Back to what matters

After trying to make my blog into a 2nd job with hopes of making some extra cash with giveaways & ads, I've decided to go back to what matters. Documenting the ups & downs of my adorable little boy in my journey through mommyhood. I LOVE writing about little E, but I hated all the time I was spending in front of my computer instead of cuddling him. So here I go, blogging because I want to, not to make money.

Little E is now 1 year, 1 month, 14 days, 13 hours, & 24 minutes old. I like to be specific. His interests include screaming, running in circles, climbing & jumping off EVERYTHING, giving kisses as he reaches for whatever you have, banging things together, playing with anything that makes noise or lights up, & fake crying for attention. He's the sweetest, funniest, cutest little person in the world. I'm so blessed to have him. He's pretty amazing.

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Long Over Due

It's been a while since my last post. I guess you could say little E has been keeping me busy! He's almost 10 months old, which is insane. I refuse to let him grow up (like I have a choice...).
I've also been working on starting a little on the side hobbyish photo business, which takes up a TON of time. I'm not really starting it to make money, but rather as a way to pay for all the photography related costs since Luke's recent job change made money a bit tighter.
Eli has become a full on pro at standing, & I know it won't be muc longer before walking becomes his favorite means of travel. He can take a few steps, & has been for about a month, but he doesn't have it down quite yet.
Tomorrow we go in for E's head scan. I'm trying my best to stay optimistic about it, but can't help but be scared to death. He seems fine, no obvious developmental issues or anything, but his head is growing at an alarming rate. He's been above 99% on the charts since he was born, but now it keeps jumping up. As nervous as I am about tomorrow, I'm also relieved for the day to finally be here so we can all stop wondering.

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Lessons Learned of a Newish Mommy

A year ago I was anxiously awaiting Eli's arrival, now I'm starting to look for his first birthday invitations. A year ago I was wish time would pass quicker, now I wish I would have been a little more patient & cherished each moment. A year ago I was buying newborn sized clothes for my unborn baby, now I'm chasing an 8 month old around.

Thinking back on where I was a year ago makes me realize everything I have learned as I became a new parent.
I've learned:
When everyone tells you to enjoy your time before the baby is born, do it. Just take some time for yourself, because those moments will soon be fleeting.
You won't ever be a 'perfect' parent. There really is no such thing.
It's no longer a big deal if your normally spotless house is a bit messy, it's more important to cuddle with your baby while you still have the chance. The toilet will still need scrubbed tomorrow, but that sweet baby is growing up before your eyes.
Be patient, relax, & enjoy the moment. When you're waiting for your baby to be born, when your ready for bed but your new baby isn't, & when you can't wait for your baby to reach his next milestone. You'll miss that moment one day & wish you hadn't rushed it away.
You will save a TON of money by using cloth diapers. They really aren't that hard.
Save a little time for yourself. You are not a bad parent if you want an afternoon to yourself. You are only human.
Ask for help, you are not super mom.
Your baby doesn't need 100 newborn or 0-3 outfits. The can all be washed & worn again. Return a few for some bigger sizes, you'll need them later.
While you want to be educated on what is best for your baby, being paranoid & overly cautious is not necessary.
Money doesn't matter to your baby. As long as he has the food he needs, a safe place to sleep, & a loving family, he has everything he needs. Fancy toys are not necessary & he will probably enjoy the box it came in more.
Take LOTS of pictures. You will soon be shocked by how tiny your baby once was, & will regret not taking more pictures & videos of him at each stage.
Make back ups of those pictures! Just in case the terrible happens, make a back up & keep it in a safe place (like a fire proof, water proof safe). Losing all those images will make you sick.
Be thankful for the beautiful baby you hold in your arms every day.

My son means the world to me & I can't wait for him to teach me more & more everyday. I am blessed to have such a sweet little boy.

Lil Bundle of Joy Giveaway Winner!

And the winner of the Lil Bundle of Joy Plushie & Crinkle Owl Giveaway is................

comment # 58 posted by one_irish_qt!

Congratulations Annie!

The winner has been contacted & will have 48 hours to respond. 

If they do not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Baby Chin-Ups?

I couldn't do a chin-up to save my life. But Eli? Well, he's kind of starting to become a pro at chin-ups. Everytime I turn around he seems to be hanging from something.
If he's hungry he'll hold on to his high chair & let his legs dangle below.
If he wants in his bouncy horse, he'll hold on & kick his feet.
If he wants on the couch, he'll hold on tight & pull up his legs while he attempts to scoot on.
This all makes me so nervous. I never let him dangle long enough to see if he'd just let go, but I'm terrified Daddy won't be paying close enough attention & he'll fall & get hurt.
I never knew how much my little boy would terrify me....but it does.

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WHY?!?!?!?

Why must insurance be so EXPENSIVE?!?!!?

My husband lost his job last week, so we all lost our insurance. Luckily, he has already found a new job, but they don't pay anything for dependents insurance coverage & his won't start for 90 days.

I'm able to get back on at my work, but to add Eli it's $300 a month & to add Luke it's $250, on top of the $160 I pay for mine! So, I started my search for more affordable insurance for Luke & Eli.

The cheapest good plan is $307 for both of them. Which is what it would be to add Eli to our work plans, so I guess it's really all the same, but this way I don't have to worry about them losing insurance if he loses his job again. I guess paying $467 isn't too bad when I consider how expensive everything can be if something happens; but it is still more than is easily affordable for us, especially considering Luke took a pay cut with his new job.

I suppose I should be a little more thankful that we are able to afford insurance at all. But I still hate parting with almost $500 a month, I keep thinking of all the debt we could be paying off.

Oh well, life happens right?

