Happy International Babywearing Week!

November 12-18 is International Babywearing Week, and I've mentioned on here and on Twitter that I love wearing Z in a baby backpack while I work up at camp. It's also fun to wear him on walks, and when I wear him and vacuum, he doesn't cry nearly as much (he's doing better with loud noises, but the vacuum still intimidates him).

I'm relatively new to the whole babywearing arena, and didn't wear Z much when he was little, but I'm doing my research so that if another little one comes along someday, I'll be prepared, and I'm looking forward to wearing the next baby, hopefully in some kind of sling, wrap or mei tai. There are SO many more types of babywearing devices than I ever knew! Thanks, Stephanie, for opening up my eyes! :)
Here are Zachary and I on a walk around camp. I have a backpack that I got at a garage sale, and he loves it! If you can tell in the bottom picture, it has a metal frame which you can't feel when you're wearing it (the straps are really soft & comfy), but he loves it because he can stand up on the bottom bar & feel more active while he's riding. :)

I love babywearing because it keeps my baby calm & happy & close to me while I'm working- it's fun for him and me, and it's efficient.

To read about more people's adventures in babywearing, check out this post!

Oh, and I have lots of vacation/conference/24-hour flu adventures to share, so hopefully I'll get some posts written in the next few days. Okay, who am I kidding- I'll aim for one post in the next week. :)

Ashamed

I'm ashamed of myself today.

Little Z woke up around 6:45, which with us keeping him up a little later each night to prepare for the time change this Sunday, amounted to about 6:15 adjusted time. He was so tired while nursing that he could hardly keep his eyes open, but when I put him back in his bed, he played and played and refused to go back to sleep. Instead of spending time in prayer, I checked my email. Why? I don't know. So I finally got him back up around 7:45, and was grouchy at him for not going back to sleep.

Then Hubby came down the hall asking for a bucket. Apparently he was awakened by drips of water from our bedroom ceiling. Why today? I don't know. A branch fell on our house about two months ago, and it hasn't leaked at all until today.

Then I decided that I needed to go shopping for some clothes, and spend some of my birthday money, and we needed to leave right away. Why? I have no idea. So I hurried to get myself and Z ready to go, and headed out the door as quickly as possible. I ran some errands, and then went to the Big K to see what their fall clothes looked like. Z was very good through the first round of shopping, but during the 'trying-on' phase of the trip, he started getting really fussy. And I was rather impatient and frustrated with him. And after I left the dressing room, after snapping at my little sweetheart, I saw a mother rudely snapping at her son, who was riding in the cart, and I realized I was acting just like her. (On a side note, this child was at least two or three years old, and was drinking milk from a BOTTLE. Does anyone else think this is wierd???)

When we finally left the Big K, I was tired, Z was fussy, and we still had to go to Wally-World to pick up some things (okay, a lot of things) for me and Hubby, including groceries. Z actually behaved very well in Wally-World, and I hurried through the rest of our shopping and even managed to surprise my husband by having time to get us Subway for lunch. But after we got to the car, and drove home, and ate, even after Z took a nap, and I was relaxing in front of the computer, I was just whupped. I was still grouchy, and just worn out from my grouchiness and Z's grouchiness.

Then I checked my facebook page. A friend's page said that his child had both been born and passed away today. "She came and touched our hearts and now she's running in heaven" his page said. And I cried. And I was ashamed of myself. God has given me SO much. I am so blessed to have my husband and my son, and I don't thank God enough. Instead, I snap at my son when he won't sit still in the cart in the Big K dressing room. And I fuss at my hubby for tracking mud around the house and cluttering up my kitchen counter when others wish they had the opportunity to clean up after their husbands for just one more day.

And I remembered that this contentment thing? I have NOT arrived. Contentment and Christlikeness are lifelong processes. And, oh, yes, He's still working on me!

What is going on? Good question.

I have not blogged in forever. I will attempt to update all of my loyal readers on my life with a numbered list. Because I'm tired.

1. Little man is 10 months old. He's been eating a lot of LEAVES lately. That can't be good for the digestive tract. Never thought I'd be saying, "No, no, we don't eat leaves. Leaves are yucky. Yucky." in my life as many times as I have this week. He now says "all done", which is cute. He says it when we shut a door or leave a room or just whenever he feels like it. "Ah-gee" (pronounced with a hard g, not 'jee') means animal or person or anything else he deems exciting. He's not walking yet, but he may as well be- he can stand up almost on his own & he's into everything. Including all leaves & rocks within reach.

