Since we are done with having babies, I am trying to declutter. Baby clothes are a significant part of clutter in our home. I have already gotten rid of just about all of my maternity clothes, a stroller, and my "travel system" (that's a baby bucket carseat, two carseat bases, and a stroller). Most of what remains at this point is clothes.
Today I gave a friend 3 Costco Diaper boxes, a big tortilla chip box, and garbage bag full of baby girl clothes. I asked her ahead of time if she was interested in them, and she definitely was. Her kids are older, and she thought she was past her baby days. Her baby girl thought wrong! She was excited when I knocked on the door with the one diaper box. When I told her I had more, she was a little surprised. By the time I was finished unloading, her jaw had dropped. The worst part is, I'm pretty sure I haven't unearthed them all. I had such cute baby girl clothes. I have to admit it was a little sad for me to give them up. But, the idea of needing them again makes me break into a cold sweat. Yikes!
I figure this way, I can live vicariously through her, and see the cute clothes again on her baby. I have also decided that I can have one tote of clothes that I like so much that I simply couldn't give them up. There's probably some clothes I gave up today that would fall into that catagory, but it's better to actually have them be used.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Science Fair
Today was the school's science fair. All students in 4th through the 6th grades participated. There was a lot of duplication in project ideas. A ton of stuff on soda cleaning coins, various liquids to water plants with, soda and candy (think diet coke and mentos), nail polish or nail polish remover, which microwave popcorn has the most old maids, etc. Note to self, steer K away from all of these projects.
K's project was to see what was most effective in killing germs on hands: rinsing with warm water, washing with antibacterial soap for 10 seconds, washing with antibacterial soap for 30 seconds, and simply using hand sanitizer. I expected the 30 second wash and the hand sanitizer to be neck in neck. Hand sanitizer won, hands down (no pun intended). I was really shocked and appalled at how little difference washing hands for 10 seconds did. I thought it was a very well put together project, and I was very impressed with K's work. I was even more impressed after going to the fair and seeing all of the other kids' work.
M was looking at her project and pointed out that her samples weren't controlled since we used different people for each sample. He felt like that invalidated the experiment because we had no way of knowing how dirty each person's hands were before the experiment began. I felt like that was such a brilliant observation for an almost 8 year old to make!
I was a little irritated that they didn't have enough table space for all of the projects. What didn't fit on the tables was just kind of crammed onto the risers to the stage. K's was one of those. It made me feel like her project wasn't as highly valued, even though I really felt it was one of the nicer looking projects out there.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
a date a date a REAL LIVE DATE!!!!
Since Z has been born, my husband and I have been very bad about the date thing. It's been suggested at church and in all the relationship books I've ever read that a married couple should continue to court each other, and they should go on dates occasionally. I always have a tough time leaving my babies because they tend to be deeply in love with mommy, and don't behave as well for other people. Compounding that is the fact that I breastfeed, and my kids have never been very good about taking bottles (K was pretty good about it, but only if I used a particular brand and if the temperature was just right).
Nowadays, we don't have any teenage sitters around us, so we rarely, if ever, get out alone. Back in December we went to my husband's company party together. Then, in September, we went on a 30 minute ATV ride together. In July, we went together for my husband's vasectomy. And that sums up our alone time.
For his birthday, my grandmother gave Jim two tickets to a Utah Jazz game. My parents offered to drive up and babysit for us.
We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. This is very new to Utah, so the waits are generally about 2 hours long. We had luck with us and were at our table within 5 minutes. The food was good, although the portions were huge. I ate my fill last night, then had some for lunch. S. also had some, and there's still an adult sized portion of spaghetti in the fridge.
Our seats were really great for the game. We had to kick some squatters out of them, but that was painless.
When we got home, my parents admitted they'd let the kids stay up a little late and gave them ice cream for dinner. I was totally fine with that. The little stinkers told on grandma and grandpa this morning though. They need to learn when to keep their mouths shut!
We had such a fun time, and it was so nice to spend time alone with my husband and not have to worry about chasing kids. I think we'll definitely have to do it more often.
Nowadays, we don't have any teenage sitters around us, so we rarely, if ever, get out alone. Back in December we went to my husband's company party together. Then, in September, we went on a 30 minute ATV ride together. In July, we went together for my husband's vasectomy. And that sums up our alone time.
For his birthday, my grandmother gave Jim two tickets to a Utah Jazz game. My parents offered to drive up and babysit for us.
