Beginner Beans: Following God Using Cloth Diapers Being a Mom Going Green Attempting Minimalism

Diaper Changing Station II

2012-01-18T08:00:00.004-05:00

I loved our original diaper changing station as it was in Florida. A year has passed and since then we've moved, I've quit using the changing table, Ian's poop needs to be flushed down the toilet, and we have less space now. Our diaper supplies are now stored in the kids' bathroom, and diaper changes are done wherever I find a comfy spot on the floor. Besides for changing sizes, we use most of the same products, but where we store them has changed.

Here is our updated changing station...

{1} BAKING SODA, DIAPER PAIL, PAIL LINER

The diaper pail resides beside the toilet where we can easily toss dirty diapers after the poop has been flushed down the toilet. We are still using our original Planet Wise Pail Liner in the same ol' small kitchen trashcan. We don't cover the diapers, but I do move the pail to our bathroom when we have lots of company (so as not to gross anyone out). We also have baking soda in a glass shaker to be sprinkled in the pail as needed. Pail liner is washed with diapers.

{2} DIAPER RASH CREAM

We're still using California Baby diaper rash cream. We've had no issues with it washing out of the diapers, it clears up the first sign of diaper rashes, and it smells good.

{3} YELLOW-EDGE GMD PREFOLDS

We've put away our orange-edge (newborn) Green Mountain Diaper (GMD) prefolds. We've continued to use the yellow-edge for the small amount of protection our preschooler needs at night. I'm finally looking into cloth pull-ups for her, and will put away the yellow-edge prefolds for future use or selling.

{4} DIAPER COVERS, WIPES

We now have 4 Thirsties Duo Wraps (sz 2), a Rumparooz (one-size), and a Flip (one-size). There's usually one airing out on a corner of the bathroom counter and one on baby, which rotates at each diaper change. If the cover smell strongly of pee or poop, it's tossed in the diaper pail and a new one is brought into rotation. Ian has turned into a little poop machine since he started solids and weaned, so these 6 covers usually last a little more than a day. (Ridiculous, I know!)

We are still using our original 45+ baby wash cloths that we use for wipes, which get thrown in the diaper pail with the dirty diaper. We wet them in the sink as needed, and 2 cleans up even the messiest of diapers.

{5} BROWN-EDGE GMD PREFOLDS

We have 18 brown-edge (large) GMD prefolds in rotation. We run out of covers much sooner than we use up the prefolds. We have been trifolding them in the cover and folding down the excess for extra protection in front.

As I mentioned, not much has changed with our supplies other than moving up in sizes, and our system has remained mostly the same mixing up our organization to fit changes. Overall, still loving keeping it simple.

{See a diaper change on a 10-month-old using this set-up.}
{See what we do with a dirty cloth diaper using this set-up.}
{See a changing station set-up with a traditional changing table.}

Where Has All My Cleavage gone?! {Being Happy with Less}

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

{bra}

My breastfeeding days have (at least temporarily) disappeared, and so has my cleavage. It's nothing new. I've always had a small chest. The exceptions being pregnancy and nursing. Also, when I gained 25 pounds in college, but who wants to fit into bigger jeans just so they can also fit into a bigger bra? Not me.

It seems there are two "solutions" to the flat-chest "delimma:" {1} boob job or {2} some sort of miraculous push-up bra that can add up to two cup sizes. Because, really, who wants to be flat-chested? Having boobs is an important part of being a woman, and somehow our society is lost in the misconception that bigger is better.

I'm choosing to not believe that misconception. Here is my rationality and reminder to be happy with less...

WHY A BOOB JOB IS A BAD IDEA {FOR ME}

I know people that have gotten breast implants, and I respect their choice. They didn't do it for attention or to flaunt oversized breasts. They were simply small-chested, like me, and got a little something extra to look "normal" for their personal body structure.

Despite it all, I believe breast implants are not a good solution for me. Here's why I'm choosing to be happy with what I've got:

IT DISPROVES THE MISCONCEPTION. I'm bothered that women are expected to fit into a specific mold to be considered attractive, and top of that list is boob-size. I would simply be agreeing if I followed the boob job trend.
IT'S GREEN AND MINIMALIST. Even though I'm not great in my efforts, I have a desire to be environmentally friendly and to become minimalist. Breast implants are neither.
IT SETS A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR MY DAUGHTER. I want my daughter's self-worth to be deeper than her appearance, and I want her to her to accept and love herself the way God made her. Initially, she'll learn by example. Even if I can't disprove the breast-size misconception to the masses, maybe I can at least disprove it to her.
IT'S HEALTHY. As with any surgery, complications are not uncommon during breast implant surgery. I can avoid all of the related hazards by opting out of the surgery.
IT PUTS VALUE WHERE VALUE BELONGS. Most of us have heard that we vote with our dollars. That's not just at the grocery store. That's true for things like voluntary surgery. The more media hypes larger breasts, the more people will get implants, the more value is placed on large breasts and the more advertising and other media are going to continue to emphasize it. It's a vicious cycle that can only be broken one individual at a time.

WHY A PADDED BRA ISN'T ANY BETTER {FOR ME}

The temporary solution to small boobs is pushing and padding whatever little bit you've got to make it appear larger. It's a simple enough solution that thousands (millions?) of women choose. There's a few reasons to ditch the extra padding and be happy with less...

EXTREME PADDING IS FAKE. I'm learning to appreciate my body for what it is, and part of that is having small boobs. Adding padding to it feels fake, because it is fake.
PADDED BRAS ARE FALSE ADVERTISING. In college, my now-husband and another friend were talking about girls wearing padded bras. The point was made that it was false-advertising and whatever man they end up with will be disappointed to see that they actually have small breasts. It was more of a humorous conversation, but it stuck with me. Why do I feel the need to false-advertise? What do I gain by making people believe I'm larger than I really am? When I answered honestly that I gain nothing from it, I decided it wasn't for me.
PADDED, UNDERWIRE BRAS ARE UNCOMFORTABLE. I hate underwire. Always have. I also am not a fan of padding. It feels unnatural.
MEN LIKE BOOBS, NOT PADDING. While push-up and padding looks attractive with nothing else on, it mostly gets in the way when it comes to alone time with the husband. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

BEING HAPPY WITH LESS

It's encouraging to know other small-chested women have avoided the breast augmentation temptation, and are looking great in the process. These are the women who remind me small breasts are normal and not a "problem" to be "fixed." It is possible to be happy and attractive with less.

And part of being happy with a flat chest includes having a sense of humor about it...

{smallboobieproblems}

Communion with a Child's Joy

2012-01-13T08:00:00.006-05:00

{bread and wine}

I've got a couple confessions: I have skipped church because I knew it was going to be communion. More often, I have wished I knew ahead of time so I could have skipped. I have stayed for the communion service but skipped the foot washing, and most often have just felt unexplainably awkward through communion services. But why? I've never known, or worried enough to think about it more.

Until Brylee entered the picture. Ever heard of child-like faith? My little girl has it. It's so wonderful to hear her so excited about Jesus' birthday (Christmas) or to hear her ask questions like Where does God live? and Can we go to Heaven and see Him? She loves Sabbath, always asking, "Is it Sabbath?" Then running around excitedly telling each of us, "Happy Sabbath!" when we finally answer yes, it is Sabbath. She loves Sabbath School and learning memory verses and singing songs about Jesus and learning stories about Him. And she loves communion.

When she sees the tables dressed in white at the front of the church, she excitedly asks, "Are we washing our feet today?!"

Slowly, but surely, she's rubbing off on me. We arrive at church, drop Brylee off at her new Sabbath School (she promoted to the kindergarten class), then do laps around the church foyer to entertain Ian (we arrived late and Ian's Sabbath School was overfull). The tables are prepared and I comment to Daniel how excited Brylee will be that we "get to wash our feet today." At this point I haven't noticed my thoughts or feelings toward communion one way or the other.

Then, a couple different people comment, "Did you know it's communion Sabbath?" or "I didn't realize it was communion today." It's often said in a way that articulates all too clearly what most feel about communion: it's something to be avoided.

{clean water}

Not for Brylee. No way, she wants more communion and especially more foot washing. We sing the opening songs, then the pastor says his homily and we're dismissed for the "ordinance of humility." While some take this as their opportunity to escape out the side door, Brylee is practically bounding toward the foot washing room dedicated to families. As Daniel washes my feet, we tell Brylee about how Jesus washed His friends' feet and why we do it too.

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. {John 13:13-14}

When I add our water to the designated dirty water bucket, I wonder what that dirty water would look like if it actually contained all of our sins. What if the sins that were symbolically washed away were literally left in that water? Can you image the disgusting muck that would be left behind? But it is literal. It's hard for us to see and understand, but with just a small dose of Brylee's child-like faith I saw a glimpse. A glimpse of the amazing thing Christ does for us daily, hourly. The washing of our real, disgusting sins. The gunk of our lives that bogs us down and covers us in stink and makes us look and act like fools. It's all left behind in that water.

Does Brylee understand all of that? I know I don't. But she doesn't need to, and learning from her, I don't either. It just takes a little child-like faith to simply know that this foot washing thing is pretty great.

Daniel washes Brylee's feet, then she helps me wash Daniel's. She is just so happy to take part. We pray together and thank Jesus for washing the crud from our lives, then we make our way back to the sanctuary for the communion service.

{breaking bread}

We have our unleavened bread in hand, ready for the pastor's direction, which was first Jesus'...

Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. {1 Corinthians 11:24}

Did you ever think that Jesus could have asked for more from us? His body was in all literal terms broken and given in place of ours. He could have easily requested that we make some sacrifice to remember His ultimate sacrifice. Perhaps a period of fasting or some small infliction of pain. But He didn't. He simply gave His friends bread and said,

This is My body which is given for you; [eat] in remembrance of Me. {Luke 22:19}

And the blood He shed for us through the breaking of His body? He holds the cup of wine and says,

This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. {Luke 22:20}

{true love}

Seriously?! He gave up His body to save mine in the unfairest of all trades, and all He asks of me is to eat and drink and remember what He did?! In that moment, Brylee still glowing from the foot washing service, I realize, again with a small gift of child-like faith, that my avoidance of communion has been, well, childish. And petty. And simply appalling when I realize I've been given gifts upon gifts, and through it all I want Jesus to understand that taking part in communion is just too much to ask?

Just too much to ask.

Those words sting, and they're not even meant for me. They're childish and petty, and a thing of the past. Because, I got a glimpse of my little girl's child-like faith. Simply trusting that a foot washing service is something great and worth getting excited about. Simply believing that bread and wine are enough to remember. Fully trusting and believing that it all points to one thing: Jesus. That He is great and worth getting excited about, and He is simply enough.

{Shine Jesus shine!}

Beginner's Guides to Cloth Diapering

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Are you wondering what is the absolute most daunting part of cloth diapering? In my now experienced opinion, it's not the laundry or the poop or using cloth on-the-go. Nope, the most daunting part is none of the things I expected. The truly exhausting, time consuming, almost changed-my-mind aspect of cloth diapering is... {drum roll please}...

....the research.

{Cloth by Beginner Beans}

I've shared a bit of our experience into cloth diapering--specifically the prefolds and covers world of cloth. A cloth diaper change pictured step-by-step, a reality check on the dirty of cloth, why prefolds are so great, and the Squishy Tush Profiles--interviews and photos from other moms that chose cloth for their babies. I'm doing my best to add to the online cloth diapering conversation with pictures and testimonials that I feel I haven't found elsewhere.

Before I was able to share all of this, I was a clueless beginner. In case that is where you find yourself today, here are some of my go-to beginner guides and cloth diapering information sources that answered all of my beginning questions.

Saying that the research is the most daunting part of cloth diapering probably seems like an anti-climatic exaggeration.

For me, it's simply the truth. True, I'm a bit of an overthinker, and a tad indecisive. Nonetheless, learning about cloth diapering and the terms, and sorting through the options and brands and reviews and realizing a decision has to be made and the wrong one could potentially lead to leaks or, worse, wasted money... phew!... It's overwhelming to say the least.

Half my battle was figuring out where to get information. Here are my favorite how-to guides and experiences, so hopefully you're beginning research will go a little smoother.

THE BEGINNER GUIDES TO CLOTH DIAPERING

{Basics of Cloth Diapering by PinStrips and PolkaDots}

{PinStripes and PolkaDots}

PinStripes and PolkaDots' Basics of Cloth Diapering was my number one go-to source for learning about cloth diapering. They cover everything you'd need to know from cost, time and timing, and diapering myths, to the essentials you'll need, choosing a detergent, step-by-step photo instructions using specific types and brands of diapers, and specific cases like nighttime and traveling. Are you convinced to check it out? Their diaper rash cream information and chart is how we chose California Baby diaper rash cream, their newborn gallery is a great comparison of diaper sizing for little babies, and their "using prefolds with covers" section has helpful photos that taught me how to put on a prefold diaper.

{Cloth Diaper 101 by Little for Now}

{Little for Now}
Little for Now's Cloth Diaper 101 is another thorough guide on cloth diapering--choosing diapers, washing them, detergents and glossaries. They have updated their articles since I first read and they now have the Cloth Diaper Learning Center.

{"I've never looked back" by The Eco-Friendly Family}

{The Eco-Friendly Family}

Amanda covers her cloth diapering experience on her blog The Eco-Friendly Family. Scroll past (or read through) her "I've never looked back" introduction to get to the list of cloth diapering articles--an overview of options, prepping and washing, prefold tutorial with pictures, and much more. She's added more since I first initially read. Like her t-shirt diaper post--I'm intrigued.

{Diapering Naturally by Mothering}

{Mothering.com}

When I was pregnant, I was gifted an issue of Mothering, the magazine "inspiring natural families since 1976." It included an article on cloth diapering that began my journey into researching cloth and eventually buying and using cloth on our little ones. I had already done my research the hard way (blindly weeding through Google searches) when I came across the diapering section on Mothering.com--great information and how-to videos for "diapering naturally" (their terminology for cloth diapering).

{Cloth Diapering in the BabyCenter Community}

{Baby Center Community}

The Cloth Diapering group on BabyCenter has been indispensable in our cloth diapering journey. This group is a community of truly experienced and incredibly helpful ladies. They helped me trouble shoot with stink issues, recommended how many diapers to start in my stash, and gave encouragement when I had doubt on cloth before baby came. The number of people I personally know "in real life" that are using cloth is growing, but when I first began, I knew no one actively using them and only my sister-in-law who was researching for future use as well. Knowing a few experienced cloth users or having access to a conversation-style cloth diapering group is a great resource to have when you want to be successful at using cloth even through the sometimes difficult aspects.

{Cloth Diapers on YouTube}

{YouTube}

Try searching "cloth diapers" or any number of the auto fill in options that show up on YouTube and you'll find lots of informative and insightful videos--how to choose a diaper, how to fold a prefold, how to wash cloth diapers, how to sew a cloth diaper. If you're not excited about reading all the information, or need to see for yourself the difference between an all-in-one and a cover-and-prefold, YouTube is a great reference.

Hopefully these sources and beginner guides to cloth diapering will help make your research a little less stressful. If you're feeling overwhelmed by all of the information and the looming question Is cloth diapering right for me and my family?, just know that it gets easier. Being informed is half the battle in becoming a successful cloth diaper user. You can do this!

10 Things I Learned about Breastfeeding {Looking Back on the Year}

2012-01-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

{nursing cover}

Is it possible Ian and I made it through a year of breastfeeding?

Yes, we did! And that feels like something worth celebrating.

I'm not really sure how it should be celebrated. So, I bought myself a couple new (non-nursing) bras, and typed up some things I've learned about nursing over the past twelve months--for nostalgia's sake and to share my perspective for anyone interested. Take it for what it is: one mom's (my) experience with breastfeeding.

10 things I learned about breastfeeding, in no particular order...

{1} BREASTFEEDING IS ALWAYS WORTH CONSIDERATION.

I mistakenly assumed breastfeeding wasn't an option when I was pregnant with Brylee. I would start fulltime work shortly after her delivery, I wasn't interested in pumping, and, from what I read, nipple confusion meant I must choose bottle or breast. I decided Brylee would be on formula right from birth, and nobody questioned my reasoning or provided further information. It wasn't until Ian was born and I had breastfed him for a couple weeks (about how long I was home with Brylee before returning to work), that I realized I could have (and should have) opted to breastfeed Brylee at least in the hospital. She missed out on many important immunity-building antibodies in those first few days, all because I would not be able to breastfeed long-term, and therefore decided I shouldn't breastfeed her ever. Yes, the transition to formula after getting started with breastfeeding may not have been an easy one, but it would have been worth it to give that sweet little newborn an extra edge against germs and bond with her in a special way. I didn't, and, even though I try not to, I regret that.

{2} DEMAND-FEEDING DOES NOT MEAN FEEDING AT EVERY CRY; NURSING MOMS DO NOT HAVE TO BE HUMAN PACIFIERS.

Every breastfeeding resource I read endorsed some sort of "feeding on demand" in order to keep baby properly fed and to keep up supply. Crying is a late sign of hunger, however "demand-feeding" seemed to say that if my baby was crying that meant I should nurse. And that's just what I did. I nursed when he gave the cues (smacking, rooting, sucking), and I nursed when he cried. I wish I would have looked at the clock a little more frequently, and evaluated what he actually needed by all of the signals. There were times when it had been an hour or less and I would feed him again because he was crying. However, if I would have paid a little more attention to all the cues (including the clock), I might have realized he wasn't hungry at all.

I did this breed of demand-feeding for about 10 months. And it exhausted me. Whenever I would ask an on-line mommy support group how to make it stop, the only feedback I got was an attempt at "encouragement" with a lighthearted comment that I should get used to being a human pacifier. I learned a little too late (but late is better than never) that breastfeeding and being a human pacifier do not have to go hand-in-hand. It is possible to demand-feed and keep up milk supply, while also refusing to allow baby to use nursing merely as pacifying.

{3} BREASTMILK PROVIDES AWESOME IMMUNITY.

This is a no-brainer and is included in just about all breastfeeding materials. We witnessed it firsthand. Brylee, as I mentioned, was always formula-fed. She also got sick frequently as a baby, with frequent colds and even multiple ear infections. Yes, germs from daycare (which she attended starting at 5-months-old) must have had something to do with this, but I believe she also missed out on very important antibodies by not breastfeeding. Alternatively, Ian (only breastfed) has never had more than a minor cold, surviving healthfully through all of us getting pink eye and even multiple days of a flu virus. He simply didn't catch any of those bugs, I believe largely because of the good things in breastmilk.

{4} NURSING IN PUBLIC CAN AND SHOULD INVOLVE TACT, CONSIDERATION OF OTHERS AND DISCRETION; DURING THE LEARNING CURVE, NURSING TANKS ARE INDISPENSABLE.

I am a very private person. So of course I was careful to use a nursing cover in public or around anyone other than my husband. I just wish more people used the same consideration. Because covering myself when breastfeeding isn't just about protecting my privacy, it's also about being considerate of others. If more people were careful to cover themselves when breastfeeding in public, I don't think it would be the big issue it has become.

Nursing tanks were essential during those first weeks of breastfeeding. They make public feedings so manageable, unsnapping easily (even under the nursing cover) with no awkward shirt lifting and keeping stomach covered. They look like a basic cami when worn with jackets, sweaters, or other cover-ups.

{5} POOP OF AN EXCLUSIVELY BREASTFED (EBF) BABY IS GROSS, BUT CLOTH DIAPER-FRIENDLY.

Most things I read describe poop from an exclusively breastfed (EBF) baby as "sweet smelling." In some ways, that may be true. But I find EBF poop absolutely disgusting! The smell of EBF poop makes me gag far worse than any "real" poop smell. However, it gets points for being completely water soluble and absolutely cloth diaper-friendly.

