Not a DIY Life

Parenting Win!

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Parents, what do you do when your plans for an activity or play date fall apart at the last minute? Well, I ask Twitter!

Last Wednesday's play/swim date fell through due to a playmate under the weather. (Side note: I'm SO thankful for parents who are courteous enough to cancel when the child is sick!) I knew that I didn't have any craft ideas for staying home, so I tweeted about it and got some good ideas! Thanks to @BrennanAnnie for the suggestion of going to a store that has a train table so that Ladybug could play.

We went to one of our local bookstores, I got a yummy banana/strawberry smoothie with a shot of espresso (YUM!), and Ladybug and I went to the kids' area. There is a nice reading area and a train table. Ladybug and I spent an hour and a half occupying ourselves. Ladybug learned more about sharing with other children, while I chatted with a nice grandmother and another mom.

After a few other children arrived, it was time for us to move on, so we went to the reading area. Ladybug played with a great Melissa & Doug puzzle while I read The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. I am a huge fan of Eric Carle's books. I didn't know about The Grouchy Ladybug until just recently, and I was surprised that no one had bought it for Ladybug yet, considering her nickname and the fact that we receive all kinds of ladybug gifts for every occasion. (Now we will be receiving this book, thanks to Grammy!)

It was a good time for both of us. Ladybug was on her best behavior, and I was very proud that she didn't fight with the other kids and didn't make a fuss when I said we were done with the trains.

So, if you haven't checked out your local toy store or bookstore for a train table, I highly recommend doing that! I know this will be a recurring activity for us!

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Want to Win a Wii Fit?

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:42:00 +0000

In my blog series that I have been writing on my toddler's nutrition, I have mentioned Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, who I follow on Twitter. She hosts a weekly Twitter discussion on topics relating to kids, nutrition, and exercise, and I have enjoyed the information that she shares.

Dr. Dolgoff is having a sitewarming party tonight and you have a chance to win a Wii Fit! Here are the details:

With childhood obesity reaching an all time high across the country, many parents struggle with how to help their children maintain a healthy weight with proper nutrition.

Dr. Joanna Dolgoff, the official doctor of Camp Shane and a board certified pediatrician, has created Dr. Dolgoff's Weigh, a traffic-light system that allows kids to learn which foods are healthiest without counting calories. To spread the word about her site and program, Dr. Weigh, is sponsoring a Wii Fit contest to help you get your family up and moving this summer!

To Enter:
To enter to win the #KidsWeigh Wii Fit contest, check out client testimonials and fabulous Dr. Weigh success stories then fill out this secure contest form telling us which story was your favorite!

Form: http://tinyurl.com/kidsweighcontest

Want a chance to speak with Dr. Dolgoff about your nutritional questions and win more prizes?

Join her Friday, July 10th at 9 p.m. ET on Twitter for her #KidsWeigh discussion. Door prizes will be awarded. To RSVP and for more information go to: Resourceful Mommy.

Egg Carton Crafts

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:53:00 +0000

With the hot and humid days upon us, we can't always play outside in the middle of the day. ~~I turn into a puddle of sweat.~~ It's not great for a toddler to play outside in 100 degree heat. So I have been looking for some indoor activities for us to keep our summer days full and fun.

My wonderful Twitter friends came to the rescue when I asked about egg carton crafts. They had so many brilliant ideas, but what I discovered was, that with a little bit of instruction, kids' imaginations are the best at taking an idea and running with it.

Ladybug (2 years old) and I invited her cousins over for egg carton crafts last week. And we had a blast!

Our supplies were: egg carton, chenille stems (pipe cleaners), googly eyes, glue, crayons, and scissors. We could have used paint, but I am anti-mess when it comes to my toddler (I'm working on that!), so ~~I wasn't~~ Ladybug isn't ready for paints just yet.

The nieces made all kinds of bugs and creepy crawly things. Ladybug enjoyed pulling the legs off all the bugs. I just drew eyes and mouth on them for Ladybug, and the older girls used the googly eyes and chenille stems for mouths.

Little Mama showing off her creations
Drama Queen hard at workLadybug trying to be like the big girlsThe final product! (Minus the ones Ladybug pulled apart)

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Tiny Talk Tuesday

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:12:00 +0000

Ladybug (2 years old) loves playing with her animals and watching classic movies with animals, like The AristoCats, 101 Dalmations, and The Jungle Book. This provides lots of opportunities for her to learn new animals. Currently, she says, "Nake" for snake and "grrr" for tiger.