2. We still have a mouse. I am just defeated in the mouse area. I just give up. I stopped looking at what they have eaten in my pantry. I try to move the glue traps around to try to catch him, but I'm done worrying about it. It's so yucky. If I think about it too much, I may have a nervous breakdown. So I'm ignoring it & hoping it will just go away. Or eat some of my cooking and die.

3. I don't really have much else to post about. But I thought a number 3 would be appropriate. I'll post again when I have more awake brain cells to aid me in my writing.

Mousie Update

Yeah, so the mice are NOT gone. They are still here, taunting me and holding the tattered remnants of my sanity hostage.

The day after I wrote the above post, I saw another mouse, and the next morning woke up to find him trapped in a box trap - the kind where they walk in & can't get out. The next day, after that mouse had been trapped & I had re-cleaned my kitchen, I found more mousie evidence. And more yesterday.

So I laid out more glue traps around the kitchen, but no luck so far. I know, this really should not be this big of a deal, but it's just so GROSS. I'm back to hearing mice scratch at Z's baby monitor at 3 am, and thinking they're running over me in my sleep. No dreams yet, but I'll keep you posted.

It is never boring in our house. :)

Mousie Saga

Well, we have had quite the adventure in our house these last couple of weeks. Before we left on our vacation (sorry, that's part of the reason I haven't posted for so long!), I spied a mouse running around in our living room. Then we went to Iowa, visited our families, came back, and the mouse was still here.

In the past, we've always had cats, sometimes several cats at one time, who lived around & under our house & ate the mice before they got into the house. So I haven't really had to deal with mice overly much. But, as those of you who have experienced mice in your house know, they are SOOOO destructive. They eat through any kind of plastic or paper bag or box, eating & contaminating any food found inside, and they pulverize any kind of fabric or stuffing (potholders, blankets, sweaters) to make nests. Not to mention the thousands of little pieces of 'mousie evidence' that will be found anywhere they've made an appearance.

After being home from vacation a couple days and seeing the mouse several times, and finding many chewed & eaten things in my kitchen, I was totally disgusted and beginning to lose my mind. I couldn't sleep at night because I was imagining the mouse running over me (or worse, my 10-month old) in bed. I dreamed of mice & rats chasing me through the house & even getting caught in my vacuum. I thought I heard the mouse scratching at Z's end of the baby monitor. I jumped at every noise I heard come from anywhere near my cabinets, every creak of the house. It was ridiculous.

We bought the plastic snap traps, and a box trap that they're supposed to walk into & not be able to get out of. The mouse deftly avoided them and, in fact, ate the peanut butter OUT of the plastic traps without being snapped. The only time those traps snapped was when I was trying to load them. Can't you just see the mouse holding the trap open with his front paws while eating the peanut butter? Yech.

Finally, at the store yesterday, we bought some glue traps. These are sticky little pools that the mouse will get stuck in & not be able to get out. Someone recommended them to us. So we bought 8. I opened the top kitchen cabinet, above my head, to put the first one in, only to see the mouse peering down at me from a stack of my potholders. I considered throwing the glue trap AT the mouse, but instead I decided to scream, slam the door, and scare the baby, who began to cry. Much more effective.

When Hubby came home, I asked him to put the glue traps in the cabinet, which he was able to do successfully, without seeing the mouse. A couple hours later, I heard something moving around in the cabinet, and asked Joel to check the traps. He opened the door, and the mouse was sitting NEXT to one of the traps, staring at us. I screamed, burst into tears & proceeded to rant in detail about how I was losing my mind, and why was the mouse sitting NEXT to the trap, and when would he ever DIE already, and how MUCH of my STUFF would he EAT before it was over. How pathetic am I?

Anyway, this morning, Hubby checked the traps again, and found the little critter FINALLY stuck to one of the traps. Hallelujah. It was actually kind of cute, just sitting there looking at us, when we knew it couldn't get us. I said this to Hubby & he gave me the wierdest look. It said, "Seriously?" :) Hubby doesn't like touching mice, but he managed to get the trap into a plastic bag & throw it in the camp's dumpster!!! I think I did a jig when the mouse was gone. It remains to be seen whether he was our one & only mouse, or whether he brought friends and family. The remaining glue traps will be staying in their positions, at the ready. Just in case.