{6} BREASTFEEDING IS A 1 WOMAN SHOW, AND THAT WOMAN NEEDS SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING TO KEEP AT IT.

The one good thing I can say about bottle-feeding is that it involved my husband more and gave me a break. In fact, when I returned to work, Daniel most often took care of late night feedings. That all changed with breastfeeding. I was the only food source through the newborn stage, and eventually, when I wanted a break, I had to work pumping sessions in through the day in order to make it happen. Breastfeeding can be exhausting, and a woman needs support and understanding in order to keep with it. A caring husband that's willing to listen, an active breastfeeding support group (in real life or online), other mom friends or family that are breastfeeding or have breastfed, a babysitter or family member or friend willing to watch baby so you can get an hour "away," and breastfeeding resources (Web sites, books) that offer breastfeeding information conducive to your parenting style are all important aspects of support and understanding.

{7} OATMEAL IS A BREASTFEEDING MIRACLE! HYDRATION AND NOURISHMENT ARE ESSENTIAL, TOO.

I ate oatmeal every morning during the first few months of Ian's life--it's cheap and so healthy. I also had oversupply throughout that time, often drowning Ian through feedings causing him to spit up the excess. A friend mentioned my oatmeal-eating habit might be the reason for having such a healthy supply. I didn't really believe that was the cause, until later when I started eating cold cereal for breakfast and noticed my supply going down. Such an easy solution and so healthy for other reasons. Along these lines, lots of water and eating enough quality calories are also essential to maintaining a healthy milk supply.

{8} TIMING THE LENGTH OF BABY'S FEEDINGS IS OVERRATED.

Ian was a champion eater right from the get-go. At least, in my opinion. The nurses, however, wanted me to do "better." They wanted Ian to eat at least 15 minutes on the first breast, then for me to offer the other to see if he was still hungry. Ian had other plans. He ate maybe 5 minutes at every feeding only on one side. And a few times he even went four hours between feedings. Sure, I did the things they suggested to try and wake him up to eat more, but he was sleepy. And so was I. So I let him sleep. And I slept too. (The lactation consultant approved of this.) His habits didn't change. He never ate more than 5-10 minutes at a time and only in the last couple months of breastfeeding did I ever offer the second side. But it never concerned me. His growth was always on track, his output (wet and poopy diapers) were what they should be, and he didn't show signs of still being hungry between feedings. I value the nurses' experience and information; and I learned it's also important to follow instinct and as long as baby is healthy and happy, it's okay to not follow recommendation.

{9} DECIDING WHEN TO STOP BREASTFEEDING (OR ANY OTHER BREASTFEEDING DECISION) IS A PERSONAL CHOICE, AND NO CAREFULLY THOUGHT-OUT DECISION IS THE WRONG ONE.

Why attach guilt where it doesn't belong? The best thing I did while breastfeeding is to make educated decisions factoring in breastfeeding facts and what I know about my, my baby's, and my family's needs. I had three priorities: keeping baby nourished, providing the family's needs and taking care of myself so that I could accomplish those things.

{10} IT'S STILL OKAY TO TAKE CARE OF #1, EVEN (ESPECIALLY) AS A BREASTFEEDING MOM.

Somewhere between the late night feedings (that continue through the first twelve months if you don't do something to stop it) and the constant giving of our bodies to the nourishment and care of our babies, it's all too easy to get caught up in the priority of nourishing baby and forget about taking care of ourselves. An hour away while daddy spends time with baby, encouraging baby to learn how to self-sooth so everyone gets a little more sleep at night, a power nap while baby sleeps, a few minutes alone to journal or read--these are all important things to do weekly and even daily to keep rejuvenated and provide the best care for the family.

{There you have it, 10 things I learned from a year of breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding or have in the past, what did you learn from breastfeeding that no one told you?}

2012 New Year's Resolutions {Jump into January}

2012-01-09T08:00:00.024-05:00

{new year fresh start resolution}

There are two problems with the resolutions I make: {1} I want to improve all areas of my life at once (More devotional time, exercise, eat better, read more? Yes, yes, yes, and yes!), and {2} some resolutions are better implemented for a couple weeks and not always feasible for an entire year (i.e., giving up sugar for 365 days? Not in my lifetime!).

So, 2012 is the year I will do an idea I got from my cousin-in-law: implementing smaller goals and focus areas divided up throughout the year.

THE MONTHLY RESOLUTION SOLUTION

I've heard it takes 21-28 days to form a habit. One study shows it takes more like 66 days to make an action automatic, another suggests it's more like 21-28 days to establish a bad habit and closer to 60+ to solidify a good habit, and another says it depends on the habit you're trying to form. Whatever the case, if I can do something for a month, that's a great start to continuing beyond the month, if I wish.

{follow through}

Additionally, by focusing on one goal or one theme each month {1} I will be able to work on multiple areas of my life that I want to improve, and {2} I will be able to get a little more extreme with my goals for a few weeks at a time (give up eating out for an entire month, anyone?) and not feel like a failure if I decide to return to my previous ways once the month is up.

MY MONTHLY RESOLUTIONS

I've broken my resolutions up into themes and basic goals for each month (of course, getting creative with the monthly titles). I plan to post at the end of each month with {1} an update of how I did on my resolutions for the current month and {2} information about what I plan to work on in the upcoming month.

{2012}

In addition to reading 1 book a month, here's the quick rundown of what I'll be working on in 2012:

JUMP INTO JANUARY {exercise}
FIRE UP FEBRUARY {spiritual life}
MEAL MANAGEMENT MARCH {food}
APPRECIATE APRIL {family time}
MINIMIZING MAY {project eliminate}
JUNKLESS JUNE {reduce, refuse}
JOINT-EFFORT JULY {relationship with husband}
OPTIMIZE AUGUST {photography}
SIMPLIFY SEPTEMBER {simple life}
BLOGTOBER {blog}
KNOCK-IT-OUT NOVEMBER {homemade, DIY}
COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS {advent calendar}

{jump}

JUMP INTO JANUARY

The resolution for this month is simple:

4 minutes / 4 days / 4 weeks
yoga once a week
get a library card
visit library once a week

I chose to start with exercise for a couple reasons: {1} it doesn't need any prep work (I'm not getting a gym membership or going crazy with my workouts, I'm just simply exercising), and {2} what better way to start off a year of getting things done, than doing something?! A little movement goes a long way into boosting endorphins, getting the metabolism moving, motivating movement for the day, and igniting energy for other areas of life.

Also, exercise is something I'd like to keep up the whole year long, and spending a month focusing on making it happen is a very important first step to making it an ongoing habit.

CURIOUS ABOUT THE 4 MINUTES A DAY?
Short workout plans are nothing new. They pack a lot of action to burn calories, jumpstart the metabolism, use moves that workout multiple parts of the body at one time and fit easily into the day. There's lots of workout videos that could be used (including Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer).

{4 minute workout}

Daniel found the 4 minute workout plan on Pinterest and I love it. It's intense and challenging and just when I'm about to give up, it's over. Plus, I don't have to wake up earlier to do it. We use the free interval timer app on our iPhones to track the 20-second workouts and the 10-second breaks. At any time I can try other short workouts or even go longer if I wish (not thinking that will happen).

WHY 4 DAYS A WEEK?
Mainly because I want to accomplish my resolution, and working out daily is not always possible. 4 minutes a day / 4 days a week allows a day of slack, a day of rest (Sabbath), and a day of a longer workout that I enjoy (yoga on Sundays).

WHAT ABOUT READING?
After reading a novel in just a few short days during our vacation, I realized I'm not a slow reader like I've always claimed--that's just been my excuse for not reading. So my goal is one book a month February-November. This month I will be focusing on getting a library card and getting back into the habit of going to the library, which is vital to being successful with reading the rest of the year.

{exercise goals}

YOUR 2012 EXERCISE PLAN

Are you hoping to exercise more in 2012? Here's some articles and resources that might help you along your way...

How to Make Exercise a Daily Habit from zenhabits
10 Easy Ways to Make Exercise a Habit from Web MD
Fitness on Pinterest
The Home Workout Movement and How to Start Working out at Home at BODYROCK.tv

{What are you resolutions for 2012?}

Baby, It's Cold Outside {winter holiday date night}

2011-12-21T20:00:00.002-05:00

{the holiday}

I've been wanting to do this for a while, and just haven't mustered the energy or creativity to pull off a truly blog-worthy "Baby, It's Cold Outside" themed at-home date. After plans with friends were cancelled last night, we did an impromptu date and it turned out just as good as the preplanned version in my head. Even better, because it was perfectly low key and relaxing. Just what this season needs.

Basic components of our simple winter date night:

{polyvore.com}

{COMFY, WARM CLOTHES}
Okay, so comfy isn't exactly essential, but the key is warm. We opted to put the kids in their pajamas (so they'd be ready for bed after the family part of our date), Daniel and I in our sweats, coats for all of us and favorite blankets for the kids.

{wholeliving.com}

{HOT DRINK}
A date is a good excuse to splurge on the pricier drinks from Starbucks or another favorite coffee shop. We made Brylee chocolate milk in a reusable to-go mug, then Daniel and I got cappuccino from the corner gas station--french vanilla and white chocolate caramel mixed--yum!

{CHRISTMAS MUSIC}
We had the Christmas radio station on in the car. There weren't even any commercials until we returned to our driveway. Although, because commercials are a possibility, a favorite Christmas CD is probably a better option.

{DRIVE TO LOOK AT THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS}
You don't have to go far to find homes all lit up with Christmas lights. But if you want to see the decked out houses, it helps to go through a nicer neighborhood. We saw lots of pretty white lights (my favorite), and a few incredibly huge trees that had to have taken much more than a ladder to string with lights. If people are going to go through that much effort, then of course we should take at least one drive to enjoy the fruits of their efforts.

{imdb.com}

{FAVORITE HOLIDAY MOVIE}
After we returned home and got the kids in bed, we pulled out our yearly holiday movie: Love Actually. Laughs and love (and incredibly awkward nudity). Good times. Another favorite is The Holiday. There's hundreds more to choose from, but I'd rule out the family movies and keep it a little more romantic and date night-esque.

{to me you're perfect}

{LOVE ACTUALLY IS ALL AROUND}
I hope you'll take a moment to share the love with the one you love. (How cheesy am I!) And I'd love to hear your ideas for winter seasonal date nights...

A Fancy Nancy-inspired Birthday Party

2011-12-18T08:00:00.001-05:00

The dilemma: combining the birthday girl's fancy style (a la Fancy Nancy) with the party-thrower's preference for minimalism and simplicity.

It somehow came together. Here are the simply fancy details.

THE INSPIRATION

A good party always starts with inspiration. And when it comes to fancy little girl parties, there is lots of inspiration! Here are my favorites:

{1} fabulous and fancy birthday party - love the use of book pages, twine and brown paper amongst all the pink
{2} perfect pink sparkle party - great pink details, including tutu cake stand
{3} pamper me princess party - they really went all out
{4} pink and purple princess party - simple and cute

Then, of course, because I wanted a Fancy Nancy-inspired party, there's lots of great Fancy Nancy parties. Man, there's some people out there that are amazing at going all out for their kids birthdays!!

The thing with inspiration is it's often overwhelming. It takes me to some dreamland where I pretend to have time and creativity to create amazing decorations that will be used for only a couple hours max. I get distracted from my real desire for simplicity and practicality. And it wasn't until the day of the party, when I had yet to make a birthday banner or any other party details, that I decided on a theme: Fancy Simplicity.

THE DECORATIONS

I found peace letting go of my own lofty expectations, putting effort to a couple fancy details and letting simplicity take over from there.

Crate paper twisted and taped to the wall behind the table. A tissue paper pom pom from my sister's baby shower that still has not made its way down. A twine and paper birthday banner I threw together an hour before the party.

Framed picture of Brylee jumping on the bed with a pink princess skirt on when she was two with a couple crate paper flowers. (I wanted to make a bunch of these flowers to string together for the photobooth backdrop--prime example of the inspirational dreamland where I think I have time for details like that!) Yummy scented, pink tea light candles. I probably could have done more with the living room but left it with twisted streamers strung across the ceiling from the 4 corners of the room to the ceiling fan, then random balloons floating about.

THE CUPCAKES

Inspiration for the cupcakes (in addition to those from the parties mentioned above) included these adorable butterfly cupcakes, these ballerina tutu cupcakes, and this cotton candy strung cake.

My sister made some adorable chocolate butterflies to top our cupcakes, but they fell apart when we tried adding them. So we ended up with strawberry cupcakes and strawberry frosting--plain and simple. Brylee's was on the top and set inside a fancy tiara.

We also had pop rocks to sprinkle over the cupcakes to add sparkle and the added pizazz when you take a bite. I intended to cover them all, but followed the suggestion of letting everyone add their own.

THE PHOTO BOOTH

I love the photo booth trend popping up for weddings and birthdays and showers. Pictures are probably my favorite part of any event, and this is a fun way to get entertaining shots of the guests.

I used the doors that cover our washer and dryer in our kitchen/dining room, and hung twine with balloons and streamers. Then placed two dining chairs for a place to sit.

I had a couple signs ("Brylee's 4!" and "Fancy That!"), as well as a large picture frame with the phrase "Ooh La La." Then we had some of Brylee's dress up things (feather boa and necklaces), party blowers and markers and cardboard for people to write their own messages.

We got caught up in cupcakes and presents and didn't have anyone use it. So we did a family photoshoot the next day :) It was equally as fun and we now have some fun documented memories of Brylee's 4th birthday.

It's confirmed: I love the photobooth idea! I'll probably do some sort of photobooth at our birthdays from here on out, even if it's just for our family use. It's a fun way to get non-traditional photos.

And, I saved the sentimental part for last...

I can't believe our baby is FOUR! Our little girl is growing up!

DIM {Did It Myself} Twine Wreath, $0

2011-12-12T08:00:00.003-05:00

{twine wreath, white t-shirt flowers}

Last week I posted our simple Christmas decor which included this simple twine wreath. Here's the "tutorial" (it's pretty self-explanatory), including a couple links and credits.

My sister and I decided we wanted to act on all the great DIY wreaths we were seeing on Pinterest and try it ourselves. We loved this idea of making a cheap wreath form out of foam tubing. So we made the trip to Lowe's to grab a 6-foot long foam tube from the plumbing department.

{diy foam wreath form}

We cut the tube in half then formed a circle and duct taped the ends together. Now that it's done, we easily could have gotten 3 wreaths out of this. My wreath seems a little big for how skinny it is, but overall I'm still happy with it. If you aren't going in on it with anyone else, then you could go ahead and make 3-4 and do one for each season to rotate through the year. The tubing was around $1.30, split between the two of us is roughly $.65 for a wreath form. My sister covered the cost of this one, so price for me: Free.

{wrapping foam tube with twine}

I knew I wanted something simple, slightly minimalist, and earthy. Twine was the first thing that came to mind, and we happened to have more than half a roll left from other projects. I'm not a fan of glue, so I decided to try this without gluing the twine as I wrapped. I used one of my sister's small tack pins from the wreath she was making, and pinned the end of twine to the back of the wreath, then began wrapping the twine around, keeping it taut and secure as I wrapped. It's slightly time-consuming, and a little mundane, but really doesn't take too long (good reason to keep your wreath small), and goes much quicker than if I had decided to glue the twine down as I wrapped. The twine would cost a buck or two, but we already had some, so price for me: Free.

{secured end on back of wreath}

Once I wrapped the entire wreath and met back up with the starting pin, I tied the end of the twine tightly around another small pin, pushed it securely into the back of the wreath, and cut the twine off as close as possible to the knot I had tied. It really feels secure, and can easily be redone if I want to change it later.

{jute twine wreath inspiration}

I got a little hung up on how to embellish the wreath, so I searched "twine wreath" on Pinterest for ideas. The wreath photographed above done by Brunch at Saks was precisely what I had in mind.

{t-shirt flowers}

I then browsed my Fabric Flowers board on Pinterest for ideas, and decided on this T-shirt Flower Tutorial posted on Little Miss Momma. I grabbed the small bag of stained/worn out/shrunken clothes I kept for craft projects, and chose a stained onesie. The back of it was dingy, but not stained, and a twine wreath is a perfect place to use no-longer-white white fabric. I also happen to keep a few miscellaneous buttons and beads for random projects like this, and these silver beads added just enough shine to fancy up the tee material.

Reusing things I already had on hand means the total price of this wreath for me is: Free.

And there you have it--the complicated explanation of a process so simple you could probably figure it out from the first photo. Hopefully that sparked some ideas for you, and be sure to let me know if you make a wreath or two!

Curly-Haired, Acne-Prone Girl Seeking {effective} Green Hair- and Skin-Care Products

2011-12-08T08:00:00.394-05:00

{natural hair- and skin-care products}

The desire has always been there for products that 1) effectively tame my wild mane and 2) cure my acne-prone complexion. Surely they exist. Even if they're out of my price range. After all, when was the last time you saw a millionaire with obvious acne and uncontrollably frizzy hair? (Okay, I guess when was the last time you saw a 25-year-old still struggle with this? hand raised Right here.)

Is it possible my solutions are ditching shampoo all together and washing my face in oil? I know, sounds unlikely. Maybe even a little (a lot?) fanatical.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
The majority of my life has been spent fighting against my frazzled hair and battling my blemished skin. I actually gave up both fights before I even really tried. I resorted to attempting ignorance, but even that failed when a high school recruiter asked if I stumbled into poison ivy over the weekend (I was confused until I realized he was talking about my new breakout of acne), and the same summer the academy principal attempted a joke about me putting my finger in a light socket (referring to the first time I mustered enough courage to let my natural curl show... it didn't happen again for a LONG time). Thanks for the confidence boost!

I've tried a good variety of products, usually settling for cheaper and barely effective solutions because that was less depressing then shelling out a lot of money for overpriced products that still didn't work. Overall, I've been unimpressed and simply don't have pockets deep enough to keep searching those options. So why wouldn't I try solutions that boast affordability and results?

OIL-CLEANSING METHOD (OCM) {getting started}

I learned about The Oil-Cleansing Method from Simple Mom's post. Very convincing. I had to give it a try. You can get the details from her post. I imagine I'll write all about it here once I figure out what works for me. For now, I'll keep it simple.

The Oil-Cleansing Method (OCM) combines oils, mainly extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and castor oil, to make a face wash. The proportions depend on your face's need (more EVOO for dry skin, less for oily or acne-prone). Other oils (i.e., jojoba) can also be used. I decided to start with the basics.

{Oil-Cleansing Method's alternative to face wash}

THE OCM MIXTURE
1 TBSP EVOO (amazingly was cheapest at Trader Joe's)
3 TBSP castor oil (after a few stops, finally found it with the laxatives in the pharmacy section at Wal-mart)
a few drops tea tree oil

As already mentioned, I have acne-prone (but lately, acne-covered) skin which also happens to be combination (oily and dry). Using less EVOO and adding tea tree oil is supposed to be good for acne. I'm using one of my travel-sized containers for the oil mixture.

THE OCM PROCESS
1. I put about a quarter-sized amount of the mixture directly on my dry face and rub it in for about a minute.
2. Then I get a wash cloth wet with really hot water to lay across my face and steam out the pores. (The water almost feels like it's burning my hands in order for the wash cloth to feel warm on my face.)
3. I then rinse the wash cloth and begin using it to wipe off the oil which also pulls off all make-up if I wore any that day. No need to towel-dry, at this point my face is barely damp and I just let it air dry (to prevent further irritation of my already sensitive skin).

For over a week now, I've been doing this each evening then only rinsing my face in the shower. I plan on keeping this up for another week, as I've been told that any face cleansing routine needs 2 weeks to see if it's effective (a bad cleaner might initially seem to be clearing your face while a good cleaner can make your face look initially worse as it cleans out your pores). After two weeks, I'll evaluate my skin and decide if this mixture needs to be adjusted. I also read of using witch hazel as an astringent to clear up acne. I wanted to give the OCM a shot before adding anything else to the routine. Keeping fingers crossed for clearing up acne and (could it be possible?) the acne scars.

