2018 Goals

Goals for the new year, in no particular order:


1. Go to bed by 11 pm. The past year was waaaaaay too busy and my sleep suffered for it. I can survive on short sleep, but it's just not good long term. To be earlier also means getting up before the kids and feeling ahead of the day.

2. Lose 15 pounds. I joined a weight loss group to keep me accountable. It was easy before kids, but now there's so much pulling at my time, it's hard to always have good eating choices. Mostly I eat too much sugar! In dessert form! ;) So curbing sweets is big deal.

3. Teach Ansel to write his letters (he already started writing his name on his own, although it isn't straight). He already KNOWS his letters, but I'd like to develop his penmanship. I'm not an expert in early childhood ed, so I may be calling on some friends for help with this!

4. Teach Maureya her letters, numbers, colors, and any animal sound imaginable. She's so curious and this is what Ansel was learning at her age. The challenge here is balancing the development of both kids.

5. Buy some acreage to build a house on. We have a huge start in savings already. We've always wanted land with some privacy, place for a garden, mature trees, room to host, and have more kids via foster or adoption.

6. Find an architect to design said house (he or she will have to put up with my notebooks, floor plan sketches, and magazine clippings). We want a house that has the character and quality of one built a hundred years ago.

7. Kill it selling LLR and save $50k for aforementioned house. I didn't know exactly what to expect. This time last year I had just started selling part-time while I was still teaching. It has exploded through good business practices and hard work. There's really unlimited earning potential so if I just keep doing what I have been this will be done before the end of the year.

8. Read through my Bible for the 10th time. I started way bad in junior high and the Word is so refreshing! Every time I learn more. God is good.

9. Love my hubby more and more, and get away some weekends together. It's so important for us to focus on each other especially now that we have kids. We already have one planned for Justin's birthday/my Ed.S. celebration in January. But we hope to do a few more too!

10. Be a better housekeeper (lame but true). This goal stems from having way to many commitments last year that I couldn't keep up with everything like I wanted. I'm so glad the Ed. S. is done, and I'm only working one job too. :)

11. Write in my journal. I've kept a journal like forever... but, I don't write in it like I should writing helps me be reflective on life and spiritual things. It also is a way for me to look back at God's work in my life.

12. TAKE NO MORE GRAD CLASSES (haha there's a nice, passive goal). Finishing the Ed. S. was exhausting and thrilling at the same time. A part of me wants to finish the doctorate, but not for awhile. There are limits on courses though so I need to see just how long I can push it off. ;)

13. Run a 10k. I've done a half, 10k, and several 5ks before, but I really like the 10k distance, which is about an hour of running. So I plan to find one and train for it!

14. Hope through the pain of loss. I just can't begin to tell you all the emotions from losing my younger brother Zach suddenly this November. Sadness can overtake me, but I must hope even though there is so much pain. God will bring peace, although I miss him so much. 



Is this a lot? Yes, it is. But I dream big and work harder. I have an amazing husband and family and God. I can't wait to look back on this next year! 

Prayer Jar for Kids with Craft Sticks

I can't claim the credit for this super easy and cute craft. I was inspired by my friend from college, Jessica (who writes an enlightening and reflective blog, by the way). In our busy lives it can be easy to push prayer to a back burner, so why not do this craft and make it a fun activity for the whole family to be involved in? Another big incentive: you either have these supplies already or can get them at Dollar Tree for less than $5 all together.

Supplies needed: 
Craft sticks
Tacky glue
Buttons or pom-poms (or both)
Sharpie marker
Jar

Directions:
To create the prayer sticks, simply dab a bit of glue on the end of a craft stick. Then the kids can place a button or pom-pom on the glue and press down. Even my 22 month old could do it, and really enjoyed seeing the button stick to the glue when held upside down. Let them dry thoroughly, then write the prayer request on the stick with a permanent marker. Place in the jar, and then kids can draw a few sticks out and pray for the request before dinner, before bed, or during family time.

Our Birth Story: Maureya

When I say I was at the hospital for less than an hour before I had her, people might think Maureya's birth was easy. That's not how I would describe it exactly. However, I am so thankful that after much prayer and preparation, this birth story was more of what I was hoping for.

(Quick recap... Maureya is my second child. Ansel was my first. You can read his whole birth story here, but for now, let me go over the highlights. I had back labor for 24 hours from one afternoon to the next. I dealt with contractions by natural pain management methods except for a few hours of morphine to help me rest in the morning. My water broke after that and I pushed for 2 1/2 hours until I delivered Ansel.)

With Maureya, I woke up around 5:30 am with contractions about ten minutes apart. Back labor again! This time around, I had been practicing yoga positions and breathing methods to use, and was able to employ those. I hung out with a friend in the morning since we had that planned and it got my mind off of things. After lunch, I tried to take a nap and got some rest, though I was still feeling the contractions. When I got up and actually timed contractions again around dinner, they were about 5 minutes apart and getting more intense, but I just stayed active. I would pause to squat or do another position to get through. Around 6 pm I was getting rather annoyed the contractions hadn't picked up in time or intensity since it had been going on 12 hours, so I went for a walk (in the drizzling rain). Mentally I was trying to prepare myself or another long night similar to what I labored with Ansel, and emotionally I was feeling worried but trying to trust my body.

