(pre-run cow fun)
(during run, looking much happier than I felt)
(post run, pretty accurate portrayal of my feelings)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
My first, and last, 5K
On April 16th I did something I thought I would never do...I (pseudo) ran a 5K. You see, it's global month of service and we are doing a lot of fun community service events with Starbucks. As a district, all of the store managers had committed to participating in the Joe P Rally Run to benefit childhood cancer research. I intended to walk the 5K because I am terribly out of shape and had not trained to run at all. Plus, it was a very cold day. However, all of my friends were running so I let myself be peer pressured into running. I definitely walked quickly for a good portion of the race, but I still ran a lot. And it was horrible, I might add. I do not understand you people that run for "fun." My final time was 43 minutes, which I decided was decent considering a) I walked part of it, b) zero training, c) out of shape, and d) NOT a runner. Oh, and I was sore and whiney for a good three days afterwards, pathetic. Perhaps I should look into getting in shape and making this a healthy habit of mine. Probably not, though.
(pre-run cow fun)
(during run, looking much happier than I felt)
(post run, pretty accurate portrayal of my feelings)
(pre-run cow fun)
(during run, looking much happier than I felt)
(post run, pretty accurate portrayal of my feelings)
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Not Your Grandma's Cloth Diapers
Oh my word, y'all! Can I just gush about our cloth diapers for a while? Good, that's what I plan to do!
I first remember reading about newfangled cloth diapers a few years ago when Amalah started posted about them at AlphaMom. I was instantly intrigued and thought I would really like to try them out when we had little ones. And then the more I read about, and thought about, them the more sold I became on the idea of really going all out and using cloth.
The number one reason that we love cloth is that they decrease our money spent at target! Woohoo! Sure, there is an initial cost that is quite staggering, but after that first purchase you literally will not need to buy diapers again. We plan to use the diapers that we have now until Liam is potty trained. And then turn around and use them again on his little siblings until they are potty trained. Yes, we still need a few more and perhaps will need even more if we have multiples in diapers at once but I love just bypassing the diaper aisle instead of heading straight to it at every trip to the store.
Not only do we have the potential to save a lot of money by using cloth on all of our children, but we also drastically reduce our waste. I am almost as proud of that fact as I am that we are spending next to nothing now on diaper out child.
Environmental impact: Disposable diapers are estimated to take 250-500 years to decompose—and they’re the third largest single consumer item in landfills and represent about 4% of solid waste. In households with just one diaper-age child, disposables make up as much as 50% of total household waste, according to a 2003 study by the Women’s Environmental Network (via the Real Diaper Association).
Sure, they can be a little messy. But, so can disposable diapers. And, honest to God, we have had zero blow outs since we switched to cloth and there have been some that would for sure have blown out a pampers diaper. We still plan to use disposables while traveling and if any of our caretakers are uncomfortable with cloth. Honestly though, they aren't hard to use at all! Even my husband with the worst gag reflex in all the land does not mind using them, and even prefers them to disposable! Woot woot!
We are using FuzziBunz, so if you have any questions about those or cloth diapering in general feel free to ask! I would love to help you take the plunge! Your wallet, the environment, and your baby's hiney will thank you!
Did I mention they are stinking adorable?
I first remember reading about newfangled cloth diapers a few years ago when Amalah started posted about them at AlphaMom. I was instantly intrigued and thought I would really like to try them out when we had little ones. And then the more I read about, and thought about, them the more sold I became on the idea of really going all out and using cloth.
The number one reason that we love cloth is that they decrease our money spent at target! Woohoo! Sure, there is an initial cost that is quite staggering, but after that first purchase you literally will not need to buy diapers again. We plan to use the diapers that we have now until Liam is potty trained. And then turn around and use them again on his little siblings until they are potty trained. Yes, we still need a few more and perhaps will need even more if we have multiples in diapers at once but I love just bypassing the diaper aisle instead of heading straight to it at every trip to the store.
Not only do we have the potential to save a lot of money by using cloth on all of our children, but we also drastically reduce our waste. I am almost as proud of that fact as I am that we are spending next to nothing now on diaper out child.
Environmental impact: Disposable diapers are estimated to take 250-500 years to decompose—and they’re the third largest single consumer item in landfills and represent about 4% of solid waste. In households with just one diaper-age child, disposables make up as much as 50% of total household waste, according to a 2003 study by the Women’s Environmental Network (via the Real Diaper Association).
