tons of beautiful: May 2011

Call me crunchy

It's so gorgeous out. I'm sitting out on our deck, Micah is sitting in his pack 'n play out here (maybe the title should be 'call me redneck') and Eden is outside somewhere with Mike. I have oodles of laundry sitting before me, but well, my motivation for that one fell through though it does make a nice foot rest.

I've mentioned our cash budget before and it's made me cut the fat so to speak from our daily expenses. For example, I think the last time I bought diapers was in January. For that I'm proud, we've been using cloth all the time, except for the past 2 days. We quit buying wipes although I bought some last week, cloth diapers go hand in hand with cloth wipes. But laundry, ughh, I was spending a lot of money on it. Everyone knows Tide is the best, and with 2 kiddos, the stain remover seems endless. I researched making our own laundry detergent, and truth be told, I love it.

I found a simple tutorial from this blog, and we actually had a lot of fun doing it together. So, to get started, grab your little helper.

Here's our ingredients: 1 bar Fels Naptha soap, 1 cup Borax, and 1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, and the jar is to store it.

Give your helper a snack to keep her happy and entertained, laundry detergent isn't that exciting to some people.

So, a small grater is recommended to grate the Fels Naptha. It's really hard soap, and because I was afraid of having chunks of soap left in after washing, I used a zester. It was perfect.

The texture came out really fine, and I've never had an issue with the soap not dissolving. Glad I put on my thinking cap for that one.

Have your helper mix in the Borax and Arm & Hammer, stir, stir, stir.

Put it in your container, and viola! you have your homemade laundry detergent. So, the verdict: Love it, and it works great. I couldn't wait actually to run out of our laundry soap so that I could start using it. I never measure when I put it in the wash, I just guess what a tablespoon is, and if I have a really yucky, dirty load, I tend to overestimate.

The cost, I think (it's been a few weeks since we make it) is roughly 2 dollars maybe. Yeah, it's a little cheaper than Tide, but it does really well at stain removal, so it's a winner in my book. We then proceeded after to make our footprints, which has nothing at all to do with anything, it was just fun.

Doesn't mine look like a Neanderthal? Just call me 'big foot'. Of course, Micah was in on all the fun as well, not quite helper status, but he enjoyed the festivities.

My Mind

I dread night time. I wake up so many times it's crazy.

I love my family. We had so much fun today doing mundane things, I think that's what you call love.

Micah is teething like crazy (probably another factor in why I dread night time).

I'm on an unofficial diet. Unofficial because my only rule is 'no eating after 7pm'.

Eden told me she was a hoot today, I agreed.

We have some social engagements tomorrow, and I am excited (weird for an introvert).

I think I've decided against dreadlocks for the time being.

Quitting cloth diapers for 2 days to help Micah's little bottom, and to give myself a break on laundry.

Talked to a really good friend for a really long time tonight and it felt really good.

Hoping to live out my life this week by putting by good intentions to work.

She's Unbelievable

Belly Laughs

Since Micah has started crawling, I'll often just set him in his pack n play while I attend to Eden for a minute. So, last week, I plopped him in here and was helping Eden to return to Micah smooshing his face against the mesh side.

It was pretty funny. You don't often see a baby doing a piggy nose face, at least I don't. Eden and I had a good laugh. And by good laugh, I mean a hearty belly laugh. Eden couldn't even stand up she was laughing so hard.

Yeah, I've said it before, we're simple.

But I bet you just smiled too.

It takes a toddler...

...to raise a goldfish.

This is Eden's office.

She keeps her goldfish here.

We're not allowed in.

But I tried to teach her from the doorway that we can't tickle goldfish.

There was toilet paper in the goldfish bowl.

She told me she thought he had to go poopoo in his pond.

Last night I noticed he had no tail.

But he's alive.

And it's a new record.

So maybe you do tickle a goldfish and give it toilet paper.

Who knows, but like I said, it's a new record.

That's what little boys are made of

milk mustaches...

cake cones...

four jars of baby food for dinner...

...that's what little boys are made of.

Losing focus

I love being home with my kids.

It's what I've always wanted and it's precious to me.

I never miss a thing, never.

I see the all the first, the smiles, the tears, I see it all.

But, once in a while I lose focus.

I get frustrated and I dream of being somewhere else or doing something else and

lose focus.

