This post is dedicated to my friend Jamie. I loved the following comment she gave and hope she won't mind me posting it here: "I never really thought much about how I would raise kids, I just knew I wanted them. I am now thinking, I have no idea what my philosophy is!...I feel so inadequate at times! Like last night I tried putting her to bed like the book I read said to do. But after 15 minutes I was done, I couldn't handle the crying anymore and I rocked her to sleep."
This described my sentiments a year ago with Maggie perfectly. To be frank, I hate the way many baby books seem to tell mothers that if they don't make their babies learn to self-soothe (aka cry-it-out), they will have sleep problems for life. I do not believe this to be true and, at first, it made me feel guilty for NOT wanting to let my babies cry-it-out. (I tried it several times and it took too long and made me cry, so what's the point in both being miserable?) I knew that my own mother and mother-in-law often rocked their babies to sleep until they were at least two. Also, in my shallow research on the subject I have found other experts (Dr. Sears and others) who expound the opposite case, saying that babies feel neglected when you let them cry-it-out.
Probably both ends of the argument are a bit extreme. I am not trying to judge what other moms do, just as I would not want them to judge the way I do things. I have come to the conclusion that each mother needs to do what feels right to her. I think it's good to read books and ask others' opinions and learn all you can from others' experiences, but when it comes down to it, our Heavenly Father knows best and when we ask him in faith he will help us find the best methods for us...and that may vary from mother to mother, from baby to baby, and from one circumstance to another.
I will say that as we find those methods that are best for us and the little individuals we are raising, we don't feel guilty about them. We feel happy, confident, and can relax and enjoy being a parent more.
That said, Jamie asked me what I do with Maggie and Kate. I am no expert, but here are some things that have worked for me so far. And I will say, I think I've just been lucky to have good sleepers, so I probably don't know what I'm talking about. Those of you who are shaking their heads thinking, "just wait until she gets a kid like so-and-so who wakes every hour"...I may very well be calling you for help with my next one. =)
The first year (or so):
-nursing baby to sleep
-or putting baby in bed when tired but awake--mine usually make cute sounds and then conch out on their own
Like most mothers, I found that as I watched my babies I started to be able to read their cues for when they were tired. They have been a lot easier to put to sleep if I put them down before they got overtired.
Last resorts:
-stroking baby's face or head until she falls asleep
-singing baby to sleep
-rocking baby to sleep
-more nursing
I think that nursing on demand helped my babies sleep better. Some say that nursing on demand turns babies into snackers, but both my girls have not wanted to nurse too often once past the newborn stage and they started sleeping through the night early. I nurse as long as the baby wants (which is usually a good twenty to forty minutes) and nurse as much as the baby wants to in the evening (usually a few times). I think this helps her sleep more soundly. The nights where I only get in one or two feedings in the evening seem to be the nights when baby wakes up.
When baby does wake up, I am not a fan of nursing in bed. There have been nights I was so tired, I have nursed in bed and let the baby sleep there, but I have found that usually those nights I, the baby, and Mike all sleep poorly. I know that nursing in bed works great for some people, but I have decided that for the most part I prefer quality over quantity in the sleep department. Instead, I usually nurse on the couch or a comfy recliner and admire my baby, read my scriptures or the Ensign, or drift in and out of conciousness, depending on the night and my energy-level, until the baby is done. And I have enjoyed some special moments with my babies and read some great articles at 4 a.m. that I'm glad I did not miss.
The second year (this is as far as we've gotten):
-bedtime routine: drink (and sometimes snack), brush teeth, Primary song, scripture story, prayer
-extra cuddle time before bed: rocking, singing lullabies, etc before even trying to put her down (I got the feeling that because we weren't nursing anymore, she just needed some extra cuddle time. Sometimes, this is all it took and then she went down.)
-put her in bed and wave good-night
We have had a couple rough spots this year with Maggie not wanting to take naps or go to bed as easily. Here's what we did those times:
-Put her in her crib (Sometimes to lure her into her crib I would read her a story in her crib.)