I vacillated on calling my friend to take Ansel over to her house in case we needed to go to the hospital. Finally around 8 pm or so I started needing Justin to give me counter pressure in my lower back for the back labor and went ahead and called my friend to get Ansel. They left after 9 pm, and I kept pushing back leaving for the hospital until about 10 pm, trying to labor at home as much as possible and dreading the contractions I would have in the car on the way. It is very difficult to relax or do any type of yoga position in the car!!

We got to Miami Valley at 10:30 pm and parked, and walking in was tough. It was cold but I wasn't sure if I was shaking from that or trying to get through the back labor. We checked and got to our room (#3- same exact room I had Ansel in because we asked if it was open in Family Beginnings). When the nursed checked my and said I was a 5-6 but very effaced, I tried to stay positive. I really felt like I was farther along. Justin continued to give me counter pressure- really, I only felt the contractions in my back-for a half hour or so. I was in child's pose on the floor of the bathroom when my water broke and I HAD TO PUSH. It was basically instantaneous.

The nurse wanted to check me again before I started pushing and said I was only at an 8; but I really could not resist the urge. Missy, the midwife, just said, "Listen to your body." My body was screaming at me so there was no way to ignore it! :) Hands and knees on the bed, I pushed, rather loudly, I'm sure, for a couple of contractions before they told me she was crowning already. (Woah! Ansel took over an hour to crown, then crowned for another hour!) On the next push or two, her head was out. Then, somehow I didn't have an urge to push, but she was so close. So I took a deep breath and tried to focus on pushing again and she slipped out at 11:21 pm. What a relief. There is really nothing like that moment! I had been at the hospital less than an hour.

With her cord still attached, I was able to move back and sit against the headboard and put Maureya skin-to-skin right away. After the cord stopped pulsing, Justin cut it. The placenta came easily after that and I was able to look at it. Fascinating and gross at the same time, but amazing to see the life-force that God made to sustain her those 39 weeks in the womb.

Recovery has been so much easier this time, I think because of the timing of the labor. It ended up being about 18 hours, but since it fell during the day and I pushed for maybe 20 minutes, the exhaustion wasn't as great. I didn't have a tear to the perineum (last time I had a small one but no stitches). The lochia discharge reduced very quickly and I was able to move from a Depends to a large pad the second day postpartum, and it continues to reduce. The after-pains of the uterus returning to normal size are more intense than I remember with Ansel, but compared to labor pains they are manageable. I'm on 800 mg of ibuprofen every 8 hours and that has kept other soreness in check. Maureya  slept well at home last night between her feedings  at 11, 2, and 5:30, and I slept in after that until 8 or so. I got an hour nap this afternoon and will go to bed soon, but it's nowhere near the exhaustion I felt from last time. It will be interesting to see how things continue to play out, but this birth experience was just overall so much better than last time.

I'm so thankful to my husband for being so supportive. He was just perfect, giving me everything I needed to make it through. The yoga really helped too. And of course, I know I had people praying for me throughout pregnancy and I had also prayed that God would give me the strength to make it through. He is good.

2nd Baby, 3rd Trimester Update

Oh, geez. I'm already 33 weeks. Time is definitely getting away from me, and I don't think it's just because I have a toddler too. It's just keeps ticking away... Still, I wanted to take the time to write some updates on the pregnancy for the sake of remembering it.

As far as pregnancy symptoms go, I know I am lucky. (But I still don't like being pregnant, sorry). I am tired and never really sleep through the night without getting up to use the restroom or just toss and turn. Which, by the way, turning over is getting to be quite the ordeal. Justin laughs at me, but it really is so much harder the bigger my belly gets! I don't have heartburn, or back pain, or things like that. I have been experiencing a decent amount of Braxton-Hicks contractions, without much rhyme or reason to them, which I read is pretty normal to have this early on in the second pregnancy. They been going on since early December.  (With Ansel, I had them every 5-10 minutes the last two weeks of pregnancy. Talk about annoying and uncomfortable.) I've gained about 22 pounds already, which is less that my first pregnancy, but I'm just not a hungry. I'm hoping this helps in the long run.

One of my concerns is that baby girl will be aligned correctly, since Ansel was a little off and I believe it caused a longer labor, pushing, and his eventual torticollis and plagiocephaly. Because of this, I've invested significant time and money in yoga. I go once a week with a few friends, and then do some pregnancy yoga videos at home at least one more time a week. I also have visited the chiropractor twice. On the first visit, she confirmed that my hips were a little off-perhaps one leg is longer/shorter- and that the baby was also slightly to the right side. This was just like with Ansel. When I lay on my back I can seriously tell that my belly is lopsided. The good news is that on the second chiropractor visit, she said the baby was more in line like she should be. So, I will just continue with yoga and have at least one more chiropractor visit before birth. Then I'm just trusting that God sustains me through whatever the final position is.

