1 Little...

 One Little

 2 Little

 3 Little Indians!

Snug has his shirt from preschool last year, Little Monkey Man made one this year.  I took a little undershirt that was badly stained and headed for the rag box and stained it with tea, fringed it, and put some stamps on it.  Rosebud now has her own!

This is LMM at his Thanksgiving program at school.  He sang very nicely and enjoyed all the attention!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

I had the fun privilege of doing a really fun Earth Day activity today!  It was the day of the Great Cloth Diaper Change!  Today cloth diapering moms across the US tried (not sure if it was successful yet or not) to break a Guinness Book of World Records for most diapers changed at the same time.  Over 400 locations took part in the event today.  

 Our location was in the middle of a large Eco-awareness fair at an Organic Gardening site.  There were tons of vendors there.  Snug went with Rosebud and I and got to plant a basket using recycled materials and organic materials.

 He had some help...

 ...but ended up with a basket (complete with a toy in the middle.  I guess they were toys people were going to throw away and got a new life as a planter piece).

 Here's Rosebud sitting on her "diaper changing station".  It was very regimented as far as what diapers were used (only cloth diapers currently available on the market, no homemade ones) and only people changing babies and babies allowed in the area.  The entire thing was photographed by a professional to make sure all the rules were followed.

 Snug even had to sit under the table where I could still see him but where he couldn't be seen by the photographer!

 There were about 40 babies participating in our location.  I have NEVER seen so many cloth diapering, babywearing mamas in my life!  It was kinda fun!  I am almost always in the minority.  I also won a prize that pertains to babywearing...and I don't really need it so I am going to try and figure out some sort of a giveaway!

 There was also a petting farm and other activities.  Snug had a wonderful time!

 On a completely different note, I want to share a few pictures with you of Rosebud's new hat.

 This is a hat with a cause.

Do you like it?  Does your baby/toddler need one?  

Well, you are in luck!  These hats are for sale (along with sock monkey hats, owl purses, and sock monkeys) for a good cause!  My new friend Faith and her husband are raising money to adopt from Ethiopia.  You can get more information www.fegingerich.wordpress.com  If you scroll down her blog a bit you can see more of what they are selling, or get in contact with her.  The adoption agency they are using is www.awaa.org.

The pictures were hard to get as she didn't really want to sit still...but trust me, this hat is A D O R A B L E!!!!!

Coupon?

So.  Because my life is so boring and I have nothing better to do, I have started to use coupons (better).  I've always loved a deal, but purposeful coupon use has not been a passion of mine.  I DO use coupons on things like getting my kids pictures taken or clothes from KOHL'S or oil changes.


  I collected PediaSure coupons back when LMM was drinking his weight in it each day.  (And for the record, due to Rosebud's lack of weight gain she is also getting some each day, but not nearly the amount he consumed.

But for groceries?  Not so much.  Why not?  Well here is my pros/cons list for coupon use.

Pro:  People actually end up with FREE groceries
        It saves money
        It is fun to see how much money you can save!

Cons:  I don't have excessive amounts of extra time
           We don't subscribe to a newspaper-we don't read it and I can't justify the use of trees for paper on something I'm going to toss because I just wanted a few coupons.
            I see a coupon that is GREAT and then buy something with it I"d never usually spend money on.  Not a great way to save money! Part of our Financial Peace journey (click tag at the end of the post to learn more) was learning to NOT just buy something because it was on sale.  That can get you in money trouble-fast.  I try really hard to not get caught up in the "deal", and instead make sure it is useful.
            95% of coupons are for name brand items we never ever use OR that I'd still get cheaper buying generic brand or from ALDI.
            Most coupons are for pre-packaged, preservative laden, nutritionally void foods.

So for that very reason, it has been rare I use coupons.

BUT.

