And they were right!
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
October Catch Up
Sometimes it is so hard to take the time to write a blog post. Often I find that our lives are full and busy but to put it into a blog post - well, suddenly it becomes repetitive, mundane perhaps.
The kids are growing by the day. Having 2 a mere 19 months apart - it's hard, it's fun, it's chaotic, it's exhausting, it never lets up. During nap time (if I am fortunate enough that both will sleep at the same time) I have grand ideas of blogging, reading blogs, cooking and cleaning. Sometimes I end up just sitting on my couch with pandora playing on my phone. Sometimes I mindlessly scroll through facebook looking at nothing in particular. Sometimes I debate getting off facebook and finding a way to make my phone be less mindlessly alluring. Stupid phone. Scrolling and searching and looking at - nothing really. The ultimate time waster.
Our days have been filled with diaper changes, meal times, the week where I pulled out the mediterranean cookbook and cooked time consuming meals during naps and beyond (it only lasted a week), gym time, thinking about yard work and then not doing it (somehow I just end up holding G all the time). The days are long and some are easy and others are unending. I think the kids gang up on us sometimes - like "hey, I will throw a tantrum and get all worked up, get mom nice and frazzled...then, you need to finish her off with a bout of gas."
G is so close to rolling back to front. He gets his little legs moving to the side, looks for things, reaches for them but doesn't quite make it. He is jolly with a smile that just can't be contained and dimples that sink so deep into his overly chubby cheeks. We call him chunk and other names that most people would be aghast at...terms of endearment in our eyes but I am sure other people would not view it that way.
B is talking a little more. His language has yet to blossom the way I envisioned it but he is a very effective communicator and understands complex instruction so I am not getting to worked up or worried about it. I try to remind myself that adults have varying degrees of talkativeness and perhaps he won't be the most talkative person in the future. Heck, Einstein didn't talk until he was 4.
I have found that I am evolving as a person so much. I falsely believed that once you were an adult, you really kind of were set in your ways. Everyone says people change but I guess it didn't really sink in that I would change so much. It is so interesting to have new thoughts and ideas about things that I never thought I would have. In my early and mid 20's I can't say I ever thought about the second amendment, private school, home school, political beliefs, government, religion or debt. Somehow all of these things have become important to me. I would say part of it results from having kids. You really start to think about the world in a different way. You think further than yourself and you think about the types of people you hope to help shape.
The school thing has been a very interesting change. I suppose before I had kids, I just either didn't think about schooling or just made the assumption that yea, kids go to public school - they learn - they do well - they graduate. It seems that schools have changed so much tho. Social media. I am so thankful that social media didn't exist when I was in school. For the distraction. For the ability to bully facelessly(ish). For the inherent narcissism it creates in people. Class sizes. When did 30 become the minimum with a continuous push upwards? Standardized testing. And how do we determine what is important for standardized tests? What is relevant? The disappearance of physical education (never mind the fact that our nation is getting more and more obese), art, music - basically the disappearance of things that keep us healthy and creative (or perhaps the things that allow us to be original). Mainstreaming (I won't go into that one). Bullying, shootings, violence. Huge schools. When did it become normal for elementary schools to have 500 kids? All of this has me thinking and debating. We have a ways to go before we are in school - we have 4 years for B and 5 for G before they are in kindergarten so we have some time to make some decisions - but it is something I think about often. Homeschool in the early years? Would this make them weird? Outcasts? Halt socialization? Would be be more relaxed and have more quality time with eacholther? Would the kids learn more/less than their peers? Or perhaps private school where class sizes are more controlled and the curriculum has more leeway. A religious private school? Something else? When I became a parent I knew that there would be decisions but I didn't realize there would be so many and that it would feel as though those decisions were really so life altering for the kids. So much of a persons identity begins to be formed in school, through the friends they make, the things they learn, the environment they are in and their general experience. But seriously, no pressure for picking the right path for them...no pressure at all!
But mostly, we just spend our days busy - playgroups, the gym, playing, learning, being outside, being a family.