We are going to Family Beginnings at Miami Valley again since our experience with the nursing staff and my midwife was so good last time. Any interventions really make me anxious, and therefore a natural delivery is the route that is best for me. One thing that I'm still fretting about is that I tested positive for GBS in a urine sample at the beginning of the pregnancy. GBS is a bacteria that can come and go, but if it present at all during the pregnancy they want to pump you (and therefore the baby) with antibiotics during labor. I'd really rather avoid an IV altogether, besides the fact that the chance of passing to the baby is very small- about 2%. I'm not really sure I like the baby being given all those antibiotics right away anyway, unless it really is needed. If I decline this, they will want to keep us at the hospital at least two nights to monitor. While this is how long we stayed last time, I'd much rather come sooner if I feel up to it, especially since we don't have to wait around for the Doc to do a circumcision. Less time at the hospital sounds very good to me! I am having a GBS swab test done in a few weeks, and if I test negative then, I feel like I have a good basis for declining the antibiotics. I've being taking garlic and probiotics as my midwife suggested to help in this.

Everyone is different, but we don't announce when we are going to the hospital. Shoot, last time it was in the middle of the night anyways, and I still have 18 hours of labor to go. I don't want people waiting around because that just stresses me and I have enough to deal with. Some people like the endless birth party, but in all honesty, I just want to be alone. Let me labor alone (besides my hubby), and once the baby comes I don't want a bunch of visitors. Heck, even when I get home I don't want visitors. Birth is tiring and all I want to do is rest and enjoy the new addition without added stress of company. I know, everyone is different, but that's just how I personally feel about it. So, a few more weeks, but the end is in sight. I can't wait to meet baby girl!!

2016 Goals

It's that time of year again! Time to set some goals. I'm first going to revisit my goals from last year:

1. Read a book every day to my baby Ansel.
2. Love my husband and show him in every way I can.
3. Lose 10 pounds. 
4. Pay off my car and Justin's school loan (about $8,500 all together).
5. Go somewhere beachy for our 6th wedding anniversary and wear a bikini again.
6. Finish revisions and send my memoir to a publisher until it gets accepted.
7. Make it a year breastfeeding.
8. Run a 10 K.
9. Start my Doctor of Education.
10. Add at least $10,000 to our savings.
11. Start investing.

I'm happy to say that while we didn't go somewhere beachy (#5) for our vacation this year, we did have a hot tub at the cabin and I broke out my bikini for that. I also have my last proofreader going through my memoir (#6) and plan to send it as soon as she gets back with me. Even though I don't quite remember how much we started with in our savings (#10), we have added quite a bit and will keep going with that. 

We've done everything else on the list!! Yay! Many of those will repeat this year. It's really rewarding to see Ansel play with his books. I read with him everyday, and not just at bedtime. At times it will be quiet and I'll think, what's he getting into? and he will just be sitting at one of his bookshelves surrounded by books, flipping through the pages. I just love it! 

Financially, we've come a long way. Justin was finishing school so we basically had no income from him and couldn't save much. Still, we were able to pay off all debts (my car and his school loan) by the fall once he started his PTA job. We also started investing- an ESA for Ansel, and IRA for Justin, and a joint mutual account for both of us. It felt really good to get that going for Justin (I already have my teacher retirement). Going into this year, we are looking to maximize our income since we are both working. We really want to build within the next five years, and that is going to take a major amount of discipline. My continued employment is almost solely for this purpose. We REALLY want to build in the country! 

So what's new for this year? We have baby #2 coming, so that will add a whole new dynamic. I also want to continue with more schooling while I have some tuition reimbursement from my employer. I hope to continue strengthening our marriage- I am so blessed by my man but know we can also grow closer to each other and God. So here's the 2016 goals: 

1. Stay healthy to have an uneventful labor and delivery of baby #2. 
2. Run a 5k or 10K in late summer/fall. 
3. Get my memoir published. 
4. Continue saving to buy a new AC, privacy fence, and possibly family car (if Justin's breaks) with cash. 
5. Teach a Financial Peace class at church. 
6. Save money toward buying a plot of land.
7. Continue taking classes toward my Dr. of Ed (or Ed. S.). 
8. Work full time at least through my 10th year of teaching (2016-2017) so I can transfer my California retirement. 
9. Show love to my husband in his love language. 
10. Love on my babies, giving them focused individual attention and care each day. 
11. Read my Bible through for the 9th time.
12. Keep a prayer journal a few times a week. 

There you have it! It will be interesting to reflect on this in a year! 

Survey says.... (Baby girl name edition)

Well, I know everyone is dying to know what name we have chosen, but you won't get that from this post. Sorry. That's one little tidbit we like to keep to ourselves, plus, I'm not 100% sure yet either. I think I will have to hold her first to know that it fits. With that said, the survey was very interesting and quite amusing to read some of the responses. It's so fascinating how we each have personal baggage with certain names, whether that's love or hate. I definitely have this with former students' names, or historical figures or celebrity figures.

Let me break down some of the highlights for you.

