 |  |
Don't worry, I already know the answer! :D
Oh, and if you didn't get the memo - yes, we are a total Star Wars nerd kind of family!!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Who Wears It Better?
Hee hee....
Don't worry, I already know the answer! :D
Oh, and if you didn't get the memo - yes, we are a total Star Wars nerd kind of family!!
Don't worry, I already know the answer! :D
Oh, and if you didn't get the memo - yes, we are a total Star Wars nerd kind of family!!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
An Increase
Sometimes - or really all the time I suppose - you just have to trust and have faith. I know that God has been watching over my family for quite some time, but recently the evidence has been so very clear to me!
Ever since we found out that Alan would be losing his job - actually before we even knew and things just weren't looking good - I felt at peace. I knew it would all be fine. We did the leg work - Alan and I scoured the internet looking for leads and talking to friends. Alan submitted applications and/or resumes all over the place. And we did a lot of praying. He looked into unemployment payments, I looked into WIC, Medicaid, and other services we could use should the worst happen. I admit to one minor (read: major) breakdown, but I think I brought that on myself. But overall, we felt relatively calm and at peace. We were planning for the worst, hoping for the best. Hoping for anything, really.
The past week has been amazing. Yesterday not only was Alan able to interview at a new company, but within hours he had an offer. He started today. This is the second time something like this has happened to us this year! And this time it's almost too good to be true. I keep pinching myself because I can't believe it. This job is a 5-8 minute drive. I'm sure on a bike he could make it in 15 minutes. Right now it is a contract position, but the possibility of it becoming permanent is huge. And it all feels right and good. Again, almost too good! We feel so blessed and loved. We know that the prayers of our family and friends have blessed us so much. How wonderful it is to know that God is listening. I mean, I know He always is, but it is nice to have the confirmation sometimes!
We also were able to see our new little boy wiggles and squirm last week. He is growing and looking healthy! I do have to go in for another ultrasound next week to double check his heart (or triple check, I suppose). The last ultrasound they were unable to get just the right view of his heart, but the heart rate looked good and we heard it thumping away for the first time. The biggest issue was that he wouldn't move. Well, he moved - but it was just squirming. He's parked himself on my right side and just doesn't want to budge. This made getting the right angle on his heart impossible. I'm sure everything is fine, though. Our new little guy is still constantly in our prayers, though!
Soren had his Back to School Night. I was able to meet most of his teachers and find out some basics about the new school year. I feel confident that he will continue to excel because he's such an amazing guy! This year he is involved in band, piano lessons, and Boy Scouts. He is hoping to join Stage Band (a jazz band that practices before school), Weight Club (a group that lifts weights in the weight room before school), Wrestling, Basketball, and Track and Field. We'll see how he juggles things - he sure likes to keep busy! Soren continues to be a huge help at home, not only stepping up to help with his sister, but pitching in to help clean and cook. He's so awesome and we love him.
Caroline's vocabulary has literally taken off. This morning she was looking at something and turned to me and said, "Oh my gosh!" I am sure she's picked that up from one of us, but it was strange (and funny) to hear it coming out of her little almost-two-year-old mouth. She's also started saying things like this:
Caroline: MOM! Mom, mom, MOOOOOM!
Me: (Standing right next to her) What?
Caroline: Circle!
She likes to point out the obvious, but she wants to make sure she has my attention. I've been requesting that she go back to calling me mama. It's not working. Well, except when she wants to, of course. Then it's, "Mama, snuggle," or "Mama, song," or "Mama, food!" Caroline is really starting to put little sentences together and it's adorable to watch her figure all this language stuff out.
Her favorite toys right now include a spoon, spatula, bowl, and frying pan from her little kitchen (she tells us, "COOK!"), my stuffed monkey (which must be naked in order for her to play with it), her baby doll (who now has stolen one of Caroline's old baby blankets and one of her sippy cups), and her books. She also enjoys playing with my cell phone, daddy's keys, and her brother. This little spicy girl makes our life exciting, unpredictable, and terribly fun.
