It's that time of year again . . .

. . . GOLF season!

My husband has converted me into becoming a golf-watching fan. Before marrying Matt, I thought professional golf was snooze-ville. Before birthing children (sorry, birthing is kind of a yucky word) we even attended a few pga events. INCLUDING the U.S. Open when it was held at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. That was amazing! Seeing Tiger Woods play in person was unforgettable.

This weekend is the first major tournament of the season - The Masters. We're big Tiger fans in our household but I also like to cheer for young underdogs. What I especially like about watching the young European players is that they've got daring and hip golf fashion sense. Yes, I said fashion sense. :) They wear white pants, bright spring colored polos, big belts, and sweater vests. I love Tiger but his black and red nike stuff gets a tad boring to look at.

My all time favorite guy to root for is Sergio Garcia. He seems like such a nice guy (I can tell from his genuine smile) and he's never won a Masters tournament. Unfortunately he's not in great standing this year, earning a +4 for the first two days of golf.

Are you a golf person? If so, who are you cheering for this weekend?

Starting my own free box

My gramma always had (and still has) a free box in her closet. It's simply a box of things she's gotten for free from Walgreens' mail-in rebates. When we were in college, my sis and I loved rummaging through gramma's free box and snatching up new deodorants and toothpaste tubes.

I'm trying to be frugal in every area of life and I've always kept the free box idea in the back of my brain as something to do when I had more free time. Ha! When will that ever happen? When Jenny Muth sent me a link to money saving mom, I caught the coupon/rebate fire!

The author of the money saving mom blog does all the leg work. She finds the sales and links you to the appropriate online coupons which make most purchases free or just a few cents. She covers big chain drug stores like Walgreens, CVS, and Wal-Mart. She also gives tips and how-to instructions for newbies like me.

I can't tell you how THRILLING it is to get something new for free! I'm totally hooked. Check out the loot I got in the picture above. I spent a grand total of $1.47 for all of those products. And I have a $2 mail-in rebate for the toothpaste so really I earned 53 cents in the transactions.

There seem to be two disadvantages in the process. 1) Traveling to different stores to garner the deals. This week we already had a planned family trip to Wal-Mart and then during my grocery shopping run I hit two other stores to get the pictured freebies. If I'm going to keep this up I'll have to be extremely organized with my coupons and shopping excursions. 2) Do we really need this stuff? I'll need to be selective in what I acquire.

Do any of you partake in these free offers? If so, what tips do you have for me?

Too early for phonics?

I'm poised to dive into teaching Chloe phonics and I'm kind of nervous.

Chloe can identify all her uppercase letters (and most lowercase), her numbers and she's even picked up writing a few letters on her own. I think it's time to move ahead so we can keep challenging her.

She's always been super interested in books and reading so this might be the right time to start. I want to be careful though to keep things fun and light so we can maintain her enthusiasm and love for learning.

I'm nervous for a few reasons. 1) I didn't learn to read through phonics! I simply memorized words and then built up my sight word vocabulary. I figured out phonics much later on in life. 2) I don't yet have a phonics curriculum or strategy. So far we've used the Leap Frog dvd Letter Factory which has been terrific! The animated characters travel to different rooms which contain each letter of the alphabet. Each letter then makes its sound and does something visually to depict the sound. For example, the A letters get scared by a monster and they scream, "AAH!" in their fright. The other cool thing about the dvd is that it uses the same song throughout that we sing now all the time. Chloe catches on like wildfire when music is involved! 3) Phonics seems like the first big learning concept in life. I'm nervous I'll teach something incorrectly or not using the best method. Yikes!

Now I need to tap into my blogger resources . . . At which age did you teach your children phonics? Is it true that girls generally start learning phonics earlier than boys do? What curriculum would you recommend? (I've heard good things about Phonics Pathways).

Blogging baby bounty!

Recently several blogger buddies birthed new babies. Congratulations to all of you! I'm praying for your speedy recovery and that God grants you special grace for these first tiring weeks!

Check out the pix of these new cuties using the links below:

Jonas Mark Conley

Malachi Elias Johnson

Megan Nicole Miller

Ezekiel Simeon Tolosa

Fighting the weight fight again

I'm back on the diet and exercise wagon as I seriously strive to lose my Clive-pregnancy weight. Sigh.

