I'm rather shocked lately with how well Bubby has been sleeping. Do you recall the days when I posted about all of the problems I was having with Bubby and trying to get him to sleep??? Well here I am feeling guilty that I have nothing to do because he's sleeping all the time!
Sleeping through that night has been quite a blessing lately. Bubby lays down for bed around 7 and puts himself to sleep VERY well and sleeps around 11-12 hours a night. He still uses his binky, stuffed puppy, and a little music box attached to his crib, but HEY if he's sleeping well I DO NOT want to try and change things, at least not yet. We did set up his toddler bed, which by the way he did sleep one full night in (and didn't fall out! I have pictures to come of all of the pillows and comforters I lined around his bed). But after that one night I could never get him to lay still in his bed. All he wanted to do was jump around. So, back into the crib he went and he's likely to stay there until he's at least 18 months. I have hopes of breaking the binky before we move him to his toddler bed, but I'm not guaranteeing anything!
Naptime on the other hand is another story. Not that he's sleeping poorly, but that he's sleeping a lot! I thought by now at 15 1/2 months he would be down to one nap per day. But nope, he's still taking a 2 hour morning nap and a 2 hour afternoon nap. Sometimes they are shorter, but usually his morning nap is just as long or longer than his afternoon one. It's really odd. I don't know if I should try to push him to just 1 nap or just let him keep doing this double nap deal. As long as he naps, it's fine with me! Another nice thing about nap time lately is that even if Bubby doesn't fall asleep right away, he's been really quiet in his crib. He just rolls around, babbles on to his puppy, or listens to his music. It's awesome! I will admit there are some days where he throws everything out and then screams for me to come get them. And there are days where he rolls around in his crib for an hour and half and doesn't fall asleep. But the majority of the time, he is a GREAT sleeper! I feel so blessed!
The funny thing is that during his nap times I find myself running out of things to do! I will get everything done on my list and then...I actually have time to relax, or read, or watch a movie or catch up on a show. It's NICE! Although, I was hoping to start doing some morning activities with Bubby, like going to story time at the Library, music class at church and possibly start going to MOPS again. We will just have to see how long this great sleeping streak keeps up!
Showing posts with label Bubby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bubby. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
A Week Without Daddy
Daddy is out of town this week. It's been a very long week and I am overwhelmed. Hubby took off to go to a worship leaders conference in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Lucky him! He's on the beach looking at the beautiful ocean. I'm very happy for him, but at the same time so totally jealous that he gets to go away for a week and get away from reality.
Since I only worked 2 days this week Bubby and I moved in with my parents, quite literally. The dog even came along! The only problem is that the house isn't childproof and it has stairs, Bubby's favorite!! I am very tired from chasing him around, flicking his little hands when he puts them in things he's not supposed to, saying "no" and "danger!," and having to hold him up so he can turn all of the light switches on and off. He doesn't seem too happy about it all either, because he's at the Explorer stage when he wants to touch and throw and get into everything! He's also in this new Tantrum stage where he throws himself on the floor and screams when he doesn't get his way. I try to walk away, keep calm, and ignore his fits, but it is a challenge. I've found myself getting frustrated, angry and sometimes shouting when he throws his tantrums. Not cool mommy. Not cool.
I also forgot Bubby's music box that we usually attach to his crib to help him sleep. It's a complete life saver in helping Bubby fall asleep, especially if he wakes up in the middle of the night (kinda like his binky). Since we forgot it I've had to rock him to sleep every night and he's been waking up at 5 a.m. wanting to get up. It's hard to leave him crying when I have family in the house, and they have lives during the day which means they need their sleep, so I've had to get up with him and try to rock him back to sleep or cuddle with him in my bed. Cuddling in bed with me doesn't work like it used to though because now he likes to crawl all over, jump on me, and get drinks out of my water bottle. I guess you can see why I'm looking forward to going home! It will be nice to be back to our normal routine, back into our own beds, and also have Daddy back in the house!
Since I only worked 2 days this week Bubby and I moved in with my parents, quite literally. The dog even came along! The only problem is that the house isn't childproof and it has stairs, Bubby's favorite!! I am very tired from chasing him around, flicking his little hands when he puts them in things he's not supposed to, saying "no" and "danger!," and having to hold him up so he can turn all of the light switches on and off. He doesn't seem too happy about it all either, because he's at the Explorer stage when he wants to touch and throw and get into everything! He's also in this new Tantrum stage where he throws himself on the floor and screams when he doesn't get his way. I try to walk away, keep calm, and ignore his fits, but it is a challenge. I've found myself getting frustrated, angry and sometimes shouting when he throws his tantrums. Not cool mommy. Not cool.
I also forgot Bubby's music box that we usually attach to his crib to help him sleep. It's a complete life saver in helping Bubby fall asleep, especially if he wakes up in the middle of the night (kinda like his binky). Since we forgot it I've had to rock him to sleep every night and he's been waking up at 5 a.m. wanting to get up. It's hard to leave him crying when I have family in the house, and they have lives during the day which means they need their sleep, so I've had to get up with him and try to rock him back to sleep or cuddle with him in my bed. Cuddling in bed with me doesn't work like it used to though because now he likes to crawl all over, jump on me, and get drinks out of my water bottle. I guess you can see why I'm looking forward to going home! It will be nice to be back to our normal routine, back into our own beds, and also have Daddy back in the house!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Life is Quiet
Life has been slowing down more lately. It's interesting how I wanted to be home more and now that I am I get bored so easily. My home is full of lots of peace right now, it helps when Bubby is napping and the washing machine isn't running.
I had several houses that I usually cleaned for fall through this month and I am left with being at home more. I'm not complaining, but when the bed is made, laundry is done, dishes all clean, and the house in general is picked up I find it hard to find things to do. I can see why stay at home mom's go to so many play groups, they need the social time! So, here's what I've been filling my time with:
1. Organizing
*I've managed to get Bubby's room, the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom organized!
2. Trying New Recipes
*Zesty Italian Cream Cheese Chicken
*Tex Mex Roll-Ups
*Baked Oatmeal
*One Pot Goulash
*Pumpkin Oatmeal
3. Reading lots of books to Bubby
*He's in this new phase of wanting to read the same books over and over again. It's starting to bother me a little so after reading one book 10 times I casually slip it behind the couch so he can't find it. Don't worry...I pull them out for the next day!
4. Running errands during the day
*It's AMAZING how quickly you can grocery shop at 10 a.m. compared to 4 p.m.! Smaller lines, less people, and more variety!
5. Watching more TV
*This probably isn't the best thing. I'm in the middle of reading The Fellowship of the Ring but I am a super slow reader and usually only read 2-3 pages a day (on average!). Days when I am home I like to watch Rachael Ray and sometimes Dr. Oz. With Bubby, I like to watch The Cat in the Hat, Arthur, and Martha Speaks (super cute!). We also watch Wheel of Fortune just about every evening. Plus, Hubby is taking me through the seasons of LOST and I am really getting into it. It's hard to not watch an episode during the day. There are so many other shows I would watch regularly but since we don't have cable I have to load them on Hulu, like Project Runway All Stars, Last Man Standing, Once Upon A Time, and I would really like to start watching Downton Abbey. You're probably thinking "wow...that's a lot of TV" but really I don't watch all of that every day.
6. Home Business
*I'm also busy working on my home business and trying to expand my network of people. I have a feeling God has a lot in store for me and I'm really excited to see where this business takes me. It's also a blessing to be able to work from home the majority of the time.
We will see what God does in the next few months. I am praying and relying on God that he will sustain us and help us to flourish like the olive trees he talks about in Psalms. I read them almost daily and it is a constant reminder that God is on my side!
I had several houses that I usually cleaned for fall through this month and I am left with being at home more. I'm not complaining, but when the bed is made, laundry is done, dishes all clean, and the house in general is picked up I find it hard to find things to do. I can see why stay at home mom's go to so many play groups, they need the social time! So, here's what I've been filling my time with:
1. Organizing
*I've managed to get Bubby's room, the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom organized!
2. Trying New Recipes
*Zesty Italian Cream Cheese Chicken
*Tex Mex Roll-Ups
*Baked Oatmeal
*One Pot Goulash
*Pumpkin Oatmeal
3. Reading lots of books to Bubby
*He's in this new phase of wanting to read the same books over and over again. It's starting to bother me a little so after reading one book 10 times I casually slip it behind the couch so he can't find it. Don't worry...I pull them out for the next day!
4. Running errands during the day
*It's AMAZING how quickly you can grocery shop at 10 a.m. compared to 4 p.m.! Smaller lines, less people, and more variety!
5. Watching more TV
*This probably isn't the best thing. I'm in the middle of reading The Fellowship of the Ring but I am a super slow reader and usually only read 2-3 pages a day (on average!). Days when I am home I like to watch Rachael Ray and sometimes Dr. Oz. With Bubby, I like to watch The Cat in the Hat, Arthur, and Martha Speaks (super cute!). We also watch Wheel of Fortune just about every evening. Plus, Hubby is taking me through the seasons of LOST and I am really getting into it. It's hard to not watch an episode during the day. There are so many other shows I would watch regularly but since we don't have cable I have to load them on Hulu, like Project Runway All Stars, Last Man Standing, Once Upon A Time, and I would really like to start watching Downton Abbey. You're probably thinking "wow...that's a lot of TV" but really I don't watch all of that every day.
