Facebook is Funny

Facebook is funny because things you post can be taken wrong. I mentioned on my status last week that I was have braxton hicks contractions. My husband's grandfather is one of my facebook friends and apparently my post caused quite a worry in his household. My mother-in-law got a few concerned phone calls regarding it.
Sorry to cause such trauma with the great-grandparents. I was just using facebook to air my grievances about pregnancy and to gather a little sympathy.

Homemade Tree Skirt

Since we've been married I've been collecting ornaments for our Christmas tree. They've taken on a blue and silver theme, including a blue tree skirt with snowmen. Its really cute but for the last year or two I've wanted something more traditional. So when I saw this cute red fabric with gingerbread men I couldn't resist buying it to make a tree skirt.
I really learned a lot of sewing tricks putting it together. I didn't have a pattern, I just made it up as I went, Google-ing if I got stumpted. I pleated and sewed on the ruffle. I made and sewed on some bias tape round the opening. Ta-da!
Oh here is a pic of Blue Eyes, isn't he the most adorable little boy.

Friday Confessional

I confess...
-this is my first blog post in almost 6 months.
-my husband is out camping with the guys tonight so I went out to dinner with my little man, then put him to bed early. No cooking and I have the evening to myself.
-I volunteered to help clean the church tomorrow, but I won't be going. Since I am sans husband it sounds like too much of a pain to drag my son to the church at 8am and clean.
-Did I mention that I'm 7 months pregnant and for the past 3 days I've had false labor contractions every time I do anything minimally active like vacuum, carry my son, or walk for more and 10 min. Yet another reason to skip out on my volunteer cleaning.
-Chocolate gives me heartburn when I eat it during pregnancy. But I'd rather use zantac and tums everyday then give up chocolate.
-I entered the HGTV Urban Oasis contest to win an apartment in New York. I've become a little obsessed with it. I know my family of four won't fit in a one bedroom apartment and our life is in Utah but I can't help but daydream that I won that beautiful piece of the big apple.
-I know I won't win the apartment but I plan on dressing up on Monday just in case I get ambushed with the prize. (Yeah I've read all the contest rules and know when the winner will find out).
-That long scratch on my car door that my husband was really upset about and blamed on our son was actually my fault. I didn't tell him it was the baby I just didn't correct him after the accusation.

Tantrums

This week my son has started to have major tantrums. I pulled out my old stuff from when I worked as a parent educator. Come to find out the handouts on tantrums were for 16 months old, my sons exact age. So apparently the tantrums are completely developmentally appropriate--knowing that doesn't make it any easier. We've had several long tantrums over not wanting to eat in his high chair, to be strapped in his stroller or carseat, having to come inside after playing and over having to take a nap.
This morning we had a 30 minute tantrum at breakfast. He would not let me strap him into his highchair. I decided that we could eat breakfast over a drop cloth on the floor, picnic style. It wasn't about me winning and making him eat in his chair, nor was it about me giving in to the tantrum and letting him have what he wanted. It was finding a way to meet my real goal; I decided that all I really wanted was for my son to eat his breakfast and to do it sitting somewhere in the kitchen. Crisis averted.
I also thought about the timing of his tantrums. They've gotten increasing more frequent in the last three days. About five days ago I switched him from two naps to one nap. I think perhaps he still needs more sleep during the day and that his tantrums were the result of him being overtired. So today it was back to the old schedule of two naps. It was amazing how much better he was for the rest of the day. Though he also seems to have a cold now so that could be all or part of it as well.
As you all know parenting is an on-going experiment. As soon as you think you know what you are doing all the rules change.

None of Your Business

This mother's day we spent some time with family. I got so annoyed with Rob's extended family--I got asked four times if I was pregnant. Just for the record I am not. But even if I was that's not something you ask. I felt like my personal boundaries were being repeatedly violated. I believe the conceiving of babies is a very personal thing--between husband and wife (and God). When we're ready to share our joy we'll tell you, until then its a taboo question. What made the whole thing even worse was that no one asked my sister-in-law if she was pregnant. I think I was even referred to as "the baby maker in the family"; what the hey? I have one child.
How do you tactfully deal with this situation?

French Lingerie

I went bra shopping last weekend. It was quite an adventure. I found out that I am even more chesty that I thought and that no local stores carried my size (H--what the heck?). The fit specialist at JC Penneys even told me that some women pay to have surgery to have what God gave me naturally. I ended up going to Murray (45 minutes from home) to shop at Nordstrom. I purchased 3 bras that were nearly $70 a piece--never thought I'd have to invest that much money on my boobs but it is so worth it. Having bras that fit, support, and flatter is a life saver. And the fact that the bras are French just makes them feel a bit special. I was walking to church the next day with a smirk on my face feeling like I had a secret--I'm wearing french lingerie tee hee hee or is "oh la la" more appropriate?

My Square Foot Garden

We've now lived in our house for five years. Every year I talk about planting a garden but with school and work and life in general we never got around to actually putting one in. I've planted a few vegetables (peas and beans) in with my flower beds but nothing grew very well in our clay soil. Well this year I finally got my garden.

I decided to build a square foot garden because my yard is so hilly that I only had a limited about of flat space in my yard for a garden. I also like the idea of being able to get a lot of growth in minimal space with minimal work.

My husband built these lovely raised boxes out of vinyl fencing. We attached a trellis on the north end of each box for vertical growing. We filled two of the three boxes with Mels Mix (I decided only planting in two boxes this year because I don't want to overwhelm myself). We put a grid in each box because in square foot gardening you plant in squares rather than in rows. And I've already planted peas.

As you can see from the picture my son loves the gardens too. Here he is with a handful of dirt. The Easter Bunny is bringing him a sand table; hopefully if he has a designated place to dig he'll stay out of my garden or at the very least be okay with being redirected away from the garden boxes and back to his table.

I'll post more pictures throughout the growing season. Pray for spring!

My First Friday Confessional

I confess...

1. I used my son's bathwater to give myself a pedicure soak and scrub.
2. He didn't seem to mind so I'll probably do it again.
3. I get upset when my husband spends all day working on a project.
4. Even when its my project.
5. I haven't gotten out of bed before 8 in over a week.
6. I finished the last Twilight book about a week ago and I'm missing it.
7. It was nice to have romance in my life.
8. I recently got tired of my clothes and purged my closet.
   
9. Then I totally went crazy at a clearance sale to fill it back up.
10. I'm having a bit of buyer remorse because I replaced cheap clothes with more cheap clothes.
11. This was random.
    

Case of the Mondays

Oh Boy does it feel like Monday today.
Blue Eyes was so naughty yesterday. He was pretty good at church so we stayed the whole time. But he only took an hour nap afterward and was fussy and clingy all afternoon and evening. Then he woke up this morning in the same state of mind. He was starving but too upset to eat breakfast. He just sat in his chair crying and throwing food. I finally had to spoon feed him his yogurt so he could get enough in his stomach that he could think straight and feed himself. Even after eating he wouldn't let go of my pant leg. It felt like nap time would never come, but it eventually did hopefully he wakes up more like himself.
I try to do a load of laundry everyday so that it doesn't pile up. But over the weekend I washed but didn't fold so now I have five baskets of clean laundry waiting for me. I hate folding and putting away laundry. I'm using blogging as an excuse to avoid it for a few more minutes.
I decided I need to get my eating under control a little better. On Saturday starting a diet on Monday sounded like a good idea but today not so much. Needless to say the emotional eating cravings are kicked in high gear. The left-over cookies from the stake dance (I was in charge of the food) are calling to me. So far I've resisted.
Alright. So this post is just me venting. Hope you enjoyed.

Mine is a house of order

My goal as of late has been to improve my home management skills. Thanks to FlyLady I've been going strong for over a week now. I've developed some basic routines for the morning and evening and have been decluttering for at least 15 minutes every weekday.

Now by the time I get the baby out of bed I've exercised, read my scriptures, showered, gotten dressed, and done my hair and face--I feel ready to tackle the world. It's a vast improvement from rolling out of bed when I hear the baby and not finding time until his nap to get myself ready, which can be a total disaster on days he chooses not to nap. My bed is made every day (which is funny because when Rob and I got married we agreed we were okay with not making our bed). My bathroom stays clean and clutter-free. I do a load of laundry every morning (no more no less). All of this is a big change from running in circles trying to figure out what needs to be done the most.

During my scripture study one morning I came to a realization that this is important. It's more than just keeping my house clean and tidy. This life is about practicing for the next life and teaching our children to love the things of God. One of those things is order. By keeping my household running smoothly I am patterning my life and home after His and teaching my son to do the same. I am creating a peaceful atmosphere where my family can feel a little closer to Heaven.

No, I'm not perfect, neither is my home. However I am a little more organized and things are a little more calm and peaceful. I have a little more time to be with my family. I also have a little more time to read, do hobbies, or spend time with friends with a little less guilt.