Since my free time is limited these days and since Clive isn't on a regular daily schedule yet (we're still working on that!) my exercising habits have been hit or miss. Now that the weather's finally warming up a little I hope to do some walking in the coming weeks. I also have some post-natal exercise dvds on my bookshelf that I've done occasionally. AND I have a membership to a nearby gym. So, I have lots of ready and available opportunities to get fit!

What I've been focusing on this week is a healthier and more controlled diet. I've joined sparkpeople again and I'm using their tracking tools to measure my daily food intake. Slowly I'm making changes to bring my daily calorie level down. I'm also drinking lots of water and coffee (an appetite suppressant). The coffee isn't a part of sparkpeople's plan but I see it as my one indulgence. :)

What do you do to maintain a healthy weight?

3 months old already!

I'm in shock that our little Clive has already hit the 3 month mark! Yesterday he officially became 3 months old. A friend from church once told me, "The days are long but the years go by quickly". That's so true!

Clive is an active, strong and social baby. He freely gives away his smiles (such a wonderful difference between him and Chloe!) and is just discovering his own hands. He intensely tries to touch and to reach objects that are near him. His neck and head are almost completely stable and steady (I'm sure that's due to his tummy-sleeping). Clive loves to be carried around upright by mommy so he can catch all the action going on in our house. He especially likes looking at his baby einstein blocks and the swinging pendulum of our clock. Clive also enjoys watching his very active sister, Chloe. Of course she pretty much ignores him right now since he's not too exciting.

Happy 3 month birthday, buddy! We're so glad you're a part of our family!

Question for moms of tummy sleepers

Clive is sleeping well on his tummy but I have a logistics problem. Because he almost always fusses a little bit before falling asleep, he drools and sweats on the sheet all the time. To prevent washing his sheets every single day I've been laying out a blanket on top of the sheet and tucking it in tightly so it won't bunch up or be a choking hazard.

Well, our Clive is proving to be an extremely active and strong little guy! Today he managed to grab the blanket he was laying on and pull it up. He then somehow maneuvered himself to turn 180 degrees! Of course all that activity woke him up and his nap didn't happen this morning.

What do you moms of tummy sleepers do to save your sheets from constant drool?

Easter visit in pictures

This Easter we traveled to western Michigan to celebrate and to visit with Matt's brother and family. We had a splendid time and the kiddos did a terrific job adjusting to their new surroundings. Traveling with two small children in our tiny VW Jetta wasn't always the most fun but it was most definitely worth it.

This was the first time Ben and tribe got to see our little Clive. And boy did they enjoy him! Zach is incredibly thankful there's another male in the cousin pool. :) And now Grace is convinced her mom should have another baby. What do you think, Diane?

A belated Happy Easter to you!

It wasn't until after Easter Sunday was over that I realized we didn't snap a family photo! Oh well. We were way too busy to make a photo shoot a priority on Sunday morning. I'll have to work some computer magic and make these two photos one somehow. Anyone know how to use photoshop?

This year we spent Easter weekend with my brother-in-law's family in western Michigan. We had a fantastic time visiting and showing off our smiley little baby boy. And Chloe was in toddler-heaven playing with her cousins all day long. Since Clive is still so little, we really didn't go many places. Chloe and her cousin Grace played together constantly and they were adorable to watch. They're both into pretend playing and came up with some doozies (including scooping up elephant poop, riding a train to Chicago, and playing on a sandy beach).

With the help of my niece, Ahna, we sponge curled the little girls' hair for Easter Sunday. No special duds for Easter this year though Clive wore his first sweater vest ever. I guess I was thrown off by Easter being so early . . . . Chloe still looked cute in her springy purple dress though it wasn't anything special. Maybe next year I'll be organized enough to make something coordinating for the kiddos.

A belated happy Easter to you and your family! How did you celebrate this year?

Lucky me!

I won something again! It pays to leave comments on these giveaway sites, I tell you. Probability says you're bound to actually win once in a while.

So, what did I win? The enviable book of Peeps crafts and recipes pictured at left! Chloe is going to be thrilled as she's recently discovered the marshmallowy goodness of brightly colored Peeps.

I know, a strange thing to win. I don't care, I'm excited anyways. Matt says I should apply my luck at winning online giveaways for something useful like a $500 gift card for gasoline. :) How practical of him. How could he not see the value in a full length publication devoted to recipes and crafts to make with marshmallow candy?!? C'mon, tell me who wouldn't coo over a Peeps painted bag? (I know one bunny-loving gramma who would!) And apparently the Washington Post sponsors a big Peeps diorama contest each year devoted to artfully displaying Peeps in creative ways. Let's show a little vision, Matt! :)

Personally I don't like Peeps - too sweet for me. My fave Easter treat is the traditional cadbury cream eggs. What candy treats do you savor at Easter time?

