Wild As Weeds

{ This Moment }

2011-09-09T09:07:00.003-04:00

This Moment
On a Quiet Friday
No Words
Only an Image
Simple yet Profound
Inspired by SouleMama.

Thrifty Finds Friday ...

2011-09-08T16:42:00.016-04:00

Gosh it's been awhile since I blogged about Thrifty Finds Friday! I think I'll be bringing it back around to this space, once again ...

Today, Ethan & I ventured out to our local Second Chance shop in hopes of livening up this dreary rainy day.
You never know what you might find when you duck into a thrift shop.
Here's what we discovered :

First, I couldn't resist this special vintage piece of hardware ...
Isn't it lovely?

This unique trio of small hand painted bells caught my eye right away.

The inside of each bell has the year 1980 written on it, along with the words, Holyland.

Here they are hanging in all their glory ...
I'm really excited about this find!

Haven adores Strawberry Shortcake!
She's also way into categorizing and organizing her things into pretty little boxes & containers these days, so this was a great find for her!

And finally, Ethan ...
Is it any big shock that he spied these two little matchbox cars?!?
Score :)

A fun & inexpensive way to spend an afternoon and when all was said and done, our treasured finds cost us only $1.75, in total! Unbelievable, I know ...
Not to mention that thrift shopping is a great way to tread lightly on the earth by buying used instead of new :)

Beach Trip ...

2011-09-07T14:46:00.013-04:00

We visited the beach for a few days ...

It was Keelin's first time seeing the ocean ...

As well as his first time touching the sand ...

Ethan had a blast!

And so did Haven ...

Our vacation was cut short this year due to Haven starting school a bit earlier then we had originally realized. However, we still made the best of the few days we were able to get away for.

Feeling very grateful & blessed for my family.

Her 1st Day ...

2011-09-06T09:53:00.004-04:00

"All I ever needed to know ... I learned in Kindergarten."

84 Hours Without Power ...

2011-09-05T07:42:00.007-04:00

(Masks that the kids made when the power went out.)

Hurricane Irene sure was a selective storm.
She seemed to breeze by certain areas, leaving them pretty much untouched.
While other areas, she left devastated.
Our road fell somewhere in between.
Surrounded by a hillside of old trees, and being used to the power flickering out occasionally in general, we heeded Irene's warning and took precautions.
I filled as many jugs of water & made as much ice as I could in the few days prior to Irene's coming.
I caught up on laundry, scrubbed my floors, went grocery shopping, and battened down the hatches.
Tristan fired the chainsaw up and cut down a few leaning trees that he had his concerns about.
We had a basket of candles, matches, and our emergency wind-up radio close by.
We felt that we were more then ready for a good storm.
More then ready to sit back and watch Mother Nature in all her glory.
And then the power went out.
As I said before, we are pretty used to losing power for a few minutes, even a few hours.
Not just in this home, but in every home we've lived in, we tend to lose power from time to time being that we have always lived on the outskirts.
But as the hours passed ...
and then the days ...
and the power never went back on,
things began to get tough.
Living without lights and working appliances are one thing.
I was actually more then happy to give them a rest and turn them off for awhile.
We made the best of the situation by playing board games, reading stories, talking together, coloring, making masks, and taking silly pictures.
But living off of well water meant no water.
No drinking water, no doing the dishes or laundry, no showers, and the worst by far ...
NO TOILET.
Ah ... with a family of 5 and no running water for 84 hours,
it was rough to say the least.
We began utilizing all of our resources, wisely.
For instance ... our pool!
Tristan's job was to venture out to the pool 4x's in a row and fill up a bucket with water, then haul it up the stairs, and finally dump it into the toilet which in turn allowed us to flush, once.
We repeated as necessary.
Not having a nightlight plugged in for the kids caused some restlessness and fear in the wee hours of the night.
Though in order to somewhat remedy the above situation ... Ethan "moved" into Haven's room, temporarily, for 5 days where the joy & fun of a slumber party far outweighed the fear of being in the dark alone.
In the beginning, we bought ice by the bag fulls in order to keep the items in our fridge & freezer cold. However, after a few days, we pretty much moved a few essential items into a small cooler and ditched the rest.
Tip : "One good thing about an empty fridge & freezer, is that it's super easy to thoroughly give it a good scrubbing top to bottom."
So in short ...
We survived 84 hours without power.
Throughout the duration of our powerless adventure, I remembered the days when Tristan and I used to live in our VW bus, the days we used to live in a treehouse, the days we pretty much lived off of the land.
We didn't have electricity.
Rather we relied on a wood burning stove or small portable Coleman stove.
I remembered those countless nights when we would sit and talk, play cards, and listen to talk radio by candle light.
Life was good.
Life was simple.
But with 3 kids ... going powerless for a few days was a bit challenging.
Glad to have a working toilet again :)