What's the first thing you think of when you hear the name.... 
Amelia- Earhart, airplane flyer lady, goes nicely with Ansel, Bedelia, sophisticted, Grey's anatomy, no, flower, adventurous
Denna- Jersey shore, my friend, Jenna, not sure, smart, dinner, weird, Dennis, denim jeans, Denny's restaurant, and old person
Elionwy (ay-lon-wee)- an elf, Welsh fairy, can't know for sure how to pronounce, unique, why would anyone name a kid that?, Ellen-we?, exotic, oh heck no, can you pronounce that again?, Africa
Estella- princess, witch, Marlin Brando, fat lady, rich, stately, classic, clothing, Mexican, stars, old
Freya (fray-uh)- another elf, yogurt, fry a hamburger, muppet, foreign, bewitching, a hobbit movie, Fritos, interesting, sounds like a foreign food, frayed material, lingerie, African, no
Mabel- makeup, cutesy tooties, fabel, solid, older, grandma, old woman, elderly, a housekeeper, granny, sweet, my alter ego in a skit, old lady
Marlowe- business, Psych, Raymond Chandler's novel, energetic, determined, gangsters, old man, Trump, cute, different, drunk, Barlow girls, Merlot, a boy's name
Maureya (muh-ray-uh)- Povich, maria spelled wrong, how do you pronounce this?, Indian princess, delicate, why?, new spelling?, never heard of it, unfamiliar, Go Murrary!, Maureen Ohara, one of my students, who was adorable
Mia- Fast and Furious, a dog, cats, Princess Diaries, nice, happiness, Sophia, Anne Hathaway, mamma mia, Farrow,
Sadie- Duck Dynasty, another dog, Hawkins, aunt, happy, homely, peppy, cute, dog, blonde ponytail, Love!, my dog, my cat, like
Waverly- Old Disney show, a town in MI that is ghetto, Ohio, fabric, snooty, precious, TB hospital in Kentucky, curtains, bedspreads, seductive, Wizards of Waverly Place, like the crackers

Over 90% of you didn't know anyone personally with these names:
Elionwy, Freya, Marlowe, Maureya, or Waverly

Over 75% of you knew someone personally with the name of Mia.

Around 50% of you knew someone personally with these names:
Amelia, Mabel, and Sadie 

Over 75% of you knew someone from pop culture with these names:
Amelia, Mia, and Sadie

The names that gave a creative, artsy vibe were: 
Waverly (50%), Maureya and Elionwy (38%) and Freya, Marlowe and Amelia (around 30%)

The names with a girly, princess feel were Amelia and Mia.

The trendiest names were Mia and Sadie.

The classic and timeless names were Amelia and Estella.

In rank order, with your favorite choices listed first: 
Amelia- 24%
Waverly-18%
Mia- 15%

Below 10% of you favored....
Denna 
Sadie
Elionwy 
Estella
Marlowe
Freya
Maureya 
Mabel

So there you have it! Now you have to wait another few months to hear the name announced when she's born. :) Thanks for participating; I enjoyed reading your responses!!

Christmas Crafts for a 1 1/2 Year Old

Ok, I admit it. I'm a craft addict. Besides my scrap booking supplies, I have acrylic paints, canvas paper, puffy paints, felt, foam, glue, buttons, ribbons,  and lots of other odds and ends. The real question is, how can I get my 18 month old involved in a Christmas craft to send to the grandparents, and to decorate my own home? It is a bit of a challenge at this age! And let's be honest, I'm the one doing most of the crafting, he's just lending me a hand print. It's still fun though, and still a memory to treasure as he grows. I found a few websites with ideas (here and here), and used what I already had in my supply stash. We made snowflakes, reindeer, and Christmas tree art, which could be framed or used as a card. We also made a Christmas tree ornament. As a bonus, I made a Christmas tree card from the leftover scraps of felt.

1) Snowflake art
On 5x7 card stock or canvas paper, use the end of a pencil or round sponge to create a snowflake. I made a large"t" with a small "x" in the middle. Make a rough frame around the end of the piece with the end of the pencil. Use glitter glue to add dimension. With an older child, you could make dots with pencil for them to follow to have more independence. With my 18 month old, I had to do hand-over-hand to help him create the snowflake.

You can tell which one Ansel did.... :)

2) Reindeer hand print art
Set up plate with brown paint. Carefully dip child's hand in the paint, covering their palm and fingers. On a 5x7 card stock or canvas paper in landscape orientation, carefully spread child's hand on one side of the paper. Flip the paper around 180 degrees, and spread child's hand touching the other print. Clean up quickly (my son might have tried to lick the paint!) Add googly eyes and a button nose to create a face. Cut a 4 inch piece of ribbon and tie at one end. Glue across the reindeer's neck. You can add some detail for the antler with a small paintbrush.

3) Christmas tree hand print art
Set up plate with green paint. Carefully dip child's hand in the paint, covering their palm and fingers. On a 5x7 card stock or canvas paper in portrait orientation, carefully spread child's hand in center of paper. Clean up quickly. Add a sticker star at the top, and brown paint for the trunk at the bottom. I also added yellow dots with the end of a pencil across the top and bottom of the print.

4) Felt Christmas tree ornament
Cut an 8x11 piece of felt into four pieces. Take one piece and fold it in half. Cut triangles out of the sides to create the tree, and a rectangle out of the bottom to create the trunk. Or, trace the outline and cut it that way. Using puffy paint, help child draw garland on the tree. Let dry. Cut a small slit and thread ribbon through to hang the ornament. Add buttons with glue.

