Ahhh... fresh air

I love the fall!  What I also love is taking long walks in the fall.  This is something that DH and I do as much as possible, and this past weekend was no exception!  About a mile down the road, there is a newer development.  There is an significant acre requirement for each lot of land, which means the houses are a good distance from each other.  Before we bought the house we live in now, we thought about buying one in this development, but they were much too large for our needs.  

Laundry room/changing station

I LOVE MY LAUNDRY ROOM!

It is located on the main level of our house with the living rooms, kitchen and bathroom.  The reason this room is so exciting for me is because not only is this the place I wash, dry and fold our clothes, but it is the room where I change diapers during the day.  I am fully aware of how silly this sounds, so first... here is what it looks like: 

My laundry room/changing station

Don't be jealous!  :o)  

Seriously, this set up helps me a lot.  There is nothing fancy about how I do the laundry, but the fact that it's also my changing station is great!  

 
We live in a two story house, and since our changing table is in the baby's room upstairs, I often found myself changing diapers on the floor downstairs.  If you have ever changed a diaper in your life, you know how annoying this can be.  Lay the baby on the ground, put something under the tush to protect the ground from accidents, then whip out the diaper and wipes... OOPS!  WIPES!  Run and get the wipes.  Now clean the tush.  Oh no, you see a little rash on the bum!  Run and get the diaper rash cream.  WHERE IS IT???  Meanwhile, your little one is now running around your living room peeing all over the rug.  You get my point.  Anyhow, it made changing diapers a real chore.  Granted, it's never fun, but at least my system makes it a little bit more enjoyable... for me anyways!

As you can see, I have everything I need within arms reach, which is a lot when you are cloth diapering.  I love it!  Plus, when it's diaper wash day, the diapers are already in the laundry room!  Mine are in a covered bin in front of the dryer on the left.  You can't see it, but I assure you it is there!  Bonus!  :o)

Wedding talk

This weekend is going to be a lot of fun!  #1 and I are in my cousin's wedding on Sunday (the bride is #1's Godmother), so we have been doing quite a bit of talking about the wedding.  In fact, #1 is so excited about her Godmother's wedding that she has already played around with materials to make a wedding dress for when she gets married.  

A few weeks ago, we hosted a baby shower at our house, so there were a lot of decorations being put up.  I purchased a blue table cloth for one of the tables, but it was too long, so I cut off a portion and threw the extra in a bag of trash that had wrappers from party decorations, plastic spoon/fork/knife boxes, napkins, etc. in it.  While I was hanging up things on our baby clothes line, I spotted #1 playing with the material from the table cloth.  She has such a creative imagination.  She started wrapping it around her body as if she were mummifying herself.  See below:

#1's wedding dress!

So, we started talking, and our conversation went a little like this... 

Me:  What are you doing honey?

#1:  I'm making my wedding dress.

Me:  It's beautiful honey.  So, you're getting married?

#1:  Yes.  I'm in love!

Me:  Really?  Who are you in love with?

#2:  The one that gave me the ring!

Me:  When are you going to get married? 

#2:  In a few whiles.

Me:  Oh sweetie, that's great!  So you have to tell me all about it.  Who gave you the ring? 

#1:  Don't know!  

After this mini-conversation, I laughed so hard my belly hurt.  She is such a dramatic little thing too, so picture each answer being said with attitude in her voice, hand on her hip, and picture her tiny hip jutted out as far as her little body will allow. Such a cute image!

Life is so simple when you are little.  It's funny to think that is her perception on marriage right now.  She just took bits and pieces of what I said in conversation to my cousin, to DH, to my mother... she took all of those words, studied them, then applied them to her little life.  

To this day, I still don't know who she will be marrying in a few whiles, but I hope I'm still cool enough to be invited! 

Dedication

Getting on here to submit an entry has proven to be extremely difficult, especially considering our new schedule since school started!  But, I am determined to keep this going for my kids! It's for the kids!!!


One of our favorite things about fall is apple picking!  

Picking apples while on Daddy's shoulders last year!

It's a favorite past time of every New Englander!!!  With daddy's help, #1 loves to pick the apples her little sister can't reach!  This picture was taken last year at our favorite orchard.  It has pick your own apples, raspberries, blueberries and pumpkins!  We have gone there every year since moving to this area three years ago.  Unfortunately, because of the wacky weather this spring (the May frost killed over 90% of it's apple crop), we won't be going there for apples this year.  We will still go there to pick other fruits of their harvest.  Pumpkins and raspberries are on the list!  Perhaps a sunflower or two for my kitchen!  

