Family Style Love

Panties

2012-01-16T19:38:00.000-08:00

On the potty at Disney's Magic Kingdom

I don't mean to gloat here folks, but I have to let it out somewhere, no? I am so proud. You have no idea what a proud mama I am. Stella turned 2 on December 4th, making her about 25.5 months right now. I had it in my mind that I wanted to work on the potty training thing no later than 24 months. Harris, after all, much to our surprise, had decided that he wanted to be potty trained when 23 months rolled around, and he became a big brother. I hadn't seen that coming, that was for sure. With Harris, we worked on daytime training for about 2-3 months, and then nighttime training for about 3 months after that. When it came time for the night training, we would encourage him to pee before he went to bed, and then we would get him up at 11pm and 3am as well to pee. If we didn't he would wet the bed. We continued that path and eventually switched it to just 1 wake up, and then none, and so on. I figured Stella's experience would potentially be similar, if not a smidge easier since I always hear of girls being easier to potty train. We whipped out the potty and encouraged her to use it. It took a few weeks for us to convince her that this whole potty training thing was her idea (that seems to be the best route for her) but once she decided that she was into it, she took off. Visualising the timeline in my head now... We introduced the potty as a serious option to her right around her birthday, Dec. 4. 2 weeks later, on the 18th, she switched to panties during the day. 5 days later, we hopped on a long flight to Orlando to go to Disney. The whole week she only wore underwear (or nothing but a skirt) during the day and a diaper at night. As soon as we got home, right before new years, she started refusing her night time diaper. She wouldn't even honor a Pull-Up. So, we took the chance, being only 2-3 weeks into serious potty training to let her go bottomless in the bed. maybe 3 accidents and 2 weeks later, she is sleeping through the night without wake ups, and keeping her bed dry. Well I'll be dag nabbed! Go ahead folks, tell me how proud you are of me her! heheheee...

Unexpected home Improvement

2011-11-25T23:22:00.001-08:00

Mindi has a home office on the lower level of our split level house. She spends gobs and gobs of hours in said room, yet after living here for over 2 years, we had done ZERO work on it to make it our own. Ok, maybe zero is an exageration- we did mount a tv on the wall, as well as declare war on a spontaneous ant colony, but still... other than that, we were living with nasty stained up carpeting, pukey walls that needed some tlc, and a total lack of character. We decided that it was time to make Mindi's office dreams come true, and so we started formulating a plan. We have a teeny tiny budget to work with, despite the fact that the room needs so much work. We decided that we would remove the gross carpet and paint the concrete floor a shiny white. I have been seeing this trend all over houzz.com, and I thought it would be cool in the room. Mindi liked the idea and we agreed that we would add some throw rugs for warmth- badabing. I went to Home Depot this morning to pick up the floor paint and some scrapers to remove the adhesive that was on the padding. I am going to fast forward just a bit here, and say that about an hour later, after much deliberation, I was driving home with 20 feet of carpet partially sticking out of my trunk...

Install carpet on our own???

You BETCHA!

What happened to our budget???

Total for Super on sale carpet (20 feet worth?) $170 including tax!

Damn- we were going to spend more money than that on 2 big rugs! So, we plopped the kids down in front of a movie (or 3) and got to work removing the old and installing the new! This was completely not in the original plan, and typically, it takes me 10 years to decide on something as simple as a wall color- and here we were, pulling all the furniture out of the room and installing carpet (which we have never done before)- and you know what? We couldn't be happier! Despite the sheer size of our room (12ft x 19ft) it was a very straight-forward process, and the results are spectacular! We are taking a trip to IKEA on Sunday to pick up some furniture for the office, so I will check back with some pics after that is all put together!!

For you, my readers

2011-11-17T14:13:00.001-08:00

Thanks to you guys that commented on whether or not you enjoy watching vlogs. I have to agree with what most of you said- every now and again is ok, but I also really enjoy the act of reading written words. For this post, I will do both, but I am not writing what is in the video, so the video is like a bonus :).

Honestly, I wasn;t even sure if I was going to tell my blog readership about my latest venture. I suppose it is because I am slightly embarresed. It is about weight loss. Big time weight loss. As in... Holy crap, I can't believe I let myself get so fat, and I have no choice but to do somethign about it type of weight loss. I have done a lot of diets in my life. Atkins, South Beach (a few times), Medifast, Nutrisystem (a few times). Most of them worked, but they worked for about 10 pounds, and then, like a slingshot, I went back up and then some (sound familiar to anyone?) I was getting desperate. It is so frustrating to try sooooo hard for sooooo long, only to have the weight come off sloooooowly. After 7 pounds or so, I typically get frustrated and start cheating on my diet. After that happens, boy, look out! I am always sure I "make up for lost time..." if you know what I am saying.

I downloaded the app for www.myfitnesspal.com to my phone. (it is awesome on so many levels, bit the app and the website). It helps you track your foods, calories, and exercise, along with allowing you to (accurately) scan the bar code of almost every food imaginable to make it easier on you. I was on the tail end of a round of Nutrisystem in October, and had lost about 5 pounds. It was nice, but Nutrisystem is not cheap, and the weight, while coming off, was moving slooooowly. I needed a new plan. I needed a bunch of this weight gone to help me feel motivated enough to keep going on my own. I found the HCG Diet. Now, you may have heard of the HCG Diet, you may not have. I did a lot of research on it and decided to give it a try. It is not really a system that you go out and buy from 1 place, but if you actually want to know about it, feel free to comment, and I will tell you about my experience. All in all, however, I am thrilled with it. I started the diet on Halloween (yup- you read that right- no candy!) and I am down 12 pounds and 23" on this, my 18th day. WOW. Like WOWOWOWOW. I am impressed! Looking forward, I have a plan for my continued weight loss, and man am I jazzed about it!

So, here comes my vlog. It is regarding the HCG diet, and I think it accurately depicts my personality, for those of you that are curious! It was recorded yesterday :)

To Vlog or not to Vlog

2011-11-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

...That is the question!!! What say you oh wise readers? Do you like it when people vlog? Does it annoy you? Would you rather read their text or see their face? I suppose it may also depend on the content of the vlog...

Any opinons? Do you think that vlogging is for people that like to look at themselves on camera? Heh heh!

As of Late

2011-10-28T00:07:00.000-07:00

We took a little trip to an Autumn Festival at Remlinger Farms. We had a fabulous time and enjoyed a lot of "firsts" while we were there!

First Canoe ride for Stella

First nose-picking session on a train captured on camera...

First serious interaction with a giant squash the same color as her hair...

Harris' first mountain climbing expedition...

In other news, I finally took a few pictures of the room that I painted as a reaction to the miscarriage, and I think it looks fantastic! I am thrilled with the result of this accent wall. I am also thrilled with the little carrot bundle that I plucked from the garden today. Sadly enough, these tiny, yet plump carrots were planted this last February... I was expecting some monster carrots after having them in the ground for that long! Ahh well!

So... here is a great shot that shows some awesomeness in my life... A. My awesome green wall, B. My neat-o curtains hanging over my newly painted white wall, C. My sweet IKEA light hanging in my entryway, and D. My cute almost 2 year old crawling up the stairs!

I also picked up a new plant for the corner table. I love plants!

Preschool Politics

2011-10-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Sooooo, Harris and Stella's birthdays are both coming up in December. I would like to have 1 party for the 2 of them together. I am inviting long-time friends, but I would also like to invite some of Harris' preschool friends. The thing with that, however, is that if you invite some, you have to invite all, but my house is only so big, and I am not sure that I can handle 19 children AND their parents in my house at one time. I would offer it as a "drop off" party, where parents could literally drop their kids off at the party, but then I am looking at a situation of babysitting 10 kids, while trying to be a good hostess, and paying special attention to my 2 most important guests. So what is a mom to do? I could deliver invites by hand or email to certain families, but I know that the kids at school- mine or otherwise will start talking about the party as it gets closer, which may lead to hurt feelings of kids and other moms alike. So, what is a preschool mom to do? I am really not interested in having the party outside of my home. How would you handle this??

Long Time No Write

2011-10-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the folks that have been inquiring about me! I feel as though this ectopic pregnancy, while in numbers is over, and emotionally, I am ok with it, it will physically be sticking with me for a while longer. After that initial stabbing pain episode last month, I experienced 2 more incredibly painful episodes- the last one occurring in the middle of the night, reducing me to such a puddle of delirium on the floor, I could not even muster enough sense to whisper to Mindi that I needed help. She awoke to the sound of small, chattering sobs, and found me on my knees at the side of the bed, shaking. I have given birth now to two children without any pain medication, and I have to say that the pain of this ectopic pregnancy proved to be far worse than the pain of labor. Following midnight emergency phone calls, more blood draws and a few more ultrasounds, my last ultrasound and blood draw were completed this last Thursday. Finally, my HcG level was down to 0.5 (negative-finally!). The ultrasound, however, showed a mass. The mass was of decent size- picture a jumbo marble. That mass, was, or, is, rather- the ectopic pregnancy. I saw it clear as day on the monitor. There was nothing distinct about it really- no detail of any sort, just a solid blob. My RE says that it should simply reabsorb over time. It still hurts. Every day it hurts. Physically, I mean. Like, well, TMI ALERT whenever I have to poop or if I have to pee. It hurts. Bad. But, the numbers show that the HcG levels are down, so it will not get any bigger... that is a relief I guess... sortof. I asked the sonographer for a picture of what I was seeing because, believe it or not, I really wanted to post it here on my blog. It was quite an interesting view, what with a weird blob, pictured right next to my polycystic ovary. They looked so cozy together... Sigh. I left without the picture- she said she would have to clear it with the doctor, and that she would mail it to me if it was approved.

So where does this leave me now? Well, I asked the doc how long he thought it might take for the blob to be reabsorbed, and he said maybe 4 to 6 more weeks. I really hope the pain doesn't stick around for that long- that would, essentially make this whole process last for... 3 whole months.... jeeeezus!

Have a Miscarriage? Paint a room!

2011-09-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

Well, that is what I do anyway... you might call it "reverse nesting" if you will! Finally, my last blood test came back looking good. After a ridiculous number of blood tests and doctors appointments, my mystery pregnancy is finally resolving itself! How do I choose to celebrate? I paint a room that is looong overdue for painting!! Our dining room wall was painted a blue color by the previous owners. The blue was not unattractive, but it was in need of repair due to some bumps and scrapes, and we did not have the paint to touch it up. Additionally, we wanted to make it ours, so we are looking at new color options! I got on a painting kick, and now I just can't stop! Unfortunately, when I went to Home Depot today to buy more No-VOC Fresh Aire Paint in "Distant Star"for my ceilings, I realized that they had stopped carrying the brand! GASP!! Dearl Lord... now what?! Well, now I will whip out my can that remains, and match a swatch to Kelly-Moore brand, which also has a really great VOC-free paint.The current count is 9 color samples sitting on my windowsill that have been nixed from the color-running! I have a list of about 7 more samples that I will pick up tomorrow!. I will be sure I show some bfore and after pictures when it is done!

Ectopic Pregnancy Confirmed

2011-08-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

After waiting in the cushy lobby area of my RE's office for an hour and a half (thank God for home decorating mgazines and smart phones) yesterday, I was given the news that despite having 2 rounds of cytotec, and 1 D&C, the pregnancy still existed, and my hormone levels were still going up. My RE told me that, while the level was not going up as they would for a viable pregnancy, it was going up nonetheless, and firmly recommended that I accept an injectable medication called methotrexate. I agreed, and got the shots. How could I not? I have been strung along on this roller coaster of miscarrying a baby that never seemed to exist... at least inside my uterus... I wil never know where the real embryo ended up implanting. It was obviously not in my uterus. It could have been in my fallopian tube, as (95% chance of tubal pregnancy) would suggest, or, it could have been somewhere outside of my tubes, including my ovary, bowel or spleen. This is like an episode of the twilight zone! During my last ultrasound, on Thursday, the sonographer really looked hard. She was unable to see ANYTHING, ANYWHERE. I was certain my HcG levels would go down, and man, was I suprised when they had actually gone up. Incredible. Well, I am going to get stuck again on Thursday to check those HcG levels again. Cross your fingers that they go down if for no other reason than my sanity.

The Miscarriage Continues

2011-08-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I had my D&C. Mindi came to be with me and drive the car. Both of the kids were with her and so she brought "the secret weapon" aka our portable dvd player. It worked like a charm- my son has fallen in love with the Care Bears. Apparently, his favorite is "Share Bear" how cute!

I digress.

I changed into my gown and was introduced to the anesthesiologist. He was a very young and attractive guy- mid 30's with 4 kids of his own and very nice teeth. (What?! I am a teeth person!) Anyways... I was pretty relaxed during the prep for the procedure. I am the kind of person who likes to spread good cheer, and if I have a compliment to give, I rarely keep it bottled up. I kept thinking about how nice this guy's teeth were, but for some reason, I opted to keep the compliment to myself. We started talking about other things, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery. It was a quick procedure- 20 minutes tops. After a few minutes and a bag of cheez-its, the anesthesiologist came in to see how I was. He didn't stay long, just a few seconds, and then he left. Then my RE popped in with a resident by his side. The resident was a little stud too! Young, attractive, and one of the nerd-chic kind of fellas that could totally make a bow tie look hot. He totally rocked his Clark Kent glasses. Strange I tell you- strange. After the RE told me that all went well, he left. I was just about to get dressed when I blurted out the the nurse- "wow, that anesthesiologist had really nice teeth". She looked up at me and chuckled- "I know, you already told him that"... Huh? Oh boy... the way she was chuckling, I kind of wondered what else I had come up with in my drug induced state!! No, really... I really wonder! :-O

All was well Monday and Tuesday. I wasn't really cramping at all, I didn't have a whole lot of bleeding either, and I was feeling really quite settled. Then, last night the story changed. I was doing a little painting to the ceiling in our office. Nothing strenuous, just cutting in the edges in preparation for rolling. All of a sudden, I got a sharp pain in my right lower back. The pain traveled around to my pelvis and down into my lady bits. Soon after that, it encompassed my entire lower abdomen. The pain was intense- shooting, piercing pain. I walked around the way I did when I was laboring with my children- panting, swaying, blowing air through my lips. I tried to go to the bathroom but the pain of sitting down was so much that I shot up immediately. Mindi was concerned. I was concerned. After I caught my breath, I called the doctor. He asked a list of questions to rule out certain things like UTIs and infection. He then told me to take 3 Advil to see if it helped the pain. He instructed me to call and come in the next day if the pain was still there. The Advil helped, and by the morning, the stabbing pain was replaced by extreme tenderness. I figured that the tenderness was due to the strain on the muscles the night before.

I get a call at about 9am from my IVF Coordinator, asking how I am. I tell her I am just tender. She quickly informs me that she wants me to come in for an ultrasound right away. Why? I asked her, surprised. "The lab was unable to find any gestational tissue from your D&C".

What. The. Fuck.

Ok... I quickly find care for my 2 kids with 2 different moms (Thanks Loren and Lica!!!) and rush downtown. They told me that they were now looking for an ectopic pregnancy. Now, that doesn't make much sense to me, but aparently ectopic pregnancies have been known to "throw off" alternate gestational sacs, similar to the one that they saw on my first ultrasound.

God Damn this is long. Maybe I should have stopped when I got to the part about the sexy nerd resident and the hot anesthesiologist with nice teeth...

The sonographer found blood in abdominal cavity (from what?!) but no tubal pregnancy, and no remaining tissue in my uterus. So trippy. Now I will be going back on Saturday for another blood draw. If my HcG levels go down, then we will play the wait-it-out game. If they don't, then they will have to assume an ectopic pregnancy that they will have to look harder for on ultrasound, or is potentially outside of my tubes and uterus. Man this sucks.

At least my anesthesiologist had nice teeth.

The News

2011-08-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

This morning, after waking up, I snuggled with Harris on the couch. He is such a sweet boy with his mamas. He rolled over on top of me, lifted my shirt and kissed my tummy. "Good morning little brother or sister" he said in a sweet, yet completely serious voice. In that moment, I wanted to die.

We haven't told him yet that there is not a baby there. I might not actually tell him, but I feel guilty at the same time. He is so excited, but then I also think that because he is only 3.5, he probably wouldn't notice if the baby took an extra 2 months to bake...

Like many have said before me, I know that this miscarriage is not my fault. I know that there is nothing that I could have done or not done to change the outcome, but I can't help but feel like I have stolen something from my family. Like I took a gift away from Harris that I had just barely handed to him. It actually feels like the same kind of mourning I had right before Stella was born. The feeling that I was taking something away from Harris by adding another child to our lives. I mourned the loss of time and attention I knew he would no longer get, and as much as I knew how much joy a sibling could bring to his life, I felt like I was taking something away instead.

The second round of pills did even less than the first. I took them, and absolutely nothing happened. No cramps at all, no bleeding at all. To think- all of that good vicodin, going to waste. Tisk tisk tisk.

I have a D&C scheduled for Monday morning, bright and early. I just want it to be over. I just want to switch back from "damage control" to "optimistically trying to conceive".

Someone pass me the tissues, eh?