Bonus: Felt Christmas tree card
I had a ton of small triangles left from the ornament, so I glued them to make a card and added buttons for a trunk and star.

2nd baby, 2nd trimester update!

Time is certainly getting away from me. I'm already 22 weeks and definitely on the countdown. As I'm sure I've said before, pregnancy is not my favorite season. It is definitely worth it though, and I'm thankful to God for His blessings. We are expecting a girl this time, and I'm so excited! I'm definitely one to plan, and too often I make my own plans without seeking God's guidance. Our first, Ansel, was a boy, and I REALLY wanted a boy first. Then when we made the decision to go for #2, I REALLY wanted a girl. I'm so ready for frills, bows, lace, and lots of pink! Of course I have no control over the gender, so I was just delighted when we found out at the ultrasound a few weeks ago.

Let me be honest for a minute. I used to think I wanted four kids. Well, I still do. But, after my first birth, I just don't honestly think I could do it four times. They say you forget it, the pain. Let me tell you, I don't forget it. We almost didn't try for another just because of the first birth. But I keep telling myself the second had to be better...  Anyway, we have had so many people in our lives adopt children. An aunt and uncle, good friends from our time in Cali, and others. I see students at school who are products of the foster care system and need love. Adopting has always been in the back of  my mind. Going into this pregnancy, I was sorta bargaining with God. "Lord, if you give me a girl, I'll feel like I can stop having kids biologically and start adopting..." Yet, I came to the place where I finally said, "Ok, God, two is it for us. We'll look into adoption no matter the gender." Then to find out it was a girl- well, it was confirmation somehow. Maybe that sounds crazy and weird. Whatever the case, I still feel so blessed that God would give me a little girl this pregnancy. We probably won't adopt for another 4-5 years, since many times they recommend that your biological children be older than the adopted children, but it's so exciting to think about and prepare for.

We waited longer to tell everyone this time- I was already in second trimester. Everyone has their reasons on when to tell, and waiting was what we wanted to do. One reason was just that as a teacher, I wanted to get through first quarter without being the "crazy pregnant teacher." It was important to me to establish those relationships with students first before throwing something else into the  mix. Students certainly have lots of comments... thankfully, this time around they aren't quite so obnoxious. Pregnancy is just so public for me, and everyone wants to know every detail. And yes, it's exciting, it really is, but nine months worth of bad sleep can wear on me, and I guess I just get grouchy. So, we waited. I'm glad we did. It worked for us.

Pregnancy #2 has been a little different, at least in the first trimester. I definitely had a lot more nausea than I remember with Ansel. Thankfully no actual vomiting, and after I figured out that I just constantly have to eat (every 3 hours or so), it seemed to go away. As I entered second trimester, even if I skipped my evening snack for some reason, it wasn't too bad. Another thing that was similar was headaches in late first trimester/early second trimester, but they weren't as bad as with Ansel.

Other things are just like last time. I don't sleep well, partially because I have to get up to use the restroom, and partly because I just seem to toss and turn more. I bought one of those ginormous $50 pregnancy pillows, and it helped for a few weeks, then I ditched it. Maybe it will be of use in third trimester. I have kept up running, even about 2 miles at 20 weeks, with short walk breaks. I think I even felt better than last time, but it could be partly due to being earlier in the season. That is, it is warmer outside so it prolongs the running season. Last time I had to go to a gym to run by 15 weeks and that was a total drag to be indoors. However, I've definitely been slowing down in the last two weeks and am just hoping to make it to Thanksgiving time before I switch over to walking and strength training. As far as weight gain goes, I have gained 10-12 pounds (it fluctuates), but almost all of that is since second trimester started. I feel like it might be a little faster than last time, but I also popped out sooner, so my guess is that they are connected. I know I'm not quite as diligent and strict as I was with the first pregnancy, but my blood counts are almost identical, so maybe I'm just being hard on myself. :) That's my justification anyway. I would really like to stay closer to 25 pounds instead of 35 this time around. We'll see.

I'm trying to be really proactive about labor this time. I mean, I certainly was last time too. We did Bradley Method classes, stretching, exercise, all that. But Ansel was turned and I really think that's the reason I had back labor and 2 1/2 hours of pushing. So I asked the midwife what I could do. She recommended a chiropractor and also prenatal  yoga, so I am going to explore those options. I'm really watching my posture too, to try to give the baby all the advantages to being in the right position once labor comes. I just keep praying that God gives me peace through it because to be honest, it very nerve-wracking to me.

Well, I'm just a month from third trimester already. In some ways this pregnancy is going really fast. The next two months of holidays will fly by I'm sure, and then just two more months till March comes. I'm definitely going to be happy to meet her!

Garden 2015: First Picks!

I officially picked the first produce from my garden this week: zucchini and yellow squash. I have four plants each and they are doing great. I have blooms on my peas and green beans, and I think they will be ripe next. My tomatoes, peppers, and melon still have a way to go, but that's just fine. I can't can them all at once anyways. I'm still having trouble with worms on my broccoli plants, even though I have used diatomaceous earth quite a bit on them. The leaves just look like skeletons! 