A New Patio ...

2011-08-22T09:09:00.014-04:00

Digging out a square.

Ethan stood by every step of the way & was a big help both by shoveling dirt out of the hole as well as by tossing it back in :)

We have our square ... 5" deep.

2.5 Tons of 3/4" Goose Egg, Maryland River Stone was delivered.

Tristan laid down landscape fabric, shoveled the stone into a wheelbarrow and spread it out evenly.

Brick was laid for the border.

Decorative garden pieces, plant stands, flowers, and more quickly found a new home.

Someone tossed this shabby little fence into our open land of property at our first home in OR. We rescued it, drove it back cross country with us, repainted it and finally resurrected it in our garden. It now serves as a border to the garden as well as a spot to hang our grilling tools on. I just love repurposed items!

And finally, the kids have a new spot for their outdoor toys.

I Feel A Change Coming On ...

2011-08-22T07:16:00.007-04:00

Over these last few days,
I've become acutely aware of the subtle changes occurring around me.
I think I'll begin with the weather.
It's that unmistakable late August, on-the-brink-of-fall weather.
Hot days. Cool mornings. Cool nights.
Perfect sleeping weather.
Just yesterday I noticed a few lone leaves turning a pretty pink salmon color on the trees.
A few have even fallen to the ground.
The seasons are in transit.

(Funny Faces)

I am keenly aware of and cherishing this last full week with Haven before she starts Kindergarten next week.
A big step for my little 5 year old girl and a big step for her parents as well.
Haven & I have spent every day of the last 5 1/2 years together,
and I've so enjoyed her company.
Watching her grow & come into her own has been both an honor & a pleasure.
No doubt our journey has just begun,
but Kindergarten is a mile marker for sure.

And this little man ...
With his sweet voice & extended vocabulary as of late,
is a joy to listen to.
The stories he's beginning to tell!
He's smart and quick and funny
and by all means a terrific big brother.
He's growing up.

And Keelin ...
Well you all know how fast babies change & grow!
His most recent new found skill is that of sitting all by himself,
in that super sweet wobbly yet very sturdy sitting pose.
I love that "sitting baby position."
In the world of solids, he's tried avocado, banana, apple sauce & cereal.
It's pretty much all fun & games at this point,
for he's beyond happy & drunk on breastmilk 24/7.
He's at that stage with nursing now in which the world is simply too interesting to turn away from even for a split second.
So it's on the boob, suck, suck, off the boob, turn away, look around, reach, coo, and repeat like 20 times per nursing session.
It's no wonder he nurses during the night a lot for he's too busy during the day to take in all the calories that his growing little body needs.
He loves to watch the leaves blow on the trees.
He gets super excited when the dogs run by.
He's begun to interact & play with his brother & sister in so many fun ways.
Gosh, he's changing and growing up fast!
So yes, I woke up this morning acutely aware of the many changes I see taking place in my little corner of the world.
Savoring it all ...

A Day in The Life of Keelin ...

2011-08-18T06:36:00.012-04:00

* 6 months old *

Mountain Climbing ... At Home.

2011-08-17T14:30:00.005-04:00

"I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it."

