skip to main |
skip to sidebar
February was a big month for our little Ollie. (Maybe I shouldn't call him little because he was in the 68th percentile for height. Rhett's little brother might turn out to be his big brother when these two are done growing.) Not only did Ollie turn six months old, but he got his first two teeth, crawled, sat up, started eating real food, moved into his brother's room, and got his first ear infection. Fun times! His crawling started out looking more like "the worm" dance move, but it quickly progressed to a regular crawl.
Not sure what those balls are supposed to be, but does it matter? Super cute whatever they are.
What you miss in this picture is how Ollie was devouring that sock just seconds before the picture was taken. And before that, he was eating the edge of the table.
Proving how different he is from his brother by actually enjoying the swings, all while channeling his inner-Bruno...
Happy Leap Day! Did you see last week's "30 Rock?" Awesome.
Let's talk about Pinterest for a minute, shall we? I am a big fan of the site and often find great ideas for crafting, decorating, organizing, and eating. I see all these yummy-looking dishes, but I don't know if they're yummy tasting. I'll tell you what we've tried from my Pinterest food board and then you can tell me what you've done that's good. Is it a deal? Good.
Strawberry bruscetta: Totally good. I think I ate 2/3 of what I made. Try it.
Chicken gyro: Good. Flavor wasn't too strong (maybe not strong enough?), but it was an easy tzatziki sauce and yummy chicken. I should have remembered the feta that was in my fridge, because it would have been that much better.
Quinoa Fruit Salad: So good. If you have leftover quinoa in the fridge and berries are on sale, do it.
Saucy Asian Meatballs: Good. An alternative to our regular meatballs that we add to spaghetti.
Fruit and Yogurt Burrito: I had super high hopes, but mine just didn't look that full. But still pretty good.
Cauliflower Poppers: Just what we need...a totally successful vegetable side (no sarcasm). Nothing other than spices were added, so that's great. Will definitely do again.
Chicken Alfredo Pizza: This has become a staple in our house (the night after we have alfredo pasta). We make the full sauce recipe, reserving 3/4 cup for the next night's pizza sauce.
Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites: Awesome, of course. Mine didn't look nearly as pretty, but does it matter?
Zucchini Boats: Also a really good vegetable dish. Just don't try to finish the broiling at your mother-in-law's house where her broiler is much stronger than yours and you nearly burn it. But if you do, try to save it just in time so it's not a total loss.
Lime and Coconut Chicken: Can't say yet as this is tonight's dinner!
And if it seems like I'm overly generous with my "yums," well I am. But of course I only pin things I think I'll like. Turns out I'm pretty easy.
In a few recent conversations with a friend, it's come up that I don't consider myself a girly-girl. When I did some deep introspection, I found out that's not entirely true. I just don't know how true or false it is. Like other things, I'm not entirely in one camp or the other, but a good mix of the two (I think). As a statistician, I want a quantifiable measure of this "girlitude" so here's my attempt. I will rate myself on a scale of 0 - 10, 0 being totally masculine (think of a gladiator head-banging to heavy metal), 10 being totally feminine (think geisha girl dancing to medieval music), and 5 being somewhere in the middle.
1. Sports. Here I get a 9. I exercise in the form of running (or these days, some Jillian added in). But in all other aspects, ugh. I don't like to watch nor follow sports. Even less enjoyable than watching sports is playing them. I am not tall nor athletically gifted and am becoming less coordinated as I age. And even though I know those things don't matter, I just don't enjoy it.
2. Hair. Here I get a 3. I have very long hair right now, which makes me more feminine, but I do absolutely nothing with it. Chuck uses more product than I. In fact, I don't think I even have any product in my house right now (other than Chuck's gel). This has come after a lifetime of disappointment when I try new things (perms, hot rollers, plain ol' curling iron). So now I just don't even bother. It used to be that on days when I washed my hair, it would at least be down. But not anymore. Ponytail every day = very sad.
3. Clothing. I have to go 5 on this on. I like clothes and I want to look nice, but I don't feel like I have good style. I need to be schooled in this.
