Mingle With the Mammals

We went to the zoo today for their "Mingle With the Mammals" breastfeeding event and had a blast! There was a ton of information and support for mamas and even some fun stuff for the kids.

Here's Honey with Auds. Auds is pointing to Tony. It's the only way I can get her to look at the camera lately. "Where's Tony brother?" "Right there!" And since I always wear him, it works.

Me and my babies. Gosh, I love them so much. And it was a nice spring day. It was in the mid-seventies at 9 this morning. Much more mild than the mid-eighties that it was when we left.

When we first went in, we went to story time where they read books about mommies of all mammal kinds nursing their babies. They then had a video that was adorable. I'm not gonna lie. I'm still hormonal and may have teared up a bit every time it played.

Here's Auds checking everything out.

With Honey listening to story time. (The woman on the right is the reader.)

Then Auds got her face painted. She was a little unsure of what was going on, but once I showed her pictures of it she was okay. There was also a coloring activity, but we just had an incident last night with Auds and crayons and the walls, the wood floors, and the woodwork. Needless to say, colors are in time out.

Kind of nervous about it. She really didn't understand what was going on. She couldn't pick her own picture to paint on her face coz she didn't really get that it was going to be painted on there. So we picked her a butterfly.

Still not too sure. After this she kinda freaked out a little bit.

But Honey let her sit in his lap and it was finished. Not exactly a perfect butterfly, but for a squirming unsure toddler, pretty good. The lady even guessed that she was two saying that they get that response a lot from the little ones.

That's her teddy bear bow she got yesterday. She just had to wear it today. Even with her other bow. That's my daughter

We then walked around and looked at all of the animals. There are a bunch of new babies, and I was dying to get some nursing shots, but no one was hungry when I was looking at them. They were still adorable though.

"Where's Tony brother?" "Right there!"

See the little baby?

Checking out the bear.

"It's a leper. C'mere, leper!"

"I'm talking monkey to him. Ooh Ahh."

A pony.

Checking out the baby llama.

After we saw all of the animals, we went on a train ride. It was wonderful! A beautiful spring day, a nice breeze, and getting to see all the animals without walking. :) Well, except for Auds trying to throw her snack over the edge, but she was just trying to feed the animals.

Waiting patiently for the train to come.

Let's hear it - the collective "Aw!" My angel enjoying her train ride.

And my handsome little man sleeping through his first time on the train.

Once the train ride was over, we had a snow ball - everyone got one free who was there for the breastfeeding expo. Nothing like artificial colorings and massive amounts of sugar to make people happy! I haven't had a snow ball in years; since before I started undergrad. And here I am years and two kids later eating one up. Auds loved it. She won't be getting them often, however!

It wouldn't be a nursing event without a little nursing session.

How fitting, right?

Hanging out while I'm nursing.

What's that? I have two really handsome men? Why, thank you!

*love*

Auds enjoying the heck out of her snow ball.

Munching on her cheese bunnies, not her toe cheese. ;) She did have shoes on. But, she just decided that it'd be more fun without.

I Survived!

I went out for the first time today with just the kiddos. And I survived! I'm hoping that all future outings go as well. We went to the play place where Auds had her birthday for the Friday Free Play. Auds got to run around with her friends. Tony got to snuggle in the mei tie. It was a nice morning. And I'm a horrible mommy because I forgot to get pictures.



I even brought the camera and everything. But the owner was showing off her Shrimp and Grits clothing line and I was browsing through it. As I was looking, a mama asked me if I wanted her son's clothes. They don't plan on having any more kids and don't know anyone else with a little boy to give them to. Her little boy is always so well dressed; I'm excited! Add that onto two boxes that another mama from Auds' class dropped off after Tony was born - he's one well dressed little man.



And then another mama gave me some Indian prefolds that her daughter grew out of because she doesn't know anyone else in the area who cloth diapers. In addition to the clothes, a local lady who makes bows was showing off her stuff. Well, she gave Auds two bows - a cupcake and a bear. They're adorable. This makes 1000000000 bows that she has. The lady said since I buy stuff for my studio from her, she wanted to give something back to me. Talk about sweet!