Ain't that the truth!
And what a good reminder it is,
as I find myself knee-deep in my own personal daily mountain climbing routine.
That "in-home" mountain climbing routine that all you mamas know so well,
filled to the brim & then some with :
Washing the dishes
Washing the clothes
Washing the sheets
Washing the walls,
Washing the kids
Washing the dogs
Washing the floor
Washing everything!
Making the beds
Making the meals
Making the sacrifices
Making it pretty.
Nursing the baby
Nursing the boo-boos
Nursing the fevers
Nursing the nightmares
Away ...
Hanging the laundry
Hanging the pictures.
Seeding new life
Seeding love.
Growing the garden
Growing love.
Cooking
Cleaning
Teaching
Praying
Baking
Playing
Reading
Creating.
Never quite finishing.
Never reaching the top.
But then again
the top isn't the important part.
It's all about what you do & who you are
while you're in the middle parts, doing it.
"Happiness is a journey, not a destination."

{ This Moment }

2011-08-05T13:44:00.002-04:00

This Moment
On a Quiet Friday
No Words
Only an Image
Simple yet Profound
Inspired by SouleMama.

"Free Love ..."

2011-08-01T16:22:00.005-04:00

"Love gives itself. It is not bought." ~ Longfellow

Yesterday the kids hopped in the trunk of the car, and began rooting through our box of "stuff" that was on it's way to the Goodwill. Luckily I had a camera nearby because it made for a pretty cute picture. Between the "free" sign & such super lovable kiddos ... all I could think of was
FREE LOVE.

A Day in The Life of Keelin ...

2011-07-29T19:54:00.012-04:00

* 5 months *

{ This Moment }

2011-07-29T07:53:00.002-04:00

This Moment
On a Quiet Friday
No Words
Only an Image
Simple yet Profound
Inspired by SouleMama.

{ This Moment }

2011-07-22T07:32:00.001-04:00

This Moment
On a Quiet Friday
No Words
Only an Image
Simple yet Profound
Inspired by SouleMama.

Mid July ...

2011-07-19T21:27:00.008-04:00

Sometimes I'm amazed by this little girl.
She's growing up.
Coming into her own.
At times I see so much of myself in her.
And yet other times I don't.
I enjoy watching her unique creative style take shape & form.

This beautiful baby now has his 2 front bottom teeth which makes his smile that much more adorable.
He struggled and fought hard to push these two teeth in.
Usually in the dead of the night.
Yesterday, we walked and nursed, and walked and nursed, & walked and nursed, all over the house and yard
together
in close to 100 degree heat
until he found comfort and moved beyond this painful stage ...
for now.

He's growing like a weed.
It seems like boys are like that.
His personality
sweet, sensitive, passionate & intense.
He reminds me of his father.

Grabbing small pockets of peace, such as these flowers, cups of decaf green tea, good music, and inspiring blogs, throughout my day
wherever I can
to try and stay calm & focused
on these long, hot, tiring, teething filled mid-July days.

Breastfeeding Rant ...

2011-07-19T13:58:00.006-04:00

(Keelin, nursing at 3 months old.)