{Oil-Cleansing Method, Day 1}

THE OCM RESULTS
No real changes to my face yet. But I love the routine. I haven't had to use moisturizer since I've started (huge difference considering I tend to have dry skin especially in this dry winter weather). And my face doesn't feel oily like I thought it would. Plus, taking a minute each evening to lay with a warm wash cloth across my face is a break I need at the end of the day. It doesn't feel like a hassle at all.

NO 'POO / SHAMPOO-FREE {getting started}

No 'Poo (no shampoo) was a phrase I first heard on BabyCenter's "Green Mom" board. Initially, it all sounded much too "crunchy" for me. (I prefer green over crunch.) After reading more and more experiences, it seemed hair transitions with no 'poo, becoming much less oily and more naturally healthy through the process. I decided, if nothing else, I would go "less 'poo." I'd shampoo my hair less frequently to help the natural oils to balance out. I didn't know if I'd ever transition to no 'poo, but figured less 'poo was a good compromise, and completely doable considering I have curly, dry hair that actually shouldn't be shampooed everyday.

The less 'poo thing has been going on for well over a year now. I shampooed 2-3 times a week, and the other days my hair was left naturally curly or curled with a curling iron. Some days my hair seemed oilier than others, which kept me from feeling like I could actually go no 'poo.

Then, I came across Simple Mom's post on her experience with the No 'Poo Method. Her information is thorough and convinced me: It was time to go all the way.

{No 'Poo's baking soda and vinegar alternatives to shampoo and conditioner}

THE NO 'POO PRODUCTS
Shampoo: 2 TBSP baking soda with 1 cup water
Conditioner: 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar with 1 cup water

When going shampoo-free, the most common approach is using baking soda (usually 1 TBSP) with water to scrub the scalp clean. Then apple cider vinegar in water helps detangle and clarify. I used my two epi bottles from the hospital with a squirt bottle top. One has the baking soda / water combo and the other has the apple cider vinegar / water.

THE NO 'POO PROCESS

1. After my hair is wet, I squirt the baking soda bottle directly to my scalp (there's some settling, so I shake it up first). Because it doesn't suds up and expand like shampoo, I move parts of my hair to be sure I'm getting it everywhere on my scalp. Then I rub it in and rinse thoroughly.
2. Because my hair is long, I divide it in two sections and bring it in front of my shoulders. I squirt the vinegar mixture to both sections of hair, keeping it closer to the ends and away from my scalp. I use my wide-toothed comb to comb through my hair, distributing the vinegar and working out the tangles. Rinse thoroughly and done.

I started this last week at the same time I started OCM. I'm doing this twice a week, basically the same routine from when I went to less 'poo. The first day I let my hair air dry and leave it naturally curl. The second day, I spend about an hour curling it then enjoy the softer curls for a couple days until I wash again. Again, I have curly/frizzy/dry hair that actually benefits from a little neglect. And who wants to spend an hour making their hair look good just to wash it out the next day? Not me!

THE NO 'POO RESULTS

My first week (last week), I actually noticed instant results from replacing shampoo with no 'poo. By the end of the week my hair wasn't oily like it had been before. (Note: My hair doesn't generally get too oily, and I already dealt with the initial transition back when I started the less 'poo routine.) Daniel was gone and as I told him about it over the phone, his first concern was my hair stinking or being oily. When he got home there was neither, so he approved of me continuing.

I decided to go without mousse as well, to give this whole no 'poo thing a real chance (and build-up from unnatural products wouldn't help). So my natural curls need some help. I hope to find some sort of alternative to mousse to help redefine my curls, and I'm reading that a little longer with no 'poo should eventually help too.

{No 'Poo, air-dried w/out product on Day 1, then curled on Day 2}

Fortunately, a curling iron still makes my hair look fine, and even better, because it's healthier and less oily even after a couple days without washing.

Also, not a fan of the vinegar smell. I seriously hate it. My hair doesn't smell like it at all once rinsed, which is why I'm able to keep doing it. But those few seconds using it in the shower are gross enough for me, that I might seek an alternative. We'll see.

For more detailed information and trouble-shooting, checkout this Q & A on going shampoo free.

More updates soon (in a couple weeks? or a couple months?); whenever I find the combinations that work for me. Yes, "when." I have faith in these natural solutions.

Poop Happens {what to do with a dirty cloth diaper}

2011-12-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

The dreaded day has come and gone: the day Ian started eating solids.

What's the big deal with that? Well, the first five or six months of cloth diapering an exclusively breastfed baby are awesome because his poop is completely water soluble. That means dirty diapers are tossed directly into the diaper pail (no rinsing necessary), then go through the rinse-wash-rinse cycle with all the other diapers. Seriously that easy.

When babies drink formula or start eating solids, an extra step is thrown in: rinsing the poop into the toilet. Here is that process for anyone brave (curious?) enough to read more. (This is a follow-up to A Cloth Diaper Change II.)

{1} WASH CLOTHS ARE DROPPED IN DIRTY DIAPER PAIL
That, my friends, is a close-up of Ian's dirty diapers. See, it's not so scary, is it?

{2} POOP IS FLUSHED DOWN TOILET
I separate the prefold from the cover by grabbing the clean edge of the trifolded prefold (the edge that rests against the back of the cover). Holding tight, I dunk diaper into toilet until all poop is off. This is the old school "swishing" method. At this point you could also use a diaper sprayer, but swishing is free and effective. Now that Ian's eating solids, many times the poop falls into the toilet without doing anything, other times it takes a little swishing to get it all off. The key is holding on tight to the clean edge and keeping hand far from hitting poopy water. It's really not that bad. Some also choose to flush the toilet a time or two to help swish the poop off, but this hasn't been necessary for us. (Seriously, at least half the time it just falls in.)

{3} RINSED PREFOLD IS TOSSED IN DIRTY DIAPER PAIL
Once rinsed, I move prefold to water-free area of toilet bowl and push prefold against itself to sort of "ring out" (without actually touching) the excess water making a drip-free move from toilet to diaper pail. (If I didn't remove the excess water, the diaper pail would also be loaded with nasty toilet water.) Keeping our pail right next to the toilet makes this step much easier.

{4} BAKING SODA IS SPRINKLED OVER DIRTY DIAPERS IN PAIL
While still holding onto the clean edge of the dirty diaper, I'll use my free hand to sprinkle baking soda directly on diaper before tossing it into the pail. Every other time (i.e., pee diapers), I just sprinkle a little baking soda into pail. Cover is also thrown in diaper pail after poopy diapers or if it smells like urine. If only a pee diaper and no smell, then the cover is set on the edge of the counter to be used at the next diaper change.

Sounds like a lot of information, I know. And who would volunteer to go through this process??!! It's really not that difficult. I bet I could make brushing my teeth sound complicated if I detailed each and every little step for someone that's never done it :) It really becomes that easy. Well, maybe easier because it takes far less time than what you're supposed to spend brushing your teeth.

{Congratulations!}

You just kept a poopy diaper out of the landfill and put the mess where it belongs :)

Simple Christmas Decor at the Cresses

2011-12-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

{simple christmas decorations}

We're doing things a little bit different this year. Mainly, we're going without our traditional tree. It's big and beautiful--probably the most real-looking fake tree I've ever seen. But it's too much for our small space. And it's too much work considering we're leaving to visit family the day of Christmas. So, here's our simple and slightly minimalist Christmas decorations.

{nontraditional small space christmas tree}

Originally, I hoped to try one of the nontraditional tree ideas I posted about earlier. Then I started getting a little creative with what we had. We ended up with a tall vase I pulled from the bathroom, wrapped it in a string of greenery lit with white lights, put our regular tree star in the top of the vase, wrapped it all in another string of white lights, and added some white flowers I bought from the Dollar Tree a couple years ago to use as tree decorations. Set up on our small space entertainment center, we have a nontraditional Christmas tree complete with a shelf to put presents on and under.

{simple Willow Tree nativity}

The Willow Tree nativity is simple and beautiful. My mom gifted it to me a few years ago and, besides for white lights, it's been my absolute favorite part of Christmas decorating. Brylee helped me get it all set up on our bookshelf, but it was entirely too crowded and we don't have many other flat surfaces to spread it out like we did in Florida. So I took it down to the main nativity scene and absolutely love the simplicity and focus that brings. There's also room on the bookshelf for the occasional drinking glass or guest's keys that end up here.

{white light christmas star}

We have a big empty space on the wall above our sofa where I'm still deciding what photos/artwork to hang there. We had another string of lights that, of course, needed to be used. So, we stuck up five clear wall/ceiling light holder clips and strung the lights in the shape of a star. It's different, and this year I'm liking different.

{simple christmas centerpiece}

The dining room table started with a big clear bowl full of ornaments with candy canes hanging around the bowl. That just didn't seem right, so I tried a couple other things until I came up with this simple solution: Fruit ornaments stuck in our tea light candle holder.

{simple twine christmas wreath}

This wreath is my favorite decoration this year. My sister and I took an idea we found on Pinterest and made two wreaths out of a 6 foot tube we bought for just over a buck at Lowe's. I knew I wanted something simple so wrapped it all in twine. Then went back and forth on what sort of flowers to embellish it with, and came up with this stained onesie upcycle. I love it! Although, I'll love it more when we actually hang it on our door where it's intended.

{christmas stockings on coat rack}

The stockings have not yet been hung with care. We've talked about a couple places we'd like to hang them. For now they've taken up residence on our coat rack, and actually, I kind of like them here. Perhaps I should get more intentional about it and spread them out among the hooks so Santa can more easily fill them.

That's our simple Christmas decor for 2011. No overwhelming "holiday" clutter and no hassle. (Although, I'm realizing now, we're still missing the mistletoe.)

Happy decorating!

A Cloth Diaper Change II {trifolded prefold and cover}

2011-11-29T08:00:00.003-05:00

I can hardly believe over 10 months have passed since we started cloth diapering Ian. And we're still going strong! Three days in, I posted A Cloth Diaper Change. Since then we've gone up a couple sizes to the brown-edge (large) GMD prefolds, we've moved on to Size 2 of the Thirsties Duo Wraps, and we've ditched the Snappi and are now trifolding the prefolds and laying them in the cover.

Here's our new diaper changing process.

{1} STAGE IS SET
Diaper (a Rumparooz one-size cover and red-edge/medium GMD prefold) is dirty. Clean diaper (a brown-edge/large GMD prefold trifolded in a Thirsties size 2 Duo Wrap) is in place. A couple wet wash cloths and cloth diaper-safe diaper rash cream (in first photo) are at the ready.

{2} DIRTY DIAPER IS QUICKLY REPLACED WITH CLEAN
You might notice there's a few less photos showing this process. It is amazing how feisty a little guy can be when his diaper needs changed! Dirty diaper is set aside with used wash cloths set inside (pictured below). The clean, trifolded prefold is pulled up and, because it is larger than necessary, I fold it down a little to fit below his belly button (this also helps add extra absorbancy where he tends to wet the most). We ditched the Snappi when his poop became more solid and have had no issues with leaking out the legs.

{3} COVER IS SNAPPED AROUND PREFOLD
Ian is now in a Thirsties Duo Wrap, size 2 fully unsnapped. I'm curious what happens as he gets bigger, but it seems there's still room for him to grow into it length-wise. I check to make sure prefold isn't sticking out of cover, but that doesn't happen often when trifolding.

{4} DIRTY DIAPER IS "DISPOSED"
There's a little more to this step now that Ian is eating solids (and no longer has water soluble exclusively breastfed poop), so I will be covering this in another post. No more throwing all dirty diapers directly into a diaper pail to then be thrown directly into the wash. Poop diapers now need to be rinsed.

{Update: see what to do with a dirty diaper here.}
{See a cloth diaper change on a newborn.}

Weekly Cleaning Tasks {and some weekly cleaning checklists}

2011-11-28T08:00:00.004-05:00

{Preschooler Chore Chart}

Turns out chore charts aren't just for kids; they're pretty handy for this "big kid" too. I used to keep to a pretty regular cleaning routine and our house remained mostly presentable. Then, we had another baby. And we moved to a smaller home. And somehow, I can't manage to get much more done than dishes, laundry and the occasional vacuuming. So, it's time to return to the trusty ol' weekly/daily cleaning checklist.

Here's the deal: I have two ideas for a daily cleaning schedule. 1) Cleaning by room and 2) cleaning by tasks. I listed them out to see what each day would look like and decided I'm going to try the tasks-by-room method this week and the cleaning-by-tasks method next, then decide which seems to work better for me in a couple weeks. The main criteria is that each day's tasks can be completed in 20 minutes (separate from the 20 minutes we'll spend as a family cleaning each evening).

{Cleaning by Room}

{Cleaning by Task}

Cleaning Checklists

While I'm figuring that out, Pinterest also helped me find a few weekly cleaning print-outs. And they're pretty, too :)

Click on the link in the {photo description} to see the source and original post.

{Weekly Cleaning Schedule}

{Daily Cleaning Routine}

{Schedule of Daily Chores}

Date Night Ideas

2011-11-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

{Let's Go on a Date - Shannon Brown}

It's too easy to get into a date night rut. Mainly the rut of not having one. But a little effort goes a long way in this weekly (monthly?) routine. Sometimes all it takes is eating dinner at the table together with a lit candle and calling it "date night." Here's some of my favorite sources for date night ideas to add a little creativity to the evening.

{Date Night Ideas - Love Actually}

Love Actually is a blog of "creative ideas for romance on a budget," including dates for staying in and some dates with free printables.

{100+ Date Night Ideas - The Nest}

The Nest has 100s of ideas for dating, plus more on love and sex. The ideas are sometimes a little vague, but that's just the point: an idea to help spur your own creativity. And because of the sketchiness of Googling anything related to sex, their sex life tips are worth a look -- no shady graphic images to be found.

{The Dating Divas}

The Dating Divas is a blog all about dates and "strengthening marriages one date at a time." Lots of real life dates that people have actually done and, of course, can be personalized or turned in to whatever you want. They also have a special section for date nights at home.

{Year of Pre-Planned Dates - Shannon Brown}

This woman (Shannon Brown) gave her husband a year of pre-planned dates for Christmas. Let's Go on a Date is her collection of blogs posted after their dates.

{30 Ideas for a Date Night at Home - The Mom Crowd}

The Mom Crowd has 30 Ideas for a Date Night at Home. They're short and sweet and are a great starting point for some potentially great at-home dates. (And I thought it funny that the girl who wrote it also has a husband named Daniel.)

Hope that helps get the creative juices flowing! And, of course, I'd love to hear your date night ideas and get inspired by all your creativity.

Small Space Christmas Decorating {an attempt toward a minimalist Christmas}

2011-11-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

Glowing white lights. Familiar reusable tree. Sweetly sombering nativity. Spicy cinnamon aroma.

Ahhh... Christmas decorations seem to make the season, don't they? It's how everyone from mom to Wal-mart to main street U.S.A. let's us know it's about that time. (Although, they're starting to give us the cue a little too soon, if you ask me.)

{This photo from Christmas in Florida makes me smile :) }

This is also the season that the green minimalist in me starts getting antsy. Sure, the consumerism--the giving and receiving of "stuff"--probably makes most people at least a little stressed at some point. But ever since learning more about minimalism, it's the excessive decorations that I've started questioning. During Project Eliminate, I tried convincing Daniel we should sell most of our Christmas decorations including our tree and try a more minimalist approach to Christmas decorating. The idea didn't take. Now our 3 tubs of Christmas (tree, nativity, and decor) take up half of the kids' closet year round. Three tubs used roughly one month out of the year.

Then, a dream come true: Daniel said we don't have to put up a tree! Is that something to be excited about? Probably not to most people. (Well, except for Scrooge and my Dad. I love you, Dad!) But I love the idea of test-driving what the season is like without our massive tree. I'll miss it. It's big and beautiful and relatively real looking. But it's excessive for our small space. And ridiculous how much storage it takes when we don't have the storage to spare. But could we really go without a tree at all? Maybe, but I'd like to do something, so here are some tree alternatives I found. Perfect for small spaces, less storage, low finances or for a minimalist Christmas.

{table top Christmas tree}

This table top Christmas tree from HGTV is a great solution. Just replace a decoration or picture frame with a miniature tree or use as a centerpiece.

{Christmas tree ornament mobile}

This Christmas tree ornament mobile from not martha would be a fun option. And if you're doing the present-thing, stack them up and the tree hangs beautifully over.

{string-light wall Christmas tree}

This string-light wall Christmas tree from Martha Stewart is the idea I'd like to implement. I think the space beside our TV would be great for this, and the shelf below would be perfect for holding a couple presents or our nativity. We'll see what Daniel thinks, and I'll let you know if it turns out.

{Decorated branches in a vase}

Decorated branches in a vase like these from Centsational Girl are so minimliast and very attractive. The rest of her house is also decked out (including a full size tree), but I think this by itself is enough for a small space / minimalist Christmas solution.

{tomato cage turned Christmas tree}

I love the tomato cage turned Christmas tree idea. My sister did this for their front porch and it looks great! Daniel said "no" on using this idea in our living room.

{Christmas topiary}

This Christmas topiary is my favorite and ultimately something I'd like for us to do. Maybe a little because it's from The Zero Waste Family and I love just about everything they do. This tree is one they have in their house year round, and decided to bring it inside and decorate it as their main Christmas tree.

Thrift Store Pillow Turned Tree Pillow Keepsake {beginner tutorial}

2011-11-18T02:09:00.001-05:00

Secondhand pillow + $5.38 in materials + a couple beginner sewing skills + a recording of my son's fetal heartbeat gifted from our midwife = a "Trina-original" that makes me proud :)

{A LITTLE BACKGROUND}

Sometime in my third trimester, our midwife recorded Ian's hearbeat on a Build-a-Sound recorder. We meant to take it to Build-a-Bear to use it as it was "meant" to be, but it didn't work out. Partly because I never had the recorder with me when we happened by the store, but mostly because I didn't care to get him a bear. We contemplated maybe a monkey or a dog--they seemed slightly more boyish. But ultimately, I had other ideas :)

I came up with the idea of appliqueing a pillow cover with a tree and heart with Ian's initials, then inserting the recorder in the pillow behind the heart. That idea stuck with me for a couple months, until now when I finally decided on the perfect materials and design. And I happened upon the pillow at Goodwill, giving me the extra nudge to move forward with the project. Without further ado, a beginner-original tutorial...

{DISCLAIMER: This truly was a beginner experience for me, with no "how-to" to guide me. So view this tutorial more as general guidance on the process, rather than exact details to follow. I'd hate for you to experience the long route I journeyed down.}

TREE PILLOW W/ BUILD-A-SOUND HEART BEAT

I found the pillow at Goodwill. There was a set of three, and this one had the cleanest looking cover. After washing the pillow and its cover, I cut around the edge of the pillow cover. Almost as soon as I had done this, I realized I should have cut at least a 1/4" rather than right next to the seam. That was only the beginning of many more "mistakes" to come :)

I then took the seams out of the pillow cover, and used the 3 pieces to measure and cut 3 pieces out of the new material. (I thought of choosing more cutesy fabrics matching his room, but decided I wanted something more masculine and neutral so it can be used in Ian's room as long as possible until he decides to put it away in a keepsake box.)

I then layered the new brown material with the original light fabric, because I wanted to use the original pillow cover as a lining to my new pillow cover. I then {1} sewed a small seam on the smaller pieces that would overlap in the back, {2} laid all pieces of the pillow cover together and pinned in the corners and along the edges, and {3} sewed a seam around the entire edge of the pillow cover. (Again, I should have had enough material cut to leave 1/4"-1/2" seam, but instead sewed right along the edge making do with the damage I had already done :)

At this point, I made enough goofs, I was amazed it had turned into a pillow cover that actually fit properly over the pillow. So I took a picture and enjoyed that for a moment.