If I'll get free stuff every time I go out, I'll never be home. ;) The fellow cloth diapering mama also informed me of a breastfeeding event at the zoo tomorrow morning. I'm so going to that! Nursing mamas and face painting for the littles - sounds like so much fun! I'll make sure to take pictures.



Audrey had her first time away from us with a sitter. My husband and I had a Sunday School teachers' seminar to go to, so our beautiful 4-H'er watched Auds for a few hours last night. They literally live 30 seconds from us and we both live less than a minute away from the church so it's so convenient. Auds got to go into the pasture and play with the cows. Oh, she loved it. And smelled like a barn yard when we picked her up. Our girl loves watching Auds so much that her mom refuses to let us pay her. I feel so bad for not paying, but we've offered. It is nice, however, to have someone nearby to watch Auds if we ever need it.



I know some people will think I'm crazy that she's two years old and finally staying with someone who isn't us or my mother. Here's the crazier statement: her first night away from me was when I was in the hospital for Tony. And I really don't mind. Well, except for now when I would absolutely LOVE for her to take a nap but she won't. I can hear her in the bedroom throwing stuff around and I have to remain on guard for the inevitable "Mommy! I hurt myself!" when she jumps off the bed, or "Mommy! It fell!" when she throws something behind her bed, or "Mommy! It's broken! It's a breakable!" when she breaks something. Thankfully, I have yet to hear that last one. However, I know it's just a matter of time. At least she's not throwing things at or jumping on her brother, right?

Organized Finances

Everyone's talking about finances lately. You have the news. The gurus (Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman). The economists. The people next door. It's a topic on everyone's minds.

So, I'm writing about it, too!

I've always been pretty good with money... my husband, not so much. Whereas I didn't even get a credit card (it's still the only card I have, and I've even kept my insanely low credit limit on there on purpose) until after we were married, have always had savings accounts, and know how to stretch a dollar (I used to hand wash all of my clothes when I was in college coz I thought that $2.00 a load was insane), my husband is the exact opposite. He got his first card at 18, ate out with his friends, bought clothes, lived on loans in college. Now, I'm not knocking the loans. We needed them after we got married to put him through law school despite the scholarships he got.

Anywho, up until recently, he wanted to manage the big picture stuff and have me manage the day-to-day stuff. I was fine with it. He was the head of household, made the primary income (my business is good, but lawyer>photographer pretty much any day unless you're Jesh de Rox with his $16,000 training session). Well, I found out exactly how much we owe and how little is actually getting paid down.

Boy, did he get a talking to! I was able to keep our family alive, fed and taken care of and stay within our means, but he wasn't able to really pay down our debt. Granted, he paid on it. The bills never went unpaid, we never got late fees, no collection agencies were called. But it wasn't getting paid OFF. Big difference between paid ON TIME and paid OFF. I wanted everything paid OFF!

So, I took the reigns. I told him I wanted full disclosure. I was taking this ship over. And I did. And we're doing better. :) Basically, I'm doing a snowball technique. Kind of like what Dave Ramsey did, but I learned about it first when I was in undergrad, so I'm not giving him total credit.

Anyway, I listed all of our debts from hospital bills to credit card accounts to car loans to law school student loans in order from smallest to greatest. We pay the minimum on all. When the lowest one got paid off, I combined that payment with the second lowest one. Rinse, repeat. I update this spreadsheet every month with the amount owed, the amount paid, the due date and the date paid. I keep it nice and pretty and they'll be joining our family binder when it's finished.

We do mostly online payments, but the paper stuff we get gets filed away.

Before I took over, we had a checking account for us, my business stuff, and an account for Auds. My husband wanted to keep our savings in our checking so that he could cash in on our good interest rate. Good in theory. Bad in practice. He got that idea from the Economides Family and their book. It works for them, which is great. Just not for us because that "savings" never really got saved.

