Special Visitors from the East

Jessica with Mark and his parents

Today we had a full day! I had a doctor's appointment this morning, which we were a little late to because I didn't hear the alarm! Then we hurried on over to the next town to meet a friend who was passing through town with his parents for lunch!

Jessica, Me, and Mark sitting in the children's rocking chairs at Cracker Barrel.

I met Mark....wow....I guess it was 13 years ago when he visited a mutual friend of ours from England (where Mark is from). We have kept in touch (sometimes better than others) ever since. I got to meet his parents today, and they are both very nice and friendly, much like Mark. His parents will be staying nearby on their way back for a week later this month. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to go to dinner with them!

Jessica having a good time rocking!

Jessica did very well at Cracker Barrel, and we had a nice time visiting, although Jessica was a little busy checking out her surroundings (including the man seated behind us who had on an apparently very cool Bass Pro shirt on)! We ran some errands after we said goodbye to Mark and his parents, and then Jessica came home and attempted a nap. It's been about an hour and a half now, and while she hasn't made too much noise, she is still showing no signs of going to sleep....again! I am really hoping she starts napping again soon, but my mother says that I quit taking naps about this age so I am a little afraid that this may be the end of naps for Jessica. If this proves to be true over the next several weeks, we will have to instigate reading time so that I can keep my sanity!!!!

I Survived Until Naptime...

I really didn't accomplish too terribly much this morning, other than surviving until naptime! I thought I better pay the bills. While sitting on hold I got the supplies together to clean the guest bathroom as my brother and sister-in-law are coming this weekend. Then a real person came on the line. About 5 seconds later, I realized that Jessica had poured all of the comet (that I had left on the counter in the bathroom) all over the couch!!! (I had been planning to switch to baking soda when I ran out of comet anyway.) Of course I had to hang up and shake all of the comet into the tub, shut the bathroom door, dustbust up the rest of the comet, and finally take a wet rag to the couch. At least she didn't eat it! All of this while she was watching her favorite video, which I thought would be a great distraction to allow me to get caught up on one of two things.

After this I got smart and strapped her in her chair with some yogurt, a spoon, and her favorite video on. Are you seeing a trend to this morning??? I managed to get the dishes caught up (which was a major feat....you have NO idea!) and in the meantime Jessica covered herself in yogurt. It was about this time that she started shrieking about everything!! She didn't get a good nap yesterday so that probably had a lot to do with it. We took a shower, and I put her down for her nap. Now I think I need to go take a short nap!!!

This is definitely one of those days where I do not feel that I am at my best. However, if I really sit back and think about it, I should realize that it's really been a pretty good morning all things considered! Jessica was tired from the long weekend with Daddy. I was tired from the long weekend too! I did get a few critical things caught up on this morning. Jessica did not eat anything dangerous or hurt herself this morning. Overall, she had a good time this morning until an hour before she went down for a nap. I guess it comes down to what your expectations are.....I think I am going to try and set mine really, really low for the rest of this week!!

Money Saving Monday: Christmas Gifts

Yes, I know. This makes two Christmas posts before November, but like I said, you have to start early when you do a homemade Christmas! Truth be told, not ALL of our Christmas is homemade, but this year most of it is. When we first got married (and made $11,000 the first year), we had 38 people to shop for and obviously no money to do it with!! I scrounged together $38 and did a pretty decent job in my opinion!

Perhaps because of that first Christmas together and perhaps because of how commercialized Christmas has become, David and I decided that (at least as long as we can manage it) Christmas for our children will be a mostly homemade affair, like it used to be, but more about that in another post. Today I wanted to talk about some of the different ideas I have used for Christmas gifts when we didn't have a lot of money to spend.

1. Cracker Barrel!!! If you have never checked out Cracker Barrel's after Christmas sale, you are totally missing out!!!!! They have adorable ornaments that they sell for 75% off after Christmas. They make great gifts for the next Christmas (or if you are celebrating late), and you can often get an adorable ornament for $1 or less!

2. Walgreens also has great after Christmas sales. I have been known to buy Christmas decorations 75% off and give them for Christmas the next year: dishes, card sets, small trees, winter house sets, photo albums, etc. They also frequently have blankets, pj pants, etc. on sale for 2 for $5. You can then personalize these items if you know how to embroider. I gave my great-grandmother one of those blankets and emrbroidered "Grandmother" on it. She absolutely loved it and used it until the day she died. She always commented on it whenever I came to visit.

3. Walmart also usually has great sales on movies and computer games. I have seen some for as little as $1!

4. I often do baskets of homemade hot chocolate mix, mugs, homemade chocolate spoons, etc. I usually get supplies (baskets, mugs, etc.) for these either at dollar stores or on sale after Christmas at places like Garden Ridge. These also travel very well, and if i do say so myself, no store-bought hot chocolate mix holds a candle to my homemade mix!!!

5. We have recently done some woodworking and sewing for different Christmas gifts: pizza paddle, wooden basket, wooden spoons, napkin rings, cloth napkins, puzzle, blocks, etc. I have also received some lovely homemade gifts from my sister and my mother: pajamas, gorgeous skirts, afgans, etc.

6. For neighbors and people who live close by, I usually give edibles. Some of my favorites are: homemade hot chocolate mix, homemade boiled custard (It's like egg nog only better! You can only get it in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina, I believe. I will share more about that later as well!), cookies, fudge, etc.

I am very excited about the gifts we have planned for this year! It is going to be a lot of fun getting everything made! Stay tuned to see what is going on in our franchise of Santa's Workshop!!!!