Sure, they can be a little messy. But, so can disposable diapers. And, honest to God, we have had zero blow outs since we switched to cloth and there have been some that would for sure have blown out a pampers diaper. We still plan to use disposables while traveling and if any of our caretakers are uncomfortable with cloth. Honestly though, they aren't hard to use at all! Even my husband with the worst gag reflex in all the land does not mind using them, and even prefers them to disposable! Woot woot!
We are using FuzziBunz, so if you have any questions about those or cloth diapering in general feel free to ask! I would love to help you take the plunge! Your wallet, the environment, and your baby's hiney will thank you!
Did I mention they are stinking adorable?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Ten on Tuesday
1. I have a precious baby boy that likes to grin his head off after crying in the middle of the night.
2. My husband is the sweetest boy in the world. Period. Don't argue.
3. I worked 4 hours this morning and then went to a 7 hour store manager training.
4. I am brain dead.
5. Speaking of medical terms, I watched the musical Grey's Anatomy episode yesterday and, oh my holy awkwardness batman! I felt bipolar from simultaneously sobbing, laughing, and cringing in horror.
6. I love Adele! We play it at work constantly and it is so much fun to sling lattes to, I NEED to break down and buy a copy. Or have one donated to me.
7. I am hosting a Stella & Dot party on Sunday (let me know if you want to come!), and our house is still in a shambles from switching rooms. Uh oh.
8. We went to The Loveless Cafe tonight for the early bird special and every waitress had to come and fawn all over Liam bird. He flirted for them all. Precious.
9. I am re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the 4th time. I cry at least once a chapter. Ridiculous.
10. It's bedtime for me and wiggles. Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
2. My husband is the sweetest boy in the world. Period. Don't argue.
3. I worked 4 hours this morning and then went to a 7 hour store manager training.
4. I am brain dead.
5. Speaking of medical terms, I watched the musical Grey's Anatomy episode yesterday and, oh my holy awkwardness batman! I felt bipolar from simultaneously sobbing, laughing, and cringing in horror.
6. I love Adele! We play it at work constantly and it is so much fun to sling lattes to, I NEED to break down and buy a copy. Or have one donated to me.
7. I am hosting a Stella & Dot party on Sunday (let me know if you want to come!), and our house is still in a shambles from switching rooms. Uh oh.
8. We went to The Loveless Cafe tonight for the early bird special and every waitress had to come and fawn all over Liam bird. He flirted for them all. Precious.
9. I am re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the 4th time. I cry at least once a chapter. Ridiculous.
10. It's bedtime for me and wiggles. Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, April 11, 2011
A little bit of whining...
As mentioned in the title, this will be a whiny post. Don't feel obligated to read, or comment to make me feel better. It just needs to get off of my chest.
Simply put, I miss my husband.
For the last few MONTHS we have only seen eachother "coming and going" and it is really really starting to wear on me. Him too, for that matter. You see, we are madly in love with one another and were used to being practically joined at the hip. Until little wiggles came along, Ryan would drive me to work on mornings that I opened just so we could spend more time together. Sick, I know.
Those days are now behind us, and this isn't a lament for a date night or anything like that. I would be satisfied with a day spent as a family. Our schedules are so busy and at opposing times, that we haven't even been able to do that.
I know lots of couples that have "date night" once their kids are down for the night or snuggle together watching movies until the wee hours of the morning. But that won't work for us. You see, my bedtime is the same as my 6 month old's so there isn't much room for movie watching in our lives right now.
I work full-time and I am a full-time mom and wife when I'm not at work. Ryan is juggling caring for Liam while I am at work, graduate school, working in the afternoons, and being in a band that is attempting to get signed (which means meetings, writing sessions, practice, and shows constantly).
Most nights, I am in bed at 8:30 and Ryan is either at the library or doing something with the band until midnight. Then I am up at 4am and he leaves for work shortly after I get home at 2. When he gets home, it's the frantic sprint of feedings, bathing, and rocking before we put Liam down and the whole thing starts over again. My day off during the week is Ryan's school day and my weekend day off has conflicted with either more school or the band for the past month.
Sorry for whining, it has just been a rough couple of weeks on top of months of not enough quality time. Thankfully, the semester is almost over and we can spend some time together before summer school and more band travel starts. I have some fun ideas for some family time!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Simply put, I miss my husband.
