School resumes!

We survived the first week of school!

It was a tiring week as we attempted to get three kids to bed earlier and up and out the door by 7:40 every morning. Adding that third child has really made it harder to get everyone fed and dressed! Owen is in 2nd grade at a local, public elementary school where he has attended the past two years. Hudson returned to the Methodist church pre-K program on Tuesdays and Thursdays which he also went to last year. Arden didn't get a spot at the Methodist church where Hudson attends due to their lengthy waiting list, so she began part-time childcare at Faith Baptist Preschool on Tuesday and Thursdays. It's a lot of work dropping kids of at three different schools, but luckily they are all within a mile of each other and all near our house. I returned to my part-time job as an adjunct instructor of composition at a local college this week as well, so I simply swapped my busy schedule of having all the kids home during the summer for 100 college students!

Owen loves his class! It helps that his best friend from first grade also got the same second grade teacher (there are 4 classes of second grade at his school). His teacher Mrs. Arnold is a seasoned 27 year teaching veteran with lots of creative ideas. Owen likes her introduction of "Arnoldville" where the kids get weekly "jobs" and earn salary in "Arnoldbucks." Then, they get to use math skills to redeem their money at the local "Arnold-Mart." Owen said they get their first job assignment tomorrow along with their new wallets! That almost makes me want to be in second grade!

Hudson also has veteran 13 year experienced pre-K teacher at the Methodist church. They have a strong curriculum with weekly themes, centers, chapel, P.E., computer, and music class. He would love to attend every day, if we could afford the tuition! However, I am still enjoying having him home with me for one last year before he goes to kindergarten every day next year. It's also good for him to have more time to play with Arden the rest of the week since he will miss that next year. So far, Hudson has made an easy transition to a new teacher and loves his school! The only issue we had during this last week is that Hudson began to break out in hives on Tuesday (first day of school) and has had them off and on ever since. We are now on day 6 of hives! We are giving him Benadryl every 6 hours of so, and that erradicates them until they reappear. Our pediatrician said it looks like an allergy due to something being ingested, but we are having a hard time pinpointing the trigger, since he hasn't had anything new that we know of. His new breakouts have each been occurring after different foods, so it's very confusing. Pray that we can solve this puzzle!

Arden is in a great, loving childcare environment on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was a bit hesitant at first, since this is my first time to leave here anywhere. I only began putting her in our church nursery on Sunday mornings in the last month! The facility is brand new, and it's a new program. She has a wonderful teacher, and the best part is that there are routinely only 2-3 babies in her room at a time! She is frequently the only baby for several hours during the time she's there. She gets lots of one-on-one love for those two days each week, and she is always happy and content when I pick her up in the afternoon. She now has six teeth, is sitting up well, can roll all around the room, waves bye-bye on occasion, and says "mamamama." It's hard to believe that she only has about 4 more months of being a "baby" before she becomes a walking toddler!

The kids are already excited to return to school for the second week, so it's been a good start so far!

Confusion

I am confused . . . confused about God's direction and purpose. Confused about what we are supposed to do right now as a family.

I thought God was being so clear in His leading over the past month. Doors seemed to be flying open to lead Stuart in a new career direction. So many things happened supernaturally to get us to the point of feeling that God was about to open a door for a new opportunity, then it just slipped away. The open door slammed shut all in one day.

I had thrown myself emotionally and physically into the belief that THAT was the plan. I had a one-inch thick file of information about that new community, just in case we had to move there. We had looked at houses (I had a particularly cute one that I really liked). I was already picturing my furniture in the new floorplan. I had called churches about Mother's Day Out programs. I had seen the potential school that Owen would attend. I was excited about the Target that was under construction just miles from "our new house." We visited a church there that seemed like a perfect fit. The sermon was on exactly the topic we had been praying about . . . being open to change and taking risks to follow God. It was perfect . . . too perfect.

Why didn't it work out?

I still feel raw from the disappointment of the letdown. I feel like I saw God's plan unfolding, but that we lost hold of it. The reality is that it obviously wasn't God's plan to start with. We just thought it was. However, that makes me wonder if I can tell when God is really working or not. Did I imagine all the "open doors"?

Now, we are back to the original place of the unknown. The dark, scary place where the clock seems to be ticking while we try not to worry about job security. The uncertain place when we don't know the answers or the time frame.