O.k. here it goes ... Over all, I think we've come a heck of a long way over the past few years in terms of breastfeeding. We've got WHO (World Health Organization) who recommends, "that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life after which breastfeeding should be continued for at least 2 years w/weaning foods added at 6 months of age." The AAP (Academy of American Pediatrics) recommends, "breastfeeding for the first 12 months of life and as long thereafter as mutually desired. Supplemental foods should be added at 6 months of life." The extensive campaign & education work that has been tirelessly devoted to breastfeeding over the past few years is remarkable in itself and has certainly raised awareness with the general public. It seems as if people are really beginning to embrace the dozens upon dozens of benefits that breastfeeding bestows on both mother and child.
With all of that said, I often wonder why it is still frowned upon for a mother to nurse her child in public? Now some women prefer to nurse their babies behind closed doors, conceal their breast & baby behind a receiving blanket, or perhaps tucked into a sling, etc. That is fine if that is how you feel most comfortable nursing your baby. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. But how about the mothers who do not want to "excuse" themselves and retreat to a restroom, a back room, a spare room, etc. Why should they be expected to "remove" themselves and go somewhere else to feed their baby? As a mother who has now nursed three children, for a combined 4.5 years of nursing so far and still counting, it does not bother me in the slightest to nurse in public. In all honesty, I remember in the early days with my first child, it did, but not now. Not now because I am beyond comfortable with my breasts & my baby. Breastfeeding can be one of the most discreet, easy, self-reliant, as well as self-empowering things a mother can do. When I am out and about I never once stop to think if I am "offending" someone. "Offending" them how? 98% of the people around me would have no idea that I am nursing my baby, because breastfeeding can be that discreet. What would they see that would be so "offensive"? The back of a baby's head pressed up against my shirt. How is that "offensive", "shameful", or "showing off"? I heard the phrase once, "If you're offended by me breastfeeding my baby, here's a blanket for you to put over your head." How spot-on is that!?! I guess for the most part, I tend to whiz around my days with 3 kids in tow, totally unaware of on-lookers and what the expressions on their faces may say. But, this morning while I was on Facebook ... lol ... I got a reality check. A friend of a friend made a comment about nursing in public that really ruffled my feathers! It went something like this:
Status : I went to a State Park pool w/ my god-daughter and I noticed that a woman in her 20's all of a sudden goes topless. I mentioned this to the staff and they said that it was against the law to tell her she could not.
So various people are commenting saying things like, "I thought public nudity was against the law." "Public Nudity is for sure against the law." "What!?!?"
Then ... here comes the kicker ...
Out of the blue some woman makes a comment about breastfeeding. She begins to compare the situation of a young woman going topless at a public park to women nursing in public. What?!? She goes on to say, "I feel the same way with women nursing in public. Sitting right next to you at a ball game and they start feeding their baby as you are trying to watch the game. And of course men look." Wow. Is this really what people, even fellow women/mothers think of moms who nurse their babies in public? It really rubbed me the wrong way and served as a reminder of still just how far we've got to go in terms of seeing breastfeeding as the norm. Some people may insist that it is. But for moms who nurse, especially in public, we know all too well that it is not.

Summer Squash ...

2011-07-18T16:04:00.003-04:00

Yesterday our neighbor dropped off this oversized zucchini that had been hiding under some bushy leaves in their garden for a few too many days. We were more then happy to take it off their hands and put it to good use. This afternoon, Ethan helped me stuff it with onions, garlic, celery, cheese & breadcrumbs. It'll be our dinner for tonight. Yum! Our first stuffed zucchini of the season. Nothing says summer like a big giant zucchini ...

Vegetarianism & Fishing ...