The Challenges Continue

2011-08-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't shake what Kat said from my head. Misdiagnosed miscarriage? Me? Is it possible? I sat my ass in front of my computer and read for hours. I read over and over again that a blighted ovum is not really diagnosable until at least 8 weeks. I was only 6w 3d. I kept reading over and over that it is much more difficult to visualize early pregnancy via ultrasound in women that have a retroverted uterus (a uterus that tilts up and back towards the spine as opposed to forward over the bladder). I have been told over and over that I have a retroverted uterus. I read medical sites and message boards. I tried to make sure that I spread out my research over a broad spectrum of sites- not just those dedicated to misdiagnosed miscarriages. (Although if you are up for some interesting stories, I highly recommend the site http://www.misdiagnosedmiscarriage.com/). After doing all the research that I could, I came to the conclusion that, in my particular situation, there seemed to be a 50/50 chance that the doctor was wrong. But, I couldn't help but wonder if there was something else on that ultrasound that clued my RE into the immediate diagnosis of miscarriage due to blighted ovum. I knew, that as the patient, I only had the information that they handed me, so I called the office back that same night and asked the medical assistant to do some sleuthing for me. I wanted to know what other factors went into the diagnosis. She called me back late in the evening, telling me that she was still trying to gather some more information, and that she would call me in the morning, I really appreciated the fact that she called me, even to let me know that she wasn't done with the search yet. Now that is service, I say!

Yesterday morning, I got the phone call. She had taken the opportunity to sit down with 2 sonographers (the one that did the initial scan plus 1 more) and my RE to learn about their findings. On the phone, she reported back to me that the fact that there was no visible fetal pole or yolk sac, coupled with the fact that the gestational sac was measuring at only 5w1d (a full week and 3 days behind) were the telltale signs of a failed pregnancy. That was all I needed to hear. I know how important the measurements are so early in a pregnancy, and because we knew the exact timing of everything (due to it being an IVF cycle), I knew that it was what it was, and I knew what had to be done. I drove to the pharmacy, and picked up the pills that would help my body complete the miscarriage process.

I would be interested to hear from other women what their experience was using Cytotec(Misoprostol) for a miscarriage. So far, my experience has been much different than I had expected. After reading the literature that I was sent home with from my Doctor's office, I expected that I would stick some pills up my lady bits, wait a few hours, and then cramp and bleed profusely for about 4-8 hours, and then it would be done. After that I might bleed like a regular period for a few days, and then I would go in for an ultrasound to make sure it was all out. What I got yesterday, was totally different.

I took my first dose at 2pm, and my second at 4pm. I experienced very very mild menstrual like cramps for about 3 hours until 7pm. It was then that I started spotting and getting the chills, but for the most part, it was just piddly menstrual cramps. I thought for sure, by 7 pm I would have a rushing river down there. But alas- there was nothing more than pink when I wiped.

It wasn't until 9pm that I started getting contractions. The contractions continued every 15 minutes until about 11pm. Then they stopped. The end.

What? The end? What happened to the copious bleeding? Ummm someone forgot to send my uterus the memo I guess... Hey UTERUS! YOU HAVE A JOB TO DO! C'mon lady, we have got to clean it out so as to prepare to try again! Damn drugs. I changed my pad, laughing at the teaspoon of blood at most that was there. (Should I have offered a TMI warning? Yes? oh, well, sorry...) I put on a new pad thinking that maybe something miraculous would happen in the middle of the night. I popped a vicodin and went to sleep. I slept great heh heh.

This morning I called the Dr.s office again and told them of my experience. They called in another prescription and I picked it up right before lunch. It is almost time for my second dose, and I am still having no cramping and no bleeding whatsoever. I hope to God that this second try does the trick because I really do not want to go in for a D&C.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

No Fetal Pole

2011-08-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

This morning I went for my first ultrasound of this pregnancy. I got undressed and up on the table. The sonographer came in and was quite pleasant while we chit chatted a bit as she prepared the ultrasound probe. I talked about my kids and how excited Harris was to have a new sibling on the way. She was taking some measurements and nodding to my stories. I didn't even look at the screen except for when she told me that I had a half full bladder that she wanted me to empty because it was impeding her view. I shuffled down the hallway, covered in my paper drape. Upon returning, she took some more measurements and I kept chatting away, waiting for her to tell me to look at something. After about 12 minutes, she pointed to something on the screen. You know, a blur, a blob, or a smudge. What I saw was a roundish circle. And that was it. She turned to me and said "I see the gestational sac but no fetal pole". "Oh, OK" was my response. She stood up quickly and told me to get dressed- that she would meet me outside. It wasn't until I got to the consult room that I realized what a fetal pole was. THE BABY! Basically, this woman had just told me that she did not see a baby in my uterus.

My RE came in and softly laid it out. There was essentially something wrong with the chromosomes of my embryo, and while it did implant after the transfer, the gestational sac and beginnings of a placenta continued to form, while the yolk sac and fetus did not. This is also (what I found out later after my own research) called a blighted ovum. After a deep sigh, I simply said "ok, what do we do now?" He explained my options. I could either
1. Wait it out and allow my body to go naturally into the miscarriage
2. Take a suppository that would make my uterus contract in such a way that I would expel the tissue within a few hours
3. Get a D&C performed

I am not into really invasive procedures unless necessary, so I new I didn't want a D&C. I also knew that, if this was really the end of the pregnancy, then I just wanted to wipe the slate clean, and be done with it, so I wasn't really into the whole 'waiting 2 to 7 weeks for my body to take care of business' bit. I opted for the suppositories. He saluted me for being a forward thinker, and thanking my lucky stars that we caught this situation early, as opposed to growing more and more attached to the pregnancy, and finding out later.

The medical assistant came in the the prescription and instructions. I thanked her and left, waving cheerfully at all the girls in the office that I have grown to know and like. Can you sense the denial here? I got to my car, and called first my midwife. I had to cancel the appointment we had scheduled for 4pm. The next call went to my parents. I had been speaking to my mom right before the ultrasound, and she wanted to know how things went. After that, I called Mindi's mom. I drove straight to the pharmacy. After dropping off the prescription, I called Kat. Supportive as always (as are all of my friends) she helped me talk it out simply to one last person before having to tell my wife, Mindi.

I got home. Mindi was smiling. I blurted out "there's no fetal pole". She didn't say anything, but the look on her face told me she thought I was joking when I quickly followed it up with "there is no baby". I sat on the couch, feeling drunk and exhausted, and explained it. We had a moment, and then went our separate ways in the house, as she had to go back to work, and I had to be a momma to Stella. I sat on the living room chair in a heap. Kat called me back. She started saying something..."...are they sure..... Dr. Google....maybe a mistake.....misdiagnosis....are you sure..." As much as I love Kat, had she been standing next to me in the room, I might have punched her in the shoulder. You know how it goes- your kid has a runny nose, you run to doctor google, and before you know it, you are convinced that your child has a rare form of hypothermia brought on by the breeze made by a rare bird's wing, last diagnosed in 1875 by some French Doctor whilst visiting Greece. Ok, a little exaggeration- but you get the point. I vowed to her that I trusted my Doctor, and that was the end of the conversation.

To Be Continued...

Camping

2011-08-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hot apple cider- the drink of choice for the newly pregnant...

We have gone camping a number of times, but this camping trip had to be the best by far. We invited a number of friends to come along with us, and it was simply delightful in every way. The different personalities all melded perfectly, and everyone had something interesting to bring to the late- night adult conversation. The kids all had a blast exploring and playing together, as well as peeing on everything that didn't move... The babies had fun rolling around with the big kids, the food was fantastic, and it seemed as though everyone had a part to play! If you have never gone group camping, I highly recommend it! We ended up having 5 kids and 8 adults. It was the perfect amount of people for the 3 beautiful campsites that we had. Any more, and it would have been too much I think.

My beautiful friend Kat

KAT

Harris applying sunscreen. What goes around comes around...

"Auntie Kat" with Stella

My favorite unscripted moment!

Our friend Ken, Anna (aka Kat & Anna!) Mindi and Stella

A Day at The Faire

2011-08-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

Last summer, we packed up our family, and headed down to the Renaissance Fair! We had a jolly good time, and enjoyed all of the people in Renaissance garb. Mindi, being of... hmmmm... non- rambunctious spirit, doesn't especially enjoy dressing up. I mention this because while we were at said Faire, she mentioned on a few occasions that she actually felt out of place in street clothes! I was amazed. I was even more amazed when she actually asked me to make us all costumes for this years Renaissance Faire! Time sped by, as it always does, and the next thing you know, the Renaissance Faire is in a week and a half, and I have found myself needing to sew full costumes for 4 people- and on a budget!

It was the pure excitement that fueled my sewing all-nighters! Now, I must preface this by saying that I would consider myself a beginning/intermediate sewer- I now my way around my sewing machine, I love my serger, but I have only worked with a pattern once, and that was in junior high school. Lucky for me, (I guess) I didn't have a pattern, and instead relied on illustrations and general instructions that I found online. I have to pat myself on the back here, however, because I think that all 4 costumes turned out splendidly! First, I made my dress. It consisted of a "kirtle" or under dress, and an apron overdress. I trimmed it up with some trim and made a belt with some leftover fabric from the kirtle. It was BY NO MEANS an expert job, but I was proud to wear it! Next up, I made Stella's dress. It was a ridiculously simple A line dress with an elastic neckline. I then made her a little apron, bonnet cap, and a little brown pouch that attached to her apron belt for depositing bitty rocks into. Mindi's shirt came next. After 3 fittings, it fit her perfectly, and she kept mentioning how comfortable it was, which totally rocked my world. I made a similar shirt for Harris, but without a collar, and more little pouches for everyone! We geared up, suited up, drove an hour. braved the Burger King in our strange clothing, and then finally arrived at the Faire! We felt totally comfortable in our costumes, and a number of The whole time we were there we saw 1 teenage girl wandering around solo, playing a wooden recorder. For all we know, she could have just come as a patron. It was pretty disappointing. BUT I got some cute pictures of my kids! Wanna see?? Do you??? Well, I do lol.

He was imitating a pirate that he was watching in front of him!

Last year, this guy scared Harris to bits! AMazing how they change...

Show the Girl Some LOVE folks!

2011-08-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hello readers, my blog (and real life!!) friend Crystal asked me to post thisbecause she needs help getting participants for her dissertation examininggrief following the loss of a companion animal. If you or anyone you know fitsthe following criteria (either A orB) and would be willing to take a short online survey, please email her forfurther details. Thank you!

Group A)

You mayqualify if you meet the following criteria;

You have experienced the death of a companion dog within the past 5 years.
You have attended therapy during and/or following that loss. (The therapy does not need to have been specific to that loss)
You are over the age of 18.

Please email Crystal at cagrief@gmail.com(for more information or to see a flyer click here)

Group B)

You mayqualify if you meet the following criteria;

You are a therapist licensed either at the masters or doctoral level.
You have been practicing for at least a year.

Please email Crystal at cagrieftherapy@gmail.com

Thank you,

Crystal

Give it up ladies! This girl (Crystal) is one of the nicest people I know, and has been working far too hard for far too long to get stuck on her dissertation at the very end!!!

About Being Pregnant

2011-08-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

I realize that I very much glazed over the whole "getting pregnant" part of the announcement. As I mentioned before, I wasn't going to share at all until I was into my second trimester, but then I felt like I wanted my community (all you guys!) with me the whole time, then I regretted saying anything for some reason, maybe fear? (Of something? Who knows what?) Now I am back to being happy that I announced it. LOL Still with me here folks? Oh, the mind games I drag you through sometimes... I realized that it was important for me to share this part of our journey, if for no other reason than that this is, as I have mentioned before, my online diary for myself- with a public audience. Soooooo... Phew. That made me out of breath!

We did a frozen embryo transfer via IVF. I didn't really feel like it was a big deal- I wasn't jumping up and down with excitement each step of the way- not because I wasn't excited to have another child, but I would have to admit that, being 2 women, our method of getting pregnant is far more lack luster than other methods I can think of! Also, it is number 3. The first through 5th times we went into the doctor's office for our inseminations while trying to become pregnant with Harris were very exciting. We were all giddy with the possibilities, and every new appointment was full of wonder! I even remember being excited to be stuck with the big needles full of the HcG hormone. The novelty wore off pretty quickly after that, however, and getting pregnant had become just a series of doctor's appointments.

I was very stoked when the nice lady from the lab called t tell me that I was, indeed pregnant. After my sleepy haze wore off, I was drunk with excitement. The [hormone level] numbers, however, were on the low end. She followed that up by saying that it was not uncommon to have lower initial numbers (mine was 46) with a frozen embryo cycle. I kept myself pretty quiet about it since I wanted to wait until my next blood draw (2 days later) to see how much my numbers had gone up. She said that they wanted the number to at least double. 48 hours later, my numbers had about tripled to 161. I felt very relieved to say the least. My ivf coordinator requested that I go in for 1 more blood draw to check the numbers tomorrow morning, so Harris, Stella, and myself are going to trek on downtown again. I have my first ultrasound scheduled for 2 weeks from today! I feel relieved. In an effort to help it be more real I peed on some left over pregnancy tests that I had stashed away, and snapped a few token pictures of those beautiful, BEAUTIFUL positive pregnancy tests.

BEHOLD THE GLORY!

P.S. My hand and tummy are totally fine now. I had 100% plans to go to my doctor after a certain amount of time elapsed. Luckily for me, just before said time elapsed, my stings totally calmed down. Thanks for your well wishes and suggestions, and I will definitely be staying away from any wasps that I see! That is, of course, unless they stupidly decide to make their nest under the path of my lawn mower.... grumble grumble...

More Wasp Goodness

2011-07-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

Continuing on from yesterday, when I was attacked by the wasps... I thought that the swelling in my hand would have gone down by morning. I was up all night with intense itchiness in my hands and on my tummy. When I say intense, I mean it was severe. I was tossing and turning all night and on the verge of tears. When I got up this morning, my hand was even more swollen, and the red ring of death (as I like to call it) on my tummy was twice the size that it was the night before. Looking down at my hands, my fingers looked like fat little sausages... mmmm... sausages.... up to my first knuckle. I was miserable. We tried vinegar and baking soda (what a surprise!) since we read that vinegar could help to neutralize the venom, and that a paste of baking soda was soothing. I don't think the vinegar helped me much, but I am giving it another try as I type this with 2 cloths wet with vinegar sitting on my sore spots. The baking soda was quite soothing, but after I rinsed it off, the effects were gone as well. I tried taking a little bit of benadryl to help the swelling go down. All the benadryl seemed to do was make me sleepy. So sleepy, in fact, that when I was awoken by the lady from the lab, calling to tell me that I was pregnant, my response was, well, you could say, less than enthusiastic. "Oh yeh? Mmmm yeh, that sounds great. Tuesday for another blood draw? *Yawn* Sure, what time?" Ok, see you then." Click.

...
...
I barley had the energy to text mindi downstairs, the word "Pregnant".

She seemed to have plenty of energy, however, when she came bounding up the stairs, full of love and lots of kisses for my sleepy self!

Woohoo! Cross your fingers that this little embryo sticks!!!

Jolly Good Time

2011-07-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

Ah, isn't it nice to finally have a bout of good weather here in Seattleland! While the rest of the country has been having a fretful combination of massive heatwaves, and, in some areas, massive thunderstorms accompanied by flooding and power outages, we have been scraping by on partly sunny, 64 degree days... Finally, this weekend is shaping up to be just dandy in the 70's and sunny! So what is a good little homemaker to do, but mow her lawn! Yes yes, my friends! Ho hum, la la la, I love to mow my lawn... ouch! OUCH! OUCH OH SHIT WHAT THE?! BLOODY HELL! WASPS! SWARMING! OUCH! MY BACK! AH! MY TUMMY! scat damn things! AAAAH! MY HANDS MY HANDS!!!!!! *running to the garage, yelping to my little Boy to get in the house! Get Mommy!* AH! AAH! OUCH! GET OFF ME! *jumping* swatting* shaking* crying* I am fairly certain I have left the swarm behind but my body is on fire and I need Mindi to check for lingering wasps on my clothes. I tried not to yelp too loudly, as I didn't want to frighten Harris who was watching me, and I didn't want to wake up the baby who was napping. Mindi came out to see me in tears, checked my clothes and we ran into the bathroom to assess the damage. Off came the shirt. More tears, more shaking, all the while, trying to comfort Harris who was concerned. 5 stings in all- not too bad, it could have been worse, but the image in my head of looking down at my black tshirt and seeing 6-8 really pissed off yellow jackets sitting there, knowing that there was at least that many on my back as well really had me shaken up all day. My hand is so swollen and painful, and my back and front itch like mad. Like I said before, it could have been worse. So what happened? Apparently I mowed over there nest. Shit.

On a happier note, I am going in for my pregnancy test tomorrow. I do not have any feeling either way. I am not even cautiously optimistic, because I really have no clue. We shall see!

It was soooo romantic- let me tell you!

2011-07-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, while completely unromantic in every sense of the word, today was an exciting day! We carted the whole family down to the clinic for our 12 noon appointment for our embryo transfer! We considered trying to find a babysitter for the kids, but also knew that Harris was really interested in being there. Luckily, I packed every snack item a kid could ever desire, and wouldn't you know it, poor vegetarian Mindi got stuck doling out turkey jerky as the snack of choice for the kids. It was pretty funny actually. She didn't want to touch the jerky, so every time Stella would want another piece, she would ask big brother to get it out of the bag. What a good helper he was!