Bitten by the sewing bug

I've been bitten by the sewing bug! My recent sewing spree began innocently - out of necessity.

Chloe has recently been going through another nap rebellion stage. I think part of the reason is that her room was too bright as she had no curtains, only a shade and some cheap blinds. So, I got to work sewing her some new curtains. As material is unbelievably expensive these days, I found a good quality fabric shower curtain at a local thrift store. It didn't take long to sew up and it does an INCREDIBLE job blocking out the light. (Don't look too closely at the photo - there are an embarrassing amount of threads that need trimming.)

Project number 2 was along the same lines. Curtains for Clive's room (previously used as our study). I had a more difficult time finding fabric for his room and had to dish out $4 a yard for his curtains. Ouch. I hated having to pay that much money. But I really like how his curtains turned out. They block the light fairly well and the fabric is fun and colorful.

Project number 3 was the most enjoyable one and I'm so happy with the result! I made Chloe a lovely tiered spring skirt and a matching headband. It was an extremely easy project and would be a great way to use up fabric remnants. Here's the link to the tiered skirt instructions if any of you are interested.

It has been so soothing and therapeutic to sew these past weeks. Ah. Just me and my machine and oodles of quiet during naptime. What could be better?

What projects have you been crafting/sewing/baking/decorating lately?

A good night's sleep

Sleep training is working great with little Clive! His sleep patterns still aren't consistent every day but he's a much happier guy now that he's well rested. What's floored me the most about Dr. Weissbluth's sleep training methods (see details in my previous post) is the concept that sleep begets sleep. The more rest Clive gets the more he wants to sleep! That seems so illogical to me.

As I continue to read Dr. Weissbluth's book, Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child, I'm becoming staunchly convinced of the importance of sleep to overall health. Not just in children either. Of course in children, we can see the effects of sleep (or lack thereof) more clearly than in adults. Seems to me that a lot of wired and cranky kids are simply chronically overtired. We've all witnessed it - the screaming or naughty child in the grocery store whose parents are shopping at 10 at night. C'mon, put that poor kiddo to bed!

I am floored at how much this baby of mine sleeps! He's still not sleeping all the way through the night but he's made huge strides in that area. Last night he went to bed at 7:45 and slept until 2:15. After a BIG feeding he slept until 8 this morning. I couldn't believe how light it was when he first roused me from slumber. I can't tell you how luxurious it felt to have such big chunks of sleep! Ahhhhhhhhhh. And it would have been even better if I would have gotten myself to bed earlier. But alas I was fighting with a new baking project (details in a future post) and I was unwilling to yield despite all evidences that the pastry wasn't turning out.

All in all, we're on the right track now for sleeping. The light is at the end of the tunnel! Rejoice with me!

I may regret this . . .

Today while we were coloring with markers, I made the mistake of drawing a heart on Chloe's hand. It looked so cute and I knew I was going to give her a bath this afternoon. No harm done, right?

I kept emphasizing to Chloe that we were just playing because she was getting a bath later. Normally we only color on paper.

I have a feeling I made a big oops here.

Oh well. It's Friday, live it up and color on yourself if you want to!

Clive and Cloth

Today I hope to begin using cloth diapers with baby Clive. I've been so disorganized with him up to this point; I'm ansy to get a diapering system going with him.

Most of you know that I did cloth diapers with Chloe until about age 2. Since she's so tall and big for her age, I had a difficult time finding diapers to fit her after her 2nd birthday. So we've been going disposable with her ever since. Thankfully she's mostly potty trained so we don't fork out too much dinero for her diapers these days.

Our diapering system with Chloe was the old-fashioned traditional way of cloth diapers. Pins, diapers, liners and then plastic pants over top. It took a little getting used to but once we got in the groove of our system, it wasn't bad at all. I've always been envious of those fancy schmancy all-in-one cloth diapers though. They look so easy to use and to clean!

I had all the diapers, plastic pants and various other supplies washed and ready to use when Clive arrived on the scene. Unfortunately, he was too small for the diapers I have! Arrrggh.

