Baby sleep solutions

I am working on getting my little guy to go to sleep while awake at nap and night time.  I have let some bad habits form and am paying the price.  My current method disrupts the peace in our home My last words to my older boys are often short and frustrated. This is not good! I have sought their forgiveness and their support as I close this chapter of our lives, hurah!

The ferber method is basically what I have done with all the boys, although I didn't follow any method or buy any books. This just matches what we have done pretty closely as far as putting the baby to bed while awake and allowing hime to cry for a bit. Although, we don't let the babies cry for longer than fifteen minutes, and I do pick them up and soothe them. Gradually, within a week of being consistant, they stop crying when we put them down.

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What exactly is the Ferber method?

In a nutshell, Ferber says you can teach your baby to soothe himself to sleep when he's physically and emotionally ready, usually sometime between 3 and 5 months of age.

He recommends following a warm, loving bedtime routine and then putting your baby in bed awake and leaving him (even if he cries) for gradually longer periods of time. Putting a child to bed awake, says Ferber, is crucial to successfully teaching him to go to sleep on his own.

I expect this to come as a shock to my nearly 1 year old :) but starting tonight after bath and singing songs and praying with brothers, he is being rocked and put in bed. I expect he will cry quite a lot. I do know from experience that it will be worth every tear! Mine and his :)

This is what 5am looks like for Matt and I.  The little ones are in the habit of waking at 5.  I will have to work on this sleep issue another time. Often Seth is in bed with us as well. Good times. I love the "stalker" haha. 

garage solutions

I'm actually excited to walk in to my garage this week.  Have I ever said that?  We are in the process of going through the garage and getting rid of things, and making a laundry station and pantry area. This passed weekend we were given a small chest freezer, and storage shelves. Whoo-hoo!

Now at the back of the garage I have the freezer and storage for house paper products, humidifiers, and serving dishes. I pulled a long dresser that was at the back of the garage parallel to the washer and dryer, making a laundry room (as close as I can get to one). The dresser has 9 drawers that store (among other things), my tools, extra dishes, off-season sheets,batteries and laundry supplies. Three laundry baskets sit nicely on top of the dresser; one for unders and towels, the other for regular wash, and a small basket for "smalls" like baby socks and nursing pads (TMI?).

 Simple Solutions:
  *Trash can next to the dryer. No-brainer, right? well, it took me about 10 years to 'get' this one.

  *Towel on top of freezer. This keeps the lid from getting dusty. Just throw in the washer monthly.
 Fold a towel to fit on top of you fridge in the house as well and no more ugly dust blanket on top.

  *Keep dirty clothes in laundry room/area. I have my boys bring dirties to laundry station right after their nightly shower, sort unders/towels from regulars and put in baskets. I don't like dirties hanging out in hampers. This forces me to keep up on laundry, usually two loads per day.


Here's my garage. I plan on some hanging storage for above the freezer for plastic, paper grocery bage and my reusable grocery bags. On the wall to the left of the freezer we are going to install a um, thing (have no idea shat it is called!) to hang my broom, dust pan, Swiffer and steam mop.

I found these inspirational pics online. Love the pegboard! I can see now that even a small one would be so useful next to the washer/dryer.

This other pic, I just had to share. I don't think it is for me, but I had not seen this before. A garage screen door!!! Would love to hear from anyone on this. I don't know what I think other than, wow.

This last pic apeals to my contain-a-mania. :) 

Keeping on budget

I'm often asked, "How much is your grocery bill?"  In this economy, and especially in single-income families, keeping and staying on budget is more crucial than ever.  When I was first married 13 years ago, we had budgets, but they were more like standards and guides than actual budgets, and they weren't policed at all.  Ever go to the ATM to draw $$ and found that you had negative funds? That happened to me, a few times. Today in my home my budget and bank records are checked daily and there isn't a trip to the store that isn't calculated. It is a daunting task and a frustrating reality at times, but there is a comfort in knowing what to expect and  knowing  I can use my gifts to serve my family in this area.  Family finances are indicative of stewardship. Bank statements don't pull any punches, do they? 
    Finance is an area that a husband and wife should approach with much prayer, and honesty. In our house, I am "in charge" of finances, but Matt is absolutely the head of our home and that includes the $$$$. We pray about bigger purchases and for God's provision. We keep eachother accountable. We view Matt's salery as a stewardship from the Lord.
   We are nearly debt free (aside from the house).  With our tax return we are paying off credit cards and Ben's braces. This frees up nearly 300 a month to be applied to the car payment. We are prayerfully on our way to car pay-off in two years. We still have a need to keep our credit card for emergencies until we build up two month's expences in savings. This "emergency fund" is something that we have not had before but really REALY would like to have, God willing, of course.
  

