Adventure: Gardening

Josh and I are starting out on a new adventure...
Gardening!

We went to Home Depot and bought two Topsey Turvys, one for his peppers and one for tomatoes and herbs. We also bought an indoor herb garden. This evening we planted all the little seeds in what will be their home for the next couple months until they're mature enough and it's warm enough to move them outside. So now our kitchen is serving duel duty as a kitchen and as a green house.

Josh is so excited! He's even started a blog dedicated to his new gardening adventure. I think this is his first time gardening. Although he has helped me weed flowerbeds. I don't know that I've ever grown food but I've done plants and flowers. I'm interested to see the differences.

Should be exciting...

Tiny life awaits
Snuggled in the warm darkness
Wanting to emerge

Peace Signs and Polka Dots

I dressed Paige in what I thought was a matching outfit, it wasn't. But she looked cute regardless!

For my fellow Dave Ramsey followers:

Does living like no one else mean being lonely like no one else?

Am I the only one feeling like this?
This is one of the moments I dislike facebook. Between all the scheduled little parties to hearing about all the fun people are out having. Dinners and girls nights outs... I love getting invited (makes me feel wanted) but I could not even imagine how much I would have to budget.
We're trying to stay true to our debt snowball and keep gazelle intensity and we're doing really good. But I feel out of the loop.
Seriously, is anyone else feeling like this? Is there anyone that has been through this and is on the other side?

I am looking forward to the day we get to yell, "WE'RE DEBT FREE!!"

Quick Update

I've been wanting to blog since Saturday. It was a great day! I got my hair cut in the morning (I love it). When I got home, B told me I looked like Aunt Jenni. This is the BEST compliment I could receive.
I then got to spend the afternoon and evening visiting with old friends. It's only been three years since I've seen Frances. How funny I think "only." I think it had been four years or so since Josh had seen Jef and Frances. My how times have changed. When last we were all together... well, times have really changed. One of the coolest things, other than us all being parents now, is that we're all non-smokers now!

Sunday was great too. Josh surprised me and decided to go to church with me.

I know I have more to write but my thoughts have escaped me. I'm tired and I think I'll turn in and read for a bit. I have a few chapters of Revelation to catch up on.


Warm blankets hugging
Soft pillow gently comforts
Welcome the slumber

Another vent, happier ending

So yesterday I felt disconnected and cranky, today I had a chance to reconnect and got to deal with Cranky!

6:30 in the morning she's throwing a tantrum! Is there something in the air? I had planned on calling a couple people today to see if they wanted to come over for a play date then B happened. She snatched a toy from her sister, so I took it away, she demanded the toy back from me then talked back to her father...Upstairs she went and that's where she stayed, until she made herself sick, yelled down that she was calmed down and would like to be sick in the downstairs bathroom... okay.

Nothing like a 3 year old acting as if the world should revolve around them to help you to understand the world doesn't revolve around you either.

Anna called and invited me to coffee, so Paige and I went to meet her and Grace (thank you Josh for keeping B).

On the way I observed quite a few people lost in their own worlds paying no attention to what was going on around them. A train was blocking the road so quite a few people were turning around heading the other direction. No big deal normally, but some of these people were making U-turns in the middle of the road no where near the backed up traffic. Really?! You can't drive the extra 20 feet to a drive way and turn around there?
I get to the parking lot and it was almost lunch time so there weren't a lot of parking spots. I was getting ready to pull into one when a woman gets out of her car, no big deal, I'm patient for the most part. She then opens her back door and I see a car seat, okay, I totally understand what it's like getting kids out, don't mind waiting. But she doesn't get a kid out, she gets a piece of paper. Then puts the paper on her front seat, all the while chatting on the phone totally oblivious to the fact that someone was waiting to pull in. When she finally closed the doors, she slowly walked through the open parking space. I was annoyed by this point.

But how easily it all fades away when your favorite neighbor kids is waving at you through a window, she was so very excited to see Baby Paige! Anna and I had a great visit, Grace played with Paige, who was in heaven, she does enjoy being the sole recipient of someones attention.

Paige is sleeping, Brenna is having quiet time. Ahhhhh!

Warm sunshine smiling
Longer days and warmer nights
Flowers soon to bloom

Ramble: Disconnected and Cranky!

I'm feeling a bit disconnected again. I go through this every once in a while. Life catches up with us and we don't get to see people as often as we'd like or make the calls that we know would cheer us up.

I feel like I haven't seen my friends in ages even though I saw most of this morning at MOPS. I didn't really visit and it's probably a good thing, I was in a dark mood today and hopefully it didn't rub off on anyone.