Since it's been raining so much, I put straw down under some of the plants. I hope this helps, especially with the zucchini and squash. It's the first time I have used it, although my dad uses it every year on his garden, especially for the strawberries. I'm also afraid that my cucumber volunteers, which I transplanted, aren't going to produce. They were doing well at first but are now looking sorry, perhaps due to the rain as well. 

My tomato plants were very leafy, so I took my dad's advice to trim down some of the suckers. I'm hoping I didn't trim too much. It seems like an easy task, but I kept worrying I didn't get the right shoots. I figured that it couldn't hurt to try, since the past few years I didn't get much doing what I've been doing. While I try to read and research, sometimes I feel like the garden is such a trial and error thing.... some years are great for certain plants, but not others. I supposed I just have to figure out the climate, plus how the sun hits my garden and things like that. I really doing enjoy it! Well, everything but the weeds! 

Garden 2015

I have a good feeling about our garden this year. 

First of all, Justin, with the help of my dad (nailing boards) and our neighbor (designing the gate), put up and awesome fence with chicken wire backing. The posts are also cemented in the ground and it has a 8 inch barrier below the fence line to hinder those under-the-fence diggers. I'm hopeful that this will really help with our wildlife problem that we've faced the last few years. I also made some cute hanging baskets with marigolds and ivy just for fun. 

Second, I put the seeds (or plants in some cases) in about three weeks ago. We've had both sun and rain, and most seem to be doing well. For plants, I put in two peppers, four broccoli, four yellow squash, four zucchini, peas, spinach, parsley, green beans, tomatoes, honeydew and musk mellon. My first round of spinach didn't come up so I replanted this week to see if it would take, though I researched a bit and am worried I might be a little too late for the season. My melons didn't seem to take either, so I replanted those too. I did, however, has quite a few cucumber volunteers in random places, so I transplanted them and they seem to be doing fine. I am hoping to have peas in a few weeks. Green beans will probably be next, although I always seem to have trouble with bugs at the beginning, even though I used diatomaceous earth on them. Humph! Hopefully they will be alright though. 

Now it's just a waiting game and trying to keep up with the weeds, which I seem to have such trouble with! Gee thanks, Adam, for making us all struggle with the earth... 

Here's some pics of everything: 

  Left two rows: peas                                   Right two rows: broccoli, squash, zucchini  

 Left row: tomatoes                            Right two rows: green beans

1st Avenger Birthday Party

For Ansel's 1st birthday, we went with a 1st Avenger Party theme. It just seemed to fit since he was stuck in his helmet for half of his first year anyways! :) I had fun with a lot of the details, from the invites to the scrapbook table to the cupcakes. It was awesome to have lots of family come too!

1st Avenger Invites                                       Scrapbook Table  

 Drink Table

Food Area

Treat Table

 Photo Booth

Easy, No Bake, Fiber-and-Protein Filled Granola Bars!

Summer's here and that means more time to experiment in the kitchen for this teacher! So I tried these granola bars, and they aren't for the faint of heart. Chewy, nutty, sweet-n-salty goodness explode from this yummy bar. While they aren't low on calories or sugar, they do have a lot of other good stuff in them- oatmeal, flax seed, chia seeds, nuts, and sunflower seeds. You could certainly add more chia seeds or flax seed if you wanted to. I haven't tried substituting corn syrup for honey, but I'm sure you could do that as well. The best I could determine, one bar (recipe makes six) is about 360 calories with 4.5 grams of fiber and 7.5 grams of protein. You could of course cut into smaller pieces for smaller snacks.

Kate's Granola Bars

1. Line 4x8 loaf pan with aluminum foil for easy cleaning and cutting. Set aside.

2. In large bowl, mix to following and set aside:
1 1/2 c. oatmeal
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. crushed nuts (peanuts, mixed, whatever you like)
1 T. chia seeds
2 T. flax seed

3. In large saucepan, bring to boil and boil for 30 seconds:
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. Karo corn syrup

4. Remove from burner and mix in peanut butter, working quickly:
1/3 c. peanut butter

5. Working quickly, add oatmeal mixture and stir until completely covered. Pour out into loaf pan and let cool. Cut into six pieces (for calorie count above). Store in airtight container.

If desired, drizzle with white chocolate melting candy.

I "Found" Poems!

Found poems are a really stellar form of writing. You can make them using text from just about anything. While I personally like using cut-out words from magazines, you can also use the page from an old novel, or just about anything in print. I like using words I find in magazines because I can cut out lots of options (nouns, verbs, prepositions), and then put them together into the phrases that I like. Using a page from a novel is more challenging, in my opinion, because the author of the poem should go in order of the text on the page, choosing just the words they want to write the new poem. While there are some general guidelines for the various versions of found poetry (see here and here), there is a ton of freedom to create. I had my students write found poems in class this semester, and I was so inspired that I wrote a couple of my own. One for a dear friend having a baby, one for my husband for Valentine's Day, and one for a single mom. I really like how they all turned out. Go try one yourself!!

Hara Arena Skybox Party Suite Review

For my husband's birthday, I rented the Skybox Party Suite at Hara Arena for a game. The website promised "the ultimate party or business entertainment experience in Dayton," so I was excited to surprise my husband. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

While I was happy with the communication while I was arranging the night, both via email and on the phone. It was explained to me that the party suite was private and we would have our own area. I asked for some simple decorations, balloons and a sign, along with pizza, sodas, and chips and dip. They didn't mind that I wanted to bring our own cupcakes to celebrate. I paid over the phone and was told that someone would be there to meet us.