The kids are growing by the day. Having 2 a mere 19 months apart - it's hard, it's fun, it's chaotic, it's exhausting, it never lets up. During nap time (if I am fortunate enough that both will sleep at the same time) I have grand ideas of blogging, reading blogs, cooking and cleaning. Sometimes I end up just sitting on my couch with pandora playing on my phone. Sometimes I mindlessly scroll through facebook looking at nothing in particular. Sometimes I debate getting off facebook and finding a way to make my phone be less mindlessly alluring. Stupid phone. Scrolling and searching and looking at - nothing really. The ultimate time waster.
Our days have been filled with diaper changes, meal times, the week where I pulled out the mediterranean cookbook and cooked time consuming meals during naps and beyond (it only lasted a week), gym time, thinking about yard work and then not doing it (somehow I just end up holding G all the time). The days are long and some are easy and others are unending. I think the kids gang up on us sometimes - like "hey, I will throw a tantrum and get all worked up, get mom nice and frazzled...then, you need to finish her off with a bout of gas."
G is so close to rolling back to front. He gets his little legs moving to the side, looks for things, reaches for them but doesn't quite make it. He is jolly with a smile that just can't be contained and dimples that sink so deep into his overly chubby cheeks. We call him chunk and other names that most people would be aghast at...terms of endearment in our eyes but I am sure other people would not view it that way.
B is talking a little more. His language has yet to blossom the way I envisioned it but he is a very effective communicator and understands complex instruction so I am not getting to worked up or worried about it. I try to remind myself that adults have varying degrees of talkativeness and perhaps he won't be the most talkative person in the future. Heck, Einstein didn't talk until he was 4.
I have found that I am evolving as a person so much. I falsely believed that once you were an adult, you really kind of were set in your ways. Everyone says people change but I guess it didn't really sink in that I would change so much. It is so interesting to have new thoughts and ideas about things that I never thought I would have. In my early and mid 20's I can't say I ever thought about the second amendment, private school, home school, political beliefs, government, religion or debt. Somehow all of these things have become important to me. I would say part of it results from having kids. You really start to think about the world in a different way. You think further than yourself and you think about the types of people you hope to help shape.
The school thing has been a very interesting change. I suppose before I had kids, I just either didn't think about schooling or just made the assumption that yea, kids go to public school - they learn - they do well - they graduate. It seems that schools have changed so much tho. Social media. I am so thankful that social media didn't exist when I was in school. For the distraction. For the ability to bully facelessly(ish). For the inherent narcissism it creates in people. Class sizes. When did 30 become the minimum with a continuous push upwards? Standardized testing. And how do we determine what is important for standardized tests? What is relevant? The disappearance of physical education (never mind the fact that our nation is getting more and more obese), art, music - basically the disappearance of things that keep us healthy and creative (or perhaps the things that allow us to be original). Mainstreaming (I won't go into that one). Bullying, shootings, violence. Huge schools. When did it become normal for elementary schools to have 500 kids? All of this has me thinking and debating. We have a ways to go before we are in school - we have 4 years for B and 5 for G before they are in kindergarten so we have some time to make some decisions - but it is something I think about often. Homeschool in the early years? Would this make them weird? Outcasts? Halt socialization? Would be be more relaxed and have more quality time with eacholther? Would the kids learn more/less than their peers? Or perhaps private school where class sizes are more controlled and the curriculum has more leeway. A religious private school? Something else? When I became a parent I knew that there would be decisions but I didn't realize there would be so many and that it would feel as though those decisions were really so life altering for the kids. So much of a persons identity begins to be formed in school, through the friends they make, the things they learn, the environment they are in and their general experience. But seriously, no pressure for picking the right path for them...no pressure at all!
But mostly, we just spend our days busy - playgroups, the gym, playing, learning, being outside, being a family.
Friday, July 19, 2013
A Sleep Story
Once upon a time there was a 22 month old boy named Barrett. He was a terrible sleeper. For naps, we had to hold his hand through the slats in the crib. Before we graduated to the crib we had to take him for walks in the stroller, drives in the car, or rock him and rock him in the infant car seat. When we transitioned to the crib, he would cry unless you were holding his hand. Sometimes getting to sleep lasted for an hour or more. It was rough.
