Frustrated

Every 2 steps forward we take with Joshua I feel we take 1 back. We were making good progress on starting solids for a few days but now he cries as soon as he goes in the highchair. We had gotten him sleeping 6 hours in a row without a feeding and now he is at 3-4 maximum.

I am taking a deep breath here and pausing. I need to remember that eventually he will take solids. He won't still be on the boob when he goes off to college. I also need to remember that eventually this sleeping through the night thing will sink in.

I heard this morning that Toy-R-Us is doing a trade-in thing. Bring in used highchairs, cribs, and other big baby items and they will give you 20% off any new item. I think maybe we will take over our old stuff and see if we can get a new highchair for a fresh start. We shall see.

Big Crawler

Well, after weeks of this commando scoot, Joshua is officially crawling. He got up on his knees today & took off after Daddy & David. Of course an hour later he was trying to stand. I am so not ready for two on the loose!

I am enjoying watching the two of them navigate this whole "brother" thing. They love to play peek-a-boo and now Joshua loves to chase David. David likes to share....but I have to watch his "gifts" because they range from a stuffed animal, to a hard measuring cup, to a hunk of meat. Aaahhh, brotherly love is grand!

Two weeks.....

My "baby" turns 2 in two weeks. I still vivdly remember being preggo with him. I remember bringing him home & then everyone left to return to "real life" and I realized I was the mommy. I have grown a lot since those days but only enough to realize that I know so little & still have loads to learn.

Now to plan a little party. He is really into "boy" things right now. Dinosaurs, trucks, trains..... so we are thinking a cake made into a train engine. With money so tight we aren't hosting a big shindig but I want him to have fun. I think some colorful streamers, balloons, a yummy cake, and some fun presents will be fine. Would love to keep it just to a few people but if you invite some.... you must invite others. *sigh* Hopefully people will leave their personal drama at the door.

Just like the olden days

My mother & sister came & picked up David today for a play-date. They went to the pet store & then back to mom's house. He got to be the center of attention all day & even crashed over there for a 2+ hour nap.

I got to experience life with just one kiddo again for a day. Joshua and I played chase on the rug. He is getting so good at scooting around now. He kept trying to pull to standing, too. We had long conversations & I made him giggle until he was red-faced.

The problem? I had no idea what to do with myself when he would nap. My cleaning was done early. I couldn't relax enough to nap myself. I ended up playing on FB all day. Not a bad problem to have...... just funny. We are planning on David going back for an over-night soon. Hopefully I will handle that one better.

Night time is the right time

Last night we had our first "success"..... if you can call it that. Joshua fell asleep at 8 and woke up again at 10:30 for a feeding. He fell asleep again in his crib and made it until 3:15. When he woke up crying David also woke up so I went in to get Joshua out of the nursery and put him in the pack-n-play out in the living room. I patted him tummy until he was calm & then went to calm David back down & tuck him in again.

Joshua cried for about 30 minutes in several bursts with good silent stretches and then...... silence! Blessed, lovely, golden silence until 6:30am. I actually woke up first and got dressed thinking I must have missed hearing him. I tip-toed out to check on him & he was sound asleep! I was able to brew my coffee, pour David's milk, and get David out of bed all before Joshua made a peep. Then when he did wake up the two boys played until 7:30 breakfast.

Here is to future success!

My one true friend

I have had a slow cooker since my college days and it is my favorite kitchen appliance. I have learned to cook so many different things in it and will never be without one. My current one has been with me since before Tony & I were married almost 3 years ago and it just now getting a crack in it. We will save the insert as a planter.... but I will love getting a new model!

Today, for instance, I am making pot roast. I thawed out my meat last night & cut up my veggies this morning. I added my soup & water and walked away. Now I am free to play with the kids, clean other parts of the house, bake a peach pie, and put my feet up for a bit..... all the while knowing dinner is cooking away & will be ready in plenty of time.

My slow cooker ventures have included breakfasts, soups, roasts, stews, BBQ, chickens, and desserts. I make apple butter and applesauce in it every year. My butt was saved by it last week when we had an unexpected hospital trip. We got home that night tired & grumpy.... but there was dinner waiting for us.

I love my slow cooker.

The joys of "Flex Menus"

So in an effort to save money with me staying at home with the boys for now, we have gotten into meal planning. I know, "Ugh! How hard is that?" I used to look at people who had pre-planned their whole month of menus & think I could never be like that.

Truth is, I'm not!

Tony & I sit down once every week & look at the sales circulars for our 3 local markets. Then we take stock of what is in the freezer, fridge, and pantry. (This part is made easier by keeping a post-it pad on the fridge to jot down things as they run out) We plan "menus" based on what we have on hand & what is on sale, then go do our shopping. We stack coupons on top of sales and will even stop at all 3 markets, if the deals are right. We usually do 2 big trips per month and 2 small trips per month. The small trips are to stock up on perishables between big trips.

Our menus are "flex menus" because I have most of my ingredients on hand for 2 weeks of meals so I can pick what I feel like instead of being dictated to by some list I made one day when I was hungry. I usually try to stay at least one day ahead of myself for prep. This way I am not stuck at 5pm going, "I forgot to thaw anything out!"

Not a perfect plan.... but it works for us!

Tomorrow: My love affair with my slow cooker!