Change of Seasons

For some reason this fall has been kind of special among fall seasons for me, I've always been more of a spring person. Perhaps it's having such of a high energy child who wants and needs to be outside. Looking forward to going outside at least once a day in the blazing heat just isn't as fun. So we have been LOVING the cooler temperatures!

Thanks to Daniel we replanted our garden. I kinda skipped the summer posts about it because it was kind of a failure. We planted too late again and didn't mulch well. The weather was weird, but other people I know had far better gardens than us:( Oh well here's to the fall garden. We planted some plants from seed: "weird" greens- broccoli raab, lettuce (our only true successful endeavor), and carrots. Then we set out a few tomatoes and swiss chard from the nursery and half of them died after a weekend of rain from the tropical storm. I'll try to post pictures later. I'm trying to stay upbeat really so I won't go into the compost issues...

And it seems we are changing in other ways too around here: our baby is getting to be such of a little boy. Before he turned two he went through a phase of eating less and nursing more which was odd to me, but this book warned me it would happen. A few weeks and we are definitely past that phase. There were also signs that changes were happening, he has started independent play and you momma's with babies that have been entertained with staring with their own hands for hours might not see the significance of this. But my boy really hasn't been that into many of his toys which I carefully selected at all until a few months ago. We received a play table that is in our living room and it is a great place to put his hand-me-down train, legos, blocks, colors, etc. and keep the clutter on the floor to a minimum for me:)

He is less interested in the comforts that momma can provide and really craving more social interaction, he asked for his good friend all the time and wants her right beside him. He says her name and points beside him. It is so sweet. And if there is a group of kids he wants to go stand in the middle of them, his verbal skills aren't quite up to conversing and he mostly likes to observe. He is talking more and more, but only Daniel and I can understand him much of the time. It's kind of a sweet phase in my opinion:) He is more and more ok with going on a Daddy outing without as much concern of where Momma is. Interestingly enough he is more snuggly than ever, briefly but he is into hugging and kissing us. We love it! He's always been too busy to snuggle much.

Personally I have gone through a stressful patch of Daniel working a lot, trying really hard to do it all here and kinda burning out. When I was unable to sleep one night two thoughts came to me: "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved." St. Seraphim of Sarov. I love this quote and when I reflected on my life I haven't done a good job of acquiring peace in my life. And in my former life of listening to many podcasts on Ancient faith radio I remembered a priest's wife saying that in a very busy and stressful time of her life a nun told her that if you are feeling overwhelmed with the load that has been given to you pray that your capacity to handle it will be granted to you. It was to me an answer to my prayers. So I have restarted two podcasts via ancient faith radio: one scripture readings prescribed for the day and the other one a saint or two of the day. They are short, but with a very busy two year old sometimes it takes a while to have 7 minutes where I can really listen ! I think this has greatly blessed my life. I still struggle with trying to balance everything but I'm trying to put first things first. I hope everyone else is enjoying the beginning of Fall.

My buddy

I wanted to blog about something other than babywearing. From my blog you'd think my toddler never leaves my back. Really these days it is about 15 mins a day average, a mere piece of the day. But a fun and snuggly 15 mins!

So Simeon is 21 months old! And is so sweet, big time momma's boy and I love every minute of it. He has his moments, but we are better navigating the tough spots. He is talking more now and better communication makes things easier for sure. More and more words are popping up every day. He has definitely not been an early talker.

I did want to ask my momma friends out there or anyone else with any helpful ideas for a question. Simeon loves to help us, and I try really hard to let him participate as much as he can. But there are so many dangers, knives, the oven, raw eggs, pruning sheers. He is so observant and really mimics everything we do. I have a great opportunity to have a helper, because I am home with him everyday. I just need to direct him. It seems like most helper toys and even the Montessori method start at 3, but he is ready now to help! I have mentioned I really have to let go of my don't make a mess mentality. I know he has to make a mess to learn, but it is hard for me to let him do it at times.

We have a learning tower for him in the kitchen and his passion in life is "wa wa" water right now. He loves to play in a trickle of running water for up to an hour while I'm preparing dinner. He will even "wash" dishes. This drives me nuts at time b/c we have a small kitchen and there always seems to be knives and glass items in the sink, but I try to give in and clean up all dangers for one water session a day.

He helps me unload the cutlery in the dishwasher and sometimes other dishes if I'm not fast enough.