4. Shopping. Related to clothes, is shopping. My score here is 5. I hate shopping for clothes. I feel (like probably most women) that nothing ever fits my body right. My thighs are too big and my legs too short, making shopping very depressing. I do, however, love shopping for other things. I love the thrift store, camping stores, fabric stores, and book stores. Target and Ikea could (and did!) fill whole childless evenings!
5. Shoes. This has potential to be a 9, but sadly is a 4. I really like shoes. I like wearing them and love how I can make an outfit that much better by adding fun shoes. But holding me back on this is the fact that I have very little feet. Did you know that most shoe manufacturers don't even make shoes in my size? For most companies, women's shoes at the smallest are a size 6, and for my size 4s or 5s, that's not good enough. So my selection is really limited. I've come to terms with it, but it just means shoes aren't that fun for me.
6. Books. I think I'm a 7 here. Team Jacob or Team Edward, though it means something to me because I read the books, otherwise means nothing. I love Jane Austen, but am drawn to the women characters who are strong. Which is why I love "The Good Earth." I also love Wallace Stegner because he writes such real love stories. I love real. I also love historical fiction because it's kind-of real ("The Pillars of the Earth" or James Michener being at the top). But please don't ask me to read teen stuff. I can't. I almost puked re-reading the first "Babysitter's Club" book last month.
7. Movies. Definitely a 2. Most movies with Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock, or Reese Witherspoon make me want to gouge out my eyes (figuratively). I can't sit through predictable romantic comedies, much to my parents' dismay and husband's glee. I love independent films. And some of my favorite movies can be graphic or even violent (I don't do sexy ones though).
8. Home Dec. Definitely a 10. I love decorating and find completely enjoyment out of it. I also find complete disgust in apartments that have one thing on the wall...hung with a push pin...at an angle. Maybe this is okay if you're 22, male, and single, but not now. Well, at least not for me and my house.
9. Weddings. This is probably a 3. Yes, I wanted a nice wedding, and I wanted a memorable day, but my wedding day wasn't something I daydreamed about for years and years. I didn't look at wedding magazines while we were engaged or before. I didn't even go dress shopping (just used Emily's). I knew I wanted a simple cake at a simple reception (but just not in a cultural hall). It was a big day; it was an important day. But everything else was just small details.
10. Food. A solid 8. I don't eat a lot of red meat or potatoes. I prefer chicken...white meat chicken. I am generally adventurous and love food that's pretty and yummy. However, I don't love "pretty food," like the stuff you'd see on cooking shows. I always look at that and think, "WHAT?! They paid what for that meal and it's like a sprig of parsley and one shrimp. I don't think so!"
So my total score was a 56 out of 100. The dancing geisha girl has a slight edge over head-banging gladiator, but really, this is what I expected. You?
Please do not come at me with things like, "Hey, I'm a man and I don't like sports." Look I get it. I'm completely and unfairly generalizing and using stereotypes. I know. But please, do disagree with any assumptions I've made. I can take it.
And did you love the picture of a geisha girl dancing not to Japanese music, but to medieval music? I did.
Finally, do any toddlers/preschoolers want to run this with Rhett? It's the first time that I've seen it done on a Saturday and I'm so excited (as is Rhett)!
While talking to my sister the other day, we briefly discussed our grocery items' prices, but I want to explore this further. I certainly expect us to have different experiences grocery shopping because I live in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. while she is in small-town Colorado (but big enough for a Target and Walmart). Below you'll find a list of some of our staples. If you don't mind (and if you know), please share the regular prices and/or sale prices of these items:
Gallon of milk
Pound of chicken breast
Cheerios
8 oz block of cheddar
Loaf of whole wheat bread
Goldfish crackers
Yoplait 6 oz. yogurt
Tortillas
Pound of bananas
Feel free to tell me the prices of other things; I just might not know our D.C. prices.
Our babysitters club is still going strong. Even Ollie is doing awesome, feeding himself his bottle at the last one. Our original five families will soon be at nine kids and then a tenth in July. It's so fun to watch these kids grow and play!
Chuck and I babysat the first two of the current "semester" and had the last two as dates. The first date of the year was pretty pathetic. We had a Groupon for dinner, which was fine, but then we ended up walking the mall. Ugh. It ended on a good note with pedicures, but still. The mall? When you're in your 30s and it's a Saturday night? Double ugh.
