Re-titled my blog in hopes that I post more frequently, and also because it more closely reflects the current state of our lives. With Jacob on the move at 10 months and Kaleb at 3 in full on negotiation stage, I feel like we've entered a new phase, two busy, active, curious and demanding little boys and Kyle and I doing whatever we can to try to keep on top of things.
I went through a bit of a lull in posting, just didn't feel like sitting and writing all that much lately. The combination of hectic family life that translated to a severe lack of sleep, a period of career growth for me full of lots of first time challenges and new, more complex, problems to solve at work, all while trying to find balance again after battling a case of wicked postpartum depression (to be addressed in a separate post) just left me feeling not all that bloggy or connecty or sharey. Oh, and I also make up words now...wait, I always did that, nevermind.
So, without a long catch up (perhaps in yet another separate post) I will jump right into sharing.
First, a recipe. For some reason I never felt like posting recipes made sense on here before. So, I changed the title and BAM! This is the perfect place for recipe sharing! seriously, that's how it works in my world...don't waste time trying to explain to me that the only thing I changed was the title at the top of the page and how that really doesn't do anything to change the blog...or that I am the owner of this blog and I could have put whatever I want on it at any time. This is the way it works in my world, and if Kyle hasn't figured out how to get through to me in over 10 years, trust me, you aren't going to fix my broken logic brain either :)
Okay, recipe. I'm coming out of a long period of just getting through the days, which means we haven't been doing much in the way of menu planning or dinners. Everyone made it through, and it's not like anyone was neglected...maybe me, but no on else! We pretty much reverted back to our habits from before I went on my big Family Dinner kick last year around this time. Kaleb and Jacob have dinner when we get home, Kyle and I would either make food after the kids were in bed or just scrounge up whatever. hmmm this is kinda turning into a catch up post isn't it? Back on track, Jacob is sleeping better lately which means so am I, which helps immensely in going beyond just getting through the day! And, seriously, the entire reason for this post was supposed to just be to capture a quick and easy dinner that I threw together last night, so I think I'll just jump to it without any further delay.
Smoked Sausage with Kale and Couscous
1 lb smoked sausage, cut into bite size pieces
1 scoop of minced garlic using the knife from cutting the sausage to scoop it out (yeah, that's as specific as I can get on that measurement)
1 onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
Crushed red pepper flake, maybe 1 tsp? I just shake it in and use the same amount we typically add...sorry, again with the no measurement thing
3-4 handfuls of mixed baby kale
1 package Couscous, we used the Near East Garlic and Olive Oil
Start water boiling for couscous. In separate pan, saute the garlic, sausage and onion until sausage gets some nice cook marks on it and onion is softened a bit. Your water should be boiling, add in the couscous. Back to the sausage pan, dump in the can of tomatoes, juice and all. Stir it up all nice like then add your kale. I did 4 handfuls because I wanted some left over for my smoothie this morning, you can (and should!) do more, the recipe could have handled plenty more. Let that simmer until the kale wilts.
Kyle wanted the couscous in a bowl with the sausage kale mixture on top. My original vision was to just mix it all together and serve. Whatever, same in the end so I went with Kyle's way :)
It was good and filling, and we had plenty left over for Kyle's lunch today.
There. A recipe. Great for a quick dinner and can easily be played up or down depending on what you have on hand.
About Me
- Miss Madly
- My husband, Kyle, and I are the proud and busy parents of two little boys, Kaleb and Jacob. Kaleb joined our family in December 2009 and we welcomed Jacob in April 2012. We both work full time outside the home, I am in the field of Learning and Development. I have a passion for studying the brain and how we learn, which translates beautifully to watching my boys grow up and discover their worlds. I'm also into learning about nutrition, herbalism, food-as-medicine, natural alternatives, and homeopahtic remedies. I hope to provide an uncut view of what life is really like as a working mom, minus the instagram filters and facebook bragging...I'll save that for facebook ;)
Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday, September 24, 2012
Fast paced update from a fast paced life
It is sad how absent my updates have been this summer. Such an amazing time for our family but just so intense and busy that I haven't prioritized this. When I look back and feel disappointed over not capturing it all better, I hope to maintain the perspective that I was so involved in participating in our lives that I didn't have time to document it. Also, i took just as many pictures as I always do, so I'll be able to piece together our family stories from the photo albums...provided I ever print the pictures out then take time to organize them into albums :)
Quick updates on both boys
Jacob just cut his first tooth, bottom front right, yesterday. Then today I saw the one right next to it had broken skin. That explains the extreme lack of sleep we've dealt with all last week and the slowing down on nursing and bottle feedings. I was so worried last Wednesday that I took him to after hours care suspecting an ear infection. Not the case, but the peace of mind was worth the $20 copay! (it really is true that you have to learn all over again with the 2nd kid, many times I feel like I'm new at this again!) He is able to sit up on his own unsupported now, provided you set him up, and he can hold it from 10 - 45 seconds before toppling over while reaching for a toy. His laugh is all Jacob! More of a guffaw than a giggle, and he keeps this constant breathy exhale sound going the whole time then gets louder as he gets more excited. Hard to describe, and I'll be sure to capture video of it! We started feeding him solids last Wednesday. His first food was mashed avocado thinned with a little breast milk. I did catch an amazing video of that, uploaded in a previous post. He did remarkably well, grabbed the spoon from my hand and was able to guide it to his own mouth. Since then he has had peas, quinoa flake porridge, more avocado, and a banana/mango medley. If you are doing the math you have deduced that I've not honored the 'wait 3 days' advice...I just got so excited to introduce him to yummy tastes :) On the sleep front, he goes to bed around 7 every night and wakes up to eat at around 11:30 and 3ish. I'm ready for him to drop that 3am feeding, the lack of sleep is absolutely catching up to me. Jacob is babbling and cooing like crazy, he is constantly making sounds, to the point where other people comment on how much he 'talks'. He has multiple consonant sounds like Guh, Gah, Bah, Buh, Goo, Da, La, Ma and thhpppt (that is the sticking tongue out sound) and he strings them all together with different tone, pitch and volume variations. It sounds quite conversational, to the point sometimes where Kyle and I pause the TV while Jacob is babbling away in his crib at night because it really does sound like he is straight up talking to someone. Could I be blessed enough to have TWO super verbal kids?!
