The Cloth Diaper Adventurer

The Playground Project

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:02:00 +0000

I have recently become aware of how much time my boys spend indoors. Not only that, but how much time they spend watching tv and movies and playing video games. For those who don't know or couldn't guess, based on what I've already said, they spend a lot of time indoors in front of the television.

How did this happen? I mean, I know that so much "tube time" isn't good for anyone, let alone young, growing children. I know that they need to be playing, often outside, a lot! The truth is that I let my guard down and tv time snuck in. I often used it as a babysitter and allowed the boys almost unlimited access to its special brand of hypnosis. PBS, Netflix, and Wii games became as common as food around here, and I know that isn't a good thing.

In fact, according to this site, TV viewing can contribute to all kinds of problems from obesity, health problems, and sleep disturbances to violence, poor grades in school-aged children, and increased use of alcohol and drugs as children get older.

And according to this article, a lack of free play can contribute to anxiety, depression and short attention spans in children. In contrast, free play time helps children gain decision making, problem solving, and self-control skills. It helps them learn how to handle emotions and get along with others.

OK, I know my kids need less screen time and more play time and in an attempt to get just that I intend to start a 30 day experiment I am calling, "The Playground Project." For 30 days I intend to
get my children playing for at least an hour a day. I'm not too particular on where they play, as long as it is not at home where TV will be a temptation. We will probably try some new places and rainy or particularly cold days may merit a trip to the mall's indoor play area or a fast food restaurant's play area, but I'm going to try to get us all outdoors if possible and practical each day. It helps that there is not one but TWO playgrounds right next door to our apartment!

I hope to blog about this expiriment at least weekly. Lets see how free play time changes our family over the next month! Please, any readers who have children, feel free to take the challenge also! It can mean only good things for you and your kids!

Wordless Wednesday- What we've been up to

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:30:00 +0000

I found my first ever four leaf clover- and within two weeks after that I have found 6 more four leaf clovers and a 7 leaf clover.
Playing at their favorite indoor play area... Chick-fil-a.
We dyed eggs for Easter. It was interesting with a 2 and three year old and a table with wheels on it, but we didn't have any major disasters... and I learned a better way to hard boil an egg! (More on that later!)
Playing at the playground! The school next door has a playground that we usually only get access to in the evenings and in the summer, but last week was Spring Break so we spent a lot of time at the playground.

On Coffee and Housework and Hopes and Dreams.

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I haven't always been a regular coffee drinker. I've liked coffee for as long as I can remember, but I preferred to drink it at night. Recently I decided to try making coffee a part of my morning routine. Boy has it made a difference! I seem to stay focused and on task much easier, not to mention that I seem to feel generally happier. I realized a couple of weeks into this routine that things were getting done that I had always wanted to get to. Our little apartment is slowly being decluttered and various things are getting cleaned off and cleaned up and it's becoming a much easier place to live in. Is the coffee the culprit? I think so.

But not only is the apartment coming together- I'm also spending more time with the kids. Before, I would sit down to play with them or teach them something and I would find myself in another room doing something else and realize that I really hadn't spent any time with them. So not only am I getting more accomplished, I'm spending more time with my family at the same time. Who knew that was possible?

All because of what many would call an "unhealthy" habit. Maybe it is unhealthy for some, but if it can increase my quality of life and that of my family's THIS much, I'll take the potential health risks!

Beyond that, I've also been buckling down financially. I've been dreaming of what is to come for our family. More than dreaming, actually. I've been planning. And paying.

I finally signed up for the doula workshop that will be held in Nashville this June. I'm so excited! And a little nervous. Who wouldn't be? I imagine it as some grand weekend summit with a ton of information thrown at me... and then... then I need to attend three births (but I may have to attend as many as 12) in order to get certified. I'm equally excited and nervous about this prospect.

Why excited? Because this is my passion! Because I love pregnancy, birth, and newborns!