Last Saturday, however, was great. We started with dinner at McDonald's (I know, I know, but I really wanted a darn ice cream cone). We then went to Best Buy wherein I totally impulse bought a new iPod nano just so I could use this super cool new slap bracelet while running. I mean, c'mon, can you blame me? So cool. Now with my Garmin watch on one hand and this on the other, I'll feel a bit more balanced.
Then we went to the thrift store and spent a good amount of time just browsing the store...without kids. We ended up walking out of there with too many kids' books (of course), a new metal container for Bruno's treats, some "rollerblades" for Rhett, a Scrabble game (with all 100 wooden tiles for only $2!), and these awesome Steve Madden shoes...that actually fit me! (Mine are brown, however.)
As much as I love these nights, which is a lot, we sometimes struggle to find things to do. This is especially harder in the winter when being outside is hard. We'd love to play tennis together, but indoor tennis is expensive. We thought about seeing a movie, but not one appealed to us. A lot of plays and other shows start later than we can do...so any suggestions for out next night out? We can't take any more shopping.
P.S. I Skyped with my sister and her littles last night. One of the kids waved the Book of Mormon in front of the webcam so I mentioned that Rhett loves reading the Book of Mormon, especially the parts with bad guys. My sister's oldest son (who turns eight next month), then asked, "Does he like Hitler?" Uh, sorry Miles, but we haven't quite gotten there yet. Isn't that just great?! (Please know I'm not saying Hitler is great.) Kids.
While I'm certainly not Cupid's enemy, I'm not the biggest Valentine's Day fan either. I don't go all out on presents nor do I expect to be all-outed-on. This year Chuck got my V-day present just right: one white Gerber daisy. Love. But without kids in school (so no mass Valentines to make), it's just sort of an ordinary day.
But where I do like to step up my game for this holiday is in the eating (of course). Being on a lame diet put a damper on it this year, however. I decided on heart-shaped pizza for dinner and some cake pops for dessert. Easy, no? I've been to a couple of parties recently wherein cake pops were served and they were so delicious. And beautiful. I was at first awed by the someones creating these lovelies, but when another party-goer told me how "easy" they were to make, I thought that maybe Rhett would like them for his birthday party instead of cake. When he said yes, I knew I had to have a trial run, and what better time that V-day? None.
Well, it turns out these babies aren't "easy." I enlisted Chuck and we had myriad problems. I think I put in too much icing which made them not want to stick to the pop nor get into lovely spherical shapes. They were either too warm or too cold which wreaked havoc on us, I just don't know where to place the fault for this one. We also didn't have enough coating for the outside. Technically, I guess we did have enough, but not enough to actually dip the last half or so, which meant some seriously ugly scraping.
I had to leave the work area and tend to the dishes while Chuck finished (and really, started) with them. It was just too upsetting. But once I tasted one, I was done being upset because they were so very yummy. And for this girl, whose teeth are sweeter than about anyone I know, I could only handle two. They were that wicked.
This is what we ended up with. It's a pretty sad Valentine's Day bouquet, if you ask me. (Can you see the one that slid all the way down the stick? Ha.) I will tell you that they did get eaten, and eaten quickly. I had some restraint, but we were lucky to have company on V-day eve and then we sent some with family and to the babysitter. I just don't know if I have the guts to try it again for Rhett's birthday.
P.S. We didn't bother with heart-shaping the pizza. It was just too much work and I didn't care enough.
P.P.S. Patch me! I ran with both kids on Wednesday! The trick was convincing Chuck to come along and then having him ditch me at the last second (with the only acceptable excuse, mind you). The weather was so beautiful, the boys were in good spirits, the Garmin watch was ready for the intervals, and I was dressed. There were no other options. But it went great and I didn't die. It will be done again, with or without Chuck.
Saying prayers...
Rhett: Thank you for Ollie and his bounce-ness. And for Bruno and his sticking out tongue.
Right before saying another night's prayers, I got frustrated with Rhett and has gazillion stuffed animals. I said, mostly under my breath, that I was going to take them all away. Rhett, of course, objected to having them put in the trash. I said that I'd never put them in the trash, but rather give them to children who don't have any. He was a bit upset and it came out in his prayer.