Yesterday, I got back into focus.

We played outside.

Eden chased robins, Micah sat on a blanket.

I pulled the kids in the wagon.

We read books together and I included Eden in everything I did.

I hauled the garbage out in the wagon, and Eden put a bag in her grocery cart.

We got the mail and played guessing games of what could be in the package we got.

Eden guessed an octopus or a monkey, I guessed a book.

It was "The Giving Tree." I think it's Eden's new favorite book.

We cleaned our deck and rearranged.

I loved yesterday.

It was hard work getting back into focus.

I think I want to plaster this Bible verse on every wall of our condo:

"Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

I love being home.

I love the intensity and the memories that are born out of it.

It's simple really.

Don't lose heart.

Do what you love,

love what you do.

Lately

I love the downward spiral of these pictures. It's happy, then ummm, well, it just goes downhill. Makes me smile every time I see them.

And then they go back to being happy again. Such is a child's life, and I love it.

In other news, this little guy turned eight months last week. Wow. I feel like that sums it up best. He started crawling the day before his eight month birthday. Isn't that early? Eden was ten months when she started crawling, but I thought that was late.

So, last week was quite the week. I had a bad attitude and a short fuse. I frustrated myself and my kids. Shame on me. For real, who does that?

I had to try to teach Eden yesterday that she can't tickle her goldfish. It's cute, but that poor little goldfish bobs for a while after she's done with him then goes back to happily swimming about.

We got a new mattress. It's an uber cheap, tempur pedic knock off. It's really firm, but I don't know yet. I woke up this morning and wasn't throbbing all over, so it must be some kind of improvement. The salesman was shocked that we sleep on a full, you should've seen his face when I told him Mike was 6'5". It was so hilarious.

Micah is crazy for me and I love it. He flaps his arms when I walk into the same room as him and tries to crawl up my leg, I love that.

It's so cold here. Our high today is supposed to be 56. Yes, it's Wisconsin, but that's still cold. I wore flip flops yesterday and felt like I had frostbite.

I miss Mike. He's been studying like crazy and I'm craving time with him.

That's lately, until later.

What a weekend

What a wonderful weekend that is. It was quite the week for me last week, but more on that later. Mike has his final this week and needed some good solid study time, so we went up to my parents. Mike got his studying done, and I got to have some beautiful memories (Mike did too, it just sounded better if I said only I did). When I was just looking through pictures of the weekend, I found myself smiling. I really needed what we experienced up there: good company, sleep, and fun. So, as to not bore the non-readers, here we go: Eden enjoyed showing off how she rides a tricycle.

Micah got a chance to ride in a swing when his big sister wasn't looking (she'd never'd allowed it).

Micah got a turn riding a big-wheel. Thank goodness for pictures, cuz I missed the real-life moment. If you're wondering, I was sleeping on the outdoor chaise in the sun.

Eden loving my parents Step 2 roller coaster and some balloons.

Hey, it looked fun... and it was.

Micah foamed at the mouth. Seriously though, so adorable.

We all enjoyed some bonding time,

some swinging time,

and no weekend is complete without a group hug.

Eden got to experience rubber band heaven. It's an obsession right now... crabs, lobsters, rubber bands, she's my unique beautiful, little girl.

Telling secrets is always fun.

And nursing with your foot in the air isn't half bad either.

We had a ball really, and we'd love to have another copy-cat weekend just like it.

But until we return, we'll be happy and content.

A slight obsession

Mike and I probably read hundred of books a month. Seriously. Every night around seven, every afternoon for me, and then there's the random book reading times where I pick one up and thoroughly enjoy a book from cover to cover. It can be quite time consuming, but it's also fun. And I love that Eden and Micah think so too.

I've never counted how many children's books we have, but it's got to be in the high hundreds. I love our little children's library. We even had to have an expansion, but the kids don't mind.

Several months ago, we expanded in the living room, and I think it's worked out quite well. While we didn't have to bulldoze any walls, we did have to buy a new book case. But that was in the redecorating plan anyway.

Already though, there's an overflow area, this basket (and our cars). When I open my car doors, books spill out, but I like it. The pictures probably wouldn't look too pretty, so I'll just post our condo overflow area, the basket.

