Tot School!

Franklin is 21.5 months old.

This week I TRIED to keep him busy. I'm still getting the hang of having a toddler and a newborn. Here are some photos of our week. Stefan's mom was here so that helped a lot.

On the "shelf" toys. (We've allocated 3-5 toys to be "downstairs" toys every week or so. It keeps the living room from being wrecked)

There are actually 10 blocks downstairs...

This started out challenging but now he can put the shapes in with little trouble...sizes are a different story.

Assorted motion things. Airplane with wheels, truck, ball to throw around...

We were blessed with warm weather so we got lots of time outside!

He ran from the fence to the house and back again.

There's construction going on that we could see and hear. He was showing me.

We did a few inside chores (Stefan's mom helped us get up to date on laundry and unpacked a bit. Franklin helped.)

We also pulled out the ice to pour!

And when it was too cold to go outside (mornings were a bit chilly) we tried to get active inside. Mommy invented a game that involves throwing a soft ball at the stairs. That's it...a ball and the stairs. It was a huge hit.

We also tried to throw it at Mommy and the camera...

I visited the Target Dollar Spot yesterday and got some sensory bin stuff. I've been avoiding it because of the potential for a huge mess...but I'm being brave and jumping in.

This next week I plan on having more activities planned.

Boys in Motion Link Up

It's Friday again! I'm sharing my motion shot!

This is why vacuuming is a two person job!

Franklin has taken to CHASING the vacuum around. So yeah, one of us has to vacuum and the other one has to corral the kid.

Linked Up to Boys In Motion Friday!

Face Lift!

The blog FINALLY got a facelift!


Thoughts?

This is why we bought the house...

THERE'S A YARD! No, there's no grass yet (which is fine by Franklin as he loves to grab handfuls of dirt pour them on Mommy)

We spent 30mins outside in the warmer weather and sunshine yesterday. And you know what? He took a nap an hour later.

Sad Note: An ant got into his shirt and stung him repeatedly. He has three stings on his shoulder. Poor kid.

He spent most of the time running from the house to the fence...

...and back again.

He'd pretend to go inside and then rush back out.

No, not inside yet.

Every stumble is a chance to pick up rocks!

Like I've said before: My son is spirited. He has a ton of pent-up energy. Living in the apartment I kept noticing that around noon his behavior would go downhill and stay there until Daddy got home. I was disciplining him constantly and not seeing any improvement. So, instead of upping the discipline (like some parenting books will tell you to do) I reevaluated the situation. What did Daddy have that Mommy didn't? Well, Mommy was big and pregnant with horrible back pain and Daddy was getting down on the floor and wrestling or chasing Frankie through the living room...things Mommy wasn't physically able to do. We (Stefan and I) concluded that it was that pent-up energy that was causing the behavior problems. However, there wasn't much we could do in an apartment with nowhere to play outside! This yard is a huge blessing. We did the best we could with the previous small space, but having a big yard to just PLAY in has been amazing.

So, if you're noticing behavior issues in your toddler (especially your toddler BOY) evaluate how much space he has to play. Are you inside a lot? Maybe there's a lot of pent up energy causing the behavior problems. If you can't get outside try a really physical inside activity. Dance like crazy, run around, exercise, etc... I'm willing to bet if you try a different tactic you'll find more success.


Linking to:

   

Gratituesday

It's Tuesday and I'm linking up to Heavenly Homemakers!

Today I'm grateful for my wonderful births! The first was a hospital birth. Granted, it wasn't perfect but it could have been worse. The second was a great homebirth.

Recently I went to a fun get-together where birth stories were shared. There were many happy stories and a few sad/disappointed ones. (They all ended with healthy babies so they're all success stories in my mind) I found myself silently thanking God that my births were good. I could have ended up with a huge tear or an unwanted c-section or my baby sent to NICU or kept from me for some reason. I didn't. My tear with Franklin needed stitches but wasn't horrible and healed fine and I barely tore with Jonathan. The only time Franklin was kept from me was when they did the "newborn assessment" (I was numb from the waist down and couldn't go) and when they circumcised him. Jonathan was never taken from me. I was able to breastfeed both immediately. We had no trouble bonding in either case. There was no birth trauma.