I was at my parent's house awhile back and saw a show on their cable called "Extreme Coupon-ing" or something of the like.  I was fascinated.  These people bought hundreds of dollars of goods for pennies.  It really was quite something.  However, it took them tons of time, they bought and threw away tons of newspapers, and they bought junk I'd never buy.  Hmmmm.

AND THEN.

We started getting coupons in our weekly free grocery circulars that are thrown haphazardly at the end of our driveway each Sunday morning while we're at church.  Of course I look through the grocery circular at our local grocers to see what deals they have.  Very often I can spend 10 minutes browsing them and get a store brand item at a good deal.  I always have a detailed grocery list going, and just make notes on it of where to buy what. (And no, I don't grocery shop hop as the norm, but we do go to ALDI and Kroger each week and I always compare their prices).  I also recycle the circulars when I am done and don't feel terribly about the tree usage as at least I didn't ask for it.

So I started perusing the coupons and comparing them to the ad prices.  I also started cutting coupons I might want at some point and keeping them.  Then if I notice something in the circular is on sale AND I have a coupon...well I might consider it.

AND NOW.

I have started using coupons each week.  Granted I'm talking one or two a week...but I have been getting big savings.  The picture above is for Corn Chex.  We get the off brand Rice Chex at Aldi for $2.18/box as they are gluten free and MUCH cheaper than gluten free cheerios or the like for $4-$6/box.

This week both Rice Chex and Corn Chex were on sale at Kroger for $2.18/box (same as ALDI) regular price is $3.52/box.  I also had a "buy 3, save $1.50" coupon.  ***STAY WITH ME HERE***
If I had used the coupon any other week, I'd get 3 boxes of cereal for $9.06...but at ALDI I'd have gotten the same thing for $6.54.  That use of coupon would have been really dumb.

However, with the store deal and coupon, I got 3 boxes of cereal for $5.04, a savings of $1.50.  When I bought the 3 boxes of cereal, another coupon printed with my receipt and it was a "buy 4 boxes, save $1.50".  Not as good of a deal...but I went ahead and did it.  I got 4 boxes of cereal for $7.22, saving 38 cents/box. (I walked my groceries to my car, went back in and used the freshly printed coupon).

And in actuality I saved more like $12.38 because we got CORN, not RICE chex...something we can't get at ALDI but will buy occasionally so that LMM doesn't have to eat the same cereal day in and day out.  I figured I can get the off brand rice version any-ol-time so I bought the "fancy" stuff.

So I spent $12.26 and I saved $12.38.  Now before you ask what on earth I am going to do with 7 boxes of cereal...we go through 1 1/2-2 boxes of this cereal a week. Rosebud eats it (as we are highly suspecting she is also wheat/gluten intolerant) and LMM eats two bowls a morning, 3-4 mornings a week.  And we also give it to our daycare kids and Snug if they want it (being as it isn't the pricey gluten-free cereal).  So it will be gone within a month, easily.

Any coupon tips?  I know I'm not a HUGE fan of them...but I know some people do really well with it.

Boxes!

It's the most wonderful time....of the year.
There are boxes for hidin' in...

...and bubble wrap for poppin'

see him poppin' right heeeeerrre!

It's the most wonderful time...of the yeeeeeaaar!

At least I didn't record my voice singing it. You're welcome.

Ok, check these out! I got this really fun idea from Family Fun magazine. We "got our subscription" from our doctor's office. The nurse (our Dr.'s wife) caught me taking phone pictures of ideas in it and told me the office gets 2 copies every month...and since we are such loyal customers (all 5 of us have the same Dr.) we could take one copy home with us each month (Rosebud goes every month to get 1 vaccine at a time)! How nice!

Anyway. These are recycled cereal boxes! They look like gift bags, but are cheaper and sturdier. They called them "baxes". I used ribbon I found at the Target dollar spot which coordinated with my gift wrap which is just wrapped around the boxes (with their tops cut off) as you would a normal gift. The top is open because the paper is tucked into the top and taped to the inside. I'm going to send the picture to Family Fun and see if I can get into their magazine! They often print pictures of things they've shown that people have tried. Fun!

