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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Mmmm... Pig...

I was driving in the car with the kids today, going past a slowly growing corn field.  I've explained to Sunshine before that that corn is field corn and will be given to animals so no we won't eat it.  So there we are, I'm practically falling asleep behind the wheels when Sunshine begins.


"Mommy, do pigs eat that corn?"


"Yes, that's for the pigs."


"OH!  So the pigs eat the corn and then they give it to us!"  It was a definite eureka moment for her.


I had visions of pigs pooping out corn kernels when they were done to 'give' to us.  "The pigs give it to us?  What are you talking about?"  Please, remember that I'm half awake still.


"You know, like the cows."


"Like the cows?  What on earth are you talking about?" 


"You know..." obviously I don't and I am a complete moron "like the cows give us milk.  Do the pigs give us the corn then?"


Thinking I could avoid any further conversation about pigs producing corn, I just said, "No."


Forgetting that Sunshine will talk a person's ear off and ask a million questions, she then asked, "Then what do they give us?"


Hmmm... what a dilemma, tell her about that bacon or gloss over it and get to my parents' house as quickly as the speed limit will let me.  "Well, the pigs give us meat."


"Meat?  That's weird.  How do they give us meat?  Do they bring it to us or something?"


"No, they are the meat.  Like when we eat chicken, it's a real chicken, right?  Well some meats that we eat are from pigs."


"We eat pigs?"


"Sometimes."  Please oh please don't become a vegetarian at 5.


"That's pretty cool that pigs give us meat."  (Long pause)  "Do we eat the pink ones or the black ones?"


"I think it's both.  I'm not really sure."


As she sits in the back and ponders this new-learned bit of information, I realize that I am now wide awake and so, so ready to get out of the car.

Vicky

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Teach the children

Big sisters and big brothers have a big responsibility.  At least this is what I was trying to instill in my children today.


Sunshine was the first to wake up this morning and we were having a little bit of Mommy alone/heart to heart kind of time.  I tell her how much I love her, what a good girl she is, how proud I am of her.  Then I tell her that there's one thing I don't like that makes me sad.  I told her it makes me sad how she and Monkey are always fighting.  This is about how the conversation goes:


"Sunshine, I love you so much.  Why do you and Monkey fight so much though?"


"Sometimes he just does things he's not supposed to do and is naughty."  (Says the pot about the kettle.)


"Did you know that everything that you do, you teach Bug?  You're teaching him to fight and pick on his big brother and sister.  Did you know that?"


"No."


"He loves you and thinks you're wonderful and you love him.  You don't want him to think that it's OK to yell and fight with you do you?  You don't want him to someday start teasing you do you?"


"Will he get put in time out?"


Aaahhh... my rule follower... things always must be fair and equal.


"Do you want him to go in time out?"


"If he's not being nice he should."


Not quite the result I was hoping for.


Later that day, mostly to show Sunshine that this responsibility wasn't solely on her shoulders, I talked to Monkey.  Talking to Monkey is often difficult anyways, keeping his attention is similar to catching a single dandelion seed.  So after yet another argument with Sunshine I talked to Monkey, this was our "conversation".


"You know Monkey, Bug watches everything that you and Sunshine do.  He learns from what you do."


nothing


"When you tease and fight with Mary, he's going to start to think that it's ok to tease and fight.  He loves you and looks up to you.  If he teases and fights with you won't that make you sad?"


"No."


Let's try a different approach.  "If you keep teaching these things, he's going to do them and he's going to get in trouble, too.  You don't want him to get in trouble do you?"


"Yes."


"You do?"


"Yes.  No."


*Sigh* So much for that angle.  I don't even think he was listening, the mismatched socks he was looking at during this were apparently very interesting.


I suppose they'll figure it out when cute little Bug hauls off and hits one of them back and tells the other to back off.

Vicky

PJ'S Monkey Butt Cloth Diapers

I recently received a diaper from PJ'S Monkey Butt Cloth Diapers.  A snap down, one sized, pocket diaper, it easily fit on both Monkey (32 pounds and 3 1/2 years) and Bug (18 pounds and 8 months).  The inner is made of super soft flannel (there is the option of being lined with Alova suede), hidden PUL covered with an adorable print.  I wish could say that I had Hubby's opinion on the softness but I couldn't control myself and put it on Monkey before I even washed it!