She also likes to tell me what the animals are doing. "Grr walk. Kitty bath. Bug jump."

There are a few things that she has own way of saying - these are SO cute! X is "ske." Yes is "sa."

When we are playing outside, we play our own version of Red Light, Green Light. I tell Ladybug to stop, go, come back. But sometimes she'll beat me to it, and she'll say, "Stop. Go. Back." All at one time!

For more Tiny Talk Tuesday, be sure to visit Mary at Not Before 7.

Taking Time for Me

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:40:00 +0000

I had always heard that moms struggled with taking care of themselves. I admit that I never understood this before I became a mom, because I was very good as self care as a single person. Granted, some of that started to slip when Hubby and I got married, but I still made time for myself and had my own hobbies and interests.

But lately, both Hubby and I have been burning the candle at both ends. He with his grad school internship plus work, me with trying to be a round-the-clock parent when he isn't home. It's much harder to care for a child all of their waking hours when you are completely alone than I realized.

Now, I know that there are parents out there who have much more difficult circumstances than I do on a daily basis. But because we are all unique beings, our capacity for difficulty differs. I struggle to balance self-care with my "job" as a wife and mother.

As a Christian, I *KNOW* that my relationship with God needs to be my first priority, but I admit that there are many days that I don't have my quiet time. I have always been in the habit of lifting up prayer concerns as I go through my day. But finding time that I can actually sit down and read Scripture and meditate has been difficult lately.

Even in neglecting my own spiritual walk, I feel like there isn't enough time in the day to do all the things that need done. But one thing I am learning to that even if I don't have that daily time for myself, I try to make sure it is still a part of my weekly routine. Days when Hubby is gone from 8 am to 9 pm do not leave much time for me, but I try to make sure the other days have time for me built in.

Here are a few things that I am doing to find weekly time for me:

~ when I go to the chiropractor (generally once a month), I get someone to watch Ladybug. Between my mother-in-law and two friends, I can usually find someone who can watch her so that I can reduce my stress. I have drive time to be quiet and waiting room time to read. And since Ladybug DOES NOT like anyone touching Mama, not having her there reduces my overall stress.

~ When Hubby is home and not working on a paper, I have asked him to be the parent so I can sit outside or lock myself in a room alone to read. Very refreshing!

My main priority during these alone times is to quiet myself and the thousand thoughts that are racing through my brain, read Scripture, meditate, and maybe read another inspirational book if there is time.

I know that I need to take care of myself. I am not a nice person to be around when I am lacking sleep. My sinful nature takes over when I am not staying connected to God. I know that in order to be the wife, mother, and woman that I want to be, I *MUST* take time for me.

Any suggestions out there? I'd love to hear how you deal with making time for yourself in the midst of a busy family life.

Potty Training Success

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Friday morning, my nieces came over to do crafts. I started making a potty sticker chart and told Ladybug what I was making. She said she had to go potty. So we went and sat on the potty, and she pee'd!!!! I think she surprised herself because she stopped then had to start again. Only the 2nd time I've had her sit on the potty.

And she did the same thing on Saturday after playing outside. We came in she said she had to go potty, and she did! So proud of my girl!

My Toddler's Nutrition - Dairy

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:06:00 +0000

We had a great Twitter discussion this week led by Dr. Joanna Dolgoff who specializes in childhood obesity. This is a recap of the discussion, with points that specifically apply to my toddler.

Dr. Dolgoff shared some interesting facts regarding recommended daily allowances of dairy for kids. "Toddlers (age 1-3) need about 500 mg calcium each day (amount in 2 glasses milk). Kids age 4-8 require about 800 mg calcium (amount in 3 glasses of milk). Kids age 9-18 need about 1300 mg calcium (amount in 4 glasses of milk). This increased level is important during puberty."

Because Ladybug still nurses, we have not introduced cow's milk. But I know that weaning her will come soon. I asked Dr. Dolgoff her recommendation regarding whole milk vs. skim milk for kids. She said that the AAP recommends skim milk after age 2. That was new info to me! But I'm also glad to know that I won't have to buy different milk for Ladybug when she weans, because Hubby and I drink skim milk.