So overall, along with a small portion of my sanity, which may have been questionable to begin with, I lost a bag of rice, some navy beans, some peanut butter crackers & Saltines, breath mints, a bottle of sprinkles, two potholders and a kitchen towel. SO FAR. Hopefully this was a solo job and I won't find more stuff chewed into. Blech. So there's your disgusting story for the week.

Pooh, Golf Carts, and Marriage

It was the summer of 2001. Hubby and I had been dating for almost two years, and in Bible College years, that's a LONG time for a couple to be together before getting engaged. And boy, did I know it. I REALLY wanted to be engaged.

Hubby is really good at surprising me- he always goes out of his way to let me know ahead of time that we just don't have the money/time/whatever for something right now, and I (of course) always respond kindly, "Oh, alright, honey, I completely understand." Ahem. Let's get back to reality. Anyway...after we discuss said item and decide together that we truly don't need it, he usually surprises me with it soon after our conversation (not EVERYTHING I want, just some things- didn't want you all to think I'm spoiled or anything *wink wink*).

So, back to that summer, 2001...Hubby's family was getting together for a 'family camp' at his grandparent's house in northern Iowa. He had driven all night from his home in Ohio to join his family for a few days, and he stopped to pick me up at my eastern Iowa home on the way. We were so glad to see each other in the middle of a difficult summer apart. However, he was completely exhausted by the time we got to his grandparents house. I encouraged him to go take a nap, but first he wanted to take a ride on his grandpa's golf cart around the countryside and exchange the gifts we had brought for each other. We used to exchange little gifts for our 'month-iversaries' of dating. Weren't we just so unbearably cute?

So he went and got the golf cart, and pulled his gift for me out of the trunk. It was a huge box. I was a little embarassed because my gift for him was in a little tiny box. I don't remember exactly what my gift was. Maybe a t-shirt? I think there was definitely a Broncos mini-koosh ball involved. Anyhoo, we rode down to the creek in the golf cart and exchanged gifts. He opened his first, and was appropriately pleased, I'm sure.

Then I opened mine. Let me preface this gift by saying that I LOVED (and still do love) Winnie the Pooh. Having said that, my gift was a huge stuffed Pooh bear that talked. It was holding a green velvety ring box, which I got all excited about. I opened the ring box, and inside was a key ring and a smiley face sticker. I was not thrilled. Note to any guys who may be reading: when your girlfriend REALLY wants to be engaged, it is NOT a fun joke to pretend to propose to her. Not funny. Okay? Now that we've got that settled...

Thankfully, I was not too grouchy about the joke, though, because next we noticed that Pooh wasn't talking like he was supposed to. So Hubby said, "Let's turn it over & look where the batteries go in. Maybe that will help." So we did. And inside the battery compartment was a beautiful gold-wrapped box that actually contained MY ring. And Hubby got down on one knee in the mud next to the golf cart and asked me to marry him. Through tears of joy, I agreed. Although I suppose you could've inferred that from the fact that I refer to him as 'hubby'.

So, yes, I got engaged on a golf cart, holding a large Winnie-the-Pooh while my hubby knelt in the mud to propose to me. When you put it that way, I guess it doesn't sound very romantic- but I suppose you would just have to know me. :) It was truly a moment to remember for the rest of our lives.

A few weeks ago, we should've celebrated nine years of being together- dating, engaged, married, what have you all combined. Except we both totally forgot about it and just realized it the other day. So happy belated nine years together, hubby! :) And hope we will celebrate MANY more in the future! I love you! :)

Chocolate Idols

Last night at church, our pastor made some comments about idol worship. The fact is that when we put anything ahead of Christ in our priorities, our life, our preferences, that thing is an idol. When we have a problem, and we turn to anything other than Christ for help and fulfillment, that thing is an idol.

I don't talk much about my weight struggle. It's pretty obvious to all who know me in person that I HAVE a weight struggle, but it's a pretty personal thing. Let me just say that part of my problem is that I am an emotional eater. Something happens to make me grouchy or tired, and the first thought that enters my mind is, "Do I have any chocolate/ice cream?" and "If so, where, and how much?".

Lately one of my major stressors is Little Z's teething. On days when he's teething, he's grouchy, and whiny, and sometimes melts down into screaming fits, and I just feel like I can't take it! And, of course, my first thought when this happens is 'CHOCOLATE'. Not to get down on my knees and ask God for an enormous dose of patience and wisdom. But chocolate. And so, in this instance, I am putting chocolate above God as an idol. And God is gently showing me that I need to choose instead to use food only as fuel for my body, not as an emotional band-aid.