Imagination...breakdown

Today was quite the day, let me tell you, it was beautiful. But as far as picture worthy, I'd be scared to see what my camera captured, so there'll be no pictures and just a boring note post. Not all days are bliss, and today was definitely one of those "not" days.
Mike had been off several days and it always is an adjustment day the day he goes back to work, so I guess I knew today would be an adjustment day. But, sadly, I was that lady in the park with the toddler on the ground throwing a fit. Yup, that was me, standing there, looking around to see who was gawking at me.
I psyched myself up and took the kids to an amazing playground. I don't even want to name it because I don't want it to get too discovered. (I don't have any blog readers anyway, so it wouldn't matter, but just in case I hit it big one day.) Anyway, not a big fan of playgrounds, I don't know, I just don't get into it. Give me a field or a grassy knoll, give me a concrete jungle and I can be creative with it, but for some reason, playgrounds don't do it for me.
So, by my standards, this was a cool playground, and I'm hard to please that way. All Eden wanted to do was swing. Fine. It's her time to shine and if that's what she thinks shines, so be it. I parked her on a swing next to a baby swing so that Micah could relish the glory of swinging too, and he did. He goo-ed and gaaa-ed, it was really cute. Okay, I pushed Eden on a swing for an hour and half. Call me crazy but to me that's a long time. Golly, it just hit me again how long.
I told her it was time to go. I peeled her from the swing and it was just a huge scene as we left the park. Crazy. That's what I kept telling myself, but I didn't get impatient or mad. I felt like I was uttering mantras the whole time this crazy scene was happening and then I remembered something. I had read a bible verse from the message this morning about how soft words calm a rigid spirit. Well, it didn't really calm her, but it calmed me.
I knew that God sees this as so small, so I guess that's what I tried to look at it like. I tried, but the breakdown kept coming and it did seem really big for a couple of minutes. But today was really cool, to get that bird's eye view of something and think that maybe that's how God views our "big" crazy breakdowns.

Happy Other's Day

I don't know why I have such high expectations of hallmark holidays. I've tried in the past to just relish in the beauty of the day knowing that the title didn't mean anything more. Today was Mother's Day and I think I captured it in all it's essence without any exaggerated expectations, and it was beautiful.

I slept in (7:20, yeah, our kids are up crazy early) and opened the door to see crayons spilled everywhere and Eden waving around a card she made in the air. She pointed out the whale that she drew on the envelope and quickly ran into the other room to fetch a present that she picked out for me. It wasn't the gift that got me, but man, she is just so especially thoughtful. Mike let her pick out anything from the mall and she picked this bobby pin with two peacock feathers attached. I think it got me because we went to the salon this week and got feather hair extensions, and she loved it. But when things like this mirror each other, I get emotional because I feel like life is setting in for her. She's not a baby, and she remembers the things she loves and likes and tries to recreate them, and I adore that about her.

Micah wasn't empty handed this morning either. He had a little card and I opened it to find two green crayon lines. Cute, and for some reason, I don't think I'll ever forget it.

Today wasn't elaborate, church, a picnic in the park, visiting with in-laws, and enjoying the beautiful day. But after church, I laid down with Eden in her 'big girl bed' and pretended to sleep and felt her chubby little hands on my cheeks and stroke my hair. I watched her when I knew she couldn't see my opened eyes and thought of these simple moments. I prayed. I asked God to make life go a little bit slower and I thought of all the times she's slept in my arms. She took one big last yawn and her eyes closed. I watched her sleep for a while and just adored her. She is so beautiful to me.

I can't imagine not being a mom. It's the coolest thing, and I enjoy it so much. Granted, I do have my selfish moments where I'd like to not be touched for two minutes, but thankfully those moments are getting fewer and more far between. I love this. I love being needed, but more than that I need them. So, in Eden's words today, it's not Happy Mother's Day but rather Happy Other's Day.

A lovely afternoon at the park

We've had our condo for sale now for close to a year and a half. Not having a yard bites, but being close to lots of playgrounds that you and your husband and your 2-year old and your nearly 8 month baby on your hip can walk to is...pretty nice. Mike took the day off yesterday and I had a glorious couple of hours rummaging by myself (I can hear the angels singing right now). So, a little afternoon walk to the park seemed like an added bonus to an already spectacular day. We

got a lot accomplished there too:

We jumped like a crazy,