-If she was still resisting and did not want to be left, I would pat her back or stroke her head or even hold her and hug her in her room for a few minutes while she settled down. I would sing songs to her as I reassured her. I would sometimes do this until she fell asleep. [Tip: I recommend putting a chair next to the crib if you want to reassure them by their bed. It really helped me get through those weeks when she needed me to sit by her and reassure her. I was six months pregnant and standing was getting old quick.]
-When I knew she felt comfortable in her bed, I would try and leave when she was calm but not yet asleep. Sometimes this would get her all riled up again. Sometimes she was fine with it.
-Later, I started putting on her Primary Songbook CD while patting her back until she was calm and then tried to leave.
-Sometimes I would sing and rock her to sleep if she was having a really hard time.
-Last resort, if she was just fussy but not really crying I would let her fuss for five minutes or so before I checked on her (I can take the fussing better than crying, when it's just a few scattered cries, but not really upset crying.) Usually, it didn't even come to this and if it did she was normally asleep after a few minutes.
-For naptime, I would do a shorter version of the above. There were several times she really had trouble going down and wouldn't take a nap. I was really worried she would give her nap up really early. But we just kept doing it and she LOVES her nap now.
-I noticed it was hardest to put her down to rest at other people's houses, so I just tried to be prepared to change her naptime, put her down early if she wouldn't nap, or sit down with her until she could fall asleep on days we were visiting.
These methods sound like they take a long time, but I tried crying-it-out like the books said a couple times and it seemed to take just as long and was much more painful for me. Maybe it just didn't work well for Maggie's temperament. The above usually only took a half-hour (often less, but a couple times more) and the sleep rebellions were never more than a few weeks. And it was worth it. Now Maggie loves both bed and naptime. We just do our bedtime routine, put on her Primary songs CD, and say goodnight.
I must say, those Primary CDs from Church Distribution were one of the best investments I ever made...and free shipping. She loves them (I think because sometimes it takes her a long time to fall asleep) and I love hearing her sing them as she falls asleep.
These things really worked for us and eased my peace of mind. I found myself looking forward to bedtime/cuddle time and am starting to miss it now that she doesn't need it as much. She is growing much too fast. Good thing I have Kate too.
I don't know if any of this will prove helpful, but I hope it will. If anyone else has any tips, ideas, experience, or comments, I'd love to hear it.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Hodge-Podge Weekend
Friday night we attended a carnival fundraiser for our ward's Young Women's Camp fund. Maggie enjoyed coloring, fishing for donuts, and eating cupcakes from the bake sale. Fortunately there was a bib in the diaper bag. Sometimes I can be a good mom.
In addition to the bake sale, there was an auction for a number of various services and items that had been donated by local businesses. Mike bid on most every one. Although, we only won a few, we did bring home the item with the highest ticket... a photo session! Because we had done one last year at a store, Mike had some understanding of the cost associated with such things and did not flinch as the price rose rapidly. I was surprised we pulled it off. It's with a friend from the ward who takes beautiful shots, mostly outdoors. I'm so excited!!!
The other major success of the night was purchasing three babysitting sessions. It was one of my weekend goals to get a babysitter, because for some reason I have a problem getting myself to do this with any frequency, even though we budget to have one once a month. We spend most of our date nights at home and have a lot of fun times, but as I was telling a friend earlier on Friday, I think it's important to get out together without the girls for a couple hours every now and then. And we haven't since Kate was born. So now we will. =)
On Saturday, in between the showers that had been off and on for the past few days, we got some gardening done. After last year's crop failure, we're determined to return to the glory from the year previous when we had a plentiful harvest in the planter strip outside our apartment in Utah (which interestingly was composed mostly of sand, gravel and asbestos that had leached out of the apartment following the fire that occurred shortly before we signed our lease).
So, following my prompting to try a tidier approach, this winter Mike did extensive research on square foot gardening and adapted it to what we could obtain from our local retailers and fit in the trunk of our sedan. Also, he wanted to use some leftover wood in our basement that caused our "square feet" to be "slightly more than square feet." So far, the results are encouraging. Today we had some spinach and Maggie ate our first strawberry. Stay tuned.
The rain prompted some afternoon quiet time, during which we snuggled, read, and finally painted the rocking chair! This is a project that has been on the to-do list for quite some time and it was so good of Mike to finally help me get it done. I thought at first that I wanted to paint the chair red, but after I found some pretty colored pots for the front step, I thought that would be too much. I opted instead to refinish the chair with a clear urethane finish instead to bring out the brown tone of the chair. I am very pleased with how it turned out, though I may still need another coat.
After the girls were in bed, we made our new favorite homemade treat: buffalo chicken. This was our fourth attempt and best yet.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
My New Babysitter
That's right folks. We finally jumped on the bandwagon. Maggie is holding my brand-new iPod Nano. It's small and pink and cute and plays Sesame clips. Maggie loves it. (Don't worry I didn't let her sit there all day...just a few educational clips. For those of you who are Sesame Street watchers, the "words on the street" were "dance," "fabulous," and "garden," so she now knows those. Though I don't know if she'd know what a fabulous dance garden is, but I don't know if I do either. And I was so surprised and thrilled to find you can get certain Sesame podcasts for free!)Mike got the iPod for me as an early Mother's Day gift. I still don't really know how to find, buy, or load songs onto it, but I'm sure he'll be happy to be my iPod manager until I figure it out. And did you know that these new iPods work as video cameras and pedometers too? It is a crazy world we live in. ;)
Maggie was soooo excited when we opened it. She was giggling with delight while she helped me open the box and couldn't wait to hold it. As soon as she got it, she put it to her ear saying, "Hello," expectantly. She has a somewhat limited understanding of electronics. Remotes, cell phones, iPods, baby monitors...they are all interchangeable to her.
Oh, and funny story: After I decided Maggie was done with the iPod for a while I put it up on the counter so we could eat lunch. I thought she had forgotten about it, but after lunch she was reaching up towards it saying, "Please?....Okay," in this really sweet voice. This is her new phrase for telling me how she'd like our interchange to go. She knows I don't give anything to her when she's whining, but when she says "please" calmly I often say "okay" and fulfill her request. Not this time, poor girl. I must say, she took her disappointment rather well.
Friday, April 16, 2010
I've Been Lazy; Kate Hasn't
I really haven't accomplished much this week. I don't know if it was having such a mildly impressive day on Saturday or what, but all I've done this week is the normal stuff: eat, sleep, make meals, feed baby, play with kids, pick up toys, laundry, library, etc.
I did a fair bit of reading about parenting. I looked up some articles that I had read in my parenting class at BYU that I had really liked and enjoyed re-reading those as well as some others. Here are a few favorites: Family Councils, Responsibilities of Parenthood, The Parenting Pyramid, The Great Plan of Happiness, and Let Us Raise Our Voice and again this mom blog, Asking Jane, her views on teaching and discipline closely align with my own goals and put into words things I admire about my own mother, mother-in-law, and other mothers I look up to. Here are a few of my favorite posts of hers: Understanding Boys? , A Loving Approach to Discipline?, Setting Limits?, A Letter: Discipline, A Letter: Babies, and A Letter: Turning to the Lord.
I love being a mom...and reading about being a mom and talking about being a mom. You probably remember. I wrote a whole (long) post on it. And mention it constantly. And post links about it.
I also finally started to revamp our blog which I've been wanting to do for FOREVER (and didn't take long at all, so I don't know what I was waiting for). It's nice to have the text wider so that my long babbling entries seem less long and babbling. I'm still vacillating about the title a bit. It seems rather long, but it's hard for me to let go of our original title. I thought it was pretty clever, if I do say so myself. And Mike says you can't change a title or you lose continuity. He says it's the first rule of journalism. And he was a humor columnist back in his day (in high school). But I was thinking of tweaking it to Mike & Me & Our Two Babies or, more general, Mike & Me & Our Little Family.
I really do like blogging though. So, thanks for bearing with me. It helps me keep a record, stay in touch, AND develop my writing ability, all at once. I do so much better with it than journaling. I think it's because I have more motivation to be timely and focused with entries. (You're thinking, THIS is focused? But you haven't seen some of my long, half-finished diary entries that never really go anywhere or say what I wanted them to. Having a title at least makes me attempt to stay on task.)
But what I didn't do this week is paint the rocking chair, sew the front room curtains, spray paint the side table and wicker baskets for my room, or sew up the cushion for Maggie's bench. Or a myriad of other projects I'm dreaming of. Maybe my problem is I get over-confident and plan too big. I still have some pictures from projects I did back in February that I told my family I would post for them to see, but was waiting until I finished these other projects that I haven't gotten to and thought I would do very quickly. It's funny how I got a ton of projects done in a couple weeks and then took a month (or more) off for me (and my house) to recover. And then I got in a baking mood for a while and then a reading mood....but stay tuned because I think my home improvement bug is coming back.
The other thing I should do is finish unpacking the summer clothes and packing up the winter stuff, a job that has been half-done for over a week.
In case you are wondering why I'm typing this instead of having a really fun at-home date night with Mike like doing a puzzle or something, he had to take the missionaries to the visitor's center in Independence and I'm avoiding the dishwasher. I'm glad he can help, but nights like these, mutual nights, and youth temple trips and stake events make me appreciate my leaders and youth leaders (and their families) more.
Also, this girl needs either more toys or more supervision. Either way, I'm falling short. (She cannot leave the pantry alone. It makes me laugh.)
And thanks for the sweet comments on my silly story below. I did not write that post to brag about how honest I am (or tried to be). I just thought it was funny for them to tell me I didn't need to pay anything when I so clearly owed.
AND THE REAL REASON FOR THIS POST: As of Wednesday, Kate can ROLL OVER!!! But she's a little camera shy. I'll try and get a video up soon if I can.
(And I claim to be focused...)
I did a fair bit of reading about parenting. I looked up some articles that I had read in my parenting class at BYU that I had really liked and enjoyed re-reading those as well as some others. Here are a few favorites: Family Councils, Responsibilities of Parenthood, The Parenting Pyramid, The Great Plan of Happiness, and Let Us Raise Our Voice and again this mom blog, Asking Jane, her views on teaching and discipline closely align with my own goals and put into words things I admire about my own mother, mother-in-law, and other mothers I look up to. Here are a few of my favorite posts of hers: Understanding Boys? , A Loving Approach to Discipline?, Setting Limits?, A Letter: Discipline, A Letter: Babies, and A Letter: Turning to the Lord.
I love being a mom...and reading about being a mom and talking about being a mom. You probably remember. I wrote a whole (long) post on it. And mention it constantly. And post links about it.
I also finally started to revamp our blog which I've been wanting to do for FOREVER (and didn't take long at all, so I don't know what I was waiting for). It's nice to have the text wider so that my long babbling entries seem less long and babbling. I'm still vacillating about the title a bit. It seems rather long, but it's hard for me to let go of our original title. I thought it was pretty clever, if I do say so myself. And Mike says you can't change a title or you lose continuity. He says it's the first rule of journalism. And he was a humor columnist back in his day (in high school). But I was thinking of tweaking it to Mike & Me & Our Two Babies or, more general, Mike & Me & Our Little Family.
I really do like blogging though. So, thanks for bearing with me. It helps me keep a record, stay in touch, AND develop my writing ability, all at once. I do so much better with it than journaling. I think it's because I have more motivation to be timely and focused with entries. (You're thinking, THIS is focused? But you haven't seen some of my long, half-finished diary entries that never really go anywhere or say what I wanted them to. Having a title at least makes me attempt to stay on task.)
But what I didn't do this week is paint the rocking chair, sew the front room curtains, spray paint the side table and wicker baskets for my room, or sew up the cushion for Maggie's bench. Or a myriad of other projects I'm dreaming of. Maybe my problem is I get over-confident and plan too big. I still have some pictures from projects I did back in February that I told my family I would post for them to see, but was waiting until I finished these other projects that I haven't gotten to and thought I would do very quickly. It's funny how I got a ton of projects done in a couple weeks and then took a month (or more) off for me (and my house) to recover. And then I got in a baking mood for a while and then a reading mood....but stay tuned because I think my home improvement bug is coming back.
The other thing I should do is finish unpacking the summer clothes and packing up the winter stuff, a job that has been half-done for over a week.
In case you are wondering why I'm typing this instead of having a really fun at-home date night with Mike like doing a puzzle or something, he had to take the missionaries to the visitor's center in Independence and I'm avoiding the dishwasher. I'm glad he can help, but nights like these, mutual nights, and youth temple trips and stake events make me appreciate my leaders and youth leaders (and their families) more.
Also, this girl needs either more toys or more supervision. Either way, I'm falling short. (She cannot leave the pantry alone. It makes me laugh.)
And thanks for the sweet comments on my silly story below. I did not write that post to brag about how honest I am (or tried to be). I just thought it was funny for them to tell me I didn't need to pay anything when I so clearly owed.
AND THE REAL REASON FOR THIS POST: As of Wednesday, Kate can ROLL OVER!!! But she's a little camera shy. I'll try and get a video up soon if I can.
(And I claim to be focused...)
Monday, April 12, 2010
Thwarted
So, today I went to Wal-mart to give them money. As in they undercharged me when I was exchanging some items there last week and I realized it when I got home and wanted to set things right. After all, as my mother always says, "If you're going to be dishonest, make it something big" (or something to that effect). I didn't want ten dollars on my conscience, even if it wasn't my fault.
I brought my receipt to the lady at the customer service desk and tried to explain.
"I believe I was undercharged last time I came in. You see I returned three items, but on this receipt it shows I was given credit for five items. See these two I shouldn't have been credited for."
"Yeah, but then you were charged for them. So that cancels out the credit."
"Right, but that's the problem. I was never charged for it. The extra credit was canceled out, but I never paid for the item which I did receive."
"No, it's all right. You don't owe any money."
"No, I'm pretty sure I do. You see I was credited $44.61 (before tax), but my returns only came to about $35." [I had checked at home when things didn't seem right with the transaction.]
"Well, I guess I can charge you if you want, but you don't owe anything. She voided those other returns out." She was getting a bit snippy with me now, so I started to feel unsure. Maybe I was wrong.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, you're fine."
I walked away, looking at my reciept, wondering how I could have been wrong. A few minutes later I began feeling indignant and was sure (again) that I was right. But I felt too dumb to go back.
So, I stole some cups to spite them. Just kidding. When I was checking out they had rolled under Kate's carseat, so when I was loading things into the car I realized I hadn't been charged for them and had to run them back in. It was just funny to have yet another opportunity to mar my character at Wal-mart.
Just so you all know, I should have only been credited $33.70 (or $36.33 with tax--I figured it out on a calculator, when I got home.) Maybe if I'm feeling self-righteous next time I'm in Wal-mart I will try to argue them their money back again. For the meantime, I'll try to ignore the guilty conscience and enjoy feeling ten dollars richer. (I think I have read one too many Friend magazine stories growing up.)
My other moral dilemma right now is that apparently I am (or rather Sarah Wanlass is) wanted in New York for not appearing for jury duty even though (1) I have not lived there for over five years, (2) my name has not been Sarah Wanlass for a little over three years, and (3) I never was forwarded any of the juror questionnaires I "failed to respond" to, just this juror subpoena several months after I was supposed to appear. The subpoena threatens a "$250 fine and/or imprisonment" for failure to appear, so I feel like I am living on the edge. I went through the trouble of looking up their number online and tried to call them to rectify the situation, but kept missing them. When I finally got ahold of someone to tell them I lived somewhere else she told me to mail proof of residency (like a utility bill) from my new residence. But after we hung up, I remembered I forgot to tell her about my name change problem and there is no way I feel comfortable mailing a copy of my marriage certificate, which is I think the only name change proof they will accept. I guess I better stay out of New York, huh? Has this ever happened to anyone else?
In other news, Kate had her four-month well child today and "has very strong trunk development" according to the doctor and the apple blossoms from the trees we planted last year are out and looking beautiful. Mike had to prune a few branches, so I got to put them in my vases to dress up my front room and kitchen. Yay! Also, I have given up on trying to dress up the table with placemats. Maggie keeps using them to pull everyone's food towards her. And since you mainly come for the pictures, here are some cute ones:
I brought my receipt to the lady at the customer service desk and tried to explain.
"I believe I was undercharged last time I came in. You see I returned three items, but on this receipt it shows I was given credit for five items. See these two I shouldn't have been credited for."
"Yeah, but then you were charged for them. So that cancels out the credit."
"Right, but that's the problem. I was never charged for it. The extra credit was canceled out, but I never paid for the item which I did receive."
"No, it's all right. You don't owe any money."
"No, I'm pretty sure I do. You see I was credited $44.61 (before tax), but my returns only came to about $35." [I had checked at home when things didn't seem right with the transaction.]
"Well, I guess I can charge you if you want, but you don't owe anything. She voided those other returns out." She was getting a bit snippy with me now, so I started to feel unsure. Maybe I was wrong.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, you're fine."
I walked away, looking at my reciept, wondering how I could have been wrong. A few minutes later I began feeling indignant and was sure (again) that I was right. But I felt too dumb to go back.
So, I stole some cups to spite them. Just kidding. When I was checking out they had rolled under Kate's carseat, so when I was loading things into the car I realized I hadn't been charged for them and had to run them back in. It was just funny to have yet another opportunity to mar my character at Wal-mart.
Just so you all know, I should have only been credited $33.70 (or $36.33 with tax--I figured it out on a calculator, when I got home.) Maybe if I'm feeling self-righteous next time I'm in Wal-mart I will try to argue them their money back again. For the meantime, I'll try to ignore the guilty conscience and enjoy feeling ten dollars richer. (I think I have read one too many Friend magazine stories growing up.)
My other moral dilemma right now is that apparently I am (or rather Sarah Wanlass is) wanted in New York for not appearing for jury duty even though (1) I have not lived there for over five years, (2) my name has not been Sarah Wanlass for a little over three years, and (3) I never was forwarded any of the juror questionnaires I "failed to respond" to, just this juror subpoena several months after I was supposed to appear. The subpoena threatens a "$250 fine and/or imprisonment" for failure to appear, so I feel like I am living on the edge. I went through the trouble of looking up their number online and tried to call them to rectify the situation, but kept missing them. When I finally got ahold of someone to tell them I lived somewhere else she told me to mail proof of residency (like a utility bill) from my new residence. But after we hung up, I remembered I forgot to tell her about my name change problem and there is no way I feel comfortable mailing a copy of my marriage certificate, which is I think the only name change proof they will accept. I guess I better stay out of New York, huh? Has this ever happened to anyone else?
In other news, Kate had her four-month well child today and "has very strong trunk development" according to the doctor and the apple blossoms from the trees we planted last year are out and looking beautiful. Mike had to prune a few branches, so I got to put them in my vases to dress up my front room and kitchen. Yay! Also, I have given up on trying to dress up the table with placemats. Maggie keeps using them to pull everyone's food towards her. And since you mainly come for the pictures, here are some cute ones:
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Today...
was productive:
-made my bed
-said my prayers and read my scriptures
-got myself and the girls dressed
(I am learning to appreciate these types of everday accomplishments rather than take them for granted.)
-found THE THROW PILLOWS I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR--my living room is mostly rust and sage, but I have been working to find blue accents. The blue and cream pillows I got will go great with the curtain fabric I found recently.
-found THE CLUTCH I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR--it has plenty of wallet space, fits my keys and cell phone (so I will hopefully stop misplacing them--or at least misplace them together), and has a darling blue, green, pink, yellow, and orange floral print on it
-found THE HEADBAND I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR--it's got plenty of bling and will look great with the gold flats I got a couple summers ago--it's even better than the one I ordered on target.com but then got back-ordered and my order canceled
(The best part is all of the above items were good deals. Now I have to decide if I should save them for a special occasion or treat myself for no particular reason, besides the fact that I finally got to go shopping. It's hard to go shopping very often as our town is twenty-plus minutes from everything other than Wal-mart and the grocery store, I have two babies, and I don't feel like taking my husband to work to get the car to go shopping with two babies.)
-caught up on two half-finished blog entries (see below).
Today was also fun:
-watched Mike ref Young Men's basketball (I wasn't sure if I was supposed to cheer the YM, "Go team." or the ref, "You tell 'em, ref." So I did both. So did Maggie. I don't think he particularly likes being a referee.)
-took Maggie (and Kate) to play with cousins at the park
-used up our Applebee's gift certificate (yum)
-looked inside a new house they are building nearby
-went on a short run
-caught up on two half-finished blog entries (see below).
Yes, I know I put the bit about half-finished blog entries twice. It was productive and fun. I also made a vow that I will no longer leave half-finished blog entries so that they are hanging over my head. We will see how long that lasts.
I did not take a shower. But I did last night and I will now.
Edit: I took a shower. In my shower I was thinking Mike was productive too. He gardened, reffed, mowed, planted, watered, grocery shopped, and replaced lightbulbs. It makes my accomplishments sound kind of frivolous.
-made my bed
-said my prayers and read my scriptures
-got myself and the girls dressed
(I am learning to appreciate these types of everday accomplishments rather than take them for granted.)
-found THE THROW PILLOWS I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR--my living room is mostly rust and sage, but I have been working to find blue accents. The blue and cream pillows I got will go great with the curtain fabric I found recently.
-found THE CLUTCH I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR--it has plenty of wallet space, fits my keys and cell phone (so I will hopefully stop misplacing them--or at least misplace them together), and has a darling blue, green, pink, yellow, and orange floral print on it
-found THE HEADBAND I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR--it's got plenty of bling and will look great with the gold flats I got a couple summers ago--it's even better than the one I ordered on target.com but then got back-ordered and my order canceled
(The best part is all of the above items were good deals. Now I have to decide if I should save them for a special occasion or treat myself for no particular reason, besides the fact that I finally got to go shopping. It's hard to go shopping very often as our town is twenty-plus minutes from everything other than Wal-mart and the grocery store, I have two babies, and I don't feel like taking my husband to work to get the car to go shopping with two babies.)
-caught up on two half-finished blog entries (see below).
Today was also fun:
-watched Mike ref Young Men's basketball (I wasn't sure if I was supposed to cheer the YM, "Go team." or the ref, "You tell 'em, ref." So I did both. So did Maggie. I don't think he particularly likes being a referee.)
-took Maggie (and Kate) to play with cousins at the park
-used up our Applebee's gift certificate (yum)
-looked inside a new house they are building nearby
-went on a short run
-caught up on two half-finished blog entries (see below).
Yes, I know I put the bit about half-finished blog entries twice. It was productive and fun. I also made a vow that I will no longer leave half-finished blog entries so that they are hanging over my head. We will see how long that lasts.
I did not take a shower. But I did last night and I will now.
Edit: I took a shower. In my shower I was thinking Mike was productive too. He gardened, reffed, mowed, planted, watered, grocery shopped, and replaced lightbulbs. It makes my accomplishments sound kind of frivolous.
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