6. Home Business
*I'm also busy working on my home business and trying to expand my network of people. I have a feeling God has a lot in store for me and I'm really excited to see where this business takes me. It's also a blessing to be able to work from home the majority of the time.
We will see what God does in the next few months. I am praying and relying on God that he will sustain us and help us to flourish like the olive trees he talks about in Psalms. I read them almost daily and it is a constant reminder that God is on my side!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
What I Now Do With Leftover Chicken and Turkey
I am not a left over person. It's taken me a long time to actually reheat and warm up anything in the refrigerator. But since we are trying to save money I have been much better at being creative and making left overs into meals.
Whenever I make chicken or turkey for a meal and I have some left over I now have an AWESOME way to re-use it and make it last another meal (even one that Bubby likes which is hard to do sometimes). I've been making Chicken Salad or Turkey Salad Sandwiches! Honestly, this is worth celebrating because when I was growing up I wouldn't even touch the stuff and now here I am making it, eating it, and serving it to my growing child!
Here's what I do:
1. Take the left over turkey or chicken and chop up really fine (I use my Pampered Chef food chopper and it works awesome). Toss it in a bowl and set aside.
2. Chop up and any veggies you want in there! I usually chop up carrots, onion and celery. Chop it really fine and mix in with chopped meat.
3. Mix in some Mayo, just enough to moisten it and give it a little flavor, and then add in about 1 tsp of mustard (Dijon is best).
4. Sprinkle in some Tarragon, Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder.
5. Mix and serve on bread!
LOVE IT! It's super easy and super fast without using lots of dishes either. Plus you get your meat, veggies, and bread all in one serving. You could probably mix some fruit in there too, my Hubby likes chopped up grapes in his.
Enjoy!
Whenever I make chicken or turkey for a meal and I have some left over I now have an AWESOME way to re-use it and make it last another meal (even one that Bubby likes which is hard to do sometimes). I've been making Chicken Salad or Turkey Salad Sandwiches! Honestly, this is worth celebrating because when I was growing up I wouldn't even touch the stuff and now here I am making it, eating it, and serving it to my growing child!
Here's what I do:
1. Take the left over turkey or chicken and chop up really fine (I use my Pampered Chef food chopper and it works awesome). Toss it in a bowl and set aside.
2. Chop up and any veggies you want in there! I usually chop up carrots, onion and celery. Chop it really fine and mix in with chopped meat.
3. Mix in some Mayo, just enough to moisten it and give it a little flavor, and then add in about 1 tsp of mustard (Dijon is best).
4. Sprinkle in some Tarragon, Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder.
5. Mix and serve on bread!
LOVE IT! It's super easy and super fast without using lots of dishes either. Plus you get your meat, veggies, and bread all in one serving. You could probably mix some fruit in there too, my Hubby likes chopped up grapes in his.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
A Bubby Update
After a few days of brushing teeth and wiping off pacifiers, I think we've finally conquered Bubby's bad breath. He has been teething and he also had a little cold which I think contributed to his stinky mouth. I did end up grabbing the kid's toothpaste and just putting a tiny bit on his brush and then following the brushing with a good wiping.
The only change in Bubby's diet lately is Vanilla Almond Milk. He LOVES it! I was able to pack away the bottles last week because he hasn't needed one, and if he keeps on this Almond Milk kick then I will toss the formula as well! I was really worried for awhile there that we would never break the bottle and I'd have to give him till he was 15 months before really doing away with it, but the Almond Milk in a sippy cup seems to be enough for him to forget about his bottle. I'm super happy about this!
At 13 months Bubby still isn't walking and it makes me sad. Everyone says "you should be happy he's not walking because once he is you'll wish that he wasn't!" I get the point but at the same time it's my first kid and I get super excited for every new little thing. We celebrated many firsts this year-smiling, rolling over, sitting up, eating solids, holding own bottle, swimming on the floor, crawling, standing, and many others...and now he's almost walking! He's taken about 6 steps on his own and he officially stood himself up yesterday. Now we just need him to realize how much easier it will be to walk around rather than bang up his knees on our hardwood and tile floors.
Bubby has started throwing tantrums lately. If he can't reach something or if Mommy or Daddy leave the room he screams his little heart out. He has a weird obsession with the bathroom and any time either of us go in there and shut the door he throws a huge fit. I don't think it's because he's afraid we'll get flushed down the toilet or eaten by a shower monster, but rather he actually likes to play in the bathroom. He flings stuff from the cabinets, flushes the toilet, unrolls the TP, opens and shuts the shower door, steals his rubber ducky from the shower, crawls in and out of the shower with his clothes on, and giggles whenever I brush my teeth. I bet he thinks we get to do all of that when we go in there and he is just missing out on all the fun!
I've started noticing a change in Bubby's eating habits, which apparently is something to be expected with a one year old because they start to get really picky. He definitely loves his fruit and it's a challenge to get him to eat his veggies these days. Sometimes he loves to eat and will scarf down everything on his plate and other times he picks and plays and feeds his food to the dog. He also knows that we keep the fruit in the storage room and so he'll turn around and stare into the room thinking that maybe if he looks long enough we'll get the idea and give him more fruit! I bought a large package of clementines the other day and he loves them, so sweet and juicy! I also tried to be creative and made my own frozen yogurt bites (just dollops of yogurt that I put on a pan in the freezer). Sometimes he will eat them...it's hit and miss with him.
Lastly, Bubby has his own way of playing now. It consists of standing underneath our light switches and yelling till we hold him up so he can turn the lights on and off. He also likes to pull ornaments off the Christmas tree, throw his dirty laundry everywhere (along with his stuffed animals and books), find everything he can to fling all over, and open and close doors. Being that he doesn't play with his toys, I didn't put any on his Christmas list!
The only change in Bubby's diet lately is Vanilla Almond Milk. He LOVES it! I was able to pack away the bottles last week because he hasn't needed one, and if he keeps on this Almond Milk kick then I will toss the formula as well! I was really worried for awhile there that we would never break the bottle and I'd have to give him till he was 15 months before really doing away with it, but the Almond Milk in a sippy cup seems to be enough for him to forget about his bottle. I'm super happy about this!
At 13 months Bubby still isn't walking and it makes me sad. Everyone says "you should be happy he's not walking because once he is you'll wish that he wasn't!" I get the point but at the same time it's my first kid and I get super excited for every new little thing. We celebrated many firsts this year-smiling, rolling over, sitting up, eating solids, holding own bottle, swimming on the floor, crawling, standing, and many others...and now he's almost walking! He's taken about 6 steps on his own and he officially stood himself up yesterday. Now we just need him to realize how much easier it will be to walk around rather than bang up his knees on our hardwood and tile floors.
Bubby has started throwing tantrums lately. If he can't reach something or if Mommy or Daddy leave the room he screams his little heart out. He has a weird obsession with the bathroom and any time either of us go in there and shut the door he throws a huge fit. I don't think it's because he's afraid we'll get flushed down the toilet or eaten by a shower monster, but rather he actually likes to play in the bathroom. He flings stuff from the cabinets, flushes the toilet, unrolls the TP, opens and shuts the shower door, steals his rubber ducky from the shower, crawls in and out of the shower with his clothes on, and giggles whenever I brush my teeth. I bet he thinks we get to do all of that when we go in there and he is just missing out on all the fun!
I've started noticing a change in Bubby's eating habits, which apparently is something to be expected with a one year old because they start to get really picky. He definitely loves his fruit and it's a challenge to get him to eat his veggies these days. Sometimes he loves to eat and will scarf down everything on his plate and other times he picks and plays and feeds his food to the dog. He also knows that we keep the fruit in the storage room and so he'll turn around and stare into the room thinking that maybe if he looks long enough we'll get the idea and give him more fruit! I bought a large package of clementines the other day and he loves them, so sweet and juicy! I also tried to be creative and made my own frozen yogurt bites (just dollops of yogurt that I put on a pan in the freezer). Sometimes he will eat them...it's hit and miss with him.
Lastly, Bubby has his own way of playing now. It consists of standing underneath our light switches and yelling till we hold him up so he can turn the lights on and off. He also likes to pull ornaments off the Christmas tree, throw his dirty laundry everywhere (along with his stuffed animals and books), find everything he can to fling all over, and open and close doors. Being that he doesn't play with his toys, I didn't put any on his Christmas list!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Vitamin D
I went to the chiropractor a couple weeks ago and picked up an article about how Vitamin D can combat colds and the flu. Before giving any extra Vitamin D, I made sure to do some extra research on Vitamin D and how it is good for the immune system. Let me just say that I was very impressed with what I found. Here's one site and an article from the site to start with:
Dr. Joseph Mercola
Vitamin D and the Flu
In my opinion Dr. Mercola is a great researcher, plus he's an O.D. which means when he sees patients he's treating the "whole person" not just the problem (I've thought about finding an O.D. for our family). I read some of the articles about Vitamin D and was shocked to hear that Vitamin D deficiency is one cause of a ton of health issues-Cancer, Hypertension, Pre-eclampsia, Diabetes, Colds, Flu, and on the site you can check out all sorts of other diseases. And for all of you pregnant women out there check out this article I read about Vitamin D and pregnancy. When I was pregnant I had high blood pressure and had pre-term labor 5 1/2 weeks early. Now I know how I can prevent those issues during my next pregnancy.