We are blessed and are so grateful for it! Thank you to all of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping this job sticks and that we can move forward from here and worry about other trials, struggles, and issues in life - but hopefully not a job issue again!
Ever since we found out that Alan would be losing his job - actually before we even knew and things just weren't looking good - I felt at peace. I knew it would all be fine. We did the leg work - Alan and I scoured the internet looking for leads and talking to friends. Alan submitted applications and/or resumes all over the place. And we did a lot of praying. He looked into unemployment payments, I looked into WIC, Medicaid, and other services we could use should the worst happen. I admit to one minor (read: major) breakdown, but I think I brought that on myself. But overall, we felt relatively calm and at peace. We were planning for the worst, hoping for the best. Hoping for anything, really.
The past week has been amazing. Yesterday not only was Alan able to interview at a new company, but within hours he had an offer. He started today. This is the second time something like this has happened to us this year! And this time it's almost too good to be true. I keep pinching myself because I can't believe it. This job is a 5-8 minute drive. I'm sure on a bike he could make it in 15 minutes. Right now it is a contract position, but the possibility of it becoming permanent is huge. And it all feels right and good. Again, almost too good! We feel so blessed and loved. We know that the prayers of our family and friends have blessed us so much. How wonderful it is to know that God is listening. I mean, I know He always is, but it is nice to have the confirmation sometimes!
We also were able to see our new little boy wiggles and squirm last week. He is growing and looking healthy! I do have to go in for another ultrasound next week to double check his heart (or triple check, I suppose). The last ultrasound they were unable to get just the right view of his heart, but the heart rate looked good and we heard it thumping away for the first time. The biggest issue was that he wouldn't move. Well, he moved - but it was just squirming. He's parked himself on my right side and just doesn't want to budge. This made getting the right angle on his heart impossible. I'm sure everything is fine, though. Our new little guy is still constantly in our prayers, though!
Soren had his Back to School Night. I was able to meet most of his teachers and find out some basics about the new school year. I feel confident that he will continue to excel because he's such an amazing guy! This year he is involved in band, piano lessons, and Boy Scouts. He is hoping to join Stage Band (a jazz band that practices before school), Weight Club (a group that lifts weights in the weight room before school), Wrestling, Basketball, and Track and Field. We'll see how he juggles things - he sure likes to keep busy! Soren continues to be a huge help at home, not only stepping up to help with his sister, but pitching in to help clean and cook. He's so awesome and we love him.
Caroline's vocabulary has literally taken off. This morning she was looking at something and turned to me and said, "Oh my gosh!" I am sure she's picked that up from one of us, but it was strange (and funny) to hear it coming out of her little almost-two-year-old mouth. She's also started saying things like this:
Caroline: MOM! Mom, mom, MOOOOOM!
Me: (Standing right next to her) What?
Caroline: Circle!
She likes to point out the obvious, but she wants to make sure she has my attention. I've been requesting that she go back to calling me mama. It's not working. Well, except when she wants to, of course. Then it's, "Mama, snuggle," or "Mama, song," or "Mama, food!" Caroline is really starting to put little sentences together and it's adorable to watch her figure all this language stuff out.
Her favorite toys right now include a spoon, spatula, bowl, and frying pan from her little kitchen (she tells us, "COOK!"), my stuffed monkey (which must be naked in order for her to play with it), her baby doll (who now has stolen one of Caroline's old baby blankets and one of her sippy cups), and her books. She also enjoys playing with my cell phone, daddy's keys, and her brother. This little spicy girl makes our life exciting, unpredictable, and terribly fun.
We are blessed and are so grateful for it! Thank you to all of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping this job sticks and that we can move forward from here and worry about other trials, struggles, and issues in life - but hopefully not a job issue again!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Life is . . .
What to say! Today was the first day back at school for my big guy. He was nervous, excited, and dreading it all at the same time! He did not want pictures taken this morning, but I'm mean and took them anyway:
At his desk before leaving for school - he's thrilled, see?
In the car trying to avoid the camera - HA! Gotcha!