I was instructed to take 2 Valium tablets and drink 1.5L of water 1 hour before the transfer. I sighed a deep sigh as I started chugging the water because I knew I was in for some torture. I mean, really- making a woman who has experienced minor loss of bladder control after having two vaginal deliveries (don't tell me you don't pee a little when you sneeze!!!), making her drink 1.5L of water, and then giving her something else t "relax" her... My biggest fear was that while the embryologist was watching, and the ultrasound technician was pressing on my bladder with her ultrasound probe, I would end up accidentally pissing on the Doctor while his head was in my junk! Golly, could you imagine?! Luckily, the nurse allowed me to release a little urine before the transfer so that I would be more comfortable.

While we were waiting for the transfer to occur, the embryologist came in to talk to us about our embryo. During my last appointment, I had to sign the consent for them to thaw the embryo(s). We had 12 frozen, and while the Doctor and I agreed that we would only put 1 back in, I also agreed that I would allow them to thaw as many embryos (1 at a time) as they needed until 1 was viable and in god shape. When we froze the 12 embryos, they were all A+ blastocysts. So, when the embryologist came in and told us that she thawed 1 embryo, and it unfortunately did not make it, I was a bit surprised. The second embryo she thawed did, however, make it, and was thriving and growing in the incubator. In all actuality, call me crazy, I was kind of "relieved" that one of the "perfect embryos" didn't survive. Up until this point in the creation of our family, I have been waiting for the shit to hit the fan, if you will. Up until now, everything has been perfect- 2 perfect pregnancies, 2 easy home births, and 2 wonderful children. I am half expecting to have to have an emergency c-section on my front porch, and have the baby I birth resemble Benjamin Button.

Ok, maybe that is a little unrealistic...
Either way, I want to leave you with our potential baby to be's first picture!!

Aww, look at those plump little cell clusters! How cuuuute!

Flat Travel

2011-07-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

I read a very witty blog that I am sure I have mentioned in the past. Leslie, the poster, decided to send her family around the country with the goal to visit every single state over the course of the next few months! Each member is currently in a different state, including their baby daughter! Ok, well, maybe not the REAL baby daughter, but the flat versions! We are currently hosting Lucy, their middle daughter (of 3) for a few days. I want to keep her long enough to show her a good time in Seattle! You can read more about their adventure here!

Lucy is here! Lucy is here! Ain't she cute?!

Harris shares his dinner.

Stella trie to give a finger high five!

Look Mom, someone smaller than me!

watching a movie with the girls

dropping Harris off at school!

Sharing is Caring right?

2011-07-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

So.. let's see. I don't even know where I left off in life since my posting has been somewhat sporadic lately! We just got back from a week long cruise on the Allure of the Seas through Royal Caribbean cruise lines. The cruise was amazing, the ship was amazing, the kids activities and programs were great, and we got to know some new relatives a lot better. It really was a fantastic vacation. I would like to round up some photos to post in the not too distant future.

There was another camping trip thrown in there for good measure before the cruise vacation, and I would like to write about that too.

I just read about the DHA put in baby formula being bad. I am not going to go into it here, but here is the link if you would like to read more... http://www.safbaby.com/false-claims-that-dha-in-organic-and-non-organic-infant-formula-is-safe

And last but not least, I wanted to share something else that is personal in nature. Now, when we started this whole "thing", I decided to keep it mostly under wraps. I didn't feel like being as outward with it. But as the time grows nearer, I am finding myself desiring to share. Next Thursday, we are going in to do an IVF frozen embryo transfer. We have been "working" on this cycle for about a month now, and it is almost time! Thinking back to the last time we did IVF and got Stella out of the deal, I was never nervous or concerned (minus that little 8 week spotting incident) that there would not be a baby at the end. This time, however, I am nervous that an embryo might not "take" the first time around. Frozen embryos aren't quite as strong as fresh I guess. It would totally bum me out because 1. I want to get pregnant now 2. this shit is expensive man! and 3. The suspense is killing me! After 2 labor intensive efforts at getting pregnant with my last 2, I am ready to just be pregnant already. But, good things come to those who wait I guess, right?

Anyone else out there going through an IVF cycle now or soon?

Well Holy Crap

2011-06-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

One could argue that I am about to post this video of my firey redhead because she is butt nekkid. While I do not deny that I think it makes her all that much cuter, I am really posting this video to show the world that FINALLY my 18.5 month old girl is walking! For real! Really walking! Holy Moly! I was convinced that she would be in college, crawling around the carpeted floor of some skanky frat party... ok, well, maybe I just thought that up right now... ewwww. Ok, I need to stop thinking about that altogether... Anyways- I managed to grab the camera as soon as I saw my little lady stand up and decide that she wanted to be a big girl, and walk to the bath! I love miraculous timing!

Untitled from Lynn L on Vimeo.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

We decided to kick off our summer with a camping trip! Mindi was really busy with work the week before the trip, and so it was up to me to pack everything up. Considering I had to take care of the 2 little ones whilst packing the gear, the clothes, the food, etc all myself, I think I did a pretty good job. The only notable thing that I forgot were our pillows (d'oh!). As you can see, it rained. No, I mean, it rained big time. We were prepared, however, as we had 7 tarps with us, and we utilized every one of them! Our campsite looked like a squatter city. It was awesome. In all reality, the use of tarps allowed us to create quite a cozy atmosphere. Almost like a real house with individual rooms. Truly! We had a bedroom (the tent) a living room (the covered screen room) and even a bathroom! We always bring the port-o-pot (what an awesome thing) and the tarps really allowed for a lot of privacy. The whole time I was setting up the tarps, I was feeling a little....mmm... dizzy. I chalked it up to over-exertion. No biggie. I moved on. Mindi rocked it out by keeping both children busy for the whole 2 hours it took me to finally set up camp.

That first night was interesting. It was about 43 degrees. We have some good sleeping bags, and the biggest challenge was trying to get Stella to stay in her bag. Luckily, we bundles the bejeezers out of her with the knowledge that she would wiggle out in the night, and she seemed perfectly comfortable. Harris looked cozy and Happy, as did Mindi. I, on the other hand, was freezing. I had the same bag as everyone else, I had on my layers- I was prepared, but holy crap was I cold! I had a chill I just couldn't shake!

The next day, we visited the Train Museum. Needless to say, it was the absolute highlight of Harris' camping trip. He loooooves Thomas. I try to avoid Thomas for the sake of my own sanity, but I can dig some good ol' fashioned history!

Stella is still not walking. She will walk while holding a hand, but if you let go, she is down with the count. Mommy Mindi and Stella got some good practice while we were waiting to board the train!

Harris was really excited about his first pressed penny!

The train car that we sat in was very cool. It was originally made in the early 1900s and modified many many times. There was a little poster detailing it's history.

Below, you can catch a glimpse of our bathroom/ tent entry! We stayed nice and dry the whole trip!

The trip was overall, a a good one. We had a little trouble in the toddler enthusiasm department, at times, but it was all good in the end. The second night, the chills returned with a vengeance. I was miserable. My teeth were chattering, my body was shaking. My throat was raw. I was drooling myself dehydrated. I had gotten the flu. Fuuuuuuuuudge. We had planned to stay for three nights. I am not a buzz killer. I am a borderline martyr. I don't quit on camping trips. That second morning, after the realization that I had forgotten a mixing bowl and cooking spray for our pancake breakfast, we quickly decided to run off to Micky D's for some nuked pancakes. While we sat there, we talked about the enthusiasm level of the boy, coupled with my flu (you have be KIDDING me!), and decided to call it a day. We went back to camp and closed up shop. We were home by about 2p, and set out all of our gear to dry. We learned some good lessons on this camping trip, and we can't wait to go again!

We Love You Bob

2011-05-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

As you may know, Harris received a beautiful Betta fish for his birthday from a good friend back in December. We knew he liked Bob, he would say hi from time to time, and Stella would say hi to him every day as well. We enjoyed caring for him, with his lively personality and flashy fins. We made sure he was well fed and that his 1 gallon bowl was clean. That was my main job. Every week, I would do a bowl clean. It was pretty easy to tell when it was time to clean it, and I enjoyed the job.

1 week, it was bowl cleaning time (on the calendar) but the water didn't look especially dirty. I decided to wait a few days. It was sunny outside. We did some gardening, and enjoyed our time outdoors. Little did we know that the combination of a few warm days outside, resulting in a warm house, coupled with a delayed water change would result in something so terrible. Bob became sick. He was bloated and constipated. His fins looked less-than perky. After about a day, he wasn't swimming so straight. Mindi jumped online to try to figure out what was wrong with our fish. We were able to pretty much self diagnosis him with Dropsy, a bacterial infection directly linked to water quality. You can imagine I am pretty much flogging myself emotionally right now. How could I have been so lazy? How could I have been so inconsiderate? This little fish was depending on me for a healthy living environment! I am a Pisces... can you tell? We knew we had to do something to help Bob or he would die. I went to PetCo to try to find a fish medicine. I came home with a heater for his bowl after realizing that his ambient temperature was far to low for a Betta (on average 67, while the optimal temperature for a Betta is 78), and a bottle of medication that I thought would help him. A day passed and he looked worse. I did more online research, and then rushed him to the PetSmart. The fish lady examined him and offered me the right kind of medication. She was optimistic, and so we were as well. We treated him for the full recommended week. He did look better, but not even close to healthy. I started another round of medication. Today was the last round of week 2. He looked horrible, It seemed as though his Dropsy was cured, but his belly was all distended because, believe it or not, he was constipated. We researched how to relive that and had no luck with the recommended treatments. I realized that the chance of a cure was slim. I knew it was time to help him in a different way. He was suffering. I am sure that there may be some folks out there that are half-chuckling with the thought that fish don't have feelings. Think what you want people. They can feel pain. I digress. I did some more research. Research on the most humane way to euthanize a fish. I found a wealth of amazing and thought provoking information. We chose this method, rated the second most human method of euthanization second only to the anesthetics that only vets use. I did the legwork to prepare the scene. I asked Mindi to do it for me, and I left the house like a coward. I cried on the way to the grocery store. I whimpered to the nice checkout lady who "felt my pain", and I nearly fainted on my way back to the car. Bob is no longer in pain. Taking a life is profound, even if it is "just a fish". We love you Bob.

If any of you ever find yourself in a similar situation, in that you feel that your fish would be better off not suffering, please follow the links above. On a quick side note, do NOT EVER flush a live fish, freeze a live fish, crush a live fish, or boil a live fish. That is inhumane.

I hope that you all give your pets an extra belly rub or scratch behind the ears tonight. Tap the tank and tell them that you love them, or give them a bubble making scuba diver to keep them company. We talked with Harris about it tonight and we will all bury Bob together in the morning.

No, The Sickies Will Never End...

2011-05-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon there was a Marathon Fundraiser at Harris' school. He was very excited to participate, and there was a fantastic theme! It was called the Earn Your Stripes! Marathon. All of the kids wore white shirts, and every time they would complete a lap, they would get a painted stripe on their white shirt. In the end, they all looked like zebras, and man, what a great incentive that was for the kids! As you will note below, there are no pictures of Harris' Zebra shirt. He woke up that morning with a fever of 104 degrees. We gave him Ibuprofen. It helped the fever, but obviously, we had mixed feelings about bringing him to the marathon. he had trained so hard, and was so excited about the marathon, and the ice cream afterwards. We gave him 3 options.

1. Stay home.

2. Go to the Marathon to cheer on his friends and eat ice cream.

3. Go to the Marathon and run.

I knew he was in no mood or shape to run, and so I was not surprised when he picked number 2. With a sigh of frustration at the overall situation, Mindi and I agreed to keep him away from the other kids, and to be on guard for whatever happened. We went, he got his number, and for a moment, I saw the pride in his eyes.

The pride was quickly replaced by misery, and he asked to go home before the Marathon even started. I felt so bad for him, and we went home. By that evening, his fever peaked at 104.9. He was complaining of on again/ off again leg and foot pain. He has been battling fever all weekend.

Tonight the fever hit the highest we had ever seen it go. Just 30 minutes after his Acetaminophen was "scheduled" to wear off, he weakly called for Mindi. His temperature read 106.1. We both jumped into hyper speed. In a whirlwind, Mindi administered another dose of Ibuprofen, I got him cold cloths and water, and she started up the bath. I swooped him up from his bed and jumped in the tub with him. I didn't even take my clothes off.

I eventually got him turned around and practically laying in the water on his back while I sponged tepid water over his torso and forehead. Finally, the Ibuprofen and bath did the trick and his fever came down to 102. I will be taking him to the Dr. tomorrow (Monday). Cross your fingers his temperature doesn't skyrocket again.

Have any of you dealt with ridiculously high fevers before?

Liberate Your Hair

2011-05-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

Did you know that, when you open up that bottle of tropical flower scented shampoo that has the (apparent) power to give you some jollies in the shower when you rub your head to a fro-like lather, that not only are you getting your hot, steamy groove on, you are also getting your potential premature aging, headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, narcosis, coma, eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and carcinogens on? Yeh- SEXY! Give it to me baby! Oh, wait...

I am not going to go into every potential ingredient and it's nasty side effects, but instead I will offer you this link:
http://www.discoverhealthandwealth.com/toxic-ingredients.html
Which is one of MANY links out there that has information about the chemicals we use every day.

So what now? Well, I am certainly not the type of person to offer a problem without a potential solution. What is this solution?

Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar.

It might sound a little too much like Grandma's pantry for some of you, but I like it because it is simple. I like to K.I.S.S. or, in wiki terms, "Keep it simple stupid!" Seriously, do we need 30 ingredients in a product that is meant to get the dirt out of our hair?

Now, some of you out there may have heard this concept referred to as the "No Poo" method. Please feel free to follow the wiki link to read about it in depth.

Mindi and I have been cleaning our hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar for about 3 months. Our hair is soft, shiny, and clean. Want to try it? Do this:

*Fill a jar with about 1/4 baking soda and 3/4 water. Need a jar? Eat some pickles. Label it with the date somehow- stickers work well.
*Stick it in your cupboard/pantry/vanity/medicine cabinet for about 2 weeks (this helps it rinse out more easily come shower time).
*In a separate squirt bottle (preferred) or jar (manageable) mix 1:3 apple cider vinegar and water.
*Shake the baking soda jar vigorously and put contents into a squirt bottle of some sort, or just use from the jar (I prefer the bottle).
*Wet your hair and apply baking soda wash. It will feel slightly gritty. Rub a dub dub. Make sure you get all your hair. Rinse.
*Apply the apple cider vinegar rinse. Use whatever amount feels right to you. Let it sit in your hair while you wash your junk, then rinse.

Notes:
*Try not to get either the baking soda or vinegar in your eyes- ouch-ish
*You can use the baking soda left on your hands to lightly exfoliate your face
*I only use the vinegar rinse about 1 time per week
*Your hair will only smell like vinegar until it dries
*As with any new hair care regimen, allow at least 2 weeks for your hair to become accustomed to the new method before you judge the outcome.

If you are not in the mood to eat this much granola, but you are interested in avoiding potential premature aging, headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, narcosis, coma, eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, and carcinogens, then when you are reading the back of the label of the lotion at Whole Foods (or wherever you shop for natural skin care), make sure that the ingredients list doesn't end with "fragrance". The ingredients list could be short and filled with enticing botanical names, but if it ends with "fragrance" then all bets are off. "Fragrance" is present in most deodorants, shampoos, sunscreens, skin care, body care, and baby products. Many of the compounds in fragrance are carcinogenic or otherwise toxic. "Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to 4,000 separate ingredients. Most of all of them are synthetic." -Home Safe Home.

I managed to convert Mindi, and she can be a tough nut to crack! I feel better about what I am exposing myself to, what I am sending down the drain to our waterways, and I feel great that I can buy a huge bag of Baking Soda the size of my daughter at Costco for less than 5 bucks.

What are Yours?

2011-05-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone that took the time to click that little pink button and voted for my blog! The voting has ended, and thanks to you, my humble little blog has made it into the Circle of Moms Top 25 LGBT Blogs! I received an email from the site, asking for a mini-interview, and I need your help! One of the questions is, appropriately, "What are your 3 favorite posts?". Well now, jeez! That is a hard question! I like most of my posts... I could look to the right side of the blog at the most popular posts of my blog. Looks like #1 is a naked picture of me... mmmm, yeh I feel proud that I put it up, but is it my favorite? Well, actually... I do like it a lot, but I am not sure that is the post they want me to highlight! Then I look down the list and see the gdiapers posts. I know those are helpful to many, but they are also not my favorites. Do you have a favorite blog post of mine? Is there 1 or 2 posts that come to mind for you that really stuck with you? If there are, I would love to know! You don;t have to remember the post title, I can figure that out, but if you would let me know what the post was about, that would totally rock my world! Thanks everyone!!

Will the Sickies ever end?

2011-05-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

2 kids, massive colds, followed by massive pink eye, followed by massive barfing and fevers... 5 days of school missed... 3 Little Gym classes missed, 2 playdates missed, 1 emergency room trip, 1 dial-a-nurse consultation, 3 doctor's appointments... all in the last 2 weeks. Kat, I am making no promises for this Friday's playdate. I am so desperate to have these children well.

Oh hey, off subject- did you guys vote for the blog today? Go click that cute little pink button to the right and vote once a day until May13th (Friday!)

