Wordless Wednesday - Christmas edition

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What I wish I had know six months ago - A letter

Dear Sarah,

Right now the world is your oyster. Well, not really, but you feel like you've discovered some new amazing world-saving idea. Cloth diapers. Sure, they are great. There are some benefits that you will love. But let's face it, you need to know the cold hard truth. Who better to lay it out for you then you yourself. Older (only a little) and wiser (actually, that's debatable).

Here goes; When Julia starts pooping like a crazy woman, you will think cloth diapering is the stupidest thing ever. Seems hard to believe, because right now Julia's digestive system is as it's always been. This will change. And you will suffer the consequences. Thankfully you (or do I need to say "I"?) are stubborn as a mule, so despite daydreaming about stopping this insanity you will push forward. In fact, you will set your mind to clothing the need baby (which, I should for warn you, comes sooner than you think).

I know you have a pact with Jonathan that you two will not travel with cloth. But, you will. Rest assured, it will be easier than you think.

Always have a diaper handing when you go out. I cannot stress this enough.

Start buying all of Julia's pants for six months older than she actually needs. The truth is, your daughter will have a ghetto booty thanks to cloth. I suppose she should live it up, since this will never be the case again.

This coming winter will be lots of fun. Julia will really enjoy playing in the snow, however, be aware she doesn't like snow on her face. A word from the wise, layering in cloth = impossible. Don't even try it. You will get half way through bundling Julia up before you will need to strip her down to put on a disposable so that all her clothes actually fit over her bottom.

It's going to be an adventure. One that you will find yourself doing alone more than you know. Julia will get a couple of gnarly rashes, but you'll find a trick for preventing them. Oh, and it turns out, Jonathan can't really handle poopy cloth diapers. Who knew?

Love,
You

Spoiled? Never!

Not Julia. Jack.

Every morning Jack gets up to an hour (ok, ok, much longer most days!) to snuggle up in the bed covers.

Spoiled? Jack? Never!

I've learned a lot this holiday season, just by going to the mall

1. That every person over the age of 60 goes to the mall in the middle of the day during the winter.

2. This makes it challenging to find parking when you want to go play at ICM.

3. There is a difference in Christian raised children and world raised children.

4. Julia will consume 6+ ounces of milk in the time it takes me to walk from Target to the play gym.

5. Always have more milk handy.

6. No matter how girlie I dress Julia, some old man always says "How old is he?"

7. Santa scares a lot of kids.

8. A lot of kids scare me.

9. Our economy isn't doing too bad if there was a line out the door at Panera, all the cash registers were packed at Target, and I didn't spot one person without a shopping bag.

10. I am grateful for a wonderful morning with my wonderful daughter.

I knew this day would come...

And while I am excited, part of me is sad too.

Julia is weaned.

When I found out I was pregnant again, I decided that I would wean Julia before the end of the year. Before I had planned to keep going for a while after her first birthday, but frankly I would like a little rest before the new baby takes over. So as of Saturday, Julia has been taking a bottle with whole milk and not nursing. Things have been good. She's taken well to the change, and so have I. In fact, Jonathan is putting her to bed tonight. Which I think is really, really sweet.

This whole nursing/weaning thing kinda makes me laugh. Especially when I think about this time last year. I absolutely HATED nursing. It was painful, long, and difficult. I had to wear a shield which made it challenging to ever nurse discreetly in public. I begged Jonathan to let me switch Julia over to a bottle. I begged Julia to switch. But deep down I knew that wasn't my heart's desire so I stuck with it. And from day one I counted down the days till she would wean. Eleven months, 2 weeks, and 3 days. Nine months, 1 week and 1 day. Etc. However, some where around 4 months I started to really enjoy our time together. I finally got rid of the shield and nursing seemed to change. Something I hated became something I loved. With this new love came the desire to nurse well past a year, maybe even closer to two.

Part of me is sad that this phase of our mother/daughter relationship has ended. It's a reminder that she is getting older and more independent. But at the same time it's exciting. Not only is this letting me explore other ways to bond with Julia, it makes me feel accomplished. I nursed my child! For a year! Whoa! Sure, sure, I know that WHO would tell me to go longer, but I am thrilled with where we made it and that I kept going despite set backs. Makes me feel like a good mama.

One really great thing: We started giving Julia a bottle to help her wean (I know people have their ideas about that, but it works for us). Anyways, the great thing is that with the bottle we seem to have even more cuddle time. Several times during the say (more than we ever nursed, which frankly was a lot!) Julia will come up with her bottle, sit in my lap and we cuddle. We read books, listen to music or rest together while we are cuddling. And it is a super feeling.

Joy abounding

I got an email from my friend, Alicia. She sent me the following blog post and I couldn't resist putting it up. Maybe it's because I read it and thought "Whoa, is this lady writing my life?". Really, it seems like you could merely change the gender of the child and you would have my life story from the past 12+ months.


I was shoving my breakfast into my mouth as quickly as possible. My very fussy newborn son, colicky and cranky, was becoming increasingly discontent in his bouncy seat. With my free hand, I grabbed my Recovery Bible to read a quick verse as his squirms and moans escalated. I decided James was as good a place as any to read, and came across these verses in the first chapter:

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

At that point, two minutes into my not-so-quiet time, my son began screaming at the top of his lungs. I took that as his saying that he'd been disregarded long enough and wanted to be picked up. I looked down at my half-eaten breakfast, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Great joy. What an appropriate passage for the current state of my life.

My son, then still a newborn, was high-need from the beginning. Anyone who has a high-need child knows exactly what I'm talking about. It's nearly impossible to accurately describe the "high-need" child unless you have one yourself or have experienced one at length. I'll give you a glimpse into what this looked like in our case.

He was never one of those babies that you could put down easily for a nap or a diaper change, or so you could try and get something done ... well, for any reason. In fact, he generally screamed at the very instant you attempted to lower him into a horizontal position.

Then, at 2 weeks old, he started screaming for no reason we could find. And he wouldn't stop. We eventually learned that he not only had a bad case of colic, but he also had acid reflux that required medication, and he was sensitive to many of the foods I was eating and consequently feeding him. So I went through the long and tedious process of eliminating all potentially irritating foods from my diet. We eventually figured out that dairy, soy, corn, wheat, nuts and most seeds all sent his system into screams of pain.

He was also a horrible sleeper. We tried every trick in the book to get him to sleep better: We tilted his mattress so the acid reflux wouldn't bother him as much. We swaddled him. We rocked him, we played music for him; we put the fan on while he was sleeping for background noise. We tried bedtime routines, reading books, everything short of letting him scream for hours.

I prayed and prayed that God would make him sleep better. I asked friends and family to pray with me. I read sleep books and scoured the Internet for any ideas on how to improve this situation, implementing all sorts of ideas that I thought might help, but my son refused to be wooed to sleep by any of these expert methods.

I eventually realized I should probably be praying that God would give me strength to deal with whatever my son needed. I didn't want to pray that! And the epistle of James was of no comfort. Being sleep-deprived and malnourished, I wasn't particularly interested in hearing about how this trial was producing endurance and perseverance in me, especially after nine months of it.

What made it worse was that in public, he was often a happy go-lucky baby. At church, everyone would exclaim, "What a good baby! What a happy baby!" I wanted to respond, "Well, you should come over to our house later this afternoon and stay for about eight hours." Though I held my tongue, in my heart I wanted everyone else to know how much I was suffering. I also grew bitter and resentful at those around me whom I felt weren't helping me as much as I deserved.

Maybe I expect my faith to come easily. Maybe I've bought into the lie that if I'm living for God, everything will be peaches and roses and happiness. And my friends can be like Job's friends: quick to criticize, assign blame and point the finger, but slow to offer help and encouragement.

