Black and White

Holocaust Remembrance Day is May 1st...

In honor of that...

Look Ma, No Training Wheels!

Jacob rode his bike without training wheels for the first time the other day. My friends all tell me this is big deal since he is only 3 years old. Go Jacob!

An unexpected consequence of Jake riding his bike was my 7 year old daughter getting very upset because she doesn't know how to ride without training wheels yet. She cried and said she was embarrassed. :(

There has been a lot of competition and sibling rivalry going around lately. Jacob has been jealous of the baby because he recently learned to walk and has been getting tons of attention for that. Owen is constantly frustrated because the older kids can do more and are allowed to do more than he is.

I can't imagine what it will be like in a few years. I am thinking about going ahead and constructing my speech on how everyone is different and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Not that explaining that to them will ever make a difference. I think it is just one of many lessons you learn the hard way while growing up.

Brushing his teeth...

only Owen could make it look so cute.

Made in the USA?

I was recently inspired by a news story about a family who removed everything from their home that was not American made and replaced foreign made goods with American products.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica

In particular I found three things interesting. They had no television because there are NO American made TVs. Also, their young daughter's American Girl doll was, in fact, made in China. That was somewhat ironic and pretty disappointing. As much as you pay for those things you figure they could at least make them here. Lastly, I was pretty horrified with how much they had to remove from their home to get all the "Made In China" stuff out. The house looked empty.

So I decided to look around my house and see where some of our stuff was made. At first I was shocked, then honestly, a little creeped out. After looking for 30 minutes, I found one product that was made in the U.S.A. :

Everything else was made in China - dishes, coffee mugs, toys, anything plastic, etc. It was pretty shocking.

While I think it is unrealistic to buy only American made products (at least right now), I have decided to at least look on bottom before I buy and be a little more conscious of what I am purchasing.


If you are interested in "buying American", here are a few links that can help:

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/

http://www.madeinusa.com/


http://www.madeintheusabyamericans.blogspot.com/

My big little boy

I always call Jacob my big little boy. Sometimes he seems so big, but other times he still seems so little...

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Ever Done This???

Cute video of my boys staging their own wrestlemania. Too bad it is sideways-aaaaack! I always do this when I take video with my digital camera. :( It drives me nuts.

Mood Swings - A Photo Essay

Cleaning Alternatives

While looking for ways to save money, someone suggested making my own cleaning products. I was instantly interested because cleaning products are expensive and the kids like to help me clean. I am usually not the hippy dippy type, but I figure less harsh chemicals in the house can never be a bad thing, right? So I think I will give this a shot. Here are just a few links for alternative cleaners:

http://www.greenhome.com/info/magazine/001/makemyself.html

http://www.vinegartips.com/

http://armhammer.com/myhome/

Abby's Birthday

Today is my lovely daughter's birthday so I am just going to share some of my favorite pics of her throughout the years. Enjoy!

"Everyday Wonders"

"I sat and gazed at his face, three feet away from me. Long ago, I used to measure the space between us in inches, when this face, with a piercing and innocent clarity, revealed his entire being. I once knew him down to his cells. I could put my hand to the spot where his curls matted in sleep, and anticipate the next thing that would come out of his if he saw a pickup truck. He's not available anymore like that, although I can sometimes guess what he's thinking about, I no longer have any clue where a thought takes him or what meaning he assigns. He's nurturing a new self, a next self, and he guards his ideas before he expresses them. I've been wondering, Do I know him?" excerpt from Susanna Sonnenberg's article "Everyday Wonders"

I recently read this article and it quickly brought tears to my eyes because the author captured one of the main concepts I struggle with as a parent - watching my children grow up and as a result slowly grow apart from me. It's natural, it's normal and it is necessary, but it isn't easy.

The author confirmed my biggest fear and also my largest source of pride. My role as parent is to prepare my child to be his or her own person. The irony in that is when I succeed in my task I will be losing the needy, clingy child that I love (though I often complain about.) My children are young, but it a process that has already started and that I can already sense.

For now, I will enjoy kissing the booboos and filling the millions of daily sippy cups. I will enjoy the incessant begging to be carried and the waking in the middle of the night. I will secretly enjoy everything about my children, even the things that drive me nuts.

A morning of wishes...

I wish my umbrella was not out in the car.

I wish Josh and I had our house with a basement built by now.

I wish Abby didn't have school today. (Totally selfish wish because I don't want to get out in this mess!)

I wish I had food in the house and didn't need to go to the grocery store.

I wish that Tennessee was not the new "Tornado Alley"

Boys Will Be Boys

I am so glad I caught this on video the other day. It is too cute.

Mommy Must-Have - Squeezit!

I received a pack of Squeezits in my Christmas stocking this year and at the time I didn't think much about it. They have turned out to be quite handy and one of my favorite new "mommy products".

Obviously they are great for toothpaste. They are especially great for children's toothpaste because as the tube gets less full it gets harder for little hands to squeeze.

My favorite use for the Squeezit is for diaper rash ointment. Owen has some pretty complicated rashes. The best ointments are expensive (small tube of Triple Paste = $10) and the Squeezit helps me to be able to use every last bit.

I just wanted to share because I always love finding new products that make life easier and save me money - check it out! http://www.evriholder.com/Squeezit.asp

Photo Bomb! 1/29-2/12

I FNALLY got my laptop back and now I can catch up on my pics. Please forgive a few missing picks - a stomach bug kept me away from the camera for a few days.

I liked this one because you could see the other kids in the background...
Hand-knitted can cozy for Josh's beloved Red Bull...

New kitchen floor for my mom. Thanks, Babe!

Yes, I do have African tortoises in my bathtub...

Jacob at storytime getting crafty...

Betcha' didn't know yogurt was a finger food, did you?

Abby sick :(

Get well cards that the kids made for me (with Daddy's help)...

Ice on my hummingbird feeder...

I picked up Owen's birthday cake...