Why nervous? First, it is a little intimidating to do much of anything the first time or 10 (depending on what it is). Second, every birth is different, so I necessarily go into it with only a vague sense of what to expect. Third, I only have 2 years to attend the three births I need and there are rules on those 3 births that make them slightly difficult to get (this is the reason I say that I may have to attend as many as 12... the odds are that out of 12 births at least 3 will qualify). Fourth, because there is that little part of me that dreads the potential day I'm supporting a family as it is discovered that their child has a serious birth defect. And the potential day that I'm supporting a family as their child is stillborn. Or that I'm supporting a family when serious complications threaten a mother's life.

These things are rare. I'm not overly concerned about them, but I am aware that these are potential things that I could witness and support families through... and they are things that I wish NO family (not few families) ever had to go through.

I'm praying that this certification process goes smoothly and quickly, that I'm able to find plenty of clients both before and after certification and that I will be the best doula I can be!

Much thanks to friends and family who believe in me... even when I sometimes don't believe in myself.

Support a Musician!

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:36:00 +0000

Hey readers! Let me encourage you to go support my friend Seth on Kickstarter.com! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ahorseandhisboy/a-horse-and-his-boy-this-pilgrim-way

He is quite a musician and he is working on an album, but he needs the funds to be able to pull it off. He's raised almost enough money to do it, but he could use some help, and, if there are extra funds collected I'm sure that it will be put to good use during production!

Something to ADD...

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:07:00 +0000

Confession time: I've known for quite some time that I probably had a condition know as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder, also commonly called ADHD for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). I've never been formally diagnosed but I lived with symptoms all through my childhood. It wasn't until my mom was reading a book on the topic (while trying to "diagnose" my brother) that she realized that I had symptoms of the disorder and had had them for a very long time. I was a senior in high school at the time.

Fast Forward to today (nearly 11 years since I graduated high school): I'm a wife, mother, and aspiring doula. Until recently I never fully appreciated the effect that ADD had on my present day life. Most people assume that ADD is something you grow out of... something that adults don't usually have to deal with. I guess I assumed the same thing, but it simply isn't true.

And there's something to this disorder. In school children the main goal of treatment is usually to get them through school. Help them focus enough to keep grades up, not interrupt the teacher, stay in their seat, etc. But what about adults? I think the reason most of us assume that ADD something adults don't have to deal with is because it is often referred to as a learning disorder. But it is so much more than that.

I often find myself trailing off in conversations and "come back" to them completely unaware of what was said. For this reason I often miss out on important details.

I have trouble remembering to do things... sometimes important things. And will forget until the day of that we're having dinner with someone that night. Sometimes I don't remember until an hour or two before. Sometimes not until I am reminded.

There's a lack of urgency on things that would otherwise be urgent. I heard someone explain it like this: It is a surprise every November when you start seeing Christmas items in stores and people start shopping for Christmas presents. It may never occur to an ADD person that it is time to put up decorations or start buying Christmas presents because Christmas is still so far away. There has to be something that triggers you to think that it is coming soon. For some it may be the deadline for having Christmas presents shipped. For others it may be a Christmas party. But it takes that trigger to make you realize that it IS in fact Christmas time. For me, it's things like needing to take items to a family dinner. I don't think to ask ahead of time because it still seems so far away... it isn't until the day of that I think, "Oh, we're having dinner at ___'s house tonight! Maybe I should ask if I should bring something." I'm told that for many without ADD it is annoying to have someone wait until the last minute like that. It is more than procrastination (something I also struggle with) but I'm not sure I have the capacity to explain it well.

I still find it difficult to complete tasks without getting sidetracked. It goes like this: "I'm going to unload the dishwasher." 1 hour later after walking into the kitchen for a glass of water, "Oh, I only unloaded most of the top of the dishwasher." What I did during that hour is anyone's guess. Sometimes it's other housework bits and pieces. On a really bad day I'll get the bed half made, the dishwasher half unloaded, the bathroom sink wiped off, and about 3 items of clean, dry clothing folded. I never think to myself, "Oh, this is boring, I'm going to go do something else now." It just happens.

And it affects my parenting skills. I have a strong desire to spend time playing with my children, but when I get down in the floor with them with the best of intentions, I will find myself back at the computer, or working on housework, or reading a book, or snacking, or cutting coupons or doing headstands (not really).

