2) So on two separate occasions I have now managed to put Zipporah's clothes on backwards. And to make matters worse, the first time was with a cute little jumper that my mother-in-law had purchased. I put Zipporah in it when Grandma came to visit, only for Grandma to arrive and say, "you have that on backwards. . . " Yep, I totally failed at sucking up that day. The second time a dear friend knitted a beautiful dress for her and I even took a picture of her in said dress (with it on backwards) only to realize as I put her in the dress for the second time last night, that I had put it on her backwards the last time. I am definitely a failure when it comes to style apparently!
3) I stumbled upon a recipe for Banana Breakfast Cookies (that a good friend had posted the link to on facebook - I'm not sure if she reads my blog, but if so, thanks Alison!!) and it has definitely been a game changer around here. I should add that I do change them up just a little - to our family's liking, but generally this is the recipe. Normally we do cereal and "something more filling" (like peanut butter and jelly toast or breakfast bars) for breakfast. These Banana Breakfast Cookies are like a bowl of oatmeal in cookie form. Brilliant!! Less mess when eating and I can make up a quadruple batch (which I split between fridge and freezer) to last for a couple weeks. They are insanely more handy than putting peanut butter and jelly on five pieces of toast!!
4) We are going to try something new for our schedule this year. Instead of individual date nights with each of the kids (we tried to do one for each kid - other than Miriam and Zipporah - once a month) we are going to have "family night" every Thursday where we will do something together as a family. I am pointing out ahead of time that this can be as simple as going out to dinner or watching a movie or just having a special dessert. But I'm thinking more like a family hike or game night would be ideal.
5) Another schedule change is for Gordie and I to have a standing "date night" on Fridays. As with "family night" I am saying from the beginning that this can be simple - maybe just watching some tv or making a special meal or treat or something. But I really want to see this as a chance to focus on the two of us. We just celebrated 10 years of marriage and the importance of this sacrament finally dawned on me. (Yes, I can be a little slow sometimes.) This is the foundation for our life together and if we are not building it up, then we are tearing it down.
I think I am especially guilty of just glossing over our relationship to each other as I live and breathe my "job" as homemaker. And doing Gordie's laundry and making his coffee are really only the "nuts and bolts" of what keep us going. I want something to look forward to - a time I will try to step out of my regular routine (which is a struggle as I think part of my problem is that I am always in the same place - there is no "going" to work and coming "home." I am always at work and at home, so "turning off the job" (which I love) is especially hard for me) and really see and hear and focus on just my husband and the joy we share as a couple.
6) I like to use soap foamers at our sinks for hand washing as my children like soap and I don't want to be wasteful. So using the foamers allows me to use about a third the amount of soap per fill that we would use if I did straight soap. Anyhow, the kids occasionally break the foamers (as they are kids and occasionally break almost EVERYTHING - they are DEFINITELY why I cannot have nice things). So I recently got a new one for the bathroom upstairs and it is like a soap foamer with super powers. It is way cool and really pumps out the foam like crazy with just one push. So the new game for the kids is to duck down while they push it so it will foam over their hands and into their hair. Why they find this so entertaining is beyond me, but hey, maybe I can skip a bath night because of it, right? :)
7) I recently replaced my ring sling. I had one from "Over the Shoulder Baby Holder" and it was AWESOME. I had it for nine years and used it like crazy. It is not my only carrier - I am also a big fan of the Ergo carrier and the moby wrap - but I find the sling handiest for breastfeeding and the quickest/easiest to put on for taking baby in and out of the car (as we do convertible carseats, rather than the "baby bucket"). So anyhow, since "Over the Shoulder Baby Holder" is now out of business (so sad), I found a sling from rockinbaby.com on a deals site (deals.com) for exactly what I was prepared to pay to replace my old sling (less than half of what they go for on the main website). Thanks God!!
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| My buddy today (here in the Ergo carrier). Apparently there is nothing better than being carried around by Mom. |
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