Then, I sketched the outline of a tree onto regular ol' paper, pinned it to the pillow, and used this embroidery 101 tutorial from I Am Momma to stitch the tree. (How ghetto does that look?!) I'll just remind you this was a beginner project for me; you'd probably want the real embroidery materials, rather than printer paper. I'm glad it worked out, because I really wasn't up for buying more supplies than absolutely necessary.

After that, I snipped the pillow where I estimated the heart would be, inserted the already recorded Build-a-Sound recorder, and did a simple whip stitch to sew it back up. If you wanted to get more accurate on where to put the heart (or whatever will indicate where to push to play the recorder), insert the recorder in the pillow first, then put the cover on and mark where to put the "push" indicator--whatever that may be. My method of stitching the heart before inserting the recorder actually worked out alright.

Throw the cover back on the pillow, push the heart on the tree, and enjoy the sound of your sweet little one's heart beat while you admire your handiwork and pat yourself on the back for completing this before his first birthday.

Change-Up to Pizza Night {at-home date}

2011-11-16T17:34:00.001-05:00

For this week's at-home date night I planned a little change up to pizza night. And nothing changes things up and sets the mood quite like white lights :)

We ate in the living room with lights strung above us between our four dining chairs. Pizza (Freschetta--our fave) served on a tray (first time we've ever eaten "communal-style" like this), and we each had our own bowl of salad. Then water fancied and flavored up with lemons.

Brylee picked out the flowers for Daniel. Again, not something I normally do, BUT... The 20/20 Cure gives me extra motivation. PLUS... I'm learning to make an effort on date night, and buying flowers definitely takes effort.

I also got cheesecake from High Society. (Delicious cheesecake!) I lost my coupon for BOGO free, but it was 2-for-Tuesday, so we still got a discount on this yummy treat.

We watched The Change-up after the kids went to bed. Another funny one that had potential to be funnier if it wasn't rated R. I'm realizing I need to plan more dates that don't involve a movie. Even so, it's fun to use the movie to talk about things we wouldn't normally talk about. Like with our Bad Teacher/brown bag date night, we talked about elementary school memories.

The question from this movie that I wouldn't otherwise think to ask: If our appearance was altered and we were unrecognizable to each other, what would we say/do to let each other know it was us? I find it fun (or maybe reassuring?) to remember the things we know about each other that others don't know--that's intimacy.

I had ideas for making the evening themed with the movie, but I gave up on that when the printer wouldn't work for the "date night" graphic I threw together.

Oh, well.

{Overall, change-up to at-home pizza/date night was a success!}

The 20/20 Cure {Days 13, 16: Declutter Books, Clean}

2011-11-14T23:35:00.001-05:00

{Isn't this living room so wonderfully welcoming and peaceful without books and media?}

A quick step backward in the Home Cure to complete Day 13 and (kind of) declutter some books, then staying on track with Day 16 and cleaning one room.

{Day 13: DECLUTTER BOOKS OR MEDIA}

We did a lot of eliminating in our book and media collection and in the kids' books through our Project Eliminate a few months ago when we were preparing to move. A few months past, we haven't missed or noticed a single thing we got rid of, and there's more we've kept that we have yet to read or reference.

I am completely on board with not having book or media collections. Period. Books are easily borrowed for free from the library, personalized music stations can be heard for free on Pandora, and movies are most enjoyable when they're rented while they're new which can be done cheaply through Redbox, while older TV shows or movies can often be accessed through Netflix (or, again, through the library).

{Media}

I love these options, because they're current and super affordable. And I don't have to worry about what to do with a huge VHS collection once everyone switches to DVD or blu-ray, or what to do with a huge music collection once I've grown passed my teen pop phase. (Okay, I didn't really go through a teen pop phase, but I somehow ended up with several teen pop CDs.) And if I finally read a book once, do I really need to hold onto it to read again, or should I let go of it so I can explore other great books out of the millions available?

And yet, we somehow end up with books and media that, while not a "collection" per se, still never leave.

{Who needs media if you have a living room like this?!}

In his video for Day 13, Maxwell challenges to take the book collection down 25%. Every ounce of me wants to take that challenge. To top it by dwindling it all down to one tiny shelf. To do so, the books would have to be mine to dwindle. I share shelf space with a spouse and two kids. So I do what I can.

{No room for extra books/media in a beautifully simple space like this. Well, actually, they have plenty of book/media storage not seen in this photograph, but that's besides the point ;) }

First, an awesome minimalist approach to decluttering books. It's worth a few minutes to read, or, at a minimum, skim. Even if you're not into going minimalist, these six tips are the perfect start to sorting your collection--especially the "tiny actions" included after each tip.

Now, our progress using the six tips mentioned in the article above:

{1} Write it down. One book has been posted with a reminder to write about it (probably on this blog), then I'm free to pass it on.
{2} Divide. Get ruthless with your "yet to read pile." I like her rule of thumb: "if it hasn't been read in six months, it probably won't ever be read." 2 of my books have been posted with a date that will hold me accountable to get rid of them in six months. Post-it notes in hand, I was ready to help Daniel implement this principle with his books, to which he plainly declared, I'm not getting rid of any of my books. At least I tried.
{3} One of the best ways to make use of your book collection is to share it with others! I agree. And I've been doing this with the last several books I've read, passing them on to friends or family that I think would enjoy them. And the book I'm currently reading (Grace for the Good Girl) will also be shared after I write a blog post about it :)
{4} Set aside one shelf of your book case as your "desert island" shelf. These books don't even take up an entire shelf for me and include: a personal-sized hymnal I received from my church family when I was 12, the Adventist Home (still reading it, and holding onto it because it's worth reading again), my Bible, and a sizable stack of devotional journals filled with my own writing.
{5} Organize your non-fiction books by topic. Thanks to the purge we did in the spring, we have no overlaps in topic. Well, maybe in Daniel's sports books from college, but he's already set me straight on those sticking around.
{6} Look for multiple copies, and get rid of them. I was a little bit surprised how many duplicates we found when we moved to Florida, and again when we returned to Nebraska. I was also a little bit surprised to find we still had one duplicate waiting to be gotten rid of! Those sneaky little books. AND, it was one of Daniel's books, so I guess he did help me declutter :)

{FINAL TALLY} 1 book is a duplicate and leaving the house ASAP, 1 book leaving the house after I write about it, and 3 books ready to leave the house once they've been read or after six months has passed, whichever comes first. Not exactly 25% of our collection, but with only a few small shelves of books, I don't think we're doing too bad.

{Day 16: Clean One Room}

Once again, our twenty minutes today was better spent maintaining the entire apartment rather than focusing on one room. Dishes, laundry, picking up clothes, dusting. Somehow the mess adds up throughout the day, and taking twenty minutes for us to work together as a family to put it back in order is necessary.

{It's your turn...}
Read Breaking the Sentimental Attachment to Books, and do one of the tiny actions, then share about it! What's included on your "desert island" shelf?

The 20/20 Cure {Days 14-15: media fast, fix one thing}

2011-11-14T00:47:00.003-05:00

Wow, I'm really not able to do this Home Cure thing in order. But that's not the point. The point is to get an awesome start on curing my home, and I am definitely doing that.

{Vintage Media Ads}

I've temporarily skipped Day 13: Declutter Books and Media, which I'll probably get to tomorrow. Instead, I had a media fast (leading to an awesome spiritual experience I'll share below) and even fixed something.

{Day 14: MEDIA FAST}

I cheated a tiny bit. I did my media fast from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Which could be considered cheating, because I generally media fast every week during this time. But, I paid special attention to avoid the computer altogether (I'll often end up doing something online during my weekly Sabbath media fasts), and I only used my phone as a phone during this time (instead of browsing Pinterest or checking in on Facebook).

{TGIF}

Amazing the results of such a simple task. I got to sunset Friday and was feeling overwhelmed. You'd think staying home all week would take away that weekly TGIF feeling. But, for some reason, staying home just solidifies an almost anti-TGIF feeling. You see, when I worked out of the home, I got to the end of the week feeling so relieved and grateful that I had 48 hours to relax and avoid work. As a stay-at-home-mom, I get to the end of a workweek and realize that I don't get a break, and the weekend is in fact an extension of my already busy and full week.

And that's just how I was feeling as I went into this media fast. It's tempting to log in to Pinterest and just let my mind numb over with pretty pictures of pretty spaces and inspirational DIY projects that I most likely won't actually get around to doing. But I resisted the temptation and picked up a book, journal and pen instead. A sort of relaxing that I thoroughly enjoy but don't get much of with the other quick-fix relaxation I do (i.e., Pinterest). I am so glad I did!

{slow down}

I started this devotional time (because that's usually what my quiet time without media turns to) with some specific questions I had about my purposes for writing. I immediately was pointed to Ephesians 1:9:

"[God has] made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself."

Awesome! God's already made known to me the mystery of His will for me! Great! Then, what is it and how do I know it?

The answer showed up in Philippians 4:6-7--God's peace guards my soul whenever I face the unknown and I feel calm knowing God has me in His sight. It's okay that I don't always know what I'm doing--because He does.

He didn't leave me hanging. He led me to the direction for my writing that I was looking for. A selection of reading from a book I'm reading, Grace for the Good Girl:

We breathe in air and breathe out worship. We receive love and extend worship. We embrace children, offering worship. We comfort, we laugh, we mourn, we dance, we read, we dream, we exist--all worship. We pay the bills,we run on the treadmill, we enjoy a good movie, we make dinner, we welcome friends with open arms--worship, all worship. We send money and offer prayer and sit with a lonely neighbor in Jesus' name. We wait for love, we long for home, we pour out our hearts and hopes and fears and longing; we create with words and photos and colors and food, all beautiful acts of worship. {p. 155, Emily Freeman}

This super hit home for me. This is the very concept behind my intent for this blog, and even for a book I've felt called to write. Epic Christianity--daily living for Christ. And I love this new realization of how it's all worship!

And with that, I worship Christ while I fix one thing :)

{Day 15: FIX ONE THING IN YOUR HOME YOURSELF}

I was tempted to claim our apartment is in good working order, and write this task off the list. Then I got honest with myself, and realized there's plenty that needs fixed that we just become accustomed to being broken. Take for instance, the unusual draft we've been feeling in our living room. It didn't seem right and it was just plain cold. We've spent a couple days writing it off to poorly sealed windows. Then, Daniel did something amazing. He opened the window and discovered it had been locked and then closed causing it to remain slightly open. He relocked it after it had been properly closed and, voila, drafty apartment is fixed :)

We also got the ball rolling to fix a few other things in the apartment. With a trip to the hardware store, we picked up {1} hooks to add to our coatrack so Brylee can hang up her own coat, {2} a possible solution for the gate on Ian's crib so that (hopefully) he can start sleeping in their rather than in our room (!), and {3} confirmation that the hardware from a handed-down chest of drawers is an unusual size and difficult to replace--still seeking solutions on that one.

We've moved forward on repairs, and these little quarks in our apartment will soon no longer be around to ignore :)

{It's your turn...}
Try taking a media fast, then share how it goes! And what about the repairs for your home? Any quick fixes you're able to do yourself?

The 20/20 Cure {Day 9: Find a New Recipe and Cook Tonight!}

2011-11-09T22:58:00.001-05:00

A quick step backward to complete Day 9, then back on track tomorrow :)

{Day 9: FIND A RECIPE AND COOK TONIGHT!}

I stumbled upon the blog Cooking on the Side ("on-the-package recipes revealed"), and pinned the recipe for Lemon Spaghetti to try another time. This just happens to be another time!

LEMON SPAGHETTI
{from the back of a Giada DeLaurentiis spaghetti box}

Here's the recipe as I cooked it :)

1 box spaghetti
2/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
2/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice (about 1 1/2 to 2 lemons, if hand-squeezing)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil (I did 1/4 cup)
lemon zest (I'll learn to do this right by the next I make this recipe)

{1} Boil water, add spaghetti.
{2} Meanwhile, whisk together cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Chop basil and zest lemon.
{3} Cook spaghetti until al dente, strain and mix with lemon juice mixture, basil and zest. Top with fancy lemon and enjoy :)

Such an easy dish! Fresh and different. And, amazingly, even Brylee girl liked it! Use whole wheat angel hair spaghetti and it cooks so perfectly it hardly seems like whole wheat pasta.

Date Night Staples: Skinny Jeans and Blazer {my before and after}

2011-11-09T17:08:00.004-05:00

I thought it'd be fun to do a date night "before" and "after." I don't exactly go all out or know much about fashion. But I do love date nights when I have an excuse to go from "mom" to "date"--it's a fun transformation :)

{MOM: housekeeper, caregiver, fashion faux pa}

{1} Ponytail - low maintenance for a day of productivity.
{2} Sweatshirt - comfy and the only pink I own. (Did you even notice the pink?)
{3} Flared Jeans - fit perfectly over my Mizuno's for the mad dash to the grocery store while Brylee's in preschool.

{Thank you, photographer Brylee :) }

{TRINA: Daniel's date}

{1} Curled Hair - it takes forever, which is why it only gets done for date nights and church. And the added bonus of crazy hair: the curl doesn't have to be washed out right away, so my hard work pays off :)
{2} Make-up and Contacts - I'm no pro at make-up, but considering I don't wear it on a regular basis, a little goes a long way in improving my complexion and the overall date night look.
{3} Skinny Jeans - I didn't like them at all, then I finally bought a pair "only to wear with boots," now I have two pairs that I wear all the time because they're my favorite.

My two favorite date night staples: {1} skinny jeans and {2} black blazer. They are so versatile! Casual with a tee and rolled sleeves or dressy with a fancy blouse and ballet slippers. That's about as "trendy" as I get :)

{Are YOU a beginner?}

I'd love to hear about your own {beginner} experiences. What are your date night staples?

The 20/20 Cure {Days 10-12: list of needs, one room, flowers er lemons}

2011-11-08T14:06:00.004-05:00

Life is too short to do everything by the book. I will complete Day 9 of The 20/20 Cure. But it involves finding a recipe and cooking dinner at home (I'm not scared of that, we do it all the time), but we happen to be going out on a date tonight, so I'll get back to Day 9 later this week. I already have a couple recipes saved on Pinterest I'm excited to try out! But for today, I list needs for our home, clean a room, and again avoid buying more flowers.

Now, I'm over halfway done and caught up! (Temporarily :)

{Day 10: MAKE LIST OF TOP 6 HOME NEEDS}

Our home improvements happen in stages, as with most things, based on the budget. If it's necessary for the bones or structure of making our home function, then it gets worked into our household budget line (this is rare). If it's related to aesthetics and I want it because it's pretty, then it comes from my spending money. This month I happen to have a little more spending money than usual, and I'm deciding to put it into our home and this Cure.

I have a running list for our home that's much longer than 6 items, but it was pretty easy to choose my top picks for this Cure. The mirror and tray are for the living room bookshelf; the bookshelf, lamp and shower caddy are for our bedroom and bathroom; and the shoe organization for our front closet.

I've already bought two things out of the list of six. My husband helped me choose the circle mirror for our living room (first photo above), which we found at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. Then, I found the bookshelf for our room on Craigslist after a couple days of browsing Wal-mart, Target and Amazon. I did a quick check on the Craiglist app for iPhone, found something we liked, e-mailed on it, got a call back within seconds, and only spent $10 on this real wood bookshelf. We can paint or refinish it later, or leave it in all its light-wood glory.

{Day 11: CLEAN ONE ROOM}

The video for Day 11 is by far my favorite. In a previous Cure, he was told he was like Mr. Rogers, Martha Stewart and Bob Ross all-in-one. So this is his Mr. Roger's video :) They also have some links to a few playlists to clean to that might be worth checking out if you want some ideas. I just listen to "New Shoes" on repeat on YouTube :) Today, I wanted to clean up our bedroom.

{Start Time: 8:35 a.m.}

Hung clothes, dusted, moved dresser back to original spot from trial placement, cleaned mirror with cleaner and newspaper (seriously, it works).

{End Time: 9:20 a.m.}

I seriously need to wait until Daniel's home to do my cleaning sprees. The kids take too much of my focus to really get anything done in twenty minutes.

{Day 12: BUY FLOWERS}

While you're at it, watch the video for Day 12 too. Especially if you waver like I do on this whole weekly flower buying ritual. It makes sense now. The whole point is that it does need refreshed each week. I liked his idea with fruit. We replenish our fruit each week, and that's a similar way of adding fresh color and life to the home.

This week, I specifically bought a bunch of lemons instead of flowers. I love the look of fresh lemons in a clear bowl (seriously, probably even more than flowers). Before we moved, I promised myself I'd start buying them regularly to a) add to cooking or drinks and b) to use with the recipes from my Salt, Vinegar, Baking Soda, Lemons book. This is just the pop of life and color I needed on a dreary day like today!

{PLEASE, do share}

I'd love to hear about your own {beginner} experiences. What are your six needs for your home? What music helps pep up your cleaning routine? Or how do you add fresh color and life to your home?

The 20/20 Cure {Day 7: Buy Flowers & Sit for 10}

2011-11-07T23:12:00.001-05:00

That's right, I did that backwards. I started Day 7 of The 20/20 Cure, jumped to Day 8, and returned to Day 7. Here it is.

{Day 7: BUY FLOWERS...}

Instead of buying more flowers (the greenery from last week is still lively), and instead of finding flowers out in the wild like Maxwell does in his video for Day 7, I decided it was time to revive a flower I already have. It's not exactly a flower. Not right now anyway. It's supposed to be. Once every three years. When it's alive and taken care of. But it hasn't bloomed in 9 years. And 9 happens to be the age I was when it was given to me. A clipping in a styrofoam cup from my primary Sabbath School teacher. Although, he doesn't remember that. I've asked him. I wanted to know what it's called so I can look up how to take care of it. But he doesn't know what I'm talking about.

So, I have this weird exotic plant that I hold onto despite its ongoing ugly stage, because it's so mysterious and gorgeous when it finally does bloom. Or so I hear. I've never seen it, except on film. I was 15 and away at academy the first time it bloomed (that's right, SIX years after I took ownership of it). My parents were out of town and left it with some friends to enjoy the bloom that they guessed would appear while they were away. (Not only does it bloom only once every three years, it does so at midnight and dies by morning. Strange, I know.) And it did bloom. So they called my brother who happened to be in town and asleep, but he knew it was special to me, so he drove over to see it. And they got pictures. And despite all odds, it bloomed once more a year and a half later. When I was away in Mongolia. And it hasn't bloomed since. True story.

So, for Day 7's task, I rescued my plant from my sister's. (Not that I've ever taken care of it. It's only thanks to my mom and Daniel that's it alive.) It's in pretty bad shape. But I've seen it worse, so I'm hopeful. We clipped off the dead stuff, gave it a little drink and spot in some sun away from the freezing nights. We just might get another bloom out of it yet.

{... & SIT FOR 10}

Nothing special here. For the second part of Day 7, I sat for a few minutes in our hallway (area 2 of my focus areas for this Cure). Staring at a problem area without moving things, just thinking, really helps open ideas and solutions. Some of them are dumb. But it's like a brainstorming session where thoughts free flow in a "no idea is a bad idea" safety zone, and eventually you land on something that just might work. And makes sense. And will make your space just the way you want it.

{re-nest: storage into seating}

{AREA 3, outbox}
I'd love to find a way to mask our outbox. It's a pretty permanent part of our house (there's always something that's being considered for removal), so why not make it a hidden/functional part of the house? One idea I thought of is the tub bench idea photographed above. We often neglect our hallway mess because no one sees it except us, but we pass it all the time so a cleaned space is essential to "curing" our home. I'd also like to hang something on the walls to add some aesthetic as we pass by.