Best White Elephant...EVER

This is what I got at our Sunday School Christmas party. We had a white elephant exchange*, and I think I got a GREAT deal! Now, the family who gave it up didn't want it anymore (their son is 12...so not exactly getting much use at their house) and was going to give it to Goodwill. But I was very happy to get it!

I kinda hid it under my chair so no one would "steal" it during the exchange. Probably kinda cheating.

All the pieces are wooden and seem to be solid. The boys have had quite a bit of fun with them. As soon as I got them it made me think of Esther. She is doing 25 days of nativity this month. Because she has 25 nativities!!! Check it out!

(I now have 4...no desire to own 25 though!)

*If you don't know what a white elephant exchange is, it goes as following:

Take something from your house you really don't want to are not using. Some people buy stuff, but that kills the whole "recycle" end of it...unless you buy something funny like the goldfish bowl with live fish that was there last night. Funny.

Next you wrap it like you would a "good" gift and take it to the party. Everyone draws a number and that is the order you get gifts in. #1 starts by choosing and unwrapping a gift. #2 can then steal that gift from person #1 or choose their own gift. It is up to your party whether or not you want to put a limit on how many times a certain item can be stolen. If your gift is stolen you can either steal someone elses gift (but not the one that was just taken from you) or choose a new gift to open. After everyone has had a turn, the first person gets to either steal from someone or keep whatever they have. Then the game is over. I guess in a game of stealing presents, it can be forgiven that I "cheated" and hid my present so no one would "steal" from me!

Have You Had "The Talk" WIth Your Kids?

No, not that talk. My kids are only 4, 2, and 4 months! I mean the talk about money. This is also a BIG one. And one that needs to be repeated.

Let me tell you about how this all came about.

Last night after church we stopped by our old neighbor's house to chat for a couple of minutes on our way home from church. We miss them terribly and haven't connected in awhile. Our old yard looks...awful. Seriously, the place looks like it has been foreclosed on and that no one lives there. That bad. The lawn is not mowed, the flower garden has not been weeded (think several feet tall weeds), there are weeds growing up between all the cracks in the sidewalk/driveway. The gate to the privacy fence is never closed, and there are some vertical blinds missing in the big front window...that they have hung a princess themed sheet over the gap. My little ornamental weeping cherry tree that I always trimmed so carefully...a mess. A complete mess. (We had bought the house from someone I used to work with and the tree had been a gift when her grandfather passed...I always remembered that and tried to honor his memory.)

Some yard work has been done. The new owner had two HUGE beautiful maple trees removed. But didn't plant grass over where they were. It is just so sick.

Upon returning home, I remembered that some of the bushes in our new front yard needed to be trimmed. I was going to wait for fall and cooler weather...but I took vengeance for my old yard upon my new one today.

I (stupidly) got out my pruning sheers and pruned the daylights out of the first overgrown bush. Then when I noticed that the woody stems were really hard to cut through and that I had given myself no less than five large blisters, I went for the lopping sheers and finished the job. There was a TON of debris left in my wake.

Snug was running around outside and I made him a deal. If he'd load all of the debris into his wagon and dispose of it (some to the mulch pile, some to the yard waste bag) I'd pay him. He agreed. It is in the nineties today, and the work took him close to forty minutes (filled the wagon two times). I paid him four quarters.

Ever since we did Financial Peace University we have been trying to instill the same money values in our kids. One of the first things we do with them is to give them three banks. One is labeled "Give" one "Save" and one "Spend". Monkey Man will be getting his "give" and "save" banks here soon. We use empty Parmesan cheese jars for this, we keep it simple people.

When they earn money (pennies for little jobs, dimes for medium jobs, quarters for hour-long-hot-in-the-sun jobs) we have taught Snug to put the money in the three banks and say "Give to someone who needs it" "Save for something you need" "Spend on something I want". I'm not sure why we never divvy out nickles...I never have nickels hanging around. Why is that? They don't get paid for everything they help out with around the house, many jobs are done because we are a family and families work together.

Today we went a step further. Although Snug has spent some of his money in the past (saved up birthday money for a toy, given money to Operation Christmas Child and missions) he has never just went to his "spend" jar and spent it because he has it. I asked Snug if he'd like an ice cream cone, and he decided that he would. Before he put the two remaining quarters into his "spend" bank I told him that an ice cream at McDonald's cost fifty cents, and that is what two quarters is.

When Monkey Man and Rosebud went down for a nap, daddy stayed home and mommy and Snug went on a "date". He ordered, payed for, and ate his hard earned treat. As we sat at the table I decided to talk to him more about money. He has wanted to do some things this summer that we didn't have money to do, and we have simply told him "we don't have the money". Don't feel too bad for the little guy, he's had a fun-filled summer.


As we sat there enjoying each other's company we talked about where money comes from he showed me he already knows that God gave daddy his job and that is how we have a house to live in and food to eat. Today's topic was more specific about how he likes to turn on the light in his bedroom or that we get to have gas in the van. I told him that we have money we give, save, and spend also. But spending money isn't just for things you want like ice cream. First of all you have to pay bills and such like.

He noted that I had recently gotten a new rug for the living room, and I told him that indeed I had, but that I had saved for literally months to be able to buy it. Oh, I will SOOO have to post pictures of the rug too, I L O V E it. That is totally not part of the story, sorry.

Anyway, then he asked where our money was. Did I have a penny bank (that is what he calls his piggy banks, and in all fairness when some of the banks look like pigs and some like empty recycled food containers...penny bank is a better word) and where was it? I then explained that we use a bank building to put our money in. Next month when I go and fill envelopes (another Financial Peace thing) I'll have to make sure he is included in the process.

One thing that he said that cracked me up was he asked why we put our money in a bank. I told him because some people would sin against us and steal money if we just had it all sitting around. He said "like litterbugs! They'd steal our money and THEN put their trash on the ground!" I have to remember that he is only four.

Litterbugs aside, I really feel that our "date" and fifty cent ice cream made an impact on him. I think that the money talk needs to be made with all kids, and made whenever the opportunity arises. Our society is a "give it to me now and I'll spend even what I don't have" mess. Being smart with money, not buying what you can't afford, and finding ways to save money/be frugal are Biblical values to teach your children.

Go ahead, have the talk!

Affordable Kid's Clothes

I thought this week's prompt: Affordable Kid's Clothes was interesting for Mama Guilt Monday...because I am a 90% hand-me-down, thrift store, garage sale mama. And I feel no guilt :o) But I can write about it anyway! Click on the logo above to read other mom's feelings on the subject!

This is Snug at a wedding #1 was in back in October. 100% hand-me-downs, right down to his underoos. Yep, we use hand-me-down underwear. I don't see how once it is washed it is much different than a shirt.

Both Snug and Little Monkey Man (pictured here) wore this their second Halloween. I bought it for $1.49 at Goodwill. The shoes are from Once Upon A Child.

Our outdoor summer play clothes are almost all from garage sales or friends who have given us hand-me-downs!

Garage sale! (The BabyLegs I did buy new) Even our diapers are probably 50% from Craigslist.

Our Easter/Christmas outfits are almost always 100% from two families who generously hand things down to us. I am so grateful to them for all the things they have shared. We have two families that we now give bags of clothes to, and when we find out that Hannah is for sure a girl, I have so many more things to hand down, sell, donate.