And I got two wonderful boys out of it!

You can tell they're brothers!

The House That Cleans Itself

I bought the book The House That Cleans Itself on Amazon (used for super cheap!) and devoured it in a couple of days!

I really think this can work for my home. I'm going to take you on this journey with me!

I'll chronicle my journey through the book on this blog. I'll TRY to get photos in as I go (a lot of it is journal work and I dont' have a scanner at the moment)

If you want to give it a try the book is fairly cheap on Amazon.

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Boys in Motion Friday!

Ignore the mess in the background...we're unpacking

It's Boys in Motion Link Up Day! The day when you take your favorite photo of the week of your boy in motion (is there any other kind of photo?) and share it!

Not much to explain with my photo. He's been sticking out his tongue a lot lately and I finally got a shot of it.

Home vs Hospital Birth

The outside of my home

I've had births in both settings: hospital and home. Granted, I had a great doctor with my first birth so it wasn't traumatic or anything. (I've heard some horror stories from the hospital) Basically, I wanted to make a list of comparisons between the "typical" hospital birth and MY home birth.

Home: My midwife assumed that I am a woman capable of learning, making informed decisions, and taking charge of my health.
Hospital: Most doctors don't think this way. I've dealt with a couple that treated me like I have no knowledge and can't make decisions.

Home: Took my time in labor.
Hospital: Contractions 3-4mins apart usually means you're dilating 1cm per hour...I wasn't. A lot of doctors will deem you "failure to progress" and give you pitocin OR a c-section.

Home: Labor stalled so we tried new tactics to get it going again.
Hospital: Labor stalling is not allowed and will deem you "failure to progress" again.

Home: I could eat and drink as needed.
Hospital: No food, IV for fluids, ice chips as needed.

Home: Monitor every so often in active labor. I could be in any position I wanted.
Hospital: Constant monitoring kept me flat on my back...the worse position for labor and delivery.

Home: Stefan got to catch his son!
Hospital: Doctor catches because no one else is qualified.

Home: Baby had gunk in his throat and funky breathing...but this was easy to fix by the midwives.
Hospital: Baby probably would have been rushed to NICU.

Home: Kept my placenta.
Hospital: Court order is required

Home: No push for vaccinations, circumcision, eye antibiotics, etc...
Hospital: Lots of paperwork and possible argument or threats.

Home: Slept in my own bed that night!
Hospital: The hospital I birthed in required THE BABY stay for 24 hours (mom could leave). Some require 48 or more. If you try to leave Against Medical Advisement some places will call CPS.

Home: As many/few people present as I chose.
Hospital: 2 or fewer visitors (that are 18 or older) and a ton of hospital workers.


For me, there is no question that I'll be doing this again!

East to West?

 I was thinking about this Scripture recently. My thoughts went to the more technical aspect of it...mainly the question of why "east from west?" Why did the writer choose those words specifically?

 I wasn't sure so I turned to the person I usually turn to for this kind of question: My husband. He's one of the most brilliant people I know and he usually knows the answer to these things. This time was no different!

 He pointed out that when you're walking North eventually you'll hit a pole and start going South. However, if you start walking East you'll always be walking East unless you turn around and start walking West. So, the choice of "east from west" is because they will never meet. There is no "West Pole" or anything. There is no place in the world where they come together. 

 I like to use little analogies to simplify thoughts. Think about it like this: Think about your sins like a bad TV program. (Bad in the sense of horrible ratings) God canceled it and there are no reruns. As far as He's concerned the show is over forever. However, you have it recorded. Satan comes along and constantly reminds you of the recording and hits play when you least expect it. YOU have the choice to delete it and forget it exists (like God already did). Only you can delete it because you hold the password. So why don't you? 

 I know I'm horrible about this one! Not only do I allow Satan to come in and push Play, but I grab a bag of popcorn and settle in to watch! I beat myself up about things that have been forgiven (by all parties involved) constantly. So, this Scripture hits home for me and the Challenge I offer is for me as well.

Challenge: Make a conscious effort to tell Satan to BACK OFF the next time he tries to remind you of a sin God forgave.