I have a hard time following through and being consistent on things (as I discussed earlier) like discipline. I'm normally a fairly patient person, but I can only put a child back to bed so many times before I kind of "flip out." Time outs are as excruciating for me as they are for the kids. Sometimes I'll forget we are in the middle of one. Yes, I use a timer and yes they are relatively short time outs, but I still forget sometimes.

These are only a few examples. But the question is what do I do about it? My brain is obviously wired differently, and how do I cope. Sure, I could put out the money and time to be formally diagnosed and then buy drugs in an attempt to control it, but I don't like that option.

Some things are easier for me to come up with creative solutions to than others. When it comes to having dinners at someone else's house I have options. I can ask the usual host to just tell me each week what to bring. I could ask my husband to ask (if he remembers. His excuse? He's male.) ;-) I could set a reminder on my phone each week to ask a few days in advance.

But what do I do about spending time with my kids? What do I do about getting them to sleep in the same room without losing my (usually mild) temper? What do I do about days when I just can't seem to get anything done that I need to get done?

It is frustrating.... and worrisome sometimes. I don't want it to use this as an excuse, but sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between an excuse and a reason. And the truth is, I'm honestly looking for solutions. I'm looking for different ways to do things. Ways that will work for me.

And I'm looking for natural "cures," like coffee. I can't think of a yummier way to treat anything! But sometimes I feel like the coffee really works, and sometimes I don't notice much difference. Of course, I don't use the coffee daily and that may make a difference.

I wonder if any of this sounds familiar to any of my readers and if any of you have found non-drug ways to cope. Speak up if you have!

A Method to the Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:30:00 +0000

I've never been very organized. Don't get me wrong I can organize. As a child I would occasionally organize books on my bookshelf. As a teen I would occasionally organize my closet, or my dresser drawers, my room, etc.. The problem is staying organized. And routine has never been a close friend of mine. Obviously this shows in my home, my purse and my car most of the time.

I have kids now. Organization has started to become a necessity. I find myself craving the sanity it can bring to my life, but it always seems so difficult to implement... and maintain. I find myself doing the madwoman cleaning binge every now and again... usually when company is due, but recently I have discovered methods that are working for me. Methods that are helping me keep my home more presentable, more sane, and more liveable.

I'm working in routines. Sometimes they are tedious. Sometimes they are just flat boring. But I'm doing what any good adventurer does and persevering. In books and movies you never see what the adventurers are doing probably most of the time. For example, the best I can tell the Lord of the Rings trilogy shows us what happens over a period of 3 years (though I've seen argument that it spans more like 21 years: http://preview.tinyurl.com/8459jbs). Yet you can watch the entire trilogy in just under 11 and a half hours (according to wikipedia). What don't you see? Well sure, they have to cut out some of the adventure just to make it a reasonable watching length, but you also don't see a lot of boring stuff. Routine. Walking and walking and walking. Sleeping. Cooking. Eating. Resting. But you know all of that stuff had to happen to get them to all the big adventurous plot twists and turns.

So, for now, I'm working on all the boring stuff so that our adventures can be more fun! An impromptu wrestling match in the living room floor is much more fun when there aren't toys scattered all over the living room, after all. And it's fun to have friends over to play without having to do a mad dash through the apartment to clean it first. And maybe it's not fun but it is certainly a lot easier to go check on your kids at night, or comfort a crying child, or even sleep on the floor of their room occasionally when you don't have to worry about stepping, sitting or laying on toys. OUCH!

And that is kind of where it started to click for me. There had to be a solution. We don't have a room that can be used as a play room, so that wasn't an option. We had already gotten tired of having all the toys in our living room, so that wasn't an option anymore. So I got creative (we sorta). I got three large bins with lids (that the boys have not yet figured out how to remove) and I organized. I got rid of toys they didn't play with anymore. I put all of the cars and trucks and other automobiles in a box. I put all of the trains, train tracks, and train cars in another box. I put all of the "other" toys that didn't belong in either category in the third box. Now, when the boys get up in the morning I ask them which box they want to play with. They get ONE box. If they decide that want to play with different toys, that's fine! They just have to put all the other toys away first. Before naptime AND before bedtime we clean up the toys that are out (which is less of a big deal since only one type of toy is out in the first place) and put the lid on the box. Voila! One less bedtime struggle! Since there are no toys out I don't have to worry about them playing with toys all through naptime/nighttime! And if I need to go in there for some reason there are no toys in the floor to worry about.