Vitamin D and Pregnancy
I never realized how important Vitamin D is, and if you've ever checked me out then you know that I'm a pretty pale person. So, being that it's Cold and Flu season I decided it was best to up our dosage. According to the site you need 35 IU's of Vitamin D per pound of body weight in order for it to even be effective, so why is the AAP recommending only 4o0 IU for children? Who knows!? Bubby now takes a daily dose of 1,000 IU and Hubby and I take 5,000 IU. And if we find that we do get sick then we can up our IU dosage for a day or two to help combat our illness. This is an experiment I am willing to try for the winter (along with proper hand washing and staying away from others who are sickly). Being that we are no longer in the day care center like we were last winter will probably help a lot, but since I clean houses and touch all sorts of germs every day it's good that we protect ourselves so I don't bring anything home and expose my family to anything.
Also, now that Bubby is a year old we tried introducing him to whole milk (also for some extra Vitamin D) but after giving him some Whole Milk with his formula this past week he has drank significantly less milk. I'm guessing this is why he's super fussy and refusing to drink anything that's not water or formula. I think that he either doesn't like Whole Milk or it is giving him a tummy ache. So we are going to stick with the formula and also try giving him Almond Milk instead. I've been wanting to make my own Almond Milk for a while now! *On top of all the milk issues we've been having a hard time breaking the bottle. He will sit and drink 6oz. of formula from a bottle but barely touch a sippy cup full of the same formula! Luckily we don't really have to wean him completely until he's 15 months so I've got some time to figure things out.
I've also just started using Norwex in our home (and I just joined the Norwex team as a Sales Consultant!) which will help to actually pick up the germs and put them down the drain where they belong!! I love how Norwex can kill 99.94% of germs without using any chemicals, which means no more residues in our home!!!
Dr. Joseph Mercola
Vitamin D and the Flu
In my opinion Dr. Mercola is a great researcher, plus he's an O.D. which means when he sees patients he's treating the "whole person" not just the problem (I've thought about finding an O.D. for our family). I read some of the articles about Vitamin D and was shocked to hear that Vitamin D deficiency is one cause of a ton of health issues-Cancer, Hypertension, Pre-eclampsia, Diabetes, Colds, Flu, and on the site you can check out all sorts of other diseases. And for all of you pregnant women out there check out this article I read about Vitamin D and pregnancy. When I was pregnant I had high blood pressure and had pre-term labor 5 1/2 weeks early. Now I know how I can prevent those issues during my next pregnancy.
Vitamin D and Pregnancy
I never realized how important Vitamin D is, and if you've ever checked me out then you know that I'm a pretty pale person. So, being that it's Cold and Flu season I decided it was best to up our dosage. According to the site you need 35 IU's of Vitamin D per pound of body weight in order for it to even be effective, so why is the AAP recommending only 4o0 IU for children? Who knows!? Bubby now takes a daily dose of 1,000 IU and Hubby and I take 5,000 IU. And if we find that we do get sick then we can up our IU dosage for a day or two to help combat our illness. This is an experiment I am willing to try for the winter (along with proper hand washing and staying away from others who are sickly). Being that we are no longer in the day care center like we were last winter will probably help a lot, but since I clean houses and touch all sorts of germs every day it's good that we protect ourselves so I don't bring anything home and expose my family to anything.
Also, now that Bubby is a year old we tried introducing him to whole milk (also for some extra Vitamin D) but after giving him some Whole Milk with his formula this past week he has drank significantly less milk. I'm guessing this is why he's super fussy and refusing to drink anything that's not water or formula. I think that he either doesn't like Whole Milk or it is giving him a tummy ache. So we are going to stick with the formula and also try giving him Almond Milk instead. I've been wanting to make my own Almond Milk for a while now! *On top of all the milk issues we've been having a hard time breaking the bottle. He will sit and drink 6oz. of formula from a bottle but barely touch a sippy cup full of the same formula! Luckily we don't really have to wean him completely until he's 15 months so I've got some time to figure things out.
I've also just started using Norwex in our home (and I just joined the Norwex team as a Sales Consultant!) which will help to actually pick up the germs and put them down the drain where they belong!! I love how Norwex can kill 99.94% of germs without using any chemicals, which means no more residues in our home!!!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
1 Year Old!
On Sunday my little Bubby will be One Year old!! I can't believe we've made it a whole year! I remember when he was born and we were battling colic, reflux, breastfeeding issues, little sleep, and a fussy baby. I kept asking everyone "how much longer will this go on?" and everyone said different things:wait till he's 6 weeks old, he'll be different baby
12 weeks is when things really start to settle down
at 6 months you'll see changes
9 months is the best age
the first year is always the hardest
...and you know what? I agree, the first year IS the hardest, especially with your first child. But God has totally blessed me with a beautiful little boy who loves to laugh and play and be tossed around and eat!
Bubby currently has 3 teeth (the 3rd one popping through just a few days ago, which may have explained the recent battle with diaper rash). He weighs probably around 25 lbs. and he's very close to walking. He'll take off with his walker across the room, but if he gets stuck then he has a big meltdown. He's also known for going from room to room and throwing everything he can on the floor. He still takes 2 naps a day and sleeps about 11-12 hours a night (this is awesome!). He can sign "all done," "more," maybe "drink" but I'm not sure if he quite gets it yet, and he loves to play SO BIG! 
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
I'm Blue
Yesterday at MOPS we had a speaker who talked about personality colors. We took a test and figured out what our color was. The color results were:
1. Orange-Risk Taker
2. Blue-Nurturer
3. Green-Problem Solver
4. Gold-Organizer
I was a Blue-Nurturer. And you know what? It totally makes sense. The main description of a "Blue" personality is "people pleaser" and I am definitely a people pleaser. I am ALWAYS worried about what people think of me and how I am treating people. I do not like conflict and it's very hard for me to tell someone how I really feel (which usually brings me to tears because I'm so worried about what they'll think of me). The other day I was drawn for a raffle prize and didn't even go up to redeem it because I felt bad that other people didn't get drawn. How weird is that??? They ended up bringing it to me in the audience.
I am also the type of person to constantly obsess over what other people think of me. The Enemy likes to get me to this point so that I retreat into my hole and avoid having any community. Realizing this, I try my best to command the Enemy to leave, focus on God and spend some time in community.
At MOPS we also discussed what "colors" our kids were so we could recognize and respond appropriately when disciplining. For instance, an "orange" child loves attention, so disciplining them in public makes the thrive, however a child who is "blue" would feel humiliated if they got in trouble in front of others because they wouldn't be making everyone happy. It's nice to realize this early before Bubby gets older so I can pay attention to his behavior and respond correctly. However, I also need to remember that every child is different and no discipline model is best for everyone. Hubby and I have decided that as Bubby gets older we will really try to be consistent, because consistency is the best thing you can do when disciplining. Right now we are doing a lot of redirecting, and whenever Bubby touches something he absolutely can not touch; like a fan, cords, blinds, etc, we say "danger!" Obviously since Bubby's just about a year old that's all we can do, but as he gets older I will definitely think about his personality and how discipline will affect him. Right now I can see some "nurturing" personality in Bubby. He likes to cuddle and hug, especially when he's upset.
As I sit here typing up this blog post Bubby is opening his dresser drawer, pulling out all of his clothes and throwing them on the floor, replacing his folded clothes with kleenex's that he pulled out of the box, pulling down the curtains, and taking books that he's not supposed to touch off of the shelf.
1. Orange-Risk Taker
2. Blue-Nurturer
3. Green-Problem Solver
4. Gold-Organizer
I was a Blue-Nurturer. And you know what? It totally makes sense. The main description of a "Blue" personality is "people pleaser" and I am definitely a people pleaser. I am ALWAYS worried about what people think of me and how I am treating people. I do not like conflict and it's very hard for me to tell someone how I really feel (which usually brings me to tears because I'm so worried about what they'll think of me). The other day I was drawn for a raffle prize and didn't even go up to redeem it because I felt bad that other people didn't get drawn. How weird is that??? They ended up bringing it to me in the audience.
I am also the type of person to constantly obsess over what other people think of me. The Enemy likes to get me to this point so that I retreat into my hole and avoid having any community. Realizing this, I try my best to command the Enemy to leave, focus on God and spend some time in community.
