|
|
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
| |
8:23 pm
|
Have I talked about Eli and the potty? I may have mentioned it in passing. Oh well, if it's a repeat, too bad for you.
So Reese was uninterested in potty learning until she was just over 3 years old. I didn't care either way because washing a load of diapers isn't a big deal (I had two in dipes for a long time). I'm also quite lazy and am not a fan of pestering a kid about going to the potty every twenty minutes. She asked for underwear when she was ready, and for the most part has been good to go since she was about 3.5 years old.
Everyone (and I mean everyone) warned me that boys have a harder time with the potty than girls, and it would take longer and not to be surprised if Eli didn't figure it out until he was four. Okay, whatever. Lazy mom here and I don't care. Plus, my kid's diapers rock. Then suddenly a few months ago, Eli started stealing Reese's underwear. He wanted to pee in the potty. I made him some trainers of his own and he wears them when we're at home. For the most part, his potty adventure has beed child driven. The latest development is wanting to use the potty when we're out and about. Guess I'll be doing some more sewing to make some waterproof trainers.
Isn't it nice when kids just do things themselves?
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Saturday, March 7th, 2009
| |
10:31 am
|
|
| Friday, March 6th, 2009
| |
1:24 pm
|
I tried giving up soda. Wow, was that a bust. Hahahahaha. Actually I did achieve my goal of ditching my daily afternoon diet orange or diet rootbeer, so I feel good about that. There's just something magical about a malibu and cherry coke on a weekend night though. So good.
Speaking of drinking, Eric took today off, so we considered the weekend started last night. Wouldn't you know, it's kind of fun drinking and watching Survivor and Hell's Kitchen.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009
| |
8:02 pm
|
We went to visit my family last weekend. Eric ditched us to go fishing with my dad, so my mom and I went to MOA to meet Anna and Isabelle at Underwater World. The kids were largely unimpressed with Underwater World. Reese is convinced that the best part was sitting and laying on the moving sidewalk. Sigh. Anyway, I enjoyed it because looking at fish is fun.
After the underwater adventure, we headed to the food court. Some mistakes were made on my part. Mistake #1: I had to get food for myself and the kids. My mom offered to get me a burrito from Chipotle, and I accepted but asked her to request no cheese. I really should have gone over there myself, because my mom is not assertive enough and my burrito ended up with sour cream on it. Oh well, she didn't know, I didn't know, what can you do. Which leads to Mistake #2: I still ate the burrito, sour cream and all. I don't know if I've come right out and said it, but I've been largely dairy free for over a year, and vegan for at least eight months. I should have marched myself over to Chipotle to get a new, dairy free, burrito.
So I ate the sour cream burrito, and it was tasty. Because dairy products are tasty, that's why people eat them. About half an hour later, I had the worst stomach ache in the world. Okay, not the world. But man. I'm sure it was the sour cream. Lesson learned. No more dairy products for me, even if it's more convenient. The stomach ache isn't worth it.
Anyway, it was still a fun trip. I'll just skip the sour cream next time.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
| |
7:01 am
|
|
I was JUST telling my mom that overall, our family has been pretty healthy this winter. I guess I shouldn't have said anything. After battling an upper respiratory thing for a week and a half, we've moved on to the stomach virus that's going around. At least, I think we are. Reese yakked a couple times yesterday, and I'm not really feeling right. So today is another day at home with kids who feel good enough to go somewhere. What can you do though?
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Friday, February 6th, 2009
| |
9:24 pm
|
You know what's good? Cherry coke zero and malibu. Really.
The only bad thing is that I've broken my no soda streak.
But it's soooooo good.
I had a gin and tonic before this. Eric was mixing, and I think he mixed my drinks STRONG. Hah.
Oh boy.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
| |
6:41 pm
|
The cloth grocery bags are finished! Whooooo! It only took me, what, a week? Hahahahaha. Oh well, what can you do?
This cold or virus or what have you is really kicking me in the ass, so I've been next to nonproductive for the past couple days. The kids have been sick too, so we're all just hanging out, coughing, and watching tv.
I did get a diaper prepped (all layers cut out, snaps, elastic guides sewn) because tomorrow we're going to hang out at a friend's house and I'll be teaching them how to make cloth diapers! Actually, I'm just going to be showing them how to make Fattycakes, which is the pattern I sew and sell from. There will be several small children afoot, so I don't think much sewing will get done, but it's always nice to hang out with friends who like to sew!
Other than all that, not a lot going on here.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Monday, February 2nd, 2009
| |
9:32 am
|
The kids are sick today, so we're going to lay low. Lucky for me, we let the house get trashed enough this weekend that I have plenty to keep me busy. Uh, yay? I'm not feeling all that well either, so I don't mind taking another "weekend" day and goofing off. The bummer is that we had to reschedule a playdate, but this is not a cold I'd want to share with anyone I liked. Hah.
