Say It Ain't Snow!

I am looking forward to the snow to melt! I don't mind snow as long as I am still able to be mobile. I do not mind being home with the boys at all. I just don't like the idea of knowing that I am not able to leave the house! Not only that, but I was not able to let Luke get out to enjoy the snow. I also don't want to get the baby out in this weather, or take a chance in carrying him outside and falling on the ice. So Luke and I had a day of laundry, snacks, Veggies Tales movies, computer games, and playing with baby Eli.

Tonight, Luke's grandparents drove over and picked him up to spend the night with them. He was so excited to go outside in the snow, just to walk to their truck. He laid down and started making snow angels! He has no school tomorrow so I am glad he will get to play in the snow at their house. He loves it!

3 Easy "Go Green" Tips

I am going to share a few things I do at home to "go green":

1. I recycle newspaper, magazines, junk mail, old telephone books, and used paper. I use brown paper sacks from the grocery store to keep them in (and it gets recycled too!). I stop at a local green & yellow container for recycling and throw them in. I average one brown sack everyother week and I pack it full.

2. I recycle and reuse plastic shopping bags. I take one large one (like from Toys R Us or Kohls) and fill it up with as many as I can. Then as I walk into my local Wal-Mart, I drop them in their recycling box. I keep a handful of plastic bags at home to reuse. For example, I use them as a trash bag in my small trash can next to the baby's changing table for diaper duty.

3. I try to find a way to repurpose the plastic bags that many items like baby towels and washcloths, or comforters and blankets, come in. Many have zipper enclosures. I used the small size (Dwell Studio baby washcloths came in) in my diaper bag. I put all of our health care items in it. So that way, they are all contained together, and in case of a leak, it won't get all over the diaper bag and contents. I also have used a larger size, that a mattress pad came in, for storage of Eli's baby toys that he isn't old enough to play with yet.

Well, that's all you get for now! I can't share all of my tips at once! I have to have more to write about later!

Dinner for less than $4!

Tonight I made a pretty darn quick and delicious dinner for a very low price. I bought Zatarans' Red Beans & Rice (in a ready-to-serve pouch) yesterday. I had Eckrich smoked sausage in the fridge and green beans in the pantry. Slice sausage and throw it in a skillet, then add the red beans and rice. It took about 10 minutes to prepare.

The cost break down:
Zatarans Red Beans & Rice, $1.30
Eckrich Smoked Sausage ($2.50) used 1/2 the package, $1.25
Allens Green Beans $.89
Slice of bread & butter $.20

This was the first time I had eaten red beans and rice, and it wasn't bad! I'm just sharing a quick fix dinner idea! Enjoy!

Squash anyone?

Our baby food experience with Eli is getting better. He is accepting squash much better now. He has had three days of "dinner," which included rice cereal and a half a container (stage 1) of squash. I had baby food coupons for the Gerber 2-pack baby food in the plastic containers, instead of jars. I decided I would go through four days of each food (beginning with vegetables first), giving him half the container per day. We still have sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, and sweet peas to try. That's sixteen more days of vegetables! I wanted to introduce all the veggies before I started with fruit. Then, we will do fruit at either breakfast or lunch and keep veggies at dinner for now. We will also increase the intake amount to the full container.

On a GREEN side note, the plastic containers the baby food comes in has multiple uses so don't throw them away! At 9 months, finger foods can begin. These containers are great for Cheerios and Gerber Puffs on the go and in the diaper bag (the lids stay put nicely). Also, Luke has been using these and other plastic containers for painting since he was a toddler. It's a convenient way to keep paints seperate when working. He can also use them to keep beads and other crafts sorted.

Teething Trouble?

Eli cut his first two teeth last month, and seems to be trying to cut an upper tooth now. Poor guy is super fussy, drooling, chewing on fingers and blankets, and won't suck much on bottles or binkies. I am assuming that he is teething again, however, at the same time, he is congested and starting to get a runny nose. He also started baby food (squash) last night for the first time, and it don't go over very well. He only ate about one-fourth of the jar, and then about an hour and a half later he spit it all up. This makes me wonder if he is teething, getting sick, or allergic to squash!

I am treating it as teething for now. He spit up formula today, but so far has not spit up after eating the squash tonight. He took it a little bit better the second time around. For the teething we are doing a routine of homeopathic teething tablets, Baby Orajel, and Motrin (if necessary). I hope a tooth breaks through soon! It is exhausting having a teething baby! I would assume that, at times, it would be similar to having a colicy baby. The fussiness just seems incurable sometimes.