At MOPS we also discussed what "colors" our kids were so we could recognize and respond appropriately when disciplining. For instance, an "orange" child loves attention, so disciplining them in public makes the thrive, however a child who is "blue" would feel humiliated if they got in trouble in front of others because they wouldn't be making everyone happy. It's nice to realize this early before Bubby gets older so I can pay attention to his behavior and respond correctly. However, I also need to remember that every child is different and no discipline model is best for everyone. Hubby and I have decided that as Bubby gets older we will really try to be consistent, because consistency is the best thing you can do when disciplining. Right now we are doing a lot of redirecting, and whenever Bubby touches something he absolutely can not touch; like a fan, cords, blinds, etc, we say "danger!" Obviously since Bubby's just about a year old that's all we can do, but as he gets older I will definitely think about his personality and how discipline will affect him. Right now I can see some "nurturing" personality in Bubby. He likes to cuddle and hug, especially when he's upset.
As I sit here typing up this blog post Bubby is opening his dresser drawer, pulling out all of his clothes and throwing them on the floor, replacing his folded clothes with kleenex's that he pulled out of the box, pulling down the curtains, and taking books that he's not supposed to touch off of the shelf.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Crazy Week
I'm not sure what's going on with Bubby, but if you remember from my previous post we've been battling diaper rash. However, that's not the only thing we've been dealing with, since Sunday Bubby's been having occasional diarrhea, constipation, and about 6-8 BM's a day (the obvious cause for his diaper rash!). I've tried getting him to the chiropractor but they are completely booked so I have to wait till tomorrow, and I've called the doctor's office several times with very little help from them. So, I've taken matter into my own hands, what else can a mommy do for her little one who's suffering?
Here's what we've been doing:
1. Eating lots of blueberries-apparently good for curing diarrhea
2. BRAT diet
3. Stopping all dairy-including switching to a non-dairy formula
4. Squeegee Bottle of water and cotton balls to wipe his bottom
5. Resinol mixed with Clotrimazole for his bottom
6. 2 Baths per day plus some diaper free time to air out his bottom
7. Pedialite and lots of water
8. Changing A LOT of diapers, even in the middle of the night when he wakes up and has a BM
9. Gripe Water
I know I've mentioned using Colic Calm before but we were out and couldn't find any in the store so we are using Gripe Water instead to calm his tummy. I haven't decided if it's really working or not because we've made so many changes in his diet and not much has happened yet. The doctor says it's just a virus and that I don't need to worry unless he has diarrhea for 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS! Seriously...isn't that a little long for a baby to be having diarrhea? If I have diarrhea for a few days I get concerned. Sometimes I think doctors are just nuts. Thankfully his diaper rash is starting to clean up and his BM's are looking a little more normal so I'm slowly coming off of the BRAT diet and giving him his regular formula again. We will see if things continue to get better! I hope they do!
Here's what we've been doing:
1. Eating lots of blueberries-apparently good for curing diarrhea
2. BRAT diet
3. Stopping all dairy-including switching to a non-dairy formula
4. Squeegee Bottle of water and cotton balls to wipe his bottom
5. Resinol mixed with Clotrimazole for his bottom
6. 2 Baths per day plus some diaper free time to air out his bottom
7. Pedialite and lots of water
8. Changing A LOT of diapers, even in the middle of the night when he wakes up and has a BM
9. Gripe Water
I know I've mentioned using Colic Calm before but we were out and couldn't find any in the store so we are using Gripe Water instead to calm his tummy. I haven't decided if it's really working or not because we've made so many changes in his diet and not much has happened yet. The doctor says it's just a virus and that I don't need to worry unless he has diarrhea for 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS! Seriously...isn't that a little long for a baby to be having diarrhea? If I have diarrhea for a few days I get concerned. Sometimes I think doctors are just nuts. Thankfully his diaper rash is starting to clean up and his BM's are looking a little more normal so I'm slowly coming off of the BRAT diet and giving him his regular formula again. We will see if things continue to get better! I hope they do!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Bare Butt Alert
Bubby has diaper rash...horribly! It's not bad enough yet to take him into the doctor for some prescription ointment, but we are pretty darn close.
Yesterday morning Bubby woke up and was super cranky. He had SEVEN BM's throughout the day and by 4 p.m. his lil' behind was really swollen and sore. I am blaming teething for this one (those darn teeth take their time to pop don't they?). Today he was super cranky again and his poor bottom was even worse. I called the doctor to see if I needed to bring him in. The doctor recommended I do a bland diet, get some Resinol Cream, give him a couple baths a day and let him go without a diaper for a bit. So...look out people there's a bare butt in the house! I was brave and let Bubby go about his room for a bit without a diaper. I have no idea if he peed anywhere. I am also letting him go to bed without a diaper (I'm so brave!). I plan to get him up and put a diaper on him when I go to bed in a few hours because he's woken up with a huge poopy diaper the past few mornings and I'm NOT going to be cleaning up poop all over his crib (or him for that matter).
I lost count of how many BM's he had today, but it was probably the same or more than yesterday. I am seriously praying that this goes away and that he stops being so cranky! I am also hoping for some regular BM's? Not anymore of these little squirts that make for a screaming child because his bum hurts.
Yesterday morning Bubby woke up and was super cranky. He had SEVEN BM's throughout the day and by 4 p.m. his lil' behind was really swollen and sore. I am blaming teething for this one (those darn teeth take their time to pop don't they?). Today he was super cranky again and his poor bottom was even worse. I called the doctor to see if I needed to bring him in. The doctor recommended I do a bland diet, get some Resinol Cream, give him a couple baths a day and let him go without a diaper for a bit. So...look out people there's a bare butt in the house! I was brave and let Bubby go about his room for a bit without a diaper. I have no idea if he peed anywhere. I am also letting him go to bed without a diaper (I'm so brave!). I plan to get him up and put a diaper on him when I go to bed in a few hours because he's woken up with a huge poopy diaper the past few mornings and I'm NOT going to be cleaning up poop all over his crib (or him for that matter).
I lost count of how many BM's he had today, but it was probably the same or more than yesterday. I am seriously praying that this goes away and that he stops being so cranky! I am also hoping for some regular BM's? Not anymore of these little squirts that make for a screaming child because his bum hurts.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
A Series On Apartment Living
Welcome to our bathroom!
Our bathrooms is very much updated compared to what it was before we moved in. The mirror on the wall used to be about a foot to the right (not even above the sink), the drywall was falling off, there was no shower-just a floor with a hose coming out the wall and plastic to create a shower, and the floor...I don't even remember what the floor was. So before we moved in our landlords put up some new drywall, painted, moved the mirror OVER the sink, put in a new shower, and new linoleum. Personally, I like this bathroom better than our previous home.
What I like about this bathroom:
1. Lots of light!
2. Mostly updated and fresh feeling
3. Easy to clean (with no tub, little counter space and a small amount of space it doesn't take long)
What I don't like about this bathroom:
1. No bath tub. I really enjoy baths! Growing up I would take a bath every night and then shower every morning. Not having a bath tub is really a downer for me. It also makes giving Bubby a bath somewhat difficult. Instead we have to set him in the bottom of the shower and spray him with the shower hose. We asked our landlords to put in a shower hose specifically for this purpose. Bubby doesn't seem to mind as long as we keep the water on him so he doesn't get cold.
2. Little storage space. As in any small apartment with a child, you really are limited on storage space. Literally the only closet in our apartment is our bedroom closet (which you will see how bad it is when that room comes) so here's my solution: dresser in the hallway full of towels and washcloths, hair supplies under the sink, toothbrushes/toothpaste and daily meds in cabinet above the sink, make-up and extra items on shelf next the sink, and baskets of brushes and more hair supplies on the shelving over toilet. I also have rods hanging on the doors for our towels. It makes for a not so nice looking bathroom, but it works!
3. Size. I dream of having a bathroom with tiled floor, a walk in shower with glass doors, a jacuzzi tub as well as 2 sinks and plenty of storage space. I'll be honest...I don't know when that day will come, so for now I'll just have to deal.
4. Old Door. The bathroom door does not lock. So when you come to my house: Door open=free for all! Door closed=do not enter! note: Bubby likes to sneak in the bathroom to unroll the toilet paper, flush the toilet, and pull my feminine products out of the cupboard to throw all over the place.
5. The only outlet is the one that is attached to the light fixture above the mirror.
6. The shower door doesn't always close all the way which means if I don't pull really hard so that it latches I get water dripping onto the floor.
In my opinion, this bathroom works. It has all the essentials and I'm VERY happy that I don't have a "hole in the wall" shower like it was before.
Just a few fun facts about our bathroom:
1. When you come over put down the toilet seat before you flush. I learned on Dr. Oz that feces go flying everywhere when you flush with the lid up! Seriously!
2. Bubby will gladly come and unroll your toilet paper for you, or flush the toilet. Just please wash his hands afterward. Again...I don't need feces anywhere, especially on my child!
3. Don't be fooled by the Bath and Body Works Foam Soap Bottle, I make my own soap and use the recycled foam bottles.
4. There is some room spray on the shelf above the toilet.
5. The seashells in the basket and picture on the shelf are from our first trip to the ocean at Myrtle Beach, NC.
6. The drawing above the mirror is hand drawn by my Hubby, and the wooden turtle is from our trip the Isle of Palms in South Carolina.
