1-2-3-4-5

Mambo No. 5!

Remember that song? It was big my freshman year of college. Turns out its words are a little raunchy (never knew until I googled it just now! whoops!) so I'm not going to post the video. But the chorus is at least fun, jivy, and catchy!

Here is my One-through-Five:

1. Tomorrow, J and I are celebrating his Big 3-0 (its a day early)

2. While we are doing #1, C will be staying with my parents for 16 hours without us! Now that is crazy.

3. On Sunday, we are headed to Michigan for a little family time with his mom.

4. We will not be on our computers (also crazy but much needed)

5. See you in a week!

as Bob Dylan says...

this blog, it is a-changin'...

If you read my posts via your Reader, no worries, you probably haven't noticed the crazy changes i've made in my page design. It is still a work in progress so if you feel assaulted by buttons (actual buttons, not bloggy buttons) when you log into my site, do not fear

...this blog, it is a-changin'

Thankful Thursdays

I'm thinking that having a theme for each day of the week will cut down on my random, probably annoying, blog posts about nothing.

I am absolutely positive someone has already done a Thankful Thursday (complete with a Mr. Linky, i'm sure!) but here is my take on it:

One of my good friends from college keeps a journal. In it, he records 7 things he is thankful for EVERY DAY. He has not missed one day since he started college. Now that is impressive! In honor of his daily commitment, I'm going to take each Thursday to list 7 things that I was grateful for in the past week...

1. fresh laundry that I am able to fold. Something i often take for granted--clean clothes and sheets, and towels. While I was dreading folding my laundry today, I realized that I should be thankful that i have laundry to fold
2. a healthy daughter that has not ever had anything worse than a cold.
3. generous people like Penny from Purple Ducks and Stuff--she made me a whole box of diapers that I could exhibit at my Cloth Diaper 411 session. She didn't ask for anything in return!
4. freedom from worry about anything from the economy to death because of God's promises. I need to be thankful for this every minute as I tend to forget it quickly and start trying to do things on my own!
5. funny e-cards that make me laugh (or cringe)
6. Picnik that helps make my photos look so much better! (even though they'll never look as good as my father-in-law's!)
   
7. sleep sacks that keep C from standing up in her crib and enable her to take a real nap for the first time in weeks!

can I add two more?

8. Thursday-night-date-night!
9. Friends who are willing to let C sleep at their house so that #8 can be possible! (and, no, Jim, this isn't a hint about tonight, it is a THANK YOU for all you've done for us!)

If you are interested in doing a Thankful Thursday, let me know and we'll make it a Mr. Linky (+button? maybe?). I think it is so important to be thankful for the little things because we can easily get caught up in what we don't have or what is going wrong when so much is going right. If we can see examples from other bloggers, it will really help put things in perspective!

Word of God Wednesday?

What do you think? Instead of Wordless Wednesday? Just thoughts...

...especially coming after these two most excellent posts that I read today that just happened to be on the same topic: the (im)perfect mama and how to live for a Perfect Savior in an un-perfect world.

Check out:

Whatsoever Things are True

and

The Stanley Clan

for pearly bites of wisdom. I think you'll be encouraged

Another reason for Word of God Wednesday was highlighted in my last post...Bible Study ends in a week :(

I Stand Alone...

...on the Word of God...

The B-I-B-L-E!

Look out, Sweet Baby A



Here comes Precious Baby J!


(note oblivious C in the left hand corner)

My weekly Bible Study that meets every Wednesday ends in two weeks. Man, oh man, am I going to miss these ladies. I was put in the "nursing moms group" and two moms have babies born within days of C. They are so cute playing together--it is so fun to watch them grow from tiny two-week olds to 8.5-month olds! Crazy how time flies.

Not only am I going to miss the women and Christian fellowship, I am also going to miss digging into the Word of God every Wednesday--that is, until next year's courses start again!

Review: Baby Steals!

Before C was born, my thrifty-self signed up for tons of baby blogs and websites telling you where to get the best deals and find the best finds. Since C's birth, most of those websites have gone by the wayside--as in, I no longer read them. One, in particular, though, stands out--Baby Steals.

Have you ever heard of Baby Steals? If so, you know why I love them--they find incredible baby items that are fun, practical, fashionable, and preppy. Then, they take the normal price of these items and cut them in half! Because of the drastically reduced prices, Baby Steals only has a limited supply of the items they get in--when they're gone, they're gone! (That is why their motto is, "Where mommies get quality, name brand baby and maternity products at the best prices on the web. One deal at a time until it's sold out!").

They post new items once the previous item sold out so Baby Steals is often the first website I check out in the morning--you never know what you are going to find and how fast it is going to sell out of their store! I love this site because you can find awesome baby shower gifts for a fraction of the price. Some of my favorite recent items were Baby Legs (perfect for cloth diapering!) and Aden and Anais muslin wraps. Seriously nice stuff for new-mommy friends.