Bug wearing his PJ'S Monkey Butt on the middle setting.  The 3 crossover snaps protect against the dreaded wing droop.

Monkey

Jamie, the mom behind PJ's Monkey Butt, has the legs turned and top stitched, allowing a nice snug and comfy fit. 




Oh, and don't forget the 3 layers of microfiber terry soaker!  It soaks!  Monkey has worn it twice now, up to 2 1/2 hours and has had no leaks.  Bug wore it for 2 hours with no leaks.





At $15 for her pocket diapers, PJ's is a new company that is definitely worth checking out.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/PJs-Monkey-Butt/121869907893908
Or you can find her on her Etsy account at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PJsMonkeyButt?ref=pr_shop



Jamie also makes and sells AI2 and AIO diapers, mei tai style wraps, and nursing covers.

Vicky

Monday, June 20, 2011

Lightening and thunder and rain, oh my!

At about 5:15 am I woke to a loud crash that shook the house quickly followed by poor Monkey screaming from his bedroom.  My poor little boy, terrified of storms, was also woken by the storm and was now petrified in his room.  Hubby, already downstairs and getting ready for work, was right behind me when I ran into his bedroom.  I found him hiding under his blanket and when I picked him up his whole body was shaking.  I asked if he would like to sleep in my bed and he squeaked out a small "yes".  Unlike Sunshine who crawls in bed with us quite frequently, Monkey has never attempted to sleep in our bed.


Hubby had brought his pillow and special dog into our bedroom and got him situated while I, eh -hem, visited the bathroom.  So there we were, snuggled in my bed.  Now there are all sorts of snuggling that you can do with your child.  Snuggling on the couch, where they lean against you.  Snuggling in bed with lots of space, each of you using your own pillow.  Then there's the snuggling we were doing; using half of my pillow, a quarter of my queen sized bed (with me about to fall off), and my arm wrapped around him.


I held him close until he slowly stopped shaking and finally seemed to relax.  Eventually he was only jumping from being startled by the thunder and no longer shaking.


We never did fall back asleep though.  At 6:30 we heard Bug start to fuss.  I had been concerned that he would wake up earlier and how would I handle leaving Monkey when he so obviously could not be left for 20 minutes while I nursed Bug.  Monkey must have calmed down enough that he said I need to go get baby Bug.


We decided that the 3 of us would go downstairs and hang out on the couch while I nursed and he could lay down.  I had hoped that he would fall asleep... 


It's a bonding time I suppose.

Vicky

Monday, June 13, 2011

Inspired by Finn review

I recently received a Baltic amber necklace from Inspired by Finn.  As soon as I got it, I tore into (let's face it, I have no self-control) and even in the not-so-complimentary light of the car and garage I thought it was pretty.  I brought it inside, looked again and, sure enough the necklace was exactly what I was hoping for and more.   Each individual bead of amber is uniquely shaped but respectively matches the others in color.The workmanship is clean and neat.  Each piece of amber is separated by a double knot and finished with a screw clasp.  A double knot will allow a necklace to break without having every bead go flying across the room.  The screw clasp is sturdier and stronger than that of a typical clasp.  Bug enjoys holding onto it while he nurses, understanding the construction of it gives me a little extra piece of mind.


The screw clasp is easily found by the 2 larger pieces that are the same color.

The double knots are small and neat.

Beyond just being a pretty addition to my jewelry collection, Baltic amber is also used for medicinal purposes.  "When baltic amber is worn on the skin, the skin's warmth releases trace amounts of healing oils from the amber. These oils contain succinic acid and are absorbed into the skin."  Baltic amber contains the highest levels of succinic acid of approximately 8%.  I had heard of moms putting the little necklaces on their babies to help with their teething pains but I hadn't realized that the list continued to also include: pain relief, strengthening your immune system, chronic pain, headaches, migraines, menstrual cramps and an overall boost to your immune system.  Always a skeptic, I was pleasantly surprised when I seemed to feel less stress over the weekend.


A very pretty necklace that will match just about anything.