However, when I arrived, I knew things weren't going to quite be what I expected. At the ticket window, the attendant found our tickets and told us to "walk through that way" to find the person who would take us to the Skybox. After proceeding through the gate, many vendors where around and, confused, I had to find someone to show us where to go. He led us around the arena to find the man I coordinated with, who took us up to the Skybox. We passed the "lounge area" that is advertised and it is in much need of repair. Overall it just looked run down- old carpet, needed paint- and there were actually issues with a leak and I could hear water dripping. We of course didn't have a large group so we went past that area and up a spiral staircase to the Skybox. I was surprised to find that this area was only about six feed wide and ran the length of the stadium. About a third of one end of this area was the "party suite." You can see the picture below. Nowhere near a suite in my mind!! We had to cross over people from the press reporting on the game to get to our area and it was definitely not sectioned off.  Looking up, you could see moldy ceiling tiles. Yikes.

Besides the appearance of the area, items that were specified in the email were not followed. I asked for balloons and a happy birthday sign. Simple, right? I guess not. I got a happy birthday tablecloth, cheap plastic centerpiece, plate and napkins, and sign taped to the overhead area. While it was better than nothing, I was disappointed. The pizza we ordered from the arena was tasty, but the chips and dip were in questionable plastic containers. Maybe I'm being picky, but they just didn't look nice.... for example, goopy reside remained on the outside of a bowl where it looked like a tag had been torn off. Not so appetizing.... Also, I specified root beer for the sodas and we got Pepsi and lemonade. I know that this seem small, but when they add up together it wasn't the special birthday that I was hoping for. At least I was only charged $50 since it was just the two of us, instead of the $100 the website listed. (To clarify, the pizza, chips and dip, sodas, decorations, and higher price tickets were in addition to that price.)

The game itself was entertaining to watch and I enjoyed that part of the evening. The view was nice from the highest point in the stadium. Next time though, I would save my money and sit in the regular seats! Now I know why there were no pictures posted on the website. The Hara Arena Skybox Party Suite definitely fell short of  my expectations. I wouldn't pay for it again.

8 Months Old!

Wow, I can't believe that Ansel is 8 months old tomorrow. It goes so fast, but I love seeing him grow up. It is absolutely fascinating to watch his little self get bigger, reach higher, smile broader, snuggle deeper. What a blessing!

After our meeting with the neuro-specialist, we mutually agreed that his torticollis was much improved and we did not need physical therapy any more. Of course we will still do therapy stretches and exercises at home, but will not be going to the doctor for therapy. (This will save a pretty penny at $100 a pop!) He's doing great developmentally, rolling, reaching, sitting up (when placed in a sitting position), picking up small objects, looking towards sounds, smiling, giggling, and saying "mama" and "dada" at random. It's so funny because he won't stay on his tummy for long before he is rolling across the room. He has also shown signs of wanting to push up to his knees in a crawling position, so I think that will be starting in the next month or so!!

Ansel is still breastfeeding four times a day, but eats solids at lunch and dinner. Lunch is usually rice or oatmeal with a fruit or veggie. Dinner is a kid-friendly version of what we are having. You should have seen him scarfing down pasta and sauce last night. He sure loves his food!

I continued to push his bedtime back little by little, and now he sleeps 11 1/2 to 12 hours. He's in bed at 7:30 PM and sleeps until 7:30 PM on weekends. During the week we usually have to load up to go to the sitters a little after 7:00. Still, what a great chunk of time! His morning nap is about an hour and afternoon naps are around 2 hours.

Since Justin has a Captain America frisbee/shield, I had to do some cute pictures. Here they are!

2015 Goals

I wouldn't say these are resolutions.... more like goals I'm aiming for. I figured that it would be good to document them. I'm not sure that the order is in any significance. Hopefully I can come back and update as the year progresses.

1. Read a book every day to my baby Ansel.
2. Love my husband and show him in every way I can.
3. Lose 10 pounds. 
4. Pay off my car and Justin's school loan (about $8,500 all together).
5. Go somewhere beachy for our 6th wedding anniversary and wear a bikini again.
6. Finish revisions and send my memoir to a publisher until it gets accepted.
7. Make it a year breastfeeding.
8. Run a 10 K.
9. Start my Doctor of Education.
10. Add at least $10,000 to our savings.
11. Start investing.  

Week 6 in the Cranial Remolding Helmet for Plagiocephaly

 Ansel has already worn the cranial remolding helmet for his plagiocephaly for six weeks! We are already seeing drastic improvements. In fact, if it did not improve any more, I think I could be content with it. (Except for his ear placement- more on that later) The back left of his head doesn't feel or look so flat anymore. Looking from above, we already see the parallelogram shape coming back into a circle. Guess it was worth the money!! :)

On Monday this week, Ansel was a little fussy in the morning. Usually we leave the helmet on all day until we clean it in the evening, but I decided to take it off anyway. To my chagrin, he had a "hotspot" as they call it. The skin looked like a bright red side burn and close to blistering. See below.  I decided I wasn't putting it back on until we figured it out. I gave it that day to air out, but when it was still red on Tuesday morning (even though the helmet had been off a whole day) I called the Hangar Clinic and they got him in right away. They shaved out some more of the foam on the left, and we put it back on. By the afternoon the skin just looked dry and a little flaky from whatever reaction it had. They also suggested using cornstarch if it seemed to be rubbing again.

