this week that some of Jake's extra hours might dissipate once the new guy gets comfortable...maybe.

I'm working on a new project. I'm hoping to get everything squared away and up in the next month or so, but I will be doing a test run/sneak peek at our GCDC. That will help me decide how to go about launching an online presence. Any thoughts about Etsy vs HyenaCart vs self-hosting would be much appreciated!

Guess that's about it for this week, link up your own manic posts and join the hop!

If you want to hear more about my 2 (not always) sleeping babies and the rest of the family you can follow us on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter!