Aaron has been talking a lot lately. He clearly says "Dada", "Mama" and "Papa". He loves to play Pat-a-Cake and tries to say the words while he claps his hands and "throws them in the air", it's absolutely DARLING. He is super smiley and loves to communicate. His favorite word is "Dada", but that's no surprise because he's pretty attached to his daddy...it's very sweet. The other day Jeremy came home and Aaron was super fussy. I didn't know what was wrong with him, but as SOON as Jeremy walked, Aaron threw himself into Jeremy's arms and was happy as can be. I guess he just needed his daddy! I know it's wonderful for Jeremy because although the other children are attached to him and love him, Aaron seems to have a special affinity for Jeremy...it's so wonderful to see that father/son bond (and it's nice for me to have someone to relieve me of my duties at the end of the day). Jeremy is in Virginia right now and man am I missing him. Not only the company, but the burden he takes off of me. Life right now is more on the difficult side than it's been in a long time...what with an almost 9 month old and entering the third trimester of my pregnancy, I'm VERY tired. I'm still maintaining okay, but it definitely wears on me...especially without Jeremy here. The burden he lifts for me is indispensable!
I'm starting to get a bit worried about what life will be like 3 months from now. The thought really does scare me a bit...I know I need to trust in the Lord and in His perfect plan...but my tiredness and lack of time (due to the very mobile almost 9 month old) does not make it possible to be in the word as much as I'd like to be. And I know that that doesn't help my waning faith in God's wonderful (and CRAZY) plan! So if you're reading this and can spare some time...please lift me up to my Lord and hold me there for a while. I NEED His mercy and His grace and His strength (and His patience wouldn't hurt either)...I need the renewal of energy and zest that can only come from Him, especially when this little blessing makes her appearance and I'm doing double duty with babies. I'm very excited about what this is going to do for our family, but also very anxious. I know a year from now things will be fairly routine...it's the sleepless months before that that concern me. I know that one day I'll look back on all of this and smile and be able to see nothing BUT the blessings, but right now as I look forward, I am scared.
One last mention before I go to bed...Aaron seems to get particularly chatty in the car, it's WONDERFUL to listen to his sing-songy little voice...and last night we were driving home from Costco and he was singing a little baby song and he went something like this, "la...la...la...OH YEAH". It was SO funny and sounded SO cute! Of course he was rather impressed with himself at the response he got (gee, when does this guy NOT have a huge audience of admirers??) So, so adorable!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Why I'm giving up Social Media for Lent
First of all I must say that I've never observed lent. I'm not Catholic, so whenever I'd hear people talking about what they're giving up for lent, I never really gave it a second thought...I like the idea of sacrificing in order to prepare myself for the celebration of my Risen Savior...I mean, Easter really IS the most important holiday.
So, while I still wouldn't claim to observe lent, some of us need a bit of a kick in the pants to do things we really should have done a while ago and for me that is taking a break from social media. Don't get me wrong, I think Facebook is a great tool...the web groups I belong to help me out and I've gleaned a lot of information from them, but they also tend to be sink holes. At this point in my life, there isn't a whole lot I can do that requires much of an attention span. My life is busy, I don't have much spare time, not to mention brain power...so for me, Facebook (in particular) has become something I can flop down in front of and zone out on for a while while life goes on around me...much like someone would do with the television--but if I turned the television on, I'd be hounded to watch yet ANOTHER episode of Shaun the Sheep, which really wouldn't be relaxing for me.
I'm also a very social person. This is something I didn't really recognize until I had children. Now I'm THAT crazy lady that talks to random strangers in the grocery store. I need social interaction. I don't have time for a lot of friends, nor do I WANT a lot of friends (that's a whole other post in itself), but I like to keep in touch with everyone...so Facebook is a good way to know what's going on in everyone's lives without having to be on the phone or out "calling". The phone is one of the most disruptive tools in the homeschoolers belt...one phone call can throw off our entire school day (what kind of teacher answers the phone in the middle of class??), so although I do keep in contact with a very small group of friends (mostly those who refuse to submit and get on Facebook), that small group and I don't talk often, so a phone call can often last over an hour--in which time my children have sneaked off and effectively avoided doing their work for that entire time.
Soooo...why then do I feel the need to give up something that can be such a great tool? Because I've let it become a master rather than a slave. It has become an escape for me. I find myself thinking of witty status updates while I'm doing my housework. I find that as soon as the baby is in bed, or the children are settled into their school work that I escape to Facebook to see if anyone has commented on my latest witty status, or darling video of my child.
At this point in my life, there are so many other things I need to be doing...things that may not be "fulfilling" or "relaxing" to me, but need to be done...and things that I've thought about wanting to do forever but have put aside because it's too time intensive when really, if I were just to do a little bit at a time, I'd be able to do what I want. It's time to start living my life rather than talking about it. It's time for me to engage and overcome some of those obstacles that are surmountable at this point in my life--there are many insurmountable ones at this time, but that's neither here nor there...my friends on Facebook are wonderful, but my children are more important...and lately I've gotten that switched around.
So although I'll continue using email and blogging, my facebook account is logged out and my other web groups shall not be accessed. It'll be fun to see what I can get accomplished without these "distractions" in my life.
Now, would it be wrong to "Share" this on Facebook?
**I found out I must be logged in to Facebook to share, so I guess I can't!**
So, while I still wouldn't claim to observe lent, some of us need a bit of a kick in the pants to do things we really should have done a while ago and for me that is taking a break from social media. Don't get me wrong, I think Facebook is a great tool...the web groups I belong to help me out and I've gleaned a lot of information from them, but they also tend to be sink holes. At this point in my life, there isn't a whole lot I can do that requires much of an attention span. My life is busy, I don't have much spare time, not to mention brain power...so for me, Facebook (in particular) has become something I can flop down in front of and zone out on for a while while life goes on around me...much like someone would do with the television--but if I turned the television on, I'd be hounded to watch yet ANOTHER episode of Shaun the Sheep, which really wouldn't be relaxing for me.
I'm also a very social person. This is something I didn't really recognize until I had children. Now I'm THAT crazy lady that talks to random strangers in the grocery store. I need social interaction. I don't have time for a lot of friends, nor do I WANT a lot of friends (that's a whole other post in itself), but I like to keep in touch with everyone...so Facebook is a good way to know what's going on in everyone's lives without having to be on the phone or out "calling". The phone is one of the most disruptive tools in the homeschoolers belt...one phone call can throw off our entire school day (what kind of teacher answers the phone in the middle of class??), so although I do keep in contact with a very small group of friends (mostly those who refuse to submit and get on Facebook), that small group and I don't talk often, so a phone call can often last over an hour--in which time my children have sneaked off and effectively avoided doing their work for that entire time.
Soooo...why then do I feel the need to give up something that can be such a great tool? Because I've let it become a master rather than a slave. It has become an escape for me. I find myself thinking of witty status updates while I'm doing my housework. I find that as soon as the baby is in bed, or the children are settled into their school work that I escape to Facebook to see if anyone has commented on my latest witty status, or darling video of my child.
At this point in my life, there are so many other things I need to be doing...things that may not be "fulfilling" or "relaxing" to me, but need to be done...and things that I've thought about wanting to do forever but have put aside because it's too time intensive when really, if I were just to do a little bit at a time, I'd be able to do what I want. It's time to start living my life rather than talking about it. It's time for me to engage and overcome some of those obstacles that are surmountable at this point in my life--there are many insurmountable ones at this time, but that's neither here nor there...my friends on Facebook are wonderful, but my children are more important...and lately I've gotten that switched around.
So although I'll continue using email and blogging, my facebook account is logged out and my other web groups shall not be accessed. It'll be fun to see what I can get accomplished without these "distractions" in my life.
Now, would it be wrong to "Share" this on Facebook?
**I found out I must be logged in to Facebook to share, so I guess I can't!**
Friday, March 4, 2011
Eggs, cont'd...
Another thought I had today...why is it that when you see "organic" or "free-range" or "pastured" eggs, they're always brown??? And the cheap ones are always white? The color of the egg has nothing to do with the nutrients therein, nor with the TYPE of egg it is...it has to do with the color of the chicken. So what gives? It'd be refreshing to see the plain vanilla eggs labeled "Free-Range, Pastured, Cage-Free" eggs...do you think as many people would buy them? We're definitely trained to see certain things and think one thing or another as consumers. I was reading an article the other day on TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com regarding those wonderful Horizon Organic milk boxes we mommas are so fond of buying for our children--especially those of us who frequent Starbucks and feel guilty that we're buying OURSELVES a treat and not getting one for our children (no, that is NOT me--anymore!). She (the author of that blog) was going over the process of ultra high temperature pasteurization (the process they use in the Horizon milk) and the appalling fact that they proudly say, "ORGANIC" on the box. Not only are the boxes lined with BPA and filled with boiling hot milk (thus releasing chemicals INTO the milk), there is no way that you can heat milk to that temperature without totally destroying EVERYTHING good that was once in that milk--hence the shelf-stable for 3 months milk your child is drinking. HOWEVER, they put that milk in the refrigerated section because studies show that if we see those milk boxes in the refrigerator, we are more likely to buy them thinking they're "healthy" because they're organic. YUCK!
I tell ya, there comes a point in ones life when you either want to learn more and do something about what you're learning (as I said before, really the only way I see to do it is to produce the majority of your own food) or you have to hide your head in the sand and ignore the atrocities that are happening in the food industry. The food we eat today is not our parents food and CERTAINLY not our grandparents food. Yes, we're living longer, but we're also seeing a rise in some of the weirdest, rarest forms of all kinds of diseases and conditions.
I firmly believe in finding a balance though, I don't think we can get totally crazy and never allow sugar or refined flour or processed foods into our diets...unless you're really committed and organized and diligent, it's nearly impossible in this crazy world we live in...but the more we can eat natural, from the farm foods the less we'll NEED to eat due to the nutrient density of the good foods and the healthier we'll be (and the less expensive it really is since you're buying less and getting more, if you catch my drift).
I tell ya, there comes a point in ones life when you either want to learn more and do something about what you're learning (as I said before, really the only way I see to do it is to produce the majority of your own food) or you have to hide your head in the sand and ignore the atrocities that are happening in the food industry. The food we eat today is not our parents food and CERTAINLY not our grandparents food. Yes, we're living longer, but we're also seeing a rise in some of the weirdest, rarest forms of all kinds of diseases and conditions.
I firmly believe in finding a balance though, I don't think we can get totally crazy and never allow sugar or refined flour or processed foods into our diets...unless you're really committed and organized and diligent, it's nearly impossible in this crazy world we live in...but the more we can eat natural, from the farm foods the less we'll NEED to eat due to the nutrient density of the good foods and the healthier we'll be (and the less expensive it really is since you're buying less and getting more, if you catch my drift).
Am I being duped?
We went to Whole Foods the other night to look for some fancy ingredients I need to make Aaron's formula, rather than buying it. This is not a money saving issue, as I'm sure it will end up costing us more in the long run, but it's a health issue. The more I read about the process of making baby formula (the commercial kind) the more I'm horrified about what I'm putting into my tiny man's body. I mean, he's still at the age where he gets the majority of his nourishment from liquid and since I'm not breastfeeding, it's from formula. We bought a Berkey water filter a while back (yes, we had to SMUGGLE it into California--LAME!) because of the fact that we put more water into our bodies than anything else. If that water we're drinking is contaminated with even the slightest of things our bodies don't need, it builds up over time. I'm a big water drinker and I don't want yucky stuff in my body--if I'm going to have yucky stuff, it's going to be from something tasty--something fried, preferably! :) Anyway, my point is...shouldn't we look at what we consume as a majority and start there with eliminating the bad stuff and adding in the good stuff? I mean, grass fed beef is fantastic, but if you only eat beef 1-2x a week, but drink 3 quarts of water a day, doesn't it make sense to focus on drinking PURE water before buying that grass fed beef? Makes sense to me!
So anyway...I digress. Back to Whole Foods. We were in the egg aisle, looking at the myriad options of eggs they carry--fertilized, free range, cage free, pastured, plain ol' brown, etc. A woman walked up and grabbed a dozen "fertilized" eggs and before she walked off, I asked her, "Do those taste any different than other eggs?" (Yes, I'm THAT annoying person that strikes up conversations with random people in the store). She said, "No, they're pretty much the same", so I asked, "Do they LOOK any different?", "No", she said..."they have a little somethin' in the yolk, but nothing really noticeable." So I go to the next logical question, "What is the benefit of buying fertilized eggs over regular eggs?" She didn't know. She said she had always bought them and honestly couldn't tell me why. Hmmmmm. I know that that's the kind of consumers we tend to be...we "hear" something is what we should be doing, so we do it. We don't question it, it seems logical, so we do it. So here I am...from what I've read, PASTURED eggs are the way to go. They're able to stretch their sweet little wings, they eat bugs, if they have to be fed grain, it's organic, good stuff...not soy and nasty other stuff that chickens aren't supposed to eat, etc.
So, although they were $6.99/dozen, I thought why not? I'm going to give them a try. We eat a lot of eggs, so if they ARE much better for you, it's worth it, right?
Soooo...this morning I decided to make scrambled eggs for breakfast. I thought I'd do a little experiment. I had generic, mass produced, white eggs from Costco--you know, the ones that are like $3 for 2 dozen? Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about. Then I had bought "Organic Cage Free" eggs from Trader Joes, they were around $3/dozen, then I had my "Organic, Pastured, Fancy-Schmancy, ridiculously overpriced but worth it from what I've heard" eggs from Whole Foods--$6.99/dozen. I cracked them into separate ramekins and examined them. I took photos, but I'm not sure how good they came out, maybe I should take a video instead?!?! Anyway...I could see NOOOOOOOO difference. The yolks were ALL pale, the yolks were all small...in fact, the Costco egg seemed to have the largest and darkest yolk out of all of them. So if they all LOOK the same, could they possibly be any different nutritionally? Sure, organic is better...and knowing they're eating a healthier diet (not other chickens--YUCK!) is better...but $5.50/dozen better? I think I was robbed.
Unfortunately, I don't have a pocket nutrition analyzer, so I honestly don't KNOW what is better for me...I have to go by what the "experts" tell me...and that is NEVER a good thing. My solution, if I could do it? Get my OWN stinkin' chickens, feed 'em bugs and eat their eggs. Now that would be ideal.
Now don't get me started on the raw milk sitting in my refrigerator that I'm too scared to open and drink...at $25/gallon, including CRV, I'm afraid of spilling a drop!
So anyway...I digress. Back to Whole Foods. We were in the egg aisle, looking at the myriad options of eggs they carry--fertilized, free range, cage free, pastured, plain ol' brown, etc. A woman walked up and grabbed a dozen "fertilized" eggs and before she walked off, I asked her, "Do those taste any different than other eggs?" (Yes, I'm THAT annoying person that strikes up conversations with random people in the store). She said, "No, they're pretty much the same", so I asked, "Do they LOOK any different?", "No", she said..."they have a little somethin' in the yolk, but nothing really noticeable." So I go to the next logical question, "What is the benefit of buying fertilized eggs over regular eggs?" She didn't know. She said she had always bought them and honestly couldn't tell me why. Hmmmmm. I know that that's the kind of consumers we tend to be...we "hear" something is what we should be doing, so we do it. We don't question it, it seems logical, so we do it. So here I am...from what I've read, PASTURED eggs are the way to go. They're able to stretch their sweet little wings, they eat bugs, if they have to be fed grain, it's organic, good stuff...not soy and nasty other stuff that chickens aren't supposed to eat, etc.
So, although they were $6.99/dozen, I thought why not? I'm going to give them a try. We eat a lot of eggs, so if they ARE much better for you, it's worth it, right?
Soooo...this morning I decided to make scrambled eggs for breakfast. I thought I'd do a little experiment. I had generic, mass produced, white eggs from Costco--you know, the ones that are like $3 for 2 dozen? Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about. Then I had bought "Organic Cage Free" eggs from Trader Joes, they were around $3/dozen, then I had my "Organic, Pastured, Fancy-Schmancy, ridiculously overpriced but worth it from what I've heard" eggs from Whole Foods--$6.99/dozen. I cracked them into separate ramekins and examined them. I took photos, but I'm not sure how good they came out, maybe I should take a video instead?!?! Anyway...I could see NOOOOOOOO difference. The yolks were ALL pale, the yolks were all small...in fact, the Costco egg seemed to have the largest and darkest yolk out of all of them. So if they all LOOK the same, could they possibly be any different nutritionally? Sure, organic is better...and knowing they're eating a healthier diet (not other chickens--YUCK!) is better...but $5.50/dozen better? I think I was robbed.
Unfortunately, I don't have a pocket nutrition analyzer, so I honestly don't KNOW what is better for me...I have to go by what the "experts" tell me...and that is NEVER a good thing. My solution, if I could do it? Get my OWN stinkin' chickens, feed 'em bugs and eat their eggs. Now that would be ideal.
Now don't get me started on the raw milk sitting in my refrigerator that I'm too scared to open and drink...at $25/gallon, including CRV, I'm afraid of spilling a drop!
The Simple Joys of Life
One of the greatest thing about having children is their simplicity. The things that bring them joy are just so basic it melts my heart. Bubbles, splashing in rain puddles and a fun one we got to experience yesterday--carrots with the tops still on! :) What a simple thing, but it's not something you get to have often unless you garden yourself. When I got my shipment of produce yesterday, Savannah dug through it and found the carrots with long, green leaves on them. She was so excited. I asked her if she would like one and she giddily said, "YES". We washed up 3 of them for the big kids (Aaron munched on the left-overs later but ended up with a green leaf stuck to the back of his tongue--silly baby!), and they had so much fun munching on those carrots.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Babies are SOOOOO gross!
I've been working hard researching the best, most healthy way to feed my baby. I want to give him the best nutrients I can, the least chemicals and toxins possible and also make his diet tasty and appealing. I've been buying organic as much as I can and making him tasty concoctions using the limited foods he's able to eat at this stage. He still doesn't LOVE eating, but he's getting better. Chicken and sweet potatoes are some of his favorites, and he also likes rice. He loves smashed banana and enjoys chomping on a mango pit when we have one available.
Tonight I had one of those mango pits and some chicken and sweet potatoes for him to eat. He ate decently, but not all that heartily. Pretty much par for the course for Aaron...but when I got him down out of his high chair and had him critter around the kitchen while I got things cleaned up, I noticed that the floor around the garbage can was quite disgusting. I grabbed the sponge and wiped all of the compost-ish items into a pile so I could pick them up. Faster than a bolt of lightning, there was Aaron...shoving the nasty bits of egg shell, coffee grounds and goodness only knows what else into his mouth as if it was a gourmet feast made just for him. What is the deal????? Should I just feed him compost and throw the good stuff on the floor and hope he'll eat it that way? I do NOT understand baby logic.
Tonight I had one of those mango pits and some chicken and sweet potatoes for him to eat. He ate decently, but not all that heartily. Pretty much par for the course for Aaron...but when I got him down out of his high chair and had him critter around the kitchen while I got things cleaned up, I noticed that the floor around the garbage can was quite disgusting. I grabbed the sponge and wiped all of the compost-ish items into a pile so I could pick them up. Faster than a bolt of lightning, there was Aaron...shoving the nasty bits of egg shell, coffee grounds and goodness only knows what else into his mouth as if it was a gourmet feast made just for him. What is the deal????? Should I just feed him compost and throw the good stuff on the floor and hope he'll eat it that way? I do NOT understand baby logic.
I have so much to learn!
I have so much to blog about, and so little time. Life has been so busy lately--yes, I feel like I've said that before. Aaron is officially at the "I don't know what else to do but to give you Tylenol" stage. He'll fuss and fuss for no apparent reason: he doesn't want to be held, doesn't want to be put down, doesn't want to eat, doesn't want a bottle, doesn't want to go to bed...he just doesn't know what he wants, so he fusses and fusses. Oh, this stage is so much fun! He's also becoming INCREDIBLY mobile. He not only crawls now, but he is pulling himself up on everything he can get his little paws on. He's just starting to practice getting down in a controlled manner, but doesn't always succeed...which leads to MORE fussing! :) Sooooo much fun. I'm really not a big fan of this stage, other than the fact that he's SO cute and he's saying "Dada" and "Mama" all of the time and it's just SO adorable.
Yesterday while he was trying to climb something, he fell and got his first real boo boo. He got his cheek bone right below his eye on the corner of our entertainment center. He's got a little black eye now, but nothing too major. He cried a bit, but got over it quickly. Thank God.
Aaron had been sleeping really well--generally from bed time until 3-5am ish and then again until 6:30 or so...he rarely sleeps past 6:45ish. He's definitely more like Savannah was and is (Luke had to be awakened the other day at 10am!!). Then we went to my parents house for a visit and his sleep got all out of whack again. It seems like we're starting to get back into the routine again, last night he slept until 3:30am and then until 6:30, so pretty good. I keep having these panic attacks of what in the world will I do with 2 of them?!?!!? But I have to keep reminding myself that His grace is sufficient...I will get through, and hopefully Aaron will be past this super fussy stage and will be just a bit more independent in a couple of months.
I don't have any updates on my pregnancy...I haven't been to the doctor in a while...I go on Thursday for a check up, but other than making me take the gestational diabetes test, I don't think they're going to do anything really exciting. I'm actually thinking about switching doctors because Jeremy really wants me to deliver close by instead of having to drive an hour in traffic to Berkeley. That really sounds good to me too...I really don't want to have to be stuck in traffic, not to mention that I want my children close by so they can come visit me!! I'm 26 weeks along, little Lilah is wiggling a lot, especially when I give Aaron a bottle...it's pretty cute to sit there and feel my two babies.
As for our home...with an 8 month old all over the place, it is both extremely difficult to keep things clean, and extremely necessary! I know I may be crazy to hope that Aaron has kinda gotten over his "put EVERYTHING in my mouth" stage...he was actually outside on the grass the other day and did NOT eat anything!! Yay!! It is still necessary to make sure all choking hazards are picked up and everything stays mostly clean. Yet my time is very limited due to having an 8 month old who is happy one second and needy the next. I was thinking the other day, "Hmmm, it's strange how I can find time for facebook, but I don't have time to do alot of the other things I'd like to do" when it dawned on me...facebook doesn't take much time or brain power. I can log on, read a few little blurbs, reply and move on with my day...other things require a lot more planning, time and brain power. Like right now, I'm in the process of creating master shopping lists that go along with my master menu so that I can go grocery shopping LESS and have everything prepared for meals and not have to think about what I'm going to make. It requires a lot of thought and planning and TIME though! The only time I have TIME is at the end of the day, when I'm tired and so ready for bed...and I have very little brain power.
Sooo...I've decided that I'm going to take a Coast Guard-esque approach to training my children. Actually, think Coast Guard + Boy Scouts. There are a few household skills I want my children trained in before I have this baby, namely: laundry, dishwasher loading and unloading, setting/clearing the table and cleaning the floor after a meal, vacuuming, etc. The things that need to be done and I sometimes can't get to due to taking care of a baby. I want to be able to say, "Sweet heart, can you please go start a load of laundry?" Or, "Would you please switch the load over to the dryer?" and know that my child will be able to do what I need correctly. My children really have minimal work to do around the house and as they get older, I not only want them to have MORE responsibility, but also I NEED them to help alleviate my work load so that we can all have more time together. So I'm going to organize this task much like one would go about getting their "Practical Skills" signed off in order to earn a badge. http://www.keepersofthefaith.com actually has badges that you can buy that they can put on their "uniform" or apron or whatever, I think that could be a lot of fun! Sooo, in all my spare time, I'm hoping to design a home economics course of sorts to use with my children. I'm also hoping to develop a nature study curriculum specific to what I want my children to learn--namely PRACTICAL skills and PRACTICAL knowledge. It's all fine and dandy knowing astronomy and chemistry, but if it doesn't apply to REAL life (like how does baking soda work and how does it differ from baking powder), what does it matter??? I know they're going to need all of that one of these days, but right now, I want them to know stuff that MATTERS, stuff that they will USE.
Okay...life is going on around me...even though my big kids are not awake yet (at 8am) and I must get moving for the day. I'm still working on my organization mission and am coming along--VERY slowly, but surely.
