A New Schedule

Well last week I wrote about a new era in our house....

This week it's all about a new schedule around here.  Usually my morning went like this:

Me - sleep until the last possible minute before one of my children wakes up - normally my 2yr old son woke first. I would let him pick a movie and make him some breakfast while I sat up with my cup of hot tea and try to wake up.  Approximately 2 hours later my 4 yr daughter would wake up and I would start breakfast all over again.  At some point my baby would wake up and need to nurse.  It would be 10:00 and we would all still be in our pajamas and just starting the day.  Obviously not the best scenario since lunch would be at 12 and my son would be ready to eat and go down for a nap and my daughter wasn't even hungry.... Just wasn't a good thing going for sure......... as a note - this *routine* started when we were building on to our house and my mornings were crazy with getting everything figured out and organized for the day for the workers.

So last week after buying our homeschool curriculum we (aka - my husband) that it was time for a new routine around here.  He wanted to start running again and having his Bible study time before the kids got up but he also wanted to wake them up before he left for work in the morning (about 7am). whew... really?

This is now day 4 and we've had some bumps along the way.  Monday was hard. Very hard.  My daughter did not like being woke up that early and while my son normally is an early riser that is on his own... he does not like being woke up before he's ready.  So we have had some rough moments. But Tuesday all three of my kids took 3 hour naps.... that was awesome!

Each week we'll had something new - this one was getting up early.  Next week will be more of a morning routine/schedule implementation.  I also want to start freezer cooking and meal planning again. 

Anyone have any tips on implementing schedules/routines for young children?

Pregnancy Cravings

So I have rolled around to the twentieth week of my pregnancy.  Yay for halfway!  I had terrible morning sickness and it just finally got better the last couple weeks.  Wow, amazing how you forget how bad it is til you are doing it all over again.  But these babies are worth it!  So now that I am feeling better the cravings have kicked in a lot more.  Lately a peanut butter and banana sandwich has become my breakfast and go to snack!  Who would have thought.  Then zucchini is in season and I am just LOVING fried zucchini. Yummy!  I can't get enough peaches, cherries, really any fresh fruit.  I am not loving beef, hamburgers, anything really heavy.  I love anything fresh.  And the last thing is a new one, since I couldn't stand looking or even smelling pickles with my first two pregnancies, I'm very surprised to find that dill pickles are one of them!  We just made a batch of refrigerator pickles that I'm really excited about, too! ;)   So what are your cravings, or were your cravings?  Leave a comment and lets see what all the crazy foods babies make us eat! LOL

A New Era

We've just entered a new era in our house... yesterday we bought our first complete homeschool curriculum! I've been terrified (who am I kidding - I still am!) but feel so much better now that I have the curriculum ordered and a date to start in mind (Sept 10th).

This is going to be interesting and a test of my patience, perseverance, and .... well everything.

We decided on the 'Abeka' program for the first year.  It's a very complete program and gives me instruction for each day.  I was so nervous and really needed something that was going to tell me exactly what to do until I become more comfortable and confident with myself as a teacher

Do we have any other homeschooling families out there? Any of you readers/followers homeschooling mommies?  I'd love to know so that I don't continue writing about this aspect of my life is there is no one interested in it. :)

This was never something I imagined myself doing. And when my husband brought it up I almost laughed in his face - actually I think I did. I told him I would continue working and he could quit his job and teach. ha 

But after much prayer and consideration we both felt very strongly that this is something we needed to do. So let it begin....

If you're interested in more of the why we are doing it - read this post here.  It says it exactly!

GroVia Organic Newborn Diaper Review

First up in the Newborn Cloth Diapering Series is the GroVia Organic Newborn All in One Diaper.  I am starting with this diaper because I found it to be the best (and first) diaper to fit my skinny little boy.  If you would like to read more about my initial findings with cloth diapering a skinny baby and our rocky start to cloth diapering Baby J, please see the Intro post here.

What is the difference between the Organic and the Stay Dry?  In the past few months, GroVia has come out with a Stay Dry version of their Newborn AIO diapers.  They are JUST rolling out into stores and I have  not tried this version.  The Organic diaper has an Organic cotton inner and the Stay Dry has layers of hemp and cotton topped with microfleece, but everything else is the same!

Price Per Diaper: (4/5 Stars)  Each GroVia Newborn diaper retails for $14.95.  Other newborn AIO and pocket diapers retail for $12-20 per diaper, so this is an average price for a newborn diaper.  Of course if you go to prefolds and covers, you can save some $$ to cloth diaper your newborn, but not everyone likes prefolds and covers! (me!)  AIO's are generally the more expensive type of diaper, so I think this is a great price for what you get!

