Guess who’s 10 months old? Time sweeps by so quickly – one minute, Jack was a dream in my heart and then: poof! He was there. I can hardly remember what life was like before he got here. So, Jack – I need to apologize right off. I haven’t done nearly as good of a… Read More 10 Months (and then some)
I’ve been using coconut oil more and more in my cooking. It’s a healthy alternative to vegetable oil, butter, etc., and it tastes great. I recently came across Iowa Girl Eat’s granola bar recipe. She uses coconut oil, and knowing how much Joe loves to snack + needing healthy snacks to send in Chris’ lunch… Read More No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars with Coconut Oil
Yesterday’s weather was beautiful – sunny and 60 degrees. I had clothes hanging to dry on the line and the sun was shining, but I couldn’t do much outside because Jack was napping and our baby monitor only reaches so far. I remembered that I had some blueberries that needed to be used up, so… Read More Jumbo Bakery-Style Muffins
My parents, Bruce and Mary, flew into Norfolk Airport on Wednesday evening and I happily picked them up for their 3 1/2 day visit. Such a short time, but so much was packed in while they were here. For starters, my dad taught Chris about installing toilets… There’s Chris, diligently observing and soaking up knowledge… Read More Family Visits and a New Toilet
What do you do when you have a 2 year old who starts throwing things? I’m not talking about throwing a soft squishy Nerf ball or a teddy bear – I’m talking throwing his big plastic dump truck or his mini Radio Flyer red wagon. Stuff like that. Hard, heavy stuff that hurts (speaking from… Read More Collecting for Discipline
This weekend, we headed out to The Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, VA. Jack says, “Hey guys!” I’ve heard good things about this museum for awhile now. Jack’s recent bout with croup has left us feeling housebound, so we decided to escape our cabin fever and the rainy weather with a trip. It was… Read More The Virginia Living Museum
Tonight is one of those nights where I look around the house and think, “Things are good.” I don’t mind the dirty clothes that Chris leaves on the living room floor. Such a strange habit. I don’t mind the toys that aren’t entirely put away. Yes, there are a crumbs on the tablecloth. I can… Read More Thankfulness
Happy Valentine’s Day! As a Valentine’s gift to you, let me introduce you to our new-to-us (but decidedly not new) piano! Yes, it’s a bit of a mess, but you know something? It was cheap. How cheap? Free (even the chair was free – a side-of-the-road treasure I picked up!). Does it look better now? … Read More The Piano
Well, Jack has croup. That barking, seal-like cough that works itself up whenever he begins to cry. Which, unfortunately, is a bit on the frequent side since he’s also cutting his first tooth. Bother. We were supposed to have his 9 month vaccinations this morning. Instead, we’ll be seeing the NP for a sick-baby visit… Read More Croup and Busy Days
I love the saying, “If you’re gonna make a mess, you might as well make the most of it”, especially as it applies to cooking and baking. This, my friends, is a big mess of butter. Yep – a lot of butter. One and a half pounds, to be exact. I was softening it for… Read More Making the most of a mess
As Joe has grown, I’ve come to notice and realize something: he really, really loves to help. In fact, he gets so much enjoyment from helping me and being useful that if I don’t let him work alongside me, it hurts his feelings. It’s made me think about the importance of work in our lives. … Read More The Importance of Work in a Child’s Life: 10 Tasks for 2 Year Olds
I’ve nothing against store-bought yogurt. I’ve eaten it for years, fed it to my family, and I think it tastes perfectly fine. And yet… The first time that I read about making yogurt at home, my curiosity was most certainly piqued. “What’s this? Make my own yogurt? At home? How interesting!” Unfortunately, that interest quickly… Read More Homemade Yoghurt, er, Yogurt
Ahh, homeownership! The American Dream, right? The white picket fence, everything shiny and gleaming… Well, I certainly don’t mind the idea of a white picket fence, having everything nice and shiny, or even of owning our own house… but the thing is, sometimes the shine gets rubbed off, and that’s when you realize: You’ve got… Read More Grumpy Plumbers and the Joys of Homeownership
So many people told us that Williamsburg hardly ever sees snow. I thought that our days of shoveling, salting, and slip-sliding through winter were over. But apparently, I was wrong. We’ve gotten snow 2 weeks in a row now (I know, I know… my friends elsewhere with harsher winters are sarcastically gasping in shock) but,… Read More Snow… in Williamsburg!
The recent cold snap has hit us in Williamsburg, though not so badly as our family in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Indiana (stay warm you guys!). The lower temperature has meant staying indoors more than normal, which calls for some creative play. Enter waffle making! Joe loves to help in the kitchen. I’ve never had him… Read More Banana Blueberry Flaxseed Waffles: Fun Activity, Fun Lunch
Hmm, it would seem that last week fell off the goal-setting radar. Perhaps I was too overwhelmed by all of the New Year’s resolutions. I’ve never been much of a one for making those, though perhaps I should start. Our trip to Georgia was nice. We were able to visit with a lot of family… Read More Goals for the Week: January 6th – 12th
Happy Birthday to me! Yes, today (23rd of December) is my birthday. I feel like just a few years ago I was getting my driver’s license. Now, I’m 32 years old! My overriding goal for the last week was to do things while keeping in mind that no amount of box-checking was as important as… Read More Goals for the Week: December 23rd – 29th
Joe and Jack and I went to see Santa Claus at New Town Shopping Center in Williamsburg. By far, it was the most low-key Santa visit that I’ve ever had. We almost didn’t go. I’ve been so overwhelmed and busy lately that I thought perhaps it would be good to knock this thing off the… Read More Visit to Santa Claus
Another week down, another week to come. Looking back, it’s easy for me to only focus on the things that I didn’t cross off my list rather than seeing what I accomplished. But I need to remind myself of all of the things that I did that aren’t on my list. In light of that,… Read More Goals for the Week: December 16th – 22nd
I like the blog “Money Saving Mom”. One of the things that she does is create a list of weekly goals, then look back at the previous week’s goals and see how she’s done. I’m going to start something similar. It’s nice to be able to look back and cross things off of your list,… Read More Goals for the Week: December 9th – 14th
