Disconnected

I'm feeling a bit disconnected.

I'm feeling disconnected because I deactivated my facebook profile. I'm not complaining. I don't know how you all manage it, but for me, facebook is a major time-sucker. "Just checking" always turned into at least 15-20 minutes of browsing. And not just 15-20 minutes a day, but 15-20 minutes several times a day. Considering how little free time I have these days, when re-evaluating how to manage my time better, it was obvious that my beloved FB had to go. All in all I'm on the computer FAR less these days, and that also means I'm missing out on all the updates from my friends. I miss the days when the only way we knew what was going on with our friends was to pick up the phone or get together.

I'm feeling disconnected because I have to spend so much time at home. It's a mixed blessing. I love staying at home and I don't even mind going days without leaving the house. I'm a homebody and I find the daily routine much less stressful if I don't have to fit in an outing. But I miss the days when it was just Claire and I and leaving the house wasn't a major production that had to be squeezed in between bottles and naps.

I'm feeling disconnected because Jeff is so busy. He's not home a lot more than normal the next few months, and when he is home, he's still so busy. The few minutes of conversation we get each day are usually about his work or the kids and are always filled with a plethora of interruptions. I miss the days when it was just Jeff and I and we had the time (and quiet) for our conversations to evolve and move past "How was your day, dear?"

I'm feeling disconnected because God hasn't been my centerpiece. He's been a lovely lamp. Glowing, warm, inviting, helpful... but on the end table. I miss the days when I was on fire.

I'm missing a lot of things. I'm not complaining, because all the things I miss can be mine. I'm blessed beyond measure but I still want more.

To my dear friends and family: I'll miss your smiling FB profiles, but I look forward to our real conversations. Let's have patience, Sam's baby days will soon be drawing to an end and our play-dates, lunches, girl's night out and other get-togethers will resume.

To my dear husband: I look forward to dates, vacation and kids sleeping over at grandma's.

To my dear Lord: I know you're still working on me.

On the Move

(Click on picture to view video)

Wow, as if I weren't busy before, I'm busy now!

But, busy or not, I've got a new post on the way...

Busy with the little things

I think I've been doing pretty well with the transition from one to two kiddos. But I've now entered the homebound stage of Sam's infancy. 4+ hours of naps, 3 meals and 4 bottles doesn't leave a lot of time to leave the house, and just barely enough to get my weekly and daily chores done with a smidgen of play time thrown in. I'm LOVING that we are out of the newborn phase. It's not that I don't love cuddling a sweet, precious newborn, but I am happy to be done with sleepless nights, sore boobies and not showering till noon.

Sam

(Sam & Coen)

*is rolling over like crazy now (diaper changes are a challenge to say the least).

*can sit on his own for about 5 minutes when he's in the mood for it.

(When the Mum-Mum is gone)
(Peace is restored with a new Mum-Mum)

*ADORES eating (yogurt, bananas, avacados, apples, pears, plums, nectarines, peaches, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and rice/oat/barley/spelt cereals), especially his Mum-Mums!

*should have a tooth soon. He chews and drools like some kind of monster.

*squeals when he's tickled.

*has definitely formed an attachment to his blankies.


*puts everything within reach into his mouth including his entire fist and his toes.

*just about loves his sister more than his mommy.

Claire

(Elijah and Claire)

*has become increasingly creative. She recently drew her first picture of our family, cut out fish to represent each of us and can't get enough glitter and shimmer paints on her projects.

*always has some kind of pet bug (moths, beetles, roly-polys) and is learning the harsh reality of death as her friends succumb to life (or rather, the lack of) in a glass jar.

*shows me just how high she can jump about 50 times a day.

*is really enjoying swim lessons and does everything the teacher asks.

*loves Sam like crazy and makes me smile every time she calls him "little one".

*has taken to calling me "mama" and I love it.

*picks flowers for me every single day.

Jeff
*work, work, work, works! I love/hate it. I love that he works so hard to provide for us, but I can't say I love being a summer widow. We're lucky to get about an hour at most with him each day.

Bethany
*is still grain-free (except for the Friday night cheat meal). Not to say they don't occasional slip past my lips, but I'm doing pretty good.

(Grain-Free Granola/Soaking Pepitas and Sunflower Seeds/ Sourdough Starter Day 2)

*is attempting my first sourdough starter. I plan on trying to re-introduce some grains into my diet but will start with only soaked or sourdough as they are much easier on the digestive system, more nutritious, and YUMMY. I've been learning more from Nourishing Traditions and attempting to implement more of her food preparation methods. I've tried soaking nuts to try this tasty grain-free granola. (Added some ground flax and cinnamon and it is to die for)

*will be starting P90X! Well, I was able to borrow the discs from David & Summer and did them for two weeks to find out if I really liked the workouts. I do. They're not easy, but effective (lost a couple of inches of my waist), so I decided to bite the bullet and buy the set including the guides (found it used/new on Amazon).

(Solomon sporting one of his bald spots)

*is finally on the road to getting Solomon better. After several doctor and specialist visits and a skin biopsy we've discovered that he has an auto-immune disease of the skin. His immune system has been attacking his skin. He's been scabby and balding and miserable. After a week of high-d0se steroids, a 45 minute grooming session and a bath I think he's finally on the mend.

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend, and hopefully some time with my lovely niece.

Diapers, Dishes & Dirty Laundry

It's hard, at the end of each day, to recall anything I've done that doesn't involve childcare or housekeeping. It is my job, and I do love it, but it's nice to have days I can say I did something outside the realm of stay at home mommy. So I'll bore you with a little of the day to day with a splash of something fun (at least, what I think is fun).


Here's the Apple Cozy I made for Mrs. Dockweiler. Didn't it turn out so cute? It was a fun little "less than an hour" project that was perfect for an end of the school year gift.


You can add this to my "Why I wish the cat would just run away" list. We've had several (hopefully just drug-induced) accidents around the house lately. One involved the bean bag chairs. Chasing light as a feather, static crazy, minute pieces of foam around the house for two hours is not how I enjoy spending my evening.



HOLY COW... this girl is growing up way too fast.

Claire got to spend the night with my mom a few weeks ago. She just couldn't wait for grandma to come pick her up.


Watching a movie before bed-time.


Finally got a chance to plant my pots. I think these are my favorite find. They stay closed until the sun shines on them.


Claire checks her tomatoes every day to see if they're ready to eat.


Claire got to go on her fist camping trip! Jeff, Sam and I went to Spokane to see my niece, Kirsten, graduate. (Congratulations, Kirsten!) We didn't think Claire would enjoy it, so my parents agreed to take her camping instead. She had SO MUCH fun.


I made a batch of orange marmalade for my dad as a Father's Day gift. He loves it, so I figured I'd try making some with agave and raw sugar. I'm still not sure how well it will set up, but it tastes delicious. It turned out a really pretty amber color since I used raw agave and raw sugar.



I've been sneaking in crochet here and there (I rarely get more than a few minutes at a time during the day) and just happened to be working up this hexagon when I noticed that it matched my apron. Just thought it was cute.


Here are the colors I picked out for my niece's afghan. It won't be done it time for her birthday, but I think she's excited about it nonetheless. I'm really excited to try out Lucy's Granny Stripe Pattern.


HOLY COW... this boy is growing up way to fast.

And I can't get the photo to import, but I've been making baby food all week. I've made apples, pears, peaches, sweet potatoes and peas. Green beans and squash are next on my list. So far Sam's not a huge fan of bananas or avacados, but overall he's a really good eater and I just love this age and love trying out new foods.

Enjoy the domestic.