#1 is supposed to go on an apple picking field trip next week to another local orchard.  We'll see if it still happens.  If apples aren't available there, we may have to travel south where I used to go as a kid!  Going a season without applesauce made from the apples my little ones picked with their very own little hands is unacceptable!

Monkey cake fiasco!

I'm coming up for air... finally!  A lot has happened since my last entry.  This past weekend, we went on our annual Labor Day camping trip with my extended family.  We left right after #1 got out of preschool.  Friday was miserable.  It was hot and humid, which we all know is a perfect combination for toddlers and babies!  But, once we got everything set up at the campground, it wasn't so bad.  It started to cool off that night and the rest of the weekend was perfect!  

We started this tradition last year and plan on making it an annual thing.  My parents, two brothers, uncles and aunt all come up with their families and we sit, camp, eat, play wiffel ball, etc.  It is so much fun.


This year, we decided to have a birthday party for #2 who is turning two very soon.  I made her a monkey cake.  It was very simple to make, but with little fingers around the house, I should have expected what happened.  Here is the story... 

I baked the cakes on Thursday.  There was enough batter to make two small round cakes.  My plan was to stack them on top of each other for a double layer cake because there was going to be a lot of people there to help us celebrate.  The day I picked to bake the cakes was supposed to be a hot and muggy one, so I decided to get up super early (we're talking 5:30am) to make it.  It was fairly cool in the morning, so I opened windows to let as much heat out as possible.  Once they were done, I put them on the stove top to cool.  This was mistake #1.  

#1's Damage

Once I scolded #1 for putting her fingers in the cake, I went into the pantry, closed the door and chuckled to myself.  How could I not find that funny?  Now, the question was whether or not to just use the damaged goods, or just use it and not tell anyone (like anyone would care!!).  The first option was the most appealing... who wouldn't want to down an entire layer of chocolate cake?  But, considering how many people were going to be looking for cake, I opted for the latter.  A double layer cake it was going to be!  I assembled the layers and frosted it, then had #1 assist with decorating it.  Baking and decorating with the kids is always fun.  #1 likes it because I let her sample the frosting and/or decorations once we are done.  #2 is just getting into it now, but I'm sure she likes the sampling too!  The hardest part is waiting for the proper time to eat our final product.  Waiting is very hard when you are only 2 and 3 years old.

Monkey Cake Final Product

We decided to celebrate #2 and one of my uncle's birthday on Saturday night (their birthday is on the same day).  The cake was taken out and put on the picnic table at our campsite.  Here comes mistake #2!!!  I left the table for literally 60 seconds to get a candle at my uncle's site and when I came back, this is what I found... 

#2 having a taste of her birthday cake

... little fingers tapping into the cake!  This time, it was #2!  Again - how could I not laugh at this?  It was too funny, so I had to snap a picture!  We had to move quickly.  The little people wanted cake!!!  So, we sang happy birthday and cut the cake for everyone to enjoy!  What a fun day!  
We can't wait until next year!  The monkey cake was such a hit that we may have to repeat it next year!

Baby shower and preschool

The surprise baby shower was a success! Our friend was totally surprised and we all had a wonderful time! I am starting to like this hosting gig... especially for deserving people. They have done so much for us since we moved here. Whether or not they will admit it is another story! So we really wanted to do this for them. The weather was perfect, the company was grand... and lots of good conversation was had by all! It was wonderful to sit back and watch them open all the gifts for the little one due to arrive in the next few months. They are having a little boy, so there was a lot of blue, green and yellow... and lots of dog, monkey and moose items! She has that pregnancy glow for sure, and they both looked so happy. That's all we wanted! :o)

In other news, #1's first day of preschool was today and it was a complete success! DH was able to go, so we dropped her off together at 9am. I must admit. We were a little nervous. She had been excited about this day all summer. My mother got her a backpack for school about a month ago and #1 took it everywhere with her. She was so excited that she and her cousins played school in the side yard at the summer cottage while we were on vacation. Well, yesterday she told us that she didn't want to go anymore. We weren't sure if it was because she was tired (she's going through the no-nap phase), or if she was getting nervous, etc. We decided not to play into it too much and I'm glad. She ended up being fine! We walked her into the classroom and she may as well have kicked us out the door because she never looked back. She sat at a table with play dough and another little girl sat down across from her. She settled herself right in. We were standing behind her just waiting for her to come running back. She never did! Our little girl is growing up.