There are definitely some things I'd do differently if I had to go through this again. I'd ask for more help. I'd reach out more. I'd read stories in the Bible that demonstrated God's faithfulness, as well as look back on my own life and remind myself of the times God has shown Himself true and strong in my life thus far. I'd pray more "Your will be done" prayers, rather than always just asking for God to change my circumstances.

As I write this, my son has recently turned 1 and still doesn't sleep through the night. In fact, it's a good night if he only wakes up once or twice. And I'm actually totally OK with that. When people ask me if he's sleeping through the night and I say no, they look at me as if I have three heads.

But coming from where I've been, one to two wakings a night is like a walk in the park. He now regularly takes his naps in a bed rather than on my lap or in a moving stroller. His temperament is a thousand times better, and I can tell he's getting enough sleep. He's now pretty easy-going at home and in public, and everyone still comments on how happy and well-behaved he is.

And I'm different. Sure, I still get frustrated. I still wish he slept better and wish I could put milk in my coffee and peanut butter on my gluten-free bread, but my attitude has changed. My prayers have changed. I now pray that God will give me pockets of time to spend with Him. I pray that I would have time to pray. I pray while out walking with my dog and my sleeping son in the stroller. I read the Bible and pray on my knees during those times when he does go down for a nap.

And I have some joy. Not all the time, and I certainly wouldn't categorize it as "great joy," but it's there. I'm definitely learning to be content despite, and in the midst of, this trial.

Trials test our faith. My faith has certainly been tested during the past year, as well as a few times before that, and I'm sure it will be again. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I asked lots of the typical questions, like why God allow our faith to be tested, and how God want us to respond to trials.

These verses in 1 Peter 1:6-7 answer both questions:

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

You know what my favorite parts of that passage are? The parts where it says there is "wonderful joy ahead" and that our trials will last "for a little while." This trial will not last forever. I can honestly look back at the various trials I've been through — struggling with my weight, my sexuality, my health — and praise God that He allowed me to come through those things. My faith is stronger for it.

James writes later on in his letter, "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." Awesome.

Amy Carmichael, a missionary who cared for orphans in India for 55 years, said it best when she wrote, "In acceptance lieth peace." I've found in my life that acceptance is everything. When trials come, I tend to go into fight mode. As Paul prayed for God to take his thorn away, I cry out over and over for God to take my trials away. God has responded to me the same way He responded to Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

So these days, while I still pray that God would do something supernatural in many of my circumstances, I also pray for the strength and patience to endure whatever He allows to come my way. I pray for joy, acceptance and contentment in everything I experience. I pray He would grow me to the point where I will truly consider my trials to be opportunities for joy.

This blog was written by Brenna Kate Simonds.

Truthful Thursday (Thanksgiving Day edition) - Psalm 50

"Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God..." Psalm 50:14a

The babe is tucked away in bed, we are home from spending the day with good friends, our stomaches are full, and I am thankful.

There are many, many things in my life for which I am thankful;

1. A husband who shows me the meaning of unconditional love daily, no hourly.

2. A daughter who delights my life in a way I could never before have imagined.

3. A family who is crazy but wonderful.

4. A Heavenly Father who blesses me far more than I could ever deserve; who loves me at my worst; who is faithful to me far, far more than I will ever be to Him; who sent His one and only Son to die a sinner's death just so He could spent eternity with me. Whoa.

God is amazing. His greatness humbles me day after day. And while I am thankful that I can spend my earthly life rejoicing in Him, I am even more thankful that I can spend eternity in His presence praising Him.

God, I love you. Thank You for Your goodness and grace, I am undeserving of everything You have given me, from my salvation to my daily life, and that makes You all the more amazing to me. Your daughter, Sarah

Toilet to therapist's couch

In my quest to start potty training (or at least learning more about it), I have come across very, very strange ideas. One of those is that being potty training before two is a sure fire why to send your child into emotional distress and thus leading to mental therapy later in life. Another (and obviously my favorite) is that diapers are made better and better nowadays and thus we should take advantage of them until the child is entering school (approximately 4-5 years old) and must be potty trained in order to attend. Umm... no.

Now I realize that I have never, ever potty trained someone. I imagine it is difficult and trying on both the mother and child's patience. I can only think that there is a level of self-discipline that moms are called to (in taking the child every 20-30 minutes all day, every day) that I have never known. I am also realistic that potty training doesn't just "happen", especially if the child is very young, and that some children take longer to "get it".

But saying that Julia will be emotionally scarred from the experience, or that I should just let her decide when she is ready, seems bogus to me. I mean, sure, if you are pushing them, making it a horrible experience, I can see the downfall in that. However, if, like all parenting should be, you act in love, patience, gentleness, I would see the experience as enjoyable and even fun. Well, as fun as pooping and peeing can be.

I am currently planning on starting potty training come the spring. I thought that we could start sooner, but that would mean keep the house really warm during the day, and for me to have my act together. I am a little doubtful on that last part. Seriously, if I can let my clean laundry sit in a basket for nearly a week, I don't think I'm ready for a new adventure.

Julia Mabel

One year ago today I set out on a life changing course. I became the mother to a wonderful, beautiful daughter. Our first months together were rocky, actually, that might be an understatement. I had no clue how to feed, clean, change or care for this tiny life that expected everything from me. Then there was the crying. Endless crying. I mean, I can't totally blame a person for being upset when they have gas, especially when they have never actually used their internal organs. But still, crying babies aren't fun. I don't care who you are, they just aren't. It's a proven fact. And to top that off, if you've read any post on my blog you are all too familiar with our anti-sleep rules. Technically, they aren't Jonathan and mine's, but Julia's. So, roll together complete ignorance, complete dependance, raging hormones and emotions and you will get a new mother.

I can remember thinking that everyone around me seemed to "get it". All the other moms seemed to have their lives together, knowing beyond a doubt what each cry meant, what each grunt would or would not lead to. I felt like I had stepped into a final totally unprepared, with a sense of utter failure.

But God is good. Oh so good.

One year has past. I will never say that I am a perfect mom, but I will say that I am the best mom for Julia. I can read her almost better than I can myself. I know when she is tired, hungry, angry, happy, or frustrated. I understand her "signs" for more, food, and all done. I know that certain situations will delight her, while others upset her past consolation. I have become her mom.

Through this past year, learning who Julia is has not been my biggest feat. More than that, has been learning who God is through me. I am continually humbled and amazed at who God is, who He has called me to be, and how that relationship reflects on my parenting.

I always thought it silly when people said that God wants to be in control of every area of your life, every area of your parenting. But I have come to learn that it is so true. I can tell when I am in control and when the Holy Spirit is in control. I know the difference between Sarah-led Parenting and God-led Parenting. And in those moments I realize that there is no way I can make it without God. There is no way that I can produce a kingdom building, God loving, selfless daughter unless I am that way. And I can't be that way unless I center absolutely everything on Christ. Funny how that circle works.

My life is blessed. My daughter is a blessing beyond what I could imagine. She has been a true delight this past year and I am looking forward to many, many more.

In celebration today, we will be having poppyseed chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and chocolate cake. This is my birthday dinner each year and I am passing it along to Julia. :)

My life in two years

Today I got to watch my friend, Leah's, almost 3 year old girl, Belle. It was a lot of fun, and gave me a good insight to what my life will look like in two years with a 3 year old and *gasp* 18 month old.

Here are just a few of my favorite moments:

*Choices*

Me: Belle, what would you like to drink? Milk or water?

Belle: Apple juice.

Me: We don't have apple juice. Just milk or water.