Giving up and giving me a cheeseball grin on his way out the door. Admittedly, he was almost late for school, which I'm sure really helped him feel happy.
Caroline in the back wondering why I pulled her out of her crib far too early.
So he's been at school nearly a full day now. Caroline has been wondering around calling for her brother, but to no avail. He isn't here to tell her how cute she looks with the goofy headband she's put on her head or remind her of how adorable she is with her fairy wings and dress up skirt on. He isn't here to chase her around the house or take her out to jump on the trampoline. Nor is he here to hide around corners and jump out and say "Boo!" to her as she runs by. Boy, she has missed him! But she's had mommy time - we've snuggled, read books, giggled, and generally had a fairly quiet morning. I did catch some video of her making a mess while eating her yogurt:
This is a fairly recent advancement for Caroline. She is now fairly self reliant with feeding herself. Sure, I rescue her every so often when she's having trouble or just choosing not to eat, but overall I've been turning it over to her and dealing with the mess later. Plus, she's so stinkin' cute while she eats. Look!
See, adorable! And messy!
In other news, it looks like we'll be having more testosterone in the house in a few short months:
According to this early ultrasound, it's a boy! However, I have another one in a week for more measurements and they'll be able to be a bit more certain about things at that point. We are getting excited for our new arrival either way!
The biggest bummer of the day is that Alan's contract position is ending in a couple weeks. We're pretty sad about that, but feel confident and have faith that everything will work out. If you could keep him and our family in your thoughts/prayers/etc, that'd be awesome. Every time I try to get myself worked up about the loss of employment, the Spirit seems to calm me right down. So, it is what it is and life goes on.
That's the latest to report from here!
At his desk before leaving for school - he's thrilled, see?
In the car trying to avoid the camera - HA! Gotcha!
Giving up and giving me a cheeseball grin on his way out the door. Admittedly, he was almost late for school, which I'm sure really helped him feel happy.
Caroline in the back wondering why I pulled her out of her crib far too early.
So he's been at school nearly a full day now. Caroline has been wondering around calling for her brother, but to no avail. He isn't here to tell her how cute she looks with the goofy headband she's put on her head or remind her of how adorable she is with her fairy wings and dress up skirt on. He isn't here to chase her around the house or take her out to jump on the trampoline. Nor is he here to hide around corners and jump out and say "Boo!" to her as she runs by. Boy, she has missed him! But she's had mommy time - we've snuggled, read books, giggled, and generally had a fairly quiet morning. I did catch some video of her making a mess while eating her yogurt:
This is a fairly recent advancement for Caroline. She is now fairly self reliant with feeding herself. Sure, I rescue her every so often when she's having trouble or just choosing not to eat, but overall I've been turning it over to her and dealing with the mess later. Plus, she's so stinkin' cute while she eats. Look!
See, adorable! And messy!
In other news, it looks like we'll be having more testosterone in the house in a few short months:
According to this early ultrasound, it's a boy! However, I have another one in a week for more measurements and they'll be able to be a bit more certain about things at that point. We are getting excited for our new arrival either way!
The biggest bummer of the day is that Alan's contract position is ending in a couple weeks. We're pretty sad about that, but feel confident and have faith that everything will work out. If you could keep him and our family in your thoughts/prayers/etc, that'd be awesome. Every time I try to get myself worked up about the loss of employment, the Spirit seems to calm me right down. So, it is what it is and life goes on.
That's the latest to report from here!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Ahhh . . . Doctors.
There is much to say, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to sum up.
We are, for the most part, all settled into our "new" place. There are still some things that need some organizing and one more box I've got to really dig through, but the house is livable. We've even managed to start cooking in the kitchen again. Fabulous! I realized one of the reasons I have been so frustrated this time around is that usually when we've moved in the past it has been fast - we are packed up and gone in less than 3 weeks. This all felt so much more drawn out because it was! Now that the light at the end of the tunnel is much brighter, I'm feeling my stress levels fade a bit. That is a wonderful feeling.