He "prunes" the roses every time we go outside now after watching me do it once. So I got him some plastic scissors to prune with.

Hanging out the diapers is a great one for a helper, but honestly that just doesn't happen enough. Now that it is already so hot we should be better about it. He likes to help me push the wet laundry into the dryer. Folding laundry seems kinda complicated to teach for now.

He really seems to be taking in no, nos but I want to give him an alternate activity. I just feel so uncreative at times.

I'm having so much fun with my little buddy even though we have our moments.

Crunchy reads

Before I get into the boringness of my rambling thought I'd post a few pics from our first family zoo trip! We went with our dear friends and their kids (our godchildren). It was a wonderful time. I just had to include a babywearing photo. This is my prized kinderpack in a standard size with standard straps. Unfortunately it appears that Simeon is a bit tall for it. It doesn't hurt my back and it doesn't bother him, but maybe I'll sell off my Beco and with some birthday funds in August try to track down a toddler sized one. But if not we love this carrier (we as in me and Simeon, poor Daniel would never wear the flowers) and will get more mileage out of it. I love not having to deal with a stroller and the ease of picking him up and down.

I sent this to a family member a few weeks ago trying to describe what attachment parenting is about. Our local chapter is just getting started. After praying, discussions with my husband and priest I have decided to get involved with the group. Having a support group is great, most of the moms are devoted Christians which is important to me. We are definitely all different, and do things a little different. Some of us work though most of us are at home with the kids, some co-sleep, some nurse children beyond a year, some babywear almost all the time. Making changes have already very positively affected my relationship with Simeon and our day to day interactions. It doesn't come naturally yet.

Here is a great article we discussed at our last meeting. We talked about babywearing and it was really helpful to me. One fascinating thing is that the tribal babies in the article that are worn and included in everyday life are incorporated into the work of the tribe at an earlier age than we incorporate children in our society into working. Now I'm not advocating child labor, but I've always wanted my children to help out in the family as they grow up. Not in an overbearing way, but in a natural way. Simeon really wants to help now and I really try to let him. It often ends up being a mess, but then he helps clean up the mess. I have really had to learn to not over-react and stay cool, clean up the mess, and go on about things. To me if a child grows up only knowing how to be entertained the transition to entering the workplace or the work of running a home is rockier. Anyway it's a fascinating read.

Daniel got me a summer weight ring sling for mothers day and I have been trying to use it more, like we bring it to church. It seems to help Simeon's behavior even if we can only contain him for 15 or 20 mins of the service. I used it to wear him into a few boutique type stores I didn't want him to wreak havoc at last week. I probably wouldn't have gone to those places otherwise. Strollers are hard to navigate and a ring sling is just so lightweight and handy. Now that I have the hang of it. They can be a beast to figure out as I failed my first ring sling attempt.

Pascha 2011 and a new approach

Christ is Risen! I hope everyone had a joyous celebration of Christ's Resurrection. More pictures of our church celebration can be found here.

My handsome hubby and one of our teens hiding eggs for the big hunt!
Simeon and one of our teens hunting for eggs
A posed but beautiful shot, talented photographer!
Our little man

Unless you are really bored, you may want to stop reading here:)
The mom I want to be is calm, doesn't yell unless it is some emergency that warrants it, she prays twice a day plus before meals with her son, she always has some healthy foods prepared, and a relatively clean house. Oh and she is not grumpy after being up through the night with her child. She is patient and mentally present, teaching her son as they encounter life experiences through her day. I really do want to be this mom and I feel like I am closer to being her than I used to be.

One of the secrets to being this mom is prayer, and that is a struggle. How easy it is to be distracted and lazy in this regard.

One thing that I have found helpful for me as a stay at home mom is mommy groups. I have mentioned before that I wish I had gotten involved in La Leche League when Simeon was younger, some of my stay at home isolation would have been relieved. Now I feel like we are kinda graduating that group. I like the other moms there and still enjoy going. Simeon is at a busy age and a little rowdy to be in that type group. Also though he isn't weaned, gasp I do not feel like the group isn't quite as useful to me when we were in the throws of nursing as the sole food source.