Other than dairy products, there are a lot of other foods that contain calcium. These include: fortified cereal, fortified orange juice, soy products, figs, sardines, tofu, collards, canned salmon, spinach, kale, rhubarb, canned clams, rainbow trout. In our house, we do eat tofu, collards, canned salmon, and spinach.

And of course, Ladybug loves cheese. The only kid I know that doesn't like cheese is my very picky niece. And Dr. Dolgoff recommends only low-fat or fat-free cheese. I'll have to pay closer attention to that.

Some great facts that Dr. Dolgoff shared:

- 8 oz milk has the same amount of calcium as 2 oz of cheese (300 mg)
- 6 oz of yogurt has 225 mg of calcium
- 4 ounces of soft serve ice cream has 120 mg (about1/3 of the calcium in a glass of milk or 2 oz cheese)
- 1/2 cup broccoli has only 35 mg of calcium
- 1 ounce of almonds has 80 mg of calcium
- People who eat diets rich in (LF or FF) dairy products may weigh less and have less body fat

And most amazing to me was the list of diseases that a diet high in low-fat and fat-free dairy can help prevent: osteoporosis, colon cancer, breast cancer, obesity, dental cavities, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and decreases total and bad cholesterol levels.

Not only was this motivating to help Ladybug eat well, but for Hubby and I to make sure that we are eating a diet high in low-fat and fat-free dairy foods!

I learned a lot from this week's discussion. Thanks to Dr. Dolgoff for leading our discussions and for sharing such great info!

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Me & My Shadow

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:34:00 +0000

Ladybug, what's so fascinating over there?

Oh, it's your shadow!

Ladybug (2 years old) is really enjoying the discovery of her shadow lately.

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Memory Verse - 2 Corinthians 10:5

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:53:00 +0000

In an effort to not only memorize this verse, but actually hide it in my heart, I am studying several different translations.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ... (ESV)

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)

We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (NLT)

An E-mail from My Sister

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:07:00 +0000

Loved this e-mail that I received from my Sister yesterday. T is my almost 2 month old niece.

... my asst called today to tell me they are starting baby sign language with the babies at daycare next week. So T will get to learn when she starts in August. Uh-oh, we'd better hope Ladybug and T don't use sign language as their "secret cousin language".

Did you have a secret language with siblings, cousins or friends when you were growing up?

Top Ten Ways to Eat Cucumbers

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:18:00 +0000

Since I am having such a bounty from my 5 cucumbers plants (in containers!), here are some ways that we are or will be putting this harvest to use:

1. Sliced, plain or with a little bit of salt

2. In pasta salad

3. In sandwiches

4. Gurkensalat (recipe from Frugal Upstate)

5. Fire and Ice Salad (recipe from Southern Plate)

6. Cucumber salsa - haven't made this yet, but it sounds great! (hat tip to Mom2TwoVikings)

7. Cucumber granita (sorbet) - haven't made this yet either, but it sounds so refreshing!

8. Cucumber dill dip - my mother-in-law makes this and it's wonderful!

9. Cucumber lemondade - add a pureed cuke to your lemonade, serve over ice - ahhhh!

10. Cucumber marmalde - this sounds really interesting! I am definitely going to have to try this!

Notice that I didn't even include those little cucumber tea sandwiches? Ugh. I hate white bread!

Did you know that cucumbers are technically a fruit (just like tomatoes are also a fruit)? They are the fertilized, mature reproductive part of the flower, which in the science world, makes them a fruit. Learn something new every day, don't you?

Respectifully submitted for:

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Where Has God Walked?

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:09:00 +0000

The Old Testament reading for this Sunday was from Job. Have you read much of the book of Job? It's great reading.

After Job's friends tell him to get over his problems, Job still will not blame God for his hardships. His attitude isn't right though, so God reprimands him in quite a humbling way.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:

"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,: I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?: Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements-- surely you know!: Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,: or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together: and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
"Or who shut in the sea with doors: when it burst out from the womb? --
when I made the clouds its garment,: and thick darkness its swaddling band,
and prescribed bounds for it,: and set bars and doors,
and said, `Thus far shall you come, and no farther,: and here shall your proud waves be stopped'?
"Have you entered into the springs of the sea,: or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been revealed to you,: or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?: Declare, if you know all this."
Job 38:1-11,16-18

I admit that my mind began to wonder a bit after I heard these words read. Imagine the places that God has walked. He knows every stone and pebble, both on the surface of the earth and under the earth. He knows every tree, every leaf, every flower, and every seed. He knows every drop of water.