My mom generously bought Clive a supply of brand new all-in-one diap-ees! Thanks, grandma! The best part is she got them way cheap since she bought a brand manufactured and sold out of China. The brand is called YuYun and charges only $3-$5 per diaper. You can buy them from their website or on ebay.

Seems like cloth diapering is becoming popular as folks become "greener" and more money conscious.

What are your thoughts? Have any of you seriously considered going cloth?

For those of you that do use cloth, what brand do you prefer? Do you find using cloth to be worth the extra time?

Chloe update

As you can see from her goofy smile, Chloe is feeling much better!

Once I figured out how to be sneakier about getting Chloe to take her antibiotics, we noticed huge improvements in her behavior and spirits. (If you have a toddler who refuses to take all her medicine, try mixing it in a smoothie. It's working like a charm for our smart cookie. After two days of only taking 1/2 a teaspoon full, I tried mixing her antibiotics in with some milk and chocolate syrup. One sip later Chloe said to me, "Mommy, you put chocolate in my medicine!" )

Nana recently made Chloe this doctor's shirt and along with her medical kit, hat, and emergency cart Chloe has been passing much time fixing up sick animals. Thanks, Nana for another activity to pass the time while we're stuck indoors!

I think I'm more ansy than Chloe is for spring to arrive. I can't wait to get outside to walk once the weather gets warmer.

Our Chloe is blooming more and more into her personality these days. Here are a few anecdotes which should give you a glimpse of her funny self . . .

Last night during supper.
Chloe: Mommy, what do we do after this really yummy supper?

While I was preparing for a bath.
Chloe: What you doing mommy?
Me: I'm getting ready to take a bath. Would you like to take a bath with me Chloe?
Chloe: (said with much enthusiasm) That's a great idea, mommy!

Questioning Chloe about the objects she drew in a picture.
Me: What's that, Chloe?
Chloe: Oh, that's kind of like an angel.

:: :: ::

I wish you could hear her intonation during these precious moments! She's so cute and energetic. I love these toddler days!

A smile for your Friday

Our Clive is THE SMILIEST baby ever! I'm also convinced he's happier now that I'm making sure he gets the rest he needs. A well-rested baby is a happy one.

So here's a big grin from our family to yours for a happy Friday!

What are you smiling about today? I'm smiling at the smell of flavored coffee brewing and the thought that we'll have Matt all to ourselves for two days straight. Hip-hip-hooray for the weekend!

What are your weekend plans? Anything fun on the docket?

Another first for Chloe: a UTI

Chloe is currently suffering from a urinary tract infection. Poor girl!

My grandma arrived for a weekend visit on Thursday night and Chloe's troubles started on Friday. We spent Friday at home since the snowy sidewalks and chilly weather made a walk to the gym impossible. In a period of 3 hours Chloe had FOUR potty accidents. FOUR! That's unheard of for her. My first thought was that Chloe was regressing since Nana was here and getting my attention.

After more and more and MORE accidents Saturday through Monday, the thought finally struck Matt that Chloe might have a UTI. Neither of us have ever had one so we weren't sure what to look for. The diagnosis seemed to make sense and when I called my trusty mommy friend, Dr. Melinda (she's not a pediatrician but she should be since she's had so much experience with her six munchkins), and she said UTI right away.

A quick urine test (it was an interesting experience getting a urine sample from Chloe) at the doctor's office confirmed the UTI and now Chloe is on antibiotics and lots of cranberry juice. I feel AWFUL that we didn't see the signs until four days after the symptoms started! I suppose that's all par for the parenting course.

Today I indulged Chloe a bit (a way to ease my mommy guilt) and let her wear her pjs all day long. She also got to watch Piglet's Big Movie (her recent favorite), eat pizza for lunch, play with some new play-doh, and read lots of books with me.

I'm fairly certain Chloe acquired the UTI because of bad wiping practices after going potty. Toilet paper just doesn't do the trick so I'm switching to wipes or a washcloth. The most surprising thing I've learned through this experience is in regards to bubble bath. I mean, hello, all toddlers like playing in bubble bath. Who knew it would be a leading cause of UTI's?

Have your kiddos ever had a UTI? How long did it take to go away?

My new favorite baby book

Clive is now 9 weeks old and showing no signs of sleeping through the night. Truthfully, that's my fault. I didn't do any reading or mental preparation before Clive was born to prepare me for these newborn days. I just figured, hey, I've been there done that. I'll know what to do when the time comes. Plus I was so stressed by the Babywise philosophy with Chloe that I vowed not to go down that same road with Clive.

