Sleep, Or The Lack Thereof

My younger son is not a great sleeper.  This is nothing new to me as my older son wasn't either - not until he started going to school.  Both gave up regular naps at age 2. 

My younger son is now two and a half and still wakes at least once each night.  Well, those were the good old days, before I started potty training two weeks ago.  Now he wakes up more often because he's fearful of having an accident - despite the fact that he still wears a diaper at night.  And then he developed a sinus infection and had even more trouble sleeping.  The past two weeks he has woken more often each night than he did when he was first born.  I am now a zombie.  I know this because when I dragged myself out of bed yesterday morning, I found a big scrape on my foot that I must have received while stumbling to his room the night before.  How could I sleep while in pain? T-I-R-E-D.

So, blogosphere, if I haven't been online much these last few weeks, it's because my brain is now in hibernation mode, saving its power for high level functions like making sure I put one foot in front of the other when I walk.

But his antibiotics kicked in and he's feeling better, so last night he only woke up twice.  I feel like a new person today.  The light at the end of the tunnel: next week, he starts Montessori three mornings a week.  I'm hoping it does for him what it did for my older son!

I'm Busy Potty Training

You parents out there know what I'm talking about. The moment you become engrossed in something, your potty training toddler forgets to run to the bathroom and has an accident. So I'll step away from the computer for a while and get back to blogging when he's reliably carting himself off to the bathroom on his own.

For those parents who haven't yet faced the potty training challenge, let me quickly tell you how I'm training my 2 1/2 year old son (this is the second child I've potty trained):

On Day 1, I put him on the potty as soon as he woke up. (I use one of those rings that you place directly on the potty, with a step stool. I don't bother with the intermediate step of using one of those little floor potties. Too much cleaning.) I then popped him into big boy underpants (with much pomp and circumstance!). I put plastic diaper covers over them to minimize mess if he had accidents. Dressed him in comfortable pull-on pants. I then told him he'll get an M&M if he made it to the potty for #1 without an accident (I'm not proud of it, but it does work!). He'd get TWO M&Ms for #2.

I reminded him every 15 minutes that he's not wearing a diaper and that he needs to get to the potty if he feels it coming. Success begets success, so I took him by the hand to the bathroom for the first day and showed him how to safely climb onto the potty. I did not forget the M&Ms and gave him lots of praise, high fives and hugs.  He had two accidents on Day #1 (one #1 and one #2). At bedtime I put him in a diaper.

On the morning of Day 2, he was back to the underpants and plastic diaper covers.  More reminding and help with pants, but only one accident.  Success with #2 (woo hoo!!).

I have to go out of the house during this process (this is inevitable, so plan for it), so I make sure he uses the potty before we leave and bring a potty chair in the car with me.  I use potty liners for the potty chair (they are much tidier) and keep wipes in the car.  (I don't fall back on pull ups.  Pull ups are confusing to potty training kids, in my experience.)  My kids find it reassuring to always know they have access to a potty.  I can't tell you how many times I've pulled over to the side of the road to to put one of my kids on the potty.

So that's it.  We are on Day 3 and no accidents.  He tells everyone we see that he's not wearing a diaper - he's very proud.  He also has a belly full of M&Ms.

So, back to the potty training.  I'll post again in a few days.

Another Way to Get Your Kids to Eat Veggies: Juicing!

I am constantly trying new ways to get my kids to eat their vegetables (I've written a few posts on the subject: see here).  My older son is pretty good about it but my younger son is one tough customer.  Among other methods, I've tried:

• pureeing cooked carrots, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and squash and hiding them in marinara (not all of them at once), mac and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches or hamburgers
  
• adding spinach to fruit smoothies
• making cute faces with them (green bean as mouth, carrot as nose, zucchini slice as eyes)
• bribery (I'm not proud).  

But until recently, I hadn't tried juicing.  Juicing has many health benefits - I encourage you to read more about them here.  I was astonished at what I'd been missing by not incorporating this "delivery mode" into my diet.

So here is how it unfolded: I picked my older son up from school and told him about the exciting activity I had planned: he could make his own juice!  We could try all sorts of vegetables and fruits!  We could combine them and see how they tasted together!  (I used a lot of exclamation points in my pitch.)  He was very excited by the time we got home.  My two sons and I made our own fresh apple, pineapple, mandarin orange, carrot, spinach/carrot, and apple/orange juices.  It was really fun.  I had made fresh squeezed orange juice before but had no idea how great other fresh juices can taste.  Tonight, before dinner, my younger son asked for carrot juice.  Now that is success!