How did I get so Lucky

My son is absolutely perfect.

He loves hugs from his Momma.
He kicks & squeals in excitement when he sees his Daddy.
He loves squealing & screaming, especially at the dogs.
He likes his sleep, almost as much as Mommy.
He loves to eat, I hope he won't grow up to be as picky as his Daddy.
He will crawl to what he wants, unless he knows your watching him. Then he'll scream 'til you do what he wants.
He has learned how to climb into his carseat.
He could jump in his jumper most of the day.
He has discovered how to pull himself up on furniture.
He loves banging toys together, because the noises they already made weren't loud enough.
He loves the water. I'm starting to think he may have gills somewhere.
He gets excited when you let him walk while he holds onto your fingers.
He can hold his bottle, but won't do it because he knows you will hold it for him.
He loves his little race track. If we could figure out a way for him to play with that while jumping, he'd never do anything else.
He knows he has his Mommy & Daddy wrapped around his little finger, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

My sweet little Eli can make a terrible day better with just one smile. And nothing beats those sloppy baby kisses. It's hard to think that I met him for the first time only 220 days ago. Even with all the dirty diapers, screaming fits, & sleepless nights, it has been the best 220 days of my life.

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I HATE HARVEST

When I was younger I loved harvest.

I loved how the wheat looked when it was ready to harvest. I loved how it meant nice, hot weather. I loved all the cute farm boys I'd see all over town. I loved combine & tractor rides. I loved everything about it. I never understood how someone could hate harvest.

But now, I get it. I have become a harvest hater.

I still love the way the wheat looks, the beautiful weather, & the combine & tractor rides; but now, I'm married to that cute farm boy. Now I'm sitting at home with our baby, wondering if he'll get home before we go to sleep. Chances are, he won't. But probably I'll catch a glimpse of him as he leaves in the morning for work.

Not quite the life I imagined as a teenage girl in love with harvest.

Lil Bundle of Joy Review & Giveaway!

When I found Lil Bundle of Joy on Etsy, I instantly fell in love with EVERYTHING in the shop! They have all sorts of adorable things; from little plushie & crinkle owls to bibs & burp cloths.

 I choose a boy plushie owl & a crinkle owl to review. I couldn't wait for them to arrive. They are so adorable & I just knew Eli would love them as much, if not more than I do! 

Boy was I right! As soon as they came in the mail I ripped open the package, gave them a quick check over to be certain I was comfortable with Eli playing with them, & then handed them to Eli. He was immediately intrigued. He kept crinkling the yellow crinkle owl & giving the red plushie kisses, smiling & laughing the entire time.

We left for vacation the next day & I'm so glad I had them! The crinkle owl kept him entertained for quite a while on our 22 hour drive & he loved to snuggle the plushie!

If you have a little one, I am convinced they will like these little toys as much as my little guy did!

Feeling lucky?
Malissa, at Lil Bundle of Joy, will be giving one of my lucky followers a crinkle & a plushie owl. The winner will choose boy or girl & the color of their choice. Entry instructions can be found below.

Don't want to wait?
Buy it now & receive 15% off using the code DOTCOM15 at Lil Bundle of Joy on Etsy!

You MUST be following me publicly via GFC to win.

Mandatory Entry:

[+1] Like Lil Bundle of Joy on Facebook & tell them I sent you

Additional Entries:

 [+1] Like me on Facebook

[+1] Follow Lil Bundle of Joy's blog

[+1] Follow me on Twitter

 [+1 per day] Tweet this giveaway & put the link in your comment:

RT I want to #Win crinkle & plushie owl toy from @LifeAsMommy #giveaway ends 6/20 http://bit.ly/k7XFCl

 [+1 per day] Post this giveaway on Facebook AND tag @Journey through Mommyhood & @Lil Bundle of Joy

[+1] Favorite Lil Bundle of Joy on Etsy

[+2] Favorite an item from Lil Bundle of Joy's shop & leave it in your comment

[+3] Add my button to your blog & leave me the link
[+4 per day] Vote for me on  Picket Fence Blogs

[+5] Blog about this giveaway & leave me the link

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry along with your email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway will end on 6/19 at midnight CST. The winner will be drawn via random.org & will be notified by email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn. This giveaway is open to all residents.

The giveaway winner will be sent their prize free of charge. The review items were provided to me at no charge by the company. The review is my personal opinion of the products I was sent, & was in no way influenced by compensation of any sort.

Ahhh! The Guilt!

I feel so guilty. Especially because I know he's not quite ready for this, but Mommy can't handle all those teeth!

I started weaning Eli a couple days ago. It all started during our trip because it was quicker to give him a bottle than to stop & breastfeed him. It would have added a few hours to our already 22 hour drive. I was still breastfeeding him in the morning, evening, & usually once when we stopped during the day, but my supply plummeted. After we made it to SC, I was breastfeeding as much as I could so my supply started to recover some, but then dropped again on the ride home. I probably would have worked harder to get it back up when we returned home if it hadn't been for all the biting!

Eli now has 4 teeth. I could handle the biting when it was tooth against gum...but now that it's tooth on tooth, I'm not doing so well. Especially with all the bleeding. Yes, that's right, he has been biting me so hard I start bleeding, a lot.

I'm still breastfeeding in the morning & at night. I will keep this up until my supply completely disappears. But I can tell he's upset when I come home for lunch or get off work & don't breastfeed him, the screaming & glaring gives it away.

I made it 7 months, which is pretty good, but still 5 months short of the year I had planned on. I'm sure the guilt will subside eventually, but for now I feel like a terrible Mommy.

Extra Hours Please!

Can I add a few extra hours to each day? Pretty please!?