A few people asked me how I did. I guess a lot of parents have a hard time bringing the first child to preschool. Had she showed any hesitation, I would have cried, but knowing that she was strong in herself and excited to be on her own... well, I had to be strong like her. :o) But, to be totally honest, I was really looking forward to the break. Ever since we signed her up for preschool, I had a plan. Her schedule is three half days a week. I would put #2 in our Bob Revolution stroller (which I LOVE), wear #3 in the Ergo carrier (which I also LOVE) and I would be walking the town for an hour or two. So, that's what I did and it was so refreshing. I didn't have to answer a zillion and one questions. They both fell asleep so I had time to think. Seriously think! Too bad I didn't have anything to think about! HA HA!

I hear the first week is the "honeymoon stage" though. The kids like going out and doing things for a week or so, and then they pitch a fit once they figure out it's for good. I am curious to see if our little one will go through that. Something tells me she won't, but another thing I've learned being a parent. If I predict something, it is sure to go the exact opposite way. So, we'll have to sit and wait!

We are in the middle of what we like to call our "busy season." We have things every single weekend until the end of October. Then it's practically holiday preparation time. Before we know it, it's going to be New Years!

This weekend we are going camping. It is a new tradition with my side of the family. We camp from Friday night through the holiday weekend. Last year was the first time we did it and we had so much fun that we decided to do it again this year. I am very excited about it, but have a lot of preparation. Packing of course, making a monkey birthday cake for #2 (perhaps a picture of it is in your future!), food shopping and of course carting #1 back and forth to preschool.

This is where life starts to get crazy, doesn't it? When the first one starts school and you have to try juggling everything in between drop offs and pick ups. It probably gets even crazier. I will probably start wondering how we are going to fit everything in, so it is very important for me to remember how "slow" things are now.

That's it for now. I am very tired and am afraid that the post isn't making much sense anymore. But, that's the way it goes for a mother of 3 within 3 years!!! :o) Goodnight people!

Sorry I've been MIA

Sorry I have been away for a few days. I am hosting a surprise baby shower for a friend and it's tomorrow, so things are a little hectic at the moment. Another reason for my not posting in the last few days is because our internet wasn't working. You see, we live in the country, so high speed internet isn't available like it is in other places. When we first moved into this house, we had to settle for dial-up. That was HORRIBLE! It reminded me of the time when internet first came out. My parents signed up for AOL and each of us had our own screen name (we were all old enough to have our own). It was so exciting for us... and my parents too. The upside was that we had the world at our fingertips. The down side was that it tied up the phone line. It was SO annoying if you were the one trying to call the person "surfing the web!!!" Today, we'd just call that persons cell phone... because we all seem to have one these days.

So yes... we had to settle for dial up. Then, we found out about satellite internet. The good thing about it is the speed. It's quite a bit faster than dial up. The bad thing about it is that your service is dependent on the weather. Not so much fun! If it's rainy or cloudy, we're out! Luckily we have a data plan on our cell phones, so we can access internet that way. It's awesome, but I won't be typing a blog on my little tiny cell phone. It is way faster to type on my keyboard.

Anyhow...

I have an update on #2's issue. She has been pooping with ease!!! She isn't complaining and the consistency is perfectly normal. It has been 10 days since she stopped dairy, so I'm starting to think this may be the issue. Something else that seems to be getting better are what I call "bumpies" on her arms, cheeks and eyebrows. It's another thing she has had since birth, and her older sister has the same thing but not as worse. I have them a little bit on my arms, so I just figured it was something they'd have to live with, just like me. It didn't concern me because it doesn't seem to bother them. Anyhow - they are slowly disappearing. Stay tuned...

That is it for now. I have a crying baby to take care of, then it's more picking up for the party tomorrow. Believe it or not, I'm very excited. Not stressed out at all! Which is so not like me when I'm about to have 40 people in my house. :o)

Sick kids after vacation!

All three kids are sick with head colds! It doesn't slow #1 or #2 down much at all, but with #3 being so young, it affects him a number of ways. Mainly with his sleeping and eating. The poor little guy had such a hard time sleeping last night. At 3 months, he still does a majority of breathing through his nose, so imagine trying to drink something when your nose is all blocked up. No thanks! So, he hasn't been as efficient with his eating, isn't getting as much at each sitting, therefore needing to eat more often. No fun for him and with not much sleep for me last night, my day will be interesting. Every mom goes through this, especially with an infant. If newborns came with a warning sign, the number one warning would be "causes sleep deprivation" so I'm just going with it. However, since #3 has been sleeping for longer periods of time at night, I have been spoiled with sleep as compared to my experiences with the last two. Today, I will be in a fog. But, as long as I make sure the kids diapers are changed and they eat 3 good meals, I'll call it good!