For me, the mind boggling revelation as I listened to this passage was that in addition to God knowing all of Creation, He knows each one of us. He knows us so well that He can number the hairs on His head. His knowledge about His Creation is infinite!

And the fact that He knows everything about everything here on this earth AND still has the capacity to love and care for us is amazing to me. God's love truly is amazing!

Catching Up

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:13:00 +0000

It's been a very busy week. Heck, it's been a busy month. Not like May was chaotic, but June has kept us busy!

We've been doing a lot of swimming. Ladybug is doing really well with dog paddling. She has a swimsuit with a flotation device built in. It keeps her afloat, but not always upright. So I keep my hands on her waist to help her with balance. She loves swimming!

I harvested my first cucumbers from my garden this week!
We've had them for snacks, in pasta salad, and in pita sandwiches. I attempted homemade pitas for the first time, and they didn't turn out as I was expecting. I went back and re-read the instructions and read a couple of tips to help them have a pocket in the center. But I don't think my oven got hot enough, because they were still a bit doughy. They were more like flatbread sandwiches. We stuffed them with grilled chicken, lettuce, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, and cheese. And then after that healthy meal, we went out for ice cream!

Hubby's schedule continues to be a challenge. Between working and his internship, he has several longs days every week. Which means we only see him for about an hour on those days. Not fun for him or us. Ladybug and I miss him on those days!

I've noticed something interesting with Ladybug's naps lately. She used to be down for a nap by 12noon, sometimes later. But now she doesn't want to nap until sometimes 2:00! And she's napping for 1.5 hrs, instead of just an hour. Some other moms on Twitter confirmed that their kiddos did some adjusting with their naps around 2 years old. So I'm glad to know it's sort of normal.

But my dilemma comes in that she is napping later in the day which affects bedtime. As in she doesn't fall asleep until closer to 8:30 instead of 7:30. On days that Hubby is home, it's not a huge deal, because he's able to help her run off some energy. But when it's just me, I am ready for her to be in bed and asleep by 7:30. Those are long days for me and I'm worn out!

Parents, did your kiddos adjust their naptime? If they nap later in the day, how do you deal with bedtime? I'd love to hear what has worked for you!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! And Happy Father's Day to all you wonderful Dads out there!

Caption This

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:54:00 +0000

This picture deserves a great caption, but I'm at a loss! I had jeans drying on the rack, and when I took them off, here I see these two sheep. A certain toddler put them there.

So what do you think?

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Tackle It Tuesday

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:38:00 +0000

This is the first time I have blogged about a project that I have tackled. This particular project has plagued me for some time, so I had to take before and after pictures just so I could remember this brainstorm that I had!

Before Ladybug (2 years old) became mobile, we bought a new entertainment cabinet with doors, in hopes that when she became mobile, she wouldn't be able to get into it. Yeah right. Anyone with kids knows that they are able to figure out the most complex problems at a very young age.

Not only did Ladybug figure out early how to open the cabinet, but she loved to push buttons (still does!), so when the cabinet was open for TV viewing, we were constantly saying "no touch!" The solution to that became to move the components (DVD player, stereo system, etc) to the top of the cabinet. Not very pretty, but it worked. So we stored our DVDs in the bottom area where the components used to be.The Ladybug developed the curiosity of a cat and had to figure out these DVD things. She quickly became an expert at opening the cases, popping out the disc, removing the paper cover, and ripping the plastic sleeve.

Now, I am not usually uptight about "things." If she rips a few DVD sleeves, who cares? But then she broke a disc. This girl is a hulk; she is freakishly strong for a 2 year old.

All of that preamble to present the problem. Here are the before pictures of our TV cabinet and her toy area that is next to it.
I got the brilliant brainstorm of removing the DVDs from the lower portion (black hole, I like to call it), and filling that area with her books, or at least some of her books.

Voila!She has her own little reading nook. It makes the toy area a bit neater. I don't have to worry about her ripping apart DVDs anymore. And the DVDs are now living in a box behind the couch. They're safe. Until she develops super-human strength and begins to lift furniture.