Here are a great link: a cash envelope tutorial. She also sells the sets laminated,  on Etsy

 http://kelleighratzlaff.com/featured/free-envelope-template-and-a-tutorial/

Here's some of mine. Cute, huh? Having cash on hand is a great way to keep on budget. The envelopes make it easy to see how much, or how little, there is to spend.

To answer the grocery budget question; I budget 700 a month for groceries and non food items like paper products, shampoo, baby wipes etc. I coupon and sale shop when I can.

Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Christ Jesus."

Love...believes all things...

  While at church this past Sunday, my mind wandered (for a bit) thinking back at this past year at our church. We first visited in January of last year, and wow, it has been a whole year. Anyway, I was thinking how much we have grown together as a couple this past year and found myself thinking, "I wish our pastor would have married us all those (13) years ago.  I would love it if our pastor led us in rededicating  our vows in this church..." And then I sighed because Matt is not the renewing/rededicating type of guy and our pastor probably doesn't do that kind of thing anyway.

   Well, on the way home in the church parking lot, Matt looks me in the eyes and proceeds to tell me before God and all the kiddo's in the car, "I want you to know that I just love you so much. I want you to know that I love that I get to see you growing closer to Christ and watch you become who God created you to be, and like our pastor said this morning, it excites me and I am so blessed to be a part of it., to witness this miracle, of you."~ My Man. Says this to me with misty eyes.
and I felt....renewed, rededicated, and practically in our church.

This is the quote that we heard in church. Well Matt heard, I was daydreaming of renewing our vows...

“Within the Christian vision for marriage, here’s what it means to fall in love. It is to look at another person and get a glimpse of the person God is creating, and to say, ‘I see who God is making you, and it excites me! I want to be part of that. I want to partner with you and God in the journey you are taking to his throne. And when we get there, I will look at your magnificence and say, ‘I always knew you could be like this. I got glimpses of it on earth, but now look at you!’” (Timothy & Kathy Keller, "The Meaning of Marriage")

Me and my dream-boat.  Keeper of my heart. You are so much more than I would have ever thought to ask for. I'm so blessed to be yours.

Outing Bag

Mommies need any 'edge' available.  A nanny would be amazing, right? A Grammy is great and there is strength in numbers among friends. What has made all the difference for me is my Outing Bag. It is my as close to a nanny or personal assistant as I am going to get, and it REALLY, really makes all the difference. That said, it needs to be packed and ready to go.

Here is a pic of my Outing Bag.

First of all and Best of all it is giant. I literally put my mini cooler in it when we head to the park.

It has two wonderful outside pockets to stow my keys, sun glasses, cell and lip gloss~ what else does a girl need, right? 
Three inside pockets hold my wallet, hand sanitizer*, lotion, Mommy snacks, bottled water,and sippy cups.

The GIANT inside holds diapers (wet bag too if I am taking cloth) wipes, nursing cover,baby snacks,sunblock bag,extra baby clothes. There is room for library books, my mini cooler, sweatshirts and coupon organizer. On Bible study days it holds my Bible and notebook with room to spare.

My mom had a friend make this for me for Christmas. Since I have been using it (stocking it) it is that much easier to get up and go because I have everything I need for a quick trip to the store, library, day at the park.


Here it is all packed and ready to go.







My head is not "made-up" yet so I intentionally cut it out :)

Park days

Some days, it is so refreshing to just get outside and play with my Wee-Ones.

Breathe fresh air...
To swing...

 And to slide.
Let your hair down, put down the phone (but take pictures) let the wind muss your hair, sit on the grass, go down the slide!
Enjoy your blessings today!

“Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” ~ C. S. Lewis

Cloth diapering

I do both cloth and disposable diapers. For disposables I really like 7th Generation for it's absorbency, durability and eco-friendliness (it actually decomposes where other's do not, like for many, many, many years)   I've been using regular old cloth diapers (unbleached) with Snappies ( instead of pins) and the workhorse variety which are cut more like a diaper and close with snaps or Velcro. These can be used alone, for the brave, or with a variety of cute and irresistible diaper covers, the options are endless. Behold the variety at www.greenmountiandiapers.com   There are lots of pics of all the diapers and covers on a variety of babies from newborn to toddler.

How I wash cloth diapers and covers:
 Some use a pail and wash when they have a full load. For two reasons I wash daily; 1) I only own about two days worth of diapers, and 2) I don't want to smell or touch (much) soiled diapers especially ones that are several days old. That said, cloth really doesn't smell as strong as a soiled disposable.  I use diaper liners which come in rolls , they are a very thin mesh like a dryer sheet after run in the dryer.  The liners catch all the poo, basically, and I  flush the poo away and throw the liner in the outside bin. I wash diapers in my 'towels and unders' load, and yes I have a full load every day; one 'towels and unders' and one regular. I use Charlies Soap powder for all my laundry. I use bleach or vinegar to kill germs in the 'towels and unders' loads. I do not use dryer sheets or fabric softeners.

