For Remembrance.

I love the noise Thomas makes when he first grabs a pacifier and puts it in his mouth.

I love seeing him in pajamas, particularly striped ones.  He has new bat pajamas with glow-in-the dark stars on them, and I left him in them all day yesterday, because they were too cute to take off.

I love how my little Trex will crawl (well, he used to crawl--now he attempts to walk) around with a blanket over his head until he hits something or gets stuck.

I love it when he gives head-butt "kisses" to his stuffed animals, but especially when he gives them to me.  He'll press his whole face against my face and just rest it there for a few seconds.

I love his Frankenstein walk.  Especially when he's wearing his "skinny" jeans.

I love that when Thomas hears the door being unlocked, he stops, stands alert, and then either makes a dash for his daddy, or starts showing off, waiting for his daddy to come see his newest trick.

I love the noises Thomas makes when he pushes cars and trucks around his room, and I love the way he scoots around on one knee when he does this.

I love his fearlessness.  There are very few things he's afraid of--the blender is one of the only things I can think of.

I love it when he shakes his head "no."  I'm sure it'll get old, but it's cute and since he refuses to try to talk, it's nice to see some attempt at communication.

I love how he makes gaga eyes at little girls.  He's sure to be quite the ladies' man one day.

I love how Thomas eats goldfish and cheerios sometimes--he sucks on them for a second, making a "kissy-face" and then chews them up and swallows.  He loves to stuff 2-4 goldfish in his mouth at a time, and I wonder how they all fit.

A couple of days ago, he was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and he decided that he'd had enough and wanted to get down, but Jake and I were still eating, so we were making him stay in his high chair.  He looked at me, smirked, grabbed a piece of sandwich with his thumb and pointer finger, held it over the side of the high chair, looked at me with an "I dare you to stop me" face, and then dropped it onto the floor.  I said something like, "No, Thomas.  That's bad!"  He started laughing harder than I'd ever heard him laugh and proceeded to grab another piece of sandwich and toss it over, too.  I was trying hard to be stern.  Jake wasn't helping...laughin "behind his hand," which wasn't very sneaky and Thomas thought he was hot stuff.  He proceeded to drop all of the sandwich bites over the side of his high chair.

When Thomas wants something (to climb up the stairs, to play with the toilet paper, etc) and I won't let him have it, he cries and sometimes screams, and that's not good, but when I pick him up and try to re-direct him, he cries, screams, and kicks his little legs ferociously, and I kind of think it's funny.

When he is in his crib, but doesn't want to take a nap, he bangs his pacifier on the bars of the crib to make a clanking noise.  Sometimes he kicks them instead.  He likes to sleep the short way in his crib, but he gets stuck sometimes, because he's so tall now.  He also likes to have a spare pacifier when he goes to sleep.  The pacis always seem to end up behind the crib, and I have to clean them out on a weekly basis.  Also, he always seems to need to poop during his naps, so I have to figure out whether or not he's fussing because he's resisting nap-time, or if he's fussing because he's filled up his diaper.  My favorite is when he sleeps on his belly with his little bottom poked up in the air.

Trex loves to try to put lids on containers--specifically his little cheerio containers.  He likes to put cheerios into the container and then dump them out.  He loves to try to stir them with a spoon, and sometimes he puts them on a spoon and tries to get them into his mouth with it.  So far he's been unsuccessful, but I know he'll get it soon.  He's very determined.

Thomas refuses most real food.  He loves most all Stage 2 baby food.  He gags and spits out all Stage 3 babyfood.  He refuses mashed potatoes--what kid doesn't like mashed potatoes?  Sometimes he likes bananas, PB&J, cheese, french fries, bologna, mac n' cheese, pancakes, and bite-sized canned or frozen veggies.  Sometimes he does not.  He likes to keep me on my toes, I suppose.  He is always willing to eat yogurt, applesauce, fruit snacks, and most anything sweet.  He ate some chicken from my plate last night, and I felt it was the highest compliment my cooking had ever received.

What's for Dinner?

I've been having some trouble with picking out and preparing meals every night of the week.  It's challenging for me to plan ahead and be creative with food, so I've been looking for things to help me with planning inexpensive, delicious, and varied meals.  I've exhausted lasagna and homemade pizza.  We're also kinda burnt out on bean burritos, spaghetti, and breakfast for dinner.

On Pinterest, I found an idea that I really liked for creating a rotating meal calendar.  Once I finally got around to gathering a list of all the dinner ideas I have ever successfully cooked, it wasn't too hard at all.  I printed the meal ideas out, bought a picture frame, painted clothespins, painted crayon boxes for card holders, and slapped some glue on that sucker.  (Ok, it took me about a week, and quite a bit of frustration when I painted my clothespins shut and snapped them in half as I tried to re-open them.)  Overall, I think it turned out well, and I can even add new recipes to the rotation as I continue my hunt for good food.  I'm really excited to use it for the coming weeks :)

If you have any awesome dinner ideas you'd like to contribute to the "Save Jake from Anymore Lasagna Crusade" please leave them in the comments!