Belle: Lemonade.

Me: Water it is!

*Where's your daddy?*

Belle: Where's Jonathan?

Me: He's at work.

Belle: Why?

Me: Well, he works during the day just like your daddy.

Belle: You mean Jason.

Me: *laugh* Yes, Jason.

*Animal or food?*

Me: Belle, do you know what that is? (pointing to a gorilla in a picture book)

Belle: No.

Me: It's a gorilla.

Belle: I eat granola!

Me: *laughs* No sweetie, I said gorilla, not granola.

Belle: Well, it sounds like granola. I eat granola.

After that, I don't think I will ever be able to eat granola again without thinking about gorillas. They really do sound alike!

*Obeying*

Me: Belle, thank you so much for obeying and cleaning up!

Belle: My mom obeys me.

There was more to this conversation (don't worry Leah! I think she was a little confused as she later said she obeys you), but I was rolling on the floor at this point.

Ahh, things are going to get interesting in the Windham household!

Wordless Wednesday - Peanut butter face

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Uh-oh

Every time Julia accidently drops something, hits something or falls down, I always say "uh-oh".

Yesterday she threw something down, I heard it crash, followed by "uh-oh". Totally precious.

Now all morning she's been walking around saying "uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh". I can't help but laugh.

Potty training

More and more lately I have considered potty training Julia over the next 6+ months so as to have her out of diapers by the time Dubya Dos arrives. In all reality this is a long shot, but some part of me is hopeful that it could be done. And here's why... gory details and all.

A couple of weeks ago Julia was taking a bath. I was sitting next to the tub reading, when she stood up along the side to start interacting with me. I was still half reading, half playing when I realized she was acting a little, well, strained. Immediately I asked "Are you pooping?". Obviously, she gave no answer but a grunt was enough to confirm what I expected. I picked her up, sat her on the toilet where she did her business. A few days later, during a diaper change I caught her pre-poo and dashed off to the bathroom.

Then again tonight we had another random success. We allow Julia to have naked time sometimes after she's just had a diaper change. So tonight during NT I noticed that she was needing to using the bathroom. I sat her on the toilet and she did her thing. Pretty impressive for a 11 1/2 month old. At least I think so.

With these "victories" under my belt, I can't help but wonder if I could feasibly potty train a 1 year old. I've heard about elimination communication, but mostly viewed it with an upturned nose. Now I'm starting to reconsider my stance on EC and toying with the idea of having a few diaper free days, to assess the situation. Hmmm... This might require laying down some plastic all over the floors, or scheduling for Robert to come clean our carpets the following day! We'll see. I always have grandiose ideas that don't pan out exactly as I imagine, and this could just be one of those.

Truthful Thursday - Galatians 5

"Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian." Galatians 5:23-25

One of those days

You know when you have one of those days. A day where you are counting down the hours and minutes until you can crawl back into bed, white flag waving. Yesterday was one of those days.

Julia and I both are suffering from our first "winter" colds. Poor little girl (and poor mama!) woke up at 12:30 am because she couldn't breath through her nose, didn't go back to sleep till close to 1:30 and woke up for the day at 4:45 am. Not quite how I wanted to start my day.

But, in all things rejoice.

As a way to love and support me, Jonathan surprised me last night with:

a bag of M&M's
a hand written love note
a bouquet of flowers
and....


a roll of Christmas wrapping paper.

He's the best.

Truthful Thursday - Luke 21

"But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives." Luke 21:12-19

My apologies for not posting more on Truthful Thursday. It's not as though there isn't enough truth to post, as there is more than I will ever discover, but just a lack of time on my hands. Today's truth resonated in my mind about losing my "rights" as a Christian. I say "rights" in the terms of how this world defines it. The idea of losing my "right" to free speech, to voice my beliefs is concerning, but Jesus has already told me this would happen. He didn't promise peace on earth, but betrayal, anger, fear, hate, evil. However, he did promise that not a hair on my head would perish (I take this to mean, I will be saved from hell, not that this earthly body will go unscathed). I read this and some part of me, perhaps the daring, fighting Sarah, wants to say "Bring it on, when you mess with me, you mess with God", and I gain reassurance that this world is not my world, this home is not my home. I am merely biding my time until I can go home and see my Father.

But I thought women loved shoes

Last winter and spring Julia never wore shoes. She was barely sitting up on her own, so I figured there was no need. Then the summer rolled around, she started crawling, pulling herself up, and walking with assistance. Still, I figured it was too hot to wear shoes (as I hardly even wore them) so we went shoeless.

Fall has fully arrived and with it comes the need for shoes. However, convincing Julia that she needs them seems to be a daunting task. Every time she wears her shoes she screams for a good few minutes, tugging at them, nearly begging for them to come off. Eventually she is distracted and doesn't seem as bothered by them, but without fail, she will at some point notice them and freak out yet again. Hmm... This was not an issue I foresaw when doing research on when to introduce shoes.

My one and only post on the election

You can be a Christian and a Democrat.

You can be a non-conservative and a Republican.

No matter what you think about each candidate, we have an amazing privilege to choose our country's leaders. And for all you women out there - your privilege is even more sacred. Your foremothers did a lot in order to ensure your right to vote and for your voice to be heard. Make sure to live up to their sacrifice, make sure your voice is heard. It doesn't matter if who you want to win wins, what matters is that you took the steps to voice your opinion, to voice your choice.

“Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes - goodwill among men and peace on earth.” Albert Einstein

Tired, so very, very tired

We are finally working on Julia's last feeding time during the night. Which means that for the last couple of days, we've been waking up between 4:30-5:30, and dealing with lots of crying and very little sleep. Blerg. However, I am hopeful that we are near the end. That once we get through this last time we are at least on the up and up (hopefully, hopefully, hopefully!) and will be enjoying a few months of peaceful rest before the next babe arrives.

The funny part about it all, is that already Baby Dubya Dos is keeping me up. While, even as I type, my body is completely exhausted, I can't sleep. It seems that during the middle of the night, early in the morning and occasionally during the evening "morning" sickness sets in and keeps me so nauseated that I can't sleep. Total bummer. I try to nap as much as I can during the day, as I have found when I do I don't get as sick. But when that isn't possible night time sleeping seems a little more difficult.

Fletcher just made a Sprite run (ahh! I know it has HFCS, but I'm desperate!) in hopes that it will help settle my stomach. It's done a pretty good job, but I'm gonna need to find a better (and healthier) alternative for later.

Well, here's to trying to get some good sleep tonight!

Wordless Wednesday AND Truthful Thursday

"Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you!" Psalm 71:6

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalm 139:13-16

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates." Psalm 127:3-5


Go here, for more Wordless Wednesday.

Info on the blog above

Jonathan and I found out Thursday night that we are indeed pregnant! I am only about 5 weeks along, so things are just beginning. We have our first appointment with our midwife on October 24th. Over the last few days, I've been experiencing morning (rather, all day) sickness and fatigue. I can't say that the fatigue is just because of the new baby, as much as the fact that Julia is becoming more and more mobile and keeping me on my toes.

Please keep us in your prayers: that this pregnancy goes smoothly and babe and I stay healthy, that any fears that might arise in me stay at bay, that our family continues to trust in God through all things.

We'll keep you updated as Baby Dubya Dos progresses!

War. What is it good for?

I must say that I've been known to be a politically charged person. Being that I am very opinionated, the two go hand in hand. But, if by the title of my post you were hoping for my opinion on this year's election and how I view the Iraqi war, I'm sorry to say you will be disappointed.

However, if you were hoping for something a little more enjoyable, then I have good news.