Yesterday while he was trying to climb something, he fell and got his first real boo boo. He got his cheek bone right below his eye on the corner of our entertainment center. He's got a little black eye now, but nothing too major. He cried a bit, but got over it quickly. Thank God.
Aaron had been sleeping really well--generally from bed time until 3-5am ish and then again until 6:30 or so...he rarely sleeps past 6:45ish. He's definitely more like Savannah was and is (Luke had to be awakened the other day at 10am!!). Then we went to my parents house for a visit and his sleep got all out of whack again. It seems like we're starting to get back into the routine again, last night he slept until 3:30am and then until 6:30, so pretty good. I keep having these panic attacks of what in the world will I do with 2 of them?!?!!? But I have to keep reminding myself that His grace is sufficient...I will get through, and hopefully Aaron will be past this super fussy stage and will be just a bit more independent in a couple of months.
I don't have any updates on my pregnancy...I haven't been to the doctor in a while...I go on Thursday for a check up, but other than making me take the gestational diabetes test, I don't think they're going to do anything really exciting. I'm actually thinking about switching doctors because Jeremy really wants me to deliver close by instead of having to drive an hour in traffic to Berkeley. That really sounds good to me too...I really don't want to have to be stuck in traffic, not to mention that I want my children close by so they can come visit me!! I'm 26 weeks along, little Lilah is wiggling a lot, especially when I give Aaron a bottle...it's pretty cute to sit there and feel my two babies.
As for our home...with an 8 month old all over the place, it is both extremely difficult to keep things clean, and extremely necessary! I know I may be crazy to hope that Aaron has kinda gotten over his "put EVERYTHING in my mouth" stage...he was actually outside on the grass the other day and did NOT eat anything!! Yay!! It is still necessary to make sure all choking hazards are picked up and everything stays mostly clean. Yet my time is very limited due to having an 8 month old who is happy one second and needy the next. I was thinking the other day, "Hmmm, it's strange how I can find time for facebook, but I don't have time to do alot of the other things I'd like to do" when it dawned on me...facebook doesn't take much time or brain power. I can log on, read a few little blurbs, reply and move on with my day...other things require a lot more planning, time and brain power. Like right now, I'm in the process of creating master shopping lists that go along with my master menu so that I can go grocery shopping LESS and have everything prepared for meals and not have to think about what I'm going to make. It requires a lot of thought and planning and TIME though! The only time I have TIME is at the end of the day, when I'm tired and so ready for bed...and I have very little brain power.
Sooo...I've decided that I'm going to take a Coast Guard-esque approach to training my children. Actually, think Coast Guard + Boy Scouts. There are a few household skills I want my children trained in before I have this baby, namely: laundry, dishwasher loading and unloading, setting/clearing the table and cleaning the floor after a meal, vacuuming, etc. The things that need to be done and I sometimes can't get to due to taking care of a baby. I want to be able to say, "Sweet heart, can you please go start a load of laundry?" Or, "Would you please switch the load over to the dryer?" and know that my child will be able to do what I need correctly. My children really have minimal work to do around the house and as they get older, I not only want them to have MORE responsibility, but also I NEED them to help alleviate my work load so that we can all have more time together. So I'm going to organize this task much like one would go about getting their "Practical Skills" signed off in order to earn a badge. http://www.keepersofthefaith.com actually has badges that you can buy that they can put on their "uniform" or apron or whatever, I think that could be a lot of fun! Sooo, in all my spare time, I'm hoping to design a home economics course of sorts to use with my children. I'm also hoping to develop a nature study curriculum specific to what I want my children to learn--namely PRACTICAL skills and PRACTICAL knowledge. It's all fine and dandy knowing astronomy and chemistry, but if it doesn't apply to REAL life (like how does baking soda work and how does it differ from baking powder), what does it matter??? I know they're going to need all of that one of these days, but right now, I want them to know stuff that MATTERS, stuff that they will USE.
Okay...life is going on around me...even though my big kids are not awake yet (at 8am) and I must get moving for the day. I'm still working on my organization mission and am coming along--VERY slowly, but surely.
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