Rhett: And please don't let Mom put my stuffed animals in the trash or give them away.
And then after the prayer, Rhett made sure I knew what he asked for and then said, "Heavenly Father and Jesus won't let you get my stuffed animals." How can I get rid of them now? Sheesh.
Chuck: Hey Rhett, does Mom throw like a girl?
Rhett: No.
Me: Then do I throw like a boy?
Rhett: No, you throw like an alien!
Rhett tells a joke...
Rhett: Knock knock.
Me: Who's there?
Rhett: Banana.
Me: Banana who?
Rhett: Knock knock.
Me: Who's there?
Rhett: Banana.
Me: Banana who?
Rhett: Knock knock.
Me: Who's there?
Rhett: Banana.
Me: Banana who?
Rhett: Knock knock.
Me: Who's there?
Rhett: Banana.
Me: Banana who?
Rhett: Aren't you glad I didn't say orange?
Although Rhett has only recently started enjoying drawing, whenever he draws boys, he always is sure to include the penis. When I asked him why, he says because he wants it to look real. Riiiiight. "Real." This drawn man has arms coming from his non-existent neck and Rhett is concerned with reality. Oh how I love this kid and his drawings.
Although the serger has made it from the box to the table, I've yet to use it. I'm just scared. But I'll get there. I have a lifetime, right? Anyway, three friends are having babies within four weeks of each other. This meant three baby showers within three weeks. Which meant three gifts. Which meant assembly-line style projects that, unfortunately, were not special and unique. I feel bad, but not bad enough to plan three different gifts for them. Only one baby was a girl, so she got this little bonnet. (Excuse the weird picture of Ollie.) Adapted from this tutorial at Sew, Mama, Sew.
Everyone got one of these. Little Ollie has been eating up his, so hopefully the new babies will too. Has anyone out there sewn minky before? Ugh! I will never do that again.
I was commissioned to make a French-themed baby banner for one of the showers . I was given an idea and told to run with it. This is what I came up with. Fun, right? I'm still kicking myself for not spelling it in French, however.
And finally, Rhett's "real" quilt. I made this rag quilt for him before he was born, but once Ollie got a "real" quilted quilt, I felt Rhett needed one. And it's been fun because he's been so excited to use it. I love the deep colors and the fun robots. Perfect for my little buddy.
You know how they are always telling us things to do, like things that will save us money or keep us alive longer? Some friends and I were recently discussing whether or not we do them.
Things like buy organic, free-range, or local foods. Do you do this? We don't. Sure we could afford it, but then the boys wouldn't be able to go to college. (We joked that they'll never get to college: either our cheap chicken will get to them first, or our organic chicken would eat their college savings. Sorry boys!) In all seriousness, it would take a tweaking of the budget and moving money from another purse to the grocery one. It's just not a change we're willing to make in the name of food that may or may not be healthier for us.
Also, do you unplug your appliances when not in use? Like the computer or TV? No way do we do this either. Do I get points for unplugging the toaster though? But let's be honest: the computer is on all day (even though a lot of the time it's in "sleep" mode). But it's certainly never unplugged. Nor the TV. You?
And how about those passwords? Do you make them all different? Do you change them all the time? Do you always include at least one capital letter, one lowercase, one number, and one special character, and a Norwegian rune? And do you have the same password for every site, or different?
I collect patches when I travel to new places. I sew them onto my travel duffel (or they just sit in my craft closet waiting to be sewn) and it makes me feel happy to see them and remember my days on the move. A lot of my patches came from my European backpacking trip with Rachael and wow, was that a time. Such good memories. In fact, I'm not sure any of the patches bring up bad memories.
Anyway, patches. When a friend and I were recently discussing doing things that made us feel good about our mom-selves, I couldn't help but think of mom patches. Of course mom patches aren't a thing...yet. But I really think they should be. If I knew how to make patches, I'd make these.
And exactly what would you have to do to get a so-called "mom patch?" How about going to the grocery store with n + 1 kids (n being the number of kids you had before recently giving birth)? For me, going with both kids (and no husband) for the first time was a big deal. I was so gosh-darn proud of myself, even if I did only purchase three things. Give me a patch!