I recently got Grandma's Wartime Kitchen: World War II and the Way We Cooked from the library. The idea behind the cookbook is to show you how our grandmothers cooked while having their food rationed. I must say I am loving this book!

I just made Swedish Meatballs last week that were an absolute hit. All of the recipes call for items that you most likely already have tucked away in your pantry or fridge, making dinner time just that much easier.

Now, I will let you know, these recipes aren't necessarily "health friendly", given that the desserts call for corn syrup and most of the dinners call for vegetable shortening. However, you can easily replace these items with olive oil, honey, agave or such. Mainly, the idea is to cook with what you have, use all your resources and be mindful of what you eat.

While I enjoy going through different cook books each month, I might be persuaded to make this one a permanent item. It's pretty much the greatest.

Swedish Meatballs

1 pound ground beef
1 cup day-old bread crumbs (about 3 slices) - *Just process the bread to make the crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening - *I used olive oil
1 1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350*F.
Combine ground beef, bread, egg, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, allspice and pepper. Shape mixture into 24 meatballs.
Heat shortening in a 3-quart Dutch oven. Add meatballs and saute until brown on all sides; remove to bowl. Add 1 cup milk to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Stir remaining milk and flour together, add to boiling milk mixture along with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Return meatballs to sauce. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Serve from Dutch oven.

Some variations that I made: I don't have a Dutch oven, so I just browned the meat in a regular pan. Then I moved them to a small baking dish. I made the sauce in the pan I used for the meat, then poured it over top the meatballs, covered with foil and baked.

Cha-ching!

Sometimes I wish I was more frugal. That's not to say that I spend money like a crazy woman, but I don't cut coupons or actively search out good deals. Take clothes shopping. I'm not a super big fan of shopping, so if I find something I like and it's on sale, I'll buy it. However, Jonathan wants to make sure that he is getting the absolute best deal. If there are a pair of jeans for $2 less at another store, he will get those - even if they aren't his favorite brand/color/best size. Me, I don't really care all that much. I just want in and out as fast as possible.

This last weekend, my friend, Leah, sent out a coupon for $1 off organic canned tomatoes. This particular brand is at Wal-Mart for $1.49, but, this month the co-op had them on sale for $1.29 (normally $2.29) - since the co-op runs their sales on a monthly basis (1st-30/31st) I sometimes forget their prices. So, this afternoon I ate lunch at the co-op with Jonathan and saw that the cans were an even better deal there with my coupon than at Wal-Mart. I didn't have the coupons on me, so decided to come back after Julia woke up from her afternoon nap.

I printed off 19 coupons (random number - I thought I had done 20) and went to pick up eggs, milk, yogurt and my discounted cans.

I must admit I felt a little weird with so many cans and using so many coupons. Not sure why, just like I was putting out the cashier or what not. But, the end result was worth it.

19 cans of organic diced tomatoes not on sale - $43.51

19 cans of organic diced tomatoes on sale - $24.51

19 cans of organic diced tomatoes on sale with coupon - $5.51

Total money saved - $38

Sarah's new found joy of saving money - Priceless

I waited 4 years, for this?

It can't be denied, that when you wait for something, it tends to pay off. Sometimes, sometimes, however, it back fires.

I haven't eaten McDonald's for four years. I went on a McD's fast/boycott after watching Super Size Me. Then from there, I slowly cut out more and more fast food restaurants.

Until this past weekend.

Jonathan, Julia and I went to Tennessee. On Saturday we woke up and decided to grab a good filling breakfast. Now, I haven't been to Tennessee in a few years, but I could have sworn that there were a few breakfast places in town, yet we could not find a single one.

We went to Wal-Mart resolved to pick up some fruit, yogurt and juice. As we passed by the in-house McDonald's Jonathan remarks on stopping there. I flatly said no, we'd surely regret it. But, by the time we were leaving (good foods in hand) we decided we'd just get one of their chicken biscuits.

One bite. That's all it took. One bite to ask myself: I waited four years, for this?

The biscuit was dry, the chicken overly greasy - as it shot grease on the side of my face when I bit into it. Complete let down.

Lesson learned. Now, not only do I boycott McDonald's because one morning sandwich is 20 grams of fat (perhaps that's why I felt sick all day?!), but they are also fail in the tasty category.

So long McDonald's. Fare thee well, may we never meet again.

Truthful Thursday - Proverbs 20, Romans 12

"Don’t say, “I will get even for this wrong.” Wait for the Lord to handle the matter."

Proverbs 20:22, NLT

"Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord."

Romans 12:19, NLT

Wordless Wednesday - Wait... Am I naked?! A story.

See more at Wordless Wednesday.

Ah, how I have missed you, sweet sleep

If you remember, I posted some time ago about Julia and her lack of sleeping. By the end of August, we were waking up every two hours, each time resulting in me feeding her, as this seemed the only thing that would get any of us back into bed.

About 2 or 3 weeks ago (time escapes me), we went back to letting Julia cry - which mostly means that Jonathan and I went into the situation both agreeing on what/how/why we were training her. Oh boy. I have to say, I would rather deal with loads of dirty diapers, complete melt downs and just about anything more than crying it out at 2 in the morning. Ugh. Anyways, since Julia was waking up so frequently, we thought we should tackle the first wake up time and then over the course of a few weeks tackle the others.

The first night had everyone up for a good 2 1/2 hours. But, eventually she did manage to fall asleep without being nursed. And granted she woke up like 2 hours later, at least the first session was over. Each night for about a week went pretty much the same, with the crying becoming a little less each time (a little, meaning only an hour and a half). Once we felt we had finally tackled the first wake up time - as Julia was finally not waking up at that time - we decided to start the second one. But of course, she got sick. So everything we had slaved for flew out the window. Bummer. Thankfully, however, once we were back on track, she seemed to either sleep well past her first wake up time, or is easily consoled back to sleep.

She is still waking up twice a night to nurse, around 2 and again at 5. I had set out last weekend to help train her out of the 2ish wake up time, but then realizing that since we are going to Tennessee this weekend, everything will get thrown out of whack, I didn't want to waste my time (or sleep). Once we get back, I fully plan on getting her down to just waking up at 5ish, and then try to break her of that one before she turns 1. Ha! With that last sentence, I am reminded of Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

The other day I realized that I haven't had a full night's sleep in a year and a half. From the time I got pregnant, I would wake up needing to use the bathroom and then couldn't fall back asleep because I was too nauseated. Then, obviously, once Julia arrived, she kept me up. I look forward to the day that I can sleep 8 hours straight. Part of me thinks this is wishful thinking, especially if I have any more children. But one can wish can't they?

To ad or not to ad

Last weekend Jonathan and I saw this book at Barnes and Noble. Jonathan jokingly said I should figure out a way to earn money from my blog. Ever since then I've been turning it over in my head.

I know people can make money from blogging. I know people would love to make money from blogging. But how do you do it? Really, I've got no clue.

Well today I did a search and came across AdSense by Google. Perhaps the whole world knows about this and I am just finding out. But apparently Google pays you to have ads on your blog. Then, dependent on a number of factors, they will send you a paycheck for some odd sum. From what I have read, the sum is pretty ridiculous. Not like whoa-I've-just-made-a-ton-of-money ridiculous, but will-the-bank-laugh-when-I-deposit-a-five-cent-check ridiculous. But hey, it's money, right?

So, you'll start seeing ads at the bottom of my blog. I've taken steps to ensure that they are in no way offensive or evil. But, if for whatever reason you see one that is questionable, please, please, please let me know. I really don't want it to be like that. I'm not sure how long this will last, but I'm going to at least give it a try while I continue my (possibly unfruitful) search for a money making blog.