Now, we have actual savings and retirement accounts with good rates. All of our accounts (checking, savings, business, cars, retirements) for us and the kids are at one bank with an awesome interest rate set up - it's low for our debts, high for our money. That makes me happy. We have money automatically withdrawn to send to our debts as well as our savings so it makes it really easy. We're finally on the right track.

I anticipate we'll be done with our debt (credit cards, student loans, cars) within the next 5-10 years. And law school debt ain't cheap.

What are you doing to get your finances straight?

Another "Did He Really Just Say That?!"

Yes, my brilliant husband has been at it again...

I've written down recipes according to our meal plan for last night and tonight so that I can crank out some wedding photos to some anxious newlyweds, so my husband has been doing the cooking. And it's nothing complicated. I'm talking spinach rice casserole, brownies, and pizza. These are not difficult meals to prepare.

Anyway... here's the funnies:

Last night while making the spinach rice casserole, my husband somehow ended coated in green. Don't ask me how. That's his punishment for not participating in St. Patty's Day. ;)

While making some of my brownies, he got batter all over himself and ended up brown. Thankfully he had taken off his church clothes by this point. That's his punishment for not cleaning poopy diapers on weekdays. ;)

While melting butter, I'm guessing he was still on the brownies and forgot a step in there, he ended up pouring butter all over himself, the counter, and the floor. That's his punishment for not being spit up on all the time. ;)

So, when he comes into my office to tell me these things, he says, "You know, now I can see why chefs wear something to protect their clothes."

To which I replied, "Didn't you see the apron hanging in the kitchen?"

Yup. Good times. These little moments are the ones I remember forever. One day I'll write about the time he threw a fit during a game of Cranium - the funniest moment ever.

Too Good Not To Share

For Christmas my dad got me some hand-made organic soaps, teas, and various goodies. Right now I'm using a bar that looks and smells like chocolate. It even has marshmallows on top to make it look like some hot cocoa. It makes my whole bathroom smell like chocolate and I love that!

Well, the other night I was taking a bath and the hubs smelled my soap. He asked what it was made out of to smell like chocolate and I told him I didn't know. So to find out, my husband took the logical road.

Yes, that's right. My philosophy major, minister, lawyer husband licked the bar of soap! That's the only way to find out if it's really made of chocolate, right? The first lick proved inconclusive so he took another lick. Shortly after, he had the best reaction in.the.world! The reaction one would typically have when eating soap but coupled with a total surprised reaction.

Oh yeah, I'll be talking about this one forever!

Organizing Papers

I've written about my detailed meal plans and schedules for the party over at House of Grace. This week the talk is about papers.

For the most part, we're not too bad. I'm making a family binder where we keep important numbers, schedules, allergy lists, anything like that so if, for some reason, I'm not here, my husband won't lose it.

We keep our marriage license, SS cards, birth certificates, passports, important documents, family jewelry, unused credit cards all in a fireproof safe. I'm not disclosing the location of it though. ;)

As far as copies of bills and financial statements and that stuff... Well, I'm working in it. I have a system in place. In fact, I have since we were newly weds. We have a filing cabinet alphabetized with folders for everything and it's filed in chronological order. It's just that I absolutely hate filing. So, there are piles in my office of stuff to be filed. Some has been there for a long time. Some will be there for a long time. But, I'm working on it.

At least I have a system, right?

Even if I don't file as often as I should, I still feel better that the important things are really accounted for either in the family binder or in the safe. If we have to leave at a moment's notice or someone comes to stay at our house due to vacation or illness, everything is accessible. So that's good.

The New Living Room Set Up... Sort Of

So, I re-did my living room after Tony was born coz I realized that all the baby contraptions took up too much space. I haven't really had a chance to take nice, natural light pictures to post. So, here are a couple of one-handed shots from sitting on the couch while nursing my little man. The couch is caddy-corner with a lamp and a terrific old farm house door behind it. I'll try to get better pictures soon, but at least here's something...

This is my "mudroom" area. Pardon the clothespins on the floor. I have no idea why Audrey scattered them about. The coat rack will eventually be stained mahogany like the rest of the furniture. The gate prevents runaways... or rather from our heavy door from hitting anyone in the head.

Here is our armoire... and random clothing items that Auds was playing with. Yes, I love my PBS news.

Before this chair was in the corner and the diaper changing station was here. Before before, it was an empty space where Auds; toys would accumulate. Now she has the entire living room for that!

And the diaper area with Tony's glider and my old shutter where I sort my mail. You can see part of the studio on the other side. Yes, I pick up when clients come.

I'll post a picture of the other side of the room, and hopefully better pictures of everything, when I get a chance. But this affords us way more room, and I like it... for now. ;)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Everyone in the household dressed with some bit of green... except for my husband who is just a party pooper.

Here's a few shots of my sweet blessings in their festive gear... Tony may not be dressed in head-to-toe green, but it's hard to find clothes that he fits into. He's now mostly out of preemies, but depending upon the brand, newborn and 0-3 can either fit or be huge. I think he's in newborns here. But... it has a green stripe! And he had tummy time on a green blanket!

You'd never guess he was a preemie, huh? He was nothing but skin and bones, poor thing. Now he's my chunk-a-munk. I love it!

Auds wanted to lay down with him... he wasn't too sure about it. Probably because whenever she gets close she loves on him a little too much and he's not all about that.

Giving kisses. Sometimes her kisses end up more like CPR attempts than just gentle loves... Pardon the insanely messy floor. Someone thought it was festive to decorate with big foam puzzle pieces and blankets. I'm not naming names, but it's someone in this picture.

"Mommy... it's my nose." Yes, baby girl, it is.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Life As a Foursome

Things here have been good. Hectic, but good. Adding a tiny one into the mix made me realize how important a schedule is, so I created pretty detailed ones that I wrote about in the last post. Incidentally, I also started putting it all into action during Lent. I guess I'm giving up the chaotic, free-spirited lifestyle that we're used to. I'm also purging our house and ridding us of unnecessary items.

Tony is just amazing! He's nearly ten pounds (although he may be more, I haven't weighed him in a week) and surpassing all expectations. ETA: He's now 10.5 lbs!! Praise God! He's super strong and can already hold his head up for long periods of time and defend himself against his sister. He's also figured out the best way to get my attention. When I'm carrying him around trying to finish up tasks before sitting down for a nursing session, he pulls my hair if I'm taking longer than his liking.

He's still having a lot of tummy troubles with his reflux and having a hard time moving things through his system. He pushes so hard that he refluxes bad and then is hungry again. So we nurse about 23.5 hours a day. Well, that may be exaggerated some, but it's a lot. He ain't gaining so much weight for nothing! We went to the local compounding pharmacy to pick up the pharmacist's special homeopathic blend. It does seem to help some, so I'm thankful. I really don't want to put him on standard prescription meds.

And he's an active part of church already. I wear him in my mei tie on the platform when I sing and also when I teach Sunday School. He's an angel. I love that my pastor is so into me baby wearing. He has even used me to call out people who renege on responsibilities saying that if I can get up there and sing with a preemie right after we were released from the hospital then no one has a legitimate excuse (aside from sickness or work - we're talking about those "Oh, I stubbed my toe and it hurts" excuses) and if they come with one they can tell it to me and I can pass judgment. It was all in tongue and check, but he loves it. Every time he sees us he gets a huge smile on his face.

Visiting missionaries and preachers love it, too. All the ministers' wives come and talk to me after services about him. One lady even gave me an encouraging word, which I feel was from the Lord. Although we have a great church and I have a best friend an hour away and a great friend in the next town, I'm not really close to a lot of people here and don't have a support system. When Beau's not here, I have no help. I can't call anyone and I just have to do what I can. Well, a few weeks ago I had a rough day before a service. That night the missionary to Japan's wife told me about how she coped rearing her boys over in Japan where she knew no one. She said, in a nut shell, it's just a season and I need to be thankful in it. That it really does fly by and it is better to look back on this time fondly by trying to make the most of it rather than looking back sad and resentful focusing on the bad times. These children are my blessing and a time will come all too soon that they won't need me or want me to hold them. It really helped me keep my attitude in check.