I have so much stuff to get done & caught up on after being on vacation for a week at work, home, & blog. I'm most excited about the blog stuff, because I LOVE giveaways & this next one is fun :) I think you will all really like it!

I'm dreading all the cleaning, but am ready to no longer feel disgusted to look at my house. My husband, who doesn't believe in cleaning, was home alone all week, so my house is trashed. I'm estimating it will take a solid day with no interruptions to clean it all.

Now to find a sitter for Eli, so Mommy can clean & get all the fun blog stuff done!

Giveaway Winner!

So sorry I'm 2 days late posting this, we have had some awful weather the past couple days.

The winner of the Rumparooz cloth diaper from The Changing Table is...

Amanda Mom of 2! Congratulations Amanda!!!

The winner has been contacted & will have 48 hours to respond. 

If they do not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

And the winner is...

To be determined! The Rumparooz diaper giveaway ended at 8CST. However, due to very bad storms hitting, I will not be able to draw for the winner until sometime tomorrow. Sorry for the delay!

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22+ hour drive?

Is this a wise idea with a 6 month old baby? I'm starting to get a little concerned...but it's too late to change my mind now! We leave for South Carolina on Wednesday morning. But I do need some pointers on keeping a baby happy when the majority of the day he will be in his carseat. I'm planning to take LOTS of toys to keep him entertained, but don't know much else to do.

I have always thought road trips were fun. We even took a random road trip for our honeymoon. We flipped a quarter & headed in the direction it told us too, which ended up being California. I loved every minute of that, but this may be where I change my mind on road trips.

Wish me luck!

Playdate, Mother's Day, & a Vegetarian Baby...

Eli & I visited Sam & Stacey last Monday for a playdate. A very long overdue playdate. They hadn't seen each other since their newborn pictures in November (Sam is 2 days older). Not that they really interacted with each other, after all they we're less than 2 weeks old. But now that they are actually getting old enough to play, we need to be sure & keep it up. Here are some pictures of these adorable boys. Eli is on the left & Sam is on the right.

For Mother's Day Eli painted picture frames & flower pots for his grandmas & great grandmas. It turned out cute, but was a huge mess. He sure did love squishing the finger paints! Please ignore the messy garage & the fact that I hadn't done my hair or make up yet...

Now, for those of you still reading, I need some suggestions. My baby HATES meat. We haven't tried much, but he ALWAYS spits it back out. I know I can't have a vegetarian baby, so I need pointers on how to get him to eat some meat too instead of only fruit & veggies! This seems like such an odd question because I know in a few years I will be begging for pointers on getting him to eat veggies.

I failed...again

I have to be one of the worst cooks in the world. It smelt good, but it was gross! Luke took a bite & then asked me to never make that again. I've come to the conclusion that I need a cook, my family needs a cook...otherwise were destined to eat out way too often.

Maybe i just need to stop trying to come up with my own recipes & should just buy a good recipe book. A cookbook with good, simple, idiot proof recipes. Any suggestions?

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Hop a Little Tuesday!

Welcome to week 8 of Hop a Little Tuesday.

There are 3 different linkys.  You can link up your Blogs, Facebook [fan pages ONLY], & Twitter accounts!

RULES:

*Become a follower of the first 3 blogs on the list. [leave comments and we will follow back!]  Your links will be removed if you are not following the first 3 blogs.

*Link yourself to the list.

*Make sure you leave comments for new blogs that you follow saying that you are stopping by from Hop a Little Tuesday].

*Come back next week.

*Please add the button to your blog, & share the link with your Facebook readers & Twitter followers & help us spread the word! [You don't have to...but it would be AWESOME if you did!]  The more the merrier!

One random person will be chosen to have a spotlight post next Tuesday on Little Boys are Made of Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails and Love You Always and Forever.

<a href="http://www.madeofsnails.com/search/label/Hop%20a%20Little%20Tuesday"><img src="http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n638/staceysprague/Hopalittletuesday.jpg" alt="BWS tips button" width="125" height="125" /></a>

Link up your blogs here:

Link up your Facebook here:




Link up your Twitter here:

Rumparooz Diaper Giveaway!

CLOSED - Winner has been drawn! Congratulations AMANDA!

I started using cloth diapers last month & LOVE them. One of the diapers I tried was the Rumparooz. They are my FAVORITE of all the pocket diapers. They fit Eli well & NEVER leaked! 

The Changing Table is giving away one (1) Rumparooz Lazy Lime One Size Snap Pocket diaper to one of my followers!

The Rumparooz diapers have a waterproof outer & include a 6-r soaker which customizes to 6 absorbency & size settings. It is the only cloth diaper with inner gussets, has 100% hypoallergenic microchamois inner, & will fit babies 6-35lbs.

You MUST be following my blog PUBLICLY via GFC in order to enter to win this giveaway!

Mandatory Entry:

[+1] Like The Changing Table on Facebook and leave a comment saying I sent you.

Additional Entries:

[+1] Like me on Facebook.

[+1] Follow me on Twitter.

[+1] Follow The Changing Table on Twitter.

[+1] Follow The Changing Table's blog.

[+1 per day] Tweet this giveaway & put the link in your comment:

RT I want to #Win a Rumparooz #clothdiaper from @CrunchyChic & @LifeAsMommy #giveaway ends 5/23http://bit.ly/j6TyPQ

[+1 per day] Post this giveaway on Facebook AND tag @Journey through Mommyhood and @The Changing Table.

[+3] Add my button to your blog & leave me the link.
[+4 per day] Vote for me here.

[+5] Blog about this giveaway & leave me the link.