What else...What about walking both kids and the dog? With two in the stroller-as-wide-as-a-house and a dog who has to stop to pee every 10 yards, this is a big deal. I want a patch!
And DUH. Potty training. Hello! If anything deserves a mom patch (or a new wardrobe complete with pedicure) it's potty training. Totally patch-worthy. (I should mention that in our house, this is a dad patch. But still, just as deserved.)
One more that comes to mind: my first pie. The first time I made a pie with a homemade-by-me crust, I was ecstatic. Patch me!
For what haven't I earned a patch? Running with both kids. Now that Ollie's six months old, I technically can. But 35-pound Rhett + 15-pound Ollie + 30-pound stroller = 80 pounds of "I am totally scared to." Nor have I ventured downtown or on the metro with both kids. But I'd want a patch for that, for sure.
Turns out there are a lot of places online that will make them for you! If I buy 100+, one place will charge only $1.54 per patch! I could totally sell them on Etsy for $4 a piece right?! So, uh, any other ideas for things that you feel should be awarded with patches? What made you feel proud and/or accomplished as a mom or as a woman? If I'm to run a successful mom patch business, I need other people under me (preferably ones making no money) giving me all the great ideas. Spit 'em out, people!
Okay people. Why did no one warn me about this? (Translation: "Why was I so dumb?! Talk about mom-of-the-year award for sure.")
What is this totally awesome mom moment of mine? Well remember when I lamented the loss of Rhett's naps? Right. It was just last week. Last Monday he still napped after a morning at the bounce place. On Wednesday he napped because we spent the morning with friends at a playground. But on Friday, after a quiet morning in the house wherein we practiced our cutting skills by cutting out Valentine's Day hearts, I thought I'd give "quiet time" a go. I was ready. I prepped the library so Rhett could be in there (giving Ollie the crib to nap). I stocked it with coloring books, crayons, scissors, and more hearts. I cleared the plethora of stuffed animals from the bean bag chair so he could read to his heart's content. I told you: I was ready.
It started out beautifully. He was quiet for about an hour when I noticed he was playing with the door handle. He told me he needed to go to the bathroom, so I opened the door to help. That's when I see it. Now it's your turn. What is that? (Take a guess. Go on. I've given you all the clues you need.)
At first I couldn't tell what it was. Then I thought it was down from the couch cushions except that we have no couches in there. Then I thought it was the stuffing from the bean bag chair except that the stuffing is more like packing peanuts and actually bean-shaped. When I finally found my voice, I said (obviously), "What. Is. This??" Rhett then proceeded to tell me how he cut his stuffed animals' hair. That's right. He gave them all haircuts. Oh wait, he corrected me. "Not all of them, Mom." He spared the bears brought from Japan by my father in 1985--phew. But the others weren't so lucky. I buckled over, half laughing, half crying. Because of my confusing response, Rhett didn't know what to do. When I left and came back with the camera, I'm pretty sure he knew he wasn't going to spend all afternoon in time out.
Of course I left it for Chuck to find. It was just too awesome. You'll be happy to know that we gave him a strict lecture about not cutting his stuffed animals' hair...nor his own, nor anything that isn't paper. Who thought these things needed to be said?!
I guess I should be grateful he didn't cut his own hair, or even worse, his own finger or some other appendage. I mean, what kind of mom leaves a three-year-old alone with scissors?! Not this one, I tell you. Not again anyway. Let this be your lesson, friends. Although I'm pretty sure you're all smart enough to not need a lesson from me on this topic. Let's be honest. This was "Mom 101." Not even. This was "Mom 99: Remedial Parenting." I'm hoping I can squeak by with a D after this debacle.
Little Ollie is six months old. In my head I'm still counting down the months until he's big enough for other things, but I'll spare you. Of course we love this little guy no matter his age. (Checkup isn't until next week so I can't report stats).
We started giving him solid foods and he seems to enjoy it. I think he'd rather jump right in to pb&j, but we'll wait on that. Right now he likes applesauce, bananas, and sweet potatoes. He does not like avocado. Sigh. Am I destined to remain the only person in my family who likes this fruit?