Art Gallery Wall

2011-05-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

I love my new Art Gallery wall. And, would you believe me if I told you that the ENTIRE PROJECT cost me a total of $15!! Yes, holy crap. $15! I will preface this by saying that I already had a few frames. The frames that I had were ones that had simply never been re-hung after our move from a year and a half ago, and 5 of the frames came from an estate sale for about 10 cents a piece that have been sitting in my craft room for over a year.

It has taken me a long time to get my ass in gear and make our house a home, but I am finally getting on my way! I started out by hanging a picture that I wanted to be a focal point. After that, I spray painted all of the frames black using spray paint that I had in the garage. I sprayed some with a flat finish, and some with gloss. The $15 that I spent was for the majority of the larger (approximately 9"x12") frames, and they were all purchased at the dollar store. Yes, the dollar store! They were the perfect size for all of the artwork that Harris would come home with, since it was mostly created on 8.5"x11" paper. I also picked up a few smaller frames as well.
After all of the frames were dry, I made templates using newspaper to lay out the wall. I did this by using newspaper and tracing the outside of the frame. I cut out the shape, and then set it on the back of the frame in order to find the hanger location. After marking the hanger, I started taping the templates to the wall until I liked the layout.

templates on the wall!

Ready for Hanging!

Here is a closeup of how simple it is to find the correct location for the nail! Make a hole, and stick the nail there! After you have all of your nails in, simply pull the taped template from the wall, and you are ready to hang your art!

We are open door bathroom folk here at my house, so now, I have this fantastic view whenever I am sitting on the loo!

Here are some of my favorite pieces that are hanging on the wall! These first 3 are also Harris' favorite, as he says goodnight to them every night!

Stella silhouette

Harris Silhouette

Bob the Fish Silhouette

These 3 Silhouettes were very easy to make. I took a side shot picture of Harris, Stella, and our fish Bob. Then, on the computer, I simply cropped the pictures, changed them to black and white, and cranked up the contrast. I set them to print at a certain size- in this case 4x6, and then set the photo atop a piece of black construction paper. If I had had black cardtock, I probably would have used that. I used some paperclips to keep the pages together, and then used an exacto blade to cut around the head. I glued the black head to a colored paper and stuck it in the frame. It was soooo easy. If you make one of these, and your picture will be hanging in a sunny room, definately do not use construction paper, as it will fade waaay too easily.

The next picture is what I refer to as "The Sears Portrait Gone Wrong". Everyone hangs the crisp looking, plastic-smiled snapshots, with the whole family wearing matching sweaters and not a single hair out of place. When I took the 2 kids to Sears to have some pictures taken, I was not prepared to be in any photos. Aparently Harris was not either. I was seated next the little stage, and Harris practically lept off the platform. Bless that photographer lady, as she snapped the perfect shot! I bought it without a second thought, and wouldn't you know it, THAT is the one that is on my wall!

Sears portrait gone wrong

These 2 little frames hold the keys to all of our past homes together. I saw this idea on a fantastic blog called Young House Love

I really love having this bit of history on our walls. I used little scrapbook dots to stick the keys to the paper. You could use hot glue if you wanted. I then wrote a little diddy about each key.

This shot is of one of the 3 sets on the hallway walls. That is my wee Stella in the background in Harris' room.

This is an embroidered love note that I made for Mindi. It is actually an excerpt from my diary, reborn with fabric and thread. I mounted it to a corkboard with sewing pins.

The most notable piece to me on this wall is the frame around the thermostat. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em right?!

Things That Make Me Happy Today

2011-05-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

Looking at my new light from IKEA:

Enjoying a new succulent that is now keeping my cube light company:

My driftwood in the fireplace:

My latest project, the art gallery wall:

Anything making you happy today?

I Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself

2011-05-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

I read many blogs, I read this one religiously, sucking up every word she says with vigor and intensity. It might sound a bit exaggerated, the way I just described it, but it is the best way for me to say it. The main focus of her blog is that of Gardening and Homesteading, including fantastic recipes, chicken keeping, and vegetable growing. She is also, like myself and many of my readers, a mom. She wrote an incredible post about her top 10 things that she would like for Mother's Day. While my list would be ridiculously similar, her #1 was so well written that I felt I would be doing everyone a disservice by NOT acknowledging it's importance, and sharing it with those that may not (yet) read her blog. Here it is, her #1 Thing she wants for mother's day.

1. Time - Yes, the one thing every mom wants more of is time. Day-by-day we drive time away, running between school and soccer and the grocery store and work. We wash it away in countless loads of whites and darks and delicates, and pack it away with sack lunches and overnight bags and permission slips. It is lost with keys and cell phones and wallets and is never found, not inside purses or diaper bags or upstairs on the nightstand. Even when we make time for ourself it leaks out and around the edges, little crumbs of time spilled as we multi-task our lives away and feel guilt for what we just don't have time for.

So, in case you missed all the links above, here it is again. Go check her out at http://www.nwedible.com/!

And a happy Mother's day to you!

His Eyes are Blue, My Eyes are Too...

2011-05-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

But hey, guess what else they are? Pink. Yes, pink. As in Pink Eye. As in goopy pink/red goodness. As in burning, itchy, weeping yumminess. Harris has always been prone to eye infections for some reason. We typically are able to remedy them with some good old fashioned warm compresses, mega hand washing, and love. Lots and lots of love. And kisses. Can't forget the kisses.

On Saturday, the whole family was working on a cold. It had been hanging around for a while. We weren't surprised when Harris started showing signs of an eye infection. What we weren't prepared for was the gooey floodgates to open. Bloodshot eyes, swollen lids- the works. He cried all night Sunday. At about mindnight, Mindi offered to sleep with him in his bed (pretty unheard of for us). He turned her down (pretty unheard of for him) and told us he wanted to see a doctor and get eye drops (unheard of is an understatement here...) So, we said ok, and carted off the local emergency room with the goal of getting a script for eye drops that would help him feel better. Oh yeh, and a diagnosis.

He was really cute, He was so polite to the lady at the front desk. That's my little man! He made me proud. We had a pep talk while we were driving about how it would be great if he didn't freeze up when the doctor came in to see us. He has tendency to retreat, and I really needed him to actually talk to her about how he was feeling.

intrigued by the pulse meter

puppy was a great companion

He was super tired (it was about 2:30am at this point)

At about 2:30am, we had seen the doctor, gotten his diagnosis of an upper respiratory infection and pink eye, and were simply waiting for the nurse to come back with the prescription. I had brought a blanket from home which he loved. Puppy and blanket made him feel right at home. He was awesome.

Monday morning, I woke up with a burning right eye. Damn. DAMN! Stella had a little goo as well so I landed a quickie appointment for us yesterday afternoon. We left with a script for us. Luckily for Stella, her eyes are obviously fighting back the infection, and she is doing great. I, on the other hand, have been enjoying a healthy dose of eye drops along with my son.

Moral of the story? Wash your hands more, and don't underestimate just how good your kid can be when you simply ask them to be!

Productivity

2011-05-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

This year, the Seattle Spring has been nothing short of ghastly. Rain, rain, wind, rain, drizzle, rain, cold. We are running a good 6 weeks behind on our average gardening schedule (so I hear from our local gardening experts) and we are ITCHING to get the ball rolling on our garden! Luckily, we have managed to get a bit of a gardening fix already by planting peas, radish, carrot, spinach, and lettuce, not to mention the wonderful gifts that we received from friends of shallots, asparagus crowns, cabbage, and raspberry canes!

Don't get too close or that snake 'll getcha!

When we moved into our house, we realized that the previous owners had a strange fetish for small ceramic garden animals. Every time I till a bed, one or two pop up from the soil. This snake is one, that I thought was too funny to get rid of, and the frog below has become a little friend for Harris...

Ribbit

Blueberry

Since it was so nice on Saturday, and Mindi had to work, I made a spur of the moment decision to get shit done...if you will. I packed the two kids into the minivan at 8:30am, and drove over to home depot. With 1 toddler strapped to my back, and 1 preschooler in tow, I managed to navigate myself through the home depot, completing my goal of finding, carting, and buying 3 bags of soil, 48 bolts, a tape measure, and 8 (count em!) 2"x10"x 12ft pieces of lumber. Granted, I (rightfully so) lassoed a nice hd employee to help me get the lumber down, cut, and out to my car, but let me tell you, the looks that I got from men and women alike, when they saw all that lumber following a donkey pushing a cart and hauling 2 children, were priceless- every one of them! After I got the car loaded, and the children buckled, I drove home and right up onto my lawn. I let the kids out to run for 30 minutes while I lugged the wood to the back yard, where it would eventually become 4 beautiful planter boxes! After I got the wood out of the car, I loaded the kids back in, and went with the kids to the Little Gym for Harris' class. After class, I fed the kids their lunch that I had packed that morning as we drove home. We got back, I slipped the children into bed for naptime, and proceeded to assemble the raised garden beds. 1 extra trip to Home Depot and 2 hours later, we had 4 beautiful planters built, the kids woke up, and I called it a day! It was nice to hear from the wifey that she was proud of all that I had accomplished! I hadn't really even thought of it before she said that!

This is what Harris did when I explained that they were "garden beds". He decided to lay down!

Now I have these 4 beautiful planter boxes calling out for nice rich soil! I hope you had a great weekend, and don't forget to vote for my blog until May 13th! Vote once a day by clicking the button to the right! Oh, hey! By the way! Who nominated my blog? Please do tell!

Hey! I am not kidding! Vote Vote! And bloggy love...

2011-04-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Ok people, I am normally NOT a competitive person... so, I have no idea why I am even mentioning this again... maybe it is the thrill of seeing climbing numbers, maybe it is the thrill to know that there are actually people out there that care enough about my little blog, and enjoy reading my posts just enough to take the 30 seconds it takes to follow a link to click the happy little "vote" button next to my blog on the Circle of Moms website. I don't mind that I am (at current count) in 6th place, and a whole 19 votes lower than the top blogger. After all, my blogging sometimes comes in fits and spurts. I know how it goes. I know people like the juice- you know, the "oh no she di'int!" posts, or the, "Hey! I have replaced my plastic/lotion/car with glass/coconut oil/ pogo stick", or, my favorite, "Hey! My water just broke, and by the way, here is a picture of me NAKED! (nips and bush covered of course). I like those juicey posts too, and sometimes, I have failed to provide such witty entertainment.

So come on down and show me some lovin'! I am talking to you! I see that my "followers" list alone has 87 people on it, and I know that doesn't include the swarms of people (I speak in jest here folks) that read my blog via a blog reader...

My blog has been nominated to the Top 25 LGBT Parent Blogs list on Circle of Moms! You can vote for my blog by visiting Circle of Moms Top 25 LGBT Parent Blogs. Please feel free to vote for my blog once a day until May 13, 2011! Click the in -link post, or the button on the right!

Nominated for the Top 25 LGBT Parent Blogs List!

2011-04-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

My blog has been nominated to the Top 25 LGBT Parent Blogs list on Circle of Moms! Woot! I had no idea I was on "the radar" of, well, anyone lol. You can vote for my blog by visiting Circle of Moms Top 25 LGBT Parent Blogs. Please feel free to vote for my blog once a day until May 13, 2011!

Imi Ami Ama

2011-04-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

Many people ask me what our kids are calling us, being that we could both answer to "Mom". Well, I know I have mentioned this before, but we chose the words "Mommy" for Mindi, and "Ima" (pronounced ee-ma) for me (Lynn). Ima, is actually the Yiddish term for Mother, so we thought it was nice. Obviously, Harris has been calling me Ima for a long time now, but now that Stella has been kickin' it up a notch in terms of talking, she is trying reeeeeally hard to get our names down! Just the other day, she finally figured out the proper way to say "Mommy", but she is still having trouble with "Ima". I can't complain, however, because it is so friggin adorable to watch her sit on the floor, look up at me, and say "ee-mee! aaaaa-me! aaaaaa-maaa!" In all different cobinations, trying so hard to put together the 2 simple sounds of "ee" and "ma".

2 Points

2011-04-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

So, as you know, Mindi and I embarked on our 3 day cleanse this morning, and I have some notes to share with anyone else considering the same. First of all, it is not nearly as bad as I had expected it would be. In reality, if you get hungry, you drink a glass of juice, and while it might not give you a just-eaten feeling, it certainly does stave off your hunger enough that you can wait for your next glass without fainting. The 1 thing that I thought was simply repulsive, however, was shooting a tablespoon of olive oil upon waking. Now, I love oil, but gulping it down from a shot glass was pretty nasty. I followed it swiftly with a chaser of prune juice, as directed. Now, oil aside, the other thing that you must know about a juice fast is that you probably shouldn't plan to do anything that requires thinking. Mindi was working from home today, and found it practically impossible to focus on the task at hand. I mowed the lawn, and despite the mundane nature of the task, found myself continuously stopping to pluck weeds, move garbage cans around in circles and wander aimlessly through my garage. I kid you not. I am warning you, that this is no exaggeration. You will turn stupid. S T P U D I D I TELL YU! Now, directly following a glass of juice for both of us, we had a realization. How is Mindi going to work tomorrow? Should I be driving my kids around in this state? We had a quick chat and realized that the answer to these questions lied in a quick trip to Taco Bell...

So there you have it. Operation Juice Detox is put on hold. We want to accomplish this detox so bad, however, that Mindi is taking a day off of work this Friday (pretty unheard of for Mindi), just so that we will have 3 days in a row without commitments.

Point Number 2
Stella took her first steps today! I am going to try and catch it on camera- no promises! It is about time! She will be 16 months old tomorrow!!

On Our Plate

2011-04-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

Mindi and I have been feeling a little sluggish lately. We know we need to work out, and get in better shape. We decided to try doing a 3-day detox. We researched different detox regimines online, and felt that 3 day Juice cleanse was the best match for us. In short, you drink nothing but fruit juice for 3 days straight in order to help flush built up toxins from your body.

"The principle of fasting is simple. When the intake of food is temporarily stopped, many systems of the body are given a break from the hard work of digestion. The extra energy gives the body a chance to heal and restore itself, burning stored calories to rid stored toxic substances. During fasting, the liver and immune system are essentially freed to detoxify and heal other parts of the body. Many healers claim that fasting is a particularly useful therapy for the American lifestyle, of heavy diet, overeating, and constant exposure to food additives and chemicals. Some alternative practitioners have gone so far as to estimate that the average American is carrying 5-10 pounds of toxic substances in their bodies, for which fasting is the quickest and most effective means of removal." http://www.catherinewilbert.com/time-to-detox

This is what our kitchen counter looks like right now!

Our fish, Bob was very curious about what was going on on top of our countertop!

On a sidenote, Bob the Beta has got to be the coolest Beta fish that I have ever envountered. Most of them seem to just kindof sit there, but Bob comes when he is called, and swims around the side of the bowl closest to us, making it seem as if he wants love! It is pretty neat. :) We love you Bob!

Pebbles of Colorful Deliciousness

2011-04-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

I love being green, don't you? If you are taking steps to green up your life, or reduce your carbon footprint, or be more self sustaining, you know how good it can feel. Do you have a vegetable garden? Surely then, you know the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from eating your own, home grown produce. Or if you buy your produce from a local, dreamy, open-air farmers' market you have experienced that sense of pride, knowing that you are supporting local farmers, as well as reducing the carbon footprint of having your produce shipped from out of state.

I live for cloth diapers and wipes. I love having a kitchen that smells like vinegar, a toilet that bubbles with baking soda, and armpits that smell like coconuts. I love not pouring toxic shampoo on my head, and rinsing with an apple cider vinegar in my shower. I love that it makes me smell like a salad until my hair dries.

I was at the grocery store on Wednesday. I went to the trusty natural foods section to check out the cereal. My house is not big on eating cereal. After growing up myself, eating nothing but crappy cereal in copious amounts for breakfast (and sometimes lunch), I decided that it would be best to simply not bring it into the house, in favor of more nutritious breakfasts, such as oatmeal, eggs, etc. I went to check out the cereal to be used as a quick nibbly snack for the kids. You know, a snack for a cranky, hungry baby and preschooler that just fell in a puddle. A fast snack. A clean snack.

I pulled my cart up to the organic cereal shelf. It had been so long since my eyes had grazed the choices that awaited me. I would choose 1 box. I was excited by the options. Peanut butter, chocolate, yummy granola! I picked a box of Puffins. That would totally do the trick. But wait! What's this?! They are ON SALE! What a GREAT PRICE! 3 more boxes landed in my cart. Without so much as a flinch, I grabbed a half gallon of Rice Milk from the opposite side of the aisle. I would have to help the kids, after all- 4 boxes of healthy cereal would last us a couple months, and you know, I wouldn't want them to go stale or something! I felt warm and fuzzy. I patted myself on the back for what an amazing person I had become, and for the good, healthy deeds that I was doing for my children.