Kaleb blows my mind every day. He says things like "Oh, I didn't realize it was over there" while looking for a toy and tonight he said "Mommy, this dinner is so good, thank you for making it!" He is just over 2 1/2, I can't believe how intelligent and verbal he is. He demonstrates empathy while watching a movie and seeing a sad character, wanting to know why the character is sad and wanting to stop and talk about what could help the character feel better. He does all kinds of chores to help me out around the house, from putting away the silverware from the dishwasher to helping me set and clear the table for dinner and getting water from the sink and pouring it in the kitty water dish. He loves to help me take care of Jacob, when Jacob cries Kaleb will come running and say "It's okay Jacob, big brudder is here" (I love how he says brudder, I'll be sad when he stops doing that!) He shares his pacifier and/or blanket with Jacob if he thinks it would help Jacob feel better, he always offers to share his snack or juice with me or Kyle. He uses a kitchen chair to get his own snacks out of the cupboard or refrigerator, and when done with a snack he puts things back and puts his trash in the can and his spoon in the sink with no prompting from me. He is working on potty training but not completely interested yet. He regularly receives glowing reports from his teachers, and has also stumped them a number of times by being too intelligent for their standard '2 year old' tricks to work on him. I've had multiple chats with his teacher about how we manage Kaleb at home, and have been able to work together to help him be more successful at school. With Kaleb, we find it effective to ask him questions rather than tell him. For example, "Kaleb, what do we do when we are all done with our toys?" or "Hmmm, it looks like there is some juice spilled here, Kaleb can you help me remember how we fix this?".
On a brothers front, the boys are so wonderful to observe. I love when they are in the living room and don't realize I stopped on my way past the room to watch them for a bit. Jacob in his bouncy activity thing staring with rapt attention at Kaleb while Kaleb shows Jacob how to work certain toys or sings him a song or just talks to him. I love how Kaleb is possessive of his brother, how he is attuned to what Jacob needs when he cries, and how Kaleb initiates on his own some interactions and play time and is excited to see Jacob after school and wants to give him a hug and kiss. I love how Jacob is completely engrossed in all things Kaleb. Jacob's face splits in half with a massive grin when he sees his brother, he does his most expressive babbling when Kaleb is the target of his conversation, and if Kaleb is in the room then you can bet that Jacob is watching every thing his big brother is doing. Just this week I started giving them bath at the same time, Jacob's whale tub in the big tub with Kaleb. Such wonderful happy times, I seriously some times feel like I'm going to just implode from all the love and joy I feel with my family!
Well, what was going to be just a couple lines about each boy turned in to quite the post! Suppose I'll keep going real quick with an update on me and Kyle. We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary last week...which we didn't realize had arrived until I got home from work that day and saw a card from our wedding photographer wishing us a happy anniversary. I walked into the living room holding the card and said "Well, uhhh, happy anniversary honey!" and Kyle looked at his watch and said "Oh wow, is that today?!" Oh well, at least we both forgot it the same year, so neither can really feel all that slighted. I suppose that event underscores the level of insanity that is our current family life that has kept me from making time to update lately! We are excited to be heading to Chicago this weekend to see The Avett Brothers in concert with Brent and Eddie. We'll be staying in a hostel, which is a first, and we are doing 2 nights because the Remsburg's have amazingly and graciously offered to keep the boys for the whole weekend. We will miss our munchkins like crazy, but are going to really enjoy some time to spend as just Kyle and Sarah as a couple :)
Okay, well, I suppose I should update the title of this post to "Exhaustive update from an exhausted wife and mother" but I think I'll just let the original title stand.
Quick updates on both boys
Jacob just cut his first tooth, bottom front right, yesterday. Then today I saw the one right next to it had broken skin. That explains the extreme lack of sleep we've dealt with all last week and the slowing down on nursing and bottle feedings. I was so worried last Wednesday that I took him to after hours care suspecting an ear infection. Not the case, but the peace of mind was worth the $20 copay! (it really is true that you have to learn all over again with the 2nd kid, many times I feel like I'm new at this again!) He is able to sit up on his own unsupported now, provided you set him up, and he can hold it from 10 - 45 seconds before toppling over while reaching for a toy. His laugh is all Jacob! More of a guffaw than a giggle, and he keeps this constant breathy exhale sound going the whole time then gets louder as he gets more excited. Hard to describe, and I'll be sure to capture video of it! We started feeding him solids last Wednesday. His first food was mashed avocado thinned with a little breast milk. I did catch an amazing video of that, uploaded in a previous post. He did remarkably well, grabbed the spoon from my hand and was able to guide it to his own mouth. Since then he has had peas, quinoa flake porridge, more avocado, and a banana/mango medley. If you are doing the math you have deduced that I've not honored the 'wait 3 days' advice...I just got so excited to introduce him to yummy tastes :) On the sleep front, he goes to bed around 7 every night and wakes up to eat at around 11:30 and 3ish. I'm ready for him to drop that 3am feeding, the lack of sleep is absolutely catching up to me. Jacob is babbling and cooing like crazy, he is constantly making sounds, to the point where other people comment on how much he 'talks'. He has multiple consonant sounds like Guh, Gah, Bah, Buh, Goo, Da, La, Ma and thhpppt (that is the sticking tongue out sound) and he strings them all together with different tone, pitch and volume variations. It sounds quite conversational, to the point sometimes where Kyle and I pause the TV while Jacob is babbling away in his crib at night because it really does sound like he is straight up talking to someone. Could I be blessed enough to have TWO super verbal kids?!