I know in my heart that God will provide a clear direction and a path for us to a place where He wants us to settle. Answer soon, Lord, answer soon.

"Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. " Psalm 107: 4-7

Tried and True Baby Items

After having my third baby last year, I have now gone through quite a lot of baby products. I found some items that I loved back when I had Owen seven years ago, and some items are ones I just recently discovered, or they are newly on the market. I enjoy "testing" out products and finding things sold resale to save money. I think another career I'd enjoy is to be a tester for Consumer Reports magazine (which I subscribe to and follow religiously!).

Here are a few products that I really enjoy with Arden. If you are currently pregnant or might be in the future, then I would recommend any of them. They are also great ideas for baby gifts!

1. Bella Tunno pacifier holder: cute ribbon with metal clip. Attaches to paci with velcro. Each to use and machine washable. Very durable from my experience. About $8 at Pickles and Ice Cream or other boutiques

2. Robeez! I can't say enough about these wonderful leather crib shoes for pre-walkers. I began using them with Hudson and now with Arden. I usually use 0-6 and 6-12 month sizes exclusively before putting my kids in hard-soled shoes when they begin walking. I own about 3-4 pairs in each size. I buy them gently used off Ebay for around $12-14, then I resell them for $8-10, so they hardly cost me anything. There are some off-brands (like at Target) that I've never tried, but they won't resell nearly as well as the Robeez brand. So, ultimately it is still cheaper for me to buy the name brand and be able to get money back later. I wash mine in the washing machine and line dry, and I've had no problems with durability. They stay on really well.

3. Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo. This is a newer baby item which is a jumper that is in a round frame with toys, lights, and sounds around the seat. Once Arden got to be 6 months, she absolutely loves it, and she can jump in it for an hour! It's a bit bulky in size, but it is worth it for how much she likes it. I bought it used for half price which I would recommend doing, since it's a bit pricey. Retail is $80.

4. JJ Cole System Diaper Bag: I am picky about diaper bags. They have to hold enough, but not feel too bulky. I won't like the bag if it hurts my shoulder or digs into it when I am carrying a full bag. I don't like double strap bags since one strap always slides off my shoulder. I need lots of pockets to stay organized. I don't want a bag with cartoons or a baby design. You get the picture. I have never really loved a diaper bag until now, and I have tried about six or more with three kids. This bag is pricey ($70), but I got mine cheaper on Ebay. I love the stroller straps that you can hook onto the handlebars, so the bag can clip to them. It makes it so easy to access the bag instead of putting it in the stroller basket underneath. It is lightweight, cute, and super comfy to carry with a padded strap. I've had no problems with durability or spot cleaning after 7 months. It even has an iPod pocket, but I use it for my keys since I don't own an iPod.

5. Boppy Pillow with removable cover: I have gone through two of these pillows. I definitely recommend the removable cover, so you don't have to wash the pillow itself. I did that with my first one, and it got lumpy. I still use this for bottle feeding, as it saves my arm and neck from getting stiff because I can just lay Arden on the pillow on my lap to feed her. cost $30-ish

6. Bumbo Chair. I never had one before Arden, and I found some good use for it. I wouldn't pay retail price of $40 for this chair, as I don't think it's worth that much money, but I got mine for $15 at a consignment sale. It was a great device to help her sit upright with support between 3-7 months old. We had problems with "flat head" from laying on her back so much, so this was a great chair to use to get her in a different position.

7. Whoozit Toy: All three of my kids have loved this toy in the infant stage. They crinkle it, chew the pink rings, squeeze the noze, etc. It's the perfect companion for a stroller or carseat. Mine has been washed countless times and is still being used after 7 years! Retail around $12

8. Barefoot Dreams Blankies: These are the best little blankies! All three of my kids have had them (and Owen still sleeps with his!). They wash well, and they don't fall apart unless you eat them (cough . . . Hudson). They come in satin or chenille. Retail around $24, but I got Arden's on Ebay for $10.

9. Pampers Cruisers Diapers: Yes, these are the premium and most expensive diapers. I have tried all the cheaper brands, and I still come back to these. They fit my kids the best and have the best overnight leak protection. I buy one big box per month at Sam's Club, and they last me all month. The average cost in that quantity is .22 cents per diaper for size 3, and I don't have to cut coupons. They aren't the cheapest, but they are the best, in my opinion.