The juicer I bought is powerful, quiet and easy to clean.  It does not do as good a job with green leafies as a really high-end juicer, but it serves my needs quite well.  It's the Jack Lalanne PJP Power Juicer Pro Stainless-Steel Electric Juicer.

Daily Photo: Duck!

One of the lovely ducks we frequently see in my part of the country.  I hope this one finds shelter before the arctic blast arrives.

An Easy, Effective, Inexpensive and Eco-friendly Way to Wash Dishes

According to recent Consumer Reports tests on the efficacy of automatic dishwasher detergents,

"detergents without phosphates—which help clean but also boost algae growth in freshwater, threatening fish and other plants—tended to perform worst overall."

Of the phosphate-free variety, Method Smarty Dish tablets and Simplicity dish sachets performed best.  Method costs about $0.35/load.  If you have to run your dishes through more than once because the first time just didn't do the trick, well, that would start to add up!

So, you want to be environmentally responsible but you want your dishes to be sparkling clean and don't want to pay a fortune in the process?  Here's what I do:

First, I prepare them properly.  The following is a great list of tips for dazzling dishes, courtesy of Consumer Reports:

"Any detergent is apt to clean better if you scrape off heavy soil before loading dishes. (You'll save energy and water if you don't prerinse.) Then take these steps:

• Load large items at the sides and back so they don't block water and detergent.
  
• Face the dirtier side of dishes toward the center of the machine.
  
• Don't let dishes or utensils nest.
• Rest glasses upside down on prongs so that they don't fill with water. 
• Hand-wash silver and fine glassware. Judging by tests that mimicked long-time machine-washing, some products could be harsh on silver (Cascade with Extra Bleach Action powder, Great Value, Sun & Earth, and Target) or could etch fine glassware (Cascade with Extra Bleach Action powder, Finish Quantum, Method, Seventh Generation, and Simplicity)."

Then, I use a half portion of a phosphate-free automatic dishwasher gel (such as Seventh Generation, which is fairly cheap relative to other eco-friendly brands) and fill the dispenser cup the rest of the way with baking soda.  Baking soda freshens, cleans and acts as a water softener, which helps the detergent do a better job.  I fill the rinsing agent well with white vinegar.  Works like a charm and saves money, too.

A lot of people make their own dishwasher detergent using 1/2 Borax and 1/2 baking soda (put 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the detergent well), but Borax is toxic - dangerous around kids - so I don't use it.  Maybe after my kids are older.

Steve Jobs: How to Live before You Die

In case you need a little inspiration today.  This did the trick for me...

Daily Photo: My Nemesis

For several months, I've been trying to figure out what animal has been so aggressively digging in my garden.  It mucked about so badly in one flower bed that it buried all of my pansies:

It digs around beneath every tree:

It even digs random holes in my lawn:

I first glimpsed the critter about a week ago when it returned to the scene of the pansy crime.  In the following days, it became bolder and bolder, often climbing a pillar outside my window to stare at me.  Today it brought two friends and actually posed for me on the pillar.  I'm not sure, but I think it also laughed at me.  Don't be fooled by how cute it is.  This is the squirrel from hell.

Costco Is Now My Primary Source of Organic Food and Products

Costco finally became the primary place where I shop for food.  It displaced other retailers once it started carrying most of my organic/all natural/environmentally-friendly basics.  Here is a sampling of the products I typically see there these days:

• Marcal recycled toilet tissue
• Kirkland environmentally-friendly laundry detergent and dish soap
• Coleman Natural Beef Hot Dogs
• Apple & Eve organic juice boxes
• Dakota organic ground beef
• Lundburg organic short grain brown rice
• Treetop organic applesauce
• organic raisins
• Ruta Maya organic coffee
  
• Kirkland lowfat organic milk (they carry chocolate milk boxes, too)
  
• Kirkland organic butter
• Earthbound Farm organic baby spinach
• Earthbound Farm organic gala apples
• Bunny-Luv organic baby carrots
• Daisy Fresh organic brown eggs
• Kirkland Filippo Berio Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1.32 gallon jugs of Heinz all natural distilled white vinegar (my primary cleaning agent)
• 12 lb bags of Arm & Hammer baking soda (my second most-used cleaning agent)
• Garofalo organic pasta
• Simply Natural organic pasta sauce
• Wholesome organic sugar
• Amy's organic bean & cheese frozen burritos
• Kirkland organic orange juice
• Kashi cereals and waffles
  
• all purpose organic flour
• Coleman's organic chicken
• Kirkland organic strawberry jam
• Pacific Natural Foods organic free-range chicken broth
• fresh salmon
• Kirkland organic peanut butter
• Oroweat double fiber bread
  

Check it out!