Baby Steals is currently celebrating their birthday. Check them out by clicking their birthday banner above and start enjoying the fun products and great deals!

Please note: I was not compensated for this review. This review is based on my own opinion. I love BabySteals so much that i just wanted to share!

Button Making Madness!

In lieu of Tutorial Tuesday (no time!), I'm harking back to my first tutorial--button making!

I finally finished all the buttons that I offered to make from this post. Check out their corresponding blogs!

i ♥Faces: Week 15

Well, i didn't think that I'd have time, energy, or ability to make it to this week's contest. But, here I am! This week's contest at I ♥ Faces is all about self-portraits (ugh!--one more reason why i almost didn't post an entry!)

Kid's Category

My first entry is with Me and C. She wasn't taking her morning nap so i plopped her in a black onesie (courtesy of Caroline!) and away we went...into the bathroom. We live in a really old apartment (don't worry, its been updated!) that has a great bathroom mirror. C, being the vain child that she is (i jest), loved looking in the mirror and tried to attack that baby! I took more than 200 photos but this was my fave:

Adult's Category

Channeling C, i stole her headband and took a few snaps of myself. Why not? I think the mirror is a great frame! If I had enough time, i would have cropped out a few elements in the photo (like the towel hook on our door!)...oh well!

as always, click on the button below or on this link to see more entries!

Cloth Diaper 411

Tonight the twin and I are hosting a Cloth Diaper Seminar! Who knew that, 4 months after starting with cloth, I would love it enough to encourage all of my friends to use it, too (okay, all of my friends with babies in diapers!).

When I started on the cloth diaper journey, I scoured the internet, looking for tips, advice, washing routines, best diapers, etc. Then I went on message boards and asked lots of questions. Finally, to cement my decision, J asked that I meet with a real-life Cloth Diaper Mom since I'd never seen them first hand. If i liked them, he said we could invest in them. So i met with a local mom who has an online cloth diaper shop. Turns out, i loved the way they looked and felt (so cute! so soft!) so i placed an order.

While I have never used the Fuzzibunz diapers, I've heard great things about them. And, now we have two chances to win three of them! Head on over to Our Lincoln Log's blog and check out her detailed review of them and for your chance to win them. Or, go to Monkey Toes' Reviews and Giveaways--she is also giving away three!

And, for even more cloth diaper fun, The Cloth Diaper Whisperer is giving away three BumGenius diapers--wow! Good luck!

Going Green--Earth Day is coming!

I used to think tree-huggers were crazy. While I still think true tree-huggers are a little crazy, I have a completely new appreciation for taking care of the Earth. It is, afterall, God's creation. We are instructed not to idolize or worship the Earth or any aspects of creation but we are called to care for it (Genesis 2:15)!

J's most recent alma mater published an article on this very issue. Part of that article follows:

Nagle traced the starting point of his research to the 1964 Wilderness Act. In support of that bill, ordinary Americans gave testimony regarding their belief that "God created this world, and we should protect it." Though the thought seemed to be on Evangelical Christians' minds, Nagle admitted that the Evangelical voices urging preservation were not the loudest. Indeed, some writers of the time blamed Christianity for the degradation which the Wilderness Act was intended to halt.

Nagle stated that, whatever truth there was in the charges back then, modern-day Evangelical Christians have an obligation to care for the natural world. He said that a serious and thoughtful Christian must recognize certain biblically-based axioms with regard to God and the environment. Chief among those, he said, are that "God created the world and God gave humanity dominion over creation."

Speaking of Earth Day, one of my new blogging friends is hosting a week-long Earth Week Celebration with giveaways every day! She also just updated her blog design and it looks great. Click on her button (below):

Marathon Monday!

It is hard to believe that two years ago, I was running the Boston Marathon. It was a CRAZY race for me as i had not run for more than 6 weeks before the marathon due to an injury. Needless to say, i was quite out of running shape. The amazing crowds kept me going and the even more amazing runners kept me strong (and alive!).

As I said, i had not been running the 6 weeks prior to the marathon so i was dying at the end. I fell twice in the last mile because I was so fatigued. The first time, this incredible runner stopped and helped me up. I found out later that he was trying to requalify for next year's marathon. He had to be under a certain time or else he would be out of luck for the 2008 race. His stopping to help me could have cost him the qualifying time but he took the chance and still managed to qualify with mere seconds to spare. He is my marathon hero!

The second time I fell was quite hilarious. I could see the finish line and that was all I was aiming for. I fell again, right over the painted portion of the finish. However, my timing chip had to cross over the timing mat or else it wouldn't count as a finish. So, I ended up crawling over the mat. They had the video on Boston's CBS site for some time but it is no longer there--i wish i could show it to you because it was soo soo funny. Here is a picture of it (see the painted portion behind the orangey red mat):

It is an incredible race and i hope to run it again. For now, I'm content to watch it live on my computer...and you can, too! Check it out here

Modern Marvels

Even though we live in the same city, it is still hard to get up to see the twin in the burbs. So we video chat using Gmail during dinner!

