For Several Minutes At Least

As any mom will tell you, when there is something great that keeps your kid occupied for a good stretch of time, you will do anything to obtain that thing. Fortunately for us, lately these things have been good old household objects.

Exhibit A: The Water Bottle

Ideally for baby girl, the bottle would be full of water that she could drink, choke on, drink some more and then dump all over herself. We do however, usually try to refrain from giving her a full bottle. Luckily, the empty bottle brings a great deal of entertainment.






Exhibit B: The Laundry Basket

Now I will admit here the truth that I myself often put the baby in the basket to transport laundry where it needs to go. A girl only has so many arms. Plus, darn it, it's just cute to see babies in baskets.



Exhibit C: The Blush Brush

We have a cupboard on either side of our bed in which I keep lotion, cough drops, nail stuff, hair clips and other miscellaneous odds and ends. What could be more fun for a baby than rifling through such a cupboard? Thankfully, she doesn't know what everything on those shelves is used for.


Exhibit D: The Water Bottle

Have I mentioned how much fun this bottle was? Because really, she was busy playing with it for quite some time. As you can see here, she loves her bottle.








Exhibit E: The TP

Everyone knows the all-time best baby toy is a roll of toilet paper. It's not necessarily the easiest to clean up, but if it lets me go to the bathroom in peace, it's ok with me.







What are/were your kids favorite household toys?

Some decisions are harder to make than others.

It's generally pretty easy to choose what to wear in the morning. Is it warm? Wear flip-flops. Is it cold? Put on a sweater.

It's not a hard choice to pick between a vanilla latte and plain black coffee, for me, that's a simple decision. I'll choose the latte any day.

When I get the chance to buy a new book, it might take a little longer to peruse the aisles and find a way to pick between the good old classic or the newly acclaimed title.

Then there are the decisions about how to raise your kid. Choosing what is the healthiest to feed them, how to train and discipline, which toys are or are not safe, where to send them to daycare/preschool/school etc and so forth.

This week offers us another chance to make a decision. It should probably be put in the medium-decision folder. It will definitely impact your life, but it doesn't compare to the which college to go to or who to marry folder.

This week marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Tomorrow we will be heading to IHOP for free pancakes and enjoy a dinner (or brinner?) of stuffing our faces with syrup and starch. Wednesday we will be heading down the block to Sacred Heart to participate in an Ash Wednesday service.

This year I am finding it difficult to decide what to give up for Lent knowing that whatever I take out should be replaced with time spent with God. I need to start a spring cleanse as winter eating has definitely caught up with me. Frankly, I just need to be spending more time with God. There will probably be some tv cut out as well as some computer time.

I've still got two days to decide specifically.

What are you giving up for Lent this year?

I Guess It's Tuesday

Apparently, I totally jinxed myself by saying my kid was a good sleeper. Isn't that just how it always goes?

With only one nap under her belt yesterday, I expected a great night but she woke up twice and then got up at 6:45. Now, some of you may have early risers and are used to this kind of activity, but my girl is an 8:00 getter-upper. Anything before that is unholy in my opinion.

Let's hope she naps well at daycare today.

In other news, my latest post is live at 5 Minutes for Going Green. My hands are itching to get into the dirt.

Sweet Sleep

We seem to have hit a beautiful milestone that I didn't think would ever arrive.

At five weeks old, my precious bundle of joy began sleeping long stretches at night with no interruptions. Almost every night would find her sleeping a little bit longer at a go and her Mama and Daddy rejoiced with their amazingly gifted child.

We were prepared for a downturn in the sleeping to come around month four, which is truly did. In reading different parenting sites and advice blogs I heard about the Wonder Weeks. According to this research, there are 8 key times in your baby's development when their sleep patterns (and practically everything else they do) are affected by what is currently developing in their brains. Week 16 is one of the main spurts. Basically, their brain is on overdrive and their bodies can't quite keep up! Sometimes it causes extra sleep and other times it keeps them awake at all hours.

Randall recovered a few weeks later and started sleeping heartily again. Until the six month stint hit along with her deciding to push out a bunch of teeth. From six months until very recently, baby girl had a rough time sleeping. As all parents know from the start, sleep is a precious commodity to be treasured at every turn. We had some nights where she would wake every 5-10 minutes for up to two hours and other nights it was once an hour all night long. She always went to bed very easily but fussing would ensue at any time.

There were colds and changes in her schedule, travel and lots of teething. We did a bit of cry-it-out, a bit of rock-it-out and a bit of please-God-make-her-sleep. I think we had resigned ourselves to the fact that we would never get a full night's sleep again.

However, something must have finally clicked in her head. My girl is healthy, happy and once again sleeping like a champ for 12 hours straight, in spite of another tooth popping out at the moment. Her Mama and Daddy are so proud, knowing that we can really take none of the credit. (also knowing that it could change at a moment's notice.)

Darn it, this kid is the best.

Happy Hearts

Today was a busy day running around. There was a haircut to be had for the hubby (at which point he remembered that he had left his dress shirt for work at home and we had to stop at Target for a replacement) a free lunch from Moe's to be picked up, then off to work for the afternoon and evening.