2011-07-17T13:56:00.004-04:00

I'm sure I've mentioned our family's eating habits / lifestyle before but for those of you who don't know, I'll mention it again ... We are vegetarians. I have lived without eating any meat, fish, or chicken products / byproducts for the past 18 years (since I was 15). My hubby dabbled in vegetarianism off and on in his younger days, before meeting me. Once we met, he adopted a vegetarian lifestyle and has lived that way for the past 10 years, although he does on rare occasions eat fish. As for my children, they have never tasted meat, fish or chicken and are being raised as vegetarians. We chose this lifestyle for many different reasons. Basically, we believe that the vegetarian diet is a diet that honors the mind, body, and soul of not only ourselves but our fellow animal friends as well. We also believe that it's the most sustainable diet for our planet, consciously using a few resources but not devouring a ton of resources as is the case in large scale animal production. It's a diet that has always felt right to us. A diet that has continually proven to provide us all with exceptional health, energy & well being. So here we are a happy, healthy vegetarian family of 5. Now I'm gonna go ahead and throw a wrench into things :) My husband is a 4th generation fly-fisherman. I wrote this post about him and his hobby/passion a long long time ago. Before meeting my husband, I knew very little about fly-fishing. He has taught me a lot. Perhaps the biggest thing that he has taught me is how much he loves and respects the stream and the fish that swim within it. He follows the catch & release form of fishing. The only time he'd actually catch and not release a fish is if something accidentally went wrong in the catch that caused injury to the fish and he knew the fish would not survive, he would "keep" the fish. Although I respect his view on fishing, my personal feelings towards animals has always been that they are not ours to eat, wear, test on, nor use for the purpose of entertainment in any way. So here we are ... a mom & a dad with slightly different views on a certain subject yet wanting to find a common ground for our children's sake ... imagine that! We always knew the topic of fishing would come up in our children's lives someday, so we've already discussed this subject quite a bit at length. In the end, what we came up with was this, stand on the principle of truth. For you can never go wrong in telling your children the truth. Daddy's truth of respecting the fish & the stream while fishing, passing down several generations of conscious fishing habits. Mommy's truth of, I choose not to fish for it does not feel right to me, however, it feels right to daddy and he does it in an ethical way. And so yesterday, at age 5.5 years old, Haven really wanted to go fishing with dad but had a few questions. We explained to her all of the reasons of why we don't eat meat. And we also explained to her how daddy enjoys fly-fishing. We explained to her that as with everything in life, you'll find the good & you'll find the bad. For daddy, fishing is about respect ... respecting the stream, respecting the fish. And so Daddy & Ethan went out fishing for about 2 hours and had a wonderful time. Haven & daddy also went fishing together for 2 hours but something unexpected happened. After Haven caught & released 2 fish, she caught a third in which the hook seemed to have gotten caught on the fish's mouth. Daddy immediately searched his fly-fishing vest for the appropriate tool to safely remove the hook, but he wasn't able to find it. Later he found that it had fallen out of his fishing vest. So to make a long story short, Tristan felt that it was in the fish's best interest to be taken home and eaten rather then to leave the hook in his mouth and have him swim off and die in the stream. Haven took this hard. Real hard. She was sad that the fish had died and couldn't go back in the water to swim with his friends. She was crying over it, for awhile. Tristan and I looked at each other. We knew that this might come up someday and we wanted to handle it right. So we explained to her that daddy made the most humane decision that he could make. And he promised never to go to the stream again without double checking his vest for all the appropriate tools. Haven said o.k.
Haven's sadness and response over the death of that fish was genuine and empathic. I can't help but think that the natural response of a child when seeing where their food comes from be one in the same. I know many people would disagree with me on this, after all vegetarianism is certainly a very controversial topic, but it seems to me like vegetarianism is a very natural path for a child to take. As parents, we do our best to teach our children compassion, empathy, and love. To see those emotions spill from your child's heart at such poignant times, is a very touching thing. I suppose yesterday left quite an impact on both Tristan & I alike since we knew inevitably someday we'd both have to explain "vegetarianism & fishing" to our children. It just so happened to have happened in such a raw & real way.

{ This Moment }

2011-07-15T08:31:00.001-04:00

This Moment
On a Quiet Friday
No Words
Only an Image
Simple yet Profound
Inspired by SouleMama.

A Bite of Love & A Twist of Sunshine ...

2011-07-13T12:31:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, I promised Ethan he could bake a chocolate cake. I must say, he's turning out to be quite the baker! As he mixes, he calls out left and right for flour, baking powder & salt. His cakes always turn out super moist & delicious :) As Ethan tended to the cake, I whipped up a little cream cheese icing on the side. After the cake had baked & cooled, we embellished it with a blue sprinkle heart for daddy and surprised him when he came home from work.

And Haven ... our dear little Miss Haven ...

What a true ball of sunshine she is.
This is what she dressed up in just as soon as she jumped out of bed this morning.
Let the fashion show begin!

A Day in The Life of Keelin ...

2011-07-12T06:56:00.009-04:00

* 4.5 months *

Remember Sleep & This Guy ...