Then one day, I decided to just let him go to sleep on his own. He was 21 months old, seemed capable and ready so we tried it. I gave him 2 pacifiers, told him to cuddle up and that I wouldn't be back in to give the pacifiers back if he threw then out of the crib and then left.
He cried for 15 minutes, then fell asleep. This same process repeated for several days. Now, with minimal crying, he goes down for a nap. He sleeps for 1-3 hours and (usually) wakes up rested.
Then one day, about a half a month ago, he slept through the night. THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! This folks was the second time EVER in his 21.5 months. Since then, I would say we have had 5-8 nights where he has slept through the night. Let me sit back and say that again. 5-8 nights where he slept through the night....ah. Magical words with a wonderful ring. Through...the...night.
No sleep training.
No cry it out.
(Don't worry, I am a mom of two boys 19 months apart. I don't judge ANY parenting decision, we are all just surviving)
But here's my take on the matter anyway.
Some kids are just poor sleepers. Maybe they are hungry, scared, hot, cold, startle easy...whatever. So because Johnny over there sleeps through the night from the get go and Jimmy doesn't...well it's the luck of the draw. In my opinion, sleep training doesn't work. If your kid is like mine and is a CRAPPY sleeper, they will remain that way until they are ready to be a good sleeper. Who knows what caused the switch. That's like trying to figure out why some kids wet the bed for a long time and why some kids don't. Biology. I never sleep trained Barrett and honestly, I can almost guarantee it would not have worked. For whatever reason, Biologically he wasn't ready to sleep "through the night." And as his mom, I just had to deal with it. (It was hard).
Enter baby 2. Mr. Gentry. He sleeps great at 2.5 months. Like really super great. If he would have been my first the moms in mom groups would have HATED me because I would have been like, what's the big deal? Just put them down (not swaddled or anything) and they will sleep really well. Gentry wakes up 1 time per night and sometimes max 3. And no swaddle, no arms wrapped around my neck co-sleeping, no super crying. Wake. Eat. Sleep. Instant. The good news for all moms is that I got my reality check on sleep with Barrett. Oh boy did I ever.
Like I said. Biology. Not sleep training. Not parenting style. Not genetics. Individual kids are individually different. With individually different problems.
But anyway - the end of my story is BARRETT HAS SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT SEVERAL TIMES!!!!!! CAN I GET A WHAT WHAT!!!!!!!!!!
Then one day, I decided to just let him go to sleep on his own. He was 21 months old, seemed capable and ready so we tried it. I gave him 2 pacifiers, told him to cuddle up and that I wouldn't be back in to give the pacifiers back if he threw then out of the crib and then left.
He cried for 15 minutes, then fell asleep. This same process repeated for several days. Now, with minimal crying, he goes down for a nap. He sleeps for 1-3 hours and (usually) wakes up rested.
Then one day, about a half a month ago, he slept through the night. THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! This folks was the second time EVER in his 21.5 months. Since then, I would say we have had 5-8 nights where he has slept through the night. Let me sit back and say that again. 5-8 nights where he slept through the night....ah. Magical words with a wonderful ring. Through...the...night.
No sleep training.
No cry it out.
(Don't worry, I am a mom of two boys 19 months apart. I don't judge ANY parenting decision, we are all just surviving)
But here's my take on the matter anyway.
Some kids are just poor sleepers. Maybe they are hungry, scared, hot, cold, startle easy...whatever. So because Johnny over there sleeps through the night from the get go and Jimmy doesn't...well it's the luck of the draw. In my opinion, sleep training doesn't work. If your kid is like mine and is a CRAPPY sleeper, they will remain that way until they are ready to be a good sleeper. Who knows what caused the switch. That's like trying to figure out why some kids wet the bed for a long time and why some kids don't. Biology. I never sleep trained Barrett and honestly, I can almost guarantee it would not have worked. For whatever reason, Biologically he wasn't ready to sleep "through the night." And as his mom, I just had to deal with it. (It was hard).