Now, every once in a while I let them have two boxes open at once. Usually the cars and trains. Then, when it's time to clean up we also get to work on sorting. And you know what one really big bonus is? Their Sunday School teachers are always bragging about how well my kids clean up when it's time. Picture me, one beaming Mama!

Now it's finally starting to catch on in my brain. I'm getting routines down in the rest of our place. I'm getting dishes done on a daily basis (never before have I done this... yeah... I know). I'm doing at least a load of laundry every day that I'm home. I'm making my bed every day. There just isn't a feeling quite like climbing into a made bed at the end of the day. I'm even "cleaning" my bathroom daily. And all of this doesn't take long at all. It's all very simple and relatively quick, but it keeps me from having a chaotic and messy home.

We'll get there. And hopefully I'll be able to help my children learn to be a little more organized than their mother has historically been!

Laundry soap adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:17:00 +0000

I've been intrigued for a while in making my own household cleaners. For quite some time we've been using a spray bottle of vinegar as an all purpose cleaner and also using vinegar as fabric softener. I'd finally heard so much on Pinterest about making your own laundry detergent that I decided to try it. I read many, many, many recipes and found that they are all mostly the same with a few added ingredients in some of them. After all of my reading I made a trip to the store and made my own. I'm a week into using my own laundry detergent and I must say I am very pleased! I've even used it on a particularly messy batch of cloth diapers and it works like a charm! I'm hooked! It's healthier for my family and the environment and cheaper (over the long haul) than store bought detergents also. The ingredients cost me about $20 up front, but they will last me so long that I can't even imagine the cost savings!

Ok, enough about me, here is the recipe I used. I will double it next time, but wanted to make a smaller batch to try it out first.

1/2 bar of ivory soap (everything I read says to use any soap you like. Ivory is cheap so I bought it)
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup WASHING soda
1/2 cup BAKING soda

Step 1: Grate soap.
Step 2: Put all ingredients in blender and blend. (be careful, I blended too fast for too long and it made the mixture get warm, which slightly melted the soap and made my powder lumpy)
Step 3: Use 1 Tablespoon per load of laundry.

That's it. Easy, right? You can apparently also make this a liquid by melting the soap in boiling water and adding all ingredients plus the melted soap water to a couple if gallins of water. Then you would use 1/2 to 1 whole cup of detergent to each load.
I've always used liquid detergent, but just didn't want the hassle of making it a liquid. And I'm actually a little surprised at how well this homemade detergent is working! I love it! You ought to try it!

Doula-ing

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:45:00 +0000

As of a couple of weeks ago I am officially a member of DONA, the organization I hope to become a certified doula through. It may seem like a small step, but to me it is huge. I'm so ready to move forward with this! I'm so ready to be certified and be "doula-ing" for families as a certified doula.

Yes, I'm already accepting clients, but being certified is kind of the dream for me. First, I'll be more marketable which means more clients, but I'll also be more comfortable charging more which means more money. Right now I need experience and people aren't willing to hire an inexperienced, uncertified doula for as much money as they would spend on an experienced certified doula. It makes perfect sense, and I don't blame them. I'm just ready to be in the latter category.

I actually now have a client (I think) who is a friend and former coworker. She is about 18 weeks pregnant right now, so we have a while to go before birth day. I'm really excited about it! With her permission I may post more about it later.

The next step is to get my "packet." It's only a cost of about $35, and I plan to purchase it with some of my Christmas money, but the clock starts ticking once I get it. I believe I have 2 years at that point to get all of my classes done, get all of my certifying births done and get it turned in... and the real expense is in the classes/workshops. It looks like there is one in my area in June that would at least cut out the travel expense.