Our bathrooms is very much updated compared to what it was before we moved in. The mirror on the wall used to be about a foot to the right (not even above the sink), the drywall was falling off, there was no shower-just a floor with a hose coming out the wall and plastic to create a shower, and the floor...I don't even remember what the floor was. So before we moved in our landlords put up some new drywall, painted, moved the mirror OVER the sink, put in a new shower, and new linoleum. Personally, I like this bathroom better than our previous home.What I like about this bathroom:
1. Lots of light!
2. Mostly updated and fresh feeling
3. Easy to clean (with no tub, little counter space and a small amount of space it doesn't take long)
What I don't like about this bathroom:
1. No bath tub. I really enjoy baths! Growing up I would take a bath every night and then shower every morning. Not having a bath tub is really a downer for me. It also makes giving Bubby a bath somewhat difficult. Instead we have to set him in the bottom of the shower and spray him with the shower hose. We asked our landlords to put in a shower hose specifically for this purpose. Bubby doesn't seem to mind as long as we keep the water on him so he doesn't get cold.
2. Little storage space. As in any small apartment with a child, you really are limited on storage space. Literally the only closet in our apartment is our bedroom closet (which you will see how bad it is when that room comes) so here's my solution: dresser in the hallway full of towels and washcloths, hair supplies under the sink, toothbrushes/toothpaste and daily meds in cabinet above the sink, make-up and extra items on shelf next the sink, and baskets of brushes and more hair supplies on the shelving over toilet. I also have rods hanging on the doors for our towels. It makes for a not so nice looking bathroom, but it works!
3. Size. I dream of having a bathroom with tiled floor, a walk in shower with glass doors, a jacuzzi tub as well as 2 sinks and plenty of storage space. I'll be honest...I don't know when that day will come, so for now I'll just have to deal.
4. Old Door. The bathroom door does not lock. So when you come to my house: Door open=free for all! Door closed=do not enter! note: Bubby likes to sneak in the bathroom to unroll the toilet paper, flush the toilet, and pull my feminine products out of the cupboard to throw all over the place.
5. The only outlet is the one that is attached to the light fixture above the mirror.
6. The shower door doesn't always close all the way which means if I don't pull really hard so that it latches I get water dripping onto the floor.
In my opinion, this bathroom works. It has all the essentials and I'm VERY happy that I don't have a "hole in the wall" shower like it was before.
Just a few fun facts about our bathroom:
1. When you come over put down the toilet seat before you flush. I learned on Dr. Oz that feces go flying everywhere when you flush with the lid up! Seriously!
2. Bubby will gladly come and unroll your toilet paper for you, or flush the toilet. Just please wash his hands afterward. Again...I don't need feces anywhere, especially on my child!
3. Don't be fooled by the Bath and Body Works Foam Soap Bottle, I make my own soap and use the recycled foam bottles.
4. There is some room spray on the shelf above the toilet.
5. The seashells in the basket and picture on the shelf are from our first trip to the ocean at Myrtle Beach, NC.
6. The drawing above the mirror is hand drawn by my Hubby, and the wooden turtle is from our trip the Isle of Palms in South Carolina.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Our Daily Schedule
Our house is pretty routine these days. Now that Bubby is sleeping through the night and taking 2 decent naps a day we have a schedule that we seem to follow.
In the morning's Bubby has been doing a really great job of playing on the floor by himself. I usually sit on the floor and play with him, but I tend to start off by reading from the Bible and writing in my journal while he's playing. If he gets fussy and wants me to play then I will put off my God Time until his morning nap.
During naps I like to be productive...most of the time! I have to force myself to stay up during the majority of his afternoon nap because if I lay down I will most likely zonk out until he wakes up! I always try to make the bed (because if I don't then it won't get made until right before I go to bed), do the dishes, clean up toys, put any laundry away or start any new loads, and do one cleaning project (sweeping/mopping floors, wiping down bathroom, vacuuming, etc). That way the housework is always caught up. On days when I am working my Aunt usually does some of this for me (SO AWESOME!) so when I come home I don't have to do anything but relax!
Since the weather has been so nice this Fall we've been taking multiple walks a day. We typically go before lunch time and either before or after dinner. I try to go around 3 and 4 p.m. because that is one of the most boring times of day (not quite dinner time...yet you've been playing all day), plus it keeps me from watching shows like Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz which can sometimes be rather addictive for me. Not that I enjoy Dr. Phil that much anyways...it's mostly just to waist time.
I am so glad Bubby goes to bed early because that gives Hubby and I some alone time. We enjoy watching movies and are currently going through the Bourne series. We finished all of The Lord of the Rings a couple weeks ago. We usually end our day with some ice cream and a glass of wine as well. Our bed time is usually 10 or 10:30 so we typically get a good 3 hours of hang out time!
I've learned that routines are really great for young kids. When Bubby went to the daycare there was no routine, especially for eating and sleeping! He is so much happier these days and I actually enjoy being with him. When he goes to bed I sneak in and pet him or give him kisses because I miss him being awake! He's also learning a ton! He can now sign "more" and "all done" and we are currently working on "drink" which he's only done once. I don't think he quite knows what they all mean, but he will soon! Also, having a routine makes planning things so much easier! I can plan appointments, play dates, and outings without having to worry about interfering with his nap or eating schedule.
6:45 a.m.-Bubby usually wakes up. Remember how he used to wake up at 5:30 a.m.? Yeah, not anymore!
7 a.m.-Bubby has a bottle. No more nursing, he's all formula!
7:30 a.m.-Breakfast. I try to eat at the same time he does, but this doesn't always happen, often I'm putting dishes away from the night before, washing dishes, or packing my bag for the day.
Then Bubby plays till he's ready for a nap. This is usually between 8:30 and 9 and he'll sleep about 30-60 minutes.
10:15 a.m.-Snack and 2nd bottle.
Then Bubby plays some more till it's time for lunch!
11:30 a.m.-Lunch
12:00 p.m.-Afternoon Nap. Bubby usually naps for 2-3 hours, this is sooo nice!
When Bubby wakes up he has a snack and his 3rd bottle and then we play some more and take a walk.
5:00 p.m.-Dinner for Bubby, with a bath to follow at least every other day. Sometimes we will try and push him till 5:30 so he can eat dinner with us, but he doesn't always make it and we'll end up putting him in the high chair anyway.
6:00 p.m.- Bubby's 4th and final bottle.
7/7:30 p.m.-Bedtime
7 a.m.-Bubby has a bottle. No more nursing, he's all formula!
7:30 a.m.-Breakfast. I try to eat at the same time he does, but this doesn't always happen, often I'm putting dishes away from the night before, washing dishes, or packing my bag for the day.
Then Bubby plays till he's ready for a nap. This is usually between 8:30 and 9 and he'll sleep about 30-60 minutes.
10:15 a.m.-Snack and 2nd bottle.
Then Bubby plays some more till it's time for lunch!
11:30 a.m.-Lunch
12:00 p.m.-Afternoon Nap. Bubby usually naps for 2-3 hours, this is sooo nice!
When Bubby wakes up he has a snack and his 3rd bottle and then we play some more and take a walk.
5:00 p.m.-Dinner for Bubby, with a bath to follow at least every other day. Sometimes we will try and push him till 5:30 so he can eat dinner with us, but he doesn't always make it and we'll end up putting him in the high chair anyway.
6:00 p.m.- Bubby's 4th and final bottle.
7/7:30 p.m.-Bedtime
In the morning's Bubby has been doing a really great job of playing on the floor by himself. I usually sit on the floor and play with him, but I tend to start off by reading from the Bible and writing in my journal while he's playing. If he gets fussy and wants me to play then I will put off my God Time until his morning nap.
During naps I like to be productive...most of the time! I have to force myself to stay up during the majority of his afternoon nap because if I lay down I will most likely zonk out until he wakes up! I always try to make the bed (because if I don't then it won't get made until right before I go to bed), do the dishes, clean up toys, put any laundry away or start any new loads, and do one cleaning project (sweeping/mopping floors, wiping down bathroom, vacuuming, etc). That way the housework is always caught up. On days when I am working my Aunt usually does some of this for me (SO AWESOME!) so when I come home I don't have to do anything but relax!
Since the weather has been so nice this Fall we've been taking multiple walks a day. We typically go before lunch time and either before or after dinner. I try to go around 3 and 4 p.m. because that is one of the most boring times of day (not quite dinner time...yet you've been playing all day), plus it keeps me from watching shows like Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz which can sometimes be rather addictive for me. Not that I enjoy Dr. Phil that much anyways...it's mostly just to waist time.
I am so glad Bubby goes to bed early because that gives Hubby and I some alone time. We enjoy watching movies and are currently going through the Bourne series. We finished all of The Lord of the Rings a couple weeks ago. We usually end our day with some ice cream and a glass of wine as well. Our bed time is usually 10 or 10:30 so we typically get a good 3 hours of hang out time!