Kaleb blows my mind every day. He says things like "Oh, I didn't realize it was over there" while looking for a toy and tonight he said "Mommy, this dinner is so good, thank you for making it!" He is just over 2 1/2, I can't believe how intelligent and verbal he is. He demonstrates empathy while watching a movie and seeing a sad character, wanting to know why the character is sad and wanting to stop and talk about what could help the character feel better. He does all kinds of chores to help me out around the house, from putting away the silverware from the dishwasher to helping me set and clear the table for dinner and getting water from the sink and pouring it in the kitty water dish. He loves to help me take care of Jacob, when Jacob cries Kaleb will come running and say "It's okay Jacob, big brudder is here" (I love how he says brudder, I'll be sad when he stops doing that!) He shares his pacifier and/or blanket with Jacob if he thinks it would help Jacob feel better, he always offers to share his snack or juice with me or Kyle. He uses a kitchen chair to get his own snacks out of the cupboard or refrigerator, and when done with a snack he puts things back and puts his trash in the can and his spoon in the sink with no prompting from me. He is working on potty training but not completely interested yet. He regularly receives glowing reports from his teachers, and has also stumped them a number of times by being too intelligent for their standard '2 year old' tricks to work on him. I've had multiple chats with his teacher about how we manage Kaleb at home, and have been able to work together to help him be more successful at school. With Kaleb, we find it effective to ask him questions rather than tell him. For example, "Kaleb, what do we do when we are all done with our toys?" or "Hmmm, it looks like there is some juice spilled here, Kaleb can you help me remember how we fix this?".
On a brothers front, the boys are so wonderful to observe. I love when they are in the living room and don't realize I stopped on my way past the room to watch them for a bit. Jacob in his bouncy activity thing staring with rapt attention at Kaleb while Kaleb shows Jacob how to work certain toys or sings him a song or just talks to him. I love how Kaleb is possessive of his brother, how he is attuned to what Jacob needs when he cries, and how Kaleb initiates on his own some interactions and play time and is excited to see Jacob after school and wants to give him a hug and kiss. I love how Jacob is completely engrossed in all things Kaleb. Jacob's face splits in half with a massive grin when he sees his brother, he does his most expressive babbling when Kaleb is the target of his conversation, and if Kaleb is in the room then you can bet that Jacob is watching every thing his big brother is doing. Just this week I started giving them bath at the same time, Jacob's whale tub in the big tub with Kaleb. Such wonderful happy times, I seriously some times feel like I'm going to just implode from all the love and joy I feel with my family!
Well, what was going to be just a couple lines about each boy turned in to quite the post! Suppose I'll keep going real quick with an update on me and Kyle. We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary last week...which we didn't realize had arrived until I got home from work that day and saw a card from our wedding photographer wishing us a happy anniversary. I walked into the living room holding the card and said "Well, uhhh, happy anniversary honey!" and Kyle looked at his watch and said "Oh wow, is that today?!" Oh well, at least we both forgot it the same year, so neither can really feel all that slighted. I suppose that event underscores the level of insanity that is our current family life that has kept me from making time to update lately! We are excited to be heading to Chicago this weekend to see The Avett Brothers in concert with Brent and Eddie. We'll be staying in a hostel, which is a first, and we are doing 2 nights because the Remsburg's have amazingly and graciously offered to keep the boys for the whole weekend. We will miss our munchkins like crazy, but are going to really enjoy some time to spend as just Kyle and Sarah as a couple :)
Okay, well, I suppose I should update the title of this post to "Exhaustive update from an exhausted wife and mother" but I think I'll just let the original title stand.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Busy Weekend & Some "Firsts" for Both Boys!
We are coming off a beautifully busy summer weekend, now both boys are sleeping soundly and I'm stealing a moment to post here about some special firsts we had over the weekend.
Last night Jacob slept in his crib all night long! I mean, he woke up for his midnight and his 3AM feedings, but he spent the sleeping part of his night in his crib. I hadn't planned on him moving out of the bassinet in our bedroom until he was around 4 months, but it looks like plans have changed. Here's the story of how that came to be:
I've shared previously that Jacob fell into an eat/play/sleep cycle which is what some experts say is ideal, but I assure you we had nothing to do with him choosing to go that route, he did that one all on his own :) Lately, when the play is done, Jacob has been having a rough time transitioning to sleep, unless I put him in the Moby wrap. That is A-OK with me for the most part, but then it is hard to get him out of the wrap and down for sleep if I want to do anything else, like shower or cook or perhaps go to sleep myself. He hated swaddling as a newborn, preferring to have his hands clenched under his chin instead.