The day started off well enough, got up and weighed myself. I'm 4/10 of a pound from reaching my first goal (I set them in increments so I feel I'm achieving something). Feeling motivated from my little weight loss, I knocked out my 4 burpee for the 100 burpee challenge. Woke up Big Bit, got dressed, all was going well until...

The Big Fit!

I should have stuck with my threat of staying home but I really felt I needed to go to MOPS and that if I stayed home with Little Miss Cranky Pants I would have just gotten more annoyed. But I didn't and off we went to MOPS with one cranky kid, one annoyed mom and one very nonchalant child (she had food, she was good). Even at MOPS it continued, when I went to drop off B she didn't want to go in that room. When I got upstairs I was feeling a little better. I had some great conversations but others felt forced, I was trying to listen and pay attention but it just wasn't happening. Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation while someone was talking to someone else right behind you about something totally different?! I felt distracted. I wanted to be cheerful but it just wasn't happening, I wanted to leave early then I had the perfect out, Josh locked himself out, he forgot to grab the garage door remote when he dropped the Jeep off to be repaired. Oh a high note, apparently Paige played for a while in the nursery.

The rest of the day stayed very blah. Josh had a meeting and wasn't able to come home for dinner, Paige took a late afternoon nap so I didn't get to take it with her, which would have been nice today. So all in all, I've had a cranky day, myself.

But back to my disconnection...
I don't know if I'm subconsciencly pushing away some of my friends since I know we'll be moving in 6 or 7 months or if they're pushing me away for the same reason. I've noticed I don't pick up the phone and call as many friends lately but I'm also noticing others aren't calling me either.
(That sounded a lot like a pity party, oh well)

Well, I've rambled on for long enough. I'm off to watch the end of the men's skating, I hope we're able to pull off a gold!

Feeling all alone
The silence is defining
Be with me, oh God

(It's just a poem, I'm feeling more disconnected than alone and I'll probably be fine tomorrow. I just needed to vent)

It happened to us: Nursemaid's Elbow

It happened to us!

Nursemaid's elbow is the name given for an injury where one bone of the elbow
joint is pulled out of place and gets stuck in that position. This usually
occurs when lifting or pulling the child by one or both arms. Sometimes a
playmate will tug hard enough on the arm to cause this injury.

This injury is due to weakness in the ligaments of the elbow that some children have at this age. It is usually easy to correct by your doctor, but may recur if the arm is pulled again. Ligaments strengthen by five years of age and nursemaid's elbow will not occur after that. It is important for parents to be aware of this, so they take care not to lift, pull or drag the child by the arm during this age period. (so it's okay after this age?!)

After the bone is put back into position, it usually takes about 30-60 minutes before the child will start using that arm normally again. (took B not even 10 minutes) In some cases, it may take up to 24 hours before the child starts using the arm again. If the child is not using the arm normally by 24 house, there may be other injuries present. X-rays will be needed to determine this.

When Pops left this morning, Brenna had a hard time getting back to sleep so I let her come sleep with us. Clan Brunn slept until 9am, it was so lovely. Once we were all up, Josh asked B if she wanted to go downstairs with him. He took her by both hands and pulled her up and off our bed, something we both do quite often. She immediately starting crying, I think she said "owe" once then it was all, "I want Mommy!" I don't know about Josh, but I rolled my eyes thinking, oh great, nothing like a tantrum right out the gate. If you know my daughter who know she is the girl that cried "owe." So when Josh picked her back up and sat on the bed with her and she freaked out because she wanted me, I was annoyed. I finally let her sit in my lap when she wouldn't calm down in Josh's and she really had a hard time calming down. She finally got it out that her wrist hurt and didn't want to move any part of her body. I've never really seen her act like this and I began to get concerned, especially when she wouldn't let me look at it. She didn't even want me to take her to the doctor (far from normal, she wants to go see the doctor when she gets a paper cut) so I decided to take her.
She didn't want to eat before we left so I decided to pack a few snacks because I knew she'd get hungry as soon as she got checked in (and she did).
After we got there and got checked in, they took us to a room that had a TV. We watched Word World and had our ER picnic while we waited for the doctor. He came in and turned down the TV, B was not pleased. He asked some questions and looked at her arm, she of course, wanted nothing to do with him. He told me what was wrong and that he would need to reset it, he said, "I'm going to move her arm and twist it, she's going to be pissed and cry but then she should be fine." I tried to tell Brenna that the doctor was going to move her arm when he grabbed it, twisted it and popped it back in. I couldn't help but laugh and he left. I turned back up the volume and she was content. About 10 minutes later, a nurse came to check on Brenna and asked what she was watching (the nurse didn't turn down the volume), without even realizing it B lifted her arm to point at Word World. The look on Brenna face was too funny, she was shocked that it seem to move on it's own. The nurse ran her through all sorts of movements and Brenna thought it was so cool that she could do them all without it hurting. She was given a clean bill of health and we headed to get some ice cream and head home.
She was fine all day, no signs of pain. After dinner she said it was starting to get sore again so I gave her a little Motrin.