Handiwork.

Lately I've been obsessed with blogs which provide tutorials on how to sew things without a pattern.  Patterns drive me crazy.  They're tedious and difficult to read.  Here are some of my creations :)

With this skirt, I learned how to do pleats (which were surprisingly easy).  I would have posted a picture of the entire ensemble, but alas, my shirt appears transparent in all the pictures I took.  I thought I would spare you that view.

That's a pencil skirt with a 3in elastic waistband.  Please ignore my lack of make-up and crazy hair.  I had been slaving away in the upstairs bonus room for the past several hours and it was hot.  The green skirt was originally intended to be a maxi, but I failed to take into account the fact that maxi skirts are supposed to be fairly loose and billowy.  It was a close call...in my frustration, the trashcan was calling my name.  I was pleased with the save, though.

Lastly, I used the leftover gray/yellow fabric to make some yoga shorts.  I think I'd better start working on some tops to go with all of my new bottoms!  Maybe I'll even get around to making some trex clothes...

Look What I Did.

This past weekend, we went to visit Jake's sister and her family.  It was a lot of fun being an aunt...I don't get a lot of practice with that around here.  When I visit my sister-in-law, I always come home with ideas of fun crafts and projects to try (she's pretty much a super mom and has tried just about everything cool). 

One of the nifty things I found was a grocery bag holder.  In a deep, dark corner of my kitchen, I shamefully hide a cabinet full of grocery bags.  It's nasty and a waste of space.  Thomas loves to open this particular cabinet and pull everything out of it on a regular basis. 

I asked my sil how she made it and was surprised to hear that she had bought it from Walmart for about $2--why would you bother making something that you can buy for so cheap? 

On Tuesday, I decided to search for my own grocery bag holder.  After quite a bit of searching, I found that they are called grocery bag "dispensers."  I wasn't able to find anything nearly so inexpensive (plus, I wanted something fun to do), so I decided to make one on my own.

I used some leftover fabric and elastic and voila--here's what I ended up with:

Cute, huh?

It's not as cute when filled with grocery bags.  If I were to make another one, I would probably make it wider.

I couldn't quite fit my entire collection of grocery bags in there, so there's a good chance I'll make another.  Still, I'm on my way to more cabinet space to fill with fun new kitchen gadgets...right Jake?

Little Tyke.

Today Thomas was playing with a toy he found hiding in his closet.  I put it away several weeks ago in an attempt to make it "new" again, and he re-discovered it while I was hanging his newly laundered shirts.  He pulled it out and was trying to make it squeak.

 
He never could get it to squeak, because he has to push down hard and remove his hand quickly--he's not fast enough.  (The little green circle is rubbery and squeaks.)  I saw him trying to squeak it and quickly moved to help.  I grabbed Thomas' hand in mine and pushed down rapidly to make it squeak.  He was delighted.

 We did this several times, when all of a sudden, Thomas pulled his hand out from under mine and pushed my hand away.  Then he tried to squeak the toy all by himself.  After several attempts, he couldn't quite get the hang of it, and so he reached over to me and pulled my hand back so that I could help him.  We squeaked together for a minute or so.

With a little more practice, he managed to do it all by himself.  I love that Thomas is learning and growing everyday.  I love that he knows he can count on me to help.

For those of you with perpetually cloudy glass shower doors.

My mom and dad recently gave their house a face-lift.  They had the entire thing re-painted.  They also cleaned/re-finished/replaced most of the floors.  In addition, they had their shower replaced.  When the shower people came, they educated my mom on proper shower cleaning techniques.

According to the shower people, you should never use commercial cleaners on tile.  They advised that you clean your shower with vinegar and blue Dawn soap.  They also said that the blue Dawn soap should be used to clean the glass doors of the shower. 

Seeing as how Jake and I just moved into a brand-spanking new house with a tile/glass door shower, I filed away that information for when my shower got dirty.  I'm slightly embarrassed to say that today I finally put that information to good use and cleaned out my shower. 

I was skeptical at first, thinking that Dawn belonged in the kitchen, not in the bathroom.  However, I am delighted to report that Dawn cleaned my shower better than any cleaner I've ever used!  My shower doors are clear without any soap-scum cloudiness.  It glistens.  It's beautiful.  And it smells good too!

Don't Rock the Boat.

So, I had goals.  I had organization and structure.  I was getting good at this mom thing...and then life happened.

We house hunted, we found a house, and we moved (hello garage, I have missed you).