The baby stage of life goes by the fastest, and I try really hard to appreciate every day-- no matter what is in store.

Craigslist is awesome!

If you have not checked out Craigslist....get started! We are going to pick up a "new " bed for Luke tonight. His bedroom theme is vintage cowboy. What would be more vintage than a wagon wheel bed! Awesome! I found one on Craigslist last night for $35! It's so cute!

Not only can you find things to buy, but sell the things you don't need anymore. Yesterday I posted Eli's Papasan bouncer seat that he has outgrown, and have already received an email to set a time to meet. I listed it for $30.

So basically, we are coming full circle. Selling an item for $30 and buying an item for $35. It just about evens out, so we are not coming up with a lot of money to buy the things we want/need. Plus, it's FREE to search and post listings!

Family Gathering

Today we met up at my Grandpa Dunbar's house to visit with family. We had a house full. My sister and her two kids were down from Wisconsin. My brother, his wife, and kids came over. My youngest brother came over with a friend. My cousin and her two girls showed up. Of course, I was there with Luke and Eli.

It's one of those love-hate occasions. The kids are loud, making messes, and I know driving my Grandpa crazy. On the other hand, you can catch up with those you haven't seen in a while (in between burping babies, changing diapers, feeding, and trying to keep the older kids from tearing up the house.)

You find out that you are not the only one with issues. For example, finding free time for ourselves or trying to get husbands to help out seemed to be topics with the moms. There was talk about choosing schools, new career paths, church, organizing the house, and relationship ups and downs.

I know that when you talk to family you get the most honest opinions than anywhere else. Family gatherings are like a talk show for us. We all contribute, we all have something to say, we all have ideas and opinions, but most importantly we also listen. It's nice to know that family is the best soundboard and you can bounce anything off them. You get to the heart of what's inside you when my family is around.

It just reminds me how important it is to stay connected. Time is valuable. We should not let so much time pass again before we see each other. It's ridiculous to do so when most of us don't live that far away. (I won't blame Britt since she does live in Wisconsin!) I have to make a point to really keep in touch more often. I guess a late New Year's Resolution, of sorts.

Soccer it is!

I signed Luke up for spring soccer today. Unfortunately, we are not going to have the same coach. I did find out that so far there are already three Bristow teams in his age bracket (in the fall there was only our team). So that means fewer players per team, in turn the kids get more playing time. I am anxious to meet his new coach and team!

I thought I would post a picture of my soccer all-star, Luke.

Also, I have so much to post, but so little time! I am really busy this weekend, and plan to get organized next week. I still am searching for new blog headers and templates.

Into sports.

Soccer or T-Ball? That is the question! I cannot get my 5-year-old son to decide. He wants to play t-ball one day, and soccer another. We are running out of time to make a decision. Soccer sign-ups are tomorrow! If I make a pro vs. con list then soccer would win hands down, but telling that to a 5-year-old isn't easy.

Pros of soccer: he is really good, he has a friend that would be on the same team, practices are shorter than t-ball, we will have the same coach
Cons of soccer: it is not t-ball!

Pros of t-ball: he is ok, mom really likes it!
Cons of t-ball: practices are long, usually one more day per week, we don't know the coach or who is playing this year

I will admit that I am partial to t-ball because I never played soccer growing up, but I am going to let Luke decide which he would prefer to play this spring.

For those of you wondering if I am making him play a sport: I essentially am making him play a sport because I want him to participate in activities with other children, exercise and stay fit. We do not live in a neighborhood. He doesn't have other children to play with outside of seeing them at school. He also learns about teamwork, rules, and challenges. He seems to enjoy it too!

Inmind.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION! Please be patient with me! I am new to the blogging community, and am learning as quickly as I can. I plan to post daily, but I am trying to find ways to create the look I want for this blog. I am thinking about this blog all hours of the day now! I want it to be creatvie and look pleasing to the eye, as well as offering useful posts and insight into my life. I plan to offer some fresh and fun info and ideas. Keep checking back!

Inside.

This blog has been a long time coming!

Hello! My name is Deidra, and I am a mother to two wonderful boys, Luke & Eli. Since becoming a mother, I have learned more than what can ever be listed in a blog; however, I would like to share what I can about topics that relate to all mothers.

I have many view points from which I have learned many lessons. I have been a single mother. I have finished college, while having a baby. I have a degree in Elementary Education and teach PreK. And much, much more. I have had to get resourceful, budget, shop smart, get creative and clever to get to where I am now (in both, my life and my job!).

I would like to use this Blog to reach out to others, meet new people, share, laugh, and learn!