I keep trying to figure out what caused the hot spot. Did he sleep on it and the extra sweat/no air irritate it? Did we not get that part clean enough in the daily wash? Was it too small because of a growth spurt? We still aren't sure, but I'm glad he's not having any more issues with the hot spot.

However, his head does seem dry, somewhat like the cradle cap that he had around a month old. We tried putting Aveeno baby lotion on his head as recommended by the specialist, but his hair is so long it just seemed like a goopy mess. It's kinda hard to rub lotion through hair, ya know? Then we tried to let it "dry out" before the helmet went on, but his hair still had the lotion in it. I don't know, I'm still not sure it was effective anyway. I just feel bad when he reaches up like he wants to scratch his head...poor baby. Tonight I just scrubbed it really good in the bath and I hope that helps. Perhaps it's just the dry winter weather.

His ears worry me too. They are still not aligned. I hope as his head keeps shifting they will move more into place. At least they are even horizontally if you are looking at him from the front. It's really just when you look at him from above that you notice one ear is closer to his eye than another.

Hopefully we only have to wear the helmet another two months or so, at least during the day when we go out. Overall people just ignore it, and those who do say something aren't rude. It's funny, actually, because they either think I'm trying to dress him up like a football player, or they recognize the Captain America logo. But they aren't rude so it doesn't bother me too much. I'm definitely looking forward to when he doesn't have to wear it though!! The whole ordeal is really an issue of me trusting God. And also realizing that maybe I put too much stock in a "normal" appearance... As the Bible says, "Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart."

My baby has plagiocephaly

After expressing concerns to our pediatrician about Ansel's flat spot, she referred us to a specialist at Dayton Children's Hospital. The nurse practitioner diagnosed Ansel with plagiocephaly, mild torticollis, and mild truncal hypotonia. So much for all those chiropractor visits, tummy time, and stretching at home. His poor little head is still having some issues.

I was very emotional about all this after the appointment, and I still am. As a parent, I try to do everything that I possibly can to make sure Ansel grows up healthy. For these issues to be appearing is disheartening, especially when I love him so much. But I have to keep a level head and take steps to improve the situation. So here's the breakdown of each issue.

The plagiocephaly (flattening of the head as the skull forms) merely cosmetic, and if we didn't do anything, it is very likely to lessen and perhaps even go away. Ansel's flat spot is of the back left of his head, but when you look at his head from above, it actually looks like a parallelogram. In fact, his ears are not quite aligned either. The NP told us that many times it does improve on its own. Between 0-6 months is the fastest growth, then 6-12 slows down some, and after 12 months is the slowest growth period. So the sooner we address it, the better. See pic below:

The torticollis (shortening/tightness of neck muscles (SCM) on one side) is most likely the cause of the plagiocephaly, because Ansel has favored the left side since the first few weeks. We started taking him to the chiropractor around a month for adjustments and learned stretching to do, and definitely saw some improvement in how much he favored the left side. For example, in the first month he would always fall asleep looking to the left, and began to fall asleep looking straight up or to the right. We did tummy time, placed bright toys to the right, and constantly tried to turn his head when he was sleeping. However, at 5 months he still has a mild case of torticollis.

The mild truncal hypotonia (head lag) is perhaps connected with the above concerns. This doesn't worry me as much because it seems like a more normal thing for a baby to develop at a difference pace.

To address these concerns, Ansel will be starting physical therapy this week and is going to be fitted for a cranial remolding helmet. Yikes!! My kid is going to be in a helmet?? Yep, 23 hours a day for 4-6 months or until the flat spot goes away. The helmet works not by putting pressure on the skull, but by keeping pressure off. In a way I feel embarrassed and just silly, but the bottom line is that I want the plagiocephaly corrected as soon as possible. It's expensive though... in the ballpark of $2,500. I'm hoping that insurance will pay, but if not I'm glad that we have this in our HSA (though it will pretty much wipe us out for the year). But it's worth it to me.

What I want is for my baby to grow up healthy and love God. He doesn't have to be the Gerber baby model. That's not the point of the helmet. (In the back of my mind though, I know it would break my heart if I didn't do anything and it ended up not rectifying itself, and then he was bullied because of it.) Don't we all want the best for our kids? I sure do. Walking into Children's last week, I kept having flashbacks of appointments for my little sister Ratona for her seizures, planning brain surgery, and therapy afterwards. That emotional story is a post for another day, but let me just say it was unnerving to be in the same place. I'll be honest and say I prayed many times for a healthy baby that would not have to face all the difficulties that she did. I know, I repeat, I KNOW this is nowhere near the magnitude of that situation, but geez, I am really trying to trust God and also do my part to help Ansel be as healthy as possible. I know every situation is a chance to trust God and bring Him glory, so I'm trying to do that as we start this journey.