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry along with your email address so I can contact you if you win.  This giveaway will end on 5/23/2011 at 8:00pm CST. The winner will be drawn via random.org.This giveaway is only open for US residents.

Welcome back Sleep, you've been missed.

Much to Mommy's relief, Eli started sleeping all night again! At his 6 month appointment we found out he had ear wax compounded in his ear. It must have been bothering him because he's been sleeping GREAT since his pediatrician cleaned it out! Although, listening to him cry while getting it cleaned out was worse than the shots. But he's feeling much better now!

I've been feeling great with all this sleep. Luke & I even cleaned out the garage. 1 1/2 years after moving here, we FINALLY went through all the boxes. I decided that if I haven't used or worn it since we moved here, I probably wouldn't miss it, so we hauled almost everything to the dump or Goodwill. I'm excited that we can now use our garage for parking. I should probably start cleaning on the rest of the house now. I have a lot that needs done, but all I want to do is cuddle with Eli. It will all get done.......eventually.

Trained by a Little Monster

My six month old son has me trained.
He starts to fuss, I make a fool of myself singing & dancing around.
He throws down his toy, I pick it up.
He happily screams & reaches his arms up, I carry him around.
He cries, I hold & snuggle him.
He talks & laughs, I can't focus on anything else.
I'm wrapped around his little finger & he knows it.

He's my baby, so it's okay for me to be obsessed with him. After all I waited so long for him to finally arrive & he will only be this little once. But I'm afraid I have created a little monster.

He used to sit happily & play in his excersaucer, jumparoo, or playmat & go to bed so well. But recently, he needs me ALL the time. I put him in his jumparoo, & he's fine as long as I am clearly paying attention to him. If I walk in the other room to work on dinner or to throw in some laundry, he immediately starts screaming & crying. It's not too bad, I just started 'wearing' him & that seems to make him happy.
Then, the nighttime routine started going crazy. The sweet little boy who used to go right to sleep when I laid him in his bed & would stay asleep all night is gone. He has been replaced by an adorable little monster who knows Mommy wont let him cry all night.
I've managed to be strong enough in the evenings to let him cry for a few minutes & then I'll go comfort him without picking him up & leave again. We go through this a few times before he will finally fall asleep. However, he has also started waking up between 2 & 4 demanding to be fed & held. This is the hardest part for me. When I'm incredibly tired & know I have to get up in a few hours for work, I'm not so willing to stay up & listen to him cry as I wait for him to fall asleep in his own bed. So, I started nursing him in our bed, which turned into letting him stay in our bed until morning. I kept telling myself it wouldn't cause a bad habit because it was only a few hours, but it did. Now he always wants to sleep in Mommy & Daddy's bed. At least I know this little monster loves his Mommy right?

10 days blog free

It has been 10 days since my last post. Wow, it seems like FOREVER! I sure have missed it!

My husband told me I was on the computer too much in the evenings & said I couldn't go 10 days without it. Well, he was WRONG! I didn't exactly go into the dark ages though. I still used facebook & twitter from my phone, but I only used the computer to edit Easter pictures; which he said was okay. Now that I have made it 10 days, I will resume my blogging <3

I find it funny that in my hiatus from blogging, Luke started using the computer more. I'm starting to think the problem wasn't me being on the computer too much, but more him wanting to spend more time on it. It made me think maybe I should break down & buy a new laptop. Once upon a time, we had a desktop & a laptop. But that poor laptop, which was several years old, finally died. It would be nice to buy another, but with the way things around my house are breaking, it's going to have to wait I suppose.

Which brings me to how I learned to bake a cake on a sandwich maker. Yep, our oven died. We knew it was getting bad & starting to go out after struggling for a while. But it still worked, I would just have to cook things a little longer & at a little higher temp. But the other day was the last straw. It took TWO HOURS to bake ONE batch of cookies. They were only supposed to bake for eight minutes on 350 degrees. I baked them for 2 hours on 500 degrees. We went shopping for a new oven on Saturday, but we didn't end up buying anything. Its just not in the budget right now. After all, we had to buy a new fridge a month ago. So, till I feel we can afford a new oven, I'll be getting creative by doing everything stove top. (or in a sandwich maker!)

Eli's first Easter was a blast. We didn't do much, just relaxed & visited with some family. The Easter bunny did 'hide' some eggs for  him though. Easter morning there were tons of colored eggs scattered all around his playmat. We discovered Eli LOVES plastic eggs. They are currently his new favorite toy. He also doesn't like to share them. I made the mistake of grabbing one. He gave me the angry face & hollered at me. He also got some diapers from the Easter bunny...well, maybe those were more for Mommy. I decided to try prefold & flat diapers. I LOVE the prefolds. I expected them to be time consuming & complicated. But they aren't, & they keep everything in very well. I haven't used the flats yet. I need a tutorial on how to use them first.

On Thursday we will be returning the diapers from the 30 day diaper trial from The Changing Table. I plan on buying about half of them & some different ones. I fell in love with the Best Bottoms & the Flips. I really like being able to just change out the insert & reusing the cover. Maybe that's why I love the prefolds so much. I can use the cover almost all day! And the are VERY cheap. I got 10 diapers, 2 covers, & 2 snappis for $50.

My next adventure is to start making Eli's baby food. I didn't want to mess with straining it, so I was waiting till stage 2 so it could be a little thicker. Now that he will be 6 months old on Thursday, stage 2 is very near!