So my very good friend Cameron loaned me her attachment parenting book and as I have mentioned before if only I could do it over again I would have implemented some of these ideas. I started reading more Dr. Sears books and now I have a few more attachment parenting books that are so helpful. Daniel is so gentle and sweet natured already, but I have found the suggestions to being a more gentle parent very helpful. I'm currently reading Adventures in Gentle Discipline which I ordered from the la leche website b/c Amazon was sold out. I have a few more on the list to read. With my household chores and mental fatigue it takes a while for me to get through a book.

And then to my delight Jackson has started up an Attachment Parenting Group. I guess you could say I'm sold on attachment parenting, I've seen it work very well for my good friend Cameron who like me doesn't have the most easy going child. I have also seen some changes I have implemented work well for Simeon and I. We have met 3 times and let me say, these meetings have helped my mommy fatigue more than anything else I have done other than prayer.

Some changes for me include
- doing a better job of keeping my cool or avoiding the situation, taking time to help Simeon clean up or just leaving it till I can clean it up. He is doing a better job of cleaning up these days, but sometimes if I know my fuse is short it's better to avoid a blow up than expect more of him than he can give me developmentally.
- no more spankings during diaper changes, diaper changes have always been difficult for us. I wasn't beating him, but it seems like a pop was the only way to get his attention. I'm trying to make it playful and if he does start kicking I just hold him down till I can finish up. These seem to be going smoother and he's not hitting me anymore.
- when there is a tantrum I acknowledge his feelings (frustrations at not getting his way usually) but remain firm on the subject if it's important or meet him in the middle if it isn't a very important matter.
- nap times had gotten ugly and now instead of leaving him screaming in his room, after our routine I "sleep" on his beanbag chair and after he winds down he goes to sleep. The first few days he tried to engage me, but he has learned that mommy is "asleep" on the beanbag so she is not going to converse. It is much more peaceful this way and sweet to be there as he nods off, I have a hard time being patient b/c I'm ready for a break but it seems worth it.

I'm excited for our AP group, it is a method for me to make some positive changes in my parenting style. I think it is an answer to my prayers.

As I have typed this we have had to move from outside playing in the driveway to the bathtub because of a busted knee and stepping in cat poop not once but twice in two different pairs of shoes. Ah real life, I think I could have been more patient. We have had a challenging morning despite a special breakfast date with Ba Ba. Maybe it's the molars coming in causing this whiny behavior. I do have to put myself in his place. It must be hard to have a sore mouth, be asked by your mom in a disappointed voice what you have on your shoes when you have no clue, and not be able to communicate well, not to mention scraping a knee for the 5th time in one week! Putting yourself in your child's place in the heat of an incident isn't easy. Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

What is a good baby?

Well had you asked me that about 17 mos ago, when my little prince was about a month I would have said not my son. Now that I am a more experienced mom, I know how much I have to learn. I do know Simeon was a high needs baby. I don't think I'm going to ask people anymore if they're baby is good anymore. And it is a very faulty system of categorizing babies. Really how could they be bad, God made them that way. They aren't choosing to be fussy. I'm going to try to avoid this classification system.

Recently my good friend, C gave me her attachment parenting book by William Sears to read. And it has been wonderful and so different from what I expected. If only I'd had this book 18 mos ago!

A high-needs baby is many of these: intense, hyperactive, draining, feeds frequently, demanding, awakens frequently, unsatisfied, unpredictable, super sensitive, unable to be put down, uncuddly, not a self soother, and separation sensitive. It is harder to mother a child that is higher-needs, but somehow we survived. For me when I quit comparing Simeon to other babies and just went with the flow it got easier, if you read my blog you know this took a while.

If you have a baby or want a baby and haven't read him, I'd highly recommend it. I sped through the Attachment Parenting Book, I will definitely need to reread that. I'm working on The Fussy Baby Book and I have The Baby Book on the way. I love the flexibility of his books and the common sense approach. I didn't expect for him to spend so much time talking abou taking care of yourself and having a support group. When you have a baby I think you tend to parent similarly to how your parents did. Before I went to La Leche I didn't know too many people that babyweared or breastfed their children beyond a year.

Several people have told me to cry it out and for us it has been a complete disaster. I do not like having Simeon cry it out, I'm sure most parents don't but feel like it's a last resort. I'm not going to say you're bad for doing it, I'm not judging anyone. But for us other soothing techniques have worked better. And as a last resort he has cried in my arms or with me standing beside him rubbing his back, but he's not alone in his crib in the dark crying.