I rounded the corner on my way to the checkout, and my eyes skimmed the end cap display. Brightly colored boxes, colored with cartoon characters and promises of red 40, and blue 1, and yellow 5 whispered their presence like a buzz in my ear. Before I knew what had happened, an arm that could not have been mine, darted out, grabbing a box of Fruity Pebbles from the shelf, catapulting it gracefully to my organic filled grocery cart. Then, in a trance like state, I scurried to the checkout, where I must have overlooked the brightly colored box when I tossed in on the belt, and again, did not see it when the lovely cashier packed it in my reusable grocery tote... It was not until I got home, put the kids down for a nap, pulled out a bowl and started ripping the inside bag open to indulge in some ADHD promoting chemicals that I came to, and realized what I had done. OH THE HORROR! I stood there, at that pivotal moment- having a stare down with the container of rice milk. My eyes, darting from the carton to the bowl of fruity deliciousness. Should I? Who will I become? Should I step to the dark side? Will I find the strength to find my way back? And then?

AND THEN????????

I ate the whole fucking box over the course of the next 36 hours.

No regrets people. NO R.E.G.R.E.T.S

Chickens Under My Porch

2011-03-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

I want chickens under my front porch! This is what we will be working with!

Has anyone else made a coop out of an existing front porch? Does anyone have any links to references that they have stumbled across that might help me visualize the finished product?? I have considered the noise factor for the chickens, by the way, and I don't think it will be a problem since we rarely have front door traffic.

Morning Success

2011-03-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

This morning, Mindi used the rest of the creamed spinach from dinner last night to fashion 2 delectable garden omlets- 1 for me, and 1 for you-know-who. For me, it was as if the skies had parted, and the angels came flying from the heavens... mmmm, yeh, I love spinach omlets... but I digress... I was in bed while Mindi presented him with his very own, and very green omlet. Aparently, so says Mindi, he was enthusiastic! "Oh yummy! A spinach omlet!" Well push me in a puddle and call me Sally- I was dumbfounded.

For lunch he had some seasoned chickpeas- I know, a legume, but it suits the trend. I think that we are going to try out some cream of broccoli soup on him soon, as well as that sweet potato with marshmallow idea that Malea had!

The Stand-Off

2011-03-05T22:41:00.000-08:00

Harris doesn't like vegetables. I know that this is not necessarily a new phenomena in the toddler world, but I am just baffled. I did my research. I know about "making it fun" with "ants on a log" and fun little cookie cutter shapes. I know about the concept of hiding veggies in your child's smoothie. I think that the smoothie concept is brilliant in order to make sure they get their full 10,000 servings, but I still want my kid to know what a real vegetable tastes like. It has been a wretched struggle. To date, the only vegetable that Harris will eat willingly are carrots. And they have to be raw. Now, that is cause to celebrate, right? He LIKES a vegetable! That rocks! But I feel that his horizons need to be broadened a bit, don't you think? Well, I do.

So, I thought to myself that maybe I should try the "you don't get to eat anything until you eat your vegetables" trick. We tried for three nights in a row, to no avail. All three nights, Harris went to bed without a lick of dinner, and seemed perfectly content. I was baffled. 3 nights in a row. So then, I thought that it was time for a serious intervention. I was done messing around with 1 piddly meal. If I was going to do this, I had to do it hardcore. And I think you know where this is going...

No breakfast until you eat a vegetable.

No lunch until you eat a vegetable.

No dinner until you eat a vegetable.

So, for a moment, I second- guessed my decision to be a ~~jerk~~ caring mother to my child. Then I did a quick search to make sure that I was not the first ~~meanie~~ caring mother to think of this.

"TIP # 3: They don't get anything else unless the vegetables are eaten first. You heard me. some call it bribery. Serve the vegetables and nothing else yet show them what else you are making (could include dessert) and they can have if they eat their vegetables. You may have to endure some screaming and crying, but remember, you are in control here. Do not give in. Your child will not starve to death I promise. Eventually they will get hungry enough to eat the vegetables, especially if they want to eat something else. It will only take perhaps 3 days to a week to get them to understand that their screaming will not get them what they want and that they will have to eat their vegetables."

squidoo.com

The day started off okay. I told Harris that in order to get breakfast, he would have to try 1 edemame bean. God, what torture right?! Who doesn't like edemame? With a tiny salt? Yummy!

No Go.

He wouldn't go near it to save his life. When I reminded him that he was not going to be able to eat anything until he tried it, he totally jived with it, and said "I know Ima, I have to eat my edamommy bean first!" Then he would scamper off and play.

Snack time rolled around... no beans...

Lunch time rolled around... no beans...

At about 3pm he got pretty whimpery. I couldn't blame him, the poor kid was hungry! So, I decided it was time to break out the options. I brought out some fresh cauliflower. I figured, he only likes carrots raw, maybe the white color and pleasant crunch will entice him! Not a chance. I brought out some sweet peas. He went running for the hills. Then Mindi made some TO DIE FOR creamed spinach, and he was DONE with all of this vegetable crap.

Look at what he was up against! For God's sake! 1 Damn soybean! 3 TINY PEAS! 1 minuscule chunk of cauliflower, and one tiny spoon of spinach! Look at the horror on his face!

He sat there, watching the 3 of us eat. He cried. I felt a little quivery in my chin. My eye sockets were burning. But what could I do? Rules are rules. AND, the article above did say that he wouldn't starve to death! *Sigh*

The pizza that we made had spinach on the crust. In the olden days, I would not have mentioned it, and hoped that he wouldn't notice. This time, I made a show of it. He was, after all, eyeballing his pizza desperately, and I needed him to know that there was spinach on it. He said he wanted it. I gave him a tiny slice.

He was in heaven.

I was relieved.

"Good job Harris! See? Spinach is yummy! Now try some creamed spinach!" More tears... bring on the waterworks.

So then, with the help of Harris, we came up with this idea- the "plop on top":

And down the hatch it went. I managed to convince him that since a little tiny bit of spinach was good, a bit more on each piece was even better! He agreed as he gobbled down every last bit of his cheese, sausage, and spinach pizza.

Then he had a piece of "neatloaf" (Mindi's AWESOME vegetarian meatloaf), an apple and a bowl of ice cream. He was making up for lost time for sure.

Now, I wish that I could say that we made it over a hump tonight. Surely, I had considered previously that by incorporating these veggies into dishes that he likes, we could potentially have better luck. However, while this may seem like a no-brainer to many, we are feeding a boy who, while he loves the neatloaf with a passion, if he sees the smallest bit of bell pepper inside will pretty much refuse to eat it. I figured that by dropping a load of spinach on top of his beloved pizza, I was simply giving the dinner a death sentence. I am glad that I was proved wrong.

My hope is that I won't have to starve him all day in order to get him to try something new. Besides what I mentioned above, does anyone else have any tips from the trenches? Any similar stories? Any other ~~MEAN~~ caring mothers out there?

Am I going to get a visit from CPS for this?

To Be Continued...

Holy Moly

2011-02-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

Yikes! Sorry to leave everyone with such a negative last post for so long! I came to realize that some people had begun to think I had jumped off of a bridge or something! Alas! That is not the case, and as a matter of fact I am doing well! I just celebrated my 30th birthday yesterday, and it turned out to be a fantastic weekend! On Saturday, I celebrated with a 1940's themed Murder Mystery Dinner Party at my house (more on that to come), and then on Sunday (my actual birthday) I went to a new meetup.com group that I joined about Urban Homesteading. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this new group! I met some really great people there, and cannot wait to learn from them! If you are local to me and want to join the group, email me at lynn.levinson@gmail.com. If you are not local, but you are interested in a fantastic website with a gardening focus, visit http://nwedibles.blogspot.com/. This chick is seriously rockin' my world right now, and I got to meet her last night! Woot!

Damn! I forgot to ask for her autograph!

Black and White

2011-02-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Life is not black and white, if anyone ever tells you that it is, they don't know jack. If you think it is, you don't know jack. I am angry. I am hurt. I feel like I have not been listened to. I feel like my opinion doesn't matter. I feel like my input and research is void. Simply because 1 person thinks that life can be black and white.

Don't ever try to tell someone that something is "white" or something is "black", and then ask them what they think. Especially if, when they say "I don't think it is either" you say, no it is "white" or it is "black. Don't ask me for my God Damn opinion if it doesn't matter to you. Don't ask for my God Damn opinion if it is not the "right" one.

Your life may be black or white, but mine, most certainly, IS NOT.

Can You Dig?

2011-02-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

I came across a blog that I have recently become enamoured with. It is jam packed (no pun intended) with useful homesteading goodness, and a bit of humor to go along with it all. If you have a minute, go check out how witty this girl is- I promise, you will get a chuckle. Go HERE and enjoy.

Grey Day Gardening

2011-02-05T20:30:00.000-08:00

Last summer, we decided to try our hand at vegetable gardening. We are both complete novices when it comes to gardening, but we are both eager to learn, and being that we are both interested in self sufficient and green living, it was a logical thing to do. We started the garden ridiculously late (as far as typical timing goes), but still managed to get a few small crops out of it.

This year, we wanted to do it right. During the winter, we poured over the Maritime Northwest Garden Guide. I find that there is so much to learn. Every plant so so different in terms of it's needs, as well as companion planting concepts on top of that. Cool soil, warm soil, dry soil, wet soil, loamy, sandy, clay... sheesh! I remember the good old days when it was all just dirt.

This afternoon I went out to our beds and started tilling. We are planing a pea-patch and a spinach/carrot bed to start our season off. The day was dark grey and cool. I used to find myself working on the garden on nice days only. Whether is be weeding or planting, the sun was always shining. There was something about digging in my soil on such a dreadfully dreary day that felt so right. Like I was doing the right thing. Like all of the changes that I had made inside my home to become more green were proving that they were meant to last, and that this is the way life is supposed to be; working the land for yourself and your loved ones, every day, not just the sunny ones.

Stop It!

2011-02-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

I am an open-door lover. No, I don't mean that I am into menage trois, I just mean I don't like closed doors, unless it is a closet door. I feel like energy needs to flow through rooms, and it can't do that if you have a lazy door that likes to linger in the "not quite open" position. Harris' bedroom door is of the lazy kind. I couldn't take it any more, so I made a door stop! It is nothing more than leftover painter's dropcloth, filled with dried beans, and it works like a charm. I even sewed a little handle on it to make it easier to pick up when it was time to be moved, and wouldn't you know it, it ended up being the perfect sized handle to store the stop on the door handle when not in use! I would love to put some cute embroidery on it at some point as well. And yes, that is Stella, raiding her big brother's toys!

Thumb Sucker

2011-01-30T21:36:00.000-08:00

When Harris was a wee little thing, he used a pacifier. It didn't last long, about 3 months or so, and then his adorable left thumb replaced that little chunk of silicone, and I was forever relieved that I didn't have to worry about some other mom ~~seeing me pick up my baby's pacifier out of a puddle~~ touching my baby's pacifier, and then putting it back in his mouth without using a pacifier disinfecter. I figured he would grow out of it, and thank God, He could never misplace his thumb. Fast forward 3 years, and Harris is still a thumb sucker. Now, it is not a really bad habit, mainly he would suck his thumb only when he was tired or hungry, but, then again, when is a preschooler not hungry... or... beyond tired (because he refuses naps...). So, well, he was beginning to get cute little buckteeth, and we knew it was time to interject. The first thing we tried was a product calls THUM. It is meant to make the finger taste bad, thus, deterring the child from sucking it. I had seen this stuff before, in fact, I had used a similar product for myself when I was in grade school while I was trying to break the habit of biting my nails. It was bitter tasting, and very effective for me. This THUM stuff, we found was a bit different. Instead of bitter, it was SPICEY. Harris hated it, and I don't blame him. One night, I went to his room in response to sobs, and asked him what was wrong. He told me he had an owie on his mouth., I figured he had bitten his cheek or something. I turned on the light and his face was bright red from just below his nose to his chin. he looked like Bozo the clown- I kid you not. I laughed, I couldn't help myself, and because I did, he did too. We wiped his face, got him a drink, and went back to bed. That was the end of our "spicey thumbs" as we called it.

Enter Plan B. I had seen in the One Step Ahead catalog, a thumb cover made of rubber and disposable bracelets that would help a kid break the habit. It was expensive, however, and I didn't like the idea of the disposable bracelets.

My trusty friend Etsy popped into my head, and I decided to look there for a possible solution. Sure enough, I was not disappointed, and I found a lovely seller that made these fantastic covers! Now, I completely feel that her price was more than reasonable, and I almost picked one out to buy when I smacked myself in the head and said- duh Lynn! Make one! So, I did.

Harris looooves his "thumb mitten", and it is working PERFECTLY. He is so proud of himself, and wants to wear it all the time. He continues to wear it, (he has had it about 2 weeks, and I think has broken the habit) and I am happy to let him wear it whenever he wants to! I highly recommend you check out this woman's shop if you are in need of a thumb guard. Her guards are made with a grommet that the kids cannot undo, whereas, I used a hook and eye closure that Harris can take off if he wants to. Do you have a thumb sucker? What have you tried???

Something Crafty!

2011-01-25T23:21:00.000-08:00

I know that I was just whining and complaining about the fact that I have been feeling not-so-crafty lately, but I just stumbled across a picture that reminded me that I had something I wanted to share!! I am going to mention my friend Kat here again... not because I am secretly infatuated with her, and no, she is not my roommate, or my long lost sister, or my second cousin twice removed that thinks she is my sister... We hang out once a week, and our babies were born 2 days apart, so uh... yeh. ANYWAYS, we held Stella's birthday party on Arden's birthday, and vice versa! Well, since I am a big fan of handmade, I decided to make little Arden a play kitchen. I knew, however, that space was limited, so I created a fabric play kitchen that could be rolled up and stored when not in use, as well as taken along with the family on car trips and the like! I think her mamas liked it, and it was a blast to make!

I was very excited to use some mini rainbow fabric that I have had in my stash for a few months. I bought it on a whim and have been saving for the perfect project. This one totally fit the bill! The top in cream canvas with black burners, embroidered to look like they are hot hot hot! The "sink" which, unfortunately doesn't show up very well in the photo is made of a vinyl, and I embroidered "hot" and "cold" onto the faucet handles.

I am tempted to make some more of these cuties!

Doing it Right... My Baby Girl Turns 1

2011-01-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of renewed sense of self, I wanted to post about a big event in our lives! Our newest addition, baby Stella, turned 1 year on December 4th, 2010! It was hard to believe that time had gone so quickly with our first, Harris, when he turned 1, but the time flew even faster with Stella. Sometimes, it seems as though she is still a wee babe, as she is such a petite little thing, even now. At her 1 year appointment, (she was really 13 months) she weighed a scant 18.75lbs! She still has only 3 teeth (even at her current age of 13 and a half months) and she is not even remotely interested in walking. All of these little things combined make her seem so bitty and babylike, that I have realized I will have to (or rather, want to) wait a little longer to get pregnant with child #3. Harris seemed so much older at 13 months than Stella does, and I am so enjoying her continued babyhood.

On December 2nd, we had a birthday party for her. It was fantastic, and I loved every minute of it! My friend Kat came over the day before to help blow up a ridiculous number of white pearlescent balloons. She must have had some serious beans the night before or something...

Here is the little sweetness herself, donning her new made by me tutu! This tutu, by the way was ridiculously easy to make and involved no sewing besides one line to connect the elastic into a circle! I will defiantly make more, but next time I will go with brighter colors for sure. The gold tulle that I used seemed to mute the whole thing. Ah well, you live and you learn!

I was really quite pleased with the spread of food. We made cheese fondue, spinach dip, fruit salad, Facon wrapped Water Chestnuts (yes, I wrote facon, not bacon- we used MorningStar Farms Veggie Bacon Strips) with Teriyake Sauce to dip, MorningStar Chik'n Nuggets, and Turkey Meatballs. As for the beverages, I purchased some Starbuck's Frappucino drinks and emptied the contents into a pitcher. The Frappucino itself was served to the adults, while the freshly washed bottles were refilled with chocolate milks for the kids. I thought it was ingenious. No one drank them lol. Aah well, I enjoyed them for the next few days, and they looked darn tootin' cute I tell ya! I saved the bottles for future parties. Maybe when the kids are older...

In a past life, these were bottles of Starbuck's Frappucino

In addition, I also served Mimosas. I served spiked punch at Harris' 1st Birthday party as well, and while I got some strange looks initially, I promise, that punch bowl was BONE DRY by the time the party was over, and the mimosas did not fail to elicit the same effect. So, if you ever think to yourself "should I serve alcohol at my child's birthday party?" I say, if there are going to be adults, the answer is yes- the moms and dads will thank you- maybe secretly, but thank you nonetheless!

The cake was made by me from a crumb cake mix that I got at Trader Joes. I used 2 boxes for a 2 layer cake, and let me tell you, it was the best birthday cake I have EVER had! I made the icing from scratch, and it turned out really well. The cake was simple, and decorated with a mini banner that I made from construction paper.

Mini banner on top of the cake... probably my favorite detail!

Here we are, gearing up for the birthday song and a cake mess.

Amazingly enough, the little lady didn't want the cake. AT ALL. She didn't even try the icing! Oh well, I don't need to tell you that that fact meant more cake for me... yes siree!

I must also mention, that this year, Stella's birthday fell on the 2nd night of Hanukkah, and following the party, we made sure to light our menorah. Happy Birthday Little Stella!!

Where Credit is Due

2011-01-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

I want to send a thank-you shout out to Kate, ~~(who I can unfortunately not link to because I cannot access her blogger profile...)~~ who blogs at http://www.allthingsrelative.wordpress.com/ who left a very lovely comment on my last blog post, "In a Rut".