The biggest adventure in all of it is child care. I love being a stay-at-home mom, and in some ways it affords me the flexibility to be able to be a doula, but child care is difficult. Especially as an uncertified doula. As I mentioned before, I don't get paid much to be a doula at this point (which is fine, really. I love just being there. It is amazing and brings tears to my eyes every time I witness a baby being born), and that means that I don't have much money to pay a sitter. Most of my sitters are friends and family and most of them work days... which leaves me in a bind if I need to be with a client during the day.

I suppose like everything else we will make it work. Of course, if anyone has suggestions I am very open to them!

Too long.

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:53:00 +0000

It's been too long. I'm still adventuring and we're still in cloth diapers... hopefully not for long though. Baby 1 is potty trained of course (he's 3 now), but Baby 2... well... he's ready. He's 2 1/4 and he's been ready for at least the past 6 months. At first I wasn't ready. For the past few months I've been ready as well, but trying to potty train him with Baby 1 underfoot has proved difficult. I like the 3 day method that my friend, Kari, used with Baby 1, (yes, she is a GREAT friend) but it requires locking the potty training baby and myself in the bathroom for the better part of a day... and we have one, very tiny bathroom. That means that having Baby 1, Baby 2 AND myself in there is a tight squeeze, to say the least, but I dare not leave Baby 1 unattended.

One solution to this problem is to have Baby 1 stay with someone else for a few days. I've already talked with my MIL (mother-in-law) about this as she often has long weekends (and she is so wonderful! She often keeps the kids for us), but the timing has just never come out right. And when I think about my weekend schedule for the next few weeks it doesn't make me hopeful for the timing to come out right any time in the near future.

Today is my hubby's 31st birthday (Holy cow! One of us is OVER 30!). This weekend we will be celebrating his birthday with friends. My father-in-law and his wife will be keeping the kids for us (which I think will be so much fun for the kids! And I think my FIL and SMIL (step-mother-in-law) will have fun too, though they may be ready for a good long nap after we pick the kids up. All in all it should be fun weekend for all of us, but not a good weekend for potty training.

Next weekend I'm hoping to make a long overdue visit to my grandparents in Alabama. Again, it will be a fun weekend for all but not a good weekend for potty training.

The following weekend isn't booked yet as far as I know, but I really hope that we can get pictures done. We are long overdue for getting the boy's pictures made, but every time I've picked a time to go get them done one of us has gotten sick. Really. One of us has been sick since the first week in November. It's crazy, but I've about decided that unless one of us is hospitalized before then we will use the first weekend in February to get our pictures made. We may be pale, have red noses, have a hard time smiling, be grumpy, or even puke on our clothes right before we get the pictures done, but we will have pictures, dang it! But again, that takes several hours out of possible potty training time.

Oh well. I suppose it will happen eventually. I take it as part of the adventure. Eventually we'll beat the time-stealing "monsters" and get this potty training thing done! Meanwhile, Baby 2 gets to sit on the potty (or stand beside it to "pee-pee") anytime he wants to!

And hopefully Mommy will be making it to her blog a little more often too!

Until next time!

Can you stump ChaCha?? - Sponsored Post

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:03:00 +0000

It's hard to stump chacha.com these days!! I'm thinking of becoming a chacha guide! I really love this service!

Rogue Starter Acoustic Guitar - Sponsored Post

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 02:06:00 +0000

Baby One needs this Guitar for Christmas! Can Santa afford it? At this price he just might! http://www.bizrate.com/rd?t=http://tracking.searchmarketing.com/click.asp?aid=458765667&mid=31908&cat_id=521900&atom=10250&prod_id=&oid=1810266330&pos=1&b_id=18&bid_type=3&bamt=2ed49773e33fbc05&rf=af1&af_assettype_id=10&af_creative_id=6&af_id=28405&af_placement_id=1

Cheescake Catastrophe!

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 05:12:00 +0000

It seems like every night this week I've been getting to bed after midnight. I really hate that but all these things keep crowding in either convincing me that it's worth staying up late or just distracting me so I don't know how late it is. I was so excited and convinced that TONIGHT I would be in bed by 10. And yet, here I sit at 11:23pm writing this. Why? I'll tell you.

