Small Successes

1) I have become a regular at weekly adoration. I can't always make at exactly the same time as the baby is not quite consistent on his bedtime, but I have made it a priority and so far so good. It has also been so helpful to have a supportive husband that understands how important this is to me and to us.

2) I have recently been complimented on how well my kids listen and I credit this to reading lots of books to them. My 5-year-old scored in the top 10% for listening at school and my 2-year-old will sit and listen to a fairly lengthy book (not typical 2-year-old behavior) with great interest. Plus I just enjoy the heck out of sitting on the couch, snuggling with all the kiddos as they are enraptured with my every word. I think our favorites are Dr Seuss books. I love rhyme.

3) I have started realizing that some of my motivation for doing some things is jealousy. Now I am aware of it and have gotten over it so that dark cloud no longer lingers over my day or gets in the way of true friendship.

To participate in Small Successes, click here for details.

Whiney Wednesday

1) So I have finally gotten back to my pre-prego weight (but the plan is to go much further down so even though this sounds like a small success, read on for the whine :) and did the great clothes sort (exiling the plus-size clothing to two containers and moving them out of my room). However, I managed to miss one pair of underwear which I happened to grab this morning. As silly as it sounds, too large underwear makes for almost constant wedgies!! Seriously, talk about annoying. In any case, I thought of changing it, once I realized what the deal was, but then I thought, every little bit of suffering counts in the big picture right? God has a sense of humor :)





2) My son has recently discovered he can turn his ride-on toy truck over and spin the wheels and if he holds a toy on the wheel, it makes noise. This fascinates him to no end. I find it incredibly annoying to say the least. But I can't make myself ask him to stop as this a science project in the works. Where are the earmuffs? (Oh and now he is demanding I watch him conduct his experiment - again and again and again. . . . )





3) The baby is having issues sleeping lately. That could be the whine, but what bothers me even more than that is that his issues with sleeping are affecting MY TIME to exercise in the morning. I get up at 5am - sometimes earlier even - so I can work my body out to stay in shape and healthy. This is MY TIME. But apparently the baby seems to think he can demand my attention at any time he chooses. And you know, I think I might actually not mind stopping my work-out to nurse him if A) it meant he actually went back to sleep and let me get back to my exercise in a reasonable amount of time and/or B) I did not sweat so much cause it is just difficult to snuggle a nursing baby back to sleep when I look and feel like I forgot my umbrella.



(Oh well, I guess I should be grateful that my baby is helping me rid myself of this possessive attitude. All time belongs to God - it was never mine to begin with, right? :)


To take part in Whiney Wednesday, check out the "rules" here.

Good article - very true

A while back I stumbled upon some good catholic family life blogs whose authors I don't know personally, but find encouraging, insightful, and full of good ideas. In any case, one of these blog authors also wrote this article. And I think it is very good, speaking of humility and parenting.

The Moby Wrap

I have been borrowing this Moby Wrap from a friend, trying to decide if I need to add one to my collection of carriers. Since I think in lists, I have been trying to decide if the pros are worth the cons and such. Unfortunately, even though I think in lists, I can't seem to remember the entire list in my head, so I figured I'd put it down here in case anyone else was considering a Moby Wrap (or has one and would like to add to the pros or cons I have listed). So, the following is my carrier review for The Moby Wrap.


Pros:

1) Very comfortable. The wide shoulders and tying it around the waist make this a very comfortable wrap to carry a baby in (even a heavy baby - mine is 20lbs+).

2) Baby is held quite securely. I feel very comfortable doing things and moving around without a hand on baby. I do not have this kind of secure feeling with any of my other carriers.

3) Baby's legs are not too far apart. This is an issue with another carrier I have, but obviously it is not an issue here.

4) Baby can be worn facing in, out, or on the back (facing in). I have not tried on the back, but I imagine it could be good (assuming I can figure out how to get the kid on there on my own). I have enjoyed both facing in and facing out positions. My only trouble with facing in would be that close proximity to certain parts of my anatomy tends to remind baby of his favorite past-time (nursing). I have also heard you can nurse in the wrap. (I imagine your baby would need to be a little smaller than mine for this to be done discreetly, but it does look promising.)

5) Covering baby in the carrier does not seem to be an issue (for winter and all). It is fairly easy to drape a blanket over him and tuck it in at key points, or just zip him into my jacket (as I tend to wear larger jackets anyhow).

6) This is a good carrier for a larger baby (like my 20lb lovebug). In front-pack carriers (like a snuggle or baby Bjorn), there are set sizes for baby, but this carrier naturally adapts to fit baby's size.

Cons:

1) It does take a minute or two to get yourself wrapped. I have not had too much trouble, but when every second counts (as it already takes us 30min to get ready to go ANYWHERE, this is one more thing to do before you leave).

2) Baby's face is kind of exposed (especially as it is coming on winter and of course, the wind blowing in any season).

3) It is kind of warm as there is a lot of fabric over you. With winter, this is not so much of a complaint, but I imagine it will get hot in the summer. Of course, I have yet to find a carrier that does not get hot in the summer. In fact, the very act of carrying extra weight on your frame is enough to make your body warm up, so unless a carrier came with its own air conditioning unit it is going to make you warmer during use, end of story.

Price: Looks like roughly $40, depending on where you shop. I would list this under pros (as it does not seem unreasonable to me), but price is really a private issue, to be decided upon personally.

So there you have my review. It looks like I am more in-favor of it than against it. Do you have anything to add?

Crazy Hair Day

Last week was Red Ribbon week at school. The kids got to do something special every day to help promote saying no to drugs. Friday was crazy hair day. Here is Rebekah with her somewhat tame (because I am NOT a hair stylist) but still fun, crazy hair.

Whiney Wednesday

1) I am tired. I am behind enough as it is, but being tired makes even the simplest things difficult - I can't even think straight, let alone have energy to do stuff!

2) My children are beginning behaviors that I knew would come, but I find quite trying and am not sure I have the patience for! To be less vague, Samuel has begun baiting Jacob (through words or gesture - you know how kids can be annoying - not quite touching you but close enough) and then when Jacob gets mad and hits, bites, or cries (because that is how he reacts to being picked on), Samuel comes running to me as if he was just an innocent bystander that the evil Jacob decided to lash-out on. I'm really trying to nip this in the butt, but gosh is overwhelming to focus on when I have six other things going on (as is the life of a stay-home-mom).

3) Did I mention that I am tired yet? Oh and the baby is crying again. Yep, that should be my third whine - needy baby! Need I say more? - hah :)

To participate in Whiney Wednesday (and keep this all in perspective) check out the details here.