If I have a diaper that is especially soiled (poo) I will run it in a quick cold wash cycle by  itself before going through the regular cycle.  I have a small wet bag for when I go out, it has a waterproof lining for soiled diapers and an outer pocket for fresh diapers/wipes. At home I don't use a pail, I just put the diaper in a small bin on top of my washer which is in the garage. The bin gets the Lysol wipe treatment every so often . I fold the diapers on themselves so the soil doesn't really touch the bin itself.
 I use disposables just at night and at church, so one pack of 36 diapers will last me all month.

All dressed up with nowhere to go

This morning I rose early, did some chores and got myself dressed, complete with poofy hair, Pinterest inspired orange and grey outfit (which I am loving)  and SHOES. I know, when does mom ever put on shoes without some place special to go?  "Bi-bow sudy?" Seth asked. Not today. Today I am availing myself to God's will in a way I too often overlook. I'm getting all dressed up and ready to go.

*get showered (early if you can, before Hubby leaves the house) Many times I have had to warsh (we say warsh over here) my hair in the kitchen sink, and take a 'tub shower' which means get in the tub and run the faucet: wash what's important and do it fast. This way I can keep an ear and eye on the kids. Whatever it takes, right? If I've learned one thing in 12 years of momming it's that I need to adapt because life comes at me fast and not the same way twice.
*dressed, poofed, and brushed (teeth)
*run the washer, get the dishes done (while little ones having breakfast or entranced by their morning cartoon. Use this time to stock the diaper/outing bag with water and car snacks and throw into the car things often left home without (dry cleaning, store returns, library books, bills)
*straighten the house as you go, just 'picked up' enough to not give you hives when you come home (wipe the bathroom counter with the damp towel from your shower, use the baby wipe you wiped baby's face with to swipe the high chair tray.
*Make a to-do list that includes any grocery items, calls to make, and reminders. I back-pocket my list, and look at it throughout the day. Things tend to disappear in my purse.

All this takes about an hour and a half, give or take a poopy diaper. The key is to be quick, don't go from one room to another without something in your hands to put away (something from my waitress days). Also, don't stress. Life happens. You will fail if you try to hold back the flood gates of life happening.

I'm studying the Proverbs 31 model of the ideal woman/wife/mother. This time around I'm taking it slow and breaking it in to palatable, small bits;a single thought, verse, principle.. with the goal of taking what I learn and making real application.

Proverbs 31:10 says "who can find a capable wife?"
Capable:

Having the ability, fitness, or quality necessary to do or achieve a specified thing.

Able to achieve efficiently whatever one has to do; competent.

Are you feeling like you just don't have what it takes?

Have you thrown in the towel before getting out of the gates?

Why don't you try getting ready for your day.  You may get out of the house, you may stay in and play choo-choo in the hallway like I did this morning.  But I've got options now that I wouldn't have in my greasy hair and baggy bottom sweats.  If opportunity knocks I'm presentable enough to answer the door.

 While playing outside with the little ones I'm much more inclined to take a bag of oranges from our tree over to the neighbor's , greet and thank the mail man. Walk down to the estate sale down the street. (which I totally did and had a blast) None of these if I'm in my slippers and baggy-bottom sweats with greasy hair and yesterday's eye make-up on my cheek.  Doors open for ministering to others because I am availing myself to be around people, and I am in a good mood.  So if you don't already, make a point to get ready for the day.

Proverbs 31 Woman: Wife of Valor

I came across a great link (shared below) and wanted to share. I just love the title of "wife of Valor" Maybe because I call my guys my Mighty Men of Valor and it sounds/feels so empowering :) I can do this; I am a Wife of Valor. That is my current motto as I dig for precious jewels in Proverbs 31 in the month of February.  .

Of what value can this ancient poem be to the diverse, complex life-styles of women today?

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." The Hebrew word chayil, translated here "noble," or "virtuous" (KJV), means a wife of valor — a strong, capable woman with strong convictions. 

  I so admire a woman who has strong convictions and lives by them, not imposing them on others. Convictions are personal are they not? I have myself taken my personal convictions and used them as a sounding board to judge others. I am trying to grow in this area of faithfulness to what I have heard and received from the Lord for myself; to encourage others and help them and not try to make them fit my mold.

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
(Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor)
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

 "This woman does not do right only when it is convenient and profitable. Her actions are not based on how she is treated by others or by what others think. Her character is steady. She is reliable and dependable.
http://www.gci.org/bible/poetry/prov31"

Proverbs 14:1“A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.” (NLT)