10. Diaper Service Quality (DSQ) cloth diapers: I bought a bundle of these off Ebay, and they are the best burp cloths I've used. They wash well and hold up to lots of wear. They are so much thicker and softer than the Gerber cloth diapers at Walmart. These are the ones people use if they are really going to use cloth diapers for diapering! I sewed some ribbon to the bottom to decorate them, but they are fine just plain white. About $2.50 each.

11. Bumkins Bibs: For two children I bought the cheaper Target or Walmart brand vinyl bibs for highchair use/baby food feedings. They were cheap at 4 for $5.00, but they always got stiff, they weren't machine washable, the print washed off, and they generally got gross after a month of use and had to be thrown away. Finally, I recently splurged and spent $6.00 for a Bumkins Bib (cost for 1), and I will never go back! They are wonderful, flexible material, have an adjustable velcro neck opening for various age babies, and they are machine washable!! This is money well-spent, as they won't wear out or be thrown away. Available at Babies R Us.

12. Graco Contempo High Chair: I really like the design and price of this model. It folds very narrow, and it has multiple height and recline positions. It has a removeable tray and holes to insert high chair toys, if desired. There are various designs and colors. Retail price is $100.

13. Fisher Price Cradle Swing: This newer style swing has a two-position swing (side to side, or front to back), mobile, lights, sounds, etc. Pretty snazzy, but so is the price at around $110! I found a gently used one for $50, and it has been worth every penny. In fact, they are so popular, that I can resell mine in a few months for almost what I paid for it. So, I got to use it for less than $10! Arden loves to swing (the boys didn't), and often this is the only place I can get her to fall asleep if she's cranky. She still sleeps in it for one daytime nap daily, and I'm trying to wean her off it! We've lugged this swing (which does disassemble easily) in our van to multiple places, including our recent weekend roadtrip! Try consignment sales, newspaper listings, or Craigslist for used models. They can be hard to find since they are so popular, so you'll have to look regularly for listings and then contact the seller quickly!

14. Aden and Anais Muslin Swaddle Blankets: I am a big believer in swaddling your newborn to help calm them and help them sleep better. My colicky babies always reponded well to a combination of swaddling, swinging, and white noise. The problem with most blankets is that they are rectangular, too stiff, too heavy, or too small to adequately swaddle a baby past 8 lbs! These 44 inch square blankets are lightweight cotton muslin, and they are perfect in size, shape, and weight. I swaddled Arden to sleep in them until she was almost 5 months old! I found these described in a magazine and ordered them online http://adenandanais.com/. They come in 2-packs or 4-packs and retail for about $12 per blanket. I have used them daily and washed them countless times, and they still look new. This must be my all-time favorite, can't-live-without baby item! They come in girl prints, boy prints, or plain white.

15. Ultimate Crib Sheet: A friend told me about these with Owen, and I have used them with all my babies. Since all three of my babies have had reflux/spit-up issues, it is a big pain to change crib linens multiple times daily after a bit spit-up on the crib sheet. You will love these when your sweet baby has a stomach bug, rotovirus, or a diaper blowout in the crib! You know how it is; you have to take off the bumper pad and untie a zillion ties to get it off, then you have to lift up the heavy mattress and get the sheet off. Then, trying to get the clean sheet on is almost impossible for me with my mattress unless I have help! This crib sheet has a waterproof backing and a soft, cotton top. It simply snaps around the crib slats in six places and lays on top of your pretty crib sheet. To change, just unsnap and replace with bumper pad still in place. I always have at least two to rotate. Retail around $16, but you can find them gently used on Ebay.

My motto is to buy the best quality you can for the lowest price! As you can tell, I love Ebay very much, and it saves me a lot of money (or costs me a lot, depending on how you look at it!).

Birthday Bash!

We celebrated Owen's 7th birthday and Hudson's 4th birthday this past weekend with a joint party on August 2. We rented out a local gym and invited several families from our church as well as a few of the boys' school friends. We ended up with 18 kids plus their parents! My brother Asher flew in from Colorado for the weekend and was able to attend. Stuart's parents drove up from south Arkansas, and my mom was also in town from Bryant for the event.