C loves it because R is definitely the entertainer. Hopefully we can get more family in on the fun, too (hint hint).

Let the Festivals Begin!

J and I are huge festival people. We live in an area where we can walk to most of the intown happenings. As the summer progresses, there will often be two or three in one weekend. So be prepared for frequent festival postings in the future!

Today we went to the lovely Dogwood Festival. Last year, due to Atlanta's drought, the festival couldn't be held in the park (officials were afraid it would ruin the already-dead grass) so they held it in a parking lot. Joyous. Needless to say, it was a bust. This year, thanks to significant rain fall, they brought the festival back to Piedmont. What a difference a year makes--you would not believe the crowd!

I tried to photo-document the day. Hope you enjoy our day in pictures:

The first thing we hit was the frisbee-dog show. The neat thing about this show was that all the dogs that participated in it were adoptable! C got a kick out of the pups running and leaping:

While we were watching the dogs, we were also watching "certified dietitians" from alli approach people and offer their services. We were very thankful they did not approach us--what would they be trying to say if they did? I think I'd be slightly offended if i were these people:

Now conscious of our body image, we hit the Coke Zero tent for some zero-calorie refreshement. Gotta love the city of Coca Cola!

We contemplated swimming in the park's lake but took heed of the sign:

With all that water around and the many beverage samples (coffee, tea, and smoothie samples in abundance!) we made use of the porta potties more than once. Sprinkled throughout the park were amusing portable toilets that were painted! We have the UGA Dawg, Mona Lisa, and a replica of an actual outhouse:

After being pent up in the stroller for a couple of hours, we let C roll around on the grass (a luxury as we don't have a lawn in front of our condominium complex). Check out the drool trail. I think she's teething again (and not just on her crib!)

We ended the festival at the Zoo Atlanta booth--they had a Chinchilla on display and graciously allowed C to get a closer peek. It was definitely one of the highlights of her day:

Reason one hundred and fifty-one

...on why I like Cloth Diapers...

151. When you use cloth diapers on a girl who is wearing a dress, you don't need a diaper cover--just accessorize with your cutest coordinating cloth diaper cover! Sure beats a boring white disposable :)

Cloth Diaper Making 101

The twin and I decided to try our hand at Cloth Diaper Making. Not too sure what we are thinking...except that we like to craft (I like to I just can't) and like to save money!

Anyway, we bought diaper making supplies like PUL Fabric and a Diaper Pattern:

I volunteered to do the cutting of the fabric since I knew the majority of the sewing would be in the twin's hands. Turns out, I can't even cut along a straight line as some of the fabric pieces didn't even match! Oh my. Luckily, the twin knew what she was doing and managed to sew the two together. Here she is, sewing the tricky Welt Pocket that is the trademark of the KCK One diaper:

Baby C couldn't handle all the sewing, so she took a nap under the twin's guest bed. Yes, under:

When both girls were awake, they sat in on the fun and shared a Trader Joe's Rice Cake. Make that, Baby R shared the rice cake while Baby C tried to snatch it when she wasn't looking!

The twin and I have a long ways to go on the diaper making but we'll just do a little at a time and get there soon enough! Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product!

Movin' On Up

a long long time ago, Baby C barely fit into her Maxi Cosi Cabrio Fix:

8 months later, C still barely fits into the Cabrio Fix...this time, for the opposite reason--she's HUGE!

When Baby R outgrew her Cabrio Fix, the twin bought her a new seat. It seemed like everyone, especially R, loved it. Their recommendation was enough for us and we decided on Tuesday to get C the Chili Pepper Maxi Cosi Priori.

We couldn't believe it when it showed up at our door two days later! J got to work installing it and C took her first ride in it today. Looks like C is a fan!

Look for a review on the Maxi Cosi Cabrio Fix soon!

Woodchuck in the Bed

Forget "Monkeys on the Bed"--it is now Woodchucks-In-The-Bed.

I thought it was kind of cute when we found her standing up in the crib. She thought it was hilarious and was so proud of herself. I snapped a picture then called J in to the nursery so that he could drop the crib.

End of story, right? Not so much since there are always two sides to every story.

Side one is pictured above. Side two, below:

And, that's not all. Oh no. C can still stand up in her crib, therefore she can still teethe on the rails. Awesome.

So, off to Etsy I went. Seems like it is a common problem as Etsians have come up with many solutions. I think I'm going to have to buck up and buy this one to save poor C's bed from further distress. At least it matches her bedding.

And finally, I leave you with a video of C's ever-progressing walking skills. She's come a long way from last time.