A friend recommended I try swaddling again, citing the 5 S's (shush, swaddle, swing, side, suck) of The Happiest Baby on the Block. I had great success with all these S's with Kaleb, and was golden with 4 of them for Jacob, except the part that Jacob didn't like swaddling as a newborn. I was pretty sure it wouldn't work, but I've made some recommendations to her that I know she thought wouldn't work and she still tried them (mostly with success), so I went for it.
She was right! I swaddled Jacob up tight, popped in his paci, and sang to him (my version of the shush) while rocking him. He was out within 3 minutes! I put him in his crib and he took a 2 hour nap! Since the swaddle turns him into a baby mummy/gloworm, he won't go very easily into the bassinet (which is really just a Boppy Bouncy seat) in our room with his swaddle on. So, I decided after his 9PM feeding last night to put him in the crib instead of the bassinet. He slept straight through to his midnight feeding, I rocked him while feeding him in the glider in the nursery then put him back until his 3AM, which actually stretched to 4AM last night! He slept great in there, all swaddled up and cozy. I'm excited to see him falling asleep easily and happily, and also a little sad that the co-sleeping phase has ended 2 months earlier than I was planning on.
Another first of the weekend for Jacob was his first consonant sound, a perfectly adorable little "uhh-GUH". I adore his little voice, it is deep for a baby, only squeeky when he screams or cries. But his conversation voice is low and deep and a little breathy and I just love all our little talks. He gets so excited when he makes noises, his whole face breaking into this beaming grin. He really is a sweet and cute little monkey man!
Kaleb also had a first this weekend, our first time playing baseball in the backyard! Yesterday, we got him a foam bat that came with a plastic baseball. Today, while a snuggly swaddled Jacob slept in the crib, Kyle and I went outside with Kaleb to play. Kyle drew Kaleb a home plate on the driveway with sidewalk chalk and taught him how to hold, and choke up on, his bat. I taught him how to stand with his toes lined up to home plate and how to keep his eye on the ball. Then I threw him pitches for at least 20 minutes, and he connected on quite a few of them! Kyle served as catcher and coach. It was a great family moment, the kind I started looking forward to when we first found out we were pregnant with Kaleb.
It was a fun weekend for our family. On Friday, the boys and I met up with Laura and her girls at Java Gym. It was nice having Analyn there because she helped Kaleb climb up the bigger levels that he hasn't been able to do on his own. He was completely worn out after that! Saturday morning we were up early to wear Kaleb out so he'd take an early nap. We went to play at Riverside Park, then home for nap, and then it was off to celebrate with our friends for their super cute son's first birthday. It was an excellent party, perfectly kid-friendly and Kaleb had a great time! There's something so magical about that first birthday party, I'm happy we were there to join the celebration :) Then it was a quick stop home and back out the door to a picnic at Townsend Park with Brent and Eddie. They spoiled Kaleb with a new leaf blower bubble machine, which he thought was awesome, and had other toys for him too! The toys are great, but the best part was that they then spent most of the rest of the night playing with Kaleb. He really loves those two, talks about them all the time. The other day, Kaleb said to me "Mommy, I'm taking Jacob with me to go see Brent and Eddie, we'll be right back!" awwww!
Today was baseball outside in the morning, nap time, then over to Ben and Laura's to celebrate Father's Day with my dad early, since Mike and Kerry will be at camp next weekend. I love seeing Kaleb play with his cousins and aunts and uncles. He adores them all and it is very special to me to be able to raise my kids around cousins, aunts, and uncles since we didn't have any of those close to us when we were kids.
Busy busy weekend, full of firsts for both kids, fun times with great friends, and a chance to spend time with family. I say this a lot, because it is true, I Am Blessed!
Last night Jacob slept in his crib all night long! I mean, he woke up for his midnight and his 3AM feedings, but he spent the sleeping part of his night in his crib. I hadn't planned on him moving out of the bassinet in our bedroom until he was around 4 months, but it looks like plans have changed. Here's the story of how that came to be:
I've shared previously that Jacob fell into an eat/play/sleep cycle which is what some experts say is ideal, but I assure you we had nothing to do with him choosing to go that route, he did that one all on his own :) Lately, when the play is done, Jacob has been having a rough time transitioning to sleep, unless I put him in the Moby wrap. That is A-OK with me for the most part, but then it is hard to get him out of the wrap and down for sleep if I want to do anything else, like shower or cook or perhaps go to sleep myself. He hated swaddling as a newborn, preferring to have his hands clenched under his chin instead.
A friend recommended I try swaddling again, citing the 5 S's (shush, swaddle, swing, side, suck) of The Happiest Baby on the Block. I had great success with all these S's with Kaleb, and was golden with 4 of them for Jacob, except the part that Jacob didn't like swaddling as a newborn. I was pretty sure it wouldn't work, but I've made some recommendations to her that I know she thought wouldn't work and she still tried them (mostly with success), so I went for it.
She was right! I swaddled Jacob up tight, popped in his paci, and sang to him (my version of the shush) while rocking him. He was out within 3 minutes! I put him in his crib and he took a 2 hour nap! Since the swaddle turns him into a baby mummy/gloworm, he won't go very easily into the bassinet (which is really just a Boppy Bouncy seat) in our room with his swaddle on. So, I decided after his 9PM feeding last night to put him in the crib instead of the bassinet. He slept straight through to his midnight feeding, I rocked him while feeding him in the glider in the nursery then put him back until his 3AM, which actually stretched to 4AM last night! He slept great in there, all swaddled up and cozy. I'm excited to see him falling asleep easily and happily, and also a little sad that the co-sleeping phase has ended 2 months earlier than I was planning on.