But now we have an unorganized overtired baby on our hands. I've found that I don't routinely put him down to nap in the same place and that I don't use the same soothing techniques each time. Yesterday we had a horrible day with Clive. He never took a good solid nap despite all our rocking, singing, and soothing efforts. I even resorted to driving him around to get him to fall asleep. That's something I've never done before but we were desperate! After a long day of only a few dozes and much fussy crying, he finally konked out at 11 p.m.

A girlfriend of mine had recommended the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child to me when I was pregnant. I smiled politely and thanked her for the advice never dreaming I'd need any help with baby #2. What was I thinking?!

After reading a few chapters last night I was shocked to read such an accurate description of our overtired Clive! Dr. Weissbluth stresses the importance of putting babies down to nap in a 1-2 hour window after waking up. He says (and I can attest to this through our experience with Clive) that once a baby passes through the "drowsy" window he becomes overtired. And an overtired baby is VERY difficult to put to sleep. In fact, rocking or soothing an overtired is actually counter-productive causing additional stimulation.

So, this week I'll be actively putting Dr. Weissbluth's suggestions into practice including:

• watching closely during the 1-2 hour window for Clive's drowsy signals
• soothing him consistently in the same manner before naptime
• putting him down in the same place for each nap (his bassinet upstairs away from the loud downstairs activity)
  
• letting him eat what he needs to rather than trying to force him to eat a certain amount at each feeding
• keeping a sleep log
• staying close to home so he can nap for longer chunks of time

A lot of what I've read from Dr. Weissbluth thus far makes sense. Here are some of the segments that I found especially helpful . . .

"It comes as a surprise to many parents that healthy sleep habits do not develop automatically. In fact, parents can and do help or hinder the development of their child's healthy sleep habits."

"Sleep training means starting to respect your baby's need to sleep by anticipating when he will need to sleep (within one to two hours of wakefulness), learning to recognize drowsy signs, and developing a bedtime routine. Then your baby will not become overtired."

"Two hours of wakefulness is about the maximum that most babies can endure without becoming overtired. Try to soothe him to sleep before he becomes overtired - before he becomes crabby, irritable, pulls his hair, or bats his ears. . . . Expect your overtired child to protest when she is put down to sleep."

"Remember that your baby is fighting sleep for the pleasure of your company. . . . Always going to your child when he needs sleep robs him of sleep."

::

Those are just a few of the common sense (and yet enlightening) thoughts of Dr. Weissbluth's that I'm totally latching on to as sleep strategies for Clive. I'll keep you posted on how things go! Today has been FANTASTIC so far.

What strategies do you (or did you) employ for your little ones?

Snippets

Often this week I've sat down to post to the blog only to get distracted and leave my thoughts unfinished. Now that I'm a mommy of two, I'm constantly surprised at how fast the days go by! So here are some snippets: bite-sized portions of blog-worthy news from our life this last week . . .

Sleep
Yup, Clive's sleeping for 5 hours at a shot was a total fluke. He's gone back to 3-4 hour chunks again. I'm not stressing about it anymore. I do pretty well energy-wise as long as I make myself go to bed when he does! I can usually get 6-7 hours of sleep that way and make it through the day without a nap. Afternoon naptime is precious time for me to get a few things done around the house and for my online job.

Pink-eye
The pink-eye thing was a false alarm. Turns out I had just been wearing my right contact for an embarrassingly long amount of time. Ooopsies! After going sans contacts for a few days the redness and swelling disappeared. Guess I have to be better about keeping track of how long I wear them.

Indoor activities
As the snow continues to fall on us in Ohio, we've been housebound almost all week. A few trips to the craft store and some searching online gave us fodder for fun indoor activities. Chloe's been coloring pictures using foamy stickers (much easier for her toddler hands to peel off their paper backing than regular stickers). She can spend 15-20 minutes using the stickers and her markers to make pictures. It's been great fun to watch her pour over a drawing with such intensity. And she tells a story while she's drawing and sticking on stickers. Too cute!

Another fun craft, though not taking up as much time, has been using pipe cleaners to make various shapes or animals. Chloe puts beads on the pipe cleaner and then I bend it up to make a fish or heart or what not.