I am a stay at home mom, so it is my job to obsess about the health, activities and overall life of my children. When something is off with one of the kids, I obsess about it. So much that, at times, it keeps me up at night. A lot of mothers can relate to this... or maybe it's just my obsessive personality and I'm really the freak here. So anyways, my new obsessive motherly concern has been #2's poop cycle. She has had digestive issues since she started solid foods at 6 months. It's like a roller coaster with her. Some days, it will be a normal consistency, but most of the time it's firm. There are periods where she bleeds because it is too firm. Considering her symptoms, I'm thinking it is either a milk allergy, or some type of gluten intolerance... but I'm not a doctor. What do I know? When I mentioned it to her doctor at #3's last appointment (they all share the same doctor), she sort of brushed it off and suggested trying fiber tablets. When I went to the pharmacy to pick them up, the pharmacist thought it was kind of odd to be giving a 2 year old fiber tablets. You should have seen the look on his face. He suggested a laxative and said that's what he has seen most 2 year olds do fine with. Needless to say, I ended up with the laxative, but luckily I didn't have to use it. On the way home, she delivered the package!!! I was thrilled!

I was not comfortable giving her either of the suggested remedies. She eats very well, as does the other one. I could see if their diet consisted of McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's, but these kids eat VERY well, as I told her doctor at the appointment (and the pharmacist). Steel cut oats or yogurt for breakfast every day, 100% whole wheat or whole grain breads, veggies and/or fruit at every meal. We don't even eat that much meat. I pay very close attention to what goes into their bodies. I even buy them organic everything. Not that buying organic means you are more healthy... I'm just saying. You would never guess that one of them has a constipation problem. Something has to be up with her system. So, I have decided to cut dairy out of her diet until her 2 year check in a few weeks. After a week, I have seen some improvement, but nothing too drastic. Her regularity is a little bit better and I see a slight improvement on consistency, but not to the point where I feel like the problem is solved. I will keep dairy out until her appointment and see what happens. If her Dr. suggests a laxative or fiber tabs again, I'm switching doctors and calling a GI specialist.

If there is one thing I've learned over the years, it is to trust your instincts. Nobody knows your children better than you. If you suspect something is up, well... something is up. My mother's intuition tells me something is off. It also tells me to switch pediatrician's. I have the feeling that my concerns... as few and far between as they are... are being brushed off and I don't like that. Especially considering we are very easy patients. The only time we see her is at the well child checks... which may seem like a lot to her, but we have 3 kids 3 years and under. They go to the doctors a lot for vaccinations. Not my fault!

#1 starts preschool on Monday! So much to do before then, so I must get going.

The Monday after any vacation always proves to be crazy. Unpacking bags, doing laundry, trying to get three kids back on a schedule, food shopping, etc. Fun stuff! It can be stressful if you let it, but I try to roll with the punches and it helps. With three little ones still needing naps, there really isn't much time to play with if you still want to get those naps in. We were doing great this morning! Everyone was up nice and early (6:30am), so we had breakfast, got dressed and were ready to go out the door when #1 decided she wanted one more sip of her blueberry pomegranate juice before heading out for the morning. I think you see where this is going. The drink, which was luckily only half way full, spilled all over the table. As you know, blueberries and pomegranates stain something awful, so I had to get that table cloth on a cold rinse cycle fast so the stain wouldn't stick. Though it didn't set us back too much, this is a typical morning for us. We usually have a lot of interruptions. One thing I have learned since #3 was born is that you have to be okay with being flexible. If you are a person that thrives on schedule and efficiency, having three little ones so close together in age will drive you batty. It's not easy. Especially when the grandparents are over and hour and a half away from you.

That is it for my "free" time today. We are fastly approaching dinner time, so I have to go put something together. DH won't be home for a while. The Monday after vacation is always hard for him too. Catching up!

Until next time...

Back to reality... why not record it?

This blog will essentially be about my life as a stay at home mom trying to raise three children three and under (for now) in a world where toxins are everywhere. From the pesticides in our food causing ADD (among other things) to chemicals in plastics thought to cause prostate cancer, behavioral problems in children and affecting brain growth in little ones. I never thought much about buying local and organic, and I certainly didn't think much about toxic chemicals leaching into foods and drinks from our plastic water bottles and fancy tupperware. I didn't think any of it was important... until #1 was born three and a half years ago. That is when the self educating began!

So, my new adventure as a blogging mom begins. I am a tad worried about keeping up with it, but if I remind myself that it can be a keepsake for my babies, I have faith that the entries will keep coming. Stay tuned...