Another first of the weekend for Jacob was his first consonant sound, a perfectly adorable little "uhh-GUH". I adore his little voice, it is deep for a baby, only squeeky when he screams or cries. But his conversation voice is low and deep and a little breathy and I just love all our little talks. He gets so excited when he makes noises, his whole face breaking into this beaming grin. He really is a sweet and cute little monkey man!
Kaleb also had a first this weekend, our first time playing baseball in the backyard! Yesterday, we got him a foam bat that came with a plastic baseball. Today, while a snuggly swaddled Jacob slept in the crib, Kyle and I went outside with Kaleb to play. Kyle drew Kaleb a home plate on the driveway with sidewalk chalk and taught him how to hold, and choke up on, his bat. I taught him how to stand with his toes lined up to home plate and how to keep his eye on the ball. Then I threw him pitches for at least 20 minutes, and he connected on quite a few of them! Kyle served as catcher and coach. It was a great family moment, the kind I started looking forward to when we first found out we were pregnant with Kaleb.
It was a fun weekend for our family. On Friday, the boys and I met up with Laura and her girls at Java Gym. It was nice having Analyn there because she helped Kaleb climb up the bigger levels that he hasn't been able to do on his own. He was completely worn out after that! Saturday morning we were up early to wear Kaleb out so he'd take an early nap. We went to play at Riverside Park, then home for nap, and then it was off to celebrate with our friends for their super cute son's first birthday. It was an excellent party, perfectly kid-friendly and Kaleb had a great time! There's something so magical about that first birthday party, I'm happy we were there to join the celebration :) Then it was a quick stop home and back out the door to a picnic at Townsend Park with Brent and Eddie. They spoiled Kaleb with a new leaf blower bubble machine, which he thought was awesome, and had other toys for him too! The toys are great, but the best part was that they then spent most of the rest of the night playing with Kaleb. He really loves those two, talks about them all the time. The other day, Kaleb said to me "Mommy, I'm taking Jacob with me to go see Brent and Eddie, we'll be right back!" awwww!
Today was baseball outside in the morning, nap time, then over to Ben and Laura's to celebrate Father's Day with my dad early, since Mike and Kerry will be at camp next weekend. I love seeing Kaleb play with his cousins and aunts and uncles. He adores them all and it is very special to me to be able to raise my kids around cousins, aunts, and uncles since we didn't have any of those close to us when we were kids.
Busy busy weekend, full of firsts for both kids, fun times with great friends, and a chance to spend time with family. I say this a lot, because it is true, I Am Blessed!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Back to Work: The 'Me Too Crew' and 'What's the point?'
I start back to work tomorrow, and I'm both excited and sad at the same time.
I'm emotional over the part of going back to work that means I have to be away from Jacob. At this point, a little too emotional to capture in words. For now, suffice it to say I am squeezing him a little tighter when we rock at night and that tomorrow morning will be one for waterproof eye makeup.
I'm looking forward to getting back to my "real life" again. My leave has been wonderful, but I knew it wasn't a permanent thing and I'm looking forward to getting settled into a weekly routine again. (the actual figuring out of this routine is causing me some crazy stress, more on that soon)
The thing I'm looking forward to the most is getting back to what I now consider my "Me Too Crew" (probably missing some critical punctuation there...deal with it). I have great friends at work, and many of them are parents of young children. I have seriously missed seeing and talking to them daily about the joys and struggles of parenting. There is something so very powerful in sharing what you think is this crazy story, or this major parenting fail, and having someone else (or sometimes an entire group of people) nod their head and say "Yeah, that happened to me, too!" or "Oh man, I've so been there!".
I recently had the wife of one of these friends comment to me on Facebook about how crazy it can be with a 2 year old and an infant. This "me, too!" made me feel so much better about the many times I've felt completely overwhelmed with my boys. I am very happy to be re-joining that conversation with my work peeps, and I know it is going to work wonders on my stress levels!
On the not-so-excited front, I'm definitely stressed about how I'm going to manage my full-time schedule with both kids. I know that there are a lot of women who have done this, and who do it everyday, but it is my first time juggling an infant, toddler, husband, home, and career. Trying to picture how I'll swing work, menu planning, grocery shopping, family dinners every night, quality time with the boys, nurturing a marriage (or at the very least maintaining basic civility towards each other with all the stress!), breast feeding and pumping and storing milk and all the washing and packing of bottles...it is overwhelming to say the least.
This obsessively trying to figure out the perfect arrangement and ordering of tasks each day to ensure that it all gets done has reached a fevered pitch the past few days, as I get closer and closer to going back to work. I was literally pacing the floors the other day, with Jacob in the Moby wrap, trying to work out how I would make family dinners still happen every night. With Jacob here now, I don't have time to menu plan during Kaleb's Friday nap. And in the summer we go to the cottage a lot on the weekends, which means I won't be able to grocery shop on Saturday, or if we go on Sunday I won't have that time to prep dinners for the week. And, I'll need and want to nurse Jacob right when we get home each night, so I won't be able to work on dinner. And so on and so on, I had myself worked into quite a stress-frenzy. And then, a thought came to me: "Why are you doing family dinners in the first place?" I'd like to say it was the still, small voice of God, but I fear He had to use a louder and more persistent voice to break through my incessant worrying over the details. But, the question came through and it stopped me in my Moby-wearin' tracks.