{PLEASE, do share}

I'd love to hear about your own {beginner} experiences buying flowers and sitting for 10 minutes. Where do you find your favorite flowers? What might you learn from sitting in a new spot in your home for 10 minutes? Have you started your own 20/20 Cure?

The 20/20 Cure {Day 8: Establish a Landing Strip}

2011-11-04T16:41:00.004-04:00

"All of the sorting should happen right at the door--that is what the landing strip is all about." {Maxwell}

I know, I know. What happened to Day 7? I'm halfway done with it, and in attempt to not skip anything, I've decided I'll get back to it Sunday, because it includes a project with some personal history and meaning. More on that later.

Today, it's all about the landing strip. Probably my second favorite discovery from Maxwell (the man behind Apartment Therapy and the Home Cure), after the outbox. His video explains the landing strip perfectly with the visual to walk you through it.

{Day 8: ESTABLISH A LANDING STRIP}

There are three components to a good filter at the entrance of a home: {1} entry rug, {2} coat rack and {3} landing strip. First, our landing strip as it was in Florida and the updated landing strip before we moved.

Now, here's our current set-up:

{1} ENTRY RUG

We have two rugs at our entryway. I don't love either of them, but they do their job. One catches moisture, etc. as we walk in the door; the other (photographed above) offers a place to put our shoes once removed rather than on the clean carpet. (Can you tell colder weather is coming?) While I'd love for this to be all the shoes that are ever here, I'm often weeding out the pile of shoes that accumulates here to one per person. The extra's get thrown in the closet which will soon have a special shoe storage to keep things organized. (Once I convince Daniel there truly is a different between having shoes nicely set on a shelf and having them thrown in a pile.)

{2} COAT RACK

I love this coat rack. My brother found it... um, at a thrift store? Yes, I believe that's where he found it. Somehow it's been in my possession ever since, and I don't foresee him taking it back anytime soon (on account of him living so far away). In the winter, it often turns into a giant coat blob barely resembling a coat rack. But it is handy, and I try to hang the "extras" in the closet and, again, keep the coats hung here down to one per person.

It's also not only handy for collecting coats and scarves in the winter, it's been useful for umbrellas, bags, hats, keys, and even my husband's sunglasses and magnetic name badge. Seriously, that is one handy coat rack. This weekend, our mission is to find coordinating hooks that we will add around Brylee's height for the kiddos to hang their own items, and provide additional hookage for when we have company that would like a spot for their personal items.

{3} LANDING STRIP

This is the part of the front-door-filter that gets a little shady in our home. Lately, it's been my desk area that collects flat surface items like wallets, phones, and mail. Of course, leaving it to me to clean up, take care of or, more often than not, ignore. Other times these items clutter the bookshelf or dining table or counters or all of these places at once. (Okay, it rarely gets that bad.) On "set-up-outbox" day, I unpacked a tub of decorative items that included the silver leaf plate in the above picture. Turns out, it's the perfect size to collect Daniel's items (my items stay in my bag that gets hung on the coat rack) and even a movie rental or two. And not so big that it collects unnecessary stuff. That still leaves mail to land on my desk, but really I'm the one that deals with that anyway.

And that's our landing strip.

Alright "STUFF," I dare you to try to come into our home!!

No, actually, stay back. Even with our "front-door-filter" we're not the best at filtering and kicking you out.

Actually, a truly good filter starts outside the home. By making decisions on items when you're at the store, at work, wherever, then you're changing the things you bring home in the first place. It's called refusing and I learned the terminology and more about it through Bea Johnson, author of the blog The Zero Waste Home. Read about refusing here, and browse more of their blog. A truly inspiring family.

{PLEASE, do share}

I'd love to hear about your own {beginner} experiences with a landing strip and the main door filter. What works for you? What are your problem areas? How do you make decisions on the things you allow into your home? Better yet, have you started The 20/20 Cure?

The 20/20 Cure {Day 6: Clean One Room}

2011-11-02T11:35:00.003-04:00

Six days done, fourteen to go! I like this so much more than the 8-week Home Cure :)

Have you watched any of the videos from The 20/20 Cure? He provides a little extra information in them, plus you get to "meet" the man behind Apartment Therapy (his name is Maxwell). There are also great links to other articles related to each day's task. It's worth checking out.

Now on to cleaning one room. I was tempted to skip. And almost did. Seriously, does this look like the kind of day that energizes you to clean? Well, maybe it does for some people. Not me. It's more of a wake up call that we're not in Florida anymore. And the kids need winter hats. And my favorite snowy day activities include comfort food, sweats, a warm drink, and basically laziness--which is practically an antonym to cleaning. Nonetheless, I stuck to it.

{Day 6: CLEAN ONE ROOM}

The kitchen made me cringe every time I walked in it today--so I figured a 20-minute surface cleaning would be a good start to fixing that. Then 20 minutes somehow multiplied into 80. I blame the kids. And a phone call. And the basic principle that effort begats motivation.

{Start Time: 4:20}

Rather than messing around with the easy stuff first, I got right to the parts that were bothering me. Cleaning splattered walls (where we lack backsplashes), grimy cabinet doors (tempting to blame the kids, but somehow the top cabinets were nearly as bad), underneath items on the counters, side of sink where the dish strainer rests, table and chairs. Also putting away items that didn't belong in the kitchen, or maybe belonged but didn't need to be stored on the counter as I had been. And sweeping the floor. I was on the phone when Daniel got home so he finished it all off with a good vacuuming, and Brylee-rella wet-Swiffered.

{End Time: 5:40}

Okay, I realize that doesn't sound like too much. And it wasn't. Without distraction it really wouldn't have taken 80 minutes. Either way, it's clean. And I remember that we have white cabinet fronts. And we actually have a little bit of counter space when things are put away. Oh, yeah, and sitting down for dinner is much more pleasant when you don't have to push things out of your way.

And, a quick update on one of "the areas" of focus for this Cure...

{AREA 4: Bookshelf, living room}
Rarely looked at yearbooks were moved to another room and blankets put in its place (this freed up a storage ottoman to put more of the kids' toys). Amp was moved out of the corner and baby swing put in its place (I'll soon start watching my sister's baby when she returns to work). Matching green lamp was added from bedroom to add more light and symmetry. Tall flowers fill in the empty space in the center where I hope to soon add a large mirror.

Dinner and a Movie {at home}

2011-11-02T11:21:00.001-04:00

Guess who's turn it was to plan date night last night? That's right--mine!

Last week we got a babysitter and Daniel took me to a new restaurant for some delicious fire-baked food. Amazing veggie burger!! Spicy, but amazing. Then we went to Barnes & Noble for some quiet reading time. Can't go wrong with that :)

This week, I opted for another at-home date. Classic dinner and a movie.

The perfect version in my head includes me dressed up like I'm ready to go out on a nice date, welcoming Daniel home from work with flowers. The house is clean, children happy, and food ready to eat. The table nicely set with candles lit and a vase ready for said flowers. A movie we both want to see is rented, in the blu-ray version, of course, and movie snacks are nicely set out. Oh, and some family fun activity to do before the kids go to bed has been decided.

Funny how the visions in my head are rarely reality. Time was working against me as I didn't get home with groceries until after Daniel had already come home from work, and I still had yet to shower and get ready. What a great start, huh? But it really did all turn out well.

I got the food put away, pointed Daniel to the recipe we were trying for supper, and headed to the bathroom to get ready. {Side note on getting ready: some form of primping or dressing up is essential to every date night. Even if our date is putting on PJs for "breakfast in bed" there's still 3 minimums I've set for every date with my husband: I must shower, shave, and no granny panties!}

I gave Daniel the "flowers" I got him, which is actually greenery. It seemed more masculine and I like it better than roses.

We had delicious Spicy Thai Noodles for dinner. Seriously, so simple and yummy! However, even the lesser amount of crushed red pepper suggested still made this dish a little spicy for us. We'll be having it again, but with less spice :)

And taper candles set the perfect mood for a date night dinner at home.

After the kids were in bed we got ready for the movie. The tub of popcorn and boxed candy helped give the theater feel. Then we chose a movie from Netflix on the Wii.

Overall, fun date night.

The 20/20 Cure {Days 2-5: flowers, inspiration, outbox, eco-cleaner}

2011-11-01T16:38:00.007-04:00

Somehow, four days of The 20/20 Cure fit into one today! That's what I'm loving about The 20/20 Cure: It's easy to keep up with. 20 minutes a day completing ONE task really isn't too much to ask. Plus, for me, it's definitely accomplishing the point, which is to cure my home by putting some positive energy back into it. Each day's task is merely a starting point to get me motivated and energized to do even more.

What to do with that motivation and energy is a personal choice. I thought about tackling the full 8-Week Home Cure checklist, but the list is daunting and I really don't need the extra guilt for not completing it (because at this point in my life, it would not be completed). So, I decided to choose four areas in our apartment to focus on in the next twenty (well, 14?) days. Four areas that I hope to "cure."

The four areas of focus for The 20/20 Cure are...

{AREA 1: Daniel's side of the bed, bedroom}
It's not completely needing attention because of his messiness (afterall, removing dirty clothes that get dropped there isn't that hard to do). It's mostly needing attention because we stalled out in our unpacking. There were a couple boxes of things from his office at work and his office in our home in Florida that weren't pertinent to daily living and got in my way in other parts of the house so I dropped them here. Add to that college papers and binders that have never been properly sorted, and we've got ourselves a good foundation for dirty clothes to be thrown on. Part of curing this area will include hanging the shelf over our bed, and finding a good shelving solution for extra office-type things.

{AREA 2: Outbox, hallway}
More about the outbox below as that's a task for Day 4. I love the concept of the outbox but have not been great at clearing it (read: it's difficult to donate items when you've got two little tag-a-longs). I had a tub of items meant to be donated and some items that I was still debating. Below that is a tub of picture frames and decorative-type items that I was still debating. I'm not sure what I'll do with this space once it's clear, but clearing it is a priority for this 20/20 Cure.

{AREA 3: My clothes, closet}
This isn't a huge messy, and eliminating unworn/unflattering items during Project Eliminate went a long way in keeping this pretty low maintenance. But... I have a shelf of non-hangable items that is messy and out of my reach. So, I will be finding a better solution for those items. Along the way, I'll also clean up other parts of the closet and make it all more functional.

{AREA 4: Bookshelf, living room}
This is probably one of our more organized areas of our home. But there's always room for improvement. I want to make better use of this space (i.e., it houses books we never read or reference, so why not use it for something we use frequently?). I also want to make it a more attractive focal point.

Here's a recap of each day's 20/20 Cure tasks...

{Day 2: BUY FRESH FLOWERS}

I tend to roll my eyes at this task. Mostly because the cynic in me asks, why buy it if you know it's gonna die? Sure, there's not much else I'd apply that logic to, but a plant just never seems to last long in my care. Add to that my procrastination of pitching the flowers once they've expired, and I feel like I spend more days looking at dead flowers than actually enjoying them in their prime. Phew How's that for a depressing perspective on things?

Good thing I had extra motivation. Date night! It was my night to plan date night, and I thought flowers would be a nice touch. I was short on time and stuck with whatever Wal-mart had to offer. I also was limited to the $5 options because of flowers' afore mentioned inevitable expiration. Roses and daisies seemed much too feminine to give to my man, and, well, the greenery looked cooler to me :)

{Day 3: FIND INSPIRATIONAL PHOTOS FOR YOUR HOME}

{DecorPad living room}

Oh, man, this is by far my favorite task in all of my Home Curing experiences! Seriously, it's one of my preferred uses of "me time" so it's hardly a task. I used to clip spaces I loved from magazines, then, because I wasn't really buying magazines and my inspiration was mostly via the Internet, I started savings images to folders on my computer or sometimes posting them on my blog.

{IKEA FAMILY live}

Then, came Pinterest. Oh, I love you! I now have my "home style tray" stored as a Pinterest board complete with the links to lead me back to the original source. When I'm not pinning my favorite home inspirations while browsing the Web, I enjoy just looking at my style tray, soaking in the possibilities. Perfect for someone like me that is still developing a specific sense of style--this is a great way to see all my favorites together and evaluate what appeals to me most about each space, separating likes from loves.

{House*Tweaking}

Loving...
Thick stripes. Grasscloth. Bright, simple, clean. Resourceful. Second-hand/second-life. Large, canvas photos. Neutrals. Yellow. Green. Mix of woods and finishes. Open shelving. Minimalism. Earthy. Family-friendly. Livable.

{DecorPad kitchen}

Some of my favorite online sources for home inspiration include:
DecorPad
IKEA family live
[the nest]
apartment therapy's house tours
Better Homes and Gardens
Real Simple

{Day 4: REMOVE ONE ITEM AND SET UP OUTBOX}

The single most valuable concept I have learned through the Home Cure is the outbox. I used to approach the process of sorting my belongings with the categories keep, toss, undecided. Makes sense, right? Truth is, it actually slowed the process way down. Instead of making quick decisions, I'd consider it too long and usually ended up with a much-too-big "undecided" pile. Not so with the outbox.

Basically, the outbox neutralizes emotions to encourage quick decisions. Instead of deciding right away whether the items should be kept, donated or "other," all I am deciding this very moment is that I am not loving the item where it is. So, I put it in the outbox. Whether it's a book, article of clothing, decorative item. Whether I'm sorting through a specific drawer or shelf or if I'm just passing through the apartment and seeing something that doesn't look right where it currently is. Fear or guilt don't play any part, because I haven't decided what exactly will be done, just that it needs further consideration.

Seriously, this is a great way to get things cleared out and instantly see the potential of what your cleaned out space could be. Of course, the outbox needs to be dealt with. But don't do it until the item has been in there a couple days, so you can truly see what life is like without it. Now, when you evaluate it, you're doing so with some added information. Did you miss it or need it? Maybe it needs to be kept but given a new place to rest or repurposed. Does it belong to someone else? Return it. Anything else that is well used, not missed, no longer loved or needed, now has guilt-free permission to leave the house. Donate, regift, recycle, trash. And enjoy your newly cleaned-out, clutter-free space :)

Another worthwhile read on the topic: Make Clutter History by Maxwell (same author of Apartment Therapy). He suggests leaving at least 10% empty space to allow newness to come into your life.

{Day 5: BUY OR REPLENISH ONE ECO CLEANER}

This is one area I'm completely sold on going "green." Seriously, there's enough pollutants and toxins in our air, so why add to it by spraying harsh chemicals every time I clean? It's also an area that anyone can jump on board without feeling like their sacrificing to do so. Eco cleaners are sometimes thought to be too expensive and not effective, but that's just not true. Yes, some fancy green brands can be a little pricy. And, yes, some products just aren't as effective as their harsher counterparts. But, overall, green cleaning can get the job done and it can save money.

I've mentioned this book before, but should probably do so again in a book review. Here's the recap: Salt, Lemons, Vinegar, and Baking Soda are very effective (and safe) when used as cleaners throughout the home from laundry to bathroom to kitchen. Oh, and super affordable. This book includes amounts and combinations to use for specific cleaning throughout the home, as well as other household and beauty uses. Getting back to the basics never looked so good. {Side note: I bought this book on clearance for a few bucks at Barnes & Noble; I did not spend the $29.89 listed on Amazon.)

For this step in The 20/20 Cure, I replenished our supply of baking soda. We use it in our diaper laundry, sprinkle it in with the dirty diapers, scrub the bath and sinks with it, clear our drains with it, {and more!} :) We had a huge bag of it we got from Costco (along with the huge jug of vinegar in the background), but we don't have a Costco around here so I settled for the "small" box size. We'll see how long it lasts.

I'd be a little hypocritical to let you believe I use only those four ingredients. I want to/try to, but we have exceptions. One is named Daniel. He likes his ocyclean detergent and Lysol. There's also a couple cleaners we keep on hand for tough stuff like spills in the oven, and a couple cleaners we are using up rather than just pitching. But, I'm learning and hope to completely convert to non-toxic cleaning.

Ian's First Steps! {and One who never misses a first}

2011-10-30T19:51:00.003-04:00

Today has been a big day in the Cress household.

{Ian took his first steps!}

It all started with Daniel making Brylee's hair like Fancy Nancy's. (That was a big moment all on it's own. Why didn't I take pictures of that?!) She's propped up on pillows in front of the sofa. Ian's holding himself up in front of her, eying the objects in her hair and in intent focus he lets go of whatever is securing his stance and for several moments balances himself in the air.

Brylee excitedly points it out and I join him on the floor, encouraging him to stand again while holding him back so he doesn't attack Brylee's head like he so desperately wants. He breaks free and takes several steps toward Brylee, still focusing on her fancy hair.

{He walked!!}

Assuming it's a fluke like the first few steps Brylee took at 10 months, I half expected him to not try again when put on the spot. But we do, and he does! With our little family all there, Ian excitedly takes steps back and forth between Daniel, Brylee and myself, as we encourage and cheer him on.

Doesn't he just look so proud?! And happy! And excited!

Reminds me of another little proud, happy, excited smiling face I happened to capture on memory card.

Brylee, at 7 months old, when she sat herself up the first time. Doesn't she look like she's saying, "Did you see that, Mom?!"

Just a couple days ago, I was a part of a conversation talking about baby's firsts and being a stay-at-home mom to be a part of them. My response was that even with staying home I may not see them because I'm busy doing laundry or cooking or taking care of something in another room. And what matters is cherishing the firsts we witness, whether or not it truly is their "first."

Whether we're busy working or busy cleaning or just plain busy, we're bound to miss plenty. But there is Someone just as excited as we are that has seen and will see every first. Someone who has His eye on Brylee and Ian. Someone that was there when Daniel and I took that big step blending our lives into one. Someone who never will, let our little family escape from His care.

You will show me the path of life;
In your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
{Psalm 16:11}

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
{Psalm 37:23-24}

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God
{Micah 6:8}

Fall Home Cure Time! {Day 1: Clean One Room}

2011-10-28T19:08:00.003-04:00

Just happened to notice on my Facebook page that Home Cure is back! They're doing the 20/20 Cure again (20 minutes for 20 days), and while I skipped out on it last fall, it sounds like the perfect solution for this fall!

I'm technically a little behind (today, the 28th, is actually Day 5), but instead of rushing through things and getting burned out early or skipping something important, I'll just complete each day as it happens. And today happens to be Day 1 in the Cress household :)

{Day 1: CLEAN ONE ROOM}

As soon as I realized The 20/20 Cure had already started, I was anxious to jump in. (Oddly, I feel left out when it starts without me :) So I watched Maxwell's video (from the link above) then told Daniel we had 20 minutes to get the house cleaned.

{Start Time: 4:10 p.m.}

Daniel, Brylee and I all jumped to action.

Dusting: surfaces in the living room, bedroom side table, window sills and ledges, guitars, frames, lamps.

Sweeping: kitchen.

Vacuuming: kitchen rugs, living room, bedrooms, hall, random gnats out of window sills throughout house from keeping windows open for a few weeks.

{End Time: 4:30 p.m.}

Seriously, didn't even time it, and we took exactly 20 minutes (well, 18 minutes, because Daniel didn't take me seriously until 4:12) to finish all of the surface cleaning mentioned above which is basically our entire apartment (excluding bathrooms; those take their own 20 minutes).

Then, we even took the energy we now had to clean for a couple extra minutes, Daniel cleaning door knobs (especially in Brylee's bathroom where she usually has food on her hands when she opens the door to wash them), me processing some laundry, and Brylee spot cleaning the Kitchen tiles with a wet Swiffer.

Yes, that is success! Not only is the house that much cleaner without too much time or effort, but I realized just how much more I hope to get done in the next 19 days. Amazing what a simple thing like natural light flooding through an uncovered window can reveal. No more hiding my head in the sand. We've been here long enough, it's time to "cure" our home.