Do I like to buy my boys clothes at "real" stores? You bet! I have a particular soft spot for Children's Place and Gymboree. However, I probably spend $50 a year in retail stores on their clothes/shoes combined. I spent $6.75 just this past weekend on a tie (Wal-Mart) for Snug (#1 is in another upcoming wedding) and shoes (Goodwill) for Little Monkey. Let me tell you about the shoes...they are "Lightning McQueen", a big favorite around here, and they light up. I don't think they had ever been worn before. I could have spent $12-$15 on similar shoes new, but why? They were bought to be play shoes!

So nope, I have NO guilt about how I dress my kids. They always look nice, and really they probably dress better in other people's recycled things than if I went to the store and bought them myself...because I can't afford the name brands that they wear daily!!!!

W Is Not As Exciting As V

"W" is for Watercolors. Not as exciting as "V" for veterinarian :o) We did two letters in preschool this week because we only have 3 more weeks of Draycare and then I am officially on Maternity leave. I am 1 week from when I had Snug, and 3 weeks from when I had Little Monkey. I went to the OB yesterday and he says she is sitting tight and won't make an appearance until 40 weeks. We'll see!

I try to do lots of painting and fun things with the kids. I thought today I'd share some watercolor tips. So many moms I know don't paint with their kids because it is too "messy". I say bring on the mess because it is SO good for them.

Before the kids come to the table, I have it all set up. Each one of my Draycare clients has a laminated place mat I made for them to do things like playdough and painting on. I cut pictures out of children's catalogs and various magazines-each child has things he/she likes on their mat. I bought some poster board and cut it in half-each mat is a half. After gluing the pictures on, I took them and got them laminated. I used the media resource center at a local university.

Our water cups are old jell-o* or applesauce cups. The plastic Gerber baby food containers work well too. We just recycled various things we've used in the past. The cups each get about 1/4-1/2 full of water so if they spill it isn't a big mess.

Sometimes kids have a hard time getting the watercolors (we use washable) to "work" because they don't put enough water in them to get them started. I take a medicine dropper and put a drop of water in each color before the kids come to the table. By the time they get started each color is ready to go.

For clean up I just wipe off the mats, dump the water, and leave the water colors open for awhile till they dry again.

This little man isn't quite ready to water color yet. Sometimes he gets a small cup of water and a paint brush. Today I got brave and gave him washable marker and put a bib on him. He had it in his hair and all over his hands, but it will all come off in the tub!

So "W" is not as exciting as "V", but we still had a good time together. I am looking forward to the break and having no extra kids, but I will miss all the fun things we do together. The more the merrier!

*I bought the jell-o in containers (I always make it normally) and Snug was enthralled with it. He had never seen it before. Poor sheltered kid.

...But I Didn't...(and lots about cloth diapering)

I was going to take a picture and show you all the applesauce I canned (the night before our Realtor was coming, cause that was smart and sticky), but I didn't.

I was going to take a picture and show you the FOR SALE sign in our front yard that went up today. But I didn't.

I was going to take a picture of the old diaper that died on me and how I had it resurrect four others. But I didn't.

Sorry.


I did get apples at 50 cents/lb this week at Aldi and I managed to can several quarts of applesauce. My original goal (since I don't put sugar in it, some do have cinnamon) was to get it canned for the new baby. Then I realized half way through that he/she won't even be eating solids till next year at this time, and we never ever start with fruits. Oops. I'm pretty sure I'll be canning again next fall. At that point I started adding cinnamon. Good Christmas presents for the neighbors (if we still live here).

If we don't live here at Christmas I can give it to new neighbors. Then they too can know that I am quirky and still can stuff. People think I am crazy to can. I love it! I'll ease them into the whole using environmentally safe cleaners, cloth diapers, and recycling. Too much crazy at once and I'll have no new friends.

Our realtor also came today, and she really like what we have done with the place. Well, us and everyone who has helped us (thanks!). It is officially on the market, and a photographer will be here later this week to take pictures. I probably won't be sharing those online though because of privacy issues. Perhaps (don't hold your breath) I will take some of my own! It was such a relief to have her walk in and be happy with it. I am very convinced as a sales person that you do a better job selling something if you like the product, no matter what your commission.