Auds is amazing. She loves her brother so much and tries to take care of him and give him a ton of affection. She's also being a big helper and brings me burp cloths and blankets when I need them. She's really transitioning into a young lady. And that includes wanting to potty learn... which, like many things, is becoming a power struggle. She is waaaaaaaay too much like her mommy.

When she's in a diaper she wants to go on the potty. She gets the concept and peed in the potty 6 times in two days. But when she runs around sans diaper, lately she hasn't been making any effort to stop what she's doing to get to the potty or let me know. It's a constant struggle and I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to force her and make it a negative thing, but I don't want to discourage her. As Dr. Sears would say, "You can lead a baby to the toilet, but you can't make them pee."

Having Tony has made something click in my husband's head about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Before, I kept suggesting and implementing change and he would agree with some things and not even notice on others. Well, now he's gung ho! The local organic store isn't really a store at all, it's 6 aisles in a grocery store and is super expensive. Because of that, I couldn't buy all of our groceries organic and had to pick and choose what mattered. I still bought our produce and eggs locally, but that was it. The rest was from the regular grocery store. I crunched the numbers and figured out that with very careful meal planning, we could drive an hour to the Whole Foods and stock up on food for a month and the cost be comparable to buying at the local regular store. So, now we're eating much more healthy food. I'm looking into a local farm to buy beef from to see if it will help cut meat costs any.

He has also signed off on having a midwife and a home birth for the next baby! I am super excited about it. I thought about it with Auds, but was so scared and didn't really educate myself on all the birthing options. I wanted it with Tony and looked into it, but he said never in a million. Well, after having spent 45 hours in the hospital and watching me have an unmediated birth on 27 m/u of pit, he said that he definitely thinks I could do it. And he knows that it wouldn't be unsafe. To top it off, my doula is getting her midwife's license, so she could be my midwife. We know her, we buy cloth diapering supplies from her, and it would be a perfect fit. He even said that since we have a boy and a girl (and the subsequent clothing and accessories), he would be open to not having ultrasounds to find out the sex. The dangers of the ultrasound waves freaks me out, so I only had two ultrasounds with Tony... both under 10 minutes. I didn't want any more than was necessary. My husband is also going to start helping me compost again and has agreed to use homeopathic remedies instead of OTC stuff.

Now, things aren't perfect. I'm backed up like crazy with business stuff, and am exhausted with having two littles. But things are good. I have an awesome God who has blessed me, a fabulous husband, a precious daughter and a fighting baby boy. This season in life has been the best yet and I can honestly say that it has strengthened my relationship with God in a way I never thought possible. As crazy as it sounds, I'm on such a high from having a natural birth and getting into the swing of having two kids that I can't wait to expand our family more. I know, I'm a nut. But, I figure, with more than one kid, it's going to be chaos anyway. Talk to me again when he starts teething and I may change my mind though. ;)

Cleaning and Organizing

Although I had been nesting like crazy before Tony was born, it was Bonnie's party over at House of Grace that really got me into the idea of putting more of an organized schedule to my cleaning rather than just cleaning one thing like mad. Then... well, then I had my beautiful baby boy. Who at one month out is nearly 10 pounds!! I cannot believe my preemie boy who was supposed to be in the NICU is now a little chunker! Praise God! So, I'm starting a little late with her party, but I'm going to try to catch up.

And... I will have to show you my redone (AGAIN) living room. Shortly after Tony was born, I realized that the baby stuff was taking up too much space the way everything was arranged. I wanted my kids to be able to play and enjoy the space, not be constricted by stuff. I will post pictures if ever I can find a time when it is not cluttered with toys.

Anyway, now that I'm getting adjusted to caring for two little ones, I decided that I'm going to get organized once and for all.

We're down to a fairly good schedule of:

Getting up, getting changed and having breakfast.

Having another round of pants changes and a snack after two hours.

Another round of changes and lunch after another two hours and an attempt at nap (right now Auds is fighting sleep and I just can't fight with her - and it is a fight - to sleep when her carrying on wakes her brother. If she doesn't nap, she doesn't nap. I'm okay but not thrilled with that at this point.)