And nothing like following Day 1 with a quality day of rest :) I'll begin again Sunday with Day 2.

Jesus is for Mothers

2011-10-28T12:12:00.003-04:00

Shortly after becoming a mother, a friend gave me this comic strip...

{Source: Baby Blues}

Funny, right? I thought so. Then Brylee got older and we had another baby and it's almost sad how true this became. Because even when dad buttons the shirt, mom is still playing a balancing act. Holding it all together. Being everything for everyone.

Am I right moms?

Emily Freeman calls this responsible, do-good, hold-it-together mom a "good girl" in her book Grace for the Good Girl. She describes her first year adjusting after giving birth to her twins and learning to trust Jesus....

That year I learned what it meant to depend on Jesus as my source of life more than I ever had before. It didn't happen at 6:00 a.m. with my coffee and my pen and my cozy blanket by the fire. It happened at 3:00 a.m. with two screaming babies and spit-up running down my leg. Gone were the days of quiet times I had known. I hardly had any time of quiet, much less a quiet time.
Did I read my Bible that year? Sure. Did I prayer that year? You'd better believe it. But it began to look different than it had before. My expectations of what it meant to be a grown-up shifted and flipped during that sleepless year. The confident, strong, independent woman I thought I would one day become had disappeared like a vapor, and in her place stood my relevant Jesus, waiting with a smile to be the strength I didn't have on my own.
Being mom to those babies taught me to stop trying to be like Jesus and simple trust Jesus to be himself in and through me. Because the truth was, I couldn't do it. {p. 143}

Sometimes I worry I'm not the same Christian I was when I was young and single and just had myself to look after. But Jesus knows and welcomes us wherever we are.

We have a Creator who knows about the swing. He set it into motion. He is not afraid of our life stages. They don't hinder him. He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He offers us a new place to hide. {p. 144}

He is not afraid of our life stages! Such a simple thought and so reassuring to know.

{Source: Baby Blues}

Another author describes this new place for mother's to hide...

As the mother's heart yearns for the help she knows she cannot give, the grace she cannot bestow, and she casts herself and children into the merciful arms of Christ, He will receive and bless them; He will give peace, hope, and happiness to mother and children. This a precious privilege which Jesus has granted to all mothers. {Adventist Home, p. 274}

Aaahhh... to be received and blessed by Christ. Peace, hope and happiness to all! A mother's dream come true :)

{Source: EmilyBurgerDesigns on Etsy}

Emily Freeman describes this privilege another way...

To remain in him means to refuse to get up from his lap. When it seems like the situation calls for me to stand up and take charge, Jesus gives me permission to remain still, if only on the inside, to trust deeply and fully that he will be strong on my behalf. Even when it seems impossible. Even when it's counterintuitive. Even if it means I will look weak. To remain in him means to let the Great I Am be. {p. 147}

And, because checklists don't complete themselves, I am happy to know that being and doing unite in Christ.

This is where another voice speaks, the voice of One who invites you to abide in Him and rest. He renews, restores, and redeems. In the inspired words of Sarah Young, "He bends time in your favor." In a day that seems impossibly packed to overflowing with the list, he can multiply time and space like loaves and fishes beside the sea. And the gentle rhythm of truth rises from within.
Be. Trust. Receive. Respond.
When I live as though I believe that's true, activity doesn't stop. Rather, it takes on new life. It doesn't require an entire day of quiet reflection, although I wouldn't turn it down. It is purposing in my heart not to fret. It is allowing the day to go as it will. It is holding my plans with an open hand and a willing heart. ... Even in the midst of lots of activity, our souls have permission to rest. {p. 148}

John sums this up nicely:

He who abides in me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. {John 15:5}

{Source: SpeakLifeCreations on Etsy}

{And for more mom-related laughs to brighten your day: Baby Blues "mom" archive}

The Prodigal's Brother {and my story}

2011-10-25T15:16:00.003-04:00

{Sunset in Mongolia}

[The older son] was angry and would not go in [to the party]. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' {Luke 15: 28-30}

Have you ever been in the shoes of the prodigal's older brother?

I have. Mainly when I'm impressed with someone's conversion story and I'm envious of the beautiful (and obvious) way the Savior transformed their life into something new. It's nothing less than extraordinary! Leaving me feeling extra ordinary.

Where's my Cinderella-esque magical transformation?

You can hear the pouting, can't you? Because statements and jealousy like that always come with pouting in a field somewhere.

Emily Freeman talks about this story in her book Grace for the Good Girl. (By the way, highly recommend, and will "review it" when I'm done reading it). She specifically talks about the very personal ways she identifies with the older brother:

The good girl in me stands there with her arms crossed, wishing she had a story to tell that would draw crowds and change lives. In my mind, I know I'm better off without the scars and the hurt and the pain and the darkness. In my head, I know all the grace and love offered to them is available to me. But sometimes it doesn't feel fair that God seems to most powerfully use those who have chosen wrong and then come back again instead of those who did it right the first time. Where is the celebration for us? {p. 100}

It's so true for me that I could have written that. Of course, she brings it all around, but that's her chapter. I have something else to share. After the conclusion of the chapter she asks the question, In what ways are you living like a servant rather than a daughter?

Besides for pouting, I wasn't sure. Then I realized, there's a distinct difference between the son and the servant, and the father mentions it in verse 31:

And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.' {Luke 15:31}

The son remains in the father's presence and has everything that is the father's. I am living like a servant rather than a daughter when I don't accept this and join in the daily activities of the Father. The son that stayed in the father's house didn't miss out on daily meal times and conversations and, basically, the ongoing celebrating of staying in the father's house. So why was he out in the field as the party began? He easily could have been there on the welcoming side of the party. Instead, he placed himself as outcast in the field.

Yes, it's true, that at some level we all must have our "prodigal moment" when the Father personally welcomes us into a life with Him. And for some of us, that moment seems hardly worth mentioning possibly because it's been a lifelong welcoming rather than a precise hit-rock-bottom moment so it can't quite be identified. Then, the realization comes that I don't have one moment, I have many moments of living with Christ that make up my story. It's the story the older brother could share if he wasn't too busy pouting and playing the comparison game.

So I thought about it some more and came up with three examples that make up my story. Instances of life with the Father. Instances that could have never happened if I was too busy rebelling. Instances worth sharing, because of the grace and love and power of Christ.

{LIFE-BRIGHTENING BAND-AID}

{Still my besties}

It was my sophomore year of high school and I was having a bad day--the sort of "bad day" only teenagers can experience. I didn't study for a big history test that would be later that day, the boyfriend of the time and I were not agreeing on something, and of course my confidence wavered. I started the day praying "Lord, show me you care" and that became the chant in my head. I was with my two best friends in our dorm room, one sitting at her desk, one propped up on the bottom bunk, and me discontentedly primping in the mirror.

After complaining about everything wrong in my life, I mentioned I wanted a band-aid to make everything better. You know, a symbolic gesture like mom used to give to know it would be alright. We even asked down our hall but teenage girls just don't keep band-aids. So I went off to class. Didn't get anything resolved with the boyfriend. Definitely did not pass the history test. So I headed back to my room during a free period figuring a nap could help or at least help me hide.

I opened the door and just inside was a package. From "Ellie Phunt." I knew right away it was from a friend of my brother's. That and "Broc Lee" were just a couple of the funky names she joked about using for her future kids. But why was she sending me a package? I opened it and couldn't help but laugh. Inside was a little bit of everything. Crazy toe socks, baby shampoo, spider rings, confetti, candy. And for no apparent reason. I couldn't believe that days before I needed this pick-me-up, God lead a pretty random source to send it to me.

I opened the card and laughed even more.

{"Just a little card to lift your spirits"}

But I paused when I got to the end. Her "PS"...

P.S. I hope you like the band-aid.

I couldn't believe it. I looked back through the box and sure enough, beneath all these crazy, laugh-inducing things, was one small, otherwise un-noteworthy circle band-aid.

{"P.S. I hope you like the bandaid."}

Seriously, I pull out the card to this day and get chills thinking about the day God sent me a band-aid.

{LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE}

Again, in my sophomore year of high school, another bad day (man, apparently that was a rough year for me), in my friend's dorm room I was telling her about boyfriend issues and mentioned that I just wanted to get away from it all. She jokingly offered that I could come home with her at the end of the school year. She would be graduating and, because she was still only 16, her parents wanted her home a year before starting college. Being missionaries, "home" for them was Mongolia.

{Tickets for a couple of my first plane rides}

We talked about how great that would be. I jokingly talked about it with my parents, who in all seriousness said that we should talk about it. What?! She also mentioned the offer to her parents who also, amazingly took the conversation seriously.

{Me with the Tunnells in Hawaii on our way to Mongolia}

Looking back, I really don't know what happened with that whole conversation to get us from A to B. But with prayers and adult-like conversation, it was decided that I would spend my junior year of high school with my friend and her family in Mongolia.

{LIFE-LEADING DIRECTION}

{My little family in Florida}

Fast forward several years and I'm married with two kids living in Florida. For a second year things are not improving at Daniel's job and we know he won't be working there the following year. Together we pray and decide it's time for him to take a break from teaching. But what now?

Without him finding another similar conference position everything is up in the air. Insurance, income, moving location, moving expenses. {Everything.} So we prayerfully move forward. Doing Project Eliminate and selling/getting rid of much of our stuff. Budgeting and planning carefully for our move back "home" to the midwest. Like Abraham, we went out not knowing where we were going. {Hebrews 11:8}

Thankfully we have loving and supportive and understanding family welcoming us into their 2-bedroom apartment. Our remaining earthly positions are put into storage and we pursue the one job that Daniel has wanted since the beginning (not a few months ago when this all began, but the beginning of his first initial job searching after graduation).

While he's interviewing for his desired job--the only job in the mix--I get an unexpected call from someone offering me part-time work. And I wasn't even looking. Daniel's interview goes well and he gets his job. We find an apartment within walking distance of his work and next to a great little preschool for Brylee. Our tiny savings covers our moving expenses and month of no income (praise God!) and everything works out better than we could have hoped or imagined.

{AND SUCH IS THE LIFE...}

{ "my" Hawaii :) }

Son, you are always with me and all that I have is yours. {Luke 15:31}

And such is the life of a Son of God. The life that the older brother should have been experiencing, the life that the prodigal will experience now that he is welcomed home, and the life that we experience when we're always with Christ and when all He has is ours.

On Becoming Baby Wise, Ezzo & Bucknam {a book review}

2011-10-20T14:14:00.004-04:00

I'm not usually one of those parents. You know, the parents that read everything and first consult "the experts" before trying anything on their child. I'm a "wing it" and "parent instinct knows best" kind of parent. I'm a "don't over think it" and "just sit back and enjoy while they're still young" kind of parent. A "they came to live with us so they better be flexible" and "I'll Google it if I have a question" kind of parent.

But, alas, my laid back and passive parenting "style" has basically failed. Sure, my kids are happy and pretty well adjusted. (The youngest has exceptions.) But I'm exhausted. Passivity and downright laziness has lead me to respond to my baby's every cry with nursing. Demand-feeding "they" call it. He wakes up all hours of the night and that's been ongoing more or less for the last nearly 10 months. Have I mentioned I'm exhausted? I'm fatigued. I'm impatient especially with our 3-year-old. Sweet little Brylee. She doesn't deserve me to be so short with her. My husband deserves more {positive} attention from me. Our messy home deserves more from me. And Ian deserves more quality attention from me and more from his sleeping routine.

So, my sister let me borrow her book. And our lives will never be the same :)

BOOK: On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep
AUTHOR(S): Gary Ezzo, M.A. and Robert Bucknam, M.D.

IN A NUTSHELL...

It's a book about getting your baby to sleep through the night, but has much to say about eating as well because eating schedules greatly effect sleeping schedules.

Most parenting material revolves around two extreme perspectives. In one, the baby decides eating and sleeping schedules (based on the concept of "demand-feeding" and other similar principals). In the second, the clock determines eating and sleeping schedules (often based on a rigid four-hour routine). This book offers a more flexible approach using Parent Directed Feeding (PDF) and Parent Analysis to determine when to feed and thus when to sleep.

CONCEPT(S) THAT HIT HOME FOR ME...

Most things I read in preparation for breastfeeding endorsed demand-feeding--to keep baby fed and happy and to keep up supply. I went along with it, because, well, a rigid 4-hour schedule did seem like it'd hinder milk production and, well, my baby did seem hungry much more frequently than every four hours. This worked in the first couple weeks. Then habits began to form. Bad habits. Ian cried and he got a boob stuck in his mouth (sorry, that's just the simple truth). We changed his diaper and tried to make sure he slept semi-frequently, but most cries were interpreted as hunger cries. Even at night. Even if he ate just an hour earlier. Even if I was exhausted and he was exhausted and all we both needed was sleep.

Demand-feeding is pretty heavily rooted in Attachment Parenting. While I try not to condemn other parenting styles just because they're not preferred by our family, I also have never been an advocate for Attachment Parenting. Co-sleeping, baby-wearing, baby-pleasing. There's nothing wrong with baby-pleasing, as long as the baby is being pleased with what he truly needs. A baby needs good, quality, and quantity sleep. A baby needs regular full meals that, for a breastfed baby, include the hind milk that comes from a full-length feeding. Attachment Parents (is that a term?) often report frequent feedings (because the baby's cry is met with the breast even if that's not what he needs at that time) and often report interrupted sleep up through the second year of life (because of co-sleeping and because of frequent nighttime feedings). This interrupted sleep is of course exhausting for the parent(s) resulting in fatigue and inability to care for baby and older siblings to their full potential. And definitely exhausting for the baby who needs a good nights sleep for growth and development and to encourage an overall even temper.

All of this to say.... I have been, by default, Attachment Parenting. By demand-feeding and instantly responding to these perceived "hunger cues" with the breast and not allowing my baby to self-sooth or to learn healthy sleep patterns, I have been going against what I believe to be important as a parent.

And that is probably the most important concept I learned from this book--the value of sleep for a baby, how that relies on philosophies of feeding, and how my exhaustion from these habits negatively effects my family. Ian is not getting the best feedings he could when he eats too frequently (possibly one reason he wakes up so much at night, because he actually is hungry), I'm disappointed in my abilities as a mother when my sleep is so interrupted (it's embarrassing how impatient I get with Brylee when exhausted), and an otherwise happy baby is categorized as "cranky" because of this poor routine.

It changes {now}.

WHAT I DO DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF THIS BOOK...

Ian is (finally) learning a healthy routine of {Eat. Play. Sleep.}

We've had a great start with having him "Cry It Out" as he learns to self-soothe for naptimes and at bedtime (this eliminated the need to nurse or rock him to sleep). Now, I'm fixing his daytime feeding schedule. I'm nursing him when he wakes up in the morning and from each of his naps (that's 3x/day), nursing again before he goes down for the night, with a possible fifth "dream feed" before I go down for the night. With spacing the nursing sessions out a little more, he's eating much more solids at meal times which is great for his age, and he also eats a snack with Brylee. And I'm making sure his nursing sessions are full feedings which will be more filling and stick with him longer.

Just making these adjustments for yesterday afternoon (when I finished reading the book), he woke up ONCE last night (possibly because I forgot to do the dream feed). That is a huge improvement! I know, it probably sounds ridiculous to be excited about that at 10-months-old, but he had been waking up every 2-3 hours and sometimes he'd even wake up within ONE hour! So waking up once is great success. And he woke up for a full feeding, which is okay. Because that means he woke up because he needed it and not just out of habit or for comfort. A few more days of making the above changes to his daytime eating/sleeping routine and the nights just might (fingers crossed) fix themselves!

Wow, I feel like a better, more empowered parent already :) And, might I add, well-rested... Imagine what a full nights sleep would do for both of us!

FAVORITE [QUOTE/STORY/CHAPTER]...

What really matters is what matters to you. Where you, the parent, places breast-feeding and/or the establishment of healthy day and nighttime sleep as a priority will direct you to the feeding philosophy that can best accomplish your goals. (p. 64)

I especially appreciated chapter 4 "Facts on Feeding." They really seemed to offer a nice balanced alternative to the two extremes of hyper-scheduling and Attachment Parenting's style of demand-feeding. Any woman deciding between breast and bottle or between schedule-feeding and demand-feeding would benefit from reading this chapter. I wish it was in my mix of breastfeeding preparation reads.

QUESTION(S) FOR THE AUTHOR...

Any questions I have for the author would revolve around {What next?}

This book is really meant for a parent to read before baby is here or early on while baby is still developing sleeping and eating habits. They have excellent information to be used for older babies, but just enough to get you started. So, any questions I might have using these principals on my "pretoddler" they've already answered in their followup book:

On Becoming Baby Wise: Book Two (Parenting Your Pretoddler Five to Fifteen Months)

OVERALL...

Great information. Balanced and flexible approach to encouraging/teaching healthy eating and sleeping routines. Easy to read examples and research to back up the claims.

{Highly recommend.}

Brown Bag Date Night {and the At-Home Date}

2011-10-19T13:16:00.003-04:00

We usually try to keep a weekly date night and alternate planning responsibility. We're both rarely brave enough to "cash in" on the free babysitting offers, so we firmly established ourselves in the at-home dating routine. It often (always?) includes something from Redbox, preceded by "family date night" meaning supper and fun with the fam.

Yesterday's date night was mine to plan, but this brown bag date night was not the first in our date night creativity.

It all started with our date nights in Florida. It was Daniel's turn to plan. I can't remember which came first of two of my favorite creative at-home date nights. One included camping foods like hot dogs and baked s'mores. We even set up the tent in the living room which Brylee loved. Once she headed off to bed, we cushioned up the tent and propped ourselves up to watch Couples Retreat.

Then, another creative date night included Daniel turning our living room floor into a "bed" with lots of pillows and blankets. He then made breakfast and we had "breakfast in bed."

The point is, Daniel has put my at-home date night planning to shame. So, it was time for me to make an effort.

I was going to surprise him with getting a babysitter and taking a date out (novel concept). But Brylee's been sick and even Daniel's been slightly under the weather with headaches the last couple days, so staying in seemed to be a better idea. Then, Redbox e-mailed me to say that they had Bad Teacher in stock. What?! Redbox released a movie on the same day it's released everywhere else?! Shocker. So I reserved it. And proceeded planning a teacher-ish themed date night.

There's plenty of ideas that revolve around this theme to make it either romantic or casual or, of course, cutesy. Making a fancy dinner and writing the menu on a chalkboard, having a candlelit brown bag supper in the park............ I kept it basic and to what I had available. Wrote a schedule for the evening displayed in a clipboard, put our supper items in the brown bag with a specially made "date night" label. And of course nothing screams "date night" quite like lit candles.

Our supper included hoagies baked with cheese before adding the fresh ingredients, chips and Jones root beer--yum! Then a childhood favorite--puppy chow--for dessert.

And you can't forget the love note napkins :) Brylee's had a drawing of our family as stick figures--she treasures those as if they were real photos.

I've been wanting to find creative ways to do something together for our date nights, even if we end up watching a movie. So, sticking with the "teacher" theme, we spent time after supper teaching each other something. He taught me a couple chords on the guitar. And I taught him to edit a photo on Picnik (well, it wasn't exactly teaching, but it's something I enjoy and he explored how to do it).

After the kids were in bed, we watched Bad Teacher.

{Disclaimer: I do not endorse this movie!}

I wouldn't exactly recommend this movie to anyone. The R-rating was my first clue it wouldn't be as good as it could have been with its ridiculous and unnecessary R-rated additions.