Thanks for stopping by to check out my tackle! For more tackles, don't forget to visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

A Tongue in Cheek Look at Cheeks (and other body parts)

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:33:00 +0000

It's summertime. Time for lots of fun outdoor activities that include water. Time to be grossed out because someone's idea of modest is very different from mine own.

I am amazed, really, that some people think that what they are wearing is flattering. Men and women. I am guessing that the people who truly do not care what others think of them is a rather small number. So if most people do care what others think of them, why do they dress in such immodest and unflattering "clothes?"

Let's start with bikinis. There are lots of reasons to dislike them, from both the viewer's and wearer's perspective. Not that I have any recent experience, as a wearer of a bikini, I would think that the fabric that lodges itself between the butt cheeks would be a tad uncomfortable. And having to remove it often would be a tad bit embarrassing. Not to mention having to wax and/or shave in so many places would get a bit tedious to me.

And the bikini top? There are two extremes. Some women have nothing up there that helps hold the bikini top in place. Then there are others who have so much that there isn't enough fabric to cover everything. If I were to choose a bikini (which won't be anytime soon), I would want at least the same amount of coverage that my underwear provides for me.

Let's not leave the men out of this discussion. You don't realize it until swim suit season, but clothes cover a multitude of sins, including the indulgence of too much beer in one's younger years. Wow. There are a lot of beer bellies out there. Men, when you choose a swim suit, please make sure that it stays secure under that belly of yours. Don't try to tie the drawstring around your belly, because we all know that you have no waist that might prevent your swim trunks from slipping too far down. I really DO.NOT. want to see certain parts of male anatomy from behind. If ya know what I mean.

Now, I could go into all the moral and Biblical reasons for modesty. But that's not what this post is about. This is my attempt at a fun public service announcement. Ladies and Gents, please do a couple of things before you decide to buy a new swim suit.

First, look in the mirror! If the suit doesn't cover parts when it's dry, do you really think that it will cover them when wet?

Second, I think it should be mandatory in retail stores that sell swim suits that there be a trick mirror that simulates the wet look, i.e. the way your suit will look upon emerging from the pool or surf.

And third, when in doubt, ask a friend if they would be seen with you if you were to wear that particular swim suit in public. I think we might actually be embarrassing our friends more than ourselves when we wear unflattering swim wear.

So consider this your friendly public service announcement. Friends don't let friends wear bad swim suits.

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

Tires Tire Me Out

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:09:00 +0000

I have a love-hate relationship with vehicle tires. I learned how to change a tire in Driver's Ed, way back in the dark ages, but never had to apply that knowledge. Until 1994. Thus began our torrid affair.

It was a late winter/early spring weekend, and a college friend and I were driving on a rural stretch of highway en route to visit a potential grad school. It was raining cats and dogs. I was driving my 1992 Plymouth Sundance. Suddenly, I heard a loud POP and I started having a hard time keeping the car in one lane.

I pulled over on this lonely stretch of highway and discovered that I had a tire blow out. And it was raining cats and dogs. I get the owner's manual out and refresh my memory on changing the tire. I formulate a plan to get the spare out of the trunk and get the tire changed in the least amount of time. We get the job done, got soaked to the bone, and I skinned my knuckles pretty bad in the process.

Next step was to find a service station that could fix my tire, since the spare was only a donut and wouldn't be able to handle the rest of the trip. Easier said than done on a Sunday afternoon in rural northern Kentucky.

To make a long story short, we finally found a service station, got the tire fixed, and continued on our merry way. (A piece of road debris had pierced the tire.) Then I continued to have random weird tire troubles.

Another flat tire caused by driving in the grass at the campground. Random flat tire driving around town. And the time someone clipped my truck and broke the tire rim. Don't even get me started about the flat tire on Hubby's jeep when we were at Storm-thus 2002. (That was a definte bounding experience in our courtship.) And in the last five years, we seem to have vehicles with tires that continually have issues.

Our current mini-van has had two tires with issues. The current issue is causing me to get air about twice a week. Hubby tried fix-a-flat. Now it's time to take it to a service station and get the stupid thing fixed.

I know there are worse problems that I could have. But c'mon. I'm really tired of having tire issues.