Front Porch Friday: Time with Daddy

David is off Friday through Monday!!! We are very excited about getting to spend some extra time with him!! We are also planning to see some friends from out of town Sunday night! This weekend also means project time for me and David. I have an order to fill on Etsy, and I desperately need to work on Jessica's Halloween costume! I will share more about that next week! David is starting in on a few Christmas presents this week. I will need to work on some Christmas presents once I am done getting ready for Halloween!

Next week we will be having company! A friend of mine from England will be coming through with his parents for lunch one day, and my brother and his wife will be staying with us that weekend!! Overall, a lot of excitement around our house in the coming weeks including a few surprises and hopefully lots of pictures!!!

We had a good week this week! We helped a friend work on her peacock costume for Halloween. It is coming along quite well!! (I was a little unsure, but she is very creative!) Jessica is becoming more and more verbal! (She is usually more interested in how things work than words!) We also went to the Open Gym and dance class. I had someone at the dance class say, "You never know she might be a little engineer." She did not know my husband was an engineer, but she said that you can always tell which kids have parents that are engineers! My cousin also called this week and said, "I hope one day I am half the parent you are!" This absolutely made my week! However, I am now beginning to think I may have misrepresented myself on my blog!!!

The Perhaps Not So Terrible Two's

Recently, it seems that I am having a lot of discussions with people about the Terrible Two's. (Seriously, like every time I turn around!) Let me also be the first to admit that my child is not quite two yet; however, I believe she is already exhibiting some of the hallmark characteristics of the Terrible Two's: expressions of dissatisfaction when told "No," being very, very busy doing everything she is not supposed to do, and oftentimes seemingly ignoring my directives. Although I most definitely get frustrated (some days more than others), I really think that perspective and creativity are a parent's two best friends at this age!

I was particularly frustrated until 1) I had a discussion with my mother, who reminded me that we are dealing with a short phase that lasts till about 2 years old and 2) I did some research online and discovered that there are two phases 18mos - 2 years & 2.5 years - 3 years that are particularly challenging because of all the learning and developing going on within children. I concluded that this is why the Two's are often called the Terrible Two's. They are growing so fast and so intent on exploring everything and every experience that it can be too much for us adults at times. It just really rocks our nice, orderly world!! That being said it is amazing all the work their body completes in brain development during this time period! Some of the most awesome sights and experiences in life are often some of the most terrifying!

This is also an age when I think parents' creativity has to soar! You have to be more creative than your child so you can try to stay one step ahead of them and change your strategies as they change oh so quickly! Each child is also different. With each new experience you learn more as a parent, but there are always going to be new challenges that arise where you have to completely rewrite your strategy! This has been my most challenging job to date but also my favorite job to date. Just when you think you've got everything figured out the game completely changes. That doesn't happen with 8 to 5 jobs! Another difference is you don't get a lunch break. In fact, you don't hardly ever LEAVE your job! What I love about it though is the challenge, the necessity of pushing my creativity to the limits, the chance to pass on all the things that I think are important on to the next generation, and of course my absolutely adorable child!

Although it is difficult to remember when in the trenches, this is a preciously brief moment that I am privileged to be a part of. There will come a day when I will yearn for the days when a cup of apple juice and water will make everything all better, when such simple pleasures as seeing a bird or pulling all of the folded clothes out of the laundry basket is fascinating, and when I can simply say "No you may not" and keep my child from harm.

Sometimes though it is difficult to tell whether or not you are doing a good job. You sometimes feel like you aren't making any progress. I sometimes find it helpful to make a list of very small goals we are working on or small steps to a larger goal we are working on or even goals we are working on for that particular year. When I have a list to go by that is appropriate for my child's age, I can reference it on days I am not so sure and reassure myself that we are on the right track or even re-evaluate our current plan of action. Maybe the things we are working on are too challenging. Maybe I am working on too many things at one time or maybe I am putting her in time-out for lots of infractions instead of focusing on the ones that are the most important to me. Having a list of goals and rules seems to help me remain objective; however, there are still days when I take it personally but hopefully they are fewer and farther between!

Front Porch Friday: Fun with Friends!

This week we have been spending a lot of time with friends!! Having spent almost 12 hours every weekday mostly by myself for the last couple years, I really appreciate having friends to spend time with during the day! No moment in time lasts forever, so it is important to savor the truly wonderful things in life while you have them! One of our friends is contemplating moving to a nearby town. It will be so sad to not have them right down the street, but we are enjoying the time we have!

Enjoying dance class with some of our friends!

Jessica's best friend

Jessica taking a very brief break from moving!

Trying out the new Ankle Bells!

"Hanging out" while running errands with friends!

My seat buddy....Jessica was too busy climbing the walls!

...literally!!

All of us riding the cart through Wal-mart!!

We did have one small problem at Wal-mart. Both little girls were in the blue seats. Then Jessica decided it would be great fun to hit her friend. (I think it is because we made it into a game when she would do it to us so she thinks it is fun to do to other people.....oops!) I moved Jessica to the top seat for time-out. Then she started swinging her legs and accidentally kicking her friend! That is how we arrived at the seating arrangment pictured above!! This week we also went walking and to the Open Gym! Maybe we can get in the pool tomorrow!

Money Saving Monday: Bumgenius Second Hand

We LOVE our bumgenius diapers! They really help with Jessica's heat rash. Babysitters are willing to use them!!!! They save us tons of money, and they are just so darn cute!!!! What is cuter than a little baby tottering around with an enormous caboose??? (Most especially if the enormous caboose comes in all different sorts of colors!!!)

See what I mean???

I was so excited this weekend to find a place online that sells used bumgenius diapers at half the price! Unfortunately, it looks like they do not have any available currently! However, all of the reviews stated that they were in very good condition and only some of them needed minor repair work done! Perhaps I will find a deal like that again soon from Cotton Babies!