{Overall, the teacher-themed date was a success! I love our at-home dating routine :) }

Squishy Tush Profile {Tariq}

2011-10-18T11:52:00.002-04:00

Dalia was my sweet neighbor during our two years in Florida. She stopped by to welcome us, invited me out to tea at an adorable shop in a neighboring town, watched Brylee so I could get a break, and even stopped by to borrow a cup of sugar. I love "real" neighbors and she truly was a real neighbor! Here's more about Dalia's experience cloth diapering their newest little one.

NAME/AGE OF CLOTH WEARER: Tariq, 4 months old

SYSTEM USED AND WHY YOU CHOSE IT?
We use the inserts. I typed in Google "best cloth diaper" and that's what I found. I know... it's a little lazy but I didn't want to buy a bunch of different kinds of diapers to research and I wanted to buy a set and be done. I sort of relied on other people to do the research for me. So far I love what I chose.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO CLOTH DIAPER?

I chose to cloth because of finances. I'm not really an "eco-friendly" mom. I wish I was but I have to admit that I let the water run too long when brushing my teeth, I don't have a compost bin, and I don't recycle. But! I love cloth because I don't have to buy diapers ever again!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU USED CLOTH?

When my son was born we had a ton of disposables from size newborn to size 2 so I've been on and off since he's been born. I also moved from Florida to Puerto Rico and it was a little easier for me to use disposables while I was transitioning because I didn't have to think about them after he was done. If they hadn't been given to me I would have just used cloth. Although he does use one disposable at night but that's only because he leaks straight through his cloth. I am usually so tired when I wake up to feed him in the middle of the night that I fall asleep as soon as I know he's latched on and I wake up when he's done so I can put him back in his bed. I don't have the energy to change his diapers at night. One time I changed 4 diapers in one night because he wet my bed.

WHAT PROCESSES OR PRODUCTS HAVE YOU CHANGED FROM WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED?

I haven't changed much other than the night time disposable. I like my cloth diapers. They are nice. The little guy is only 4 months though, so I might find myself changing something here or there.

WHAT IS YOUR WASH ROUTINE?

I leave the diapers in a plastic trash bag until they are all out. I only have 16 diapers and thats about two days worth of diapers for Tariq. When I'm down to two diapers I run them through a rinse cycle and then I put just a tiny tablespoon of regular detergent for the regular wash. Once a month I use bleach. They say not to but I do it because we only have cold water in Puerto Rico. My landlord is cheap and won't buy her rentals water heaters. (We're looking for a new place in hopes that we can get out of our contract). That's another story. Also, once a month if I don't want to use bleach I go to the laundromat so I can get a hot water cycle. I've only been here two months, lol, so.... I guess I'm saying that's what I'll be doing.

ANY PREFERRED BRANDS/PRODUCTS?

I only use Fuzzibunz and I haven't used any others. I really like mine. They are colorful and easy to use. I bought the one-size diapers so he can grow with them.

#1 REASON YOU LOVE CLOTH?

One time purchase! We're on a STRICT budget and so this has helped us to save a little money.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE AND HOW YOU GET OVER IT?
Not having hot water. I feel like they don't get very clean. A few times I've washed them by hand because I feel like I can get the grime out better than the washing machine. But that takes a long time. I have yet to boil water but I've come close to it a few times.

CUTEST DIAPER/COVER:

The diapers are solid colors. There aren't any designs or anything but I wish I had purchased more red ones. That's my favorite color and I feel so happy to see him in it.

$$ YOU'VE SPENT ON CLOTH SO FAR:

Now this is my favorite part. Let me tell you that with my daughter I calculated that I would spend $2000 by the time she's done with diapers. That includes disposables and wipes. With my son I purchased 10 diapers at $20 a piece, was given one free diaper from the company (they had a buy 5 get one free deal), my brother bought me two, and my mom bought me three. I still use regular wipes because I buy them for my daughter (who is not in cloth) and I find a million uses for them besides wiping bottoms. I don't have a special detergent I just use what we have. And our water bill is not much higher than it normally would be so that isn't an issue. At the end of the day I have spent a little over $200 on cloth diapers. That doesn't include the $20 a month for wipes. I plan on making cloth wipes from old receiving blankets but I haven't had time. I will soon though, then I will save more money. :)

{Thank you for sharing your experiences, Dalia! I am so blessed to have known you and hope all continues to go well with your adorable family in Puerto Rico!!}

New Shoes vs. New Life {turn up the volume and dance along!}

2011-10-17T17:34:00.003-04:00

I was listening to one of my Pandora stations the other day, heard this song and thought

{Hello, new favorite song!}

Maybe it has something to do with its dance-inducing tune. (Brylee and I love dancing around to music!)

Or, perhaps when we danced to it Friday it had something to do with my literal new shoes. (You know, the boots I decided to keep.)

I was also feeling a little down (note melancholy start to my birthday post) on Friday. After dancing to this song with Brylee and Ian, I said a little prayer of thanksgiving for the dose of optimism.

You have turned my mourning into dancing. {Psalm 30:11}

I really do love this song because of what it does for me spiritually, beyond just turning a bad mood into a dance-worthy one.

So what does new shoes have to do with a spiritual life? Paolo Nutini would probably say "nothing." But the happiness that exudes from this song reminds me of the joy of a new life in Christ. Allow me to explain.

Better yet, allow Paul to explain.

Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. {Romans 6:4}

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. {2 Corinthians 5:17}

I know the term "following Christ" might bring connotations of obligation and duty and walking a fine line along the straight and narrow. I guess this is a reminder of the joy and refreshment and the sweet sunshine of living our new lives in Christ.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit with love, joy, and peace {Galatians 5:25, 22}

I also think of the man Peter and John healed. Down on life and in need of money, he probably didn't have much hope for his life changing that day. But it did. Peter and John denied him money, because, well, they didn't have any either. But they gave him something better--the Word of Christ to stand and walk. And what did he do? Well, he became an inspiration to me and how I should live my life. He didn't just stand and walk,

He (leaped) up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them--walking, leaping, and praising God. {Acts 3:8}

And the best part?

All the people saw him walking and praising God. {vs. 9}

What an amazing way to witness! With a pep in our steps. Broadcasting the "new shoes" and everything else God has replaced in our new lives.

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. {Colossians 2:6-7}

Quarter-Life Crisis {Happy Birthday to Me}

2011-10-14T06:00:00.005-04:00

Wow, that probably sounds way more melancholy than I intended. Or maybe it's just honest.

Because I'm not alone, am I?

quarter life crisis : Usually occurs sometime in your twenties, a few years out of school when you still feel as though you're waiting for your life to begin. {Urban Dictionary}

Okay, so maybe most other people going through a "quarter-life crisis" are feeling insecure about their careers or wondering if or when they'll get married and start a family and getting anxious for their adult lives to "start." I can't really relate to that. So what would you call it when you're in your twenties, a few years out of school and feel as though you should be waiting for your life to begin?

While other 25-year-olds might feel insecure about entering "the real world," and dealing with regrets of everything they haven't done, I'm feeling exhausted over everything I have done. Basically, playing the comparison game and wondering what it would be like to have lived a "normal" 25 years.

I mean, it's not exactly "normal" for a 13-year-old to go away to boarding academy or for a 15-year-old to spend her supposed junior year of high school living with another family in a foreign country and ending up teaching English classes to students older than her. It's not "normal" for a 16-year-old to get a full-time job as office manager of a real estate office. It's not "normal" for a 20-year-old to get pregnant and marry the love of her life a year sooner than they were planning. (We're all adults here, I can admit that, right?) And while we're on the topic of "not normal," a 5'4" girl having a smooth delivery of an 11 lb baby is just a little unusual. But you get the idea.

Here I am at my 25th birthday feeling exhausted, wondering when it'll all slow down. Well, it's probably the lack of sleep making me exhausted, but the point remains. I'm 25 and rather than feeling bored waiting for my life to start, I realize it started a long time ago and I already need a break.

That's a good thing, right?

Right.

Because it means my life has been so unbelievably full!

By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of You. {Psalm 71:6}

Full with a wild and free husband that is so encouraging and supportive and adds wild freedom to my life :) And have I mentioned he works really hard so that I can focus on our home and kids?

Full with a precious little princess that is so positive and inquisitive and loves Jesus and is growing into a beautiful young lady inside and out.

Full with a handsome little man that is loving and accepting and gleefully happy.

Have I mentioned they are also all so incredibly forgiving of the ways I fall short as a wife, mother and home maker?

Sure, it can all get a little exhausting. But exhausting just means time well-spent, right?

{Here's to the next 25 full, happy, praise-giving and exhausting years!}

Edible Cookie Dough {What an indulgence!}

2011-10-13T19:34:00.002-04:00

I love cookie dough. Sadly, (don't get too grossed out) I don't even care if it has... gasp... raw eggs in it. But, alas, I do know it's not safe so I'm trying to change my ways.

This recipe is the first step.

I've made vegan cookies (and thus edible cookie dough) before. But there's something about replacing eggs with flax seed or some other binding replacement that takes away from the cookie-dough-eating experience.

This recipe leaves out the egg entirely, rather than attempting to replace it. Meant for cookie dough eating, so don't try to bake.

{EDIBLE VEGAN COOKIE DOUGH}
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 c.) margarine
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. chocolate chips

The recipe I copied called for 2 cups flour and 4 TBSP milk, but by leaving out a bit of the flour I didn't need the milk and it turned out just fine and vegan :)

{Meet Virginia: Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Cups}

I actually came across the recipe on (you guessed it) Pinterest for these Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Cups. Oh my goodness! They look so yummy!! Chocolate/peanut butter and cookie dough are two of my favorite indulgences, and combining them into one treat just sounds divine!

I have everything in my cupboard to make them, so what am I waiting for?! My sister and I were having a girl's night and wanted a quick treat, so we stalled out after making the cookie dough. But... these will be made... Soon!

To Keep or Not to Keep {Boots}

2011-10-13T18:40:00.001-04:00

So cute!
.......Right?

I can't decide if I should keep them.

And I have until tomorrow to decide otherwise the receipt expires and I'll have no other option than to keep them.

For some reason, whenever I put them on, all that goes through my head is "They're country and you look country in them." {A line from a favorite movie as a teenager.}

If I'm having doubts, I should just return them, right?

On my Fashion Wish List board on Pinterest I pinned these photos because of the boots...

{"loving the boots"}

{leather boots}

I guess they're not too different from the pair I bought.

But different enough to keep me wondering.

So, I need help deciding. Do I keep them? Or are they too...... {I don't know... rounded, country, youthful?}

Silliness.

Can't believe I'm even going to post this. But, I'm feeling very indecisive. So here it goes... Maybe seeing it here will help me decide :)

Crying It Out {Spoiler Alert: It's working!}

2011-10-13T18:16:00.001-04:00

Meet Ian. He's now 9-months-old and a big baby. Not just that he was 11 pounds at birth and has been huggably big ever since, but he's my little momma's boy. He cries when his feelings get hurt and he follows me around the house whimpering like a little puppy just to get held.

He's also picky about how he's put to sleep. Standing. Rocking. Holding him until he falls alseep. It's been an exhausting process, but it works. Or rather, it worked.

More recently he's added hitting, biting and yelling to the routine, making "fighting sleep" a more literal term.

Today, I hit a breaking point. I've thought I've been to that breaking point before, but today was obvious. Maybe it had something to do with my husband traveling for work the last couple weeks leaving me and Ian to duke it out ourselves 3 times a day (morning nap, afternoon nap, and nighttime). Or maybe it was the thought that he'd soon be a toddler and the ridiculous image of little me standing and rocking a near-child to sleep.

Yes, that was it. My husband traveling contributed, but the realization that I had the potential of becoming "that" mom was a real motivator. You know, the mom that is rocking (and thus unnecessarily babying) her three-year-old to sleep. The one that sacrifices her well-being for the detriment, rather than the good, of her child.

Not me. Not anymore. I know that at 9-months my baby is still a baby and it's okay for me to treat him that way. But I also know that I would be able to take better care of both my children if I wasn't putting so much effort into this thing he could learn to do on his own. I also believe that by conserving my energy in this one thing he could do himself, I would have more drive to continue breastfeeding him for the next 3 months like I intended and not be so tempted to wean early.

And those are the truths that led me to {finally} let my 9-month-old "cry it out."

Is crying it out the only option? No, of course not. But for a baby that puts up that much of a fight for sleep even with cuddling and babying, crying it out seemed to be the necessary route for us.

THE PROCESS

9:30 a.m. I started rocking him for his morning nap. He laid his head on my shoulder, then popped up with a yell followed by biting my shoulder. Twenty minutes of this is when the above rationalization happened.

9:50 a.m. I laid him in the play yard in our room, he cried louder, and I said soothing things he probably couldn't hear as I left.

9:55 a.m. The first few minutes were a relief rather than the stress I thought they'd be. Of course he cried, but I was exhausted and taking a couple minutes away from him for a few deep breaths was healing. I went back into the room and he cried even louder trying to reach for me. I laid on the ground beside him and sang, he sat down and listened with occasional smaller cries. I did this for a minute or two, then left him again and he cried louder.

10:00 a.m. I went back into his room and found the Lullabye Channel on Pandora for his listening and soothing pleasure. He was still sobbing and fighting it, so I also put some water in his sippy cup for him. (He doesn't/won't suck on a pacifier.) He laid down and liked the sippy, unit I left and he cried louder.

10:10 a.m. I didn't go right back in, because checking on him seemed to make him worse. At this point he calmed down on his own and when I peaked in he was standing against the edge of the play yard and calmly listening to the music.

10:25 a.m. I checked on him again and he was sitting and playing with his blanket.

10:30 a.m. I heard him crying a bit, but it was less intense, so I peaked in but didn't go in to reassure him (because that would work him up again).

10:40 a.m. I realized he'd been silent again for a few minutes so I looked in and he was sound asleep.

{SUCCESS!}

This really wasn't the knock-down drag-out war I feared it would be. He's a fighter, and he definitely fought it, but I found leaving him alone was actually a better solution for us. I've read various things that talk about going in and rubbing their backs and helping sooth them in the beginning, but each time he actually saw me, he'd stand up, scream and cry louder, and struggle to get to me. So, checking in is essential, but soothing was his job.

That was attempt {# 1}.

Now finally posting and updating this a week later, it's only gotten better. He cries when I first lay him down, but he's settled down within 5 minutes and asleep within 15. My back feels amazing! Okay, so it still hurts and probably has some kinks to be worked out with the masseuse and some yoga, but what a difference it's made to forfeit those daily battles!

I'll also add that it's a process. He's still learning. I don't expect my baby to instantly be independent in this or anything else, but this was a necessary first step for us in helping that. We're also ready for set backs. Today, he settled down quickly and may have even slept for 15 minutes or less, but woke up screaming and was not calming down. Maybe at that point I was "supposed to" comfort him but leave him to self-sooth again.

I didn't.

I picked up my baby, consoled and comforted him, even took him to the living room, wrapped a blanket around him and let him lay his head on my chest while he fell asleep. Was it a weak moment? Maybe. But that's the process toward independence that I'm talking about. He's a baby, and if occasionally he "needs" a little babying, then I am okay with giving him that. I'm the mom and I get to decide when that's a necessary or good decision to make.

Next up: night weaning.

Homestyle Mac 'n Cheese {Yum!}

2011-10-06T11:37:00.005-04:00

This week I've tried a couple new recipes from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook. Homemade mac 'n cheese is a great fall comfort food (even though the cool weather hasn't really hit yet), but it gets even better when it's made just a little bit healthy.

Jessica Seinfield's recipe is a great one that's made even better when it's topped with breadcrumbs and baked to perfection :)

INGREDIENTS

2 c. whole wheat macaroni
1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1 1/2 TBSP all-purpose flour
3/4 c. milk
4-5 cubes frozen cauliflower puree
4 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
dash paprika and black pepper
2 slices whole wheat bread (or 1 c. breadcrumbs)
2 TBSP butter, melted

While the macaroni is cooking, a gravy is made out of the olive oil, flour and milk. (I've tried this recipe with soymilk and it just gives a slightly weird taste; this time I used skim milk and it tasted much better). The cauliflower cubes and cream cheese are mixed into the gravy, then the cheese melted in and seasonings added.

A couple pieces of bread are thrown in the blender to make fresh breadcrumbs. The margarine is melted in the microwave and mixed with the breadcrumbs. A lot of recipes also suggest seasoning with 2 tablespoons chopped parsely, but I didn't have any fresh on hand and the dried stuff didn't taste right when I've used it before.

The macaroni is strained then mixed with the cheese sauce and laid out in a 9x13 casserole dish. The bread crumbs are spread over top and it's all baked uncovered for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

{Yum!}

Gobbledy Gook, Cupboards, and Sabbath Preparation

2011-10-06T00:03:00.005-04:00

Last week was the first time I have {ever} prepared Sabbath lunch before sunset on Friday.

While I usually clean something Friday, cooking is the last thing on my mind when it comes to Sabbath preparation. Eating is essential (unless I went on a weekly fast, but I don't think that'd fly with the kids), so cooking seemed like an ox-in-the-ditch sort of excuse for it to be done on Sabbath. Jesus and His disciples were challenged for their Sabbath food prep {Matthew 12:1-3} which seems to add to the justification.

But what about the whole manna-in-the-wildness scenario {Exodus 16:22-30}? There was a definite reason God instructed the Israelites to gather more manna in preparation for the Sabbath {Exodus 16:4-5} and a recent read (Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner) inspired me to take Sabbath preparation a little more seriously and experience that reason firsthand.

So, I prepared Sabbath lunch before sunset last Friday. Doing extra cleaning, preparing an extra meal, and picking up my traveling husband from the airport is no small feat to fit into an already full day of taking care of two kids. (Definite props to all those moms who do that and more with 3 or more kids!!)

So what are the kids doing while I'm whipping up a casserole, apple cake (which didn't turn out), and twice-baked potatoes?

3-year-old in the Kitchen

Throw a little cornstarch and some water in a bowl and let her sink fingers in--she figured the rest out on her own :)

Seriously, that easy. She loved it!

Gobbledy Gook (the name I knew it by as a kid), Goo, Goop, Oobleck. Whatever name you choose to give it, it's fun for all ages. I even took a break from my cooking frenzy to play :) We didn't have any food coloring on hand, but the fun texture completely makes up for the lack of attractiveness.

Also, don't worry about exact measurements. I sprinkled probably about a half cup of cornstarch in the bowl then added a little water and mixed it with my hands to check consistency. It was pretty solid, so I added a little more (your fingers should be able to sink into it). As Brylee played, it started getting tough so I added a little more which extended it's life a bit.

9-month-old in the Kitchen

Clear toxic chemicals out of cupboard that shouldn't be stored there anyway and instead throw in some measuring cups, sealed containers and other baby-proof kitchen finds. Just the allure of opening the cupboard is enough to entertain this little guy.

Okay, so there is the probability he'd pinch his fingers. But that is actually a greater risk when I keep closing the cupboards trying to keep him out of them. When I let him open them, he sits and plays for a while and it's no longer an issue.

Friday in the Kitchen

I absolutely loved this experience of cooking our Sabbath meal ahead of time! Lauren Winner wrote about her own questioning of whether this "rushing to beat the Sabbath" routine was really worth it, and she was right on when she concluded the relaxation come sundown Friday evening is all worth it.

We had a very full day Friday, but the trade off was amazing--a quiet Friday evening and a quieter Sabbath morning. Rushing to put together a casserole in between getting ready for Sabbath School and church was replaced with a little more leisure (and less arguing about which of us would make us late this time). After church, the prepared casserole and potatoes were thrown in the oven for 15-20 minutes and veggies steamed in the microwave. Amazingly, lunch was ready 5 minutes before I said it would be :)

And the "reason" God instructed preparation for the Sabbath?

He knew we needed rest and, in turn, we get special time to refocus on him.

This is what the LORD has said: "Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil." {Exodus 16:23}

I wonder what other ways I can do a little extra preparation to get a little more rest and give a little more of my focus back to God?