Enter baby 2. Mr. Gentry. He sleeps great at 2.5 months. Like really super great. If he would have been my first the moms in mom groups would have HATED me because I would have been like, what's the big deal? Just put them down (not swaddled or anything) and they will sleep really well. Gentry wakes up 1 time per night and sometimes max 3. And no swaddle, no arms wrapped around my neck co-sleeping, no super crying. Wake. Eat. Sleep. Instant. The good news for all moms is that I got my reality check on sleep with Barrett. Oh boy did I ever.
Like I said. Biology. Not sleep training. Not parenting style. Not genetics. Individual kids are individually different. With individually different problems.
But anyway - the end of my story is BARRETT HAS SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT SEVERAL TIMES!!!!!! CAN I GET A WHAT WHAT!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Backyard - Then and Now (progress)
A lot will change with our backyard over the next several months, especially with the addition of the shop and (hopefully) either a greenhouse/playhouse/or garden shed in the ugly area by the garden. However, I was trolling through the blog here and found this picture from 2008 of our backyard. Below it is a picture standing in the same spot.
It has come a long way.
I need to do a better side by side because the one i have of today was taken as the sun was going down with lots of shadows. Once the shop is built, all the "stuff" you see at the bottom wont be sitting around at the bottom of the property which will be sooo nice.
Changes include new garden beds, removal of chain link fence, update gravel road, remove plants and re-grade the yard, new deck, new patio with fire pit, new walkway along fence (also new), removal of a ton of blackberries, addition to tons of trees plants and flowers, paver path, bark, etc. So much has been done and yet, there is still a lot to go...
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Picture post - deleted.
Dear blogger.com. I spent the last 2 hours uploading pictures to share on my blog here (because uploading is THAT slow)- then you "lost connection to the server"and all that work disappeared ... I hate you. You just wasted 2 hours of my life.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Project 940 - New Blog
I invite any readers of this blog to join me over at my new project.
http://project940.wordpress.com/
This is the "About" wording as it is right now:
http://project940.wordpress.com/
This is the "About" wording as it is right now:
This blog was born out of a Facebook posting I saw roll across my newsfeed one day.
You have 940 Saturdays from the birth of your children until they graduate - Make them count.
While not every Saturday is filled with new adventures and general awesomeness, there is often joy to be found in the mundane as well. Everyday life may not always be "blog-able," but when I look back at the 940 weeks I got to spend raising my children, I still want to be able to look back and remember all of it. The blog worthy trips, the days spent exploring the backyard for the millionth time, the days where we never get out of our pajamas and stay inside.
This blog is mainly about our Saturdays. The good, the fun, the boring.
However.
If something happens during the week that is especially "blog-able," I certainly won't pass up the chance to post.
We live in Oregon on two acres in a modest 3 bedroom 2 bath house that we have been working on remodeling since we bought it in 2008. My husband, two boys, dog Trooper and my father-in-law call this home and while for many, our living situation would be considered "non-traditional," it works for us and we wouldn't want to have things any other way.
We love to travel and be outside. You will see frequent Saturdays spent in Idaho at our second home. While the drive is a long 9 hours away, we are conditioning our kids early to enjoy the adventure of a road trip. We also own an airstream trailer which you will also see pop up in posts as we travel and tour around.
While having two boys a mere 19 months apart is Crazy with a capital C, we are doing our best to not let it slow us down but rather introduce them to our passions and let them guide us towards new ones.
I am not a writer.
I am not a photographer.
I am not creative.
I am a mother who wants to document our Saturdays - all of them - from Birth to Graduation.
Welcome to our journey.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we will.
I plan to continue updating this blog from time to time as I have done previously.
This blog will remain more "personal" and much more word filled. Because there is so much history in this blog, it would be a tragedy to abandon it. I enjoy looking back at all of the stuff in this blog, which I do more than I thought I would. I will continue with our lives and updates here - Project 940 is meant to follow Saturdays - because there are 940 Saturdays from Birth to Graduation and all of them should count.
I hope you join me over there, and stick around here. I am really excited about starting this project - in addition - it requires 1x weekly posts, which is very sustainable with two kids as close together as mine.
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