Among other splendid things, she writes:

"As a reader, I always enjoy what you have to say. I'm pretty picky about blogs and you are one of the few who seems to consistently tell wonderful stories about particular moments in your family's history. As my partner and I continue to struggle to find a way to bring family into being the stories are as inspirational to me as they are mundane to you (I hope that makes some sense)."

Kate, that made perfect and complete sense to me, and I soooo appreciate that comment! I think that I really needed to hear that last bit about the stories being as inspirational to you as they are mundane to me. That is how they feel so often... purely mundane and nothing else. Your comment made me think about the blogs that I read, and the stories that they tell. I often find the stories to be moving and titillating, all the while realizing that they may be just run-o-the-mill daily experiences for the blogger. Thank you THANK YOU Kate, you really made my day!!!

In a RUT

2011-01-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

I recently sat, staring at my blog with a bit of bitterness lingering in my mouth. To me, this blog started off with such excitement and promise. I was giddy over the potential of my online diary (with pictures)! It was originally meant just for me. I suppose it is still, meant for just me, but it seems to be painting a picture of my current life as dull, boring, and uneventful. I suppose I am feeling that way as of late. It seems to be an accurate depiction. I look at my profile snippit and read this"

"A conglomeration of crafty, homey, greening goodness, Family Style Love is a way for me to find my way through life as a new mom in a two-mom household. With recent discoveries that I am becoming a dirty hippy, I am walking myself, and anyone else who wants to come with me, through the increasingly wonderful world that is my life, filled, of course, with Family Style Love."

Only, I don't feel that I am fulfilling any of those claims to myself or others. Crafty? Yeh, whatever, I can't even remember the last time I did anything that I would consider "crafty". Homey? Ummmm, the last time I posted anything about a project in my house was last March, I think, when we finished our main bathroom remodel. Greening goodness? Pshaw! I think that the last time I mentioned anything "green" was in some rant about chemicals in our daily lives... once again... I want to be inspiring. Of course, inspiring to others would be nice, but I want to inspire myself as well. I have not been doing that. I have a lot of things I am interested in doing, but have I done any of them? Nope. Is it a lack of time? Is it a lack of energy? Is it a lack of desire? Is it a lack of patience? Is it a lack of support? I have no idea. I feel so blase lately, and it is really bringing me down. What would a person be classified as when they have over 500 inspiring pictures of home decor ideas, for example, but has yet to utilize a single idea? Am I a perfectionist? Am I unenthusiastic? Am I broke? Am I all of the above? ugh. Any insight out there? What can I do to shake this nonsense???

TU·MUL·TU·OUS Toddler

2011-01-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

TU·MUL·TU·OUS [too-muhl-choo-uhs, tyoo-]
–adjective

1. full of tumult or riotousness; marked by disturbance and uproar: a tumultuous celebration.

2. raising a great clatter and commotion; disorderly or noisy: a tumultuous crowd of students.

3. highly agitated, as the mind or emotions; distraught; turbulent.

Relaxing for the evening, I ponder the sweet, tender moments I had had with my son at his bedtime. Sigh, how delicate were his smiles and the look of wonderment in his eyes as I read a book with him. How sincere and gentle he was. I told him I would read the book twice, then it was time for lights out and bedtime. After the book was done (for the second time) I reminded him of our deal. He asked me sweetly if he could stay up to read the book again by himself. I told him that it was ok, as long as there was no singing, talking, or yelling happening also. "I promise" he said, and I retired. About 30 minutes later, I hear energetic crying upstairs. 3 minutes later, the crying has turned to sobbing and I realize there is no self- soothing to be had. After going upstairs to ask what he needed, and hearing that he wanted saline nose spray, I admittedly felt guilty. What a horrid mother I was to let my son scream and cry for that long, when all he wanted was some spray for his poor little nose. Of course, I felt horrid for only about 10 seconds before he let me know that he wanted the nose spray so that he could receive his special treat for receiving a spray; a piece of candy corn. Yes folks, that is how it works in our house. BRIBERY. And bribery with candy at that... My frustration turned to giggles, however, when I let him know that he had broken his promise, and his response was "No, I fixed it!"

Funny Toddler Quote #1: Wacky

2010-12-29T20:28:00.000-08:00

I was at my computer, reading blogs, chuckling at a certain blog post. Harris was sleeping in the hotel room bed next to us... or so we thought...

Me to Mindi: I like her writing style but I am not sure you would care for it, it is kindof whacky.
Mindi to Me: Yeh, you are right, I don't really like whacky.

Harris: I don't like whacky either... it could hurt someone...

catchy Tune, Great Video- Even Greater Message

2010-12-20T14:50:00.001-08:00

Pummelvision

2010-12-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

This has to be the coolest thing I have stumbled on in a long time. Do you have a flicker or similar account? Do you have a buttload of photos that pretty much just sit there because you don't quite have the time to look through them all? Go to pummelvision.com and make one of these. This video consists of over 2,000 photos, and does not get boring! Amazing!!! Check it out! And, If you make one (which requires a total of 3 mouse clicks from you, link to it in the comments- I would love to see!

My Pummelvision from Lynn L on Vimeo.

Playing Catch Up

2010-11-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

I have been seriously neglecting my blog! I have to say, however, that I am not going to sit here and apologize to everyone (except myself)... It is MY JOURNAL after all... I will have only myself to blame for not having a record of the last month of my life! So, most importantly (to me) Stella is talking and signing up a storm. Ball, cheese, aaaaaaall dooooooone (I have to catch that one on video), along with the ones that I mentioned before, such as mommy, Ima, Harris, Ice Cream, and more. Preparations are being made for the next attempt at getting pregnant, and the subsequent child it could produce. The preparations are mainly physical possession type of things like trading in our Jeep for a more roomy family car- a new-to-us Honda Odyssey! We are both super excited about our 2005 Blue mini van- it is one sweet ride, let me tell you! Also, since we are a crib-free family, I finally just sold our crib via craigslist. After deciding that it was time to reclaim our mama bed, we purchased Stella her own big girl bed- the same full sized mattress from IKEA that we got for Harris back in the day. Wouldn't you know it, not more than 2 weeks after we purchased her bed, we decided to have another baby, and so we recently took advantage of Ikea's great mattress return policy, and picked up a twin size instead, looking to the future of shared bedrooms. She seems to like her new smaller mattress even better than the big one. She looks adorable in it as well. Speaking of cute little baby people, it never ceases to amaze me what a good sleeper she is. And so predictable too. It is 9:55 and I don't hear my baby. I know she crawled out of the room a minute ago, so I quietly tiptoe down the hall towards her room. Sure enough, she has opened her door, crawled into her bed, put her head on her pillow, and went to sleep. H.o.l.y S.H.I.T. A baby that puts herself down to nap. I love it.

Fast forward 1 hour- she is awake and happy, playing quietly in her room. by herself. While I blog. Next she will be changing her own diapers... or better yet, using the toilet...

We have our first snow here in Seattle. Driving Harris to school this morning was nothing short of amusing. People in Seattle can't drive in the snow, and being from Chicago, I used to think that they just didn't know how to control their cars in the snow. Now I realize that I was right- they don't know how, but also, the city really doesn't have a lot of salt/sand trucks and snow plows, and there are a lot of hills, so one really does have to be careful! I did fine, even in my big ol' mama mobile!

Hmmm what else... It was inside out day at school today. I thought I would do something different than simply turning Harris' clothes inside out, and instead, put his "insides on the outside"!

Alright folks, that is all for now, I am over and out! I will try not to be a stranger so much!!

Aw Shucks

2010-10-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Word to your Mama(s)

2010-10-19T14:37:00.000-07:00

Isn't it the way... Being a second child, and noticing that there are significantly less pictures, fewer movies, and fewer entries in my baby book from my childhood. I always swore that I would give my second child as many of those special little tidbits for their memory boxes as I gave my first.

Fast forward 15 years. Did it happen? Nope. Is my second child going to hate me forever because I didn't live up to my promise? Mmmmm doubtful. Of course, I would have said, flat out, NO, she won't be upset, but she is turning into a bitty drama queen, so only time will tell...

So, here is an update about our little lady Stella! She was slow to crawl, and didn't figure out the motion until she was about 9.5 months. I was fine with it, but she was soooo frustrated! Luckily, *poof* one day she was crawling. She is slowly getting faster, but I am in no hurry to have an extremely mobile baby. It seems as though she was busy working on other things though. She wants to talk! She actually has 5 distinct words now!
Mama or Mum mum if she is crying= Mommy (Mindi)
Na Na or Nya Nya= Ima (Me)
Ma= more
HaHa = Harris
I Da= ice cream

I love the fact that ice cream was in her first 3. She is a smart girl- she knows what she wants!

Are We Really Having This Conversation???

2010-09-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

So, Mindi and I just wrapped up, or are in the process of wrapping up THE CONVERSATION. Which conversation would this be? Well, the one we thought we wouldn't have. You know, the one about baby 3.0...

Did we really just have that conversation? Why yes, yes we did...

Paralysis

2010-09-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

Typically, I am a decorating fiend. I really enjoy the whole "making a house a home" concept. I love to warm up the walls with art that inspires me and makes me think, warm linens, candles, colorful curtains, you know, feel good stuff. I love feeling at home in a room. All of the places that I have lived have gotten this special treatment. My old bedroom growing up, apartments 1, 2, 3, and 4, and, of course, house number 1. But house number 2 is different. Sooooo different. We have lived here for almost one full year as of Oct 17th, and there is not 1 piece of artwork on the walls, outside of the bathroom renovation. The curtains in our bedroom were thrown up without much thought because we were unable to stomach the draperies that were there. My office, the huge room fully equipped with cabinets and counters and permanent power strips galore, perfect for a crafter, remains a jumbled catch all for crap that has no home. Our garage looks like someone puked a storage cubicle all over it. The living room is a sorry mishmash of ugly carpeting, bare windows, and a sad attempt at a fireplace vignette involving bland looking driftwood, an old metal laundry basket, and twinkle lights. Sigh. I just couldn't get over the hump. Then I realized what had happened. All it took was a brief conversation with a good friend that spurred the word from my lips PARALYSIS. I went on to vocalize what I couldn't figure out before. I was so bent on making things perfect the first time, that I was physically unable to take a single step. So why was it so different this time? Well, first of all, it is the house. You know, I mean THE HOUSE. As in, this house is meant to be the 30 year house, if you will. All of the apartments in the past, along with house #1 were, in my mind, temporary. It didn't matter if I flubbed the art arrangement, or botched a paint job. It would all be coming down in 1-3 years anyways. Worst case scenario, I patch a couple holes and move out. But this house, being THE HOUSE is different. I would be forced to recall every blooper I made. That, coupled with the fact that I occasionally find it difficult to feel ownership of this house to begin with because of a major snafu that occurred during the purchase of it... I digress.

So, why am I going on and on about it? Well, I feel that I have had a breakthrough! I realize that I just have to DO SOMETHING to get the ball rolling. Anything would be better than nothing, and hey, if I use stuff that I have, even if it isn't perfect, I can always change it later to make it the perfect room, and in the meantime, it will feel homey and inviting! So, where did I start?? Weeeeell...

First off, I searched my favorites for some free printable art. I printed a bunch and simply carried them around to different rooms. Some worked, some didn't, but it was a start, and damn did it feel good! Then, I rearranged our media room a bit. I spend a lot of time in that room in the evenings, and oftentimes have my laptop on. I was tired of having all my shit laying all over the couch- you know, computer, mouse, headphones, cords, etc, and it was a pain for Mindi also, if she wanted to sit down to watch the tv. I moved a few pieces out, moved a few other pieces in, and viola! I now have a little desk of my own in the media room! Then I decided to raid my fabric stash and found some cute curtains that I had hanging at the old house. I had never pictured the pattern in my living room, but I decided to put them up anyways, and let me tell you, it it waaaaaay better than the nothing that was there before! At least they soften the edges of the big window, and are allowing me to think outside of my rut for the rest of the room. Yeeehaaaw!

I would have taken pictures of all of these little changes, but go figure, I can't find my camera. I will leave you, however, with a sweet picture of Stella during yesterday's Seattle Tilth Harvest Festival. Here she is wearing a dainty little herb crown, and what an angel she was!

Summer's End

2010-08-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

So, summer is almost over. Now, I use the term summer very lightly, because Seattle had about 2 weeks worth of real Summer-like weather, but whatevs... We certainly have been busy little bees. After getting home from our cruise in June, we paid our first visit with the kids to the Chuck E Cheese for the birthday party of one of Harris' friends. It was quite an experience for Harris it seemed, as he screamed bloody murder when the animitronic animals blinked and moved for the first time. Man, he was not expecting that- I was surprised that there was no turd in his pants after that episode...

After that, we experienced our first Sno Cone

Our first big- girl hat

Our first home-made mini popsicle

Fun at the wading pool with Friends

More Popsicles

Our first veggie garden

More homemade Popsicles

(yogurt and mini popsicle sticks in a silicon ice cube tray are the most perfect 15 calorie treats ever!)

Pretty Broccoli Leaves

OMG- A $9.00 gallon of milk! What a deal!

Bath time fun in the new bathroom

Choo choo train rides

First rides in a car-cart, with big brother showing her how it's done

More homemade Popsicles

First Pie- eating contest

LOST!!

Do you Love your Vacuum?

2010-08-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

I want to hear about it! We are ready to spend more than $70 on a vacuum. We have actually really liked the last 2 vacuums that we have owned, besides the fact that they both only lasted about 2 years... The first on was the Eureka Optima 431BX . She was a dandy little vacuum. Cute, witty, nice curves, but after a short amount of time she sucked at, well, sucking, until one day she said "screw this, I am done", and just stopped working like the ho that she was. We were saddened by the sudden breakup, and decided to dish out a little more dough for her higher class sister model- the red diva Optima 437AZ! We figured that she would be a better sucker, what, with her snazzy Power paw with Risor Visor attachment (aka. useless stair attachment- besides, what the hell kind of name is a Power Paw anyway?). She did her sassy vacuum thang for about 2 years (or less) as well, until finally, she too, decided to suddenly call it quits. Now, like I said, I really did like many many things about these 2 vacuums- they had powerful 12AMP motors, and were very lightweight- perfect if you have to carry it up stairs. I also really liked the fact that they were bagless, and the second one had a HEPA filter. Despite all of this, I realized that it would be silly of me to buy basically the same vacuum for a 3rd time. I also realize that it is time for me to commit to a good quality vacuum that I will have for hopefully, I dunno, 7 years or more!

Have a Vac you love? Tell me about it! I am open to suggestions, and I do not have any serious requirements. But, FYI, I do have a flight of stairs to consider, and both Mindi and I are only 5'3" tall!

Us. Dead? No. Baby. Tooth? Yes!

2010-08-04T22:04:00.001-07:00

What a Month! Part 2

2010-06-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

6/5/10 Sooooo... we get on the ship and drop off some stuff at the room. We are hastily shuffled towards the buffet restaurant for lunch. The food is great, the staff is AMAZING, and all seems well. For anyone considering cruising, the 2 biggest pleasantries of a cruise vacation are BY FAR the FOOD and the STAFF. Now, one might not think that the staff would have such a huge impact on the cruise experience, but it REALLY DOES. If you are like me, and you like to talk to people, I guarantee that the fleeting thought of "I should totally invite this person to dinner at my house after the cruise is over", may very well go through your head after a few days. You may not linger for long on this thought, but I bet you it will cross your mind...

6/6/10 Today is Mindi's birthday. We try to stay upbeat, but the lingering news of her sister's illness, coupled with the fact that we cannot seem to find a hot vegetarian dish that is not Pasta Primavera is obviously making our vacation a little less carefree. In addition, we realize, to our dismay, that there is absolutely NOTHING for Harris to do on the cruise. There is a children's program, but they will not accept any kid in pull-ups, or under age 3. When I asked them if I could sit in a corner of the children's area and play with him and their toys, they told me that it was not allowed. "Didn't you bring any toys for him to play with" she says, with an innocent look on her face... grrrrrrr... oh, you mean, in between the diapers and formula that required their own duffel? well, noooo, I thought that we might have access here. I didn't even want to leave him there, I just wanted him to have something new to play with. Her only other suggestions were to let him run around on the tennis court, and to take him swimming. 2 problems with that, if the weather was nice, the courts were occupied. If the weather wasn't nice, the weather was NASTY, and, as far as the pool goes, no children were allowed in whilst wearing swim diapers. I buck the system there with a big F U, and take him in the pool WITHOUT a swim diaper... heh heh heh... On a good Samaritan note, I ask him politely to tell me if he has to pee... does he tell me he needs to? No. does he pee in the pool? probably... On a positive note, Harris tries his first chicken leg, and loves it.

6/7/10 Over 48 hours on the ocean, we are going stir crazy. After the quick discovery that this cruise is meant for the "older set", and noting the interesting contrast between "aaaaw, look at the cute little one", vs the evil eye that says "your child is single handedly RUINING my vacation", we are ready to GET OFF THE BOAT. We dock in Juneau, Alaska, and proptly begin our search for our first letterbox. (Even more info about Letterboxing Here). While we don't find the letterbox, we do discover a park! With a swing set! And a slide! Wow, who gets that excited about a park? It reminds me of the time we drove from Chicago to Seattle over the course of 4 days, and after 24 hours of corn fields, we finally spotted a few cows, and nearly pissed ourselves with excitement...

