A Few Tidbits

So, it's about a year later (exaggeration), and I still haven't told you about what is happening over at Scott's blog.  So here it is in summary.

Scott, along with 29 other bloggers, are trying to raise 30,000 dollars, "30 bloggers, 30 days, 30,000 dollars."  "Why?" you ask.  Because 20.00 gives one person 20 years of clean water.  Crazy, right?  If you head over to Scott's blog you can find out the details.  But, please, check it out, and consider donating!! 

No clean water. It quickly puts things into perspective.  These days I find myself fretting over the fact that our budget doesn't allow me to feed my family only grass fed beef and farm fresh eggs laid by pastured chickens, and then I think, but we have clean water.  We have clean water.

On a completely other note...I am in love with the munchkin mesh feeder.  (not the real name).  I am on a crusade to spread the word about this wonderful contraption.  It has saved my sanity, and I think will be my go-to baby gift from now on.  It goes with us everywhere.

John likes it too.  Here it is filled with cooked sweet potato.  He has also used it to eat banana, pear, avocado, and watermelon.  He loves it all.  I stick it in the fridge to make it really cold, and I think it feels good to his teething gums.  I don't have to make his baby food, he's doing it himself.  Self-sufficient; I like it.

And remember all that talk about turning the television off?  We're still watching.

Do you see John showing off his new sitting up skills?  He still hasn't conquered an official crawl, but he is giving it his all.  Any day now, any day.

Things to say

There are several things that I am feeling really excited about these days.

First things first, look what showed up at my house this week...

Okay, it didn't just show up, Scott's parents were oh-so-generous, and they bought it for us as an anniversary gift.  I was giddy with excitement.  Our vacuum hasn't worked for a while, and that is just not okay.  I would use the vacuum every once in a while, just to go through the motions, but I basically just pushed dirt around.  Well, I first read about this vacuum over here at this wonderful blog, I then researchd it on Amazon, and it was even on sale at Target.  The stars really aligned on this one.  Anyway...it truly lives up to the hype.  I love it.  I can't thank Scott's parents enough!!

Thanks to Mary, I just finished reading the above book yesterday.  Warning:  it will make you want to do nothing but sit around all day reading quality literature to your children.

And during John's NICU stay, I read the above book.  The Well-Trained Mind is a must read if you plan to homeschool using the classical method.  It is an incredibly practical book that walks you through each step of the classical homeschooling process.  Love it.

And I am in the process of reading The Case for Classical Christian Education.  Because Ada is only 2 1/2, I am trying to read all I can before her schooling years sneak up on me.

And thanks to the above books and wonderful, wonderful swagbucks, Ada will soon be reading these; they are in the mail as I type this.  I just keep checking them off the list as I earn more swagbucks.

In addition, we are checking out stacks of books every week at the library.  Ada picks her own books, so they aren't always my first choice, but that's okay.  I try to sneak in a few of my own choices every once in a while.

And finally, I am loving this blog--Uber Chic for Cheap.  I don't even know how I stumbled upon it, but I love it, love it.  It really speaks to my need to stick to a budget and possess a decent wardrobe.  Check it out!!

I would tell you that I am excited that Ada is potty trained and that John is sleeping through the night, but none of these things is actually happening.

I thought Ada was potty trained.  All signs pointed to her being potty trained, and then we had a major set back day, which involved lots of urine on the floor.  I then put things on hold while Scott's parents were here, but it's back to the grind tomorrow.

And based on the last two nights, John is back to eating every three to four hours during the night.  Last night I was so tired in the middle of the night, that I woke Scott up and asked him to go get the pan, but I meant to ask him to go get John.  He, of course, said, "What?!!!" and I told myself to concentrate really hard, and that time I said, "will you go get the soap?"  For some reason my brain and my mouth were not cooperating.  I don't even know why I woke him up because I was perfectly capable of getting John myself.  And then today, while Ada napped and I was lying in the bed nursing John, I fell asleep and woke up 30 minutes later, and he was still nursing on the same side.  Not good, ya'll, not good.

But we'll get there.  Sleep will come.  Ada won't start kindergarten in diapers.  It's all a process, right?  One day at a time.  One foot in front of the other.

p.s Happy Cinco De Mayo.  We had guacamole for dinner to celebrate.

The Office Wedding

Okay, that tingle in my throat has worked its way into a full-fledged cold, and Ada has it too. We are a miserable pair, but oh so thankful that it's just a cold!!

So, I don't have a lot to say tonight because my head hurts too badly to process my thoughts.

But I felt the need to share this. I just saw a preview for The Office Wedding and I teared up--at the preview!! I can't wait.

Jim and Pam might be my favorite couple ever. Don't you agree?

Saturday Happenings

Things I am loving today

1. All of our purchases made with a $500 Ikea gift card. You need to jump on the online offer bandwagon, I'm telling you.

We have some new purchases sitting in our living room, and I am still contemplating whether or not they work in here, so I will most likely be back later with photos. Things I am deciding on--a bigger coffee table, more "to scale" with our couch, the original coffee table as a side table to hold our new lamp, and drapes for the windows behind the couch. I do believe these purchases will make the living room more complete, though we still have two walls to paint. All in good time, my friends, all in good time. (Scott was exhausted after the shopping trip. Can you tell?)

Okay, observe in the picture below what I am deciding. Does the coffee table work? Scott really likes it. I like it, but I don't love it. We also purchased a sofa table and two lamps, but the sofa table didn't really work; our couch is just too long. So now I wish I could put the lamps on either side of the sofa, but I don't have a table that works on the side with the floor lamp. That is the main quandary. Where do I find a tiny little table for that corner? We still have 100.00 left to spend at Ikea, so maybe I will stumble across something there. Do you agree that the lamps on either side need to match? And do you think the old coffee table as a side table works? I still need to hang the drapes, so the picture is a work in progress. I will be back with "after" photos.

Ada is currently engrossed in playing with her new wooden train set from Ikea. She loves it, and is completely oblivious that it is not actually the same "Thomas" set as the one at Near's (my mom). She can't get enough of her Ikea train, and she can't stop talking about it when we are away from it.

2. I'm loving Route 44 sized water from Sonic with lots of ice and lemon and lime. Oh my goodness. The Lord has been good to me this pregnancy as he has given me quite the craving for water. This is a new thing in my life, and it makes getting my daily water much easier. I really can't stomach many other beverages other than ice cold water.

3. I love Saturday itself. I always love Saturday because Scott is home and life is easier. It's been an exhausting Saturday spent mostly at Ikea, but it's been one where much was accomplished. Though it is early, I feel the nesting coming on, and I have a long to-do list going in my head. Getting the downstairs complete before baby #2 arrives is definitely a must, and today I checked many things off.

4. I love that there is a girly movie awaiting me after Ada goes down for the night. In a very uncharacteristic move, Scott agreed to watch He's Not That Into You with me. We never ever ever agree on movies, but apparently he likes a lot of the actors in this movie? Who knows, but I will take it. I never watch mindless girl movies anymore, and it is just the ticket for a night of relaxing. Do you agree?

So, it's been a good day. A normal day, and that I can appreciate.