I decided to make a cheesecake. I've never made a cheesecake before, but today, I went to the store and bought the ingredients. I knew that I would have to wait until the boys were in bed before I attempted such a task. Even the simplest recipes usually have to be saved for nap time or bedtime. So at 8pm I put Baby One to bed and started this exciting endeavor.

Now, for the first hour and a half that I was working on said endeavor I was also putting Baby One back in his bed every 2-5 minutes or so. This probably contributed to some of the following Cheesecake Catastrophes.

Catastrophe #1: I had only 1 cup of Graham cracker crumbs when I needed 1 1/4 cup. Fix #1: I proceeded to substitute the final fifth of the crumbs with Golden Grahams cereal.

Catastrophe #2: Realized that I had misread the measuring bowl and had actually crushed 1 1/4 LITERS of graham crackers and Golden Grahams cereal. Fix #2: I put the remaining crumbs in a Freezer bag and put them back in the graham cracker box to use later (for all the cheesecakes I make).

Catastrophe #3: In trying to melt the chocolate (Oh yes, there is chocolate in this cheesecake) I burnt the chocolate. I've never seen burnt chocolate before. I realized that I didn't know how to work my microwave (which is relatively new). Fix #3: I read the instructions (Oh yes, I did!) and tried melting the other half of the chocolate bar all the while thanking GOD that the bar had TWICE the chocolate I actually needed, thus giving me a second chance.

Catastrophe #4: I realized that I had no idea how to wrap a springform pan in foil to avoid the water bath leaking in. Fix #4: I looked it up online. Found no very useful suggestions and did the best I could. We'll see how it goes. Who knew there was such a thing as a "Leakproof" Springform pan?

Catastrophe #5: Lumps! Horror of horrors there were LUMPS in my batter! I'm hoping the taste is enough to make that forgiveable! Fix #5: Not much of a fix for this one at this point. I didn't put a couple of larger lumps in though.

Catastrophe #6: I put the springform pan with the cheesecake in it in the roasting pan (The only thing I could find that was big enough to put the springform pan in) and went to pour hot water in the roasting pan. I definitely spilled water on top of my cheesecake. The aluminum foil is certainly not going to take care of that one. Fix # 6: Lots and lots and LOTS of paper towels. I stuck just the corners in until I stopped getting water on them and started getting batter. I think it's going to work out all right.

Catastrophe #7: I put the cheesecake in at 11:15 and it's going to take 1 hour and 10 minutes to cook, then, an hour to cool and THEN I can put it in the refrigerator to chill. This means that I am for sure going to be up past midnight AGAIN. Fix #7: Somebody help me! Why do I keep staying up past midnight when I know the babies are going to have me up no later than 7 (and probably more like 6)?

So why am I making a cheesecake? A dear friend of mine is having a birthday soon and I was hoping to surprise her with a cheesecake on Sunday when there will be a gathering at her place. Even with all the catastrophes and one more late night, she is totally, completely worth it.

I'm just hoping for no Catastrophe 8.

The FLYbaby Diaries

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:51:00 +0000

I've started a new blog! I promised I'd tell you about it! Hop on over to The FLYbaby Diaries to learn more about it!

Basically, I "met" a beautiful woman who calls herself FLYlady a long time ago. You can "meet" her too at www.flylady.net. She gave me some useful tools for conquering my clutter and keeping my space tidy and I've done it halfheartedly for some time. Now, I'm committed. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to get done. This diary will follow my progress in this specific endeavor and hopefully encourage others in the process.

Enjoy!

I can't seem to get this updated!

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:36:00 +0000

I know, I know. It's been forever. Problem is, it's been one thing after another keeping me from posting. Our computer was giving us fits for a while. It likes to just turn itself off at random. It really is quite a dinosaur and I guess I can't blame the poor thing for being tired and ready to join the great network in the sky. It still does that some, but not as much (for now). Oh how I wish we could afford a new one, but it will be a while yet before that happens. Here's hoping this one holds out until we get another one!