Snow

I dreamed about gardening last night and then woke up to snow. I really didn't mind though. It was so beautiful. When Blue Eyes woke up I was so excited to show him; I took him out onto the porch before I even changed his diaper.

I opened the curtains hanging over our french doors near the dining room table so that we could watch it snow as we ate breakfast.

We then bundled up and played out in the snow for a half hour. I love that Blue Eyes is getting big enough to enjoy these things with me.

Spring Fever

I wrapped Blue Eyes in a blanket today and took a walk around our house. Even though there is still a good month of winter left, spring is hinting at what is to come. I noticed the buds on my lilac and snowball bush. My daffodils, tulips, crocuses, iris and other bulbs are starting to peak out of the ground. It was beautiful and exciting.

The next thing I did was take inventory of my seeds in the garage. I really want to start gardening. My goal for the year in this area is to build some garden boxes and plant a vegetable garden. In the past I've only planted a few beans, peas, and other simple things in among my flowers. Now that I live with someone who eats vegetables (my son, my husband does not) I can plant a few more things and know they will get eaten.

Trying to garden with a baby at my feet will be interesting. Last year I did take Blue Eyes out with me when I picked strawberries but he was little enough that he just laid on the blanket and enjoyed the sun. We'll see how much dirt he eats.

A brief verse about Me

Welcome Friends!

My name is Cassidy. I’ve been married to a good man for nearly seven years (wow how time flies). I am the lucky mother of a beautiful little boy, who we'll call Blue Eyes. I have a Masters degree in Social Work with an emphasis in mental health therapy. I have about three years experience (including practicum) then I had a baby and decided no one can parent my child like me and quit my job.

My son recently turned one which means I've been doing this stay-at-home mom thing for a year now. Much of the time I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Well, that's not completely true. Motherhood has actually been a pretty easy adjustment; as the eldest of five siblings I kind of feel like I've been there before. I watched my parents and often helped with my brothers and sisters, especially my youngest brother. Except for sleeping. I just don't seem to remember anything about how my parents handled babies who don't sleep well--probably because I was sleeping during those struggles.

Other than working through baby sleep problems, I have a hard time with housework. Not that my house is terrible dirty or cluttered. I think that I just want it to look perfect and if I don't have the time or energy to do it to the nines I'd rather not do it at all. So I clean like mad for a day and then let it go to pot for a week (or more) until I can't stand it and do it all again.

I love to read and often have several books in process at the same time. However I really don't make time for reading. Usually if I find time to read I feel too guilty to enjoy it--I always think that if I have time to read I should be cleaning or doing laundry. I've learned that books on tape from the library are great when you're doing dishes or folding laundry. And I enjoy reading self-help books while on the treadmill (I know it’s a weird combination).

I've also been collecting domestic hobbies. I scrapbook, make jewelry, sew, and like to decorate my home. I have similar issues with my hobbies as I do with reading; I keep telling myself its okay to make time for them. I recently converted my kitchen hutch into a craft cabinet. I moved all my crafting, sewing, etc. supplies from their boxes in the basement to a place where they are more easily accessible (and easier to put away), we'll see if I make more time for them.

Socially I'm not the best. I consider myself a pretty likable person and I know several of the other "mommies" in the neighborhood, but haven't really had a close friend since high school. We all make choices to balance our lives. One choice that I made while going through six years of college was little (if any) social life since I didn't have time. Now that I have time, if I make it, I kind of feel awkward and out of place in social situations--like my social muscle as atrophied. I go through stages where I’ll call up friends and try to get together, and then I give up and become a hermit for a while then try again.

While we're being honest. I've struggle with depression on and off again since I was a teenager. I've tried taking medication which helped but also gave me horrendous headaches. I've learned that I can keep my symptoms at bay with exercise, socializing, and making time in my life for things I enjoy. I know that if I start to feel blue for more than a day or two there is something out of balance in my life, once I take care of that I usually start singing again. I sing out loud all the time. It’s my canary in the coalmine, I know that if I’m turning my life into a musical my life is balanced and I’m generally headed in the right direction. It’s a trait that my son loves. The song de jour “Can't Take My Eyes Off You."

Oh one more things about me. I'm obsessed with anything French. I started learning to speak French in middle school. I've wanted to go to Paris since I was 14. I haven't made it yet. But until I get a chance I've decorated my house with French-inspired things. I love movies and books that take place in Paris. And when I have those days where I feel like running away that's where I imagine I go.

Well, that's it for today. Until next time.