The boys (and three girls) had a great time playing in the gym! Nothing else can beat running, chasing, jumping, and swinging! The highlights of the event were the inground trampolines, foam pit with swinging rope, hide-and-seek, and a few strong dads who got into the action by throwing boys into "the pit!"

After an hour of running and jumping, the 18 red-faced, sweaty kids were ready for cake and ice cream! We had a dinosaur theme party with a cake shaped like the character Chomp from the cartoon "Dinosaur King." It scored well with the kids! (Many thanks to Sam at http://www.cakesbysam.com/ for another special cake).

We survived the 102 degree heat outside, and we survived another birthday party. We were exhausted, but we have a year to recover! The boys said it was the best birthday ever, and that was worth it all!

Happy birthday, boys! You're growing up so fast!

Roadtrip

Well . . . last weekend we actually got brave and decided to go on a short weekend getaway since we hadn't gone anywhere with the kids all summer. Due to finances, we stayed in state, and we only planned to stay one night in a hotel. I thought, how hard can that be? It's just one night. We should be able to pack light and get everything in one bag.

Wrong.

The van was loaded down by the time Stuart had put in all the stacks of bags that I had filled. Two bags for snacks. One bag of diapers/wipes/baby food stuff. One suitcase for our clothes. One pool bag for the hotel pool which included sunscreen, floaties, 4 bathing suits, and goggles. A cooler to keep drinks cool in the car. A bumbo chair for Arden. A stroller for Arden. A cradle swing for Arden (very huge, but she is still addicted to it). It looked like we were moving instead of going away for one night!

The trip was about a two hour drive, and no, we don't have a DVD player in our van. So, we must have heard, "Are we almost there yet?" about 45 times on the way. We realized that driving with a baby is harder than we remembered because we had to stop to change her poopy diapers and feed her. We also have a baby who (for some reason beyond us) doesn't like to sleep in a moving vehicle! We made it almost an hour, then we already could smell some toxic fumes coming from the back of the van. Her first poopy diaper. We then realized we had brought no empty plastic bags to dispose of them in! Ugh!

Since it was around 100 degrees that day, we were drinking a lot of our cooled drinks which soon made the boys have to take potty breaks too. When we finally arrived at our destination, it was lunch time and much later than we expected. Arden had not slept at all in the car, and she had been awake for 5 1/2 hours straight at this point already, so she was getting a bit cranky.

We checked into the brand new hotel (big mistake thinking that "brand new" would be great!) which took Stuart almost 25 minutes. He later told us that the front desk attendant didn't know how to check him in and that the hotel had just opened a few days earlier.

We finally released the kids from the van into the steamy hot parking lot and began the trek up to the second floor with about 20 bags, Bumbo chair, laptop computer bag, cradle swing, etc. We got Arden down for a nap, but not before we had to change another poppy diaper with still no way to wrap it up in a plastic bag, so it would not continue to stink up the entire room. We decided to sit down in the cool, nicely decorated suite and let the boys watch some tv. We turned on the nice flat screen tv that was larger than my loveseat at home, and there was just static! We then tried the smaller tv in the bedroom -- just static! We called the front desk to find out that they were having some cable tv problems that were being worked on. Ugh!

The next idea was the pool. The boys were restless at this point and had resorted to doing hip-hop dance moves in front of the full length mirror on the wall which was resulting in lots of thuds and stomping on the floor (remember, we're trying to get Arden to sleep). I remember the nice looking outdoor pool, and I walk downstairs to check it out. Unfortunately, the gate to the pool area was padlocked closed, so I inquired about it at the front desk. Like the cable tv, this "brand new" hotel didn't have the pool up and running quite yet, as the chemicals hadn't been checked. So, no swimming. This hotel was beginning to bug me!

We let the boys watch a Veggie Tales DVD on our laptop computer while we sat quietly in the dark living room to give Arden a chance to get a nap. Finally, we embarked on our adventure to explore the city and then get some dinner.

Several poopy diapers later and after an uncomfortable time feeding Arden her bottle on the boppy pillow in the third row of our van, we got back to our hotel. It was getting late, so we decided to put Arden down for the night. The boys were looking forward to catching part of the Hannah Montana concert on Disney Channel, now that the cable appeared to be working again. We called the front desk to remind them that they hadn't delivered the portable crib we'd reserved before our arrival, so we could get Arden to sleep.