2011-07-11T12:56:00.009-04:00

Anyone who has followed this blog over the past 3 years, certainly knows of our past frustrations in regards to Ethan & sleep. I've written several posts on it such a this one, this one, this one, and this one. These were all written awhile ago so I thought I'd give you an update on how things have been going. Also, maybe just maybe, another mother who's in the midst of struggling with their child and sleep might be able to gain a bit of perspective by reading this.
As you know, my first child, Haven, loved to sleep and still does to this day. She has always looked forward to her naps, quiet time, and bed time. She enjoys the peace and quiet that down time brings and uses this time wisely in order to recharge her mind, body & soul. At age 5.5, she still goes into her room for nap time or quiet time, depending what she needs that day. When I had my second child, Ethan, I quickly discovered that he was innately different from my first child in terms of sleep. He did NOT like nap time, quiet time, or bedtime, unless it was with mommy. Being a huge advocate of attachment parenting, I thought it was best to give him the comfort, love, security & attention that he needed at such a young age and trusted that he would eventually grow out of this phase. "A need met will go away. A need unmet will always remain." Pretty much, I held Ethan night and day. During the day I wore him in a sling. I knew he needed a nap in the day time although he fought it tooth & nail. The only way he'd take one was if he was on me. So I let him nurse and sleep on me every day for 2-3 hours until he was 2 years old. Sometimes I would lay down with him, other times I sat in chair blogging or reading with him napping away peacefully in my arms, and still other times I would wear him in a sling while I cooked, cleaned, gardened, as he took a snooze. Some people would think that this was wonderful to go to such sacrificial lengths in order to ensure valuable sleep for my high-need child. Yet others would and still do think that I was flat out nuts for devoting so much time to sleep and Ethan. But so goes the ballgame of parenting, right!?! If there's one thing that the journey of motherhood has taught me, it's that you really can't judge another mother until you've been in her situation. At any rate, that was how I spent my afternoons for 2 years out of my life. At night time, we co-slept with Ethan because we all slept better with him right next to me, making it easier to nurse, comfort & resettle him every time he woke up, which was usually at least 6-7 times a night. I just kept believing that it would get better, like everyone said it would. I kept thinking that eventually he would feel safe & secure when asleep and not wake so much (comfort.) I kept thinking that eventually he would start to enjoy food and begin eating enough of it during the day so as not to wake so much at night to nurse (eat.) At 2 years old, things started to get worse instead of better. Although nap time improved and he began taking short naps on his own in his own bed, which meant mommy's arms got a big rest ... phew ... our nights began to grow dreadfully worse. He started waking up every 45 minutes without fail, at night. It was disrupting the whole house ... My husband, my daughter, myself, etc. Nobody was sleeping and we were all started to feel a little nuts! Everyone was looking at me for the answer. My confidence started to waiver. After 2 years, I was so terribly sleep deprived that I didn't know what to do or who to turn to. So I spoke with my pediatrician. He recommended those dreaded 2 words that I swore I'd never practice on my children, sleep training. At first, I got mad, upset for speaking to my doctor about this, I shrugged it off and almost swore off the entire practice. But then, it dawned on me that I didn't know where to turn. Although I had never wanted to sleep train my children but rather guide them into good sleep patterns and trust that when they were ready, they'd "get" it ... I felt like things had taken a turn for the worse and he was 2 years old ... so now what? I had trusted and followed my motherly instincts, I had combed the internet for similar situations and stories, I had asked everyone & anyone I knew for suggestions, but yet here we were 2 years later feeling extremely tired and alone in our experience and most important ... Ethan wanted & needed to learn how to sleep. So, I took my doctor's advice, somewhat, I modified and tweaked a few things. I did not just shut the door and let him cry it out. I went to him in intervals. I justified following my doctor's advice by thinking that Ethan was not a baby and would not feel abandoned. He knew that mommy was the last person he always saw at night and the first person he always saw every morning. He also knew that mommy was always very near by. He needed to learn that night time was for sleeping and he needed to learn how to sleep. It wasn't an easy road. In fact it had to be one the hardest things I ever did. At age 2, Tristan and I started to see certain aspects/traits in Ethan. We started to see just how energetic he was. He enjoyed getting all wound up and had a very hard time calming down. It was as if he was left strung high with all of this displaced energy and didn't have the necessary skills to learn what to do with it all. To be honest with you, he did NOT know how to calm down, or rather self soothe. Once we recognized this as being the root of the problem, we began directing our energy in this particular area. Although we already had a predictable and "good" bed time routine solidly in place, we decided to revamp it, further concentrating on the winding down aspect. We started preparing for bed time much earlier. Instead of staying up that extra half hour and playing a little bit longer, we began to head up the stairs sooner. We made the hour before bed time as calm and peaceful as possible. We prolonged bath time instead of rushing through it. We used lavender oil in the bath tub. We lit lavender candles. We incorporated lotion & massage into our nightly bed time routine. We scratched Ethan's back and we brushed his hair. We read several stories, not just one. And after a few weeks, Ethan seemingly began to get it. We could see that he was all of a sudden learning how to relax. This new found skill of relaxing made him feel secure & confident. He was finally able to rely on himself and not just mommy to calm down. It was really a very beautiful and self empowering thing to witness Ethan going through. That was the first step. The second step was working through the behavioural aspect of it all. Ethan enjoys controlling a situation and he's really very good at it. He's so good at it that it took us a long time to actually realize what was happening. Once the realization hit, we needed to let him know that we meant business in a firm but gentle, loving, consistent manner. Night time was for sleeping. We all need sleep in order to have nice, pleasant fun-filled days. We would reiterate the importance of sleep to him time and time again. We would point out how great it was to feel well-rested whenever he slept well at night. We were slowly, night by night, making progress.
At age 3.5 years old, Ethan still has trouble from time to time with sleep. It's never been something that has come easy for him. He can & still does fall into old habits and patterns from time to time by not wanting to go to bed and by night waking. At times he has nightmares & night terrors. It's a challenge to say the least. But really, it's so easy to get caught up with "life" and rush through the day and night. Some children fair just fine with that but other children who are more sensitive like Ethan, feel that displaced, hurried "energy" and they run with it ... they can't shut it off. So whenever bed time seems to be a bit off-kilter around here, these are the times that Tristan and I, as parents, have to take a step back and see what detail in Ethan's routine has been overlooked, hurried through, or neglected. With 3 children, it's tough to be mindful of all of these details. But when we are, it's so worth it for things run much smoother around here.
Looking back, from where we started to where we are today, Ethan's sleep progress can be seen clear as day. For other moms who struggle with sleep out there, my heart goes out to you ... it can be a rough road. But hang in there, listen to your child, and try out different calming approaches. It does and will get better :)