One evening we had a bubble blowing party in the kitchen. That was way fun! In fact, I think I had just as much (if not more) fun than Chloe blowing our homemade bubbles through various bubble wands. We made wands out of pipe cleaners and then we used regular kitchen utensils to blow bubbles. Slotted spoons, strainers, and play-doh stencils worked especially well to blow bubbles through. The bonus was that when I wiped up the mess, my kitchen floor got a much-needed cleaning. Yay!

Outdoor activities
Chloe is a snow angel addict! It's so cute to see her plop down in the snow and go crazy with her arms and legs. Our front yard (and our neighbors') have been thoroughly snow-angeled by our little angel. :) While playing outside we also crafted a little snowman complete with scarf, hat, fly swatter arms, carrot nose and raisin eyes.

What have you been up to of late?

HE DID IT!

My baby boy finally slept through the night last night!!!!!!!! Halle-lu-jah, halle-lu-jah!

I was at my wit's end last night because though he was exhausted, he'd not slept well all day. And he was crabby because of his lack of sleep. What is with babies? I mean, when I'm tired I just go to sleep. Easy as that. No crying or whining about it. Just close your eyes and sleep.

After his last feeding he finally konked out at 11:30 p.m. And he slept right through until 4:45 a.m. Ahhhhhh. Five consecutive glorious hours of sleep for mommy.

Let's hope last night wasn't a fluke. I'm trying really hard to get this boy on a schedule. Seems much harder this time around. Anyone else find that with a second child?

So, officially I'll put down 8 weeks for the sleeping through the night milestone in the baby book. When did your kiddos sleep through the night?

It's rough being a baby brother

In general Chloe is fairly careful around her baby brother. She pats his back gingerly to help burp him and lovingly plants tender kisses on his head.

Actually, she usually just ignores him. He sleeps most of the day and doesn't do much that's exciting. What surprises me most is that his crying doesn't seem to bother her at all! Even when he's wailing for all he's worth in the middle of the night, she goes right on sleeping.

Today we had an interesting incident. Chloe was drinking from a water bottle she found in the study. She gave a drink to her teddy bear and then proceeded to bring the bottle to me for a drink. I was sitting on the floor feeding little Clive while Chloe gently put the bottle to my lips. In a matter of milli-seconds Chloe tried to give Clive a drink (my mommy reflexes must have been in slow motion) and she POURED the bottle on his face! Poor little guy! He of course was not happy about being showered unexpectedly with cold water.

I have a feeling this is only the beginning. What comical things have your older kids done inadvertently (or purposely) to their younger siblings?

Pink eye?

Has anyone out there ever had pink eye? The corner of my right eye began swelling yesterday and is red and a little sore today. No discharge though (I've heard that's a pink eye symptom).

What can be done to treat pink eye? I know it's super contagious so we're not venturing out to Bible study this morning. And I'm very bummed about that but I think it's wise not to bring my possibly-infectious self to a locale with 100 other ladies who could spread this thing to their kiddos.

So, today we're grounded. :( Thankfully Matt is home so he'll be able to get Chloe out of the house for a few errands. And today I'll have to put my indoor-creativity to the test! I made it to the craft store a few nights ago and I'm prepared with pipe cleaners, beads, and foamy stickers.

Sigh. When is spring again?

Winter megrims

With only one car for our entire family, we end up spending lots of time at home. Normally it's not a big deal since Chloe and I are big outdoor walkers - regardless of the temperature. But throw baby Clive into the mix and now we're usually homebound on the days when we're car-less.

We usually do ok hanging around the house but lately I've been getting restless. We can only do play-doh or bake so many times. Plus I'm fairly limited when Clive is awake as he wants to be held a lot. And we're instituting a movie-only-every-other-day rule so no chance plopping Chloe into a chair to zone out for an hour. (I'm curious, what are your toddler tv viewing limitations?)

The other day I got the bright idea to trace Chloe onto some paper bags I taped together. Chloe loved it! She colored herself and then we traced a few of her stuffed animal friends. All three drawings are now hanging proudly in our hallway.

Today we went "fishing" in a makeshift boat (i.e. rubbermaid storage tub) and then we brought out some old baby toys of Chloe's for Clive's future use. Of course Chloe was happy to break them in for him. It's always fun to get some new-again toys into playing circulation.

I'm sure you all are much more creative than I am . . . what do you do indoors to help the winter months fly by?

The best valentine's gift ever!