Ok, about the cloth diaper episode, I REALLY should have taken pictures because I am thrilled with the results. I was not thrilled with the process as Baby J (who REALLY needs a new online name here soon) was less than helpful, but more than curious.

One of my Haute diapers (not endorsing that particular website, just had lots of info.) that I had gotten second hand was leaking like crazy. When I turned it inside out, I realized that the PUL was missing in many places, and sparse in others. None of the other diapers I bought used at the same time has that problem, so I'm not sure what happened. No matter, it had a nice long life. I mean it was worn 3-4 times a week for probably 6 months at my house alone (not sure how long with the previous owner). What disposable can say that?

I really didn't want to throw it away, and I wasn't sure how to recycle it. I bought 3 WAHM diapers off of E-Bay a few weeks ago, and was less than thrilled with them. They work "ok" for Baby J, and I was just glad to throw 3 more pockets* into our rotation. They were also really cheap. With those three in rotation, we only use flats/covers about two times a week. The only problem with these diapers is that the snaps were not in the right place. Although they could be snapped down to fit a 2-4 month old on up, around Baby J is the smallest they'd go. Not gonna work for Baby #3.

I carefully used a thread puller and took out the fleece "pocket" part of the diaper and then even more carefully cut off all the snaps with as much material around each as I could. I then sewed the snaps from the old diaper into the other 3 where I wanted them. Presto! My diapers are MUCH more functional.

I still had the fleece insides, and hated to get rid of that either. Because we are not using flats/covers very often I have about 3 Thirsties covers that are not getting used. I sewed the fleece pocket into my orange cover and PRESTO! I have another pocket diaper! YEAH! So in the process of losing one, I gained one and fixed three. Yeah!


*pocket diapers are so very very like disposables, they are so easy. It is very hard to go back to folding and using a Snappi/cover once you have a few in your stash. Pocket diapers get "stuffed" with inserts (fleece, hemp, whatever) and then just snap on. EASY :o) However, when we first started cloth diapering, all we could afford was simple flats, covers, and snappis. That is the cheapest way to start off unless you have money saved up or are registering for them. As we budget them in, we pick up a few here and there. We maybe spend $15-$20 a month on diapers (many months we spend nothing), and they will be used again on our next baby. Nice, huh?

Happy Earth Day, Weight Gain, Prayer Needed

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Today is Earth Day and we like to celebrate it. Not the earth, we don't think that it has any special mystical power or significance other than that the Lord gave it to us to take care of and dwell on until He returns. And you know me. I love all things biodegradable, recyclable, and Earth-friendly. So, Earth Day is a great day to talk to the kids about things we can do to help preserve God's creation. I even had a great Dora book about Earth Day that Snug (who loves her...library DVDs have corrupted him) got in his Easter basket. However, the book is NO WHERE to be seen today. I even had #1 check at the library to see if we had accidentally returned it with the library books. Oh well.

Potato prints are always a hit. Take a potato, cut it in half, and carve a shape you want to print on each side.

Here is an up close. I score around the edge, about 1/4 inch. Then I kinda draw on top what I want and then carve away until I have the shape.

Snug painting the "ocean" on his paper plate.

Mother Hen and Little Miss E painting their "land". The paint is squirted onto things that would have hit the trash recycle bin. They are still headed there, but got one more use.

Do you like our Earths?

We also planted some 4 O'clocks today (flowers) in little pots with my friend Mindy and her daycare kids, but I forgot to take pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it. To see a picture of Snug last Earth Day, click here.

Baby J had a weight check (at home) today and he weighs 16 lbs 14 oz! That is up 7 oz from last week (and the week before, when he'd had no gain). Praise the Lord. We also think that he is beginning to recognize his name! YEAH

This is Kayleigh, and she is four days older than Baby J. She has never been home from the hospital because she was born three months early. She weighed 1 lb 1 oz and was 10.5 inches long. She has had a hard battle to live, and every time they are about to send her home, something else happens. I asked via Twitter for people to pray for her last week as she underwent a surgery that was going to allow her to be cared for at home. She was recovering nicely until last night.