My sweet boy turned 12 on July 31. I still can't believe it! He was also ordained to be a Deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood. This was a very special day for him and for our family. I'm so happy his grandparents and aunt were able to be here to share it with him!
Isn't he handsome??? And so grown up! What a joy he is in our family.
His sister couldn't miss out on an opportunity to smile for the camera, too. . .
She's such a little ham. And boy did she love having Grandma, Aunt Martie, and (sometimes) Grandpa here. Grandma rocked her and sang to her and that made her day! The list of things she loves more than music is pretty short! Martie jumped on the tramp with her, helped Caroline into her fairy wings and flew her around the house, sang to her, cuddled her, watched Sesame Street with her, and carried her anywhere she wanted to go. Grandpa, on the other hand, generally made her very nervous. I think it was his mustache. She did relent and hug and kiss him a few times. She can be very picky. That's why we call her a lil' stinker! Haha!
We all enjoyed our visit with the Tullis clan. Can I still call them a clan? When we were first married, having them all visit was quite an adventure for us! Now that 5 of the 8 are married, 1 of the 8 is all grown up with a job and living on his own, that only leaves 2 kids that come to visit with Grandma and Grandpa. Unfortunately, Uncle Stephen was stuck at home because of obligations there. Oh well - he missed out! We had a fairly low-key visit - lots of visiting, lots of help around the house (YAY - Thank you!), blackberry jam was made (YUM!!), but my favorite part of the visit was our gorgeous hike around Mirror Lake on Mt. Hood.
It was the perfect day for a hike! I'd like to say we all enjoyed ourselves, but Caroline tuckered out at the end and fell asleep in my arms. It was a long walk down the mountain with a sleeping 22+ pounds on my shoulder, not to mention the extra baby I was carrying out front. Still, though, totally worth it!
And for the last photo of the post, I present to you baby #3:
Yeah, I can't make out much of it, either. The appointment was an adventure. After 3 hours at the office building I still don't know if everything is ok. My heart tells me it is all fine. My head tells me otherwise. We'll see. If there is anything to report - good or bad - I'm sure I'll post about it.
Time to go - two crazy kids are playing soccer in my hallway.
We are, for the most part, all settled into our "new" place. There are still some things that need some organizing and one more box I've got to really dig through, but the house is livable. We've even managed to start cooking in the kitchen again. Fabulous! I realized one of the reasons I have been so frustrated this time around is that usually when we've moved in the past it has been fast - we are packed up and gone in less than 3 weeks. This all felt so much more drawn out because it was! Now that the light at the end of the tunnel is much brighter, I'm feeling my stress levels fade a bit. That is a wonderful feeling.
My sweet boy turned 12 on July 31. I still can't believe it! He was also ordained to be a Deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood. This was a very special day for him and for our family. I'm so happy his grandparents and aunt were able to be here to share it with him!
Isn't he handsome??? And so grown up! What a joy he is in our family.
His sister couldn't miss out on an opportunity to smile for the camera, too. . .
She's such a little ham. And boy did she love having Grandma, Aunt Martie, and (sometimes) Grandpa here. Grandma rocked her and sang to her and that made her day! The list of things she loves more than music is pretty short! Martie jumped on the tramp with her, helped Caroline into her fairy wings and flew her around the house, sang to her, cuddled her, watched Sesame Street with her, and carried her anywhere she wanted to go. Grandpa, on the other hand, generally made her very nervous. I think it was his mustache. She did relent and hug and kiss him a few times. She can be very picky. That's why we call her a lil' stinker! Haha!
We all enjoyed our visit with the Tullis clan. Can I still call them a clan? When we were first married, having them all visit was quite an adventure for us! Now that 5 of the 8 are married, 1 of the 8 is all grown up with a job and living on his own, that only leaves 2 kids that come to visit with Grandma and Grandpa. Unfortunately, Uncle Stephen was stuck at home because of obligations there. Oh well - he missed out! We had a fairly low-key visit - lots of visiting, lots of help around the house (YAY - Thank you!), blackberry jam was made (YUM!!), but my favorite part of the visit was our gorgeous hike around Mirror Lake on Mt. Hood.
It was the perfect day for a hike! I'd like to say we all enjoyed ourselves, but Caroline tuckered out at the end and fell asleep in my arms. It was a long walk down the mountain with a sleeping 22+ pounds on my shoulder, not to mention the extra baby I was carrying out front. Still, though, totally worth it!
And for the last photo of the post, I present to you baby #3:
Yeah, I can't make out much of it, either. The appointment was an adventure. After 3 hours at the office building I still don't know if everything is ok. My heart tells me it is all fine. My head tells me otherwise. We'll see. If there is anything to report - good or bad - I'm sure I'll post about it.
Time to go - two crazy kids are playing soccer in my hallway.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Boxes, Stuff, and More Stuff
It seems sort of silly to update your blog when you feel like you've been doing the same thing for over a month. Especially the past 2+ weeks my life has basically consisted of the following:
1 - Wake up
2 - Eat
3 - Pack some boxes and/or unpack some boxes
4 - Eat
5 - Deal with the children
6 - Pawn off Caroline on Soren so I can pack/unpack
7 - Eat
8 - Feed the children
9 - Caroline down for a nap, Soren occupied, More packing/unpacking for me
10 - Collapse on the couch in exhaustion and be useless after Alan gets home from work
11 - Eat
12 - Sleep
I think I can finally see the light at the end of the packing/unpacking tunnel, I just wish it was brighter! Hopefully another week or so of effort and we'll be settled. Hopefully.
In other news, Caroline has managed to climb out of 2 different playpens and her crib. Since I am nowhere need ready for her to be in a toddler bed of any kind, I borrowed a crib tent from my sister in law and she is confined once more. She hates it, but quite frankly - I don't care. Her room is not in a state quite yet that she would be safe to be free to roam, I'm not mentally ready to give up nap time, and I don't want her out of the confines of a crib yet. Soren never tried this whole "climbing" thing, so I'm sitting here going - what?!? Already!?!?! Rude! Hehehe. Climbers. I knew I'd get one eventually and here she is!
Soren heads off to Boy Scout camp next week. Crazy! He'll be 12 in less than 3 weeks. Crazier! I'm sure grateful for him. I can't tell you how wonderful he has been this summer. And in general. But especially with all of the chaos going on in the house - he knows that I need help and he is (almost) always willing to jump in and do things - sometimes without me even having to ask! I'm going to miss him when he's off at camp. A lot.
Alan is working hard at his new job and enjoying it. There is a lot to do and it keeps him very busy, but usually the busy stays at work and he doesn't bring it home, so that is nice. He finally has his new Droid Incredible phone and is in love. I keep threatening to take it away from him when he gets too distracted, but he's having fun with his new toy. Good thing, too, because I don't think Santa is bringing him anything this year! Haha! Just kidding, sweetheart. :)
As for me - well, I think I already touched on that. I am still working on packing up the rest of my parents belongings and unpacking all of ours. It's been a process and most days I am seriously wiped out, but I know the end isn't too far off. We are enjoying having a place to ourselves again. Last night and today I pulled out all of my music books, my guitar, my music stand, and all of my teaching things and got them all organized. It's so fun to have a little space for all my music stuff! Now I just need to set up an appointment to get my piano tuned . . .
I don't really have any new/exciting pictures to post. I forgot my camera on the 4th of July, so I've nothing to show for that, but rest assured we had a good time with friends and family that weekend! Maybe next time I'll get a few pics of the kiddos up and a couple of our "new" digs.
:)
1 - Wake up
2 - Eat
3 - Pack some boxes and/or unpack some boxes
4 - Eat
5 - Deal with the children
6 - Pawn off Caroline on Soren so I can pack/unpack
7 - Eat
8 - Feed the children
9 - Caroline down for a nap, Soren occupied, More packing/unpacking for me
10 - Collapse on the couch in exhaustion and be useless after Alan gets home from work
11 - Eat
12 - Sleep
I think I can finally see the light at the end of the packing/unpacking tunnel, I just wish it was brighter! Hopefully another week or so of effort and we'll be settled. Hopefully.
In other news, Caroline has managed to climb out of 2 different playpens and her crib. Since I am nowhere need ready for her to be in a toddler bed of any kind, I borrowed a crib tent from my sister in law and she is confined once more. She hates it, but quite frankly - I don't care. Her room is not in a state quite yet that she would be safe to be free to roam, I'm not mentally ready to give up nap time, and I don't want her out of the confines of a crib yet. Soren never tried this whole "climbing" thing, so I'm sitting here going - what?!? Already!?!?! Rude! Hehehe. Climbers. I knew I'd get one eventually and here she is!
Soren heads off to Boy Scout camp next week. Crazy! He'll be 12 in less than 3 weeks. Crazier! I'm sure grateful for him. I can't tell you how wonderful he has been this summer. And in general. But especially with all of the chaos going on in the house - he knows that I need help and he is (almost) always willing to jump in and do things - sometimes without me even having to ask! I'm going to miss him when he's off at camp. A lot.
Alan is working hard at his new job and enjoying it. There is a lot to do and it keeps him very busy, but usually the busy stays at work and he doesn't bring it home, so that is nice. He finally has his new Droid Incredible phone and is in love. I keep threatening to take it away from him when he gets too distracted, but he's having fun with his new toy. Good thing, too, because I don't think Santa is bringing him anything this year! Haha! Just kidding, sweetheart. :)
As for me - well, I think I already touched on that. I am still working on packing up the rest of my parents belongings and unpacking all of ours. It's been a process and most days I am seriously wiped out, but I know the end isn't too far off. We are enjoying having a place to ourselves again. Last night and today I pulled out all of my music books, my guitar, my music stand, and all of my teaching things and got them all organized. It's so fun to have a little space for all my music stuff! Now I just need to set up an appointment to get my piano tuned . . .
I don't really have any new/exciting pictures to post. I forgot my camera on the 4th of July, so I've nothing to show for that, but rest assured we had a good time with friends and family that weekend! Maybe next time I'll get a few pics of the kiddos up and a couple of our "new" digs.
:)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Productivity
The past week or so has been a mixed bag of days where I feel like I was able to do a lot and days where I did nothing. The days that I do nothing are days that I am trying to fight back nausea, headaches, and general feelings of craziness in my body. The days that I feel productive are the days where I am able to mostly ignore all of that stuff.
Unfortunately, Father's Day was a day that literally had my on the couch all day! Blech! Luckily, Alan is a sweet guy who likes to cook and enjoyed cuddles with his kids. He did get a Droid, so he really can't complain too much, right?
Luckily, today has already been oodles better! I was able to fold 3 loads of laundry (and put them away!), semi-organize more clothes given to little miss Caroline (adorable stuff! Thank you, friends!), unload and load the dishwasher, and even make a batch of laundry detergent! Yes, you read that correctly.
You see, months ago my cousin had posted on her blog about the joys of home-made laundry detergent. Five years ago I would probably have laughed it off as some psycho thing that only crazy people do . . . and yes, my cousin is crazy, but that's why I love her. However, over the past few years I have become more and more aware of many things, including all the added ingredients put into things that we eat and use. So I didn't pass this one off as crazy. I passed it off as awesome and I couldn't wait to try it. I went shopping and bought all the bits and bobs needed (3 ingredients, no big deal), and those items sat in the laundry room for months. Until today! Hooray! Aside from the money I'm saving, I'm also helping out two people I love very much - Alan and Caroline. They both have eczema and all the added stuff in soaps really irritates their skin. Now I don't have to buy the super spendy laundry stuff because I have a home-made, all natural alternative! Yay!
Interested? Here's the recipe I used - it is a dry mix, but there are liquid mixes out there, too. I found all ingredients at my local grocery store (WinCo).
1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap, grated
2 cups Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda)
2 cups Borax
I used my box grater for the soap, but if you want to use a food processor, you can. Then I just mixed all the ingredients together and put them in a glass canning jar. You need 1 tablespoon of soap per load. Pretty kickin', I'd say!
I put Caroline in her high chair, gave her a cup of milk and some crackers. I was done before she was. Awesome!
Hopefully I will keep feeling good today so I can get more done. There's unpacking/packing still to do aplenty. Crossing my fingers!
Unfortunately, Father's Day was a day that literally had my on the couch all day! Blech! Luckily, Alan is a sweet guy who likes to cook and enjoyed cuddles with his kids. He did get a Droid, so he really can't complain too much, right?
Luckily, today has already been oodles better! I was able to fold 3 loads of laundry (and put them away!), semi-organize more clothes given to little miss Caroline (adorable stuff! Thank you, friends!), unload and load the dishwasher, and even make a batch of laundry detergent! Yes, you read that correctly.
You see, months ago my cousin had posted on her blog about the joys of home-made laundry detergent. Five years ago I would probably have laughed it off as some psycho thing that only crazy people do . . . and yes, my cousin is crazy, but that's why I love her. However, over the past few years I have become more and more aware of many things, including all the added ingredients put into things that we eat and use. So I didn't pass this one off as crazy. I passed it off as awesome and I couldn't wait to try it. I went shopping and bought all the bits and bobs needed (3 ingredients, no big deal), and those items sat in the laundry room for months. Until today! Hooray! Aside from the money I'm saving, I'm also helping out two people I love very much - Alan and Caroline. They both have eczema and all the added stuff in soaps really irritates their skin. Now I don't have to buy the super spendy laundry stuff because I have a home-made, all natural alternative! Yay!
Interested? Here's the recipe I used - it is a dry mix, but there are liquid mixes out there, too. I found all ingredients at my local grocery store (WinCo).
1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap, grated
2 cups Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda)
2 cups Borax
I used my box grater for the soap, but if you want to use a food processor, you can. Then I just mixed all the ingredients together and put them in a glass canning jar. You need 1 tablespoon of soap per load. Pretty kickin', I'd say!
I put Caroline in her high chair, gave her a cup of milk and some crackers. I was done before she was. Awesome!
Hopefully I will keep feeling good today so I can get more done. There's unpacking/packing still to do aplenty. Crossing my fingers!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Happy Changes :)
Alan started his new job this past Monday. Can we all say, "FABULOUS!"?? Yes. Yes, we can. He has loved his first week, learned a lot, and is enjoying adjusting to it all. We are enjoying having him a little longer in the morning and seeing him MUCH earlier in the evenings!!!
School is almost over for Soren! He has one more full day and then a very much partial day (like 2 hours) and his 6th grade year will be complete! Crazy!!! He has a few things to work on over the summer, but in general he will get to relax, hang out with the family, and not have to stress about homework, essays, or other projects. That's wonderful for ALL of us! We have some fun plans of things to do around the area during the summer, so I'm looking forward to that! He's had some amazing end of the year events including: A band concert in which he performed a stunning solo that had me nearly in tears (yeah, hormones, shut up), a track banquet where he was awarded Most Improved, and a few pizza parties for participating in different things throughout the year. He also managed to make the paper. Check out his handsome photo:
I had an ultrasound on Thursday and it was determined that there is ONE baby, so I'm happy about that! I was able to see the little heartbeat and the doctor said things are looking fabulous. We are pleased as punch and ready to take on the rest of this pregnancy with a lot less stress! Now our hope and prayer is that we can avoid some of the complications we had the last time around. I'm feeling ok overall - good days and bad. Nothing has been predictable - sometimes I wake up feeling fine, sometimes I feel horrible. Other times the yucky hits right in the middle of the day and I am curled up on the couch the rest of the day. I'm just taking it one day (and one Totino's Pizza) at a time.