Photo Credit: stock.xchng

I Love My Garden

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:33:00 +0000

My garden is one of my favorite places. It has taken me a few years to adjust to living in the South and learn what plants work here. Finally, I am seeing success! Also, I branched out and have 3 tomato plants and 5 cucumber plants this year. I don't have a good space for a vegetable garden, so the veggies are hanging out in the flower garden. (ah, suburban living!)

I love being able to sit on my front porch in the early morning or after Ladybug (2 years old) goes to bed. The peace and quiet is amazingly refreshing!

I thought I would share my garden with you today!

Several of my day lilies - I just love the color variations
My cucumbers

My tomatoes are in topsy turvy growers (this was taken a few weeks ago, so they are much bigger now!)And we call this "Susie's Garden" in memory of our first daughter. Another reason to love hanging out in this space!

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What I've Learned This Week

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:07:00 +0000

Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife hosts a fun weekly carnival called "What I've Learned This Week." I learned a couple of things that I thought I would share with y'all.

First, I learned that Ladybug is at the stage of talking that not even Mama understands everything she says. She has gained so many words in the past few weeks, but her pronunciation is still unclear, that I have to do a guessing game with her sometimes. Even with the signs that she knows, sometimes it takes a while for me to understand what she is saying. (I feel like a horrible mother for not being able to understand my child, but that's another post.)

Case in point, on Friday Ladybug looked at me and said, "Chaw!" It was snack time so I thought she was asking for chocolate for snack. I said, "No, we can't have chocolate for snack." I get a quizzical look in response. Okay, that's not what she was saying. I said, "Chair? Are you saying chair?" Her looks becomes even more confused, bordering on frustration. Finally, I look around and see her Lamb Chop sitting next to me. Ah! She was saying "Chop" for Lamb Chop!

Not even Mamas can understand their toddler 100% of the time!

Second thing I learned this week is that deodorant is most effective when you actually apply to your skin. Seems that I've been a bit distracted lately. I was wondering why I was a bit stinky...

Aren't you glad the internet doesn't come with a smell-ernet feature? I'm just saying....

Co-Sleeping Update

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:36:00 +0000

I know that I have mentioned before that we are co-sleepers. If you had asked me 2 years and 1 week ago if we would share our bed with our child, I would have said no. But co-sleeping has become a part of parenting that I enjoy.

First, even though we are sleeping, it's time together as a family. With Hubby in grad school plus working, Ladybug and I don't get to see much of him some days. Especially now that he has started his (unpaid) internship. He has several 12+ hour days each week.

Second, it allows us to get more sleep. Ladybug has been night weaned for well over a year, so she doesn't wake to nurse. But she can be a restless sleeper and if she wakes up in the middle of the night, we are right there to soothe her back to sleep without having to get up.

As much as I love to snuggle with my girlie on the nights when Hubby is either working late or studying, she getting a little big to be sharing our queen size bed with us.

We took down the crib a while ago. We had only been using it for containment purposes anyway, and Ladybug learned how to climb out of it. In its place, we have been using the pack-n-play for times when LB needs to be contained, like when I need to shower and Hubby is not home.

We moved the crib mattress into our bedroom and have been telling LB that it is her bed. She played on it some, took one nap on it, then wanted nothing to do with it. That was several months ago. So we leaned the crib mattress up against the bookshelf so that no one would trip on it (not that anyone did, and not that anyone had a large bruise on her face because of tripping and falling).

Just this week (after her godmother asked how the sleeping was going), Ladybug wanted to play on her bed again. Every night this week, she has started out sleeping (willingly!) in her own bed and stayed there for a few hours. She has also taken her naps this week on her own bed.

So we are making progress! I do love snuggling with Ladybug and having her close, but I also look forward to not being a contortionist while I try to sleep! My back and neck looks forward to that too!

Once Ladybug begins sleeping all night on her own mattress, we'll look into getting her a "big girl" bed for her room.

Link Round-Up

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:32:00 +0000

It's been a rough week around here. So I'm sharing links to some things that I've been reading lately.

Shampoo-Free: How and Why at Sorta Crunchy (I'm considering going 'poo free)

Kid Friendly Snacks at Snack Snoop (hat tip Kidfoodie)

12 Clever Ways to Reuse Coffee Grounds

Watermelon Pops

Wholesome Toddler Food (hat tip Amber)

Homemade Frozen Fruit Sorbet (I made this for Ladybug's birthday!)