For the last few MONTHS we have only seen eachother "coming and going" and it is really really starting to wear on me. Him too, for that matter. You see, we are madly in love with one another and were used to being practically joined at the hip. Until little wiggles came along, Ryan would drive me to work on mornings that I opened just so we could spend more time together. Sick, I know.
Those days are now behind us, and this isn't a lament for a date night or anything like that. I would be satisfied with a day spent as a family. Our schedules are so busy and at opposing times, that we haven't even been able to do that.
I know lots of couples that have "date night" once their kids are down for the night or snuggle together watching movies until the wee hours of the morning. But that won't work for us. You see, my bedtime is the same as my 6 month old's so there isn't much room for movie watching in our lives right now.
I work full-time and I am a full-time mom and wife when I'm not at work. Ryan is juggling caring for Liam while I am at work, graduate school, working in the afternoons, and being in a band that is attempting to get signed (which means meetings, writing sessions, practice, and shows constantly).
Most nights, I am in bed at 8:30 and Ryan is either at the library or doing something with the band until midnight. Then I am up at 4am and he leaves for work shortly after I get home at 2. When he gets home, it's the frantic sprint of feedings, bathing, and rocking before we put Liam down and the whole thing starts over again. My day off during the week is Ryan's school day and my weekend day off has conflicted with either more school or the band for the past month.
Sorry for whining, it has just been a rough couple of weeks on top of months of not enough quality time. Thankfully, the semester is almost over and we can spend some time together before summer school and more band travel starts. I have some fun ideas for some family time!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
My days are off...
I am very consistently off on Thursdays and Sundays. Every other day, I open.
Mondays, I make the schedule.
Tuesdays, we get our big roasting plant order.
I worked yesterday (Sunday). And I thought it was Monday all day. This feeling was exacerbated because I made the schedule in my free time.
Due to a one-time change, we received our roasting plant order today.
I am definitely feeling like I will be mixed up all week. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Mondays, I make the schedule.
Tuesdays, we get our big roasting plant order.
I worked yesterday (Sunday). And I thought it was Monday all day. This feeling was exacerbated because I made the schedule in my free time.
Due to a one-time change, we received our roasting plant order today.
I am definitely feeling like I will be mixed up all week. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Friday, April 1, 2011
6 Months Old!
Dear Liam,
I am in shock that we are already at the half-a-year mark in your little life! It seems like just yesterday you were rushing into this world like a dramatic little monkey! Thankfully, you have proven to be a lot less dramatic than your early arrival led us to believe you would be!
You have been battling a virus the past couple of days and your eating, sleeping and smiling are all off. So I'm going to write this post without that in mind, so it will be a reflection of how you normally are.
You weigh 15 pounds, 8 ounces (22nd percentile) and I'm not sure about your height but I think you are right around 26 inches (25th percentile). We will find out for sure at your 6 month check up in a few weeks. I am amazed at how big you are getting, it is crazy to think that you have tripled your birth weight. Your little arms and legs are getting deliciously plump!
You have truly mastered the fine art of eating this month. You have been eating oatmeal cereal at breakfast and supper time with either a fruit or vegetable alongside. So far, you have tried sweet potato, banana, avocado, green beans, sweet peas, and peaches. With the exception of the peaches, I have made everything for you, pureed with breast milk in my trusty little food processor. Your favorites are sweet potato and banana by far. And, like your mother, you dislike the green veggies for now. I am determined for you to like them, so don't think you're off the hook. You are still nursing (or taking a 6 ounce bottle) 5-7 times a day.
You are still wearing mostly 0-3 months sized clothing but there are a few 3-6 month sized things that we have moved you into. You are wearing a size 2 in disposables, and thanks to a generous gift from JuJu we will be moving you into cloth diapers exclusively next week.
You love to roll over and play in the floor on your quilt. You have also started playing in your exersaucer recently. You love being read to, talked to, sung to, and held. Basically, if the attention is on you you are happy. Your new favorite thing is to play "baby in the wall." You love to look at your reflection in mirrors and will giggle and then turn your head to hide in my neck. Too precious! You are so very talkative, always hollering and making new sounds.
You have been showing signs of teething for over a month now so perhaps we will see some little teeth soon. You are holding your head up consistently now and sit well when supported.
Wiggles, it is amazing to watch you grow and learn literally before our very eyes. I am so proud of everything you do and who you already are. I can't wait to see what big things God has in store for your life, you are already a blessing and comfort to many. It's an honor to be your mommy.
Love you forever,
Mama girl
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