We went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. This is very new to Utah, so the waits are generally about 2 hours long. We had luck with us and were at our table within 5 minutes. The food was good, although the portions were huge. I ate my fill last night, then had some for lunch. S. also had some, and there's still an adult sized portion of spaghetti in the fridge.
Our seats were really great for the game. We had to kick some squatters out of them, but that was painless.
When we got home, my parents admitted they'd let the kids stay up a little late and gave them ice cream for dinner. I was totally fine with that. The little stinkers told on grandma and grandpa this morning though. They need to learn when to keep their mouths shut!
We had such a fun time, and it was so nice to spend time alone with my husband and not have to worry about chasing kids. I think we'll definitely have to do it more often.
Co-sleeping
Co-Sleeping. The Family Bed. Bed Sharing. All of these terms are euphemisms for having a couple and their child/ren all in the same bed. Outside of the United States, it is a very common, accepted practice. Here in the US, it's quickly climbing in controversy to crying it out and breast vs. bottle. Many people in the "attachment parenting" (google it) school of thought think it is the only way to go. Dr. William Sears is a huge proponent of attachment parenting and co-sleeping. I find this interesting because the American Academy of Pediatrics has recently come out with the official stance that co-sleeping is bad. No matter what.
Even the most staunch co-sleeping advocate believes that some rules ought to be followed- no excess bedding that the baby could suffocate on, drinking/medications and co-sleeping shouldn't be mixed, tight fighting sheets and bed frame so baby can't get trapped. Excessively heavy sleepers shouldn't co-sleep.
When the AAP came out against co-sleeping, I had a difficult time. I was currently cosleeping with S, and loving every minute of it. For the first time, I wasn't constantly worried that my baby was going to die of SIDS. In general, I have agreed with the AAP, so it was weird to find myself in one of the fringe groups. I will admit that S didn't sleep through the night consistently until she was over a year old and sleeping in her own crib.
When Z came along, I decided to mainly have him sleep in the crib because I couldn't take another year of a baby waking up multiple times in a night. Z has been a pretty great sleeper up until about a month ago. About that time, he got a cold (which he is STILL fighting). When the cold set in, he became a very vocal supporter of co-sleeping. From the beginning, he preferred to sleep with us (duh!), but he was at least willing to try his bed.
For the last month, we have had to make sure he is sleeping really, really deeply before we put him in his crib or he would start screaming as soon as his butt touched the mattress.
Last night, I didn't even bother trying the crib out, just put him in our bed. He fell asleep immediately, and slept til my husband woke up at 7:20. It was wonderful.
Even the most staunch co-sleeping advocate believes that some rules ought to be followed- no excess bedding that the baby could suffocate on, drinking/medications and co-sleeping shouldn't be mixed, tight fighting sheets and bed frame so baby can't get trapped. Excessively heavy sleepers shouldn't co-sleep.
When the AAP came out against co-sleeping, I had a difficult time. I was currently cosleeping with S, and loving every minute of it. For the first time, I wasn't constantly worried that my baby was going to die of SIDS. In general, I have agreed with the AAP, so it was weird to find myself in one of the fringe groups. I will admit that S didn't sleep through the night consistently until she was over a year old and sleeping in her own crib.
When Z came along, I decided to mainly have him sleep in the crib because I couldn't take another year of a baby waking up multiple times in a night. Z has been a pretty great sleeper up until about a month ago. About that time, he got a cold (which he is STILL fighting). When the cold set in, he became a very vocal supporter of co-sleeping. From the beginning, he preferred to sleep with us (duh!), but he was at least willing to try his bed.
For the last month, we have had to make sure he is sleeping really, really deeply before we put him in his crib or he would start screaming as soon as his butt touched the mattress.
Last night, I didn't even bother trying the crib out, just put him in our bed. He fell asleep immediately, and slept til my husband woke up at 7:20. It was wonderful.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Gordon B. Hinckley
Last night, Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the LDS church, died at the tender young age of 97. He had been quite healthy, right up til the end, which I think was a definite blessing. I am sure he is happy to be with his beloved wife again.
Although I have my doubts and questions and emotional struggle with the LDS church at the moment, I have always had an enormous amount of respect for Pres. Hinckley. He was a kind, good man. The world is a slightly sadder place without his presence.
I have been a bit upset and struggling a lot spiritually and emotionally with regards to my religion. But I am mourning the loss of Pres. Hinckley; my issues were never with him.