Then, Hubby and I share said pitiful computer. He uses it for job searching and projects that he's being paid for (and to play on) and I often feel like I can't commandeer it for my own purposes.

AND, lately when I've tried to pull up Blogger it won't pull up correctly so that I can actually post something.

Then there are babies and life and all the other things that keep me busy and unable to get on.

Anyway - I do not intend for this to be a pity party! I just want to explain why it sometimes takes a while for me to update. Now to let you in on what's been going on:

Baby Two's first birthday was on Monday. We had his party on Sunday. I will update with pictures soon if I can. I try to save my pics for a Wordless Wednesday.

I'm still trying to get reading done in pursuit of becoming a doula. I finally sat down with my doula and talked to her to get her advice/encouragement/etc. It was a great meeting and I feel like I have a direction to go in now. She's incredible!

We're currently having trouble with Baby One's Jack-in-the-box syndrome. We put him to bed at night and he just keeps popping up. Sometimes it happens several times in a minute. Usually I try to be stone cold and put him back to bed as many times as it takes, but somewhere around 15 times I usually loose my cool, spat his leg and say, "You must stay in your bed now." Sometimes, believe it or not, that works. It always works for at least 10 minutes and then we have to repeat the process. Next week I have an idea how I'm going to handle it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Southern Savers

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:19:00 +0000

A GREAT place to find GREAT deals, coupons and more! I saved more than $40 on groceries yesterday - up from $30 last time! http://www.southernsavers.com/

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:28:00 +0000

A sleeping Baby Two...

And Baby One after finding a mud puddle that Mama didn't know about.

Wordless Wednesday - The camera phone is broken edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:29:00 +0000

Yes, you read that right. The super-awesome camera phone is broken. It is being replaced but I am without it for a few days and all the pictures I wanted to post are still on it. So today's (nearly) Wordless Wednesday is a blast from the past!

Circa December 2009:Well supervised in a box of packing peanuts.

Circa May 2009: First time feeding himself something other than cereal or crackers.

Circa June 2008: Baby One with jaundice being sat in the window.

Self-sufficient

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:56:00 +0000

Some time ago I wrote about purchasing my domain name through www.GoDaddy.com. Well, for a few weeks now I've been receiving notice that my domain name was up for renewal. I was worried... "Hubby and I are both unemployed," I thought, "I can't afford to renew this now." As it turns out dear readers, thanks to you visiting my blog, sometimes clicking on ads, being twitter followers and sometimes clicking on ads I've placed there, I actually had a little money saved up in my PayPal account! I knew that there was hope! Still, it wasn't quite enough. For a while I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

Finally I decided to try doing some online surveys, and you know what? A couple of weeks later, I had enough money in my PayPal account to pay for my domain name renewal! How exciting! My online identity is becoming self-sufficient!

Thank you for your help!

And if you'd like to get your own domain name...

New Feature!

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Today I will start a new feature on this blog! I'm so excited! It's a feature I've seen on many other blogs and longed to partake in myself. Now that I have a pretty awesome camera phone, I can! Yay!

It's Wordless Wednesday! Enjoy!

Baby One's second birthday was just about a week ago. This first one is the cake I made for his party. It's supposed to be orange and those are m&m's all over it. Yes, Baby One's name is Riley.

This one is Baby Two and our only boy cat, Littles, looking out of our sliding glass door. I think it needs to be a greeting card.

And right after I snapped the first picture of Baby Two and Littles, Littles decided to give Baby Two a kiss. I thought it was too cute! It kinda looks like Littles is telling him a secret.

My Dream House - TADBJ

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:15:00 +0000

Hubby and I talk about this all the time. I could really go into much more detail than any of you would really want to hear! For purposes of this blog entry I'll keep it brief and hit the highlights.

First and foremost we would like a big kitchen. We love to cook and we love to eat. A big kitchen means both get done more easily. Also, big kitchens can be helpful for hosting guests and even family holiday gathering. A big, walk-in pantry is also ideal.

Second, we need enough bedrooms for everyone to have one (including future children) AND an office and a guest bedroom. That comes to a total of 8 bedrooms (if all goes according to plan) and an office.