We had a false alarm on his crawling last week. The babysitter called me at work to tell me he crawled, but after a week of not seeing it repeated, I'm doubtful. He does try, however. He gets up on all fours (sometimes knees, sometimes feet) but then doesn't know to move his arms. Usually he just takes a big push from his feet and face plants onto the ground. It's pretty fun to watch. If he doesn't face plant, then he sits down on his side (see Exhibit 3 below). I call it his "sitting on top of a car trying to sell it" pose. I love it.
He LOVES Bruno. I mean, LOVES. I think he is happier upon sight of Bruno than he is when he sees me, Chuck, and Rhett. I'm okay with this.
Because of our warm weather (70 on Wednesday), we've been able to be outside a lot. I think he likes that. I hope he likes that.
He's still doing a two-nap-a-day schedule and is pretty good at them. He goes to bed at 7 and then wakes sometime around 1 or 2 a.m. for a feeding. Then he'll sleep until the house gets up (or, if he wakes around 5:30, we let him sit there until it's time for the house to get up). It's okay. Not great, but certainly not horrible.
We love this boy!
Nope, not on Ollie, but on me. A friend told me that six months into the job of parenting two children is when I should start feeling good about it. And on Monday, for the first time in oh, six months, I got all of my daily chores done. She must be right.
So how's it going? Pretty good. Not great, but not too terribly either. As expected, a lot of it is hard. But unexpectedly, some things are easier. Here's what I'm talking about.
First, when Rhett was born, I really struggled with the loss of identity. Before Rhett, I felt like I was pretty cool. Chuck and I did cool things, traveled to cool places (okay, only two cool places, but still), easily took road trips...all that cool stuff that people with no kids do. But once Rhett was born, no more. I was afraid I was thrust into holiday-themed sweaters for eternity. I felt like as a Mom, I was no longer cool. (Why? Spit up on every outfit, restrictions on when and where we can go, eight bags just for a trip to the grocery store, etc.) It was hard. But with Ollie, hey! I was already uncool and I knew it! The adjustment to being an uncool mom was moot as I was already adjusted. (I should mention, I have since started to feel like I'm a cool mom, but I'm pretty sure I'm deluding myself.)
Related to this, when Rhett was an infant, I had no time to do anything that I wanted. It was all about him (and should have been). But that was hard. When was I going to sew, run, date my husband, sleep through the night? It seemed like those things were lost forever. But surprise, surprise--they returned! Slowly, and not all at once, they returned. So now with Ollie, I have full confidence that they'll return (and for the most part, they have already).
Also, when Rhett was little, I was bored to tears. I didn't know what to do with a six-month old who didn't like to play with toys for more than five minutes and found little understanding in visiting the library or the zoo. I felt guilty for dragging him along with me on errands, as I didn't want him forever in a car seat. But now? When Ollie's awake, he's with me and Rhett, just watching and learning and getting some quick giggles and tickles from us, in between our play. And when he's asleep, I get to play with Rhett some more. And if we want to go to the library or the zoo, sure he comes, but Rhett is the one enjoying everything (and I don't feel so awkward). So much better and less boring.
However, it has been harder in the sense of trying to balance the needs of both boys. Rhett needs to play and get out and see and do things. Ollie? He needs love, food, and naps. The love and food can certainly be attended to while on outings with Rhett, but not the sleep. (While Ollie slept easily in the car seat when he was teeny-tiny, it doesn't happen now.) In the winter, it's okay because we're not getting out as much, so I don't feel as guilty. But we've had a really mild winter and on those days with temperatures reaching 60 (yes, dayS--awesome!) I try to get Rhett and Ollie out, but our time is limited.
But after being a mom-of-two for six months, I have to say that I'm feeling pretty good. The boys (including Chuck) are happy and healthy. I'm feeling better and better about myself and the job I'm doing every day. Life is good!
P.S. An update on Rhett's naps. After Sunday's nap-free day, and Monday morning's trip to BounceU (local bounce crazy house), I knew Rhett would need a nap that afternoon. I put him in his room, told him to quiet down, and NO books (they distract him at nap time). A couple of minutes later strange sounds were coming from his room. I went in there expecting to find him reading. What did I find? His small chair standing on his bed so he could color a sheet of paper on it. That child. I removed the chair and the crayon. The paper was set up amongst his comforter so he could look at it, and ten minutes later, a 2.5-hour nap began. Phew!