Thomas went berserk and decided to become an insomniac (he's getting used to the new house now), then he learned how to CRAWL.

Thomas proceeded to drop his evening nap (how am I supposed to cook dinner now??) and he became acquainted with his inner separation anxiety.  I'm pretty sure the neighbors can hear him whenever I leave the room.

I can't believe how fast life changes sometimes.  I did manage to get some professional pictures of the T-rex.  Sears did a good job, but I sure did miss Naomi--definitely worth the trip to SC.

Also, for those of you who said that I would be regretting the crawling phase when it arrived, nope.  I love it.  I don't love the bumps on his head or how EVERYTHING must be put away or be subjected to T-rex saliva, but I do love how a little bit of mobility allows him to entertain himself sometimes.

I also love walking into his nursery to find him pulled up at the side of the crib grinning at me.

Post-Pregnancy Milestone

When Thomas was about 4 months old, I was sorting through some old stuff and attempting to organize a closet when I came across several old pairs of jeans.  (Old meaning that I wore them before I got pregnant.)  I was foolish enough to try them on, and I couldn't get them past mid-thigh.  I practically cried.

Fast forward about 4 months.  Jake went on a business trip last week, and he needed a small suitcase for the trip.  Upon finding a suitable suitcase (haha...suitable suitcase), he opened it up and found my secret hiding place where I had stashed the offending jeans.  He graciously dumped the contents of the luggage on the floor and packed for his trip.  I have been staring holes in the jeans for the past week, contemplating the pros and cons of trying on a pair again.

Today I finally got up the courage.  I picked out the largest pair of pre-pregnancy jeans I could find and shimmied them up my legs, past my bottom, and up to my hips.  Cautiously, I tugged the zipper into place and buttoned them up.  I took a look in the mirror, and (for the first time in a while) thought, "I look good!"

I need a hero.

Dear Media:

I'm tired of hearing about how Mitt Romney can't relate to average Americans.  I don't want an average American to be my president.  So Romney can't relate to the poor and the destitute--who cares?  I don't want the homeless man off the corner of Walmart to be my leader.

Imagine if people told Superman, "Hey, we really don't think that you can relate to the average American, being an alien with superpowers and all.  We don't want you as our hero."  I'm not saying that Romney is Superman, but the analogy works.

If I broke my leg, I'd seek a doctor, not my neighbor.  And when I got to the doctor, I wouldn't ask him if he'd ever broken his leg before.  I wouldn't say to him, "Well, Mr. Doctor, if you've never broken your leg before, I just don't think you can understand my pain well enough to help me.  Please find me a doctor with a broken leg."  Again, Romney's no doctor, but you get what I mean:  I don't want the guy next door leading my country. 

Romney can successfully raise up a good family, run a highly profitable business, and lead the state of Massachusetts.  That makes for a good presidential resume to me.

What if Romney sneaked off into a foreign country, leaving all his money behind, and lived as a hobo for several years?  What if he were caught stealing from his own company and thrown into prison?  Would that be good enough for you?  Would that humanize him enough?  Sound familiar?  See Batman Begins for more details.

Sincerely,

Average American

Candles.

I love candles.  I love that they appeal to so many of my senses.  There's nothing like the warm, cozy flame of a candle to light up my home and the alluring aroma of a scented candle is much more preferable to any of the popular "plug-ins."

I'm excited to report that my mom recently introduced me to Woodwick, and now candles are even better because they appeal to my sense of hearing.  These candles burn with the sound of a crackling fire.

How's that for making a fireplace obsolete?  The only reason anyone has a fireplace anymore is for the mantle (it's nice to decorate)...and for Santa.

Mommyhood.

Being a stay-at-home mother is quite an adjustment.  I can now say that I am really enjoying it, but it took me about 5 months to get to this point.  I don't think I was very prepared for the experience since I hadn't spent a lot of time with babies.  I'm not even sure that spending more time around infants would have prepared me for the change.  I just know that I'm loving it now, and I'm so glad I'm not in the classroom teaching this year.

Things that make it hard:

1.  Lack of structure--I had to fix my schedule around my baby's schedule and (until recently) it's been rather sporadic.
2.  Lack of energy--It took me a long time to heal from pregnancy and delivery.  Babies don't really sleep much during the night for several months and sleeping while they sleep during the day wasn't working for me.  Also, I got mastitis 3 times.  Needless to say, I didn't feel like myself for a LONG time.
3.  Repetition--I felt like I was doing the same thing over and over and over again.  Feed the baby, change the baby's diaper, play with the baby (who really doesn't do much at first), fight to get the baby to sleep, repeat 6-7 times a day and at night as needed.