Birthday Girl

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:10:00 +0000

Sunday was Ladybug's 2nd birthday. We had family over for some fun, good food, cake, and presents. I didn't get as many pictures as I would like due to 1) LB jumping in the wading pool with her clothes while Hubby was "in charge;" 2) a regular (non-swim) diaper exploding due to #1; 3) trying to keep LB from falling too much on the slip-n-slide; 4) then having to wrangle a wet toddler into the house and into dry clothes so that we could eat dinner; and 5) trying to keep said toddler inside the house when she wanted to play in the water.

Anyway, here are a few pictures that I did get.

The Bumblebee Cake that I made

Enjoying her new wading pool with slide from Grandma & Grandpa

Wordful Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday HQ
5 Minutes for Mom

Tiny Talk Tuesday

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:21:00 +0000

Some cute things that Ladybug (now 2 years old!) has been saying:

Ladybug loves to play with her Little People animals, and she received the Noah's Ark set for her birthday. She knows all the names and signs for the animals, but there is just one that she cannot saying quite right. She says, "Fir-affe" instead of giraffe - so cute!

Ladybug makes associations now, and I love to see how her mind works. I often say, "It's dirty" and "It's yucky" to refer to the same thing. So now if I say "yucky" she says "dirty" and vice versa.

And she is also associating similar sounding words. She knows "hurt" from the signing that we do. We were reading a book and the word "heart" came up. She looked at me and said/signed, "hurt?" I said, "No, it's heart. Sounds like hurt, but different. Heart." And I signed "heart" while saying that. Now she will say/sign "heart" as well!

Ladybug also loves to make animal sounds. Currently, when she says, "woof woof," it sounds more like "whoa whoa!" I love it!
I know there are more, but that's all I am remembering this morning. For more Tiny Talk Tuesday, visit Mary at Not Before 7.

Happy Birthday, Ladybug!!

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Sun, 31 May 2009 10:38:00 +0000

Can't believe my beautiful Ladybug is 2 years old today! She's growing into such a beautiful girl, and I love to see her personality shine more and more each day. She is definitely becoming her own little person. Even thought she shows lots of toddler tendencies which can drive her Mama crazy, she is a blessing to us. God reminds me daily how truly blessed we are. And I am so incredibly thankful that this little bundle of joy came into our lives at 8:28 am on May 31st, 2007.

Potty Training a Toddler

pinkcadillac04@yahoo.com (Heather @ Not a DIY Life) — Fri, 29 May 2009 09:39:00 +0000

I have to admit, potty training is not something that I am eagerly anticipating. I don't mind changing diapers so much (except when Ladybug soils a freshly changed diaper resulting in two diaper changes within five minutes). I do look forward to the day when the only bottom I have to wipe is my own.

I've been seriously thinking about using cloth training pants rather than disposables for potty training. A lot of parent opinions that I've read dislike the disposables because they feel too much like a diaper. But I like the idea that a cloth trainer would give more protection than regular underwear. One mom I spoke with agreed with this as well.

When Ladybug was born, I was totally intimidated by the idea of using cloth diapers. Now that I have done some research, I wish I hadn't been so intimidated. I'm really sick of using the disposables! For environment and financial reasons.

Gerber, of course, is the mostly widely available cloth trainer. The drawback with the Gerbers is that they only go up to 39 lbs. Considering that my almost 2-year old is as big as most 3 year olds, this is a serious drawback for us.

Most cloth diaper brands also make cloth trainers. They are a bit more pricey. They do come in larger sizes however.

A benefit of a cloth trainer that I like is that while it will provide a bit of protection for my carpet and furniture, Ladybug will feel the wet/soiled cloth and want to do something about it. As in, not want to stay in them! Even if she has an accident in the cloth training pants, it helps her to learn the physical cues of independent pottying.

The Dr. Sears website has great information on potty training in general.

It's difficult not to worry that Ladybug is already behind other kids in potty training. However, since this is a developmental milestone, all kids reach them at their own pace. Ladybug is definitely showing interest in things potty-related. So my hope is that this summer we can conquer this task. I don't want to be in a hurry or try to push a time schedule that she isn't ready for.

I'd love to hear your experiences with potty training - the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Photo credit: stock.xchng