Snack # 2 after nap.

Outside play time.

Make dinner and prepare for that night's activities. On Monday it's prayer meeting and choir practice, Tuesday it's weeknight service, Wednesday it's musicians' practice, Thursday, Friday and Saturday are work nights for me and we rest on Sunday

I've also created cleaning schedules broken down into daily, weekly and monthly tasks.

Daily I hope to, in addition to keeping us alive, accomplish:

Make the beds

Wash the dishes

Wash the laundry

Sweep the kitchen and dining room

Pick up toys

Clean the cat boxes... well I delegate that to my husband ;)

Weekly I've divided things into days things should be accomplished:

Monday: Dust and windows/mirrors

Tuesday: Sweep/vacuum floors/furniture

Wednesday: Wash bedding and bath stuff

Thursday: Bathrooms and yard work... again delegated to my husband ;)

Friday: Put away laundry and meal planning (basically figuring out what needs to be bought at the store for the planned meals)

Saturday: Shopping and a catch up day if something happens and a task doesn't get done during the week

Sunday: Garbage

To be done once a month, I've scheduled:

Scrub bathtubs

Wash shower curtains

Organize/purge playroom

Organize outgrown clothing

Organize entertainment center (my husband has a habit of watching something and leaving the DVD on top of the TV and the case for it on top of the radio)

Organize pantry and cabinets

Scrub baseboards

Discard expired food items

Wash garbage cans

Vacuum curtains

Wash blinds

I figure if I keep up on all of these things, that it'll get easier and easier to keep a clean house while getting to spend time with my babies. I want to give them not only my affection, but a place that doesn't look like it belongs on "Hoarders" (I've never seen that show, but I've heard about it).

I also decided to create a general meal plan that we can add specifics to to follow that way it can never get to the "what are we going to have" stage.

Mondays:

Breakfast - cereal

Lunch - PB&J sandwiches with veggies/fruit/organic crackers/etc.

Dinner - red beans and rice

Tuesdays:

Breakfast - organic waffles

Lunch - macaroni and cheese with some vegetable

Dinner - a crock pot meal

Wednesdays:

Breakfast - toast and nutella/peanut butter/jam/etc.

Lunch - rice and gravy

Dinner - salad

Thursdays:

Breakfast - fruit

Lunch - grilled cheese sandwiches

Dinner - a pasta meal

Fridays:

Breakfast - organic yogurt

Lunch - organic convenience foods - I LOVE Annie's and Amy's stuff!

Dinner - homemade pizza

Saturdays:

Breakfast - cinnamon rolls

Lunch - meat and cheese sandwiches

Dinner - a casserole

Sundays:

Breakfast - toast and nutella/peanut butter/jam/etc.

Lunch - a crock pot meal

Dinner - brinner - it's a Sunday night tradition of ours

So, this week's challenge is: Organizing Your Life

We're supposed to ask ourselves:

What and who is important to me?

That would be Jesus and my family. Pretty much everything revolves around those two.

What motivates me?

Jesus motivates me to be a better person and to draw closer to Him daily. My husband motivates me to be a better wife for him. He really is a stand up guy. My beautiful babies motivate me to be a better mommy - especially now since Auds is emulating how I act with her and Tony in caring for all of her babies. If she ever mistreated her babies, I think I would cry... so far, so good! And my clients motivate me to be a better photographer.

What do I want to accomplish in my life?

Ensure that my family knows, loves and lives for the Lord and is loved beyond measure. Eternal salvation is the ultimate goal. Also to be successful in my field.

If I could change anything in my life, what could it be?

Honestly, I'd make myself better. I'd be a better organizer so that I can keep track of things better and spend more quality time with those I love and things I love doing. I'd also change my reaction to my upbringing - *too personal here* - but I had a rough childhood that greatly affected some areas in my life. Although God has brought me miles from where I was through His love and grace, I still struggle sometimes. I don't want my kids to see that in me.

Make a list of your top 10 priorities:

"Your priorities should reflect what is important to you. If you don't decide what they are, others will decide for you. " That is some strong stuff right there.