Things that I love:

1.  Being with my baby 24/7 and getting to see all his firsts.
2.  Having time to clean and organize.
3.  Flexibility.
4.  Not having to deal with crazy people's children and their "issues."
5.  Having time to develop new skills and talents.
6.  Truly getting to know Thomas--watching his eyes light up when he sees me :)


Good news:  Many of the things that make being a stay-at-home mom hard have gotten easier as Thomas has grown.  Also, the list of things I love about it is growing everyday!

Organizing.

I'm attempting to get organized.  I was reading Elder Ian S. Ardern's talk from the Conference Ensign entitled "A Time to Prepare," and it inspired me.


Inspiration:

"Let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text."

"The poor use of time is a close cousin of idleness."

"With the demands made of us, we must learn to prioritize our choices to match our goals or risk being exposed to the winds of procrastination and being blown from one time-wasting activity to another."

"As many have already discovered, there is an increase of happiness in life as we use our time to seek after those things which are virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy."


Implementation:

1.  Family History:  I will create my own family history through blogging, taking pictures, and making family videos (mostly of Thomas) at least once a week.

2.  Fitness:  I will take a walk with Thomas and do Zumba once a week.

3.  Education:  I will study my scriptures and/or the Ensign once daily.  I find and read literature about how to become a better homemaker and mother once a week.

4.  House of Order:  I will complete at least one major chore a day (except on the Sabbath).
--Laundry
--Vacuuming
--Clean Bathrooms
--Take out the trash
--Dust/windex
--Grocery Shopping

5.  Social:  I will spend time with friends at least once a week.  I will call and talk to a family member who does not live close by at least once a week.

6.  Create/Serve:  I will find something to organize, someone to serve, or something to make/create at least once a week.  (Kind of vague, I know.)

It feels good to have goals, even if they are a couple weeks late for the New Year.

Making Room.

Jake and I live in a 3 bedroom townhouse.  It's fairly large, but there is NO (only slight exaggeration) storage space.  The attic is access only, and the closets are all fairly small.  We've been using the 3rd bedroom as a glorified storage closet, but that all changed this weekend.

Our Friday night "date" consisted of de-junking and donating everything that we had not used in the past 2 years.  It was difficult to part with some things, but we figured that the chances of us using something that had just been sitting around for 2 whole years was unlikely.  We filled both our cars with stuff for Goodwill and trashed a lot of stuff that we didn't think anyone would want.

Our next step was to move most everything out.  We put stuff in our bedroom, other bathrooms, and the hallway.  After moving the queen-sized bed out of the T-rex's room and into the 3rd bedroom, things were finally starting to shape up.  We pulled 1/2 of our sectional couch into the baby's room and left the other half and the desk in the other room.

Saturday's main goal was to utilize the attic.  Jake borrowed my dad's new truck and a ladder.  He bought a couple pieces of plywood from Lowes, which we put in the attic to create some storage space.  Then we toted all of the odds and ends we hadn't donated up the ladder.  I just hope that nothing ends up falling through the ceiling on us!  I'll have to take pictures once we're finished--we still have a little work to do:  dusting and vacuuming.

Now that we have a real guest bedroom, someone needs to come visit us!!

Monopoly.

What a quality game.  I've recently fallen in love with Monopoly again.  For Christmas, I got the board game and the card game (yes there's a pretty good card game).  Jake got a Kindle Fire for Christmas and there just happened to be a free Monopoly app that I promptly downloaded.

My brother and sister-in-law introduced me to the card game several months ago.  Then, while visiting with Jake's sister, we had the pleasure of playing Monopoly with our nephew for his first game ever.

I recommend that you pull out the old Monopoly game and give it a try.  There's even this new electronic version for those of us who don't like to count ;)

Skinny.

One of my goals for 2012 is to lose the rest of my baby weight (10lbs as of yesterday).  I've never really tried to lose weight before, so it's a huge challenge for me.  Being a stay-at-home mom makes it even more challenging.  I'm constantly snacking, because I'm constantly in the kitchen getting food for Thomas, doing dishes, making food for Jake, doing laundry...in, out, in, out, and it's so easy to grab something to eat.

I've found staying super busy helps.  When I've got a million things to do, I have less time to eat.

Working out is good...I just don't like it.  I've never understood it when people talk about how much they love a good work-out.  Exercise makes me sweaty and hungry and sore.  Exercise also makes me skinny, so maybe that will make me feel good.  It's just hard when results come so slowly.

Eating filling foods seems to help me eat less.  I'm not sure how this affects weight loss, because I'm positive that these "filling foods" have more calories.

Chewing gum and brushing my teeth after eating helps.  Mint kills my appetite.

Weaning Thomas has helped lower my appetite.  Nursing made me hungry all the time.  (I'm not weaning him in order to lose weight...I'm weaning him because nursing didn't work out and pumping stinks.)

Does anyone else have any weight loss tricks?