Truthful Thursday - Hebrews 12

"My child, don't make light of the Lord's discipline, and don't give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child...For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening - it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."

Hebrews 12:5-6;10-11, NLT

When green goes too far

I keep up with the blog Keeper of the Home. Her most recent post was in regards to an article about women who aren't having children because having children isn't "green". In fact, one woman, Tori, chose to abort her child so as to "save the planet" and not further "burden the world".

Ok, I'm no rocket scientist, but come on people. Seriously, killing a child so you can be green? I'm not really seeing the logic in that one. Alright, sure, people take up space, they use up resources. But, can't you just as easily teach your children to be mindful and respectful of the world God has bestowed upon them? Hmm, part of me thinks that Tori never stopped to consider that, thanks to her mom going through with her own birth, she can make such ridiculous and selfish decisions. I mean, really, if we're going to be that concerned about the effects of humans on the planet why don't we all just leave now?

I'm all for green. I honestly believe that God has made us stewards of the world. I honestly believe that it is my duty as a child of God to ensure that I maintain and preserve the earth. But absolutely no way is aborting helpless children green. It is selfish, hateful and frankly, utterly disgusting.


"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:3-5 ESV


"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139:13-16 ESV

Wordless Wednesday - Apple Orchard

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Best resume ever.

Here's my friend's first draft. Any suggestions?


PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVE
Sell my time for highest profit.

EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, IOWA CITY
Bachelor of Liberal Arts GPA: Pending


EXPERIENCE
COFFEE SHOP, IOWA CITY, IA
Barrista May 2007 – Present
1. Serviced grumpy and occasionally unreasonable clients
a. Put up with unwarranted harassment
2. Can make an Espresso Shake
a. 5 scoops of anonymous shake base, 2 shots espresso, cocoa and milk blended on high for 18 seconds.
3. Know a lot about espresso
a. Perfect shot is 24 seconds
b. Crema is what makes shots good
c. Espresso is affected by air temp, humidity and light
d. Espresso is freaking annoying to work with
e. I don’t care if you’ve had it in Europe or not; it’s still annoying to work with

COMPUTER CONSULTING, CORALVILLE, IA
Installation Engineer August 2006 – May 2007
1. Serviced grumpy and occasionally unreasonable clients
2. Custom designed installations on site
a. Roof installs
b. Side of building installs
c. Remote (neither roof nor side of building) installs
3. Learned to solve problems I could not even understand

LANDSCAPING COMPANY, NEW ORLEANS, LA
Landscape Design Artist May 2006 – July 2006
1. Customers include
a. The rich
b. The wealthy
c. The affluent
2. Installed sprinkler systems and grass
a. 8 hours a day in the Louisiana summer
3. Pulled weeds
a. Out of gardens
b. While clients swam in their luxurious pools
c. Then it rained on me.

References available.

Go ahead, laugh

Last weekend Jonathan told me that he was going to cut his own hair. I started laughing so hard, I had to cross my legs to keep from peeing. Seriously, cut your own hair?! But, he was determined, saying that it couldn't be that hard, he just needed the right tools. So we borrowed a clipper set from Leah and spent Saturday night cuttin' hair. I must admit, he did a pretty good job, only needing my help for some blending and his neck line.

Today I went to have my hair cut and trimmed. My previous stylist is no longer at the cosmetology school where I go, so based on a recommendation I saw a different girl, who is actually pretty good.

I should preface this by saying I am really, really picky about my hair. However, I tend not to actually saying when I don't like something, and when I do say anything, I am a little sheepish. I'm growing out of this and have, especially since I'm dealing with students, learned to voice my concerns and suggestions, but I'm still not all the way there.

Well, today, I told the girl that cut my hair, that while I wanted exactly what I had, only shorter, she should feel free to do as she pleased. So, she went shorter. She also went "choppier", as this is the in style. As she was cutting my hair, I surveyed the room and saw that every one with short hair, had choppy hair. I could see where this was going. I'm not one for "choppy". I like smooth, finely placed hair. I don't want chop. I want smooth. But do I say a thing? Nope.

Since my hair wasn't styled the way I usually do every day, I just figured all would be fine by the time I went home and did my thing. But alas, when I was fixing everything up, I realized that my hair just wasn't doing what I was hoping for. While I think the choppy look is super cute on others, it just isn't for me. I felt like things were all out of whack, even at the insistence of everyone telling me it was fine, just not exactly the same as before.

Around 5pm, I told Jonathan I needed to call the Salon and go back in to have the girl fix my hair. I just couldn't keep it this way, as it would bother me. Jonathan asked if I really wanted to spend the time driving across town just to have my hair fixed to my "perfections". Of course not. But at the same time, I didn't want to wait another 4 weeks until my next appointment. Especially since we're heading to Tennessee in less than two weeks. So, what do we agree upon? To have Jonathan fix it himself. Well, it's only hair, right?. It'll grow back, right? Cut it. Fix it up. Just don't laugh when it's all said and done.

Thus, we spent nearly two hours of our Saturday night cutting my hair. Go ahead, laugh.

I will admit, we aren't pros. But one thing is for sure: it looks pretty good in my own opinion. Jonathan did a really good job. And if nothing else, we had a really fun time doing it.

Truthful Thursday - 1 Peter 1

"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies golf - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains stroung through many trials, it will bring you nuch praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world."

1 Peter 1:6-7, NLT

Wordless Wednesday - Hiefer, the star gazing cow, and her friend Umbrella

See more at Wordless Wednesday.

Truthful Thursday - Titus 3

"But - "When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.""

Titus 3:4-7 NLT

Wordless Wednesday - Jail

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Not quite what I was planning...

Am loved more than I deserve.

God rocks.

You might remember my post on Southern Living versus Midwest Living and how I was lamenting the fact that I was switching.

Let me just say: God rocks.

Shortly after that post I cancelled my subscription.

Or so I thought.

Today I received a we-want-our-money letter from SL for this year's issues. I called them to re-cancel. When the woman on the phone asked me why I was cancelling I told her it was getting too expensive (having gone from free - Thanks girls! - to $12 a year, to $36). Of course, she asked if I was interested in any of their other magazines, and replied, no, that I had just subscribed to Midwest Living (as I live in Iowa) and didn't need Coastal Living.

Then a random turn of events.

She asked me how much I paid for this past year's issues. I said that it had been the in ballpark of $12 for the year.

Know what she said?!

Ok, I can honor that same price for this year too, if you'd like.

If I'd like?! Oh you betcha I'd like!

I am now sittin' pretty with one more year of Southern Living (do worries Jonathan, it was only $11.88!).

God totally answered the desire of my heart! I so wanted to keep my subscription and without even knowing it, He totally made that possible. Had everything been cancelled as I thought, I wouldn't be able to rejoice in knowing just how much My God cares about the little things.

God rocks.

Fifty millions posts rolled into one...

Not really, I tend to exaggerate sometimes. All the same, I haven't had much time to write lately, so rather than trying to remember several ideas for different posts I'd just much rather write one.

My husband

Jonathan turns 30 in t-minus 4 hours. He is spending his last few moments as a "20-something" sleeping, since he was on Julia duty from 2-4 last night. Ah, what a way to ring in such a momentous birthday. In all seriousness, I just want to announce to the blogging world that Jonathan pretty much rocks. I fully understand that my love for him is different than anyone else's, but still, in case you were wondering, I think he's pretty much amazing. Happy birthday Jonny.*

Mexican Mamacita

I feel that I am fully on my way to becoming a bona fide mamacita. This is something that I have wanted to achieve for quite some time. While I have been able to piece together bits of mamacita likeness, I have not quite captured the mamacita cooking. However, spending the last two weeks with the Mamacita of all mamacitas (Jonathan's grandma) has helped finally (in my opinion) push me over the edge. I've learned how to cook a gauntlet of dishes that would win me much praise among the Hispanics in Texas. My favorite of them has been, drum roll please, Tortillas! I now know how to make flour tortillas from scratch. Even made some tonight! I'm perfecting my technique, but once I feel satisfied with my performance I do promise to teach anyone who wants to learn.