What IS the reason I wanted to eat dinner as a family every night? I can tell you it didn't have anything to do with playing with new recipes, and it wasn't about planning elaborate menus and spending hours on Pinterest looking for new ideas. No. The point of family dinners is to spend time as a family every day. The food on the table is no where near as important as the people around it. So what if we have sandwiches for dinner? Who cares if it is cereal even, some nights? If my family spends quality time at the cottage or the park on a weekend, that is a GOOD thing, not a nuisance! I can't believe how far from the goal I got, letting myself get stressed and worried, trapped in the details.
I want to be the kind of mother who smiles and laughs, I want my boys to look back on their childhood and see a happy mom who delighted in being with them. I know I will always have stress, raising a family is hard work, juggling career and marriage and children and home is tough for anyone. But, when my boys are grown and we look back over these years, I know it isn't the "Mom always had a balanced nutritious colorful meal" memory that is most important to me that they carry. That will happen some nights, eventually it will happen most nights. What I want my boys to remember when they are grown is more along the lines of "Mom had family dinner for us every night. We talked and laughed and I never once doubted that my parents loved me and wanted to hear about what was going on in my world." Or something like that. THAT is the point of having family dinner every night, and I'm very thankful to the Lord for the reminder this week, I needed it! :)
I'm emotional over the part of going back to work that means I have to be away from Jacob. At this point, a little too emotional to capture in words. For now, suffice it to say I am squeezing him a little tighter when we rock at night and that tomorrow morning will be one for waterproof eye makeup.
I'm looking forward to getting back to my "real life" again. My leave has been wonderful, but I knew it wasn't a permanent thing and I'm looking forward to getting settled into a weekly routine again. (the actual figuring out of this routine is causing me some crazy stress, more on that soon)
The thing I'm looking forward to the most is getting back to what I now consider my "Me Too Crew" (probably missing some critical punctuation there...deal with it). I have great friends at work, and many of them are parents of young children. I have seriously missed seeing and talking to them daily about the joys and struggles of parenting. There is something so very powerful in sharing what you think is this crazy story, or this major parenting fail, and having someone else (or sometimes an entire group of people) nod their head and say "Yeah, that happened to me, too!" or "Oh man, I've so been there!".
I recently had the wife of one of these friends comment to me on Facebook about how crazy it can be with a 2 year old and an infant. This "me, too!" made me feel so much better about the many times I've felt completely overwhelmed with my boys. I am very happy to be re-joining that conversation with my work peeps, and I know it is going to work wonders on my stress levels!
On the not-so-excited front, I'm definitely stressed about how I'm going to manage my full-time schedule with both kids. I know that there are a lot of women who have done this, and who do it everyday, but it is my first time juggling an infant, toddler, husband, home, and career. Trying to picture how I'll swing work, menu planning, grocery shopping, family dinners every night, quality time with the boys, nurturing a marriage (or at the very least maintaining basic civility towards each other with all the stress!), breast feeding and pumping and storing milk and all the washing and packing of bottles...it is overwhelming to say the least.
This obsessively trying to figure out the perfect arrangement and ordering of tasks each day to ensure that it all gets done has reached a fevered pitch the past few days, as I get closer and closer to going back to work. I was literally pacing the floors the other day, with Jacob in the Moby wrap, trying to work out how I would make family dinners still happen every night. With Jacob here now, I don't have time to menu plan during Kaleb's Friday nap. And in the summer we go to the cottage a lot on the weekends, which means I won't be able to grocery shop on Saturday, or if we go on Sunday I won't have that time to prep dinners for the week. And, I'll need and want to nurse Jacob right when we get home each night, so I won't be able to work on dinner. And so on and so on, I had myself worked into quite a stress-frenzy. And then, a thought came to me: "Why are you doing family dinners in the first place?" I'd like to say it was the still, small voice of God, but I fear He had to use a louder and more persistent voice to break through my incessant worrying over the details. But, the question came through and it stopped me in my Moby-wearin' tracks.
What IS the reason I wanted to eat dinner as a family every night? I can tell you it didn't have anything to do with playing with new recipes, and it wasn't about planning elaborate menus and spending hours on Pinterest looking for new ideas. No. The point of family dinners is to spend time as a family every day. The food on the table is no where near as important as the people around it. So what if we have sandwiches for dinner? Who cares if it is cereal even, some nights? If my family spends quality time at the cottage or the park on a weekend, that is a GOOD thing, not a nuisance! I can't believe how far from the goal I got, letting myself get stressed and worried, trapped in the details.
I want to be the kind of mother who smiles and laughs, I want my boys to look back on their childhood and see a happy mom who delighted in being with them. I know I will always have stress, raising a family is hard work, juggling career and marriage and children and home is tough for anyone. But, when my boys are grown and we look back over these years, I know it isn't the "Mom always had a balanced nutritious colorful meal" memory that is most important to me that they carry. That will happen some nights, eventually it will happen most nights. What I want my boys to remember when they are grown is more along the lines of "Mom had family dinner for us every night. We talked and laughed and I never once doubted that my parents loved me and wanted to hear about what was going on in my world." Or something like that. THAT is the point of having family dinner every night, and I'm very thankful to the Lord for the reminder this week, I needed it! :)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Rest in peace, Joe
On Sunday our dog, Joe, passed away while up at the cottage with Kyle for the weekend. Based on the symptoms we believe it was canine bloat. Kyle was up there for a bachelor party all weekend. Joe was fine all weekend, then early Sunday morning he started having some trouble. His stomach swelled up and was hard to the touch. He was outside laying down and then he stopped breathing. I want to capture this here because Joe was a part of our family.