6/8/10 We receive news about Mindi's sister. She has passed away. Long story short, she died at 27 from complications of a gastric bypass (almost 3 years ago), coupled with poor life choices. At this point, the rest of the trip becomes blurry.

6/9/10 We eat our way through another day, and buy a new toy for Harris at port. Which port? I have no idea.

6/10/10 We eat our way through another day

6/11/10 We eat our way through another day

6/12/10 We eat breakfast, then disembark the ship. Our friend Diana picks us all up. We make a quick stop back at the house, and then Diana takes Mindi swiftly to the airport, to hop on a plane to Miami for her sister's funeral.

I was with the 2 kids alone Sat, Sun, Monday, and part of the day Tuesday. It was not a big deal- not too difficult for me to be alone with the kids, so that was good. Mindi and her mom and remaining sister are doing as well as can be expected. It is so sad to think that Feb14th, 2007, Mindi lost her father, David, to cancer, and not more than 3 years later, she lost her younger sister too.

The icing on the cake? We came home to a broken microwave.

And now, a tidbit about cruising with children:

Cruising with kids is AWESOME. I know that some people might be nervous about the whole thing, but once you get on that ship, it is like you are in a town on the sea. There are lots of things to do (assuming you pick the right cruise) and, like I mentioned before, the food is spectacular and plentiful. (I gained 5 lbs in a week). I beg you, however, to really do your homework if you are cruising with children. Some cruise lines are better than others at entertaining families with small children. We cruised with Holland America. Now, I thought that the ship was nice, the food was excellent and the rooms were great, but it was obviously, like I said before, a cruise for the older set. Upon arriving home, I did some research into other cruise lines, and discovered that the 3 best cruises for families with little ones, are Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Disney cruise lines.

If you have had a good experience on a cruise with kids, I would love to hear about it!! In addition, if you have any questions about an upcoming cruise, I am happy to answer it!

What a Month! Part 1

2010-06-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, folks, it really has been quite a month for us! Let me just give you a quick rundown, and then, if I find I have the energy, I will expound a bit!

I will start a bit further back- into late May, well, just because I can!

5/26/10 I attend an "Edible Landscape" class, held through Seattle Tilth with my veeeeeeery good friend, Kat. I have to say, if any of you live even remotely close to Seattle and have an interest in anything garden, vegetable, plant, worm, chicken, or compost related, check out that website. It is the bomb. There are so many cool classes, and they are inexpensive, and laid back, and fun- not to mention, informative! Now, I have to admit, that going to this class (and an earlier one in April about composting) is a stretch for me. I am a homebody, and although I am very outgoing and people oriented, getting me there to MEET the people is a bit of a challenge. I am proud of myslef for pushing the limits of my comfort zone!

6/2/10 Stella has her final appointment for her Helmet. I opted to leave the helmet at the facility so that they could use it as an example for other parents. Before Stella started her treatment, I was able to see and feel another helmet as an example, but it was for a much older baby, and was, therefore, huge. I felt that seeing a smaller helmet would help me grasp it better as a parent, beginning therapy. What else was I going to do with it? I was not about to take up valuable memory box space with it, and I didn't want to send it to the dump. I was very excited when I asked them if they would be able to use it, and they said yes! Stella's head is adorable, and She has totally blossomed since we took it off. To date, she has had a little over 3 weeks of helmet-free-ness, and has since decided that if she is not sitting up on her own, she is not happy. But truthfully, her physical abilities have caught up with her mental desires, and she is doing great!

6/3/10 Mindi gets a frantic phone call from her mother. Mindi's 27 year old sister is gravely ill, and in the hospital. She nabs a flight to CA (where her sister is living) late in the afternoon (via an impromptu ride from Kat). It is a Thursday. We are scheduled to leave on a week-long Alaskan cruise on Saturday. We have not yet packed. In a heartbeat, I become a single mom with an infant and toddler, unsure of when the wifey will return, and faced with the responsibility of packing for a family of 4, all on my own, all while watching,changing, codling, loving my little ones. At this point, we are even unsure as whether we will be able to get on that boat.

6/4/10 Friday morning, my savior/friend Diana comes over to ~~keep me sane~~ ~~help me focus~~ ~~make me laugh~~ watch the kids, while I run around in chicken-esqe style, trying to pack. Let's not forget the fact that I have to pick up the dry cleaning and take Harris to his FIRST DENTIST APPOINTMENT. The dentist appointment was something I was not looking forward to. Harris is very much against things that make loud (loud to him of course) noises, and anything that someone unfamiliar is trying to stick in his mouth. nevertheless, Diana saved the day, and watched Stella while I took Harris. He did well, despite the fact that he wouldn't let the hygienist near him, and screamed and squirmed all the way through the dentist's exam. he loved the dentist after the fact though, and that toothpaste? That "just the right sized tube for me" with SPARKLES toothpaste? Well, Harris treated that like it was the best thing since sliced bread, and, apparently, his (child dentist, by the way) is now a celebrity in Harris' eyes. Awesome.
After the stressful day of waiting , not knowing, and packing, my lovely wife flies in on a plane at 9:30pm.

6/5/10 Our lovely friend, Diana (who, I was getting QUITE sick of seeing- damn, it is like she never left my friggin' house! just kidding dirty Diana, just kidding!) drives us to the dock in the AM. Whew! We are going to get on that boat after all!!! After getting wee lost (but nothing Diana couldn't handle...) we make it to the big beautiful boat! We unload, give huggy thank you huggies, and start on our journey! The room on the boat is beautiful. It is large enough to feel that we were not cramped beyond belief, and we had popped for a verandah, which, to me, makes a WORLD of difference when you are on a cruise ship, especially with little kids!! We are all smiles. (and sweat- but mostly smiles).

To be Continued...

READ THIS

2010-06-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Kat clued me in to this list of fruits and fruit juices that contain lead. Don't get me started on LEAD.

NO AMOUNT OF LEAD IS SAFE

Please take a minute to check out this list. Think your favorites could not possibly be on this list? Whoa baby, THINK AGAIN!

the LIST Bum Bum BUUUUUUM!!!

A Beautiful Commercial? Try It Now! Sorry!

2010-06-04T19:55:00.001-07:00

Love it

Untitled from Lynn L on Vimeo.

A Beautiful Commercial? You Betcha!

2010-06-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

Touching and true. This one gave me chills, and I am sure that you will get them too!

Untitled from Lynn L on Vimeo.

Helmet Free!

2010-06-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

7 weeks to the day, and we are helmet free! I took Stella for her weekly appointment, and Hillary, the helmet fitting lady (who has been super great) gave us the seal of approval to discontinue the helmet! It was honestly a joint decision between the 2 moms and the expert. Stella's head is not perfectly round, (no body's head is!!) but it is well within the average head measurements, and it is noticeably better than when we first started the therapy! I can tell that she is enjoying all of her nakie head time, as are we.

I definitely recommend that any parent who is considering this therapy give it a whirl, and I want to thank Carey from Finding Chaos once again for helping me get the knowledge and courage to challenge the "authorities"!

Thank you also, to everyone else who gave encouraging words along the way!!

Here is her first "newly out of helmet therapy " picture!

Weekend Roundup 7 -Good Enough For Pictures!!

2010-05-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

As the title might imply, we are THIS CLOSE ||

to having our main bath completely finished! The only horrifically obvious thing missing (for looks) is the door to the new floor to ceiling built in storage unit! (Let us not think, for a moment, about the fact that we are still trying to finish up installing our new, snazzy tub and shower faucet set that, might I add, I have not done ONLY because the plumber that did the rough-in work installed the incorrect size of faucet nipple (ooh lala!...I digress) for our new faucet spout. I will have to call him back to rectify the situation before I can finish my job.

Up until this point in the project, I have determined, (by counting my receipts because I save them all in case I need them for returns), I have visited Home Depot 18 times (including today) over the course of the last 8 or so weeks, in order to finish this project! And that is also not including the 2 trips I made to Lowes... I have grown to know and like quite a few of the orange aproned folk there. Thanks Home Depot Friends!

I am really proud of the bathroom guys. So proud, that I fed my baby her 7pm bottle, while sitting on the toilet (lid) simply so that I could enjoy the bathroom for a little while before we came downstairs for computer time. There are still a few, misc. things that need to be done, as I mentioned, the door and faucet, along with some caulking and hook- hanging. But, without further ado...

Before:

AFTER!!

Weekend Roundup 6

2010-05-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are at roundup #6! We have been working on this bathroom remodel now for about 8 weeks. OY! This weekend, we managed to put up all the trim, and paint the bathroom. I feel ridiculous typing that, because it seems like nothing to me! I picked up our new toilet today at Lowes, and managed to get it upstairs. I was going to install it, but realized I was out of time, as dinner was almost ready (thanks wifey!) and after that, I had to hit up Jillian Michael's and her 30 Day Shred video. Man, she kicks my ass...

I digress...

I am fully expecting to have a functional bathroom by this next weekend. I have the toilet and sink, ready to be installed, I just need the time to do it. I also attempted to install our new bathtub faucet set, but there was a snafu in the pieces, so that is going to require a call to the helpers at some 1-800 number-- maybe it is 1-800-this-blows... whatever... pfff.

I am holding out and am not going to provide a current picture. The paint proved to be such a drastic improvement, that I would rather save the "after" picture for, well, AFTER! Here is a reminder of what it looked like a few weeks back...

No VOC, No Success- an unfortunate product review

2010-05-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Ever since the babes came along, Mindi and I have gone hardcore in our attempts to green our home and eliminate the chemical nasties that are so often found in our everyday products. I think I may have written before about FreshAire choice paint, but I can't remember. We found this zero VOC paint at the Home Depot, for a modest price of about $35 per gallon. I was super excited to discover it, because it was convenient (Our Home Depot is down the block), and reasonably priced. The color selection is somewhat limited, at about 65 shades to choose from, but on the other hand, I felt that that was almost a blessing, being that I wasn't inundated with a gazillion different color options. Being that we are (still) working on our main bathroom remodel, one of the steps was to prime the new wall board and trim. Without a second thought, I purchased the FreshAir choice primer/sealant for the job. I have been VERY HAPPY with the actal paints. It doesn't smell, I like the shades, and it goes on nicely, with nice coverage. I CANNOT say the same about the primer/sealer. I found the experience of using is quite unappealing. It turned out to be a goopy, gloppy, drippy, gelatinous mess. I was sure to stir it before using it, and I gave it an extra stir job even after I started using it, thinking that I had not stirred it enough. It went on like too-dry elmers glue, then proceeded to drip down my wall like water (how that happened I have no idea), when I went over it again with my brush to try to smooth it, it just smudged around like nail polish that was not quite dry. Speaking of drying, it took forever! After working with it in an area of trim about 5 feet long, and a 5 square foot area of wall, I gave up on it, and vowed to return it to the store. This will be the first purchase ever that I have desired to return to the store after partially using it. Luckily, I had a gallon of regular (full VOC!) primer in my garage that saved my ass, and enabled me to move along with my project. I just hope that my No VOC paint that I put over my full voc primer will help to seal in the nasties a bit.

Final rating: 1 out of 5 stars. The only reason it got even 1 star, is because I have to assume that this product is better at priming the wall than water.

Who Wants To Bawl Their Eyeballs Out?

2010-05-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

Soldiers surprising their loved ones.

Ok, Seriously... I am sure that I am not the only one crying after watching this. Even if you NEVER comment, if this made you choke up, at least comment with something to the affect of "yes, I choked up/teared up/sobbed uncontrollably too!" I think that I have watched this 20 times since posting it and have cried vigorously every time. The first 2 kids really got me I tell you, and it was all downhill from there!

Great Forward

2010-05-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

This was an email that was forwarded to me by my father, and I laughed out loud enough times while I was reading it, that I felt it deserved a post on my blog. Enjoy!

THE

NEXT SURVIVOR

SERIES

Six married men

will be dropped on an island

with one car

and 3 kids each

for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports

and take either music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must

take care of his 3 kids;

keep his assigned house clean,

correct all homework,

complete science projects,

cook,

do laundry,

and pay a list of 'pretend' bills

with not enough money.

In addition,

each man

will have to budget enough money

for groceries each week.

Each man

must remember the birthdays

of all their friends and relatives,

and send cards out on time--no emailing.

Each man must also take each child

to a doctor's appointment,

a dentist appointment

and a haircut appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and

inconvenient visit per child to the Emergency Room.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes

for a school function.

Each man will be responsible for

decorating his own assigned house,

planting flowers outside, and keeping it

presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television

when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs,

wear makeup daily,

adorn themselves with jewelry,

wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes,

keep fingernails polished,

and eyebrows groomed

During one of the six weeks,

the men will have to endure severe

abdominal cramps, backaches, headaches,

have extreme, unexplained mood swings

but never once complain or slow down

from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings
and find time at least once to spend

the afternoon at the park or a similar

setting.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night

and in the morning,

feed them,

dress them,

brush their teeth and

comb their hair

by 7:30 am.

A test will be given

at the end of the six weeks,

and each father will be required to know

all of the following information:

each child's

birthday,

height, weight,

shoe size, clothes size,

doctor's name,

the child's weight at birth,

length, time of birth,

and length of labor,

each child's favorite color,

middle name,

favorite snack,

favorite song,

favorite drink,

favorite toy,

biggest fear,
and what they want to be when they grow up.
The kids vote them off the island based on performance.

The last man wins only if...

he still

has enough energy

to be intimate with his spouse

at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win,

he can play the game over and over and over

again for the next 18-25 years,

eventually earning the right

to be called Mother!

After you get done laughing,

send this to as many females as

you think will get a kick out of it and

as many men as you think can handle it.

Just don't send it back to me....

I'm going to bed.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

I really hope that every mother out there, whether you be a birth mom, and adoptive mom, a parent figure, or a mom to be, had a lovely mother's day! I have not been a mother for very long, but this mother's day was by far the best. Thanks to the power of the Internet, I have been able to connect with some incredible people. Some of these people, I have been fortunate enough to have met in person, or at least spoken to them on the phone. This Mother's day, Mindi and I hosted a dinner party at our house with 2 other mommy couples and their babies. The 3 babies (all girls), were born December 2nd, 4th, and 7th. It was so interesting to see the similarities and differences in the 3! It was amazing to have 6 mommies and 4 children in the house!

Stella and baby L

Baby L, Baby Arden, Big brother Harris, and Baby Stella

The Fiesta of food! We enjoyed chips with salsa and guacamole, virgin mango blended deliciousness, tofu fajitas, ranchero beans, salmon tacos, and veggie meat tacos. All of the yumminess was followed up by some very delectable fried ice cream! After dinner, we did hand stamps of the babies to put in some wooden picture frames that I purchased for the moms. The project was a big hit, and the babies did great!

I decided to do a trace and cutout of Harris' hand to put under Stella's handstamp. I could not be more pleased with the result!

Happy Mother's day!

Eat Up

2010-05-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

Do you find the options for organic baby food to be slightly lackluster? Expand your Horizons!

Good Friends

2010-05-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

Stella and Arden. Bosom Buddies

Weekend Roundup 6

2010-05-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, no pics of the bathroom, simply because it does not look that different, but we did the grout and caulking. Grout haze is a bleep to get off if you let it sit too long, so that hindered our efforts a bit this weekend. The next job in the bathroom is the trim, so that should be fun! Here are some cute pictures of Harris instead!

Kids and bubbles make a great combo, especially when you have a huge back porch, and can simply open the door for them to go outside and give you some free time!

Hey, look! I splurged on myself and got new shoes! I can almost guarantee that Mindi does NOT like them, but like the good, dutiful wife that she is, she has said nothing but nice things about them...

And last, but not least, I finally got Harris to model his new cargo lounge pants for me! They look super comfy... maybe I should make a pair for myself... maybe Stella and Mindi need pairs too...

RECALL NOTICE -more information

2010-05-02T19:57:00.001-07:00

I was cruising through the FAQs, looking to see if they had any info on whether or not we could get our money back for the recalled products- Here is their answer:

Will you be offering a refund for the product I purchased and has been recalled?

Yes

McNeil is offering two options for consumers who have purchased products affected by this recall. You can receive either a refund for the average retail price of the product or a coupon for a free replacement (s) when the product becomes available again. You can do this by selecting one of the three ways to contact us on the right side of our www.mcneilproductrecall.com home page. To process your refund or coupon you will need the NDC number and Lot number from the product that has been recalled. The NDC number can be found above the brand name on the label of the bottle. The Lot number can also be found on the label and is usually placed vertically on the label.

RECALL NOTICE

2010-05-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

The makers of Children's and Infant's Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl have issued a recall on their products. http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/ for info.

Inspiration

2010-04-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Sewing has been taking place. Kat inspired me when she asked for help with her cute curtains (pictures! pictures!) and our little sewing session led to a sewing marathon for me last night, when I finally sat down and (started and) completed a pair of really cute cargo lounge pants for Harris! I took this picture with my cell phone, but I can't wait to post a real pic of the finished product soon!

