What Happens During "Naptime"...

We're sick right now, can you tell?
I didn't think so.
There has been little sleep around here with two kids waking all night long and I would love for my lovely daughter and I to get on the mend, so after our visit with the doctor today I informed her it was naptime. Our bodies need rest so that they can heal. Or, our bodies need to run around like a mad little monkey for awhile. Playing with Mr. Potato head. Doing puzzles. Reading. This what I found the third time I went up (and, yes, the time I gave up)- my little monkey hanging from the stair balusters, about 1000 barretts in her hair and toothpaste on her face, wearing the T-shirt she had put on her stuffed monkey the day before and had been wearing for 3 days straight. And what does she say?
"Mama, I needed to get some new barretts because my red one from the car fell behind the bed and I can't reach it. So I needed to get some new ones. And I had to brush my teeth because we forgot to do that before bedtime. But don't worry, I'm all full of resting right now."
Cue massive giggling fit from 3 year old.
Cue mom almost peeing herself.

Yummy Nappies!

Win a Bum Genius 3.0 Starter Kit from Nature's Child - Wholesome Goods for Mothers and Babies

Yummy Slings!

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

And just because it's fun...

Loving Cloth

I'd say it's an obsession. Three years ago this month we started our adventures in cloth diapering. Thanks to an online baby registry, some wonderful gifts from family and some of our own blind purchases we were set and ready to cloth diaper our soon to be born bundle of joy. We had aquired some second hand motherease, preemie unbleached CPF's, and bummis covers. We struggled initially with the use of pins and preemie prefolds- our darling girl was 6lbs, 7 oz and too small for our one size Motherease. If only we had learned about the beloved Snappi's just a few months earlier. But we made it through without any baby poking and moved into our wonderful Motherease fitteds. At 6 months we purchased some pockets and continued to feed our diapering addiction. As excited as we were for our girl to teach herself to use the potty before she even turned 2 I must confess that the thought of baby #2 actually had me EXCITED for diapering again. Am I crazy?
Fast forward to three years later from our first cloth diaper...
Our collection is a vast assortment of Fuzzi Bunz, Wallypops, Happy Heiny's, Bummi's, Polar Babies, WAHMIES, Proraps, Granny's Woolies, Stacinators, Nikki wool, and much much more. And the flannel...oh the flannel. Two years ago a good friend gave me a bounty of amazing flannel, which I of course used for some adorable newborn and small fitted nappies while nesting during my second pregnancy. I've loved all of the nappies I made for Jax and am so sad that he is already outgrowing his second size! Fortunately Sarah passed on a wonderful assortment of PUL a few weeks ago to make some fun new nappies for my little nurse monkey.

48,878

I can't believe that in the 10.5 weeks since baby Jax's arrival we have had almost 50,000 views of our happy little homebirth video. Wow. And to think, we just posted it for our family and friends- I know even my mom hasn't watched it 50,000 times...

Conversations with a Three Year Old

She's only been three for 12 days. It was 3 right, not 13?

After no naps, or very limited naps for over a week and going to bed super late, as well as Scott and I staying up until 1am cleaning up from the flood I needed good naps today. I promised a story before naptime, as is our routine.

Me: "Pick a story and then we'll head up to bed for naptime."
Munchkin: "How about five stories?"
Me: "How about 3 stories because you're three years old?"
Munchkin: "No, how about 4 because we're having 4 kids over tomorrow?"

Seriously?

Just Stuff

This is an area I where I find myself in a constant internal struggle. One one hand, I want to seriously downsize my belongings and become free of the need for "stuff". Move into a smaller home and only keep what we really need or love. On the other hand, Target is easy. We already have so much, adding one more small thing doesn't seem like all that much. Our possessions hold memories.

And then it floods.

It's just stuff, right? It's just paper and fabric and vinyl- just materials. Things we weren't using on a daily basis, or even yearly basis for some of it. Certain things are heartbreaking to lose- our portfolios, Scott's record collection, camera equipment- but why?
We can't replace the work in our portfolios. They were all one of a kind pieces. But a part of me thinks it is more upsetting because I mourn the loss of that piece of myself- that piece that had the time, energy, and inspiration to create. It would have been nice to show our kids, have something to show potential clients, or eventually hang some of the pieces- but in reality I should just be able to make more. (Well, not go back to Africa but you know what I mean.) It's all transient anyway. Scott's records haven't been listened to in years. In fact, our record player needs a new needle that will cost more than the player itself, and it's been that way since before we were married.
But they were his Dad's. They were important to their family and to his memory of him. But do we fear that the memories will fade if we don't have something in front of us to jog that memory? Shouldn't we start telling our kids stories of their grandfather now, even though they are young, rather than hold onto a handful of boxes in the basement? The music was fun- but can't we replace the songs and still sing them together as a family? Our camera equipment is valuable. At least it was when people used film.
And we have alot of it. It is frustrating to lose because it seems wasteful, rather being able to use or sell it, it is damaged. But it was just stuff. Yes, it was money, it was what we chose to show for our hard work- but it was just stuff, right? The most important things we have to show for our hard work now are our children, our family- and we are all just fine. Irreplaceable, but much stronger and watertight.

Why Jell-O?

I'm sure you're all wondering, "Why Jell-O?"

It all goes back to a little book of my moms called Fresh Elastic for Stretched Out Moms. My mom needed it as we stretched her pretty thin some days. As a kid I wasn't terribly interested in the book itself, but it was broken up in a way that you could read quick little snipits that would make you laugh. Like "A Variation of Murphy's Law" or "Not-So-Famous Last Words" which I enjoyed every time I read them. But there was always one story that stuck out for me- The Red Jell-O Caper. The basic jist is that a mom walks in on her two boys flinging raspberry Jell-O at a white brick wall in her kitchen. In the moment that she walks in to see this, she goes over in her mind how to react- is she the mom that will scream and discipline the children for ruining her kitchen? Or... Is she the mom that will sit down with a big spoon and enjoy some laughter with her children and start Jell-O flinging herself? I strive to be a Jell-O flinger.