My brother and brother-in-law where up at the cottage as well, so they were there to help Kyle bury Joe in the pet cemetery up there. I'm thankful they were there. Kyle is a strong, tough guy but no man is immune to the emotions of having to bury his dog, and Kyle is no exception to that. I'm sad I wasn't able to be there with and for him, but was glad Kyle had family there when it happened.
It is odd not having Joe here, every time a motorcycle drives by this week I have caught myself still cringing and waiting for Joe to go crazy. Then it doesn't happen. In the morning I think "Oh, I've got to feed Joe" and I catch myself looking for him in the back yard. Any reader who knows me will be aware that Joe was not my favorite thing in life, but I certainly never wanted to see this happen to him. While we've joked about finding him a new home over the past year, we weren't at all prepared for Joe to be gone from our lives this suddenly. A random thought I had this week "I'm glad I got some pictures of Joe sitting quietly with Jacob", because that means we have pictures of both the kids with Joe.
Kaleb has asked once to feed Joe, a chore he very much enjoyed doing, and we kind of skated around the issue because we hadn't discussed yet how we are going to handle explaining this to Kaleb. Since then we have had a chance to talk and are both on the same page: Honesty is the best policy, even when it is hard, and responses to his questions should be direct and brief. If/when Kaleb asks where Joe is we will tell him that Joe died and he is not here anymore. If he wants more of an explanation we'll tell him it means that Joe's body stopped working, that it means he doesn't eat anymore. I went to a couple of my books and many websites and it looks like the experts on this stuff agree with our approach.
Joe was a nervous, shedding, high-strung dog, but he was also gentle and loving towards both of the kids, eager to please, and (generally) obedient. He was a part of our family and he is missed. Rest in peace, Joe.
My brother and brother-in-law where up at the cottage as well, so they were there to help Kyle bury Joe in the pet cemetery up there. I'm thankful they were there. Kyle is a strong, tough guy but no man is immune to the emotions of having to bury his dog, and Kyle is no exception to that. I'm sad I wasn't able to be there with and for him, but was glad Kyle had family there when it happened.
It is odd not having Joe here, every time a motorcycle drives by this week I have caught myself still cringing and waiting for Joe to go crazy. Then it doesn't happen. In the morning I think "Oh, I've got to feed Joe" and I catch myself looking for him in the back yard. Any reader who knows me will be aware that Joe was not my favorite thing in life, but I certainly never wanted to see this happen to him. While we've joked about finding him a new home over the past year, we weren't at all prepared for Joe to be gone from our lives this suddenly. A random thought I had this week "I'm glad I got some pictures of Joe sitting quietly with Jacob", because that means we have pictures of both the kids with Joe.
Kaleb has asked once to feed Joe, a chore he very much enjoyed doing, and we kind of skated around the issue because we hadn't discussed yet how we are going to handle explaining this to Kaleb. Since then we have had a chance to talk and are both on the same page: Honesty is the best policy, even when it is hard, and responses to his questions should be direct and brief. If/when Kaleb asks where Joe is we will tell him that Joe died and he is not here anymore. If he wants more of an explanation we'll tell him it means that Joe's body stopped working, that it means he doesn't eat anymore. I went to a couple of my books and many websites and it looks like the experts on this stuff agree with our approach.
Joe was a nervous, shedding, high-strung dog, but he was also gentle and loving towards both of the kids, eager to please, and (generally) obedient. He was a part of our family and he is missed. Rest in peace, Joe.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Lovely Mother's Day!
That's what I had yesterday, not just "Happy", but a day of reveling in the blessing that is my family. In the interest of being able to remember how we spent this first Mother's Day as a family of 4, I'll spend a quick minute capturing the actual events, then get into my actual purpose for this post.
I woke up to wrapped (wrapped!) presents and cards on the kitchen table. The boys gave me a hummingbird feeder and a chrysanthemum that I can plant in the garden. Kyle gave me the Dyson DC35 cordless vacuum, which I had been hinting at wanting for weeks...actually, there were no hints, I believe I said "So, I know people always say to never give appliances as gifts to your wife, but I reeeally want that Dyson!" :) Kyle then made breakfast, asparagus and crab omelette with hollandaise sauce and a side of bacon, and no, I didn't track calories yesterday!
After breakfast we hung out a bit around the house then got everyone dressed and out the door for some playtime and a walk at Riverside Park. While Kaleb napped, I fed Jacob and then Jacob fell asleep as well. That's right, another killer gift from the boys, simultaneous naps! I sat outside in the 70 degree sunny day and kept Kyle company while he did some outside chores. I enjoyed an icy cold Corona while reading the book I bought myself for Mother's Day, Tina Fey's Bossypants (LOVE it!). I also made these Breakfast Cookies which turned out really good considering they have no butter, no oil, no eggs, no flour and just a tablespoon of sugar. (I used dried cherries instead of raisins, and I added chocolate chips to act as toddler bait). Kyle loves them and Kaleb gobbled them down as well, great on-the-go breakfast solution!
After nap we all headed to Cascade Park for more play, and then met up with my family for dinner to celebrate my mom at Carrabba's. It was challenging to be part of the conversation or to enjoy dinner between Kaleb's needs and Jacob needing to eat right when we got there. But, I'm glad we were able to celebrate with my mom! After dinner it was home for bedtime routine and then the plan was to have quiet time watching the new Game of Thrones...but I was asleep on the couch with Jacob by 8:30 and I only woke up long enough to move he and I to my bed.