Leaks:  (5/5 Stars)  As I said in my Intro post, this was the only diaper that fit Baby J leak free when he lost a little bit of weight.  We have had NO leaks with this diaper!!!  Occasionally when he pees a ton, his outfit might be a little moist around the waist.  But no huge leaking from the waist or around the legs!  The organic cotton inner is extremely absorbent and holds a TON of pee!!!  And the wonderful elastic leg casings are PERFECT at containing EBF poop!!!  No blowouts here!!  This diaper features a sewn in soaker that is only secure at the back of the diaper and loose in the front.  When babies are really tiny, you can fold it over to fit in the diaper and it is loose in the wash to get clean and dry faster!

Fit:  (4/5 Stars)  I really like the fit of this diaper, especially around the legs on my skinny boy.  This diaper fit the best around his skinny legs and for that I give it a huge A+!!! When Baby J dropped in weight to around 7 pounds, this was the ONLY diaper that fit his skinny legs and body!!  I also loved that the rise on this diaper is lower (being a newborn dipe) but it is low enough that it fit well under Baby J's cord stump before it fell off.  My only SMALL complaint is the waist snaps.  The snaps themselves are quite large and because they are so large (and fairly far apart), there aren't many of them which means not many size options.  This means that there are times when one snap is too small and one snap is too big.  I did find that because newborns are on their backs so much (or upright being worn) a small gap at the waist wasn't a huge problem.  It's when kids are bigger and on their bellies more that waist leaks are more likely.

Ease of Use:  (4/5 Stars)  This diaper is an AIO, so there are no removable parts which is wonderful!  Less to worry about when also worrying about a newborn is great!!!  This diaper has an organic cotton inner insert that is sewn in the back but just sits in the diaper.  This makes it an AIO but also makes it easier to wash and dry!!  I found that this insert tended to be problematic at times.  When Baby J was teeny tiny, the insert would poke out the top, so I had to fold it over to fit in the diaper and not leak.  Being that he was a boy, the added protection in that area was probably a bonus!  But I still found it annoying at times and my husband refused to use this diaper because it looked "too complicated."  Now as he has grown, this isn't a problem but now after a ton of washes, I am finding that this insert wants to curl and can be a bit of a pain to flatten and get the diaper on Baby J.  When I hang to dry, this isn't a problem, but if I put this diaper in the dryer it curls.  None of this is really that big of a deal, especially with the great fit and absorbency, but wanted to mention because this does add a little extra time to getting diaper on baby!

Washing:  (3/5 Stars)  Being an AIO diaper, it is a cinch to wash this!  Just toss it in the washer, in the dryer, and presto, it is ready to go again!  As I mentioned above, when dried in the dryer, the inner tends to curl.  But line drying seems to cure this!  However, the organic cotton inner (in true organic cotton nature) is extremely prone to staining...especially EBF poop stains!  Does this affect the function of the diaper?  No.  But it's hard to explain when out in public that you are not putting a dirty diaper on your baby, it is just stained. :(  The good news...organic cotton stains sun out beautifully!!!

Overall Performance:  (5/5 Stars)  Overall, I love this diaper!  It fits skinny babies wonderfully if you are like me and bake skinny ones!  Skinny babies are HARD to cloth diaper, so this is a HUGE testament to this diaper and an even bigger endorsement!  They are quite absorbent, fit great, and will definitely get you from that newborn phase until your little one fits the OS diapers (or whatever your bigger diaper choice is!).  There are a few cons, but they are more just warnings...such as the insert being a little bit of a pain.  But in the grand scheme of what you get with this diaper, that is a small battle to overcome!  There really are no draw backs to this diaper, just a learning curve!!

Total Stars:  25/30

Baby J is now about 10 1/2 pounds and the GroVia Newborn still fits well, but it won't for much longer!

PS.  For some reason, my html stars are not working... :(  Hence the score out of 5 instead.  I hope to have this fixed soon!!!  It looks so much nicer with the stars...

Ergo Review and Giveaway!

Ergo is one of the most popular Soft Structured Carriers.   I love that they have so many options of colors, prints, organic, sport, etc.  Now even an options Ergo that comes with 3 different design covers to snap on to change the look of your carrier!  How awesome is that! There is something to fit everyone’s style and needs.  For myself, I had a baby girl, and the pink Ergo had just caught my eye.  I bought it with money I had gotten from selling off my newborn stash of cloth diapers.  I have an Ergo that I bought used with my son and it was still in great shape, but I wanted something girly.  I mean after all I just had a baby girl, why not!  I kept my other Ergo and it’s now designated as our Daddy carrier.  It’s been great for use to have it for him to use, especially on hikes.  

I love how padded and supportive Ergo’s straps are!  This carrier is so wonderful for a heavier baby and toddlers.  It is a carrier you can wear for a long time and literally forget that baby is even back there.  The weight is so evenly distributed!  That’s what’s so wonderful about this carrier.  If you buy the infant insert, it literally goes from birth to toddler!  This carrier is one that can be worn longer than most, keeping you comfy for very long periods of time.

The quality of this carrier is wonderful.  Such wonderful material.  My particular pattern is just gorgeous, and I imagine their new Petunia Picklebottom designs are just as pretty in person!  The stitching, everything is just so perfect.  And it has really sturdy buckles, which are very important.  Everything about this carrier is high quality. 