A walking Mom Zombie

My little Eli has been a champion sleeper since he was born, we're talking 5-7 hours a night his first few weeks & 8-12 hours since he was 6wks old. But that seems to be a thing of the past.
Everyone always asked how he was sleeping & I'd happily reply that he slept through the night, except for every now & then when he didn't feel well. And every time they would tell me that we were very lucky. I have friends who would be up all night with their babies, but I never thought I would soon join them.
But here we are on day 4 of 3 hours or less of sleep. I'd say Eli had his days & nights mixed up, but that isn't true. He doesn't sleep during the day much either, yet he is still a big ball of energy. I, however, don't function well on little sleep. I am NOT one of those super moms who can be up all night, work all day, come home make dinner & clean up the house. I'm doing good to throw a pizza in the oven for Luke & feed Eli. I feel sorry for my poor hubby, I'm not a nice person when I'm sleepy. I'm a crazed, angry Mom Zombie. At least the work week is almost over, maybe I will get caught up on sleep & cleaning.

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Insert Witty Title Here

My husband loves ground turkey. I was shocked last month when he ate & enjoyed a turkey burger, so I tried it again. I made Turkey Meatball & Mozzarella Sandwiches for dinner last night. I thought it was gross, but Luke loved it. Which made me wonder why the heck I waited so long to trick him into eating turkey. He's even been eating salads lately, which is weird. He never eats food that couldn't walk. I'm way too tired to try & think of anything fun & witty to write. So goodnight. I'll try again tomorrow.

Sometimes I wonder...

...what the heck I was thinking! After devouring some chocolate, I decided I needed to go exercise. I then proceeded to convince myself I could run a mile, even though I haven't run in about 1 1/2 years. WORST IDEA EVER. I was pretty sure I was going to die a quarter of the way through. I ended up only making it almost 1/2 a mile & walk 1 1/2.
I have got to get serious about shedding some weight. I have started WAY too many diets & exercise programs since Bubby was born & have failed at them ALL.
Anyone have suggestions of what's worked for you? Or ways to increase my willpower? Chocolate always wins, ALWAYS.

I LOVE Mondays

Mondays are my favorite day of the week. Yep, that's right, Mondays, the day almost every other person hates. It's the day of the week I can pretend I'm a stay at home mommy. Don't get me wrong, I love spending Sunday with my hubby, but on Mondays I get so much done & I get little Eli all to myself.
I clean, we play, I clean while I sing & dance around like an idiot to keep him entertained, & I catch a little time to mess around on my blog. It's a great day.
Since I have a little time I decided to catch up my blog. I just now got around to following my newest followers. (So sorry if that was you! I've been so busy all weekend.)

I decided to buy some more cloth diapers this weekend. The 10 I have for my trial just is not enough because I refuse to do laundry every day. I ended up buying Flips & Econobums. My favorite diapers are covers with inserts (or All in Two's as Amanda informed me) & these are the cheapest of the ones I've found. The Econobums have a prefold that you fold into thirds before you put it in. I'm not so fond of that, & the seem very bulky, but they haven't leaked! With the Flips you can get an insert that you fold into thirds, or one that you just fold down for length. I like the ones you just fold down for length the most. I think I will be buying many more of the Flips!

We took Eli to his first farm show. Luke climbed up into the tractors with Eli, so I got some great pictures of my future little farmer.

And then we rearranged our living room & now it looks so much bigger (but still tiny). I really wish we would have done this from the beginning.

I even made dinner again. It was awesome if I do say so myself. We had Apple Pork Loin with Mashed Potatoes & Caesar Salad. I highly suggest this recipe. I'm planning to make Stuffed Bell Peppers tonight. Hopefully I don't mess it up too bad!

What's that sound!?

You know that sound you hear when the TV is unplugged, the batteries in your son's jumperoo have died, the dogs are outside, and your husband is at WalMart. What's that called again? Oh yeah, NOTHING.
This NEVER happens in our house. Ever. The TV is constantly on. I can't actually remember the last time we have been home & it wasn't on, except for when we're sleeping.
Well, now Eli has decided something needed to make noise while he was jumping. So he's singing & hitting his horse like he's expecting it to catch on & start making noise again. I'm considering never changing the batteries, but that would be mean. Eli likes his music. But Momma likes silence...

Cloth diapers are still AMAZING. I still pretty much love them. Except Eli's room smells like butt. Nasty, stinky, poopy & pee soaked butt. I have to figure out a better way to handle the cloth diaper storage until I can make it to the city to buy the fancy bag that I can't remember the name of right now. I also need to buy some more inserts, or diapers, because 10 is not enough. I'm doing laundry every night. Luke & my mom (she watches Eli when I'm at work) don't really like the cloth. But I'm hoping they'll warm up to them.

I made a pretty great, EASY dinner. You should go check it out right now. Well, after you've finished reading this post, if you've even made it this far. I do get kind of wordy. Anyway, it was Quick & Easy Beef Burritos. Luke loved them & it took about 30 minutes total to make. I'm even determined to cook dinner EVERY night for the next 6 days. We actually went to the grocery store & bought only food to be cooked, and a chocolate cake. I couldn't resist the cake. This is either going to turn out really good & we will have saved money, or we will end up eating out every night & all the fresh food I bought will go bad.

Luke's back, so I'm being summoned to the living room to help him hang up the TV. I decided I wanted to rearrange. If only I'd known it was so hard to move a TV that had been mounted to the wall.

Day 2 of Fluff

I. LOVE. CLOTH. That is all. Okay, it's not really all. But I do LOVE these cloth diapers. So far we have tried the Best Bottoms, Rumparooz, FuzziBunz OS, GroVia Snap, & the BumGenius 4.0 Aplix.
Right now, the Best Bottoms is my favorite. It's the least bulky.
He slept in the Rumparooz & it didn't leak, but I think I over stuffed it. I put both liners in so he couldn't fit in his jammies, nor could he close his legs. Next time I think I'll just do one liner, the bottom one didn't get wet anyway.
He spent the morning in the FuzziBunz. I liked how trim fitting it was, but I don't know much about it's performance yet. I changed it before it had a chance to leak.
Then he wore the BumGenius 4.0 for his nap. When I woke him up to get ready for a family reunion, he hadn't wet it. But I wanted him to wear the GroVia Snap w/inserts to the reunion so I wouldn't have to deal with a whole wet diaper. Just a dirty liner.
So I changed him into the GroVia. It did great. He had a dirty diaper while we were there & I just had to toss the rice paper liner, snap out the dirty liner, & snap in the clean one. So simple. After we returned home, he had a would-be blow out if he's been wearing his disposable diapers (these have been a common occurrence for us). But the GroVia kept it ALL in. There was no leaking, no poo coming up the back, nothing. Needless to say, this made me VERY happy.
After that, I put him back in the BumGenius 4.0, since he hadn't wet it earlier.

I'm going wash them tomorrow. Hopefully I'm still in love with them afterward. The hubs even put up a dog pen so I can hang them outside to dry in the sun without worrying about the dog eating them.

Is it a little sad that I'm looking forward to washing them tomorrow? I'm actually looking forward to cleaning in general. My house is gross. It needs a good cleaning. I'm also aching to get rid of everything we don't use. Luckily, my mom said she would even come over for a few hours to watch Eli on her day off. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get the whole house cleaned AND have energy left to cook a real dinner. You know, instead of the pizza we've been eating all weekend.

30 Day Cloth Diaper Trial!

When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things I thought about was how much of our money was going to get pooped on, literally. Diapers are not cheap, & you go through so many each day. Being the money conscience person I am, I played with the idea of using cloth diapers. But I always ended up with the excuse that 'I didn't have time for cloth diapers.'
Then, my friend Amanda @ My World in a Nutshell started using them on her daughter & LOVED them. I still wasn't convinced I could handle the cloth. I mean, keeping the thing you baby poops on? Eww! I'd much rather throw it away! But the more & more I thought about it, the more & more I wanted to try it. However, I wasn't ready to make the commitment to it, & the prices of cloth diapers seemed so high if I wasn't going to stick with it, so I again let the idea go.
When my son hit 5 months & the huge stock of diapers from his baby shower is started to get smaller & smaller, I got more serious about the idea of swapping to cloth. Yes that's right, we got so many diapers at his baby shower I still haven't had to buy any. Well, I finally convinced myself that I needed to try them. If I like them, it will save us tons of money because I would use them on baby #2, 3, 4...lets stop there. Anyway, I started doing research. That's when I stumbled across The Changing Table.
They offered exactly what I was looking for. A way to try them without fully committing! They offer a 30 Day Cloth Diaper Trial. With this trial, you can try cloth diapers for 30 days for only $15, yes I said FIFTEEN dollars! Well, if you want to get technical, you pay $150 up front as a deposit & get $135 back at the end of your trial. For me, it was a no brainer. I was going to try cloth diapers. I got in touch with them & now have 10 diapers to try on Eli, without having to pay anything more than $15.
These are the diapers I got:
1 AppleCheeks
1 Best Bottoms Cover w/2 inserts
1 BumGenius 4.0 Snaps w/insert
1 BumGenius 4.0 Aplix w/insert
1 BumGenius Elemental AIO
1 FuzziBunz One Size
1 GroVia AIO
1 GroVia Shell Snaps w/2 inserts
1 Happy Heinys One Size Snaps w/insert
1 Rumparooz w/insert

I bought separately:
1 pkg of Rice Paper Liners (so he can poop & I can just pull it out & flush)
1 pkg of Rock in Green Detergent to keep these diapers nice & clean!

So here we are, today is Day 1 of my 30 Day Cloth Diaper Trial. So far, everything is going great. I started Eli out in the Best Bottoms diaper, mainly because it had cute little giraffes on it. He seems to love how soft they are on his little tushy.

He's had one wet & poopy diaper & it was so easy! Especially with the rice paper liners & a great friend who has cloth diaper experience (Thanks Amanda!). I think I just may really like these. But I may change my mind on laundry day, considering how much I hate laundry. But so far I REALLY like them. Luke even asked me to show him how to change the diapers. I was shocked. He had told me he wasn't going to mess with them.
I made Eli model his new diaper. I hope you enjoy these!

Ultimate Blog Party 2011

I'm new to blogging (just started in February 2011), so the idea of a blog party seemed strange to me. Until I read all about it. I think this is FANTASTIC! I am so glad I stumbled across it. I am linking up to The Ultimate Blog Party 2011 in hopes of finding some new blogger friends & followers! You should too!

I'm Cheating because I'm Lazy.

Yep that's right, I'm a cheater.
I'm making brisket for dinner. But it the premade, precooked brisket you throw in a pan & cook for 30 minutes.
My excuse is: I had a hard day at work trying NOT to throw my computer out the window. But really it's because I'm just too lazy today.
Actually, I've been lazy all week. I haven't actually cooked a meal in...well...since Saturday, I think. I blame that on the fact that I was out of groceries. But it's really also because I'm lazy. I just didn't want to go to the store.
I'll be less lazy tomorrow, maybe. But not tonight.

Could you stare a little harder?

Yes, that was my baby who just cried.
Yes, he's hungry.
Yes, I'm going to BREASTFEED him.
Yes, I know we're in a public place.
Yes, I know my rights, so don't you dare tell me to stop.
Yes, I can tell you're uncomfortable.
Do I care that this bothers you? No.
Am I at all embarrassed to feed him with you staring at me? No.
Will your staring make me stop sooner? No.
Grow up, get educated, find some manners, & get over it. I have remained covered the enitre time. I am NOT trying to show you my breasts. I am FEEDING my BABY, & you're NOT going to stop me.