Caroline continues to be her spunky, spicy little self. She is picking up on tons of words and has recently started responding with "kae!" to lots of things. Slowly but surely she is going to get used to not being in the same room as Momma 24 hours a day. I'm also teaching her important life skills, like taking her diaper to the diaper bin, climbing into the car on her own, and not throwing everything that is round just because it looks like a ball. A few days ago she sat down with one of her books, opened up a page, and said the colors she saw (brown & purple - PURPLE! Such a smart girl!), then closed it and pointed to the turtle on the cover and said, "Turtle." She also pointed to the lion on the cover and roared. It was pretty awesome as she had no prompting whatsoever. We are reaching such a fun stage where learning is exploding and I am loving it!
In the midst of all of this we are starting to transition the house into "our" house, albeit very slowly. My parents leave for the Philippines in about 2 weeks, so it's all coming quickly. We spent time today moving things and unpacking some of our things. It's amazing how long it has been since I've seen this stuff! One of the best things was opening a box and smelling my house. As strange as that sounds! And my BOOKS!!! I wanted to kiss each of them as I put them on the shelf. I refrained, but the desire was there! I'm looking forward to being surrounded by my things again, but it is already nice to open boxes and be able to put some things right into a charity box. Try living without your stuff for 2 years. You learn quite quickly that there are many things you don't need that you thought you did!
So that's what's going on - lots of changes, lots of busy, and lots of excitement! We hope to adjust quickly and get into a routine with our summer. :)
School is almost over for Soren! He has one more full day and then a very much partial day (like 2 hours) and his 6th grade year will be complete! Crazy!!! He has a few things to work on over the summer, but in general he will get to relax, hang out with the family, and not have to stress about homework, essays, or other projects. That's wonderful for ALL of us! We have some fun plans of things to do around the area during the summer, so I'm looking forward to that! He's had some amazing end of the year events including: A band concert in which he performed a stunning solo that had me nearly in tears (yeah, hormones, shut up), a track banquet where he was awarded Most Improved, and a few pizza parties for participating in different things throughout the year. He also managed to make the paper. Check out his handsome photo:
I had an ultrasound on Thursday and it was determined that there is ONE baby, so I'm happy about that! I was able to see the little heartbeat and the doctor said things are looking fabulous. We are pleased as punch and ready to take on the rest of this pregnancy with a lot less stress! Now our hope and prayer is that we can avoid some of the complications we had the last time around. I'm feeling ok overall - good days and bad. Nothing has been predictable - sometimes I wake up feeling fine, sometimes I feel horrible. Other times the yucky hits right in the middle of the day and I am curled up on the couch the rest of the day. I'm just taking it one day (and one Totino's Pizza) at a time.
Caroline continues to be her spunky, spicy little self. She is picking up on tons of words and has recently started responding with "kae!" to lots of things. Slowly but surely she is going to get used to not being in the same room as Momma 24 hours a day. I'm also teaching her important life skills, like taking her diaper to the diaper bin, climbing into the car on her own, and not throwing everything that is round just because it looks like a ball. A few days ago she sat down with one of her books, opened up a page, and said the colors she saw (brown & purple - PURPLE! Such a smart girl!), then closed it and pointed to the turtle on the cover and said, "Turtle." She also pointed to the lion on the cover and roared. It was pretty awesome as she had no prompting whatsoever. We are reaching such a fun stage where learning is exploding and I am loving it!
In the midst of all of this we are starting to transition the house into "our" house, albeit very slowly. My parents leave for the Philippines in about 2 weeks, so it's all coming quickly. We spent time today moving things and unpacking some of our things. It's amazing how long it has been since I've seen this stuff! One of the best things was opening a box and smelling my house. As strange as that sounds! And my BOOKS!!! I wanted to kiss each of them as I put them on the shelf. I refrained, but the desire was there! I'm looking forward to being surrounded by my things again, but it is already nice to open boxes and be able to put some things right into a charity box. Try living without your stuff for 2 years. You learn quite quickly that there are many things you don't need that you thought you did!
So that's what's going on - lots of changes, lots of busy, and lots of excitement! We hope to adjust quickly and get into a routine with our summer. :)
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