They didn't have one. No cribs. According to the front desk, they had not been assembled yet.

It was now approaching 9 p.m. We were all hot, frustrated, and tired. Stuart proceeded to tell the hotel that we were checking out and would not pay for the night since they had no cable tv, no working pool, and now no crib. Arden couldn't sleep on the floor, as she rolls all over the place now.

Luckily, there were very accomodating and got us a nice suite at the Hampton Inn across the road. They even refunded our money for the night, and they paid for the Hampton Inn, so we had no hotel bill at all. However, we had to repack all our items, reload the van, and then unload again at a new hotel at 9 p.m!

The second hotel was great. I took the boys swimming at the indoor pool at 9:30 p.m. while Stuart got Arden to sleep in the crib. There were no more poopy diapers.

We finally fell asleep, exhausted, around midnight.

By the next morning, Hudson had wet the bed, we had run out of clean clothes, and Arden had been up about every hour during the night getting her leg stuck between the slats of the hotel port-a-crib (it had no bumper pad).

It was an exhausting roadtrip, but overall, it was still fun. We took on a challenge and survived. I don't know if we'll do it again anytime soon, but we feel that we accomplished creating some funny memories, and the kids loved every minute of it!

Things I Love This Summer

Love might be a bit too strong of a word, but I deeply like these things this summer! They are in no particular order or ranking . . . just trivia about me!

1. Splash Zone in Jacksonville
2. my TiVo
3. not grading mass amounts of Comp I essays every week!
4. Arden's room, especially with the new drapes
5. the way the heat smells and reminds me of summers in Oklahoma when I was a kid
6. Cherry Limeade from Sonic (crushed ice! mmm)
7. going out to eat at Chili's and getting their salsa and guacomole
8. children's events at our local library (free!)
9. The Anne of Green Gables movies (I rewatched them all recently)
10. the Olympics are coming! Gymnastics are my favorite!
11. seeing my nieces and nephews who now live in Ohio
12. planning the boys' birthday party and trying to make it fun
13. roadtrips
14. KFC
15. Banana Boat Kids Tear Free Sunblock with SPF 50 (my ghost white children and myself haven't burned while using it . . . first summer ever to find a successful sunblock for the extremely fair!)
16. the smell of freshly cut grass
17. watching Camp Rock with the kids on Disney Channel
18. eating chicken salad and my mom's best potato salad
19. summer rain showers which water my grass for free (you would really understand this if you have 1 acre of grass with no inground sprinker system!)
20. Mother's Day Out resumes in a few weeks!

Before and After

Arden's room is now complete with custom made toile draperies with blackout lining to keep the room dark, so she will sleep. Of course, this did not occur without some compromises.

Remember how Stuart thought that the black blankets hanging over her large 84 inch window looked just fine? Well . . . I just couldn't enjoy the room with that look, and it made it dark all the time, not just when she was sleeping, so it felt like a cave. It was too cumbersome to take the blankets down and put them back up again 3 times per day when she would sleep in there for naps and nightime. I did get some good suggestions from friends about how to darken the windows with various materials, but all of those would show from the outside, and her room is on the front of the house, facing the street. I didn't think the neighbors would appreciate it if I put foil over the glass for all to see!

The compromise involved Ebay, Craigslist, and the local newspaper. I sold my stuff . . . lots of it! It was time consuming to list all the items, mail out Ebay packages, and meet people at my house to view an item. Stuart got tired of the phone calls asking if the maternity clothes were still for sale! However, it was all worth it, as I raised almost 2/3 of the cost of the drapes by selling items I didn't use (though I liked them!).

My List of Casualties:
about 9 items of clothing
30 maternity clothing items
Coach purse
6 metal standards and track of Elfa shelving
Pottery Barn Kids rug
Pottery Barn Kids bedding
infant activity gym
3 pairs of outgrown Robeez infant shoes
wall clock

The end result is great! The drapes look amazing and function well. I am thankful for the "drapery expert" who sewed the curtains and helped me figure out how to get the right curtain rod which would work for that awkward window. We now have light in there when we want it, and darkness too.

Stuart still wants a Wii, so maybe we'll sell some of his stuff next!