Stuff that piggy

As always, we are still on the quest for helping Julia sleep through the night. Seeing as crying it out didn't favor to well, we're trying a sweeter, more hands on approach. We are stuffing her face like a piggy.

I've started to see a pattern in her morning naps. If she is well feed and has spent an adequate amount of time in the mei tai then she tends to sleep really well (like, say 2 1/2 hours that she did today). So we figured we'd try it out. I carried her for about an hour tonight, then we feed her all the oatmeal and prunes she could handle (1/4 cup dry oatmeal and a 4 oz jar of prunes - not sure how much that makes, as the oatmeal expands when it is wet). Here's to hoping we found something that might work!

How to be green in an ungreen world

Let's face it, Texans aren't known for being green. Unless you live in Austin, your idea of green is... well I was going to say grass, but seeing as it's August that doesn't really exist anywhere in Texas. Needless to say, green isn't the "thing" to do. But, since my sister, Shelly, has voiced her desire to be a little more green, I thought I'd share some ideas for going green in a covert way (like how I used covert, Shelly? That's just for Jesse).

1. Change your cleaning products. No one will really notice this but you, so they can't look at you all funny with their big Dallas hair and say "Well, hun, you sure has changed since you been gone" (said in the best Southern drawl I can manage).

2. Plant a garden. This would be a terrific way to teach Katie and Madeline about their food source and allow them to have a sense of pride when they eat their harvest. I know, I know, it seems like a lot of work, so do something easy. Do a tomato plant or two, and some peppers. Then when you harvest, you can make salsa!

3. Walk more often. In TEXAS?! Yeah, I remember how hot it is. But still, walking not only is a health benefit, it saves on gas. So walk as much as you can. You can even make it a family affair in the evenings after dinner, when it's a bit cooler.

4. Plug your computer/tv into power strips that you turn off after every use. Even when electronics are "off" they stil use energy. However, if you essentially "unplug" them (reason for the strip) then they stop using up energy. This is also important for kitchen appliances, just maybe not your fridge.

5. Recycle and reuse. This might be a little more obvious, since the neighbors will see your recycling bin each week, but it's a great idea. It teaches you to be more aware of the items in your house that are recyclable, it will allow the girls to use their imaginations to reuse items, and it will cut back on your trash every week.

So, those are my ideas for going green in Texas. Hope the neighbors don't kick you out of the association!

*Here's a little ditty for my honey:


Lyrics | Barry Louis Polisar - All I Want Is You lyrics

I'm gonna wash that smoke right outta my hair!

I love a lot of things about my house and neighborhood. How close we are to the park, the ability to host a number of people, having a fenced in backyard, and having nice neighbors. However, one HUGE downside is that our adjoining neighbors smoke. This pretty much sucks.

They smoke on their back porch multiple times a day, forcing me to shut our doors and windows for anywhere from 10-30 minutes at a time. If we're outside when they smoke we inevitably go inside, because the smoke quickly makes its way over. I think there is some kind of science to that... smoke will always follow non-smokers.

It upsets me a lot, because I don't ever want Julia in the backyard while they are there, and I know that come this time next year keeping her from going out there will be next to impossible. Plus, why should I? After all, it is MY yard.

The good news is, it looks like we will be placing a barrier along our fence line this fall. In preparation for next year's garden, we decided having a barrier would help us maintain the garden while providing privacy and a smoke free environment. While Jonathan and I have bounced this idea around since last summer, we never went through with it, mostly because we didn't want to upset our neighbors. But since Grandma got here and realized my dilemma, she took the matter into her own hands. She flat out told Jonathan and me "you're putting up a barrier, deal with it" - but in her sweet Grandma sorta way.

I realize that some of the smoke will still make its way over (as that is the science of smoke), but at least I can rest assured that it will be much, much less.

After reading the ALA's website, it makes me even happier to know that we are taking every step possible to shield ourselves from secondhand smoke.

Secondhand Smoke Fact Sheet

Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma.

Secondhand smoke has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a known cause of cancer in humans (Group A carcinogen).

Secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke. Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic, including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic ammonia and hydrogen cyanide.

Secondhand smoke causes approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 22,700-69,600 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers in the United States each year.

Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at work are at increased risk for adverse health effects. Levels of secondhand smoke in restaurants and bars were found to be 2 to 5 times higher than in residences with smokers and 2 to 6 times higher than in office workplaces.

Since 1999, 70 percent of the U.S. workforce worked under a smoke-free policy, ranging from 83.9 percent in Utah to 48.7 percent in Nevada. Workplace productivity was increased and absenteeism was decreased among former smokers compared with current smokers.

Eighteen states - Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Washington and Vermont - as well as the District of Columbia prohibit smoking in almost all public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars. Montana and Utah prohibit smoking in most public places and workplaces, including restaurants; bars will go smokefree in 2009. New Hampshire prohibits smoking in some public places, including all restaurants and bars. Four states - Florida, Idaho, Louisiana and Nevada - prohibit smoking in most public places and workplaces, including restaurants, but exempt stand-alone bars. Fifteen states partially or totally prevent (preempt) local communities from passing smokefree air ordinances stronger than the statewide law. Iowa, Nebraska and Oregon have passed legislation prohibiting smoking in almost all public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars, but the laws have not taken effect yet.

Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to young children. Secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year, and causes 430 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the United States annually. - That pretty much scares the bejebbies outta me!

Secondhand smoke exposure may cause buildup of fluid in the middle ear, resulting in 790,000 physician office visits per year. Secondhand smoke can also aggravate symptoms in 400,000 to 1,000,000 children with asthma.

In the United States, 21 million, or 35 percent of, children live in homes where residents or visitors smoke in the home on a regular basis. Approximately 50-75 percent of children in the United States have detectable levels of cotinine, the breakdown product of nicotine in the blood.

Research indicates that private research conducted by cigarette company Philip Morris in the 1980s showed that secondhand smoke was highly toxic, yet the company suppressed the finding during the next two decades.

The current Surgeon General’s Report concluded that scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Short exposures to secondhand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier, damage the lining of blood vessels, decrease coronary flow velocity reserves, and reduce heart rate variability, potentially increasing the risk of heart attack. - Just perfect.

Lovely Ladies Dish on the Dish

I've joined in with a group of my girlfriends to make a new blog all about foods and healthy eating. Peruse on over and check us out!

Lovely Ladies Dish on the Dish

One! Uno! Eins! Un! Um! I love the number 1!

Why, oh why, would I love the number one?

I am one pound away from my pre-Julia weight!!!

Rock and roll, baby!

Man, this makes me feel like doing a victory dance. Or maybe I should do a victory run?!

Blerg! HFC"S" is at it again!

About a month ago I came across Blue Sky Soda. Love it. It gave me a way to be off the coke wagon, without being totally off (not that I don't have relapses continually...). However, I came across this tonight. Blue Sky Cola contains High Fructose Corn Sweetener.

Blerg!

Looks like I'll be getting their organic cola next time!

And for a little incentive to give up coke (by coke, I mean, soda/pop) I found this site to be interesting:

Within the first 10 minutes, 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

Completely (and totally) unsure; completely (and totally) reliant

I think one of the funniest things about parenting is that everything, literally everything, is trial and error. And perhaps by funny what I really mean is, so exhausting that you eventual give up and laugh (notice my time stamp).

