TODAY
Out my window: Sunny and mild, a bit of a breeze. Blah February looking landscape.
Clothing myself in: Dark grey sweats and oddly the same t-shirt I was wearing last week when I typed my journal post. I need to go jeans shopping. I am so sad, I had been doing great with Maurice's "long" jeans, and they seem to have shortened the inseam by an inch which makes them juuuuust a little too short for my comfort. So now back to square one. Bleh.
Around the house: Laundry day today. Thinking I should probably pack the Nativity away from the mantle but not quite ready for my "spring/summer" deco item that goes there and don't really have anything for in-between. Getting stuff ready for Lent.
The baby: He's so cute but boy he doesn't always sleep very well at night. I don't remember Kolbe or Gemma being quite so needy. He usually doesn't even make it until Aaron's and my bedtime anymore before awakening in his crib, and I usually just resettle him in our bed at that point. He nurses at night, a lot. Co-sleeping makes this easier (I would probably lose my mind if I were getting up with him), but even then some nights just get to be very restless for me. We'll see what the coming months bring, it just kind of is what it is. I'm wondering if he's ready to start eating some "people food". Aaron really wants to share a banana with him, and part of me is ready to start him on solids. But part of me wants to keep him a baby for longer and not have to deal with the hassle of food and the washing out of poop from diapers and all that. Because if I don't feed him people food he will stay a baby forever, right? And then there's teething. OH teeth.
The kiddos: Gemma must be going through a growth spurt. She eats all. the. time. Besides her three meals a day, she usually has 4-5 snacks a day. Any creative/fun/healthy snack suggestions? We are kind of in a rut of popcorn, fruit/vegetables, oatmeal or whole-grain toast/crackers/cereal. It would be fun to have something else easy and a bit more exciting to offer. What are your kids' favorite snacks? Her latest favorite thing to do is make picnics with her play food. We often have at least one picnic a day, complete with birthday party cupcakes. This has been a fun way to teach her the proper way to set a table as well (we sure like this dish set). For Christmas and birthday she received several items that we had to take back for various reasons, so I let her sit down with me on the computer and choose a new play-food item, since that's something she's really into. She chose this pizza set and is eagerly awaiting its arrival.
Kolbe has started drawing people (a circle with eyes, nose and mouth). He had been staying dry at night for a week or two, but since he was sick a couple weeks ago he's been wetting again overnight. I really thought we were there, but alas no. Maybe soon... This morning Gemma had a date with her Grandma Mary so Kolbe and I had a special date (and Clem, but he slept for most of it). He probably said, "this is fun, mommy," about 15 times (we baked bread, played a matching game and worked on lacing cards), and one time he said, "I sure love you, mommy." He is such a sweet little boy. This gave me a little glimpse at what it will be like with Gemma in school next year. It will really change the dynamics around here a lot and as nuts as we can drive each other I think I am really going to miss Gemma.
In the kitchen: Meatloaf (still deciding on veggie and grain sides); Chicken Enchiladas (I finally tried making my own cream of mushroom soup and am looking forward to using some leftover in the freezer with these); making green beans for a family Spaghetti dinner; baked fish with mixed grains and steamed veggies. I am not much for freezer-cooking, but I have been stashing a thing or two in the freezer here and there (aforementioned soup, some already-browned ground beef/Italian sausage for future pizza topping, etc.), and it makes me smile to know that it's in there for when needed.
Crafting: My MIL gave me a primose recently. She does every year around this time even though I can't keep them alive for anything. But Gemma likes it oh so much. As I mentioned above, her latest thing is making picnics with our play food and dishes, and she always gets the (dying) primrose and puts it in the middle of the play-table as a decoration. So for her Valentine, I picked up some inexpensive artificial flowers and am going to make some sort of simple flower-arrangement for her to keep with her playthings. Also trying to figure out for sure what I want to do for our Lenten centerpiece for the table.
Learning: Shapes this week. And birthday thank-yous.
Reading: Still working on Jesus of Nazareth. My spiritual director gave me a book of Lenten Reflections by Henry Nouwen that I think Aaron and I will read and reflect on together, and one for the kids as well that looks pretty cool. I started Unconditional Parenting, but the jury is definitely still out on it. He makes some very good points, and provides some good food-for-thought -- challenging many of the more "behavior-management-ish" parenting techiques of the day -- but early-on he makes a very strong case against praising children, and while I will agree praise is often over-done I just can't imagine not praising my kids ever. He also doesn't seem to take into account the various temperaments and love-languages (of children and parents alike) and in my opinion that plays a huge role in parenting. Overall it just seems to be a bit too much psychoanalyzing for my tastes. All that aside though, as I continue to page through it he does make some very good points as well. I just don't know...I haven't put it down yet but I'm not sure I'll finish it. If you're curious in a more in-depth review, check here. Upon the recommendation of a friend, I have a Kate Morton on hold from the library. Looking for something else of the spiritual nature for Lent maybe... Getting towards the end of On the Banks of Plum Creek and trying to decide whether to continue with Little House or pick up something else with the kids. I ordered a used copy of Happy Little Family for sometime.
Bringing me joy: February. Not really February itself, but the fact that I (and my husband and children for that matter) am counting down its days one by one and will jump with joy when March and the hope of Spring is here! Oh January/February, you are so very cold and brown and blah. You get me every year. Confession and meeting with my spiritual director...always a breath of fresh air for my soul, praise God.
Thinking about: Next season's wardrobes for my kiddos. Which cloth diapering items I really need. I have a few things I'm trying to sell if you're interested. Keeping things simple. Getting an Adoration hour. Why are my eyes itchy and my nose runny? It's too early (and cold) for allergies! Randomness.
Pictures to share:
