Getting Serious: Update

Well I've had my Command Centre for a few weeks now & I am very pleased with it.  It is working so well to keep me organized, focused & on top of things.
I'm especially loving my Clean Home 4 week rotation list.  Crossing things off this list each week is giving me such a sense of accomplishment, I really feel like I'm getting on top of the housework I continually was putting off or forgetting about.
I'm also loving my daily checklist in my Home Organization Binder.  I'm keeping track of my water intake, diet, devotions, and workouts.  I'm aiming for three of my Contigo water bottles minimum each day, as well as three fruit/veggie servings each day.  One 20 minute workout & one sit down devotion time.  I'm nowhere near that right now.  For the last month I'm averaging one workout & one devotion time each week, but 5-7 days a week on my goal for water & 3-5 days a week for my diet goal.  Not a bad start, it really is helping me be more mindful & aware of taking care of myself, body & soul.
In the New Year I'll be starting my monthly deep cleaning rotation as well.  :)

Getting Serious: Fine Motor

We've been having so much fun focusing on fine motor lately since physical space is limited in our house & it's been -40 Celcius lately!

Elli & her favourite cousin playing with playdogh.  It was the cutest thing watching them together, Immi gave Elli all kinds of instructions, "Roll it like dis!  Pat it!  Like dis!" :)

Decorating her personal Christmas tree with her necklaces.

Another great Pinterest idea, pipe cleaners & a colander!  Interestingly enough, she ONLY use the blue pipe cleaners, hmmm, a favourite colour emerging?

Getting Serious: Christmas

I started pulling out the Christmas decorations last night.  I found the mini tree my hubby bought me when we lived in a tiny apartment & instantly thought it would be perfect for Elli to have her own tree. Only problem, I don't have unbreakable ornaments for her to use, so time to get creative!  What I did have was giant decorative paper clips in my scrapbooking supplies. Perfect!  We decorated that tree over & over, so much fun!

In my bins I also found the bag of jingle bells I used in school for caroling to other classrooms with my students.  Jackpot!! We had our own little carol sing on the floor of the kitchen.  What a great night!

Getting Serious: Command Centre

Behold the first 'draft' of our new household Command Centre!
I've spent the last week working on getting organized, the first step in this SAHM Getting Serious.
I realized that I was constantly forgetting important things I needed to take care of/do/buy & so on.  I kept making little lists on post it notes, then losing the notes, lol.  With a 7 wk old & an 18 mos old I am suffering from a serious case of baby brain plus sleep deprivation, never a good combination for being functional & productive!  I have been feeling overwhelmed, scattered, disorganized & kind of lost.
So I put those sleepless nights up with baby (& my iPad) to good use.  I scoured the Internet (& Pinterest) for ideas on home organization & fell in love with the Home Organization binder.  One problem with my hubby & I though is "out of sight, out of mind" applies to both of us right now so we needed something more visual for certain things.  The Command Centre was born!
I attached to magnet strips (IKEA) to the pantry door & hung the following documents: free printable 2014 calendar I found on Pinterest, a Honey-Do list for hubby (again Pinterest), our current grocery list, the schedule for all the indoor playgrounds & free activities in our area, my To-Do List and a Clean House weekly rotation.
My Grocery List is broken down by category (eg Produce, Dairy, etc).
My To Do List is also broken down (eg Crafts/Sewing, Computer/Online Work, Gifts & Things to Buy, etc.)
My cleaning schedule is broken down twice.  The first 4 boxes are things to do on a 4 week rotation so the basic cleaning things I sometimes forget about get done each month.  The next 4 boxes are a 4 month rotation with 'deep cleaning' & organizing things that will get done 3x a year.  I will be laminating this & using dry erase markers to check things off & reuse the list.
Eventually I plan to work on making/adapting my own graphics to get things prettier & more matching with my kitchen decor; but this works for now!

I did end up making a Home Organization mini-binder as well.  I'm not finished yet but so far it has the "Menu" of all our favourite meals for when I need ideas, a list of the meals currently in our freezer and a chart to keep track of my water/diet/exercise.  Once I get it done I'll try to post pics & more details on it as well.

Time to Get Serious

I never thought I'd be a stay at home mom.  Honestly.  It was just not something I wanted or saw myself doing.  Sure, I wanted kids, but the assumption was I'd go back to work ASAP.  Too much time at home drove me crazy.  I got stir crazy quickly, very quickly.  I barely made it through summer holidays each year without cleaning & organizing the entire house as well as taking on a new hobby...and I'd still be dying to go back to work by mid-August!  I figured being home full time, even as a mom, would be pretty much the same.
Also, teaching is something I am so passionate about, something I love doing.  I worked hard at bettering myself as a teacher, at making myself & my classroom more organized & efficient.  Every school year I chose a few things about myself as a teacher, my themes & plans & my classroom to focus on & improve.
So between my inability to spend too much time at home & my sincere love for my career, it wasn't in the "plan" to be a SAHM.
As with all the best laid plans, that went out the window! ;)
First I was taken off work & put on augmented bed rest when pregnant.  Next, right as I began looking to go back to work, we found out I was pregnant again.  So here I am, almost two years into being home full time & probably looking at another year at least.
I'm going to be honest here, I struggled with that for months.  It was a very tough thing to wrap my head around, not going back to teaching when I thought I would.  I miss teaching, I miss my coworkers, I miss the school environment (I miss the paycheque!).  I miss the independence, I miss feeling like I have a bit of my "own" life (I miss showering & getting dressed up every day too).  I miss the challenge, the joy of learning new things, the sense of accomplishment & pride.
Today as I was (finally) getting in the shower (at 11pm cuz that's when both my babies were finally asleep) it hit me.
 I need to stop whining!
Yes, I want to go back to teaching & I will one day without a doubt.  It's my calling.
That's no excuse for my attitude though.  Right now, I'm a SAHM.  It's not what I planned but it's a huge blessing & it deserves MORE of my dedication, creativity & energy than I ever gave to my job.
If I spent that much time & energy to constantly improve myself & my classroom to meet the needs of my students better, why would I not do that now?
Instead of "missing" the opportunity to be creative at school, I need to be creative at home.
Instead of "missing" teaching my students, I need to teach my children.
Instead of "missing" being active during the day, I need to be active with my children.
Why am I not using all those talents & skills I funneled into teaching now with my children & in my home?
So it's time to get serious.
To dedicate myself to doing this SAHM thing my way, the Princess Teacher way.  ;)

A Thank You Letter to My Daughter

Dearest Baby Girl,
You are my miracle baby.  The one we waited for 4 years to hold in our arms.  The one I endured hospital stays & bed rest for.  The one we came close to losing several times, including during your birth.
You are also my sunshine & joy.  You truly embody the meanings of your name: Light & Grace.  You have taught me so much in the short 16 months you've been in our lives.  You have made me a mommy.
With the arrival of your brother I have also realized that you prepared me to be a mommy to him too; because of you I am a better mommy to Flynn than I would have been otherwise.
You have taught me understanding is more valuable than "patience".  You have taught me to pay attention, to see & hear all the ways you communicate (not just the obvious ones).  You have taught me to let go & be silly.  You have taught me that a bad night/day/week is just that, one rough moment in time that will soon be a hazy memory.  You have taught me that a smile or giggle is all I need to turn things around.  You have taught me the power of quiet snuggles & affectionate rough housing.
You have taught me to trust my "mommy gut" & also the importance of seeking help/advice.
You have changed my life completely & I can't thank you enough.

Your Mommy

Why Didn't I Do This Sooner?

Seriously.  I was terrified of cloth diapering, I thought it would be messy, disgusting, smelly, kill my washing machine & once I factored in all the extra laundry there was no way it would save us money.
Wrong!
I got an amazing deal on all in one Kushie diapers for the new baby at a garage sale which is what started our little journey. For the price of one case of latex free diapers we got 40 Kushie newborn ones.  Couldn't pass that up!
Which got me thinking.  Elli is going to be in diapers as well for at least 6-12 mos yet, I was cringing at the cost of TWO in diapers now that money is so tight.
So I pulled out the computer & commenced research!  I decided on all in one, one size diapers so they could be used for both kids at the same time.  I also wanted this to be as easy as humanly possible. ;)
I found an incredible deal on ebay for 40 brand new diapers with 80 inserts in an assortment of colours that are adjustable for 8-33 lbs.
It's been a week now of having Elli in cloth & I love it!!  I got a recipe for homemade diaper laundry soap from a friend which is excellent & washing them is so easy!  Elli's super sensitive skin has never been less irritated & we have already saved money.  We only use disposable now at night & in the diaper bag when we're out & about.
The absolute life saver in cloth diapering though has been the flushable paper inserts from Kushies, makes poopy changes so easy!
Seriously don't know why I didn't try this sooner!

Mario NURSERY!

Well we did it, we successfully converted my hubby's Super Mario "playroom" (aka man cave) into a nursery for baby boy who should be here in the next 2 weeks.  :)  I hope he loves it as much as we do!

The change table/dresser my dad made for us in his garage!  No plans, just a picture printed off the Internet for inspiration.

I love the red shelf we got at Ikea, it fits so perfectly!  We've loaded it with toys so Elli can play in there while I nurse her brother.

A Little Photo Shoot

My amazing hubby took some maternity & mother-daughter pictures for us the other day.  I haven't finished editing them yet, but here's a little taste of how great they turned out!

Mommy Can Sew!

Well, kind of...
As an admitted workaholic semi-OCD person I will freely admit I was going completely stir crazy recently.  You can only clean the same things in the same house so many times over before losing your mind. ;)
So I took the plunge on something that has always intimidated me (but I've always wanted to learn)...sewing!  My mom gave me an old sewing machine a couple years ago and to date I've only used it to sew the occasional straight line.
A few weeks ago, however, I hit Pinterest (& then the Walmart fabric aisle) & have been slowly working my way through projects that scare me more & more.  My latest, 2 dresses from scratch!  One for a good friend's little one, one for my little one.  Below are pics of some of my proud accomplishments (but not the ones that ended up in the trash can).

A onesie with snap-on bowties for our soon-to-be little man.

Waterproof bibs 

A necktie onesie

Elli's dress!  I'm so freaking proud of how well it turned out!

Notice the coordinating necklace she CHOSE to wear & the puppy purse, also chosen by her!

The dress for my friend is the same pattern with similar fabrics.

I've also made several reusable, waterproof "snack bags" with velcro closures & a tank top tunic for Elli.

Next on my list, a simple clutch purse for myself!

The More & Less of the Second Time Around

As the day I go from mom of one to mom of two quickly approaches my mind has been turning to "mores" & the "lesses" of take two.
I want to:
Breastfeeding more.  I had supply issues last time around & would love to supplement less.
Baby wear more.  I now have a busy, curious toddler to keep up with. Bring on the slings & wraps!
Second guess myself less.  There were so many times looking back I know I should have followed what my head & heart were telling me to do/not do with Elli.
Listen to others less. Unless it is a person I trust & respect enough to ASK for advice, I probably don't need it.
Rest more.  Easier said than done with a toddler, but sitting on the floor cuddling my Elli & playing with her when baby sleeps is much more important than cleaning.
Panic less. This is a biggie for me! Every cough isn't need for concern!
Exercise more.  Getting out for walks, swimming & getting on the treadmill helped me feel much better in all ways, need to do it more!

On top of it all, if some or none of these actually happen, I need to relax.  :)

Happy Canada Day!

Tired baby girl after a hot morning at the festivities.

My new fav pic of my man & our Elli.

My sweet little niece, playing in the pool.

Isn't that t-shirt the cutest?  It says "Canadian Cutie" & she matched her cousin.

Mmmm, cheesy puffs!

I'm in trouble...

So Elli has never been a big fan of meat & I have a hard time getting protein in her diet. Her favourite favourite food in the whole world is cheese so I usually trick her into eating meat by melting cheese on top. Usually works really well & she's very happy. Today she outsmarted me.
She picked up each piece of turkey by the cheese, shook it very carefully until the meat fell off, then ate the cheese.
*sigh*

Sensory Fun with Baby

Fingerpainting for Father's Day.

I made edible paint out of gelatin, she wasn't a big fan but definitely gave it a taste test.

Getting cleaned up was her favourite part.  She loves nothing more than water.

Stirring up some "soup".

Rice crispy sensory bin.  Don't know if she or the dog ate more. :)

Rocks are her fav toy.  She can play outside with the rocks for ages!

More Rainy Day Musings

I'm not sure when it happened, or how it snuck up on me so gradually, but my baby girl is not a tiny baby anymore.  As we prepare for her little brother this fall it has become so clear & real that she isn't & won't be the "baby" anymore.  Part of me is sad, part of me is excited to see her grow.
Nightime wakings have become infrequent enough that I can often find myself cherishing the moments of rocking her in the dark of her nursery, kissing her head, humming her to sleep.  I know these times aren't going to last much longer, that soon I'll be rocking a different baby to sleep at night.
Her understanding of the world around her has become impossible to ignore.  While listening to the radio the other day the chorus of a song repeated the word "goodbye".  She started waving bye-bye to the radio.
This very apparent knowledge that she is so aware of the world around her now has lead to some major contemplation & decisions on the part of my hubby & I.
What we watch when she's around.  What we listen to.  What language we use.  What we talk about.  Who is a part of her life.
Until she is old enough to choose her own friends, this is a responsibility we need to take very seriously because we are teaching her what kind of friends to choose.  The people we bring or allow into Elli's life will shape who she is, that's a fact.  I am honoured & humbled by the responsibility we have been given.  We have the power to (for the most part) surround our daughter with people of honour, integrity, kindness, love, fun & joy.  We have the power to give her role models we would be delighted to see her emulate as she grows.  We can show her in everyday life what healthy, happy relationships look like with family, friends, co workers & even random people we encounter in the world.
We can fill her life experience with people who work hard, love truly, live honestly & follow their dreams.  Who have fun, embrace joy & celebrate life.
So thank you to all the people in our life who do this, who fill this incredibly important role from near or far.  Whether we see you every day or once a year you are helping to shape our daughter's outlook on life & people.  Who she becomes will be in no small part because of the role you played in her life.

Jr High Has Changed!

A few things sure have changed since I last subbed jr high a few years ago!
When did kids start being able to complete & submit assignments via iPhone??  Computer, sure, but iPhone?
Now I've always understood having water bottles in class, but these kids were drinking Booster Juices & eating snacks!
I remember when listening to the radio during group work was a huge treat, here each group of kids had blue tooth speakers synced to their phones.
Whatever happened to handwriting?  These kids were turning in "good copies" that looked like they'd been printed by a third grader (or worse).  Not a single one of them could handwrite more than their name when I asked them.

Jr high is really different now!

There's Something About Rainy Days...

There's just something about soft, rainy days.  With the fresh breeze bringing the smell of spring (finally), the birds at last returned twittering in the trees, a hot cup of coffee in my hands & my puppy at my feet.  It gets me feeling all introspective & calm.  I love mornings like this because they get me thinking.  You know what?  My life is pretty fan-freaking-tastic.
Yes, I have a baby sleeping that is currently recovering from the stomach flu.  She was up at 1am, up at 8am, cried for an hour & is now back down.
Yes, I was awake all night thanks to an overactive brain & pregnancy insomnia (one of life's cruel jokes).
Yes, my poor, exhausted hubby who is also battling the stomach flu is passed out upstairs after getting home from work at 2 am.
My kitchen is a mess of dirty dishes & unwashed bottles.  My living room is littered with the accoutrements of caring for a sick baby & I have more loads of stinky laundry than I care to think about waiting for me.
I'm pretty sure the bath toys from last night are still littering the floor of the shower & I'm not sure what (or even if) our family is going to eat today with the way we've all been feeling.
But, sitting here on our back porch, breathing in the rainy air, sipping my coffee, life is great.
Life is great in despite of & because of the hassles I just listed.  Life is great because of what all these things add up to mean.  I have a family.  A beautiful, amazing, (typically healthy) family that I would do anything for.  Including let my house get turned into a disaster, sacrifice my much needed sleep & wash non-stop poop & vomit covered laundry.
No, I don't always feel this way.  If you had asked me at 1am how I felt about life you probably would have gotten a withering glare.  These moments, however, are vital.  These moments where I take it all in stride, see the big picture & love it.
That's what rainy days are for.

Happy Birthday, Elli!

Officially she turns one on Tuesday, but today was Elli's First Birthday Party!  It was amazing!
We had a house full of people at the last minute due to the weather, it was originally supposed to be an outdoor party. ;)
Our ladybug theme turned out great.  It was lots of work making all the decorations & food myself (way cheaper than buying them!) but it all turned out better than I had hoped!
Following are a whole bunch of pics!

                                          Cutest ladybug ever!

                                          Elli loves her Grandpa & Gran B, and her Dolly!

                                                        I made cake pops & ladybug Oreos.

                                  Gotta take a break from opening presents to give Dolly a cuddle. :)

                         Kitty was a big hit, it runs around the room saying "Come catch me!"

                                                        Nico liked Dolly too.

                                                                   "My Dolly!"