You'll have to click here to get the specifics, but it appears that something during/after the surgery has made her brain dead. Before that she was growing (approaching 9 lbs) and batting at toys and reacting to everything around her. The picture above was on her blog a few days ago showing off the first thing her parents bought when they found out they were having a girl. It fits now.

Please pray that they will get to take this little girl home, and that they will have the strength to deal with everything that is going on. We know God can heal. Our family knows this firsthand.

Kayleigh's story was brought to my attention by my mom. My husband told me I was not allowed to read one more "sick baby" blog, but being that she and Baby J are so close in age, and that Snug was a preemie, it struck close to home for both of us. She has older siblings at home, her mom's name is Aimee and her dad is Adam.

My Husband Did NOT flush Elmo Down The Potty

Ok, here is #1's Not Me. Snug has had a few mishaps in the potty area in the last few days. It could have something to do with the fact that the bathroom was all tore up...that at one point there was no toilet, or that life has just been so, well, exciting he doesn't want to take the time to go. Anyway, he had a 'not urine' in the underwear yesterday and #1 was using the spatula to do the thing that spatula does. After a few minutes my mom and I heard "uh...that's not good" coming from the bathroom. One small pair of Elmo underoos went slip sliding down the toilet into the city sewer system. Goodbye "Melmo".

On a happier note, here is what the tub box has been used for today. Hours of fun were had by all, and when nap time is over, hours of clean up will have to happen because every toy from the upstairs is currently residing in this box.

No paint and no trim yet, but the blue paint I picked is close to this blue, so you can use your imagination :o)

I LOVE our new flooring. I think it is what I am most excited about...and I really thought the tub was what I would be most excited about. Again, no trim or paint...but I will do it ASAP.

So, there is a story behind this...scene. My parents don't normally hang out in my bathroom like this. However, when the toilet went back in, it wouldn't sit flat on the wax ring (if you don't know what I am talking about, hope you never will). SO, I laid on the floor with my hairdryer trying to melt it a bit, and my dad and mom sat like this and eventually the toilet sank back down to where it belonged.

Laying the floor...

Ok, this picture is for my mom, because we both really enjoyed seeing how it looks under the toilet. REALLY gross. This picture also gives you an idea of how bad our flooring was. This was under the carpet (not a good idea with small children in your house) and it was so bad looking and so hard to clean. It always looked dirty because of the holes and glue marks from the carpeting.

Just a cute Baby J picture. Notice how he is gaunt and fatigued looking due to the weight issue...I am still going between worrying about him and his progress to being totally disgusted with the whole thing because I know he feels fine and is eating and that Snug went though the same thing. I need to just not worry at all and give it to God.

This is Baby J smiling because his mommy is making him homemade yogurt for supper! He is saying "my mommy didn't burn it!" if you want to know the truth! I will see how it turns out, and if it does, I will walk all of you out there through how to do it. OR you can buy Ruth Yaron's "Super Baby Food" book and do it yourself with about 100 other things!

I had my mom take this picture for me to show you another way I am using this sling. I like him better on my back, but it is hard to get him up there tight without a spotter. He really likes being up and seeing what is going on.

And last, but not least, here is a video of the tub box being enjoyed by all. It will go out to the recycle next week, but until then, let the good times roll!

Friday Funny Pages

I have some pictures of Baby J and Snug to post, really I do, but I am kinda tired and not really feeling technology savvy and just waiting for #1 to come home so I can go to bed. I don't normally wait up for him to get home, but tonight I had a lot to do...including make more quarts of applesauce for Christmas presents. Did I mention I have the Kitchenaid attachments that do this for me? I bought it for myself from #1 for Christmas (off of Craigslist), and have already used it multiple times! Any why do I not have any water pressure? Sorry, just had to vent that. Lately whenever I have an especially big mess to clean up I turn on the faucet and get just a trickle...but when Snug washes his hands by himself without help from his mamma, he gets a HUGE amount of water pressure and gets himself and the entire bathroom wet. I think Murphy lives here.