Mellowing has been the process that has happened with Simeon in the last few months. Maybe I stumbling all the way met Simeon's needs enough in first year and a half and now he trusts me to meet those needs. We still have challenging times, but on the whole life is much easier. He naps beautifully and sleeps better at night, we are still working on nighttime but things are much better. He is fairly adaptable, and generally a sweet boy. He does pretty well in church too. I know we will have rough times, but I'm really appreciating the good times.

Perhaps God sent Simeon to me so his future siblings will benefit from the things I learned. I definitely want to try things different next time. I want to babywear more, and now I know where to get help I am determined to be more successful with it. I also want to check out getting a co-sleeper to attach to our bed. And I'm going to give myself a break, let things go, and enjoy my tiny baby more. Don't worry there's no Rootlet on the way no, I'm just thinking ahead. I'm so thankful for our sweet boy!

Fall Fun

Wow, I'm so behind. I don't really know where time has gone the last few months. My last posts were primarily about our sleep issues that plagued us all of Simeon's life. It took about 2 weeks to get Simeon on a schedule and sleeping well. We had some rough times, but things our much better now. He really does so well on a routine, I'm so sorry I waited so long to put him on one. I absolutely love the No Cry Sleep Solution. It has really helped us out immensely. I thought we had fallen back into our old ways this week, but it turns out poor Sime has an ear infection and a tooth coming in, no wonder he was up more at night:(

We went to the fair, and since this was during the time we were just getting on our schedule we had to be home early (bedtime at 6:30!), so my mom and I went one afternoon. Now that he is getting regular sleep we can stay up a little later, but we don't push it b/c we know staying up later = everyone getting less sleep. We ate very unhealthy food and Simeon caused a goat stampede in the petting zoo. He started stamping his foot when he ran out of food and the goats got a bit excited, oops! Simeon really loved his biscuit, of course he is a little carb fiend, and I can only blame myself. I'm a carb lover too, and that is what he tasted in utero and via my breastmilk. Too bad they didn't at least put cane syrup on the biscuit, I remember when they did... As you can see Grandma Dee Dee was very into the petting zoo too!

Good Times

So in my previous post I lamented our sleep issues. Let me be clear, I want us to get us on a better routine for Simeon's sake more than mine. When he is well rested he has more fun than when he's cranky and tired.

I'm loving the No Cry book more the more I read it. I will say our sleep issues are definitely not solved, but we're making progress.

I want to write about some good thinks me and Simeon have been doing, because even with sleep problems motherhood is such of a blessing!

He's into copying what I do: dusting the house, bossing Barley, rubbing lotion on his face...

He's talking more and more, I can't understand most of it. But he certainly understands me: he knows what the bed, bath, his toy fire engine, lambo (manly lovey), and many other things are.

He loves to play outside, I think he'd play outside all day if I let him. We try to play out at least an hour a day. There are many other things I need to do, but he gets so bored inside.

Eating is becoming more of a challenge, he is picky and has taken to throwing food at times. But we persist with meals and snacks and Daniel tells me all the time, he's not starving. He loves fruit and anything sweet, almost everything else is hit or miss.

We got the woolens from the cedar chest, I know doesn't that sound so old timey:) I tried his mittens on him and he wouldn't let me take them off, so he wore them to Petsmart this morning even though it wasn't that cold.

Sleep Issues

So I haven't written lately about Simeon's sleep issues because I hate to just whine on and on and I had given up.

Let me say he has not been an easy child as far as sleep goes. And a sleepy child is often cranky and this makes it hard too. And I have not been a great parent as far as setting a routine for him. There are several reasons I haven't. I'm at home with Simeon all day long and by the end of the day I'm worn out (actually since he hasn't slept well I'm worn out all day long). So I just have been lax on the routine and I kind of wait for Daniel to come home and relieve me, but this doesn't work great always because he works late some so Simeon has been up too late. And I had a false belief that keeping Simeon up may help him sleep later and better. So we had all sorts of blocks creating our house of sleep disaster!

I should mention my dad told me tonight out of all 5 children I was the hardest to get to sleep! Ahh, why didn't anyone tell me sooner.

So there are all sorts of child rearing philosophies, we tend to pick and choose. There is the scheduled feedings school and their variations and then on the other end of the spectrum there is the attachment parenting school. I have been closer to the attachment parent club as I have continued to breastfeed basically on demand. We don't co sleep and Simeon gets 3 meals a day plus 2 non-milk snacks. So some of the AP crowd says the child will sleep through the night when they're ready and you should nurse a baby until they fall asleep. Well let me say following this routine has worn me out, 13 mos of not sleeping well is rough. It's not always horrible, but Simeon has been nursing to sleep (sometimes this takes 1.5 hrs) and waking 1-2 times through the night. I have adjusted as much as possible, but I'm still fatigued.

So I had decided to chug along with this because other than letting him scream I didn't know what else to do. We have done some cry it out with nap time out of desperation and I hate it. I feel like a horrible mom, but he does take good naps now. He started waking up after being nursed to sleep and refusing to settle to sleep. After one bad night I finally checked out

The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night

by Elizabeth Pantley . I don't want to jinx myself but already this book has made my life far easier. We have a bedtime routine, and when Simeon shows any sleepy sign we proceed as quickly as possible to bed. We are using several techniques, some new, some we are now being consistent with:
- bath every evening after supper (we bathed him previously but sometimes in the morning)
- Lovey (named Lambo)
- using the sleep sheep
- during his last feeding while he is drowsy but not yet asleep, I put him in his crib and rub his back till he falls asleep

Now these are just things we have chosen to do, but oh my gosh things are already much better. Last night he slept from 8-5! Daniel and I can't believe how easy it is. I'd much rather rub his back for 20 mins than have him scream for an hour. Now her method involves gradual transitions, so gradually we won't have to rub his back for so long or at all. I know we will probably have some difficulties, but I hope we're on the right track.

Maybe as I get more sleep I will be better about my job and joy as the family chef and update my food blog more:) Obviously I highly recommend this book to other new parents. It is a gentle for baby and parents sleep approach! I feel like my prayers have been answered.

Attached Parenting

So this picture is from our first family beach vacation to Orange Beach a few weeks back. I have mixed feelings about that trip. We went with some friends and really enjoyed the company.

Unfortunately Simeon sleeps horribly in his pack and play, so Daniel and I didn't get much rest on the trip. Some friends let us borrow this pea pod and we have yet to try it out. We didn't purchase our pack and play it was given to us, so I didn't do too much research on them. I know the pad in ours is very thin and probably uncomfortable. Simeon also wasn't too keen on the sand or the ocean either, but this was his first exposure to it.

We attended liturgy in the Orthodox Church in Gulf Shores and were treated so hospitably by the people of that parish. We ate out some, and cooked in some.
Daniel did really enjoy being off of work and in a different place. As for me, being quite hobbit-like I was ready to get back to my cozy hobbit-hole in Ridgeland, MS.

So on the way home I realized I left the baby carrier in the condo. I didn't freak out right away, although out of everything I brought I hated to leave this the most. I thought great I won't get anything done at home and Simeon will be a wild child in the grocery store. After an entire week of calling the realty company they told me that my beloved carrier was lost. I was really upset. I moped all week and really missed my helper. Let me say that I don't use it everyday, but when I use it it is a lifesaver.

Daniel told me to just buy a new carrier. But for me my attachment to my carrier went deeper than the high price I paid for it. I felt like Simeon and I had grown in our mother-child relationship in it, and I planned on using it for all our other future children. Isn't it funny how we parents, probably mothers more than fathers, get attached to our baby gear? Like a boppy I bought used from a friend, she said she was glad it was going to a good home. She nursed her baby on the pillow so it was special to her, but we can't keep every baby thing in our house forever of course! And another friend told me that she kept some of her baby's newborn diapers from the hospital.

Well end of the story, almost as soon as I ordered a new carrier my old one was found. So Daniel got me another carrier for another birthday! This time I picked another soft structured carrier, except I chose a more toddler specific carrier, the Oh Snap. Now before you die from sticker shock, let me say that I skimp on some baby gear, like our stroller ($70) and we got almost everything else second hand. I plan on leaving my Beco in my car. It is easy to use in the store due to the panel that makes it easy to very safely pass the baby from my front to my back while standing up, since I drive a 2 door Civic this is necessary. The Oh Snap doesn't have this panel, but I can put it on sitting on the couch till I get used to it. It is more customizable fit wise and is supposed to be better for leaning tall children, like I have:) I'm really excited about getting my new carrier in. Hopefully I will be able to use both of my carriers for many more years.

For the love of Etsy

So we had Simeon's first birthday party yesterday. We had a blast and I didn't have a emotional meltdown. It was almost like a wedding, I did so much preparation and planning and then it came and went in a flash. Now some momma's spend lots of time on what their kids are going to wear or some other detail. I focused on establishing family traditions. I love traditions, maybe because I don't like change and traditions are comforting. I also like using the same, quality items over because it is less wasteful. To each their own, but that's my style.

I found some awesome ladies on Etsy to make some special party decorations for me. First off I remember some birthdays when I got to wear a hat and I loved it. So I had Song at GirlGirlBoy make the crown up at the top. Yes if you follow the link you may die at the prices. But I went cheap on other things. And I don't have any free spending money for the next year, just joking:) Several of my guests informed me that Simeon will not want to wear this awesome bday crown for all his birthdays through 9. That's ok, maybe we'll have a sweet little girl who will. I have made a real effort to buy gender neutral party decorations so they can be reused by a future Root girl.


I found a great bday banner made by yellow label kids before I ever had Simeon and knew that I wanted it for our family tradition. They had a matching tablecloth, but by the time I had Simeon they quit making the set and I couldn't find the tablecloth!

So I found this great family on Etsy to custom make me a birthday quilt table topper. They even let me pick my own fabrics. Their price was so reasonable and it is fun, bright, and festive. I washed it this morning and it still looks great. The only hitch was I planned it for our table at home, but we ended up using the clubhouse at Daniel's parents neighborhood and the table there was bigger. If I had planned a bit better I would have had a longer tablecloth to go under it. It was nice anyway though.

Sweltering

So we're in the middle of July, yikes time flies! I didn't do a post for the fourth and we had a fairly busy weekend. We walked down the street (a 15+ min walk) to the balloon glow. Simeon was up past his bedtime, but was a good sport about being worn around in the craziness! I love this picture on the right, he just wasn't so sure about those loud hot air balloons.


We spent time with our families and worked on some projects. Our beloved Auntie Becca came by to visit. She was kind enough to take over my birthday card invitation operation. Simeon was getting a tooth in and being held was more important that whatever else Mommy was doing! We're exciting about the upcoming celebration. Of course I'm turning into a sappy emotional creature. I just can't believe it is going by so fast!

And Simeon took his first succession of steps! At the AT&T store of all places. We were changing my phone, and were there for an hour. While at the checkout Simeon let go of my hand and took 5-6 diagonal steps! It was amazing, Daniel and I just looked at each other. I think it's a sign he's going to be a techie nerd like Daniel and his dad. He's still mostly crawling but will occasionally take a few steps. He now has 8 teeth and is in a happy period I'm really enjoying. Teething has been hard for my boy, so I'm trying to come up with some new strategies for the next ones. We have been taking a good bit of Motrin and Tylenol as teething rings and a cold rag do no good. I feel blessed to be at home with my boy and am thankful to be here through the good and bad!

Levels of weirdoness

So calling myself a weirdo started back when Daniel and I first started dating and I would sometimes shop in the "weirdo" areas of the grocery store, where the organic and whole grain stuff was. Well now I'm a true weirdo doing most of our shopping at our health food coop. Really I've had to give up some of my weirdo practices since Simeon came along and that has been OK.

Last week I had a wonderful discovery that has brought happiness to our daily routine. I blogged about my adventures in baby wearing a while back and my problems with it.I like my Beco as much as I thought I could, but it still wasn't just super comfortable to wear Simeon for longer than 1 hour and that's a stretch. He is big for his age and loves to be held like all day! I mentioned last time I've been back carrying here lately and I love it. It is much more comfortable for me and he loves it. The instructions say you can start at 4 months, I hate I waited so long. Seriously so many scream outs could be avoided. I have been wearing him around the house most days at least an hour so I can do food prep and other things around the house.

Yesterday I hung out our laundry to dry, of course it rained but most of it was already dry when I got it in. It's probably strange that I love hanging out the clothes so much, I really love to hang clothes to dry! It's like a little thing I can do to feel like I'm being eco-friendly, and connected with the past.

I've had to start buying bread, horrors. I do buy from a locally operated bakery, Great Harvest. If I'm going to buy bread, I'm not buying stale bread. I will bake again one day, but now my hands are full. I don't know why but every time I bake it seems like I have to pull something out of the oven when Simeon is hungry and having a meltdown.

I'm interested in the Montessori philosophy more these days. I didn't realize we were embracing many of these ideas already. I don't think there is a Montessori program in Jackson suitable for Simeon now. There is a full time infant daycare and a part time pre-school, but no mother's morning out. So I guess we'll try to do some weirdo activities at home. I'd love to have a true Montessori home, but that's not really in the budget for now. I definitely need to research this some more, b/c I was a science major I didn't take a single class in child development.

-Daniel and I are trying to remove our shoes every time we enter the house. There are several obstacles to this, but I love the idea of a cleaner house.

Quality and beauty of the environment and the books and materials is very important in attracting, satisfying, and keeping the attention of the child. If the child is exposed to beautiful rattles and toys, she will help create a world with the same high standards as an adult. Toys, rattles, puzzles, tables, and chairs made of wood instead of plastic develop an appreciation for nature and quality and show a respect for the child.

-Simeon has not received many toys from his parents anyway, and the ones we've bought have been good quality and pretty (and pricey thus he hasn't received many:)

The same hold true for the sounds in the environment. With time the adult brain learns to block out the sound of a TV or radio, but a child is always aware of it. Sometimes a child can become upset by visual and auditory stimulus of which the adult is completely unaware!

-We don't have many electronic (noisy toys) and we don't watch much TV, b/c we don't have one! May I add I'm not totally anti-TV, we just haven't allotted the funds to create our ideal TV setup. We would like a roll away TV cart, maybe for Christmas...

I'd love to keep blogging about what we've been up to and how I'm trying other ways to become even weirder but I must clean my house as to create a happy environment for my family...

We must not only think of the quality, but the quantity. Visible posters, pictures, toys, etc. always affect the mind. It has been shown over and over in children’s environments that cluttered shelves, which are visually blocked out by the adult, are a constant visual barrage for the young child, causing stress. Too many pictures and posters on the wall do the same. The Chinese art of placement, Feng Shui, teaches that clutter, even hidden under a bed or piled on top of bookcases can cause stress.

A Mommy's Dilemma

I am so bad at updating this blog it's horrible. But now that Simeon is asleep, hopefully for the night...

I've had this blog working in my head since I read this article a few days ago. From the things I've read from Michael Pollan we agree on many things. And in my pre-baby days I lived the lifestyle he promotes. I shopped (and worked) at a farmers market, we ate little processed foods, and I prepared healthy food for us at most meals. I was excited about little Simeon's arrival and looking forward to introducing him to healthy foods.

Well to my dismay I'm so busy caring for my dear baby our meal times have become more processed and less crunchy. Now I love my boy and wouldn't want to be anywhere other than home with him. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity. But I feel guilty for letting our meals become less than ideal. Daniel has been eating out most days for lunch, so I really should be preparing better than average suppers to make up for whatever he's not getting at Subway. However my boy is a hungry one and to give him the best I'm breastfeeding him. So it's not much of a dilemma, I'm going to feed my boy first and then after the laundry and the floors are cleaned (important now that he's a little roly-poly and is picking up Barley's hairball off the floor- blahh!) I may throw together something for us to eat.

Seriously tonight: hotdogs with chili (from a can), tater tots (purchased by Daniel as an effort to reduce the grocery bill- containing scary chemicals to promote browning), and a salad. What has happened to me? I wonder sometimes what happened to the girl that baked whole grain bread for us to eat and cooked a good meal most nights.

I did receive the Julia Child cookbook for Valentines day and have enjoyed reading through it a bit. I even decided that I was going to cook a soup recipe out of it that looked pretty easy, well it's Friday and no sorrel soup yet. I did bake some healthy muffins for us to have for breakfast. I just wish I had more time to do everything I want to do for my family. I know I'm doing what is best for my son, but breastfeeding is pretty time consuming and I want to be supermom and do it all. I try to savor his babyhood, I know there will be time for Julia Child later. I just don't want his childhood memories of food be from a can and box, at least not all of them.

Mommy Meal Tips

None of these are earth shattering and most people reading this will probably have some better tips of their own. Feel free to share!

-Cook early in the day when the baby is happy, rather than waiting till "the witching hour", 4-6 is not a happy time around here. This is so obvious, but I guess it has taken this stubborn housewife a while to have her little routine shaken up. Gosh I wonder where Simeon gets his determination?

-We eat more processed food, now I just don't have time to cut up sweet potato fries so I bought a big bag of already prepared ones. But I'm not giving up my quest to eat healthy, we'll just have to look for some healthy and cheap quick fix items.

-After talking to a friend, I prepared a "staple meal list". This is a list of meal I typed, printed out, and posted to our refrigerator. They are not dependent on fresh items, they consist of staples we have on hand all the time and they are quick to cook. This is working out pretty well. I'm not entirely giving up spontaneous and exotic meals but I just don't have the time to cook them or ability to acquire the ingredients every night. But I try to have variety, for example yesterday I cooked Mock Manti from my Greek cookbook and frozen spinach with toasted pine nuts and feta. This was quick and got the husband stamp of approval. I want to add more to our list, feel free to share yours.

What's Important

I guess I could have called this priorities 2 because it is a continuation of my previous post about my life after baby. Well much has changed for me since August 4th 2009. I am so very blessed to be a momma, what a joy that big grin is to me. I spend most of my days feeding and diapering my sweet Simeon. And when I'm not doing one of those things I am running about trying to clean our house, cook something to eat, and possibly groom my very neglected dog.

I felt bad for letting my blog posts drop to nothing, I even considered shutting it down. But my dear husband told me it was ok to let it sit for a bit. That made me feel better, that even though I don't have time or more importantly the mental energy to work on this blog I don't have to quit it forever! The picture by the way is not new, I'll try to get a newer one up soon. And I feel that way about many things I used to love to do. I knew that babies were lots of work, but I guess deep down I was hoping for an easy baby that slept a lot so I could still accomplish everything I wanted to for our house. Well there are many days my boy doesn't nap much and after taking care of him I have little time or energy to cook us a healthy meal. Not that I don't still try. I had an idea I could feed Simeon strap him in the baby carrier and go. Well I'm glad it works for some but errands are hit and miss for us. Some days like today grocery shopping is great, he just chills in the carrier and is fine. But last week we went to return a few items and I had about 15 minutes before he had a crank out. Every baby is different and I'm learning to take a day at a time and to enjoy my blessed time with him.

But I have come to the realization that my ideas of running a frugal healthy household might have to have some tweaking at least for the present. Now I'm not giving up but I'm done with browbeating myself for not fixing a fresh salad for every supper, hanging out the clothes on the line, and waking up before Daniel to cook his breakfast. I love doing these things, but my job now is to take care of my dear boy. One day he will sleep more, I hope anyway, and I can start doing more and he can help me.

Hippie Momma

Baby carrying is something I really wanted to do so I bought several different carriers, 2 slings, 1 Maya Wrap, and was given another wrap style front carrier.

I even passed up the infant car seat with the removable carrier in favor of a convertible rear/front facing car seat. I had a feeling I would have a big baby and he might not be in that seat for long. So I spent more on a nicer convertible seat. And I thought, no biggie I'll pop the baby in the sling and head on to the doctor, grocery, etc.

I'm so busy around the house: going to the garden, hanging out clothes, baking bread, etc. So I was depending on being able to pop my baby in the sling and go. Well guess what, babies have their own personalities and mine doesn't like having his head crammed into a sling. The videos make the babies look so comfortable, but mine never seemed too cozy. Plus he was mad everytime I put him in, screamed. The best luck I had was with the wrap style front carrier, but it is a little difficult to put on and he slides down in it. I feel like I need to support him with one hand still.

The more bad baby wearing experiences I had the more depressed I became. I started thinking maybe I should have gotten the infant carrier car seat. And I resigned myself to not being as mobile with my newborn as I wanted to be. Then while looking on a diapering website I ran into this wonderful invention: the Beco Butterfly 2 baby carrier. It seemed comfortable, easy to adjust, very supportive, and cute! So I researched it as well as I could on the net and asked my wonderful husband for one for my birthday (last week). Unfortunately it is expensive. But I'm hoping to sell some of my other carriers and recoup some money. We only used them once, anyone interested?

Well it came today and Simeon and I both love it. Why?
- comfort- he has room to move while being supported and it doesn't kill my back
- ease of use- the easiest to figure out of all my baby carriers
- most of all I wore it for an hour and he didn't scream once! Success!

I'm sure there's plenty of people out there that have had great experiences with other carriers, but every mom and every child is different and has their own needs. Clothesline here I come again!