I've learned that routines are really great for young kids. When Bubby went to the daycare there was no routine, especially for eating and sleeping! He is so much happier these days and I actually enjoy being with him. When he goes to bed I sneak in and pet him or give him kisses because I miss him being awake! He's also learning a ton! He can now sign "more" and "all done" and we are currently working on "drink" which he's only done once. I don't think he quite knows what they all mean, but he will soon! Also, having a routine makes planning things so much easier! I can plan appointments, play dates, and outings without having to worry about interfering with his nap or eating schedule.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday Joy
One thing you probably don't know about me is that I LOVE soundtracks to really good movies! Some of my favorites are:
The Chronicles of Narnia
Lord of the Rings
Pirates of the Caribbean
Harry Potter
Angels and Demons
...and I'm sure there are more that I can't think of right now.
This morning during Bubby's morning nap I read from Proverbs, Psalms and Ruth while listening to The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe Soundtrack and absolutely LOVED IT! God really gets me excited when I listen to such powerful music, especially when it's from an awesome movie like Narnia (one of my absolute favs!). It makes me imagine living in a world like the Narnians where there are talking creatures, epic battles, and fun adventures. It makes me excited for my life with Christ and all of the wonderful things he is doing and will do for me. Such JOY!
What brings you Joy today???
The Chronicles of Narnia
Lord of the Rings
Pirates of the Caribbean
Harry Potter
Angels and Demons
...and I'm sure there are more that I can't think of right now.
This morning during Bubby's morning nap I read from Proverbs, Psalms and Ruth while listening to The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe Soundtrack and absolutely LOVED IT! God really gets me excited when I listen to such powerful music, especially when it's from an awesome movie like Narnia (one of my absolute favs!). It makes me imagine living in a world like the Narnians where there are talking creatures, epic battles, and fun adventures. It makes me excited for my life with Christ and all of the wonderful things he is doing and will do for me. Such JOY!
What brings you Joy today???
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
A Series on Apartment Living
I thought I should finally give you the official tour of our apartment. I'll take is slow so you can really grasp how much we have learned about living in a small apartment with a child, so I'll share about each room in separate posts through "A Series on Apartment Living."
Welcome to my kitchen! I tried to get pictures from all angles.
The back door leads into our storage room and the other leads to our hallway/entry way.
This doorway and window open to the living room.
Yes, the washer and dryer are in my kitchen.
This is the only counter space we have in our kitchen, very limited!
Our kitchen is actually quite large compared to our previous home. What I really enjoy about this kitchen is that we have enough room for the dining room table. It's really easy to put Bubby in his chair and leave him to eat while I do other things, like doing dishes, putting away groceries, or cooking. I also like how much space there is to get around. In our previous home there was a huge wall between our dining room and kitchen which would have made it challenging to get anything done while Bubby was eating.
If you can tell in the pictures, our floor is brand new linoleum that our Landlords put in right before we moved in. If you had seen the rotting wood floors that were here beforehand you probably would have thought I was nuts for moving in here. The cabinets were also freshly painted.
Some people are very particular about the location of their washer and dryer and you would think that the last place you would want them is in your kitchen. However, I actually really like having the washer and dryer in our kitchen. It's so easy to toss in a load when it's location is so easily accessible. When our washer and dryer were in the basement at our old house I would have to haul a load down the stairs, but now it is so convenient! I get a whole lot more laundry done now than I used to!
The kitchen is located in the center of our apartment which I love because I can easily do dishes or cook while Bubby is playing the living room. I also have a window that opens into the living room which really opens the kitchen up and allows for some natural light from the few windows that are in our apartment.
Even though there are many things I do like about our kitchen, there are LOTS of things I absolutely despise:
1) Our stove is awful. We were spoiled with a gas stove before we moved and now we are back to uneven coils and a slow cooking oven. I feel like I have to cook everything twice as long.
2) Our cabinet doors/drawers stick horribly! Sometimes I have to fetch my Hubby to get them open! The plus side to this is that I don't have to child proof my kitchen, the only doors that have a latch are the middle ones because they don't close.
3) Our freezer runs constantly and I can't figure out how to adjust the temp. So whenever I want ice cream I have to defrost it first. The door also doesn't close all the way which allows moisture in and creates a frozen seal which means I have to pull really hard to even get my freezer door open.
4) Old counter tops that stain. Hopefully some day these will get replaced. They are nasty and hard to clean!
5) No storage space. I am very limited on the amount of space to put things. Half of our old kitchen is now packed in our storage unit because we don't have room for it all here. I also have a cart in our storage room here with all of our appliances on it because we have no other place for them in the kitchen.
6) NO DISHWASHER! If you know me at all you know I absolutely despise doing dishes and now I have to handwash EVERYTHING! I think I do dishes about 6 times a day and they take up a lot of the limited counter space that I have available. This makes cooking difficult too because when your counters are covered in dishes you have no room to do anything. Can I just put the dirty dishes in the washer and turn it on "delicate wash"???? This is why I invented paper plate weekends and why when you come over for dinner we will serve you on paper plates rather than our fine china.
Welcome to my kitchen! I tried to get pictures from all angles.
The back door leads into our storage room and the other leads to our hallway/entry way. 
This doorway and window open to the living room. 
Yes, the washer and dryer are in my kitchen.
This is the only counter space we have in our kitchen, very limited!Our kitchen is actually quite large compared to our previous home. What I really enjoy about this kitchen is that we have enough room for the dining room table. It's really easy to put Bubby in his chair and leave him to eat while I do other things, like doing dishes, putting away groceries, or cooking. I also like how much space there is to get around. In our previous home there was a huge wall between our dining room and kitchen which would have made it challenging to get anything done while Bubby was eating.
If you can tell in the pictures, our floor is brand new linoleum that our Landlords put in right before we moved in. If you had seen the rotting wood floors that were here beforehand you probably would have thought I was nuts for moving in here. The cabinets were also freshly painted.
Some people are very particular about the location of their washer and dryer and you would think that the last place you would want them is in your kitchen. However, I actually really like having the washer and dryer in our kitchen. It's so easy to toss in a load when it's location is so easily accessible. When our washer and dryer were in the basement at our old house I would have to haul a load down the stairs, but now it is so convenient! I get a whole lot more laundry done now than I used to!
The kitchen is located in the center of our apartment which I love because I can easily do dishes or cook while Bubby is playing the living room. I also have a window that opens into the living room which really opens the kitchen up and allows for some natural light from the few windows that are in our apartment.
Even though there are many things I do like about our kitchen, there are LOTS of things I absolutely despise:
1) Our stove is awful. We were spoiled with a gas stove before we moved and now we are back to uneven coils and a slow cooking oven. I feel like I have to cook everything twice as long.
2) Our cabinet doors/drawers stick horribly! Sometimes I have to fetch my Hubby to get them open! The plus side to this is that I don't have to child proof my kitchen, the only doors that have a latch are the middle ones because they don't close.
3) Our freezer runs constantly and I can't figure out how to adjust the temp. So whenever I want ice cream I have to defrost it first. The door also doesn't close all the way which allows moisture in and creates a frozen seal which means I have to pull really hard to even get my freezer door open.
4) Old counter tops that stain. Hopefully some day these will get replaced. They are nasty and hard to clean!
5) No storage space. I am very limited on the amount of space to put things. Half of our old kitchen is now packed in our storage unit because we don't have room for it all here. I also have a cart in our storage room here with all of our appliances on it because we have no other place for them in the kitchen.
6) NO DISHWASHER! If you know me at all you know I absolutely despise doing dishes and now I have to handwash EVERYTHING! I think I do dishes about 6 times a day and they take up a lot of the limited counter space that I have available. This makes cooking difficult too because when your counters are covered in dishes you have no room to do anything. Can I just put the dirty dishes in the washer and turn it on "delicate wash"???? This is why I invented paper plate weekends and why when you come over for dinner we will serve you on paper plates rather than our fine china.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Belated Thursday Thought:Da' Blues
Sorry I haven't really had much to say in awhile. I haven't been in the best of moods lately. I think there are a few reasons for this :
1. I no longer have employees to socialize with which means my days are spent listening to my own thoughts (which aren't always interesting...most often I just talk to myself in my head)
2. I am learning what it's like to be a stay at home mom and lately (rather than intentionally spending some quality time with Bubby and cleaning my house) that has consisted of changing lots of dirty diapers, feeding a cranky baby, and watching a lot of The Office on Hulu. I did manage to make a decent grocery list, mop my floors, and shop for some consignment clothes for Bubby this week, that is quite an improvement!
3. I have been really disconnected from people, even God, and Satan has really been making me feel devalued (is that even a word???), worthless, and alone.
So I decided to pick up my Bible and read....and you know what I read?
1 John 3:1-3
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that the world did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears we will be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."
I guess I don't need to feel so crummy because you know what, someone DOES love me! My Father! And sometimes I forget that he is my King. And you know what TRUE Kings do? They take care of you. As a mother, do you ever wish someone was there to take care of you? You spend all day changing your child's diapers, cooking for them, feeding them, playing with them, rocking them, cuddling them, and loving them that don't you ever feel just plain neglected? Why can't someone come and take care of me all day? What if I don't want to cook? What if I don't want to change diapers? What if I need to be cuddled or rocked? Sometimes I just forget that my King does all that for me (and no I don't still wear diapers...haha, but I bet if I did Jesus would change them!). I have a lot of fears and worries about my future and especially my role as a mother, but I do not have to fear. This is just my temporary home and I don't need to give into what this world has to offer. I have King Jesus to raise me up! And you know what? He is Beautiful!!!