Baby girl loves going to church. There are tons of new fun toys to explore and she spent at least twenty minutes or more climbing into and around the infant bouncers and the exer-saucers. She was exploring her roots.

Fortunately, she went down easily for a nap so I was able to prep for work. Since I planned to teach tonight, I had to learn my story and check the props as well as get my regular stuff set up and ready to go for my own volunteers.

There were quite a few missing pieces this evening, but there were also a great group of people who were willing to just pitch in and fill empty spots wherever they were needed. I can never get enough of that kind of amazing attitude!

After a long night and a great service, we tiredly headed home to prepare dinner and put the babe to bed. She soaks in the people and attention from everyone around but crashes soon after getting home. What a nice surprise to find valentine's in the mail from The Grandparents.

It's time for that chicken pot pie I just took out of the oven and a little bit of tv recorded from last night before we crash into bed ourselves ready to go to work again tomorrow morning. Weekends are long, but they are good.

Happy Hearts Day to you!

My Review of Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat - Tan Swirl

Toys R Us

The Britax Roundabout® compact convertible car seat is renowned for safety, comfort, and convenience. The Roundabout's compact size is ideal for use with vehicles with limited rear-seat space. The tangle-free, five-point harness with three harness heights ensures a snug and secure fit. ...

Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat - Tan Swirl

A great carseat!

Anne Michigan 2/11/2009

4 5

Pros: Comfortable, Great Features, Safe, Sturdy, Easy to install, Lightweight, Easy to Adjust, Stylish

Best Uses: Toddlers, Infants

Describe Yourself: First Time Parent

A friend had recommended this seat to us, but we still tried another before realizing she was right in the first place. This seat is compact and works great for our car. Baby seems to be very comfy and loves her new seat. I love the velcro to keep the straps in place so I don't always have to fish around for them when I'm putting her in. Very easy to use, install and fasten her in securely while also being less pricey than some fancier models.
Love it!

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Since baby girl is still too small to face forward, she gets to continue watching the world fly by backwards. She doesn't usually enjoy getting into the car (it usually means leaving something fun she was doing) but once she's in her seat she just stares at the scenery as it goes by.

Food or Fiction

We've apparently passed the, "I don't want to eat that" stage and hopped directed into the, "give me more, give me more, give me more" stage. Sometimes I can't feed this kid enough! Though, when it's not what she wants and there IS something else she would prefer, a fit will inevitably be thrown.

She seems to enjoy a good fit now and then. She is definitely not a fan of getting changed. Especially when said fit would cause poo to go all over our body and clothing during the changing. It's lovely, really.



I couldn't help but just laugh at her today. I was able to get her cleaned up, and though much screaming and twisting and turning ensued, a new diaper was put on. However, the tantrum didn't end there. One would have thought she was worshiping me with all the bowing down and arms thrown at my feet if it weren't for the sobbing and tears that went with it. Course, she could have just been repentant. It was just hilarious. She's too little to be offended so I got a hearty chuckle at her sad expense.

All that to say, she has been so super sweet and adorable lately. This kid gives the best hugs, wrapping her arms tight around your neck and patting your back. I can't get enough.

In other interesting (only to me, I know, but this is my blog for my own posterity, right?) news, the kiddo has been sleeping through the night. Every other night. For some reason, one night she will be up for hours whining and fussing in her bed and the next night she'll happily sleep 12 hours in a row. Keeps me on my toes, this one does.

Plus, it also appears that if I put her down at juuust the right time, she will nap for three hours straight. This is great for getting tons of housework done. Or for a lot of internet downtime with coffee and my blogs. Or whatever.

Saved By the Mailman

Some days my head is less screwed on than others.

Today seems to be one of those days.

My list is long:

1. Fix and finish taxes on Turbo Tax. Something went awry and I want to get it submitted.
2. Dishes
3. Laundry - clothing & diapers
4. Tidying
5. Sweeping, vacuuming, dusting. Ugh, it's a mess.
6. Send out thank-yous and birthday cards.
7. Work on baby book--I'm actually almost finished.
8. Work on blurb photo book--I'm almost finished with this as well.
9. Program music and lyrics for our family production this Wednesday.
10.Make dinner for tonight and plan a menu for the week.
11. Start my small group study book.
12. Sewing repairs. The pile is small but they are things that urgently need fixing.

For some reason, it seems like there is likely more to be done, but this is all that is coming to my brain right now. At any rate, in the midst of my working this morning, I got most of my thank-yous and birthday cards written and mailed with no concern for any consequences.

Who would have consequences for mailing out birthday cards anyway?

Apparently, I would.

Half an hour after I retrieved my mail from the mailbox, there was a knock on the door.

"Great," I think. "Here I am in my bathrobe, jammies and glasses on." It was noon and still I hadn't yet gotten myself presentable for the day. (Hey, back off! It's Monday, what do you expect? I'm lucky I'm getting so much done as it is!)

I open the door to find my mailman standing there.

"Is this yours?" he asks.

He handed me my credit card. Apparently, I had tried to mail it.