Kiddo Update #2

I finally upgraded to the iphone 4 this month. In doing a final transfer of all the pictures on my old phone to the computer, I found a few worth sharing. Here they are, along with the ubiquitous kid update.

The Squirt

He was wearing a Spiderman t-shirt in 98% of the pictures from this month. Thanks again to cousin Grayson for giving him plenty of options when it comes to superhero wear. 

Question of the week: "Mom, where does the poop go when you flush it down the toilet?" Great question buddy. Ask your dad. 

Special Skills: Wall crawling, web slinging, songwriting

Likes: Pancakes, Spiderman, tattling, playing guitar

Dislikes: short socks, ripped jeans, bedtime

Sweet B

We're potty training this sweet girl (s l o w l y) which means lots of quality time spent in the confined quarters of the hall bathroom. 

Quote of the week: "Mommy my tee tee no gooooooing!" Usually said in a distressed voice .2 seconds after sitting down. I've heard Squirt encourage her more than once, "sweetie you have to be patient." I die. We spend a lot of time in the bathroom these days, can you tell?

Special skills: Silent exit of her crib and stealth observation of mommy. I've nearly had a heart attack twice this week during my quiet time. She sneaks down the hallway and stands a few feet off, in the dark recess of the dining room and quietly waits for me to notice her. It's creepy.

Likes: Green smoothies, wrestling with Daddy, bubbles, drama

Dislikes: Hair bows, authority

Blue Eyes

I am just LOVING this little guy.  I love all of my children dearly - but Blue Eyes doesn't whine or hit the other kids yet, so he's a bit easier to love ALL the time. Plus, those EYES! I am taken aback every time I see them. 

Quote of the week: "Ma ma." Definitely said while looking in my direction. I'll take it.

Special Skills: Cruising around the coffee table.

Likes: Food, especially banana and almond butter sandwiches. Bath time, balls and tickling.

Dislikes: Bottles - I think we'll be giving up formula for good before his first birthday. Yeah for a mini-raise!

Reader All-Skate: Why are You Here?

Our house is in a constant state of evolution. Is that normal? We've come to a place where I'm finally really happy with the living room, moderately pleased with the dining room and happy happy happy with the kitchen.

Which must be why I suddenly have the itch to re-do Sweet B's room. It could also have to do with the fact that she's taught herself how to catapult out of her crib. Her sweet face now greets me in the kitchen promptly at 7 each morning alongside the Squirt. Time for a big girl bed? A big girl bed is an obvious excuse to get in there and re-paint the blue walls that I now dislike so intensely. Any excuse to start a new Pinterest board right? 

All this brings me to the reason for my post today. I'm curious why you wonderful people read this blog each week. Do you care what we do with Sweet B's room? Would you rather read more stories about my potty-training exploits? Do you like it when I get all serious?

In the interest of pleasing you, the customer, I've created a little survey. Look at the top left of the blog...under the header and HOME link...see it? Why Do You Read? Would you just check all the answers that apply real quick? Or heck, get crazy and leave a comment letting me know what you like to read about.

A blogger asking for comments is like the nerdy guy asking the homecoming queen to prom - I'm putting it out there and bracing for total rejection, so keep that in mind and don't let me fall on my face here. Commenting is almost totally painless.

If you read this in your email feed, send me a short email or click HERE to be directed to the actual blog site and then take the survey.

Thanks friends! 

What's For Dinner?

"Meal planning" has become something of a buzz word in mommy circles. And understandably so - it's a necessary survival skill for a mom with three little kids. Mutiny is a real possibility if I have no idea what's for dinner by 4 o'clock. I tried e-mealz for about 6 months and liked it, but ended up canceling my subscription because I got tired of being told what to cook. I liked having all the week's recipes in one place and with an accompanying grocery list, but I actually like to cook and wanted to cook more of my family's favorite meals. 

After Blue Eyes was born, life slowly settled into a routine and now (that he's almost 1yr old) I've finally found something that works for us. It revolves around this list:

Our family's favorite meals. I don't know about you, but my mind goes completely blank when I sit down to make a grocery list or walk through the aisles of the store. Having this list reminds me where to start and prompts me to think of other things when I'm at a complete loss. I usually cook 4 nights a week; we always eat leftovers or frozen pizza on Wednesdays and Sundays when we have small group or church and the kids have a sitter. That leaves one night a week for going out or having friends over...something outside the norm. So this list gets me about 6 weeks with no repeats. 

How do you figure out what's for dinner? Do you find it necessary to meal plan and if so, what does your system look like? 

Small House Love

The baby naps in our closet. There's no formal living room. Our guests use the same bathroom that our little boy uses, which means...well you know what that means if you've ever seen a 3 year old pee all by his self. We live in a small house. There are five of us and a dog.

And we love it.

The neighbors thought we'd erect the For Sale sign shortly after we brought Sweet B home. When I started my pregnant plodding around the block a mere 7 months later, everyone asked - no really WHEN are you planning to move?

Yet here we are, crashing into each other in this house where everyone squishes and everyone shares. There's only one couch and one TV and one toilet that a toddler hasn't peed all over. 

In 2009, the average American home was 2,700 square feet. Ours is about a thousand square feet smaller than that. The size of the average American family is 2.6 people; so we're roughly twice the size in 2/3rds the space.  I know we’re not the only ones living small these days. Maybe you think you’ve outgrown your space. You don’t need a realtor to sell you on the virtues of a bigger place. One with a playroom. A jacuzzi tub. A walk-in closet. A real pantry.

I, however, feel the need to tell you how AWESOME small houses are. Yup, I’m going on the record to say that small houses are freaking awesome.  If we ever sell, the flyer in the front yard will proudly declare:

·     Only two bathrooms to clean!

·     Never haul laundry (or children!) up or down a flight of stairs again

·     Only 10 steps from your car to the kitchen. Unloading groceries is quick and easy!

·      No need for baby gates or baby monitors

·      Fewer rooms to decorate!

·      Each room serves a multitude of purposes

·      Children will share out of necessity – they might start enjoying it. Or at least tolerating it.

·      Low low utility bills!

·      One closet for two kids means less time spent putting clean clothes away.

·      No room for extra stuff means you’ll spend less money on stuff you don’t need anyway!

·      Kids can hear you from any room in the house. If you can't hear them, they're up to no good.

·      Less space inside means you’ll enjoy that beautiful front yard every day!

I’m rooting for the little house. The one that the House Hunters always seem to be leaving. We're not moving til the HOA tells us we've outgrown their household capacity limitations.