Matt really came through this year in celebration of Valentine's Day. He gave me what I desired most of all - a full night's rest! Wednesday night I went to bed at 9:30 and slept like a rock until 5:30 while Matt handled Clive's two feedings. Ahh. I felt like I could conquer the world yesterday! THANK YOU, Matt! I have the world's best husband. Aren't you jealous?

Matt also got me a lovely pot of pink tulips that we'll plant come spring as well as some funky salad plates. Chloe was ecstatic when she saw the Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animal awaiting her on the breakfast table in honor of Valentine's Day. She did NOT let go of her new "friend" all day long! Even in her little lambs class (where she goes during my Bible study) she held on to Pooh tightly.

We feasted on some delish pumpkin pancakes which I attempted to make heart-shaped. We finished the evening cuddling together family style on the couch and enjoying a Winnie-the-Pooh movie.

Though these days are tiring, they're full of fun! I feel like we're making memories every day. In that vein, I must run. Chloe's invited me to play in her "house" (aka the staircase). A lovely weekend to you all!

Happy Vday to you!

It looks like we'll be celebrating a snowy blowy cold Valentine's Day again this year.

Vday will be busy for our family as I tote the two munchkins to Bible study and Matt has meetings at school. I haven't thought much about celebrating the love festival yet . . . maybe I'll make pumpkin heart pancakes for dinner. I have one gift idea for Matt but it's not very romantic. I remember what a big deal we made of our first Valentine's together. Lots of gifts and a special homemade candlelit dinner. How times have changed!

How do you plan to celebrate?

Faces only a mother could love

I'm afraid my kiddos have inherited my un-photogenetic-ness.

And I thought getting a good shot of one kid was hard!

Fun freebies

Once again Walgreen's is offering a free photo deal this time to celebrate Valentine's Day! Using their online photo center you can receive a free family photo pack (7 photos of varying sizes) for pick-up in their store. The offer is only good through tomorrow, February 9th. Hope some of you can take advantage of these valuable freebies!

Freebie number 2 involves PANCAKES. The classic pancake joint, IHOP, is offering free pancakes on Tuesday, February 12 in honor of National Pancake Day. Who knew there was such a holiday? I'll have to do some searching to find an IHOP in the area but I'm positive a free family dinner of pancakes will be worth the drive. Chloe and Matt are pancake monsters.

A happy weekend to you!

Whole wheat flour extravaganza

Are you bloggers ready for some whole-wheaty fun?

Today I made four loaves of the most delicious wheat bread ever. I've had quite the time finding a truly yummy-tasting wheat bread recipe. The all wheat flour bread recipes I've tried create a product that is either way too dense for my liking or tastes more like cardboard than bread.

Mixing up the bread dough today got me thinking about wheat flour. I love using it but I only have two reliable recipes I use; one is for the aforementioned bread and the other is a peanut butter waffle recipe. I want to add more to my wheaty cooking repertoire!

Jenny M. recently linked up a tasty looking cookie recipe using wheat flour instead of white. What wheat flour recipes do you use and recommend? Email me your recipes at aliciamhorn@gmail.com and next week I'll post a collaboration of all your wheaty contributions. (Can you tell I like using the adjective wheaty?)

Gotcha!

I finally tried (and succeeded!) to capture Clive's grin. Woo-hoo! He's such a good-natured baby. Thank you, Jesus.

He still doesn't smile regularly or often but this little milestone reminds me that he's growing up and getting ever nearer a blessed feeding/sleeping schedule. Ah.

In my exhausted delusion I envision that life will be utopic when I can better predict his eating and dozing habits. Just another reminder that I'm not in control of the affairs of life.

I've already come to grips with the cold hard truth that this boy's life will be significantly less photographed than Chloe's. :)

When did your tykes first smile?

Sleeping poll

I preface this post with a promise NOT to report you to the FDA or your local health department if you put your baby to sleep on his tummy. :) I'm filled with curiosity on the whole sleeping position issue and I know you all have oodles of baby experience out there that I must tap into!

Chloe was always a back sleeper and we had nary a problem. She ate and conked out easily in her newborn days. Clive on the other hand obviously prefers sleeping upright or on his tummy. He gets restless and wakes up quickly when I put him on his back. Not sure if I can tell this so early on in his young life but he seems to have nose problems; that might have to do with his tummy sleeping preference.

Which way do you (or have you in the past) lay down your babies to sleep? Back or tummy?