Outside we need lots of parking space for the guests we will inevitably have over. We love being hospitable but hate showing up to someone's home when they have plenty of room inside for all of their guests but no room outside for all of their guest's cars.

Then we need plenty of outdoor space for a garden or two and a fenced in area for the children to play in.

Okay now - who's buying it for us? LOL!

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noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0000

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Seven Days... TADBJ

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:05:00 +0000

My to-do list for the next seven days: (This ought to be about as good as my daily schedule... beware!)

Tuesday: 1. Go to the county clerks office and try to make some sense out of getting my new-to-me car that I don't even have in my possession yet titled and registered. (LooooooOOoooooong Story) 2. All my normal daily chores. 3. Go sing at Nashville Work Camp.

Wednesday: 1.Start gathering and labeling stuff for a yard sale on Saturday. 2. All my normal daily chores.

3.Hang out with my dear friend Katie.

Thursday: 1. All my normal daily chores. 2. Hubby's singing group is performing at Nashville Work Camp and I will be attending. We will hopefully be hanging out with friends that night as well. 3. I'm hoping to go shopping for Baby One's birthday... we'll see if that happens.

Friday: 1. Last minute prep for the yard sale! I'm super excited about the sale. Less excited about the getting up at "stupid o'clock" in the morning to DO the sale. Shout out to Robin for the terminology! 2. Normal daily chores.

Saturday: 1. YARD SALE!!!! Yay for hopefully making some money! 2. Normal daily chores.

Sunday: 1. Sunday School and Church. 2. Lunch with "Nonna" (My mother-in-law) 3. Sunday afternoon naps... and sex. (See, Hubby? At least it made THIS list) 4. Life group with some of the best people Nashville has to offer.

Monday: 1.Normal daily chores 2. ??? Who know's what may come up by then!

"If I Had a Million Dollars..." TADBJ

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:04:00 +0000

If I won the lottery or otherwise ended up with a bunch of money below is my list of what I would do with it. Yes, I have previously put a lot of thought into it and I would work my way through the following steps until I had purposed all of the money.

1. Give to GOD - (half of the winnings split between my church and a few other charities and/or families in need)

2. Pay off debt

3. Save a year's salary

4. Buy a house

5. Buy a car

6. Invest for retirement.

7. Invest for children's college funds and wedding funds

8. Pay off my parents house.

9. Buy my father-in-law a porsche (inside joke, but I'd do it!)

10. Give to various friends and relatives.

I know this list seems a little boring... but that's my list!

3 Celebrity Crushes - TADBJ

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:36:00 +0000

After much discussing with Hubby here's what I've come up with:

Jennifer Anniston (always!)

Matthew Perry (Forgive me! I'm a Friends fan and my husband looks like him.)

John Krasinski (Because honestly - who doesn't like him?)

So there you have it. My top 3 celebrity crushes. ;-)

The Hardest Thing... TADBJ

noreply@blogger.com (Kayla) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:47:00 +0000

This post is supposed to be about the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with. Honestly, I have a hard time pinning that down. I feel like I've been through so much that its hard to pick one thing. Then, when I really think about it, I haven't been through that much at all. I've never lost a baby (and been aware of it). I've never lost my home to a fire. Aside from grandparents who were old and ready I've never lost a family member. I've never had cancer.

I lost a cat. I lost a hamster. I lost two special dogs in my life.

My family moved when I was 14. I lost friends and the city where I was very happy.

I have darker things in my past too, but given the time and space they seem to pale in comparison to other things.

Given the grass-is-always-greener mentality that we humans tend to have, I'd say that what I'm going through NOW is hardest, but in reality, never before have I had the blessings that are my sons to brighten my life while I was going through something.

All of that to say that I'm not sure what I can say is the hardest thing I've ever been through. There isn't a really obvious answer for me

Meanwhile let me just say that GOD is teaching me the true meaning of Joy. He's teaching me that it isn't something you gain after your life is perfect or pretty much perfect. Joy is something you can have even when times are tough as long as you are trusting in Him. That's pretty darn cool if you ask me.