1. I no longer have employees to socialize with which means my days are spent listening to my own thoughts (which aren't always interesting...most often I just talk to myself in my head)
2. I am learning what it's like to be a stay at home mom and lately (rather than intentionally spending some quality time with Bubby and cleaning my house) that has consisted of changing lots of dirty diapers, feeding a cranky baby, and watching a lot of The Office on Hulu. I did manage to make a decent grocery list, mop my floors, and shop for some consignment clothes for Bubby this week, that is quite an improvement!
3. I have been really disconnected from people, even God, and Satan has really been making me feel devalued (is that even a word???), worthless, and alone.
So I decided to pick up my Bible and read....and you know what I read?
1 John 3:1-3
"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that the world did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears we will be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."
I guess I don't need to feel so crummy because you know what, someone DOES love me! My Father! And sometimes I forget that he is my King. And you know what TRUE Kings do? They take care of you. As a mother, do you ever wish someone was there to take care of you? You spend all day changing your child's diapers, cooking for them, feeding them, playing with them, rocking them, cuddling them, and loving them that don't you ever feel just plain neglected? Why can't someone come and take care of me all day? What if I don't want to cook? What if I don't want to change diapers? What if I need to be cuddled or rocked? Sometimes I just forget that my King does all that for me (and no I don't still wear diapers...haha, but I bet if I did Jesus would change them!). I have a lot of fears and worries about my future and especially my role as a mother, but I do not have to fear. This is just my temporary home and I don't need to give into what this world has to offer. I have King Jesus to raise me up! And you know what? He is Beautiful!!!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Some days are just rough!
You know those mornings when you wake up, have your cup of coffee and think to yourself "hmm...this will be a good day" and then all of a sudden your day does a complete 180 and you think to yourself "Lord, get me through this!" and it just keeps getting worse and worse? Well, today was one of those days!
Bubby decided to wake up at 5:45 this morning, not sure why, but at 6:15 I decided to end the crying and get him up. He was a big grump (but trying to stay positive I just prayed that he would take a good morning nap). I thought 45 minutes of a nap was decent when he woke up, but turns out...he was still a big grump. We had to leave to go visit my grandma so I had hopes that his spirits would turn and maybe 1. he would be a happy boy for his great grandma, or 2. he would take a nap when we got there and THEN be a happy boy for his great grandma. However, neither of those happened. He was just a BIG GRUMP. I tried nursing him, rocking him, playing with him, feeding him lots of food, and nothing worked. It was not awful.
At 11:30 (after letting him cry for 25 minutes in the pack n play) we had to take off for a chiropractor appointment. Which by the way...never schedule an appointment during your child's nap time! I am SO BAD at this! I never ever think about his nap time when scheduling things and today I definitely learned my lesson. Bubby fell asleep immediately in the car and then I had to wake him up 20 minutes later when we got to the chiropractor, which meant he was a big grump at his appointment. Then I had to schedule him a doctors appointment (since his eye has been looking red/puffy and I wanted to avoid any weekend trips to the doctor) and since we were already in town I asked for the first appointment they had available. It was unfortunately an hour wait, so what did I do for an hour with my grumpy child? I drove around...for an hour...so he could nap and stay asleep in the car. It was not fun. Do you know how much road kill there is in Ames? I think I saw the majority of it today, including innards of a little rabbit spewed all over the road (sorry, probably too much info). And there is TONS of construction, which was super annoying. Thankfully I didn't run into any trains. There was one time that I did pull over at a park, rolled down the windows and rested my eyes a bit, but I drove the majority of the time.
After an hour we headed to the doctor to find out Josiah doesn't have pink eye (thank the Lord!) but instead a bacterial infection in his eye. The doctor thinks he may have gotten something in his eye and then it got infected, so now he is on antibiotics (so glad it's not contagious!). Well, after the doctor we headed to the pharmacy, which meant another small nap on the way there and then a screaming kiddo in the stroller as we walked through the store for 15 minutes while they filled his prescription. By the way...did I mention that I hadn't had lunch yet? So it was about 2:30 in the afternoon and I was starving. Bubby wailed the majority of the way home (probably because it had been 5 hours since he had eaten as well!).
When we got home I thought maybe things would lighten up. I nursed him, gave him his snack and then laid him down in hopes that maybe he would actually get a decent nap. But he refused and cried and cried and cried some more. And the stinky part is that we were heading to some friend's home tonight for dinner and I really wanted him to be in a good mood. So the evening was really not that good. I barely got to eat my dinner or talk with my friends. All in all, it was really nice when he went to bed tonight. I couldn't be happier to have him asleep and to have the day behind me!
Lessons I learned today:
1. Never schedule an appointment during your child's nap time
2. Impromptu trips to the doctor should be avoided, especially if you are breastfeeding and able to use breast milk as a temporary antibiotic
3. Pack a bottle! (being able to feed Bubby while waiting for his prescription would have made things easier)
4. Driving around to keep your child asleep is a good alternative to keeping them up, even if it means seeing gross road kill, getting caught in construction, and using extra gas
5. Pack a snack for yourself when leaving for the day, especially water!
*What are your suggestions on being prepared for impromptu days when things just don't go as planned?
Bubby decided to wake up at 5:45 this morning, not sure why, but at 6:15 I decided to end the crying and get him up. He was a big grump (but trying to stay positive I just prayed that he would take a good morning nap). I thought 45 minutes of a nap was decent when he woke up, but turns out...he was still a big grump. We had to leave to go visit my grandma so I had hopes that his spirits would turn and maybe 1. he would be a happy boy for his great grandma, or 2. he would take a nap when we got there and THEN be a happy boy for his great grandma. However, neither of those happened. He was just a BIG GRUMP. I tried nursing him, rocking him, playing with him, feeding him lots of food, and nothing worked. It was not awful.
At 11:30 (after letting him cry for 25 minutes in the pack n play) we had to take off for a chiropractor appointment. Which by the way...never schedule an appointment during your child's nap time! I am SO BAD at this! I never ever think about his nap time when scheduling things and today I definitely learned my lesson. Bubby fell asleep immediately in the car and then I had to wake him up 20 minutes later when we got to the chiropractor, which meant he was a big grump at his appointment. Then I had to schedule him a doctors appointment (since his eye has been looking red/puffy and I wanted to avoid any weekend trips to the doctor) and since we were already in town I asked for the first appointment they had available. It was unfortunately an hour wait, so what did I do for an hour with my grumpy child? I drove around...for an hour...so he could nap and stay asleep in the car. It was not fun. Do you know how much road kill there is in Ames? I think I saw the majority of it today, including innards of a little rabbit spewed all over the road (sorry, probably too much info). And there is TONS of construction, which was super annoying. Thankfully I didn't run into any trains. There was one time that I did pull over at a park, rolled down the windows and rested my eyes a bit, but I drove the majority of the time.
After an hour we headed to the doctor to find out Josiah doesn't have pink eye (thank the Lord!) but instead a bacterial infection in his eye. The doctor thinks he may have gotten something in his eye and then it got infected, so now he is on antibiotics (so glad it's not contagious!). Well, after the doctor we headed to the pharmacy, which meant another small nap on the way there and then a screaming kiddo in the stroller as we walked through the store for 15 minutes while they filled his prescription. By the way...did I mention that I hadn't had lunch yet? So it was about 2:30 in the afternoon and I was starving. Bubby wailed the majority of the way home (probably because it had been 5 hours since he had eaten as well!).
When we got home I thought maybe things would lighten up. I nursed him, gave him his snack and then laid him down in hopes that maybe he would actually get a decent nap. But he refused and cried and cried and cried some more. And the stinky part is that we were heading to some friend's home tonight for dinner and I really wanted him to be in a good mood. So the evening was really not that good. I barely got to eat my dinner or talk with my friends. All in all, it was really nice when he went to bed tonight. I couldn't be happier to have him asleep and to have the day behind me!
Lessons I learned today:
1. Never schedule an appointment during your child's nap time
2. Impromptu trips to the doctor should be avoided, especially if you are breastfeeding and able to use breast milk as a temporary antibiotic
3. Pack a bottle! (being able to feed Bubby while waiting for his prescription would have made things easier)
4. Driving around to keep your child asleep is a good alternative to keeping them up, even if it means seeing gross road kill, getting caught in construction, and using extra gas
5. Pack a snack for yourself when leaving for the day, especially water!
*What are your suggestions on being prepared for impromptu days when things just don't go as planned?
Friday, September 2, 2011
GermFest 2000
Today we took a walk around the mall and you know those kid play areas (Kid Zones) that are typically set up in a large area of the mall? The place with all the giant animals that have slides coming out of there mouths or stairs going up their behinds or tunnels going under their bellies? Hubby and I like to call those places "Germfests." Every time we walk by one we start chanting "Germfest 2000" to each other. We just can't imagine the amount of germs in those places! You want to learn an interesting fact about those "Germfests"? They may or may not be sponsored by your local medical center, at least the one in our mall is! What a smart idea (sarcasm button)!!!! Attention all medical centers, you want a way to make more money??? Sponsor a Kids Zone in your local mall and get them all sick so that they all come to YOU to get loaded up with antibiotics!