Happy Sunday!

2011-07-10T09:30:00.002-04:00

Singing this song and taking a spin around the pool.
Happy Sunday Everyone!

{ This Moment }

2011-07-08T07:12:00.003-04:00

This Moment
On a Quiet Friday
No Words
Only an Image
Simple yet Profound
Inspired by SouleMama.

Camping ...

2011-07-03T09:21:00.006-04:00

Right in our own backyard ...

After a long day of yard work filled with mowing, trimming, weed whacking, and watering. We decided to kick back and relax a bit. The baby, ironically, went to bed early. The kids stayed up late. After swimming & kicking the soccer ball around, we migrated to the tent. Inside the tent we got cozy & took turns telling ghost stories. Hands down, daddy told the best ghost stories. Ethan told the funniest ones. Haven told the most "princessy" ones. And mommy realized just how long it had been since she concocted a ghost story .... needless to say, I was a little rusty. Once the clock struck nine, the kids gathered up their containers and set out to find some lightning bugs. They ran all over the place, caught a bunch, and released them when all was said and done.

And let's not forget about roasting marshmallows ...
Although the kids have aged a year since last summer, some things never change such as the fact that Haven likes her marshmallows extra extra crispy black & Ethan prefers to eat his "raw" off a stick!

Although we didn't actually "sleep" outside in the tent ... the kids still considered it camping. The tent is still up and I'm sure this was just the first of many "camping" adventures for these kiddos.