God

My Savior is the most important thing to me. In addition to just believing, I make it a point to pray every day with my family, alone, anytime, really. We say grace at every meal. We go to every service at our church. My husband and I teach Sunday School and lead worship. We go to practices at the church as well as practice at home on Sunday evenings together - it's like a worship service at our house. I want our kids to know that we make our lives around the Lord, not make the Lord into our lives.

Husband

He is truly my match in every way and sometimes I wonder if I don't show him enough. I always make it a point to tell him that I love him multiple times a day and be affectionate with him. But I want to try doing more to serve him and be a helpmeet to him. He does so much around here to help me and I want to be able to do the same. Dating isn't really an option at this season in our lives, but I do try to make and bake him things periodically "just because" to let him know how much I love and appreciate him.

My Children

They are my miracles and can make me both the happiest person alive and the most frustrated. Be honest, we all have THOSE days. I just want them to always know that they are loved immeasurably - something I never had.

Theology

I know this plays in with God and with our church, but I want to view this as a separate topic because not only do I want to have a relationship with Him and serve Him, but I want to understand Him (as much as is humanly possible since He is greater than our confines) and His Word. There is such power in the Word and such direction for our lives. Since He provided it for us, I want to get as much out of it as I can. I also hope to be able to use this knowledge to reach and teach others.

My Church

My husband and I are active in our church and my husband is a minister. Right now we've been in the position of Sunday School teachers and worship leaders but have been on the receiving side of being blessed by others. One day I'd like to be a blessing to others and give to them as they have given to us.

My Family and Friends

I'm of the school of thought that while you can't pick your family, they're still family and you still have to love them. So I try. I'd like to get better at reaching out more. And I do have the most amazing close friends. Granted, I can count them on just a few fingers. But they are there through thick and thin and are SUCH a blessing in my life.

My Business

I have a great business and get the opportunity to both be at home with my babies and be creative. I love it and could never go back to a standard office job. It is taxing (ha! I'm working on taxes right now... well, I thought it was funny.), but so rewarding. I've made a lot of changes in the past year and plan on doing more this year to give my clients the best.

Health

I use only all natural products in the house, try to eat organic and local as much as possible, cloth diaper, mama cloth, breastfeed, homeopathic remedies, etc. Although I don't belong on a compound in Berkley, I'm trying to give my family the best and keep them healthy. I had a lot of health issues when I was younger, so I'm hoping to avoid that with my children.

Family Sleepovers

I started this tradition in January and plan on keeping up with it until our kids are grown and out of the house. One Friday a month we won't plan anything in the evening. We'll order take out, bring the mattresses in the living room, put a movie in and have a sleepover - just us. As the kids get older, we'll do games and activities. But, right now, watching Beauty and the Beast for the 1000000000th time as I cuddle my sweet babies and sing the songs with Auds is as good as it gets. And, of course, after the kids go to sleep my husband and I get to cuddle too.

Reading With My Kids

The playroom has somewhat of an enviable library. Seriously, it is ridiculous how many books we have. But that's a good thing. I loved books growing up, and the love of literature is one of the things that my husband and I share. Granted "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" isn't "Torents of Spring," but it's all about baby steps. And I'm instilling the love of books young in hopes that they will enjoy it when they're older. When Auds is quiet now, it's a 50/50 chance she's either reading her books or getting into trouble. I love it when it's the first one.

Being Debt Free

I'm not gonna lie, we have debt. Most of it is either from my husband before we got married or incurred through his going to one of the best law schools. Either way, we're working diligently on paying it all off. We hope to be there in a few years and be able to comfortably buy a forever home sometime within the next decade.

A Nice Home

Granted, our house is only about 1500sf, isn't in a ritzy subdivision or newly built. But I don't think that's all that makes a nice home. I want my kids to know that this is a sanctuary - not in the sense that a church is, but that it's a safe place. That underneath this roof there is love, kindness, hope and acceptance. I also want to make it a nice house for them... nicely decorated, clean, a place they can feel comfortable in and proud of.