The ease of putting the Ergo on is one of it’s major selling points, compared to wrapping or tying.  The only thing is it can take some practice getting the back clipped when baby is on your front.  There are many video tutorials online that can help you find out some hints on how to more easily do this.

If you are a plus sized mama like myself you may need to buy the extender.  I personally need the extender.  Bummed that I have to buy something extra to make it fit, but glad that I have the option to get the extender.

I have showed many of my mama friends my collection of carriers and many of them have chosen to purchase their own Ergo's.  And lucky for us Ergo is being so generous to let us do this giveaway!  Ergo's theme for this month is "Hugs Everywhere".  And who doesn't want to be holding/hugging their baby everywhere.  The Ergo makes this not only possible, but so easy! Babywearing is such a wonderful tool for mothers! Enter today's giveway to help you be able to Hug your Little One Everywhere!!







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Results

First off - sorry about the missing post last week - this post will describe where I was last week. And before I get started I want to say I am not making light of anyone's allergies or the severity of them.... these are just my observations lately.

Some of you may have read my story about my son's allergic reaction to Nutella (hazelnuts!) awhile ago.  My husband and I took him to Children's in Pittsburgh last week for testing.  The results were - peanuts, hazelnuts, and pecans.... but we are to stay away from all nuts for a full year.  Next year we will go to have blood work done to see if he's one of the 20% who will grow out of it or one of the 80% who will have the allergy for life.

Is it just me or are there a lot more allergies then before?  It seems everywhere you turn people have a gluten allergy, a milk allergy, a protein allergy (seriously!)..... why are there so many allergies all of a sudden - or are we just hearing more about them? Is it because of the garbage we eat on a daily basis? Is it because of all the additives and fillers in foods.... is it because we have gotten away from natural and healthy foods?  I really don't know.

Interesting enough I asked about our older and younger daughters - if they needed tested. And because our oldest already eats peanut butter she does not need testing, but they will test our youngest.  The doctor mentioned that avoidance from foods is what causes allergies so I asked if I should eat more nut products since I was still nursing her and her response 'I don't know'.  hmmm  Originally she said they thought pregnant/nursing women should avoid all nuts and then their children would not have the allergies but they found that's not true so I should not stop eating them.  But for me to eat more - her words were "I can't tell you yes or no but I can tell you 'It won't hurt'...... hmmm.

So while modern medicine is a wonderful thing and some amazing advances have been discovered I also think there are some things (maybe lack of nut products in formula) that may have something to do with this epidemic of allergies out there.....

Thoughts?

The UnPlug Challenge

This week's post was to begin the newborn diapering series...but I have gone a different way.  The series will start next week!

Lately I have found myself very stressed, anxious, and just on edge.  A newborn, a three year old, a husband who is never home, and trying to get our house back on the market for sale, just had me an anxious WRECK.  I was blowing up at everyone and just bawling for no reason at the drop of a hat.  I had to sit down and take a long hard look at my life, prioritize, and pull myself together.

I realized that Facebook, E-Mail, and the internet occupy FAR too much of my time.  I found myself saying "just let me finish typing this" or "just let me post this" and I was missing time with my kids and husband.  Updating my Facebook status is NOT more important than time with my family...but I needed to remind myself of this!  As a stay at home mom, the internet is my connection with the over-the-age-of-three world but I found myself staring at my phone or my laptop and allowing Miss A to entertain herself.  I was completely missing her childhood!

So I decided that this week was "UnPlug Week!"  I need to stay away from my phone and computer and stay off of Facebook.  It wouldn't be hard at all...but my BFF and I chat on Facebook throughout the day and not being on Facebook means not chatting with her.  Now THAT is hard!!!  But at the same time, she is in the same boat and completely understands my "absence" from Facebook.  She knows I still love her! ;)

So I made a pact, which I have kept for the most part, that I would only be on the internet when both kids were sleeping.  This doesn't happen much, so I have slipped for a second here and there...like at 11am SHARP to check BabySteals and KidSteals! LOL!  But I have definitely cut my internet time down!  I have been playing with Miss A and trying to work more on teaching her shapes, colors, etc.  I just feel more relaxed and I feel like a better mom.  It's funny how something as silly as the internet can just consume you and you forget what really matters in life!

The biggest improvement has just been my stress level.  I feel like I can handle whatever comes my way, and I am not constantly rushed.  I only have two concerns...Miss A and Baby J.  If I can just focus on the two of them (and feeding myself too!) and not worrying about other things...I can make it through every day (mostly) stress free!  It has been working quite well!

So I challenge you to Unplug for a day.  Make your own rules for how much phone/computer time you can have and/or when you can have it.  Give it a try!  You will be amazed at how much time you discover that you forgot you had!  And you will be surprised at how much time with your kids you have missed!

So take the challenge, and come back and tell me how it went!!!  Happy UnPlug Week!

PS. This post was written Sunday night after the kids were in bed to properly start UnPlug Week! :)