*Note: you should know that I am kind of a germ freak. I've been washing Bubby's hands under the sink for awhile now. Once he starts walking I plan on getting him a large step stool so we can really start pushing the hand washing for after diaper changing and before/after meals. Maybe that's why I didn't like having him in a day care center that much. I have relaxed a little since he's been home so often, for instance I'm not as picky as I used to be with giving him a bath every day and I don't rush to wash off his binky when it falls or sanitize a toy if the dog licks it (or him!) but I'm still a little freaked out to let my child play in a kids zone such as the one at the mall. Heck, I don't even let him play with toys that they provide at clinics and offices!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Puff Puffs and Cake Cakes
Bubby is 10 months old now...I can't believe in only 2 short months he will be one year old! My little boy is growing up!! I have really seen his personality come out over the past few weeks. He loves to laugh, especially if you make faces at him, sing to him, or dance with him. His absolute favorite song is "Ba Ba Black Sheep" and I think it's because when we sing "Ba Ba" it sounds like Bubba (also his nickname). Sometimes I'll sing the entire song just saying "Ba Ba" and he loves it! He still crawls on his belly, but can pull himself up to stand really well and sometimes takes a few steps if you are holding his hands or if he's holding himself up on the furniture. He just learned how to play "So Big" this week and it's now a highchair tradition to play that game. His sleeping habits still need some improving despite our efforts to sleep train him, but I am very pleased that he took two naps today, one of them being 2 1/2 hours long!
And lastly, he is totally over eating baby food. I keep some on hand as a back up in case I can't find anything else to make him, or if he's really grumpy and I can't get food made fast enough for him. So he's been eating lots of table food.
Some of Bubby's Favorites:
-mandarin oranges
-peaches
-pears
-bananas
-melons (there is a great Organic Tropical Fruit Mix we like with all sorts of melons!)
-applesauce
-Baby yogurts
-sweet potatoes
-mashed or sliced potatoes
-sweet peas
-lima beans (he LOVES lime beans and will eat as many as he can get! But they do make for some stinky diapers!)
-corn
-carrots
-turkey breast
-turkey hot dogs
-spaghetti with hamburger and tomato sauce (I mixed in some green beans too because its the only way he'll eat them)
-pasta with melted cheese and butter
-bread/toast with butter (great for teething!)
-buckwheat pancakes (aka Cake Cakes)
-baby puffs (aka Puff Puffs)
One thing you should know is that Hubby and I try our best to eat All Natural and Organic food and we prefer fresh foods. However, since we are now creating a strict budget for our groceries I am having to resort to some canned and not always organic foods. I have found a few brands of canned fruits and vegetables that seem alright, like Del Monte vegetables or Dole fruits. I am still trying to find a way to give him some decent protein without having to cook up some meat on the spot because 1. meat is expensive, 2. we don't like to have lots of leftovers, 3. I don't always have much time to cook for him. I am learning to cook items in advance and save them in tupperware in the refrigerator so I can easily pop them in the microwave for him.
Puff Puffs are a pretty typical snack for him. At Wheatsfield Cooperative Grocery store they have organic puffs that I get for him. Feeding him puffs was probably how he developed his pincer grasp! And Cake Cakes are an occasional breakfast treat (served warm with melted butter). Hubby grew up eating Buckwheat Pancakes so we are going to start eating those more often. I make them with Almond Milk which makes them a little easier on my digestive system.
And lastly, he is totally over eating baby food. I keep some on hand as a back up in case I can't find anything else to make him, or if he's really grumpy and I can't get food made fast enough for him. So he's been eating lots of table food.
Some of Bubby's Favorites:
-mandarin oranges
-peaches
-pears
-bananas
-melons (there is a great Organic Tropical Fruit Mix we like with all sorts of melons!)
-applesauce
-Baby yogurts
-sweet potatoes
-mashed or sliced potatoes
-sweet peas
-lima beans (he LOVES lime beans and will eat as many as he can get! But they do make for some stinky diapers!)
-corn
-carrots
-turkey breast
-turkey hot dogs
-spaghetti with hamburger and tomato sauce (I mixed in some green beans too because its the only way he'll eat them)
-pasta with melted cheese and butter
-bread/toast with butter (great for teething!)
-buckwheat pancakes (aka Cake Cakes)
-baby puffs (aka Puff Puffs)
One thing you should know is that Hubby and I try our best to eat All Natural and Organic food and we prefer fresh foods. However, since we are now creating a strict budget for our groceries I am having to resort to some canned and not always organic foods. I have found a few brands of canned fruits and vegetables that seem alright, like Del Monte vegetables or Dole fruits. I am still trying to find a way to give him some decent protein without having to cook up some meat on the spot because 1. meat is expensive, 2. we don't like to have lots of leftovers, 3. I don't always have much time to cook for him. I am learning to cook items in advance and save them in tupperware in the refrigerator so I can easily pop them in the microwave for him.
Puff Puffs are a pretty typical snack for him. At Wheatsfield Cooperative Grocery store they have organic puffs that I get for him. Feeding him puffs was probably how he developed his pincer grasp! And Cake Cakes are an occasional breakfast treat (served warm with melted butter). Hubby grew up eating Buckwheat Pancakes so we are going to start eating those more often. I make them with Almond Milk which makes them a little easier on my digestive system.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Sleep Training Your Child
I finally gave in and sleep trained Bubby. He'll be 10 months old next week and it was about time I stopped getting up at night with him and nursing him back to sleep. You're probably thinking "ABOUT TIME!" or "YOU WERE STILL NURSING HIM???" and all I can say is "IT'S HARD!" I had THE hardest time letting him cry it out, but with encouragement from several mothers and prayer's of protection over him, I finally decided to put him to bed, shut the door and not go back till the morning. I've done that for 4 nights now and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! Here's how it went:
Night 1: 45 minutes of middle of the night crying
Night 2: 20 minutes of middle of the night crying
Night 3: Maybe 10 minutes of middle of the night crying
Night 4: I don't know if he cried...maybe a few minutes?
It's AWESOME! He's been ready for bed by 7 or 7:30 every night and he's been sleeping till 6 or 6:30 every morning, that means a good 11 hours of sleep for him! We used to put him to bed at 7 and he'd fiddle around in his crib till 8, cry several times throughout the night which ended up with me nursing him once, maybe twice a night, and then him being up and ready for the day at 5:30 or 6. But now not only is he sleeping better at night, he's taking much better naps too! He usually manages 2-3 naps a day (sometimes he still needs that early evening nap if he didn't get his sleep out during the afternoon one) and all of them range from 1-2 hours. If he wakes up before an hour and is crying I've been letting him fuss for 20 minutes to see if he'll go back to sleep.
I must say THANK YOU to all the mom's who have encouraged me for MONTHS to sleep train Bubby. The hardest part was listening to him cry for 45 minutes the first night (and thankfully Hubby was there to hug me when I was anxiously waiting for Bubby to stop crying) but now it's much easier and I prefer to have Bubby cry it out a bit.
*Today has been an off day, I think he's already taken 3 naps today, each of them about 45 minutes and crying it out just hasn't worked. We've been going back and forth from the crib to playing for a while now and he just can't figure out what he wants to do. I think part of it is that he's just starting to cruise around the furniture and his crib so he's just too excited to lay still.
Night 1: 45 minutes of middle of the night crying
Night 2: 20 minutes of middle of the night crying
Night 3: Maybe 10 minutes of middle of the night crying
Night 4: I don't know if he cried...maybe a few minutes?
It's AWESOME! He's been ready for bed by 7 or 7:30 every night and he's been sleeping till 6 or 6:30 every morning, that means a good 11 hours of sleep for him! We used to put him to bed at 7 and he'd fiddle around in his crib till 8, cry several times throughout the night which ended up with me nursing him once, maybe twice a night, and then him being up and ready for the day at 5:30 or 6. But now not only is he sleeping better at night, he's taking much better naps too! He usually manages 2-3 naps a day (sometimes he still needs that early evening nap if he didn't get his sleep out during the afternoon one) and all of them range from 1-2 hours. If he wakes up before an hour and is crying I've been letting him fuss for 20 minutes to see if he'll go back to sleep.
I must say THANK YOU to all the mom's who have encouraged me for MONTHS to sleep train Bubby. The hardest part was listening to him cry for 45 minutes the first night (and thankfully Hubby was there to hug me when I was anxiously waiting for Bubby to stop crying) but now it's much easier and I prefer to have Bubby cry it out a bit.
*Today has been an off day, I think he's already taken 3 naps today, each of them about 45 minutes and crying it out just hasn't worked. We've been going back and forth from the crib to playing for a while now and he just can't figure out what he wants to do. I think part of it is that he's just starting to cruise around the furniture and his crib so he's just too excited to lay still.
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