I didn't get as much done as planned on Friday. Friends stayed longer than planned, which worked out great for the kids but not so much for sewing. I don't mind though. It's nice to drink coffee and talk with other moms.
So the cloth grocery bags are in progress. I worked on them here and there all weekend and plan to finish them up today. I also need to sew something for the Feb. 11th stocking at Inspired. We decided as a group to go to twice a month stocking days, so I really need to have something to list every other week. I'm thinking a diaper and fleece pants set, but we shall see. I committed to a Free For Shipping lottery, so at the very least I'll have to get that set up.
Anyone watch the Super Bowl yesterday? How about that team that won, huh? Not a football fan here, sorry. Eric flipped between the game and the House marathon on TBS. Some of the commercials were funny, but I guess they weren't THAT funny because now I don't recall which ones I laughed at. Oh well.
I suppose, I should get something productive done.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Friday, January 30th, 2009
| |
10:28 am
|
I have a lot going on today. A good friend of mine is coming for lunch with her kids. We're having chili and cornbread, and then whatever she brings. If anyone wants a kick ass chili recipe, give me a hollar. I'll post it. Be warned though, it's vegan!!
Another good friend gave me a call this morning and is stopping by with FRESH ROASTED COFFEE. As in, she roasted it this morning. Believe you me, I do love having a fresh roasted coffee hook up. So she'll be over later.
I also have grand plans to cut out and sew some reusable grocery bags. This has three purposes. #1: I need some more cloth grocery bags because the baggers assume I don't want any paper or plastic and cram all my groceries into the two cloth bags I have. Uh, not cool. #2: I will use up some ugly fabric that I've had sitting around here forever. I like to use up fabric now and again to justify the purchase of MORE fabric. I don't really need more fabric, but shhhhh, don't tell. #3: Sometimes I need an easy, fast project to get myself out of a sewing slump. It feels good to finish a project, and inspires more projects, such as a new bag for myself that I've been whining about needing.
Chances are also good that I'll do things like clean up the living room, make the kids take naps, watch some of the Dark Knight during nap time, and make dinner.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Thursday, January 29th, 2009
| |
9:02 pm
|
I made some pretty cool diapers, and you can check them out here: www.inspiredcongo.com I am, of course, TurtleTime Designs, which is down near the bottom. I actually can't decide which I like the best. I'm a very long time TMNT fan, but ATHF makes me laugh and laugh. At any rate, both of them will be going to new homes! Yay for recycled t-shirt dipes!
I should probably think about what I want to sew next for my online store. I have enough fabric floating around here that I can't justify buying more, but I'm completely uninspired by what I have. There are a couple other t-shirts I can hack up, so I might do that. Or else I'll go through my UFO bin (unfinished objects) and hope something begs to be finished. It's been a while since I made sets (pants/dipes, dipes/covers, etc), so that's a possibility too.
I did finish a bunch of little dipes that I'll be giving away. I needed the serger practice, and Eli doesn't need more diapers. It's fun to share the diaper love!
|
|
(7 comments | comment on this)
|
| Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
| |
11:37 am
|
I was at the grocery store with the kids today. Usually by going during the day, we avoid many annoying grocery store characters. Today though, we were plagued by Stop in the Middle of the Aisle Lady. Seriously, she blocked our way through the whole store. Now I do my fair share of stopping and starting, I am shopping with two little kids after all. But I make it a point to shove my cart way to the side, and I make Reese stand behind me so we're not blocking the entire aisle while I read the ingredients on a bag of pretzels. This lady stopped at the end of an aisle, right in the middle. Then we caught up to her driving her cart on the wrong side of the aisle. (STAY TO THE RIGHT, PEOPLE!!) Then she just about crashed into us as we made our way slowly to the coffee aisle. It was insanity!
But we survived, groceries were purchased for another week or so, and it all turned out okay.
Speaking of grocery shopping, I'm considering going by myself more often. I like grocery shopping. I like reading labels and comparing prices and considering recipes. It's very hard to do those things with one kid wandering around trying to touch everything and the other kid in the cart reaching back into the basket to grab and poke holes into things. I do bribe them with cookies (Mom of the Year? not I), but man, by the time we've made it around the store, even the cookies don't work. Oh well, it's once a week, right?
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
| |
2:44 pm
|
I attended a funeral for a 9 week old baby today. The mom has been involved in one of the local LLL groups, but I didn't know her. I wasn't going to go, but one of my co-leaders had a similar experience (she lost a baby) and said it really meant a lot to her to have members from her own LLL group at the funeral. It was so sad though. I can't imagine losing either of my children at any age, but man. I'm tearing up thinking about it.