Somewhere in the ballpark of 4 months of age, we realized that Julia really, really needed to just cry herself to sleep. I'm pretty certain Jonathan realized this long before I did, but at some point we both looked at each other through sleep deprived eyes and said "It's go time". Here's what I really love about this whole process: Julia seems to take way longer than what I think is humanly possible to catch on to the idea of sleeping. Like, really, isn't sleep natural? Shouldn't a baby just want to sleep? I honestly think she came out of the womb thinking "Mom? Dad? What is this thing you guys are wanting me to do? You seriously expect me to quite down, shut my eyes and sleep? Hmm. No."

From the get go, sleep and Julia seem to have been a struggle (she gets that from her dad, seeing as I can fall asleep just about anywhere and anytime). So, like I said, somewhere around 4 months old we started letting her cry at night. First night she cried from 11pm to 6 am. Ok, does that seem slightly over the top to anyone else? I mean, come on little girl. At some point I really thought she'd give up. But she never did. Impressive!

After some serious tears shed during the day (we had stopped swaddling her at night, but continued to during the day; this made for lots of crying at night and lots of heavy sleeping during the day - like around 6+ hours), Julia finally started sleeping at night. Beautiful!

Then about a month after that, we regressed to waking up twice a night. I blamed it on a growth spurt. Well, if that is what it is, my daughter should be Yao Ming by now! So we went back to crying it out. This time around I didn't feel quite so bad. I figured she'd reached the age where she was mentally/emotionally capable of self-soothing (which happens around 6 months), so a little crying wouldn't hurt.

We're nearly three months into this next crying it out stage. Julia still hasn't grasped that night time is for sleep time, and so we've thrown our hands in the air. Sometime last week (or maybe the week before that... time seems to start to blur) Jonathan and I decided that for the sake of everyone we'd stop CIO. While this means that I'm still waking up nightly (ranging from 1-3 times on average) with Julia, we all at least get to go back to sleep fairly quickly. Unlike with CIO, which lasted 2-5 hours. Each night (well, 5 out of 7). For three months.

But, tonight Julia threw me a curve ball. She woke up around 1am. We nursed, I put her back down, and she starts crying. Sweet. So, I figured she'd really just have to deal with life and go back to bed. I gave her a set time to cry (mentally I did this, I didn't actually say "Ok, Julia, you can cry until such and such time before I come back in here"). But seeing as I can't actually sleep when she's fussy I decided to get on the laptop to pass the time. Fortunately for her, the time was pretty quick. Unfortunately for me, I can't seem to fall back to sleep.

Needless to say, I've come to realize that parenthood really is about having absolutely no clue what you are doing and just really hoping to stumble upon the right answer. For this kid. Since everything changes for the next one. And in the moments that I realize this, it makes me bow my knee before God, pray for wisdom, grace, patience and love abounding, because I know that I am completely clueless and totally reliant upon Him.

100 things about me

I got this idea from another blog I read and figured that I too, in keeping with tradition, would write a list of 100 things about myself in honor of my 100th post.

1. Mint chocolate is my favorite.
2. I would eat pizza every day if I thought that in any way it would be a good idea.
3. I am from the South.
4. The True South.
5. The True South being below the Mason-Dixon Line.
6. But sometimes I wish I was more Southern.
7. I miss my Southern accent.
8. At least I can make amazing (in my husband's opinion) fried chicken.
9. I really dislike hot weather.
10. But I love Texas (especially Austin).
11. Go figure.
12. I think my husband is the funniest man ever.
13. I fell in love with him on a trip to Italy.
14. But I didn't admit it for another year.
15. Now I admit it.
16. All the time.
17. I went to UT - Austin.
18. I wear that fact like a badge of honor.
19. I loved my time at college.
20. It was a really hard adjustment moving to Iowa.
21. Really hard.
22. But now I love it.
23. And I would be willing to stay here forever.
24. Although I hope God sends us to the East Coast.
25. Perhaps New York.
26. I could be a New Yorker.
27. At least I like to think so.
28. I try really hard to have people like me.
29. I say and act like I don't.
30. But I really do.
31. My favorite time of the day is morning.
32. It's my time to snuggle in bed with Jonathan and Julia.
33. And Jack.
34. My dog.
35. That is treated more like a human than a dog.
36. I know that might be crazy to some people.
37. But I'm that "kind of" dog owner.
38. And I like it.
39. My daughter is the cutest girl I know.
40. I love being her mother.
41. Lots and lots.
42. Even though it kicks my butt.
43. Like all the time.
44. Bath time with Julia cracks me up.
45. I want to always keep a sense of humor.
46. Especially when it comes to motherhood.
47. I love a house filled with laughter.
48. I want to be a Mexican mamacita.
49. You know, the ones that make awesome food.
50. And have lots of babes.
51. Christ is the rock of my life.
52. Without Him I would be nothing.
53. I am grateful that He pursued me,
54. Long before I pursued Him.
55. I am grateful that He gives me grace,
56. And mercy,
57. And love abounding.
58. God is amazing.
59. And I looking longingly for the day I will meet my Savior.
60. It will be awesome.
61. And terrifying,
62. Realizing just how imperfect I am,
63. And just how perfect God is.
64. But mostly seeing Him will just be awesome.
65. I try to read my Bible daily.
66. I fail pretty often at it.
67. I like snacking on granola.
68. I use to make fun of "granola people".
69. Now I aspire to be one.
70. I enjoy watching TV.
71. More than I should.
72. Which is why we don't have cable.
73. We did just get the Seinfeld series.
74. That has been a lot of fun.
75. I wish my life could be like a Seinfeld episode.
76. I have traveled to Europe.
77. Twice.
78. I've been proposed to.
79. Twice.
80. Both times in Europe.
81. The first time it was by a Hungarian.
82. He was old.
83. And drunk.
84. And smelled of cigarette smoke.
85. I said no.
86. But it made me laugh.
87. The second time was by Jonathan.
88. It was in Paris.
89. At Pont Neuf.
90. I said yes.
91. And it made me cry.
92. Happy tears.
93. I love Paris.
94. I wish I could live there too.
95. I would eat cheese and bread.
96. And drink wine every day.
97. I would walk hand in hand with Jonathan,
98. As our kids ran around in the markets,
99. Speaking French and laughing.
100. I like to day dream.

Grace and coffee are my two best friends

It's been a hard day's night, and I've been working like a dog. It's been a hard day's night and I should be sleeping like a log.

Last night Julia woke up right as I was falling asleep (somewhere in the ballpark of 11pm). After that I struggled for the next two hours to go back to sleep. It was rough. Being the gracious husband that he is, Jonathan got up and stroked my hair until I could unwind enough to fall back asleep. Then Julia woke up about two hours later for her normal nighttime feeding and for the day at like God-awful-six. So, I'm running off of about 5 hours of sleep (or make that 4 1/2).

But God is gracious. He provides continually, giving me strength to mother/wife/sister/friend when I feel zapped. And to top if off, He provides the $1.75 for a large Capanna Full City coffee (with extra Raw Suger and a dash of cinnamon).

Today is going to be a good day. Thanks to lots grace and tasty coffee!

Anniversary Extravaganza 2008!

Jonathan and I celebrated 3 years of marriage on Wednesday. My, my, how the time has flown! These last three years have been wonderful, challenging, life changing and, let's face it, hilarious (how could it not be when you're married to a guy like Jonathan?!).