My new necklace is approximately 17"-18" of 4 different colors however there are multiple choices of styles, colors, and sizes.  There are also children/infant sizes, bracelets/anklets, and specialty pieces that fit around your knee and back for chronic knee and back aches.


When you decide to purchase a piece of her jewelry, it will come nicely packaged.  Within the shipping envelope was a small jewelry box with extra batting to keep it safe, then within that box the necklace was in a small zipper bag.  If you wish, you may also have a care and instruction sheet mailed along with it.


Inspired by Finn was great to work with and I hope to do so again.  To learn more about Baltic amber and to see all of their wonderful pieces, go to:


http://hyenacart.com/inspiredbyfinn

Vicky

Bottling it up

What a fun age.  Bug is so fun right now, I wish I could bottle him up at 7 months for a couple of years.  I love that all it takes to make him smile is to just look at him smile, say his name and it's guaranteed.  To make him laugh, a funny noise will get a laugh that comes up from his toes.  He loves to cuddle and does that adorable back pat.  You know, I'll pat your back if you pat mine.


Every picture you take is genuine.  He will never purposely look away, give bunny ears or scowl because today he just doesn't want his picture taken.  Opinions of food are minimum, of course Bug is still only breast fed.  For him, every meal is a wonderful experience where he gets to snuggle with mommy.  Volume control is never an issue, he "talks" loud and people smile and think it's adorable.  His loud screech pterodactyl impression gets looks of surprise, but never people staring wondering why I have no control of my child.


Every day he grows a little more.  He gets a little bigger.  He gets closer to moving away from this period of his life.  I'm not sure when it happens, but one day you notice it.  He no long just smiles and laughs because he's alive and life is simple and good.  He will shy away from the camera and look the black metal thing in front of him as an amazing thing that should be laughed at.  He will have an opinion and the screeching will be a temper tantrum that fellow shoppers will look down upon even though he is still only a year or 2. 



How do I bottle this stage up?  How do I keep him this little and innocent?  I suppose if he were to stay at this age, I would never hear him say "Mommy, I love you".  He would never run to me with his arms open to give me a huge hug.  I suppose this age is fun, but the next one is too.





Vicky

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Such a tease

Bug is a tease!  Whatever the reason, he slept through the night one more night, on the fourth night he woke 3 times.  It's amazing how quickly you get used to sleeping through the night.  Now he's done it randomly here or there, but to do it 3 nights in a row, you truly begin that this may be it.  At 7 1/2 months people are usually more surprised than not when I tell them why I'm so tired.  They're kind enough to tell me that their little Johnny started sleeping through the night at 2 weeks of age.  Little Jenny was sleeping through the first night he came home from the hospital.


Then comes the advice from these same people.  I used to let Jimmy have cereal in a bottle in his crib when he was a month old.  *Sigh* I know they mean well, I appreciate the advice, but when you're excited about 3 nights in a row of 6 hours of sleep, sometimes well intentions aren't always what you want to hear.  We didn't have to high of expectations though, none of our kids slept through the night.


The good thing, he's been a champ about diaper changes.  No crying at every change.  A smiling baby who, until the last week or so, always held still.  Now, he's 7 1/2.  He rolls everywhere.  At least he's happy about it though!




Sunshine; before she got her nickname.  During one of her first diaper changes when we still thought it was cute.

Vicky

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Day 2

Woohoo!  Bug slept through the night 2 nights in a row!  Woohoo!  I'm not sure what it was though.  What did I do to make it happen?  A couple of things were different on each day and night that could have caused him to do so.

Monday we went to my parents and he was in their pool for about 1 hour.  Not much longer than a bath though.  He went to bed a bit later than usual.  Daddy put him to bed, which meant he didn't fall asleep while nursing, and it was more of a crying experience than a calm.  He was also wearing a cloth diaper.  His fan was also on medium instead of on low.  Our upstairs can be pretty warm at times but the extra noise may have also helped.

Tuesday we went out to lunch.  He took about an hour nap instead of his 2 1/2 hour nap.  Again, he was wearing a cloth diaper and the fan was on medium.  He fell asleep while I was burping him but he did get that burp out.  I laid him down, but again, he was already asleep.
What on earth was happened these last 2 nights that could have been enough the same to work each night?  I told Hubby that it was the cloth diaper and maybe I needed to buy more night time diapers.  He said if that was what it was then it was fine with him.



Yesterday was wonderful, he and Monkey slept until 8:30 and Sunshine slept until 7:30.  I was able to convince her to crawl into bed with me until 8:00.  It reminded me of when Sunshine was a baby and she would sleep until 9:00.  Oh, how times have changed!

Vicky

Monday, June 6, 2011

Comfy Bummy Giveaway

Comfy Bummy is having a giveaway for a Bummis Bamboozle 
fitted.


http://blog.comfybummy.com/comfy-contest/weve-been-bamboozled-and-you-can-be-too/#comment-49


End June 6 at 11pm CST
Vicky

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Laughter

There is nothing sweeter or more infectious than the sound of your own child's laugh.  It doesn't matter if they're 5 or 5 months, when they get going, you can't help but laugh along.


Sunshine has a knack for making Bug laugh.  She thinks it's because of the jokes she's telling him, I'm pretty sure it's the sound of her voice and the fact that she's jumping out from behind a piece of paper.  She had him laughing so hard he wasn't breathing.  I could see him attempt to take a breath, but she was just too darn funny to concentrate on trivial things like oxygen.  Eventually she took a short enough break that he was able to breathe.  Right after that when he started laughing he began to hiccup.  Poor baby.

Monkey loves to be tickled.  Not just a little either, he laughs so hard he cries.  When you stop, he'll ask you to do it again.  If you don't want to tickle the poor boy, you can bounce him around like crazy on your knee and that is also a riot.  Loud, long laughs will come up from his toes and explode in sheer happiness.


Sunshine is at an age now where things aren't funny just because life is fun, she's able to understand things that are said or done that are funny.  What is funny is that she can have a very high squeal, but for the most part she has a deep, belly laugh that doesn't sound like it should come out of a little girl.  She'll tease my Dad and when he is "surprised" she giggles and covers her mouth with both hands.


I'm pretty sure that the last time I laughed hard (when no children were present) I did not get the reaction that any child will.  It is sweet and innocent, honest and pure.  It can melt your heart and bring tears of joy and pride to your eyes.  

Vicky

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Bunky Fluff Review

Bunky Fluff diapers.  We love them!  I originally got just one of their pocket diapers.  Loved, loved, loved her pockets.  A wonderful fit with an adorable print and an affordable price.  What more could you ask for?  Maybe a diaper that is super absorbent?  It was super absorbent too!  A back open pocket is stuffed with a thick microfiber insert and a suedecloth inner liner feels nice against both of my boys bums.  This diaper has earned its place as an "out of the house" diaper.  A what?  I'm willing to have my kids wear this diaper in public places, not just around the house or for visiting.  I don't worry about putting a seat belt on with this either.  This is a privilege that is not easily obtained in my house.

As it was a custom, I was able to pick everything about it!  Absolutely amazing.  What's better, I had never ordered a custom before and Caroline walked me through the entire process.  Not only was I able to pick the fabric, I was able to pick if I wanted PUL on the outside or hidden and what color that PUL would be. Choice of colors of the inner lining fabric and snaps was also mine.  It was such a fun and stress-free experience.  She stayed in touch with me and responded to ALL of my emails, and there were many of them!


Look at those adorable bumblebees  and 2 toned snaps!  The insert is thicker than other inserts I have.


Once I fell in love with her pockets, I had to get another diaper!  I decided to venture out of the pocket into the AI2.  This AI2 has a snake style, snap in soaker and hidden PUL.  Two soakers with 4 layers of bamboo fleece, you are able to fold it over to get 8 layers of absorbency where ever you may need it.  Also super absorbent, I have never had a leak from this diaper.  With choice of inner and outer fabrics as well as those snaps, I was able to have a complete custom diaper.  Again, even with all of my questions, she still stayed stayed calm and replied to my emails quickly and in a timely manner.


Caroline is very professional with awesome customer service.  I love my Bunky Fluffs and can't wait to get more!

She is always adding to her fabric choices, to see these and past diapers, visit her Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bunky-Fluff-Diapers/130894946931060

To see her store, you can either go through her Facebook page, or directly to her store at:
http://hyenacart.com/bunkyfluff