I've Received An "Over The Top" Award!

Pat at Mom's Best Bets generously awarded me the "Your Blog Is Over The Top!" award back on October 27.  I am extremely tardy in posting this and spreading the love.  But here it is, and I am grateful for being chosen to receive it!

Patrice's website inspires a healthier way of living.   She writes about her favorite healthy products and offers tons of great giveaways.  I encourage you to visit Mom's Best Bets and check it out for yourself.  Thank you Pat!

The award's rules:
1. Create a blog post that answers each of the "questions" with one word and includes mention of the giver (that's me!) and six other deserving blogs, then
2. notify the other blogs that they've been given the award.

***

Here are my answers:

Where is your cell phone? Handbag

Your hair? Twist

Your mother? Yes

Your father? Awesome

Your favorite food? Pizza

Your dream last night? zzzzz

Your favorite drink? Coffee

Your dream/goal? Happiness

What room are you in? Kitchen

Your hobby? Writing

Your fear? Many

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy

Where were you last night? Home

Something you aren’t? Sleeping

Muffins? Pumpkin

Wish list item? Kindle

Where did you grow up? Washington, DC

Last thing you did? Baby-bedtime

What are you wearing? Jeans

Your TV? Off

Your pets? None

Your friends? Longtime

Your life? Busy

Your mood? Tired

Missing someone? No

Vehicle? minivan

Something you’re not wearing? Swimsuit

Your favorite store? Whole Foods

Your favorite color? Green

When was the last time you laughed? Today

Last time you cried? Yesterday

Your best friend? several

One place that I go over and over? grocery

One person who emails me regularly? brother

Favorite place to eat? mexican

Six blogs worthy of this award?  Definitely the following:

The Vinkle Life
The Self Love Project
Southern Institute for Domestic Arts And Crafts
The Virtual Dime Museum
Fair Dinks
Finding Trinity

Letting Go

For the first time in years, I wrote a list of New Year's resolutions on January 1.  Or maybe it's more a to-do list for the New Year.  Ironically, I wrote it on the back of an envelope.  My husband, thinking it was garbage, almost threw it out.  And maybe it was garbage, but I don't usually figure that out about New Year's resolutions until about January 15.

Anyway, here's my list.  Most of it is pretty typical, I think.

1. Organize my files.  You should see my husband's file drawer.  If I didn't know better, I'd think he irons his paperwork.
2. Stick to my budget.  Always important to do, but especially important in this economy.
3. Exercise more.  I know I always feel great after I work out - why is it so hard to remember that?
   
4. Finalize our last will and testament, as well as some other financial planning items.  This is my husband's goal, too, but I know it will fall to me to get it done.
5. Finish the short story I've been working on with my older son.
6. Figure out what I'm going to do career-wise after son number 2 starts school next year.
7. Start - and hopefully finish - writing that book I've been contemplating.  If I can ever find the time.
   
8. Catch up on my scrap booking (I still have to put together last year's albums), sort and store my kids' memorabilia in their "memory boxes" rather than the brown paper bags my husband shoved it all into after I let it pile up a bit.
   
9. Don't let little things get to me. 
   
10. Take a look at, and then let go of, some metaphorical baggage.  As long as I'm getting my house in order, I should take a look at my head and heart, too.
    

This last item required me to sit quietly and figure out what really ticks me off or makes my heart ache.  I'm sure there's a lot more for me to wade through in the cobwebbed recesses of my mind, but I decided I should set myself up for success and keep the list small.  I won't bore you with the details, but I boiled #10 down to three things that I think have really been holding me back.  These things have made me miserable from time to time over a multi-year period.  Why am I dragging all of this around??

Resolving these three issues will involve planning (knowing myself as I do), forgiveness (of myself and others), a more positive attitude (to shake some of it off), some discipline (as with everything in life) and some spirituality (offering difficult things up).  I've always been a believer that God helps those who help themselves, so I'm taking the time to do whatever I can to alleviate my burden, then plan to ask for help.

I want 2010 to be my happiest year yet.  With a little hard work, it just might be.

I've Written My First Guest Blog!

My bloggy friend, Shraddha over at The Self Love Project, asked me a while back to guest blog.  It took me quite a while to settle on a subject that I thought would do justice to her website.  Hopefully I got it right.  The piece is about New Year's resolutions, including one that might belong on just about everyone's list:
Letting Go of Baggage.

What are your New Year's resolutions?