I have been blogging since April 3. That is almost 9 months...I had Snug 20 months before that...if I had started blogging 29 months ago...I might have been more sane!

Feeling a little rambly tonight, but I'm posting my Friday Funny Pages now because it is almost midnight anyway...so I am within 15 minutes of Friday as I type. Click the link on my sidebar to see other funny Fridays. Oh, and rambling on here, and speaking of Friday Funny Pages, the author of that blog (you know, the one you click on and go to) has been trying very hard to help me, the tech queen, get on board and have a button for EYE SPY. Soooo, if you've tried to use it and it doesn't work, it is my fault, not hers. And I thank her very much for her patience with me, and you for your patience with my ever changing sidebar that doesn't usually work.


Back to Craigslist...and going down a rabbit trail once again...We love Craigslist! If you've never used it before, you have to try. Go to http://www.craigslist.com/ and look up your nearest city. We have been selling things lately. Don't worry, we meet in public places and do all cash. Tomorrow we are getting rid of selling a lamp we never use and a doll bed that *sigh* it looks like I won't ever have a little girl to use.


But why am I up? Well, because when I cook/can/get out a dish in my kitchen suddenly the entire thing is a wreck. There are 3 things I don't ever do around here, or at least very rarely. I don't mow (#1 actually enjoys this activity), I don't take out the garbage trash (The bag usually rips and makes a HUGE mess if I try, plus I take out the recycles and the compost and there is like twice as much of that as actual garbage), and I don't do the dishes. Tonight I did the dishes because really, I looked around and thought I'd be downright depressed if I was #1 and came home to that. Then I noticed it was already 11:30 so I might as well get my Friday Funny Pages up and wait for him to come home.

SOOOO, nothing funny so far...but wait! I did remember some tidbits from the week to share with you.

I was nursing this afternoon at lunch and R and Snug were eating lunch.

R-When "Baby J" gets big, can he have milk?

Me-He has milk now, mamma milk.

R-I know, the milk from your tummy (she thinks he eats from my stomach apparently) but will he get real milk?

Me-Cows milk? Yes.

Snug-Tow Milk! YEEE HAW!

*Does anyone but me think R needs a different blog name? I mean, she is a hoot and we love her...but she gets labeled as "R" to protect her privacy...any ideas? Not saying I'll use them, but "R" just seems...blah.

The other night I was making dinner and Snug had already gotten up to the table. His plate of food was cooling in front of him and we were waiting to see if #1 could come home for supper. I heard from the dining room the following conversation:

Otay. I pay. Ach-chooo Esus for foot (pronounced foo-t, as in rhymes with boot). Ahhhhmen. I eat.

Translation: Okay, I'll pray. Thank you Jesus for food. Amen. I eat.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

As my husband will tell you, I love to recycle. I was so excited today when I noticed that we had more recycles than trash! Yippee! Just wait until we try cloth diapers, that week should really cut down on the trash. I'm not 100% committed to the cloth diapers because I haven't really tried them yet. Once I get them from my mom I'll keep you updated. Snug is into throwing away trash and recycles. I figure if I start teaching the boys when they are little about what can be re-used and recycled it will become a habit in their lives. Snug's "give, save, spend" jars (Financial Peace University) are re-used peanut butter jars.

Snug also likes to help put things in our compost pile. Tonight it was our Pumpkins from Halloween. All of our egg shells, fruit/veggie scraps, coffee grounds, pasta water, and some of our grass clippings and leaves go into this compost bin. We turn in every once in awhile and at the bottom is this GREAT black dirt we'll use in our garden next year!