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I want to be one of THOSE blogs...

You know the ones that give good advice, have funny stories, good recipes, or amazing giveaways? You know, the ones you look forward to visiting? But how do I get there? So far all I blog about is my attempt to cook, my adorable son, & random things I do. I don't have tons of time to work on my blog, so this may take a while, but I want/NEED input from experienced bloggers! Please help me! Right now I work 7ish-6ish Tues-Fri & 8-12ish Sat, but maybe if I can get this blog thing down & somehow make a little money at it, I can cut back a little. Thoughts? Suggestions? Anything is GREATLY appreciated!

Five Fantastic Months

Eli is five months old today. I still can't believe time is going by so fast. He is doing so much now. He is getting to be more & more fun everyday.
He loves to 'talk' he is constantly screaming, giggling, & talking to everything & everyone. He has a toy octopus that he will hold conversations with. It's adorable. He will also scream at the dogs if they walk past him & don't look at him.
He has started saying 'mama' & 'dada,' although I know he doesn't understand why we get so excited when he does.
He is obsessed with his teeth. He always has his fingers in his mouth touching them. At least he isn't a very fussy teether!
He has started doing what I call a face crawl. He keeps his face flat on the ground with his arms out to the side & will push with his legs to get places. He still does his inchworm crawl (where he moves his arms & chest & then pulls his legs to him), but gets places faster the other way. He's getting closer & closer to officially crawling everyday!
He loves to walk if we hold his hands. I think it makes him feel like a big boy.
He has almost mastered sitting up without support, although he still falls over sideways after a few moments.
He took his first drink of water out of Mommy's cup the other day. He couldn't stop grinning afterward. Currently he is trying to figure out how to use the straw.
He eats a TON! He eats 3 meals a day which include rice cereal, oatmeal, peas, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, & prunes. We are just now starting on the fruit!
He loves to chew on everything EXCEPT his pacifier & teethers.
His jumparoo is his best friend.
He loves to 'sing' & 'dance' along with Mommy & screams & cheers when Mommy sings & dances to entertain him. It makes me feel like a rock star. Who needs thousands of screaming fans when you have an adorable baby cheering you on?
Eli is growing up so fast, I never knew how excited I would get about everything he does. I love him so much!

I am a TERRIBLE blogger...

but I have every intention to get better. It has been 10 days since my last post & I am DETERMINED to do better. I have been keeping up with My Cooking Challenge. Here are some of the meals I made last week:

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Loin, which was pretty good. It was a little spicier than we typically like, but still good.

Stuffed Bacon Cheeseburgers & Homemade Chips. I got a little creative with this. (These measurements are approximate. I never measure ingredients when I'm not following a recipe.)
Stuffed Bacon Cheeseburgers
Mix 1 pound of hamburger meat with 1/4 cup of bread crumbs, 2 tbsp crushed red pepper, & about 1/4 packet of dry Ranch dip mix. Set aside about 1/4 of the mixture. Form into patties with a well in the center of each. Stuff with shredded cheese (I used monterey jack & cheddar) & bacon bits. Cover each well with the mixture that was set aside, pinching it at the edged to seal. Cook in a skillet on the stove or the grill.
Homemade Chips
Wash & slice about 5 small potatoes, season them with crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, & seasoned salt. Fry in butter or oil until they are brown & crunchy.


Worcestershire & Soy Sauce Chicken with Rice
In a skillet add 2-3 chicken breasts with Worcestershire & soy sauce (enough to cover the bottom of the skillet). Cook thoroughly.
Cook rice in a separately. (We used Minute rice).
Sautee 1 cup mushrooms in soy sauce & Worcestershire sauce.  Add to the rice. We also topped the rice with a little bit of shredded swiss cheese.

I am terrible at writing recipes. I apologize. Maybe I will eventually get better at that too!

I know I made some other things last week, I just can't think of them right now. I will add them if I remember.


I also found several things for my wonderful hubby to work on. I'm sure he loves me having an extra day off. I decided it is finally time for us to work on our flowerbed. We moved into our house in October of 2009, & didn't get any further than pulling our the ugly bushes & trying to kill the monkey grass. We lined part of the flowerbed with keystone blocks (courtesy of my mom), but now we need to buy some to finish it out.
We also decided to build our goofy outdoor dog a pen. Currently he has free range of the backyard. But with Eli getting closer & closer to an age where he can play outside, we need a way to keep him from chewing up all the outside toys.
Then we will be rearranging the living room. This doesn't sound like a big task, until you consider our TV is mounted on the wall. There is no way I can take it down. So I'm waiting for Luke to have a little time after work.

I've been a little MIA...

This week has seemed so busy. I really haven't gotten much in particular done, I have just felt so overwhelmed. I even got to stay home with Eli yesterday afternoon & didn't get anything besides playing & cuddling time in. But that's okay, playing with my baby is WAY more important than anything else. I love him so much!

I did make another meal on Wednesday. It was tacos, which I always make, but I tried a new recipe. I wasn't a big fan of them & Luke said it was more like sloppy joes on tortillas. It called for a can of tomato soup, chili powder, & garlic. I ended up adding some salsa in my attempt to make it less sloppy joe like, but it didn't really work. At least they were edible.

Tonight I am going to be making another pork loin dish. (We went to Sam's a couple weeks ago & bought a giant pork loin, cut it up in 1lb sections, & froze it. So I will be making a lot of pork loin meals until it's gone.) I can't remember the name right now. But I know it calls for Tabasco sauce & brown sugar, so it should be interesting.