Pinterest {More than Just Pinning}

2011-10-03T17:11:00.003-04:00

{leaving her mark pinned to Spiritual Goal Board}

A few weeks into it, I love Pinterest! The "Pin It" button makes it so easy to save yummy recipes, crafty projects, or even a wish list. It's hard to explain exactly what makes it so addicting. Inspiration and potential are just a couple words that come to mind.

But is all of this pinning just a fancy new time waster?

Not for me. Here are just a few things I've done since and thanks to Pinterest.

{dining chairs}

Buy Dining Chairs

We have a dining room table and no chairs to go with it. While I did my on-line shopping, I pinned my favorites to my "Dining Table Needs Chairs" board (soon to be deleted, because I'm done with it). Daniel and I narrowed the selection, until we chose the chairs we bought this last week. I am so anxious to finally sit at our 3-month-old but rarely used table:)

{pin-tucked duvet}

Pin-Tuck a Duvet Cover

Seriously, I am not sure if or when I would have ever ran into the DIY-pin-tucked-idea on my own. I pinned one I liked from my Pinterest app on the iPhone onto my "Preschool Cuteness" board (a board for ideas to use with Brylee or for her room). I was able to find the tutorial to inspire me with how easy this would really be, found the duvet the next day and sewed it the day after that. Easy as that, and so beautifully detailed! Probably my favorite project inspired by Pinterest so far.

{fabric flower}

Make Fabric Flowers

Once I decided to cover magnets with fabric flowers, I knew I'd need some inspiration and how-to to get it done. I didn't have Pinterest when I first started the project, but once I had my account, I pinned several fabric flower tutorials to my "Fabric Flowers" board and it really sped the process and perfected the results. I was also able to start and stop the project easily because my inspiration and tutorials were collected in one place and easily accessible whenever I was ready.

{crate covers}

Sew Crate Covers

This project is actually something I completed before Pinterest. But, Pinterest helped me refind the tutorial so I could pin it to my "DIY Ideas" board for future reference. These little crate covers sure are clever!

Tie a Scarf

I don't consider myself particularly fashionable, so having fashion inspiration for me to copy is a perfect attempt to stay in style. My "Fashion Wish List" is where I keep the styles I like so I have a clear idea of pieces to buy or outfits to recreate. My favorite, however, is learning a few new ways to tie a scarf which will help me not tire of them so quickly this fall and winter.

{Broccoli and Chicken Casserole}

Try New Recipes

Okay, so besides for the frozen hot chocolate from last week, I haven't exactly done this yet. But it's on the schedule for next week. In fact, everyday next week I will be trying a recipe that I have pinned to my "Recipes to Try" board. More on that to come in the next couple weeks, once the trying has been done :)

Indulgence #161 {Have Frozen Hot Chocolate}

2011-09-29T23:28:00.004-04:00

There are plenty of signs that fall is on its way, but it's not quite cold enough for a steaming hot drink. Frozen hot chocolate is a perfect way to get a jump start on this cold-weather favorite. Especially on a day like today when it felt a little toasty in our house even with the windows open. I'm just wondering why we didn't enjoy this during our warm winter in Florida!

Thanks to Pinterest, I started with this frozen hot chocolate recipe. How delicious! Right?

I made a few alterations, partly because the original recipe seemed like it might be a little too rich, but mostly because I needed to take it down to a single serving and I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand.

The results?

Yum!!

INGREDIENTS

1 TBSP margarine
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP powdered hot chocolate mix
1/4 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. soymilk
1 1/2 c. ice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt margarine on stove over low heat. Add sugar and hot chocolate mix.
2. Mix in chocolate chips and continue stirring until mostly melted.
3. Add soymilk and whisk, then remove from heat and let it cool.
4. Blend ice with chocolate mixture.
5. Top with whipped topping and chocolate chips or shavings and enjoy :)

Whenever we make smoothies, we usually give Brylee a slightly watered down version which makes it a consistency that's easier for her to drink and slightly lessens the amount of sugar she's getting. I did the same with this frozen treat by adding extra soymilk. She used her spoon to eat the whipped topping off the top :)

Now to find the baby version of this for Ian :)

My Office/Blogging Nook Gets a Minimalist Redo

2011-09-29T12:56:00.003-04:00

As you can see from the "before" photo above, my little office/blogging nook left much to be desired. My part-time work is piled up under the table, the printer takes up 1/4 or more of my "desk" space, ditto with the files, the folding chair is uncomfortable and doesn't even belong to me and this photo is actually cleaned up! Normally Brylee and Daniel have randomness accumulating on whatever space remains.

It was time to do a little cleaning up.

STEP ONE: CLEAR THE SLATE

I love starting with a blank slate. A small white table and a white wall. So many possibilities.

STEP TWO: RETURN THE ESSENTIALS

Before adding color or warmth, I needed to get back to the basics, which are:
1. Lamp and computer the only things on the desk space;
2. framed and covered cork board and framed fabric used as a marker board on the wall in front of me;
3. file organizer repurposed as wall organization holding pen, pencil, marker, paper clips, and papers that need to be referenced but not permanently filed.

What happened to everything else?

The printer was relocated to the bedroom sitting next to Daniel's desk space. The files were relocated to the small dresser where other office supplies are stored. Work stuff moved to front closet. Brylee's things were returned to her room; Daniel's things returned to his (although, I need to figure out a different landing strip for his wallet, keys, etc., because this is where they currently land).

{Chair from Amazon and Pinned to Office Nook}

STEP THREE: ACCESSORIZE

This is the step that I have yet to complete. I'm going to enjoy this minimalist space for a while longer before adding much more in warmth and color. Also high on the list: a chair! I like the idea of a cushy, upholstered chair that adds color and warmth. Perhaps as a birthday gift to myself? I think so :)

In the meantime, loving this clean, minimalist space!

Counseling Session {Free of Charge}

2011-09-27T13:56:00.002-04:00

If you've never gone to a counseling session, you're missing out. I know, I know. Counseling is often associated with a marriage on the rocks or an out-of-control addiction or some "disorder" that needs a dose of medicine and talking. But imagine going before one of these instances arises. Getting support and encouragement before you lose all hope; rediscovering balance before you're on the brink of losing your sanity; finding direction before you've completely lost your way.

That's how I like to view counseling, and that's why yesterday was a day I thought I needed it.

* * *

"Oh goodness," and a deep sigh to follow.

Brylee and Ian secure in their carseats, I'm a bit overwhelmed that we're only half way through the day and I'm not sure how I'll muster enough energy to complete the second half.

Brylee, always concerned about what I'm doing and curious the reasons for everything, asks, "Why did you say 'goodness'?"

Ian has sunk his teeth in while nursing 3 times in the last 18 hours, and I'm stressing that I might have to wean him before my 12-month goal. Not to mention his incessant biting (teething?) and other "agressive" behaviors that makes me feel like I'm raising a baby monster. Brylee has an extra dose of crazy, perhaps out of boredom or maybe missing her dad while he travels for work, and she has a question for everything. I notice I'm not making the effort to get out of the house as much as we did in Florida, and the sleep deprivation from getting up with Ian 2, 3 or more times a night knocks various aspects of my life out of balance.

I wonder about going to a counselor for a session, or maybe two. Just to talk through what's happening in my life and figure out the answers and solutions getting clouded out by this rut that I'm in.

Not sure how to respond to Brylee, I decide to admit the truth, or a portion of it. "Believe it or not, Brylee, being a mom is hard work."

True to form, she asks, "Why?"

"Because I have to take care of you and Ian and support daddy and maintain the house and try to take care of myself too. And that's hard work."

Brylee, being the big helper that she is, offers, "I can take care of myself."

I chuckle. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. I can clean my toys and make my bed, all myself. I can do hard things."

I love that girl :)

Brylee and Ian's bed time didn't bring much relief, as she brainstormed new things she "needed" and he wouldn't sleep. At midnight when they're both {finally} sleeping soundly, I wonder, once more, about seeing a counselor. I consider staying up a few extra minutes to Facebook message two of my best girlfriends about it in an on-going conversation we started there. Then I realize, there's some things going through my head that maybe shouldn't be said out loud. Or at least shouldn't be typed and left as incriminating evidence. (Okay, nothing incriminating is going through my head, but the point remains.)

I see the Bible sitting on my nightstand and rationalize that I need support from an "actual" person. Just as soon as I think that thought, I retract and hear the offer, Give Me a chance... it won't cost you a dime.

So, I do. I give Him a chance, and this is what I find...

HIS CREDENTIALS

His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. {Isaiah 9:6}

THE SESSION

Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen please and let me speak. {Job 42:3-4}

Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind. Nevertheless You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. It is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works. {Psalm 73:21, 23-24, 26, 28}

HIS DIAGNOSIS

You do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. {Revelation 3:17}

HIS COUNSEL

I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. {Revelation 3:18}

THE RESULTS

Blessed is the man [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. he shall be like a tree Planted in the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. {Psalm 1:1-3}

Thank you, Lord; I look forward to our next "session" and may it be SOON!

How-to DIY Pin-tucked Duvet {I actually did it myself!}

2011-09-26T00:38:00.007-04:00

I am very excited about this! It is just satisfying when something turns out how it should and maybe even a little better than you hoped.

THE INSPIRATION
I've been pinning ideas for covering Brylee's grey duvet. I wanted something a little extra girly and pricess-y and frilly. And, of course, a cheap and/or resourceful DIY was a must.

{ruffled duvet}

This ruffled duvet seemed like a great option. But in DIY terms, I just wasn't excited about sewing each ruffle and would rather try a ruffled pillow or ruffled curtains.

{knotted duvet}

The knotted duvet is so attractive, and the resourceful DIY part was a bonus. But, really, how comfortable could it be to chill on a bed full of knots? Not a great option for a preschooler, or anyone else that sits on their made bed (eh hem, me).

{pin-tucked duvet}

Then, I found this pin-tucked duvet. Made out of sheets. Talk about resourceful and cheap and attractive and so doable! Yep, it was decided, this was to be a part of Brylee's bed.

STEP 1: GATHER SUPPLIES

The key with being cheap and resourceful is being flexible. The tutorial used sheets which I thought was a great idea. But when I priced it, I would be spending around $25 for 2 flat sheets plus any pillow coverings or bedskirt. I tried Goodwill, but they only had stained white sheets and a full new-in-packaging blue set that they were selling for more than the clearanced sticker price (come on, Goodwill!).

I contemplated giving it up for a while and wait for a sale, but headed to Target one more time. So glad I did. I ran into this single clearanced king-sized duvet set. I'm making a duvet cover for a full-size bed (the duvet is full/queen), but $17.48 for a duvet set (including pillow covers) that normally costs $69.99 seemed to be a way better deal than buying two cheap flat sheets. Score!

I already had the needle and thread, so time to send Brylee to preschool and get to work.

STEP 2: "X" MARKS THE SPOT

{Woah, someone needs to upgrade to an actual sewing measuring tape!}

I laid out the duvet cover inside-out and marked an * staggering every 12".

STEP 3: PINCH, TWIST, SEW AND REPEAT

Once all the duvet was all marked, I sat at the sewing machine and pinched the first * I saw, twisted it roughly 180 degrees and sewed about an inch in. I had a king-size duvet cover that I was sewing down to a full, so I had plenty of room to pinch deep. I would have needed to be more conservative if I had less material to work with.

The left photo is what the twist looks like on the wrong-side of the duvet cover after sewing; the right photo is the pucker that results on the right-side of the cover.

I kept pinching, twisting and sewing one after another. Not necessarily in any particular order, just wherever I saw an *, I pinched, twisted and sewed. Perhaps I should have been more methodical, because after I didn't see anymore, I laid it all out and found two places that still needed sewn. Not a big deal. I just sat down and sewed them no problem.

Anytime I see a DIY on a mom's blog, I wonder what in the world the kid(s) are doing while they're getting crafty. In case you're wondering that about this particular project, well, I already mentioned Brylee was at preschool. And, this is where Ian was stationed the whole time--holding onto my leg, chewing the section of duvet I wasn't currently sewing.

STEP 4: SEW THE EDGES, INSERT DUVET AND DISPLAY

I'll be honest and say I don't know the best way to finish this particular duvet cover. I didn't cut the original cover apart initially because I wanted to preserve the original edges as much as possible. That was fine in the pin-tucking, but then I got all confused when the top had shrunk down to full/queen size, and the back was still in its original king.

I ended up cutting about 19" off one side of the back of the duvet then sewing it back up. That kind of worked, except the top edge on the top of the duvet cover was still it's original king-size because it had not been pin-tucked like the center. I don't think I'm explaining that clearly, but if I ever do this project again, I'll do a little more research on making a pin-tucked top fit with an unsewn back. What I did seems to work fine for us.

I love the princess feel from the sheen of the duvet cover. That just wouldn't have been the same with cheap flat sheets. And I love how quick and relatively easy this was!

Total "costs:"
3 hours (figuring out how to make the top and bottom fit together took longer than necessary)
+ $17.48
= very worth the effort

More to come on Brylee's butterflies, the flower pillows and eventually her dress-up wall.

Why I Blog and Christian Bloggers to Check Out

2011-09-23T13:00:00.009-04:00

Sometimes I question why I bother with blogging. Maybe it's just my insecurities speaking or maybe it's a legitimate question. I mean, with hundreds (thousands? more?) of truly great blogs out there, is it really necessary for me to add my smaller-scale two-cents?

The conclusion I've come to: Maybe not necessary for the blogging world, but it is necessary for me, and here's why.

WRITING PRACTICE

I enjoy writing. I enjoy it so much my bachelor's degree is emphasized with it. I started a blog to use this skill by writing about things I enjoy so I wouldn't lose this ability. As a kid I used to think "talents" in Matthew 25 was referring to abilities, but the point still applies. The man who hid his talent in the ground {Matthew 25:25} got it taken away from him and given to the man with ten talents {verse 28}. Simple principle of "use it or lose it."

ACCOUNTABILITY

Accountability partners are helpful when trying to make a life change or form a new habit. Whether I'm doing Apartment Therapy's 8-Week Home Cure, cloth diapering or trying to live life more fully, this blog (or, more so, its readers) are my accountability partners.

MOTIVATION

A good idea turns reality when I get excited about turning it into a blog post. Maybe it's the fun of bragging or just the genuine interest in sharing with others. Either way, blogging gives me motivation to do something.

OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE

In grade school we were required to memorize something that has stuck with me:

We are writing each day a letter to men;
Take care that the writing is true;
It is the only gospel some men will read--
The gospel according to you.
{Unknown}

This refers to how our actions "speak" our gospel to others. But being interested in writing, I've always applied it to my actual writing--the Gospel according to me. And blogging is an opportunity to share that. And, hopefully, an opportunity to "stir up love and good works" {Hebrews 10:24} or perhaps an on-line attempt to "comfort each other and edify one another" {1 Thessalonians 5:11}.

CHRISTIAN BLOGGERS

Enough about why I blog. Here's a couple Christian bloggers worth checking out:

Call Me Blessed does a weekly post on Tuesdays called We Encourage. Check out her encouraging posts, then scroll down and get inspired by the other bloggers that have linked their encouraging posts.

The Olive Tree also does a weekly post called Devotional Wednesday. I just love seeing crafty, fun, mom bloggers sharing "the gospel according to them!"

Faith Blogs is relatively new and still growing. Explore the blogs list and find more great Christian blogs based on categories like photography or healthy living.

Beginner's Guide will one day be more wide spread and Epic Christianity will be an all-around inspiring and encouraging read. Until then, I'll just keep practicing :)

I'm Ba-aack! A Word on Time Management {Or How I Cope without It}

2011-09-21T16:19:00.010-04:00

Where has the last two weeks gone?!

I had a carefully mapped out schedule of posts I was excited about writing for this month that obviously has not yet happened. So where has the last two weeks gone?

My sister had a baby. (Yay!) I suppose that's been the main distraction as we joined in their joy over the occasion and enjoyed the company of family. My husband got me a new phone and I've been distracted with some pretty sweet apps. I started the Home Cure. And, I've finally realized, I'm still coping with and adjusting to our recent move. (Four months ago can still be considered "recent," right?)

Someone asked how I find the time to "do it myself" (a comment on my post about why I DIY), and the answer probably goes something like, "I don't have the time." Which is obvious considering how distracted I've been the last couple weeks. But that question got me to thinking about time management and how my view of it has changed since I've become a mom. Well, more specifically, it's done the most evolving since I've become a mother of {TWO}.

Here's what came to mind about time management as a mom, or rather, how I cope without it:

REEVALUATING WHAT'S ESSENTIAL
Over the last three years, my views have changed on my priorities and what's truly most important. For instance, a clean house used to top my values list. Now, I accept a moderately clean house as long as the people in the house are well-cared for.

LETTING GO

Of expectations. Of false beliefs. Of valuing what other people think. Of items on the "to do" list that really don't matter. I can't do and be all things for all people at all times. Letting go has been my biggest sanity saver... when I'm actually able to do it.

ACKNOWLEDGING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

I find great satisfaction of making a list and checking off items as they're completed. This used to work for me, until the lists continued to grow as the checking of completed items slowed. A day could go by and I'd barely complete a single task on the list. So I had to start noticing the things that I was accomplishing, especially the things that don't make it to the list. You know, those reevaluated priorities. Or what we sometimes call "little things in life" like being present for our family that is actually a bigger deal than I hear anyone admit. I try to pay attention to what I am accomplishing for my family, rather than getting hung up on the less important things that I'm not accomplishing.

COMPLETING ONE PROJECT AT A TIME

When I start a big DIY or cleaning/organizing project, only essentials of everyday living can interrupt (i.e., daily cleaning can wait until tomorrow). Is this a healthy way of getting something done? Maybe, maybe not. But this is one of the main reason's I am able to DIY. Otherwise I'd have uncompleted projects, get frustrated with the whole process and give up on it. Once it's started, I work on it until it's done. This might mean I have a project covering my desk for three days straight (like the butterfly mobile I'm working on for Brylee's room). I work on it in between getting the essentials done, and soon the project is complete and I return to the everyday.

REGAINING BALANCE

Sometimes I'll get to the end of the day and feel anything but balanced. Especially if I've spent a better part of the day focusing on a DIY project. The house is a mess and it's my fault and Brylee watched "too much" TV or I didn't enjoy one-on-one time with Daniel after the kids were in bed. This is where my perspective of balance has changed tremendously. Rather than balance being something I accomplish everyday (working in the right amount of cleaning and play time and writing), balance is something I try to accomplish in life. If I spent too much time working on a single task today, tomorrow I get caught up with cleaning and spending more quality time with the family to make up for it.

LEARNING FLEXIBILITY

When it comes to schedule and routine, I tend to be anything but flexible so this is probably the biggest area motherhood has evolved me. Kids thrive on routine, so we definitely try to stick to one in regards to naps, meals and bedtime. But I'm learning to roll with changes in routine and even letting go of the detailed routines I used to keep for myself.

ASKING FOR HELP

No matter how alone I (we?) sometimes feel, we're not in this alone. We have a partner or friends or family, or all of the above at various times, that are able and willing to help with something. This means Daniel putting the kids to bed, friends watching the kids while Daniel and I go on a date, or family helping complete a larger project so it can get done more quickly. I am not so good at asking for help, but the times that I do, I reap tremendous rewards {completed projects, a breath of fresh air, feeling of community}.

BASICALLY, COPING WITHOUT TIME MANAGEMENT

I wish I had tried and true recommendations for having it all and doing it all with multiple kids in 24 hours. The truth is there is often an area of my life more or less "lacking" in various times of my life. But reevaluating what's truly important, letting go of the unnecessaries, acknowledging what I do for my family, focusing on one project at a time, balancing life instead of the day, being flexible and asking for help--these are all ways that I cope.