Sticking with our tradition we dubbed this year's celebration Anniversary Extravaganza. Now, really, this year wasn't quite the extravaganza we've come to know and love (and my guess is it won't be for a few more years) but all the same it was pretty awesome. Thanks to our good friends, Ambre and Erik, who watched Julia, Jonathan and I went out to dinner and then had massages. The massages were nice, but dinner... dinner was FABULOUS! We went to Devotay in Downtown IC. It is my new favorite. We wined and dined on Amish beer, locally grown veggies, buffalo meatballs and a yummy, yummy cheesy zucchini sandwich (which was hands down the best sandwich I have ever consumed!). All in all, it was a pretty great night. I am super excited to have been a Windham for these here 3 years, and looking forward to many, many more Windham years.

And in the words of Juno, as far as husbands go, Jonathan is totally boss. He is the cheese to my macaroni. And I love him dearly.

Did you hear that?

That is the silence of a sleeping child.

Julia has been F-I-G-H-T-I-N-G! her naps for the last, um I don't know, ever. But really so this last week.

But as of right now she is out.

And that makes this mama really happy.

Silence is golden.

If they made fortune cookies just for moms...

While Julia is napping, I thought I'd share some funnies from the latest Parenting Magazine: "If they made fortune cookies just for moms..."

- You will travel over the ocean, and your 3-year-old will use the airplane bathroom 26 times.

- Now is the time to be daring. Take your toddler to the park without a diaper bag.

- You enjoy nourishing your loved ones, but if the peas touch the meat loaf, you can forget it.

- Elegance and grace are your trademark in dress. Also baby spitup.

- Your love life will be happy and harmonious, especially if you remember to lock the bedroom door.

- You will soon find a long-lost treasure, and you will decide to check under the couch cushions more often.

- New friends will come into your life, and they will ask you to run the spring fund-raiser.

- People are entranced by your voice - at least those listening to you read Runaway Bunny for the thousandth time.

- You have a keen mind and an enviable intellect, expect when it comes to third-grade math homework.

- A handsome man has his eye on you - and he's wondering when you're going to make his macaroni and cheese.

How is cloth going.... really.... I mean, how is it going?

This what my friend, Leah, asked me today. That, my dear readers is a loaded question, and one that I, in fact, asked myself this morning.

So, how is cloth going...

I've come to this one simple conclusion, if you are going to do cloth with your babe (or babes) you have to really, REALLY want to do cloth. It has to be something that you are willing to put in a little extra time and effort. Plus, it helps if you can deal with a little poo. See, me, I have a very high tolerance for all things gross. Blood, vomit, pee, poo, nasty, nasty trash. Low gag reflex, high tolerance. However, if you are like, say, Jonathan, who gags thinking about gross things, then dealing with poo cloth diapers are not for you.

We are still using disposables when Julia sleeps at night (for mere ease and not worrying that she'll wake herself because of being wet) and plan to use them when we travel - as I don't really see cleaning a cloth diaper in the hotel room at Faithwalkers or at my mom's house!

Alright, now to answer the question that I know everyone is thinking. Just how do you "dispose" of the poo?

Step by step: I change Julia, putting the poo diaper on the edge of her diaper hamper. Once she is taken care of, I take the poo diaper to the bathroom and dunk it in the toilet. Using the parts of the none poo areas, I clean the diaper as best as I can. I rinse out the excess water and drop it into her diaper hamper. After which I wash my hands. ***Now, I will say that I do use my elbows for a lot of things during this process as not to touch anything - like the faucet or toilet handle - with my hands until after they are thoroughly washed (I've become even more obsessive about washing my hands since this new diapering adventure!).***

I haven't had to soak any of the poo diapers and they haven't stained, even after sitting in the diaper hamper for two or three days (they don't stay longer than that because I have to wash the diapers every 2-3 days to maintain our supply).

There have been a few minor draw backs in my mind.

First, I never really know when Julia is wet because I can't feel her diaper like I could with disposables. And I really think she needs to be changed at least every hour, hour and a half at the max. More than that and the diaper doesn't absorb like it should. Of course, I could use a doubler/liner but don't.

Second, it did take Julia about a week to adjust to cloth from disposables. She is more aware now when she is wet than she did before. This made for some crying whenever we were out shopping and she peed. She's gotten use to it, and we've even gotten to where she'll wear them for nap time. On the flip side, the good thing about her heightened awareness is that it'll hopefully help her potty train sooner.

Third, is that cloth is a LOT bulkier. This makes for some snug fitting pants, which is a little more annoying since Julia seems to have issues with shorts/bloomers being to tight in her legs, now they are too tight in the bum too.

Ultimately, I am glad we made the switch. I really do love the idea of cloth diapering, I love the look of the wraps, and I really think they are going to be better for everyone (Julia, me, Jonathan, the planet) in the long run. I think that if there is ever a Baby Dubya 2, we will start from the beginning using cloth - hopefully even using them at night but having disposables for ease of traveling. Using them from the beginning will help alleviate any transition period for the babe and will just, in my opinion, be easier in the end. Plus, when the poo diapers are solely breastfed poo, then you can wash them without rinsing them out first. Which is one less step to deal with and makes things easier! And, as my engineering minded husband points out, the money saved is unbeatable. Jonathan figured that we've spent at least $400+ on disposables so far that we can never get back. If that is in, say, 8 months time, then you're looking at roughly $600 a year, or $1200-1500+ for two or more years. Our start up cost for cloth was less than $200, and the on going cost for Julia is sure to be less than another $200. Yet, like I said before, you have to really, REALLY want to do cloth, otherwise I think you'll be far more likely to stop and switch to disposables.

I hope that helps answer any questions for you curious minded people. If not, ask away and I can provide any answer, sparing no poopie detail! :)

These are a few of my favorite things... (sung like Julie Andrews)

Since we've made some crazy green changes in the Windham household, I've come to have some new favorites that I can't sing about enough. Really, I do actually sing about them. Mostly to Julia who thinks I still have a pretty voice.

1. Lentils. I'm not sure why, but lentils just never seemed all that appealing. But since we're having two vegetarian meals a week, lentils were bound to get into the rotation. So last night I made Curried Lentils with Vegetables. Can I just say "Yuuuummmy!". Man, that stuff was delicious! Thanks to my success with last night's meal, lentils are now making their way to my favorite things list.

2. Curry. Curry scares me. Not the taste, because I love, love, love curry, but actually preparing it makes me really nervous. Whenever I see my favorite Indian dishes I always imagine that it must have taken hours and hours plus years of experience to create such a scrumptous dish. Turns out it just takes curry powder. Ha, who knew?

3. Bummis Super Brite Wraps. Sounds like a food, but it's a babe butt cover. These Bummis' have gussets that help keep the cloth diaper (as well as the contents of the diaper) in the wrap. They are a bit more handwashing friendly then their cousin, Bummis Super Whisper. But the gussets alone were what sold me.

4. DTV. We just got the digital converter box for out TV. Despite the fact that we did actually lose some channels (long story there), we did gain two PBS stations! And since we Windhams love our PBS, it has been a wonderful addition to have.

5. Finally, a picture of three of my most favorite things, ever.

Ready, set, go!

And she's off!

Julia is offically crawling! About a month ago she started getting up on all fours, rocking back and forth and then *splat*. Well yesterday, I sat her down, started doing something, looked back and she was moving! She's pretty slow, needs lots of encouragement, but she will go from on side of the livingroom to the other.

But wait, that's not all! She's also pulling herself up too!

Pretty amazing stuff.

I will say she looks mighty funny when she crawls, as it is not the traditional knee crawling, but foot/knee crawling:





Good thing we set this up recently:



And here she is pulling herself up: