The Mini House Makeover

I can't tell you how in love I am with the new minor changes I made last week around the house. Ever since putting away the Christmas decorations, I have been looking around the house and pondering how I can make things more functional. I did not know I was going to end up blogging about this, so I have no before pictures, but I can explain a little of the former clutter :) You excited?!?! haha

This corner was awful before. The tray was laying down, and had all of Owen's vitamins on it along with a ton of other junk. Like a thing of bug spray and tube of sunscreen, random ingredients for my homemade basic moisturizer cream, two spray bottles, a flask, the sugar bowl and creamer pitcher...I'll stop there. Needless to say, it's 1000 times better.

My new work space!! I LOVE it! It's not weird that it's by the laundry room door. I live in my kitchen, truly, I do. I never leave it. And it makes the most sense for my little command center to be here. My calendar is on the side of the fridge, this is where I make appointments, look up recipes, do emails, read blogs, meal plan, shop Amazon....all of it. This corner space used to house the butcher block which held the Kitchenaid mixer, boxed wine and other junk. The vacuum stood here too before, and the little children's coat rack had a mountain of zip up hoodies and coats. The whole thing was an eye sore.

This is on the other side of the fridge and I cleaned this shelving area up too and just moved things around. Put away all the extra cookbooks I don't use anymore because....allergy free diets and all. New home to the boxed wine. I think they like it better here :)

What a novel idea, the butcher block in the middle of the kitchen!! Shocker!! And somehow it makes the kitchen seem bigger, even smack dab in the middle of it. It's fascinating. And we love actually using it! It's the only thing we own from Ikea. We should change that.

This little table had been here before and the kids were having fun moving it all over the house so I put it away. But it's handy when we have dinner company so I put it back.

Welcome to our "playroom". My desk had been where the play kitchen is. I hated it because it was a total catch all zone. It always looked terrible and was covered with books, papers, mail, dvds, scissors, etc, etc. I never wanted to sit there, and if I did, felt like I was just surrounded by chaos. I wanted to kids to have a more designated place, toys mainly in ONE area of the house. Mission accomplished. (The play kitchen had been on the wall where all the toys are now)

Ahh, the living room. Ignore the funny white chord. Luke is trying to do something with a printer connected to the internet and isn't done yet.....anyway, the kids black wire shelving thing that all their toys are on in the picture above, used to be set up under the tv. It was awkward. They were playing too close to the stone fireplace ledge....it didn't feel like the most inviting space. The table under the tv is a temporary solution, I don't love it, but it works. It is just an end table that used to be in the corner by the couch. I put a tiny tv table there instead and put a box in that corner with all the newspaper for the fireplace. (When the kids get bunkbeds this spring/summer, Luke is going to put legs on the train table and it's going in their room.)

Luke is going to move the book shelf on the wall for me that my desk used to be under, over to the wall above my desk in the kitchen now. He is so good to put up with my rearranging :)

He likes the new butcher block placement too :)

And that's that! I get a lot of enjoyment out of decorating and organizing. A lot. I love organizing things. I just hate filing. Hate it. I think because somehow it stills feels sloppy to me. Putting papers in hanging folders in a drawer, that still end up being hard to find.....I sometimes don't know where to put things, even though I'm the one to label all the files!!!! So I have to wait and ask Luke...I don't know what's ok to throw away sometimes.....it's the chore I might dislike the most. But it is the next big thing on my to do list. Maybe if I can come up with a cleaner system I'd love it. Hmmm, time for more brainstorming!

Stranger Kindness

Back at the beginning of the month, we returned from Buffalo, Luke left for the national focus conference SEEK2015 and the kids came down with terrible colds. Runny nose, headache, sore throat, sneezing, coughing...and they fell like dominoes. First Owen, then Casey, then Hailey. With the help of my Homeopathic book for Infants and Toddlers and consulting one of my best friends and her mother-in-law, we decided on a remedy (Belladonna) and I headed off to Wegmans to get it.

I was trying to be quick, and the kids were doing ok, when we got to the checkout line. Hailey and Casey were poking at some displays nearby of toys, and I keep telling them not to touch anything. Then Hailey sees the isle with gift bags and tissue paper. She points and says, (very loudly), "Mommy, we forgot to get baby Jesus a present! We need a present for BABY JESUS!"

I notice the lady in the checkout line next to me obviously heard her, she had been glancing at the kids and did I notice the trace of a smile cross her face?? I couldn't tell....but I calmly answer Hailey and tell her, "that's very sweet of you Hailey, but Jesus' birthday is over...even though we are still celebrating Christmas." She moved on but I thought to myself, that wasn't a very clear answer for a 4 year old, but it was the best I could do right now, in the grocery store.

I turned back and noticed how sad and sick Owen looked sitting in the front of the grocery cart. And he wasn't fussing, but just looked like he wanted to be held. (He had a tiny fever). So I take him out to hold him and he just puts his head on my shoulder and I rub his back.

Then of course it's time for me to start unloading my groceries. I start trying to call the kids over to help, they ignore me, and I was about to put Owen back in the cart and the lady who was in the lane next to me is all of a sudden at my side saying, "you hold him, poor baby looks sick...let me help you." And she starts unloading my things. Hailey and Casey of course then decide helping is fun and they come back over.

Now the lady's cart was still sort of in the check out lane she had been standing in and people are coming up, wanting to go through that check out line and so someone next to us tried to move it, and someone says, "no that's her cart. She's helping that young mom." And someone else says, "oh well here, let me unload her cart."

So she's doing mine and someone else is doing her's. It was so beautiful and awesome. I got choked up for about 10 seconds. Come on, sleep deprivation plus stranger kindness, yep, I'll get teary eyed for sure.

(and just in case anyone was curious, the Belladonna worked beautifully and everyone was on the mend in no time!)

I'm baaaaaack!

Luke and I were out on a date a few nights ago, and while catching up over our delicious Red Lobster meal, he told me that someone he talked to last week at focus conference said they used to read my blog. What?!?! When you have a little blog like mine, you can't help but wonder, "is anyone reading this??" I mostly do it for myself and the kids, but hey, bloggers kinda like readers, and comments too. So, I don't know who you are, but returning to this little ol blog has been on my mind lately and your comment might have just been enough to make it happen! So thanks!

Things are still crazy in the world of allergies and special diets, but I will save that for another day. Sometimes I just can't think about it anymore.

We had such a wonderful Christmas, as well as a fabulous trip to Buffalo, quiet New Years and incredible Seek2015 (the national FOCUS conference). Aaaannd, I have like no pictures.

I do have the pics from our Christmas card though!

`

Owen is 15 months old, Casey is 3 and Hailey is 4 and a half. Sometimes I still can't believe that I am the mother to three children of these ages. How did this all happen so fast!!?! I remember so vividly when it was just Hailey. And then poof, I feel like I blinked and there were three. I love going back to look through photos and remember all the little moments we had. I look at Casey or Hailey and think, "what were you like at 15 months old?" I almost don't remember! And then I look at pictures and it all comes back. It's hard to explain. The daily experience of them at the current age is always so intense that the past fades, until you really look back at it all captured in pictures. Which is why I should be taking more......

But what I really came on there to say, and I'm almost afraid to say it, but I think the fog of the past 15 months is starting to lift. There have been SO many crosses this past year, and I can't even tell you what a fresh start 2015 feels like. And the crosses are still there, they are just ever so slightly lighter. The boys allergies are already showing signs of improvement, even after the first (of many to come) 10 week session of allergy drops. We start the next session next week.

But this past week, I have:

-bought a membership to Costco and did our first shopping trip, HOLY MOLEY. I have been in one before but shopping for our family (with the kids in tow) was a special sort of experience. The poor dears were hungry as my timing was terrible and we were shopping right during lunch hour. And I might just be going there for chia seeds, quinoa, raw sugar, organic meat and organic fruit and vegetables, and maybe a handful more items, but I think it will be worth it.

-taken down all the Christmas decorations.

- and gone to town on organizing and decluttering the house!! It looks so good and feels so good!!! Seriously, when I am stressed I like to either work out, or clean. I have been glancing around at each room and reworking it in my brain first before I go to work at it. I am simply trying to use the spaces in our house to their utmost function and the way things were set up was NOT the most practical. Granted, the kids grow, toys multiple, needs change, but some of it made no sense. It was another realization of how preoccupied I have been with diets, food prep, baking, cooking and dishes. I typically never let things get so bad.

I'm going to try to post regularly again, but we will see how it goes. I honestly don't know if blogging is that life giving for me. I'm a sanguine choleric extrovert so sitting down at night to muse over things can actually feel draining. I need real human interaction, ha! But I so want to document these precious times in our lives. So we will see how it goes. I can't make you any promises, but I hope you will visit me here all the same.

~Megan

Litany of Humility for Mothers

(A dear friend of mine shared this with me and it was too good to not continue to share it!)

A Mother’s Prayer of Humility

October 31, 2013 by Rachel Balducci

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being Mother of the Year,

Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being the most clever mama…
From the desire of being the craftiest mama …
From the desire of being told my kids are the best …
From the desire of having the best behaved children …
From the desire of having the biggest house…
From the desire of being the best cook …
From the desire of being the most efficient …

Deliver Me, Jesus.

From the fear of my children failing …
From the fear of being left out of playdates…
From the fear of messing my kids up …
From the fear of forgetting to train my children properly …
From the fear of my children leaving me …
From the fear of my children rejecting me …
From the fear of doing things the wrong way …
From the fear of falling behind…

That other Mothers may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be more crafty than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others insight and methods may increase and I may decrease …
That others chore charts may be chosen and mine set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may be more organized than I, provided that I may become as organized as I should

Amen

Written by Rachel Balducci, inspired by her need for this prayer

4 and a half months

It just doesn't seem possible. Where has my little baby gone?

At his 4 month check up he weighed 15 and a half pounds, and is 27 and a half inches long. He is wearing 9 month clothes, and his feet are sticking out the end of his car seat ( I think I already mentioned that in another post). We all just love him to pieces. My favorite moments are when Hailey plays with him on the floor on a blanket, she talks to him and hands him different toys. He lights up whenever she comes near him. Casey, about twice a day goes up to him and says, "hiiii, hiiiii, hi." Imitating the way I coo and talk to him I think :) But then he immediately adds, "ugg-a-mugg-a" while moving his nose back and forth in front of Owen's face. It sounds strange, but it's from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, a kids tv show on PBS that is a cartoon carrying on the legacy of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. It's a super cute show.

Owen is frequently in the swing while I am making dinner and will often drift off to sleep for a little cat nap. The last couples days though, he has wanted to be held. So I've been putting him in Ergo carrier. Well, it was pretty interesting trying to knead pizza dough while gentle bouncing to help lull him sleep. haha, he did fall asleep though and the pizza got made so I felt pretty good about that! And it was the sweetest thing, when he woke up after about 30 minutes, he turn his head and looked up at me and gave me the sweetest smile. I thought, how beautiful, to fall asleep in your mother's arms and wake up again in, her arms, seeing her face. I know it sounds sappy, but in that moment, his smile, reminded me how blessed I am to be a mother.

Dairy no more

At the beginning of December, Owen was dealing with a rash that was all over his entire body. He didn't have a fever or any other symptoms. It was just red, very inflamed, getting worse by the day, and so so dry. I could not get it under control. Whatever cream I put on him, his skin would drink it up and then look the same. In desperation, I called my aunt, who is my godmother, and a pediatrician. She is so knowledgeable and has seen a lot. Before I actually connected with her on the phone, I had sent her a picture text and she right away said in a voicemail she left me that she thought it looked like eczema. When we did connect on the phone later that night and she heard about what it looked like more in detail, we agreed it was eczema and she gave me a list of things to do to treat it.

-1% hydrocortizone cream

-Aveeno Baby Cream, Eczema Therapy

-no Dreft, use a free and clear laundry detergent

-no soap in his bath, just water

I was at the store first thing the next morning, picking this stuff up. Poor baby, when I first applied the hydrocortizone cream, he was in SO much pain. I just about cried with him as I gently rubbed it all over his body. I felt so bad for him. But the result the next morning was amazing. About two more applications after that, in addition to the Aveeno cream each time as well (she told me to do both at once), his skin looked brand new. I couldn't stop rubbing his soft little legs as he nursed. It was so wonderful to see him doing better. 

However, his battle with eczema is not over. My aunt also told me that something in my diet could be triggering this response. I had no idea eczema could be related to a food allergy. So in addition to the lotion and taking other possible irritants away, I did two weeks of no dairy, eggs or nuts. I know this probably helped his skin clear up so quickly and so well too. Then one by one, I reintroduced these foods. And the culprit was.....dairy. At first, I thought, ok, sure, no milk. no big deal. I like almond milk. Then about 2 seconds later, I realized, oh wait, that means no DAIRY!! No...

-cheese

-cream cheese

-blue cheese dressing

-ranch dressing

-butter

-sour cream
-yogurt`

And that's just naming a few of the most obvious. But let's just focus on no CHEESE!! Do you know how many foods we put cheese in!?!?! There's Cheddar, Parmasean, Mozzerella, American, Colby, Pepperjack, Feta....and they are all on salads, burgers, pasta, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, our family's beloved chicken wing dip, pizza!! ::::moan::::

And no butter! Well, I felt like I was saying goodbye to baking for the next year. I can't run through a list of items....its just too painful. And I just can't, can't even think about milk chocolate.

But slowly, slowly, I am learning how to substitute! And find recipes that are yummy and dairy free. It's not easy, and it's expensive, but I can once again eat chocolate chip cookies. And pancakes.  

Obviously, it's all worth it for my little man. He appears to be very sensitive too. I can't cheat or slip up at all. Even if a label says, "may contain traces of milk" he will break out. We are very curious to see if this is something he will outgrown or if this will become a way of life for him. In the meantime, I will continue to learn the ways of vegan butter, tofu sour cream, coconut milk and goat cheese. And if you know of any good recipes or websites, send them my way!

Adjusting to 3

I know we are just 7 weeks out, but I'm gonna say it. Adjusting to 3 kids has not been that bad. Like, at all. I am no supermom, and my kids are rascals just like everyone else's. But the transition from 2 to 3, has been so much easier than the transition from 1 to 2. And the difference is that Hailey and Casey have each other. Yes, they are best friends one minute, and enemies the next....but! They have each other! When Casey was a baby, all Hailey had was me. But now, she and Casey are playmates for one another and it is wonderful. I can also still be super involved while nursing. I have a swivel lazy boy rocker in the living room and I love it. I can face toward to "living room" or the "play area" and wherever they are, I can supervise their play - aka, end fights and enforce sharing. They build me towers with their leggos and blocks and color me lots of pictures. Hailey plays dolls, Casey plays cars, and just by talking to them and encouraging their play, they know that Mommy is paying attention to them too.

I have had the easiest adjustment and transition period yet and I think the sibling factor is the x-factor. Also, the more kids I have the more of my selfishness dies. It has to. There are more people needing me now more than ever and dying to self maybe has gotten a smidgen easier the less time I have for little ol' me. These kids really have a way of sanctifying me!

But here are some samples of things I now find myself doing as a mother of three:

When Hailey and Casey get up at 7am, and Owen isn't due to wake up till 8am, I might be tempted to put on a show for them and lay in bed that extra hour. But then remembering that when Owen wakes up at 8am, and the older kids show is over, they are ALL going to be wanting me at the same time. Or at least food, and I have to get it for them. H and C will want breakfast, which, if left alone only spells disaster, and Owen will want to nurse. So instead, I get up at 7am, and when changing Casey's diaper, and taking off Hailey's night time pull up, I put them in their clothes for the day. Yep, they are dressed and ready to go at 7am. Hey, as long as I'm changing them I might as well do it all at once. It goes faster too. And clothes stay in the bedroom. If I don't do it then, it won't happen till like 10am. Which sure, is ok, but then they run from me, wiggle more, pj's are all over the house. Ridiculous. After they are dressed, then I put on the show, give them some juice and get in the shower. When I'm dressed for the day, we all eat breakfast and then, as if on cue, Owen wakes up. Of course every day looks a little different and Luke does mornings 98% of the time. But getting your kids dressed at 7am, just might be one of the things you find yourself doing when you have three. It also then actually makes it possible to get somewhere like storytime or playgroup by 10am.

With three children we all of a sudden have a toilet paper crisis daily. Two causes here, named Hailey and Casey. Hailey now, by necessity, goes to the potty unsupervised. This happens when I'm nursing, which is often. She uses the potty....and a half roll of toilet paper. We are training her in the ways of using less. It's a work in progress. Casey, by way of escape and my inability to follow him, because you guessed it - nursing - finds his way into the bathroom after Hailey uses it (she doesn't remember to close the door which he still can't open) and he unrolls the other half of toilet paper.

And lastly, creative and strategic discipline. Newborns are needy and time consuming. Which makes enforcing effective disciple a challenge at times. I've been reading "Discipline, a Gift that Lasts a Lifetime" by Dr. Ray Guarendi and one of his tips is better to say nothing when you aren't sure how to discipline, or unable to (because hey, you might be nursing!) than give an empty threat and loose credibility. It might look or seem like they are getting away with things but really it's a matter of timing. I can't physically put Hailey in time out when I'm with Owen. And if I tell her, "do that one more time and you are going in time out," and she does whatever it is, one more time, guess what? Not going to timeout on her own. (sometimes she will, but not always) So I've had to choose my battles more carefully, use different tactics to get them to listen and obey, and when I am able to give them a consequence, be consistent and make it count.

We have had some really hard days, but I'm learning a lot every day, and mostly if they just know that I love them, that they are important, and what they care about matters to me, our days go so much more smoothly. And seriously, siblings are where it's at. So thankful we have been able to give our children that gift!

Stay at Home Mom

I know there are a bunch of blog posts that have been passed around recently talking about stay at home moms. This one comes to mind right away. It's so so good. And I am by no means as good a writer as Matt Walsh is, or others. I don't expect many people to read this, and this isn't going to be a rant or venting session. I just got thinking the other day that being called a stay at home mom sounds lazy.

Think about it....you stay at home when you are sick, or skipping work or class (although that could happen for other reasons as well). I think when you hear someone say they stayed at home, it somehow implies laziness.

Person 1: What did you do today?

Person 2: Well, I stayed home all day.

I don't stay at home. I work at home. And I don't need to go through the laundry list (pun intended) of things I do all day. I'm not staying anywhere. Ha! I am constantly on the move. I kind of want one of those pedometer things just to see how many miles I'm walking in my house over the course of a day. And I'm not wanting get into a whole debate about the worth of being a "stay at home mom" but no one would question me if I said I work from home.

I'm not one to get on a soap box about stuff or get preachy, this literally just came to me the other day as I was sitting nursing. The one time of day I do "stay". :) My mom would tell people she was a homemaker. And even though the term kind of sounds funny, I do sort of like it better. When filling out those forms at the doctor's office, where it says "occupation", I always write Stay At Home Mom and cringe a little. Not because I dislike staying at home with my children, but because, as I said, it sounds lazy. And maybe because I am aware of the stigma and flack that stay at home mom's get.

From now on I just might start writing, "homemaker" instead. Because, honestly that's what I do. I make this house a home. In so many small ways, from the diaper changing, to the cleaning and cooking, and warm touches I try to create in the way I deocrate, and let's not forget all the playing and dancing too...they all come together to make this place we call home. It is an art, it is a gift of our feminine genius, and I am blessed to call it my life.

Owen's tears of joy

I have not been documenting about Owen nearly enough! He is such a good baby. He eats, poops, and sleeps like a machine. I have zero complaints. 

Look how long that arm is.

I have NO pictures with my baby!! This is me attempting to take one.

He is also smiling and cooing a lot now and those moments are the best part of my day. He looks at me with so much joy written all over his face. Around 1 month old babies tear ducts begin to produce tears. I always find that fascinating and notice when they begin to show. Well, the other day, Hailey was holding him in the rocking chair in Owen's room and I was leaning over both of them talking to him. His whole face was lit up with a smile and he was cooing at me. As we were talking and smiling at each other, I notice his eyes fill up with water and then as he smiled bigger and cooed more, one tear rolled down the side of his cheek. He was so overcome with happiness looking at his mama he had tears of joy. It made my eyes well up! I never want to forget that moment.