Although I have my doubts and questions and emotional struggle with the LDS church at the moment, I have always had an enormous amount of respect for Pres. Hinckley. He was a kind, good man. The world is a slightly sadder place without his presence.
I have been a bit upset and struggling a lot spiritually and emotionally with regards to my religion. But I am mourning the loss of Pres. Hinckley; my issues were never with him.
Friday, January 25, 2008
What a week!
This has been a crazy week. The big kids were out of school on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday night, our cub scout pack had the big Pinewood Derby. The big kids both made cars and had a blast racing them. I was a little dissatisfied because we were using the stopwatch function on a watch to time the cars. When the races were being won and lost be hundredths of a second, that just didn't seem precise enough. To make matter worse, I was one of the people timing it, so I felt like the sloppiness was my fault, even though I wouldn't have done it that way had I been in charge. M won second place in his den. I have a sick feeling that I inadvertently cheated, making him win. He was one of the first cars to race, before we got into a groove. I just hope none of the parents are too unhappy with how things went, and that nobody feels like I did anything to slight their child on purpose.
Wednesday I was "treat mom" for M's junior jazz basketball game. I realized as I got there that I didn't have enough treats for all of the kids, so I had to run to the store and buy another box. Oops.
To also toss into the mix, I had a photo shoot for a friend's son. She cut K's and my hair, and in exchange, I'd take pictures of her son, and make a baptism invitation out of it. I also had to take Z's picture. I have pictures of all four of my kids at the age of 9 months in a washtub. They turned out pretty cute, but I'm annoyed because the sheet I used for the backdrop has a big wrinkle in it, and I can't photoshop it out to my satisfaction. I may attempt to take the pictures again today with a freshly ironed sheet. It's also girl scout cookie time, so I'm going door to door in the afternoons with K, trying to sell cookies. She has sold over a hundred now, so that's good.
Z has had a cold for a month now. He was almost better about 2 weeks ago, and then got bad again. I think he caught a new one. Ugh! He's also learned to pull himself up to standing, which in general is fun, but not so fun because at night, if he wakes up, he immediately pulls himself up to standing and starts screaming and crying for mama. He insists on sleeping with us. Except the last couple nights, he doesn't actually sleep. He lays perpendicular to husband and I and kicks. All night.
I desperately love my kids. They are truly the biggest joy in my life. But, I have to admit I think back to the spring of 2004. Both of the big kids were potty trained. M was on the cusp of starting preschool. I am three semesters away from graduating college. I was getting course catalogues and considering finishing school. If I'd gone that route instead of having two more kids, I would be about 25 lbs lighter, a college graduate, and probably working a great job by now. And our family's income would be significantly higher. I can't deny that some days, like today when I'm knee deep in baby poop and snot, the other path looks attractive.
Wednesday I was "treat mom" for M's junior jazz basketball game. I realized as I got there that I didn't have enough treats for all of the kids, so I had to run to the store and buy another box. Oops.
To also toss into the mix, I had a photo shoot for a friend's son. She cut K's and my hair, and in exchange, I'd take pictures of her son, and make a baptism invitation out of it. I also had to take Z's picture. I have pictures of all four of my kids at the age of 9 months in a washtub. They turned out pretty cute, but I'm annoyed because the sheet I used for the backdrop has a big wrinkle in it, and I can't photoshop it out to my satisfaction. I may attempt to take the pictures again today with a freshly ironed sheet. It's also girl scout cookie time, so I'm going door to door in the afternoons with K, trying to sell cookies. She has sold over a hundred now, so that's good.
Z has had a cold for a month now. He was almost better about 2 weeks ago, and then got bad again. I think he caught a new one. Ugh! He's also learned to pull himself up to standing, which in general is fun, but not so fun because at night, if he wakes up, he immediately pulls himself up to standing and starts screaming and crying for mama. He insists on sleeping with us. Except the last couple nights, he doesn't actually sleep. He lays perpendicular to husband and I and kicks. All night.
I desperately love my kids. They are truly the biggest joy in my life. But, I have to admit I think back to the spring of 2004. Both of the big kids were potty trained. M was on the cusp of starting preschool. I am three semesters away from graduating college. I was getting course catalogues and considering finishing school. If I'd gone that route instead of having two more kids, I would be about 25 lbs lighter, a college graduate, and probably working a great job by now. And our family's income would be significantly higher. I can't deny that some days, like today when I'm knee deep in baby poop and snot, the other path looks attractive.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
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