God puts circumstances in our lives for a reason. Z's teething fits are a part of my life for a REASON. It's not because God wants to punish me or drive me insane, it's so that I can grow. Without difficult circumstances forcing me to examine the way I react to stress, and CHANGE that reaction by depending on God alone, there can be no growth.

So, wow, God, never thought I'd say this, but "Thanks for teething".

A Weekly Plan

Today's tip is about organizing housework in a way that works for me.



Lately, I've been going through a phase where everything in my life is overwhelming to me- work, housework, keeping in touch with family and friends, tweaking baby's schedule for the beginnings of weaning... somehow emotionally (and probably hormonally), I've just been feeling a little bit overwhelmed. So last week, one day I finally decided to sit down and do something about it- to get organized...at least in the housework area... :)



Before I had Z, I used http://www.flylady.net/ as a jumping-off point for organizing my housecleaning. This website is very helpful, but very detailed. Just the thought of getting back into it was overwhelming me. But finally, I had to do something. So I just sat down and made a list of all of the chores that need to be done each week, and then organized them into lists of what I should do each day. Following is an example of my weekly plan:



Monday: Relax with hubby (Monday is his day off)

Stay caught up on dishes & laundry

Water Plant

Tuesday: Microwave

Fridge & Freezer

Vacuum

Clean Both Bathrooms

Wednesday: Weight Loss Group

Store, Library & Post Office Errands

Thursday: Sweep All Floors

Wipe Kitchen Floor

Thank You Notes

Wash Sheets/Towels

Friday: Dust

Cobweb

Wipe Down Bathrooms

Scrub Tub



Every day I do dishes, laundry, and sweep the floors, in addition to my daily cleaning. I take Saturday off, since I'm usually working at camp all day, and Sunday off for church, and Monday pretty much off because of my hubby's day off being Monday. Wednesday morning is always crazy, getting ready to go to weight-loss group, and I work in the afternoons, so Wednesday is sort of a 'buffer day' that I can use to get extra cleaning done if I end up having time.



I was dreading getting back into a schedule, because then I'd be bound to it & feel guilty if I didn't get it done, but I'm actually finding that it's easier for me now that I have a schedule. Because if one week, I don't have time to dust on Friday, I know it'll get done the next Friday for sure, or I use my weekend as a buffer zone to get it all finished.



Before I had a schedule, I just had this impending sense of doom, a cloud hanging over me saying, "your house is dirty...when was the last time you dusted/scrubbed the tub/etc....do you even know?" And now I do! :) So I guess having a housework schedule works for me!


Head on over to Shannon's place to see some more Works-for-me-Wednesday tips!

Style Watch

Oh, yes the 80's have returned.

Did any of you have one of these little numbers when you were in junior high?

Why, oh, why, did I ever give my HyperColor t-shirt to Goodwill???

The Gift of Color

When I take time to praise God for all He has blessed me with, I start with the things I need that He unfailingly provides for me and my family. And then I move on to the things that I don't need but He continuously lavishes on me. I love to gaze at beautiful landscapes and intricate details of creation and praise Him for the beauty He surrounds me with. You know, He didn't have to.

He could've made this whole world in black and white. Can you imagine being surrounded each day by shades of gray? Dark gray grass. Light gray sky. Really- pause and try to imagine it- I bet you can't. I know I truly can't. No lush green meadows dotted with bright yellow dandelions and buttercups. No neighbor's flower beds bright with gladiolus in every color of the rainbow. No vibrant leaves blanketing the rolling hills each fall.

Instead, our creative and loving God chose to make His world unbelievably beautiful, decorated in more shades and hues than our finite minds can comprehend. He sculpted purple mountain majesties, and formed amber waves of grain. He mixed the emerald oceans and scattered smooth taupe sands in the deserts. He attached fragile, elaborately decorated wings to butterflies' backs, and then tossed flowers of every shape, size, and color imaginable onto hillsides and even hid some deep in the crevices of jagged rocks.

And all of this beauty was made with us in mind. God created man, and then instructed us to enjoy His bountiful creation. He blesses us beyond anything we could even imagine and daily loads us with much more than we deserve. Each detail of His creation points to Him alone, and the purpose of this world and all of its beauty is to teach us about Him. When I see the gorgeous colors He has created, it reminds me that God is a creative, artistic God. He doesn't just give us the essentials that we need for everyday life, but instead lavishes numerous blessings on us, in order for us to enjoy them abundantly.


This post was written for Scribbit's September Write Away Contest.