The ceremony was very nice, and it was interesting too. The family belongs to a Universal Unitarian church, and some of the family is Native American so it was a mix of both. There were some traditional Oneida customs. Definitely not your typical funeral. I was unsure about bringing Reese and Eli, but I'm glad they were exposed to something like that.
So yeah. It really makes you think about your own situation. Our family is so fortunate that we are healthy, that Eric has a job that can support us, that we have a home and enough food to eat. There's plenty to be thankful for.
Give your loved ones an extra big hug today. I know I will.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Monday, January 19th, 2009
| |
11:30 am
|
Everyone else has today off, so I took it off too! What does that mean exactly? Who knows. But laundry and cleaning things does not a day off make, sad but true. Oh well.
I'm baking bread though, and that's something I enjoy doing. I'm using a recipe I swiped from Vegan Dad (google, it's a blog, great read if you're into recipes), and I've used it a bunch of times with various results. Bread making is so tricky. I get tempted to go knocking on bakery doors so I can get someone who actually knows what they're doing to teach me. Sometimes my bread turns out awesome, and sometimes, like today...ugh. But I haven't actually baked the bread yet, it's been rising all morning. Maybe it will turn out okay.
My children are busy taking turns trapping each other in a giant plastic tub. At least they're taking turns, right? And I hid the cover, so don't worry.
Well, rest time is fast approaching here, and I have this week's laundry mountain staring at me (confession: it's been sitting around on the couch for at least five days. What of it?? I hate laundry).
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Friday, January 16th, 2009
| |
9:20 pm
|
I suppose everyone has noticed the freezing temperatures. I'm none too happy about it, but what can you do? The kids and I stayed at home today, mostly because they were acting crazy and I was nervous to take them in public. Hah. I will admit that the cold isn't very motivating though. I did run out after Eric got home (PO and library run), and I think the car finally warmed up on the way home, and we have a pretty good heater. Stupid winter.
So anyway, I'm not cold right now, but I think that's due to the Malibu and pineapples, not the actual temperature of our house.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
| |
6:56 am
|
So for a long time I wasn't in any kind of journaling mood. Obviously. It's been a really long time. Here's some stuff I've been doing, in no particular order.
I became an LLL leader and have been active leading meetings and such in Oshkosh (which is kind of funny because I live in Appleton...kind of long story, maybe I'll chat about it someday soon).
We've been to Chicago twice to visit Eric's sister, once in the summer and once over New Year's. I much preferred Summer Chicago.
The fam attended the MN State Fair, which of course was fun. I like visiting my parents, but it seems there's never enough time to do everything I want to do (like see friends).
Reese just turned 4 and Eli is 2 and a half. I have no idea when/how this happened. Reese is quite the little smarty, and I don't think I'm biased. I could see her reading before too long because she's obsessed with books and the alphabet. She also likes numbers, and is very interested in the world around her. It's pretty much questions from the time she gets up until she goes to bed. My Eli is a little bruiser, truck obsessed, rough and tough little guy. He doesn't talk much yet (which has many of the members of Eric's family in a tizzy...another long story I can chat about later). Eric and I are, for the most part, unconcerned because Eli's motor skills are far ahead of other kids his age. Plus, he has chatterbox Reese to talk for him! Somewhere along the line Reese learned how to speak Eli-ese so she's usually able to pipe up and say, "I think Eli wants..." or "I think Eli needs..." and she's almost always right.
I read the Twilight series. Twice. Big news? Nah. But it's kind of funny and embarrassing.
I've been reading cookbooks and cooking up a storm, mostly due to my ditching animal products. Yet another long story. I will say that my library system has an impressive number of vegan cookbooks.
I still make and sell diapers, both on the internet and locally. Business slowed to an almost screeching halt in the fall though, and it's been puttering along. The whole diaper making thing has always been more of a hobby for me than anything so I'm not too broken up about it. Our congo actually went through a name change last year, so if you're looking for us, we're at www.inspiredcongo.com My store is TurtleTime Designs. Come, see my wares. Buy my stuff. Support my fabric buying habit. Heh.
We still live in the same house, and my stance on moving has not changed. Much. At this point, I would move if we were A.) moving to a big city, B.) Moving back to the Twin Cities area (big city I guess), or C.) moving to a warm climate. C is variable depending on how cold it is here. There have been no major house renovations. We recently decided it might be a good idea to go through a bunch of boxes that have been stored in the basement since we moved. They are labeled such things as "junk from the computer room" and "stuff from Eric's desk." Yeah.
Hmmmm...apparently we're pretty lame and boring around here because I can't really think of anything earthshattering that has happened.