We went to the city Wednesday after Luke got off work to buy him some new pants. He used to work in a paint factory, so all of his work clothes were covered in paint, & before that he did road construction, so all those clothes were covered in grease & mud stains. But now, he finally has a job where he needs to look decent. He only had one pair of "fancy pants" or "going to town pants" as he liked to call them, so he was in a pretty bad need of some. I love seeing him come home in his boots, jeans, & pearl snaps shirts. It reminds me of when we first met <3

Anyway, while we were in the city, I finally bought Eli a carrier. He absolutely LOVES it. This kid has had Mommy trained since day 1. But recently, he has noticed how 'trained' I am. When I am home, he demands I hold him at all times, which I do anyway unless I'm trying to clean. Clean, who am I kidding, my house looks like an episode of Horders right now. Okay, well maybe not THAT bad. But now with his new carrier, I just strap him to the front of me & go about doing what ever I want with him giggling the whole time. We also bought him an activity gym. Why I hadn't bought one sooner? I have no idea. But it makes him so happy. He has been doing tummy time for a long time, but we've always just used blankets & random toys. But not now, he's moved up in the world. You should see the say he grins when I lay him down under the octopus toy. Its adorable.

One of our friends, Mike, brought his kids, Brayden (4) & Aubrey (7 1/2 mo), over yesterday afternoon. Eli & Aubrey had a blast. But I think we may have a little trouble on our hands. Eli had his arm wrapped around her & she kept giving him kisses. We will have to keep an eye on those two.

My Husband Ate a Turkey Burger!

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but if you knew my husband, you would understand. You see, Luke is the type of guy that only eats food that once mooed. He's the guy who orders a triple bacon cheeseburger everywhere we go. But last night he ate & actually ENJOYED a turkey burger.

In accordance with My Cooking Challenge, I was determined to make a dinner that was a little healthier than we usually eat. I picked Turkey Burgers with Sauteed Mushrooms & Onions on Whole Wheat English Muffins. The whole wheat english muffins were a stretch too. He usually only eats white bread. I made a few small alterations to the recipe that made it more unhealthy, but it was still much healthier than a greasy cheeseburger with fries! I added a slice of swiss cheese to each burger & added a splash of worcestershire sauce & soy sauce to the onions & mushrooms while sauteing them to add a little more flavor.

It was a very successful dinner. Luke even asked me to make them again. Now it's time to pick a recipe for tonight!

Laughing at Daddy

BabyLegs Review & Giveaway!

Head over to Love You Always and Forever to enter the BabyLegs Giveaway!

I think I'm going to be buying some for my little boy very soon! ...that is if I don't win of course!

Finally Success!

Yesterday wash such a good day. We had some beautiful weather so I took Eli & our little dogs for a long walk around the neighborhood. Eli had so much fun.

After our walk, I got caught up on a little cleaning & then finished editing all of Addysan's newborn pictures & making flyer/business cards for one of Luke's friends. Now today I can start working on Addy's one month & finish up Eli's four month pictures.

I'm so excited about next week when I start my new work schedule so I can have an extra day to spend with Eli & working on crafty things.

And I FINALLY made a successful dinner! I made Tangy Glazed Pork Loin with Garlic Potatoes. Luke loved it! I even liked it & I don't usually like pork! My hubby liked it so much that he ate the leftovers for breakfast, & he never eats leftovers.

Lets hope this is just the start of several good recipes to come!

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Today has been a great day!

My good friend Miranda had her baby boy early this morning. They live half way across the country so I won't see him 'til we visit in May, but I'm still VERY excited for her & her hubby!

I got a new schedule at work so I will only be working 4 1/2 days now instead of 6 so I can spend more time with my little Eli!!!!! So excited!

I am also going to cook a really amazing looking recipe I found today. I am so excited because I know my hubby will LOVE it...that is if I don't mess it up.

And my husband received his first check from his new job today! I feel so relieved to know he now makes enough money to support our family so I don't have to work so much! I never realized how much money stressed me out until I could finally RELAX!

Today is a great day.

Day 2 was also a failure...

My cooking for day 2 failed before I even started.
After work I was just too lazy to get my butt to the store, & had forgotten to defrost anything to cook. So I had a salad & threw a frozen pizza in the oven for my hubby. But I will be better today, all thanks to Always in Wonder for introducing me to The Pioneer Woman.

I don't know how I have never heard of this site before, but I am so excited! I can't wait to cook dinner tonight, in just a few minutes I pulled several recipes I know Luke will like & I will also. I can already tell the Tasty Kitchen will be my best friend before long!

Day 1 was AWFUL!

In accordance with my new personal challenge I cooked dinner last night. It was terrible. Almost the most disgusting thing I have ever made (only to be trumped by enchiladas I made last week & mistakenly used 2 year old sauce).

I got out my cookbooks & after thumbing through them I found a recipe I thought Luke might like. It was a cheesy garlic chicken bake, just the sort of thing he always devours. Not this time. After he took a big bite he got this confused look, finished the bite, & 'tested the water' by asking what I thought. So I took a bite. I assume my response was very clear by the look on my face, because he immediately stood up & asked what I wanted from McDonalds.

I started checking my ingredients to see what I had done wrong, but had no such luck. It appeared everything was done correctly. That recipe just sucked. Needless to say I am NOT posting it because I would hate for anyone else to waste time making it!

I'll be trying again tonight. Wish me luck!

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PICTURES!!!

I am FINALLY getting around to uploading some pictures of my adorable little boy!

4 Months!

 3 Months!

Valentine's Day! 

Eli's Newborn Pictures!