This Hurts

2010-04-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

We are on day 4 of the helmet. Overall, she has been doing really well. I can tell, however, that it makes her mad in a "I have no idea why I feel strange, and bound, and heavy, and oh yeh, i am only 4 and a half months" sort of way. she is cranky. It is next to impossible to get her to smile while wearing it. The witching hour is the worst. Come 8 pm or so, she gets even grumpier if the helmet is still on. Today, she had to wear it for a total of 12-16 hours. She did great all day despite some "crap they put that damn hat back on me again" crabbiness. 8pm rolled around and she was done. She woke up from a dead sleep and began screaming, crying, and flailing. I tried to soothe her. I rocked, I swayed, I gently jiggled, I sang, tried to feed, changed her diaper, rubbed her chest, patted her back, and then I cried. I know that the damn thing isn't hurting her. I know it is annoying for her. I know that we are doing the right thing and I know that time will fly by. I just wish that she could understand that. The thing that hurts me the most is the fact that she hasn't been smiling at us for the last 4 days. I knew she wouldn't like it, but I didn't think it would take her smile away. It is so sad.

Tomorrow night is the first night that she has to sleep in the helmet. I am not concerned about her ability to sleep in it- she does just fine with her naps, but I am concerned about this 8 pm thing...

Any suggestions? (Carey??)

Dandy Day

2010-04-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today were simply dandy! Yesterday morning, I took Stella for her helmet fitting! (Thanks again for the info Carey!) It was a decently long appointment, totalling about an hour and 45 minutes. Stella was a trooper! Despite the long appointment, and people fussing with her head, she smiled, cooed and giggled the entire time! It was awesome. I really like the design we picked for the helmet. Of course, it is difficult to see in the pictures but it is called "Tattoo", so it has deep brown and light blue swirls, and what look like snippets of tattoos. I know it sounds odd, but I think it is pretty cute! Oh yeh, enjoy the boobies. I guess I could crop them out, but the fact that I didn't notice them before putting this picture in the blog is a sure sign that I am supposed to leave them. Wipe your mouths people, computer keyboards and copious amounts of saliva don't mix...

After the appointment, Harris and Stella and I all went to The Little Gym for our weekly class. Fun was had by all as usual! After dropping Harris and Stella off with the lovely wifey, I made a quick trip to Home Depot for more grout (yeehaw!) and Costco for ~~the samples~~ some groceries. While I was there, I spotted this sweet little French Lavender tree, and was in love! It was just the thing I needed to liven up my front porch! I would like to eventually repot it and raise it up a tad, but luckily, it is just tall enough that I can see it from the entryway when going up and down the stairs, and standing in my kitchen. It is totally enhancing my mood I tell ya!

Last Thursday, my friend Kat came over with her little sweetness, Arden, and we decided to have a photo shoot, complete with backdrops and wardrobe changes! Here are just a few of my favorites!!! The matching diapers were the icing on the cake!!

Lounging on a Golden Beach

The Sears Portrait, gone wrong!

Weekend Roundup 5

2010-04-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, I cannot believe that I am already writing about roundup 5. I really thought that we would be finished with this bath remodel by 6 weeks or so, but I know now, that I should be aiming more for, say, 8 weeks or something. (Maybe more ack!) Anyways... because of the fact that we ran off to the fair, and I took a few hours out today to go to a class on composting (which was awesome, by the way) we didn't get quite as much done as we would have hoped. I did manage to finish the tile on the floor, as well as the bullnose tile on the shower wall surround, with 2 itty bitty little exceptions...

crap! If you look up, you can see the lonely little spots sans tile. Those holes were supposed to be filled with cut tiles. "Weren't they all?" You ask? Yes, but these 2 tiles required 2 cuts each and I neglected to do that before I meticulously cleaned my wet saw. Needless to say, those 2 little spots will have to remain empty until next weekend...

Stella approves!

Unrelated, Stella likes her rice cereal! She even opens her mouth for the spoon, although, she is having a hard time keeping the cereal in her mouth...

Stella Eats Rice Cereal from Lynn L on Vimeo.

Meme

2010-04-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

one singular sensation...

Adventures in Making a Baby tagged me for this meme that calliope created. One word has to answer the question!

1. Yourself: achy

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend: typing

3. Your hair: wispy

4. Your mother/stepmother: odd

5. Your dog: dog?

6. Your favorite item: stitcher

7. Your dream last night: exhilerating

8. Your favorite drink: clear

9. Your dream car: electric

10. The room you are in: shabby

12. Your fear: apathy

13. What you want to be in 10 years: happy

14. Who you hung out with last night: sexy

15. What you’re not: apathetic

16. Muffin: fiber

17: One of your wish list items: book

18: Time: eve

19. The last thing you did: wipe

20. What you are wearing: oolala!

21. Your favorite weather: spring

22. Your favorite book: reminiscent

23. The last thing you ate: carbs

24. Your life: fulfilling
25. Your mood: optimistic

26. Your best friend(S): warm

27. What are you thinking about right now? duh

28. Your car: lube

29. What are you doing at the moment?: typing

30. Your summer: camper

31. Your relationship status: claimed

32. What is on your TV?: darkness

33. What is the weather like?: drizzly

34. When is the last time you laughed?: recently

Our Day in Pictures- A Wordless Post

2010-04-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

Wee One

2010-04-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

Our little Stella had her 4 month well-baby check up today. I was most interested in seeing how much she weighed! She is still a dainty little thing at 12 Lbs and 10oz! Wowee she is a little bit! She is in the 25th percentile for all things. I love that she is so dainty. It is so funny to see her wearing outfits that Harris had worn, and grown out of much earlier than her! I also love similar shots such as these!

Above is Harris at 4.5 months, and below is Stella at almost 4 months!

Weekend Roundup 4

2010-04-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Still pantsless around here. Today, I put my foot down and said "He must wear Unders!!" It was an all day battle. I won most of the time. I would like to announce that Harris wore underwear for 75% of the day! (With the help of my lovely wife).

On to the bathroom remodel! Today, we successfully put up the paneling in the bathroom.

This photo (I am sorry, I do not have the photo credit!!) was one of my inspiration photos. Horizontal paneling, painted white.

Up the paneling went. We stood back and looked at it, And looked. And thought. "We are going to paint that???" It is far too pretty to paint! Our new plan is to stain it a color that is a tad more golden honey, and polyurethane it to match the light fixture a little better. Worst case scenario, we don't like it, and end up painting it white.

The following pictures are of a product called Ditra. Ditra is basically a waterproofing membrane. If you have a bathroom floor made of OSB or fiberboard, and you plan on tiling it, you really need a membrane between your tiles and your floor. There are 2 reasons- 1. it will help to prevent moisture from seeping into your sawdust and glue wood boards, and 2. it will help give you a level surface for your tiles, helping to prevent tiles form cracking. It is pricey (about $84 per rool- enough to do my 7' by 6' bathroom plus a little left over), but it is very easy to work with, and the prevention is worth it. You just spread some mortar, press it down, and then lay your tile over the top of it.

After laying the Ditra, I began laying the tile. Since the room is next door to Harris' bedroom, and I was doing it while he napped, I decided to focus soley on the full tiles, as opposed to cutting the tiles with the wet saw for the edges etc. I am really proud of the glass tile detailing at the bottom edge of the tub.

I love the picture of Harris trying to duck into the bathroom. I didn't even realize that he was in the shot when I snapped it. I love his expression. And no, he is not wearing pants.

Spellchecker

2010-04-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

I am not a horrific speller, but typing one handed with a baby in your lap can make for some silly spelling errors. Ever since blogger "updated" it's Posting template, I find myself at a loss for my beloved spellchecker option. Has anyone else from blogger had this problem and/or found the spellchecker????

thankls!

Good Day

2010-04-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, I would like to say to Mindi- Happy Adoption Day! Yay! She is finally considered little Stella's legal parent along with me! Disgusting that we had to go to a courtroom to have that become official, but a relief nonetheless!

This is the same judge that aided us with Mindi's adoption of Harris 2 years ago. It was nice to see her again- she is a great supporter of same sex adoptions.

Another great thing about today was that Stella and I went to Hanger (an orthodics and prosthetics company) to have her assessed for a potential helmet. Let me just tell all of you mothers out there- TRUST YOUR MOMMY GUT!

It turns out that little Stella is indeed within the range that would benefit from a helmet! Apparently, she has a 6mm deviation, which is considered mild- moderate deformation. Not that I am celebrating her crazy shaped head, but I am happy to hear that my concerns were real! She has a scan to prove it!!

We have an appointment in 2 weeks to have her helmet fitted. I am very excited to start (and finish) the treatment!

I want to send a shout-out thank you to Carey over at Finding Chaos. As many of you know, she also had the experience of fighting to be heard to get her (frickin' ADORABLE) child a helmet. Thanks for the support, and the reminder to trust my instinct. If you had not messaged me, I would not have called Hanger for a second opinion! Seriously!

Weekend Roundup 3

2010-04-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend was very productive, I have to say! This post is going to be super quick- here is a picture so you can check out what we have accomplished! Shower tile set! (not grouted yet, and no bullnosed tiles either!)

Tagged

2010-03-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Shea at Our Road to Parenthood!

(ETA- I have also been tagged by Kat over at Adventures of Making a Baby!)

10 things you didn't know about me:

1. I am adopted, as is Mindi. It makes for an interesting connection between the two of us, and it also gives us both a good angle for potential conversations with our 2 kids in the future.

2. I have an unbelievable weak spot for patriotic music, such as the national anthem. I would not consider myself overly "proud to be an American" but I have been known to get teary eyed on more than one occassion while listening to the anthem.

3. I love soft, fuzzy, horse noses. They are awesome.

4. I dream about being a professional ice skater- flips, spins, jumps and all, however, I cannot even stand up in ice skates.

(Dream as in- I oftentimes have dreams while sleeping about ice skating- that is why it is weird, not dream/desire, just plain dream...)

5. Some times, when I am not dreaming about ice skating, I dream about roller skating. That is one thing I can do- roller skate- old skool style.

6. I love to plan, but have a hard time following through.

7. I enjoy mulching leaves with my electric lawn mower.

8. One of the coolest things I have expereinced in person was a walk through a VERY OLD cemetary in Marietta, GA with a very special person that I met when I was there.

9. I did not hop onto the test messaging bandwagon until about 2 months ago. I fought it tooth and nail until then and I finally gave in. What the HELL was I waiting for??

10. I like changing my infant's poopy diapers

Weekend Roundup 2

2010-03-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am very pleased with what we accomplished this weeken in regards to the bathroom remodel! We managed to finish putting up the cement board, taped the seems, and mudded (mudded?) them. The little shampoo cubbies were tricky little buggers. 5 little peices needed to be measured and cut for those suckers, and the smaller the peice of cement board needed, the harder it is to cut. Alas, that annoying part of the job is complete, and now the walls actually look like walls! Mindi did a great job mudding the seems. If you are planning on doing a cement board redo project around your shower surround, you have to make sure that there are NO HOLES. Every seem needs to be completely filled, or you may get moisture inside your walls down the line. When taping cement board seems, you want to make sure that you use mesh seam tape that is meant for cement board. Other tapes, such as mesh drywall tape, is not meant ot withstand moisture and the thinset that you will need to use for mudding the seams. It will basically dissintegrate. After you have taped the seems, use thinset (the same stuff you use under tiles) to mud the seems. This will hold up to the rigors of a shower. The mud job doesn't have to be aesthetically perfect, but make sure that there are no globs or peaks of mud, because when the thinset dries, it will make even tile laying difficult!

After mudding the seams, I installed a new light fixture in the bathroom. The light we chose was a hanging light. The fixture in the bathroom was a wall mounted light, so I had to install a new box in the ceiling to hang our new fixture from. It took me a while to do, but all in all, the process was a snap. My favorite part about the project was being able to use my new headlamp while I was in the attic and in the bathroom while installing the light! The mask is a nessesity when working in an attic filled with insulation, by the way! It also makes you look incredibly sexy- check out my "come hither" eyes!

My sister in law is coming to town on Tuesday, and hopefully she will be able to help us wark a little more on the bathroom! I cannot wait to be able to use it again!

Empathy

2010-03-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

Stella cried. Arden felt sorry for her and then cried too.

All while the moms laughed...

Empathetic Tears from Lynn L on Vimeo.

In the (neverending) Spirit of Beyonce and her Single Ladies

2010-03-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

Want to learn how to dance like Beyonce??? Here you go- I aim to please!

Newest Jolly

2010-03-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks for sending this to me Kat!

Weekend Roundup

2010-03-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

So, our goals for this weekend were to:

~~1. assemble and put in our "built in" storage unit~~
~~2. add extra support around the new faucet plumbing~~
~~3. frame out the shampoo cubbies for the tub/shower surround~~
4. put up the cement board around the tub

We were on a roll for a while there, but then we started stumbling at the end. I had looked up the easiest ways to cut cement board, so in theory, I knew what I had to do, but man that stuff is a pain in the ass to work with. First of all, it is HEAVY. I mean, it makes sense, it is cement board after all. Then, it is supposed to be as easy as "scoring and snapping!" but it took a lot more scoring than I expected to get it to break cleanly. I am use to cutting drywall, which is a snap. This was not nearly as fun. *Helpful hint- a chisel and hammer come in handy! We managed to get get 1 wall of cement board up, minus the little shampoo nook. Please, don't mind the casualty half way down- luckily, it will be covered by pristine white tile...

Harris was a great helper when it came to finishing the storage cabinet assembly!

Helper Harris from Lynn L on Vimeo.

Pressure Washer Love

2010-03-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Do you guys have a favorite tool in your home? I am talking anything from a cordless drill to a toaster over (2 of my personal favorites, mind you...)

I was reminded yesterday, however, about a tool that I am very grateful that I have and would not trade it in for anything. That would be my pressure washer. Any of you who have used a pressure washer probably would agree in some way that they rock.

Do you like instant gratification? Hell, who doesn't? A pressure washer gives you SERIOUS instant gratification! Being that it made it up to close to 70 degrees here in the seattle area yesterday, I decided to tackle a serious job while my son slept. Mindi took the baby, and I dug out my tried and true little electric pressure washer and went to town on a VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT. The house we moved into back in October, came with an awesome wooden swingset and play tower with slide thing, but MAN OH MAN it had seen better (cleaner!!) days. I am fairly confident that the swingset had only been there for maybe 3 years or so, but it looked like someone had dug it up from the bottom of a swamp, and plopped it in the back yard. Yeh. Gross.

The second that motor started running, my heart started racing! Of course, I forgot to take a before picture, and I have not taken an after picture either. Sorry folks.

Pressure washers are awesome machines. You can use them for a TON of stuff, from patios to garden equiptment, sidewalks, cars, bicycles, fences, outdoor toys. You get the picture. They don't require any nasty chemicals to run (but you can add soap to most machines if you want). I have seen them start around $100 and go up from there. Mine is electric. I love it. An old neighbor of mine gave it to me- he was such a nice guy...

Here are some tips about pressure washing:

1. Plan to get drenched. Even during the times that I tried to be the most careful, I still got drenched. If you ever have the passing thought of "Oh, I will just pressure wash the steps really quick before I meet my friend for lunch" (no showering included in this thought process) you had better think twice. This little tidbit would also prompt me to tell you that you should do pressure washing on a day that is not blustery or cold.

2. Keep your mouth shut. I know, this sounds funny, but really, keep your mouth shut. Shit will be flying everywhere, and everywhere means straight into your mouth- assuming it is open. This has happened to me more than I care to admit.

2.5. Wear some sort of safety glasses. You might look like a dork, but at least you won't get shit in your eyes too!

3. Work from top to bottom. I know that this sounds pretty obvious, you know, with the concept of gravity and all, but the last thing you want to do is wash the steps, and then go up to washing the siding, resulting in a slimy sludge oozing onto your freshly washed porch. This has also happened to me many times, but I think that it almost makes sense as to why people do this. The ground is typically the dirtiest, and folks (like myself) are looking for that instant gratification, by get enthusiastically to work on the dirtiest part.

4. Start Low. Most pressure washers have the ability to have their pressure turned up or down. I highly reccomend starting your project at the lowest pressure, and then raising it up just enough to get the job done. I say this because when I washed my old painted front stoop, and I didn't bother to turn the pressure down, all of the moss came off, as did a few layers of paint... oops. This is also a good tip if you are going to wash your car with it. Turn down the pressure to avoid damage.

5. Resist the remptation to rinse your dirty hands with the sprayer. This is another 'duh' tip, but you wouldn't believe how many times I caught myself about to do it. Your hands are wet (as is the rest of your body) and you get a big schmear of whoknowswhat on your palm- your pants are covered in crud, so you can't wipe them there- lets just rinse them off! YOWSERS! Pressure washers can BREAK THE SKIN PEOPLE! Which brings me to number...

6. Refrain from washing your pets, children, and spouses with pressure washers. It would really hurt. Really.

7. Do not wear open toed shoes. I recommend rubber gardening boots, for the same reason as number 5. OUCH! I personally learned this one the hard way... *sob* It took my toenail polish clear off as well...

8. Give yourself time. Plenty of time. Pressure washers give that awesome, chemical free, instant gratification clean, but the sprayer is only so big, and if you are going to take the time to do it, all the while risking your limbs and dry clothing, for pete's sake, do it right. A sidewalk with pressure washer "clean skid marks" all over it looks no better than a dirty one, in my opinion.

Any questions? Please ask. *By the way, I am no PW expert, I just love using one*

Do any of you have a favorite tool?