So what's up with you all? Tell me a story.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Saturday, January 10th, 2009
| |
8:58 am - A Very Happy Birthday is in Order
|
|
Happy Birthday, John. :) Hope it's awesome! I'd make you one of those scrolly things, but I wouldn't know where to begin. Hah.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, September 19th, 2007
| |
8:38 am
|
It's days like today when I fantasize about finding Reese a nice preschool, even though I really don't believe in preschool. She's driving me nuts. It doesn't help that I've been awake in the middle of the night with Eli two nights in a row (two hours each night). Gah. Oh well, at least I can stay in my pajamas all day if I want.
So I gave up dairy products. It's a two week experiment to see if I can do it. I strongly suspect that one of the factors of my not losing weight can be blamed on cheese, ice cream, etc. It's amazing how often I put cheese on stuff. What can I say? I like cheese. I like ice cream too. Blue Bunny's Bunny Tracks is freaking good.
Well, I should sew while the kids are busy. Eric reminded me that there are less than 100 days until Christmas, and since I'm making the majority of our gifts this year, I best get on it.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Sunday, September 9th, 2007
| |
3:27 pm
|
|
For the record, I'm trying really really hard to respect/accept other people's choices, especially in light of deciding to go for LLL leadership. But man, it's so freaking hard to watch someone make a choice that I so strongly disagree with. I don't know how to get past that. I just wonder if there was something else I could have said or some other support I could have given. But ultimately, everyone has to choose for themselves, right? Sigh.
|
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
|
| Thursday, September 6th, 2007
| |
1:17 pm
|
I opted to stay at home today, in my pajamas. By default, my children are in their pajamas still, too. Or in Reese's case, just a diaper and cover. I can't remember the last time we just hung around at home. I putzed around cleaning up Reese's room this morning. A large part of the mess in there is the aftermath of the garage sale, so I tried to get that stuff cleaned up. I went through our diaper stash and sorted diapers to give away or donate to Miracle Diapers. I got the closet entirely cleaned out. Vacuuming will have to wait because it's still not clean enough for that. Hopefully we can get back up there tomorrow.
I've also been working on cutting out pieces of sewing projects. My scissors was super dull, and I think I was using the sharpener we have wrong because Eric said the blades were all nicked. So I went to get another scissors last night, and will try to get my old one sharpened soon. I've been tracing pieces for days though, and have about half of what I need cut out. I have a huge pile of unfinished objects (UFOs...hehe) and it's getting overwhelming so I really need to tackle it.
And we made some delicious lunch (tomato egg cups, sushi rice molded in cute shapes). I did some laundry. Changed some diapers, made some snacks, nursed my teething Eli. I even managed to squeeze in a 20 minute Walk Away the Pounds with Leslie Sansone. Hah.
So I hope the postman, who brought our mail to the door because I had a package that wouldn't fit in the mailbox, didn't think that I'm lazy because I was still in my pjs. Lots of things were done today. AND we have lots of the day left. :)
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
| |
7:29 am
|
I never thought it would happen, but I think this is the first "First Day of School" that I don't feel sad not to be a part of it. I didn't drool over school supplies (much). I haven't tried to see in classrooms as I drive by schools. I'm just so glad to be at home with my babies, it's just not getting to me this year.
We drove by my old school a couple times when we were in St. Paul last week. Actually, it was when we were on the shuttle bus to the Fair. It's not even the same school anymore, but it's still a little school. Concordia Creative Learning Academy moved, which is good...that building wasn't really great as a school. Too much traffic, not enough space. Oh well.
Anyway, we have a busy day here. I need to hit the post office to pick up our mail. I'm kind of excited about a week's worth of mail, but I'll have to remember to bring a bag to put it in. We usually get quite a bit of mail, and I'm expecting a couple of packages, too. Then it's off to the Neenah Library so I can pick up the book club book for this month. I've skipped out of the book discussion group for two months, and I want to get back into it. It's not that I haven't read books, just not the ones for the discussion. After that, I think we'll stop at the Mom and Pop Place so Reese can play with the kids.
Hmmmm...the State Fair was fun, but it's hard to get to everything in one day, especially with two kids. Reese did ride the merry go round, and she went down the big slide with my dad. We ate such things as scotch eggs (better than you would think!), kool aid pickles (mmmmm), and mini donuts. A good time was had by all. It was fun staying at the hotel too, not because the Kelly Inn is glamorous or anything (haha, I sang the Fergie song in my head when I typed that). It's just so much closer to things than my parents' house. I think they enjoyed staying with us because they're already talking about next year. It was fun seeing Anna and Jeremy and Jett Pilot too (haha).
Well, I have things to do before Eli wakes up and before we start bustling around.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
turtlegirl's journal