It was a great Mother's Day and I am very blessed to have two healthy and amazing little boys and a thoughtful husband who makes sure my special days are truly special. Now that I've captured the "what did we do" stuff, let me spend a few minutes on a couple things that made this more than just a day filled with activities and gifts.
In the car on the way home from Riverside Park, Kaleb said to me from the back seat "Know what, Mommy? I didn't get my kisses yet today!" For the record, he had received multiple kisses and hugs by this point in the day. What made this special is that this is what I say to him all the time and I loved hearing it repeated back. I am proud to have a family where kisses and hugs are the standard, and my son knows they will happen all day, every day.
Jacob has really ramped up the smiling and cooing, and I still can't believe how blessed I am to have another healthy, handsome, happy little boy in my life! He is so BIG! At 5 weeks he is already in size 3m clothes, and they aren't exactly loose or anything. In fact, yesterday Jacob wore the same onesie that Kaleb had worn on his first Mother's Day. But when Kaleb wore it he was 5 months old, Jacob is fitting into it at 5 weeks! He is for sure my solid little tank of a man, I can't wait for his next check up to see what he weighs.
Before Kaleb's bedtime last night I asked Kyle to get a picture of me and the boys. I sat in the glider in the nursery with Jacob and Kaleb climbed onto my lap. Jacob was screaming and fussing his way through some gas pain, and Kaleb was not at all in the mood to cooperate, and I was sporting that "exhausted and at the end of my long day" look. Needless to say, the pictures turned out horribly if the intention was to frame them, or even share them publicly. However, the reality they capture is a perfect snapshot of my life as a mother right now, hectic and tired and busy and with a lap full of love and a smile on my face through it all. When I look at those pictures in the years to come I am going to remember how full my heart was at that moment.
I didn't just have a Happy Mother's Day, I had a day filled with love and laughter with my beautiful little family. I am so very blessed!
I woke up to wrapped (wrapped!) presents and cards on the kitchen table. The boys gave me a hummingbird feeder and a chrysanthemum that I can plant in the garden. Kyle gave me the Dyson DC35 cordless vacuum, which I had been hinting at wanting for weeks...actually, there were no hints, I believe I said "So, I know people always say to never give appliances as gifts to your wife, but I reeeally want that Dyson!" :) Kyle then made breakfast, asparagus and crab omelette with hollandaise sauce and a side of bacon, and no, I didn't track calories yesterday!
After breakfast we hung out a bit around the house then got everyone dressed and out the door for some playtime and a walk at Riverside Park. While Kaleb napped, I fed Jacob and then Jacob fell asleep as well. That's right, another killer gift from the boys, simultaneous naps! I sat outside in the 70 degree sunny day and kept Kyle company while he did some outside chores. I enjoyed an icy cold Corona while reading the book I bought myself for Mother's Day, Tina Fey's Bossypants (LOVE it!). I also made these Breakfast Cookies which turned out really good considering they have no butter, no oil, no eggs, no flour and just a tablespoon of sugar. (I used dried cherries instead of raisins, and I added chocolate chips to act as toddler bait). Kyle loves them and Kaleb gobbled them down as well, great on-the-go breakfast solution!
After nap we all headed to Cascade Park for more play, and then met up with my family for dinner to celebrate my mom at Carrabba's. It was challenging to be part of the conversation or to enjoy dinner between Kaleb's needs and Jacob needing to eat right when we got there. But, I'm glad we were able to celebrate with my mom! After dinner it was home for bedtime routine and then the plan was to have quiet time watching the new Game of Thrones...but I was asleep on the couch with Jacob by 8:30 and I only woke up long enough to move he and I to my bed.
It was a great Mother's Day and I am very blessed to have two healthy and amazing little boys and a thoughtful husband who makes sure my special days are truly special. Now that I've captured the "what did we do" stuff, let me spend a few minutes on a couple things that made this more than just a day filled with activities and gifts.
In the car on the way home from Riverside Park, Kaleb said to me from the back seat "Know what, Mommy? I didn't get my kisses yet today!" For the record, he had received multiple kisses and hugs by this point in the day. What made this special is that this is what I say to him all the time and I loved hearing it repeated back. I am proud to have a family where kisses and hugs are the standard, and my son knows they will happen all day, every day.
Jacob has really ramped up the smiling and cooing, and I still can't believe how blessed I am to have another healthy, handsome, happy little boy in my life! He is so BIG! At 5 weeks he is already in size 3m clothes, and they aren't exactly loose or anything. In fact, yesterday Jacob wore the same onesie that Kaleb had worn on his first Mother's Day. But when Kaleb wore it he was 5 months old, Jacob is fitting into it at 5 weeks! He is for sure my solid little tank of a man, I can't wait for his next check up to see what he weighs.
Before Kaleb's bedtime last night I asked Kyle to get a picture of me and the boys. I sat in the glider in the nursery with Jacob and Kaleb climbed onto my lap. Jacob was screaming and fussing his way through some gas pain, and Kaleb was not at all in the mood to cooperate, and I was sporting that "exhausted and at the end of my long day" look. Needless to say, the pictures turned out horribly if the intention was to frame them, or even share them publicly. However, the reality they capture is a perfect snapshot of my life as a mother right now, hectic and tired and busy and with a lap full of love and a smile on my face through it all. When I look at those pictures in the years to come I am going to remember how full my heart was at that moment.
I didn't just have a Happy Mother's Day, I had a day filled with love and laughter with my beautiful little family. I am so very blessed!
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