I've already caught myself this evening lifting Paige by her arms. This is going to be a hard habit to break but Josh and I will change. I can't believe how easily that elbow popped out!

Make a Difference Monday: A Bride and her Sailor Prince

Overtired cries
She lays in her bed awake
Fighting needed rest


If you turn on my van you'll find KLove playing. I love listening to uplifting music and its comforting knowing I don't have to worry about B hearing something she shouldn't. KLove has "Make a Difference Monday," which challenges listeners to make a positive difference in someone else's day.

We were at lunch with Josh's Grandfather this afternoon when a young bride and her Sailor groom sat behind us. Brenna asked if she was a princess and we told her no, that she was a bride who had just gotten marries. B asked if she married her prince, I said yes!

Well, I thought about this couple as they sat behind me and I kept wondering how I could make a difference on this, their wedding day, Monday. Since we're not yet in a position to make a difference monetarily I was stuck on how I could make a difference because I felt it in my heart, I was supposed to do something. As we were getting ready to leave, I finally decided to tell the bride what my 3 year old had asked about her marrying her prince.

I don't know if it made a difference in her day (I think her mom liked it though) but it sure made a difference in mine.

(Needless to say this was supposed to be posted on Monday but I fell asleep before I did, oops)

Haiku

A Haiku a day
Inspiring a calm mind
Awakens the soul

I used to write poetry in high school, maybe earlier. Once I joined the Navy I didn't do much writing at all for a couple years. When I was stationed in Italy I decided to go back to school, it didn't take long to decide I wanted to major in English. I do love writing!
The first English class I took was heavy in poetry and I will freely admit that sonnets and haiku's made me nervous. After writing a few, I now find sonnets less intimidating and very much enjoy writing haiku's! I've even won a poetry contest with one.

Update: Paleo Diet/Life Change

My husband has started blogging! Check him out!

Our lives have changed quite a bit since January, nothing dramatic but change none the less.

He started a new diet while the girls and I were in Oklahoma visiting my fam. The girls and I are slowly but surely working our way on to it. I view it less of a diet and more of a life change, especially since I haven't (and wont be for some time) giving up all the grains he has. For the most part, we don't eat processed foods. It's was strange not buying boxed meals, stovetop and whatnot, or canned veggies. I'm missing the convenience of throwing pasta and sauce together at the last minute and calling it dinner, but I don't really miss pasta. I must say I love the flavor of fresh veggies cooked into things. And the Paleo Pancakes we made this morning were wonderful!

I've been feeling great since I've cut out so much junk and I've even lost a little weight. I find I get headaches if I eat too much wheat (we had a cheat night with pizza and bread sticks and my head was killing me the next day!) and dairy no longer bothers me. I've even had some ice cream without a stomach ache. I went almost three weeks without a headache and in the world that is me, that is HUGE!

I want to add exercising to my changes but I find it so incredibly hard to get up early in the morning. One day I'll stop making excuses and just do it!

(My goodness I'm rambling, I can tell it's after midnight!)

Topic Worthy Wednesday: Politics

My Topic Worthy Wednesday has to be politics on this, the day after Illinois primaries. Although I don't want today to be about the issues but the process itself.

Do you follow politics? If not, why not? If you do, what started your interests? Do you partake in the political process, voting, campaigning, what not?

I must admit, even as an adult I could have cared less about local/state politics, until I became a parent that is. When I was pregnant with B, Texas was deciding whether or not to make Gardasil a mandatory vaccination for girls going to public school and I was shocked! Gardasil had just been approved by the FDA and Texas was in an uproar. As to keep the issues from being the issue I will not state my opinion in this matter. Being that I wasn't living in Texas at the time and haven't been there since I don't know what ever came of the mandatory vaccination.

Coming to Illinois really got me engaged in local/state politics. Blagojevich and Tony Rezko were at the forefront when we moved here and I got sucked in like well written soap opera.

From there I began enjoying finding out about the different parties and politicians running. I began doing my homework so I wouldn't walk into the polls blind. And yes, I did go to the polls. I believe I do have a voice and a vote!

One of the neatest things I discovered is where I stood on different issues. I have always claimed one side more than the other but in my search and research I found my own opinion. Some issues I'm more one sided than the other, yet on some issues I still haven't decided where I stand. That is exciting to me.

When I was on my journey I was blessed to have one of my husband's friends to converse with. He and I don't see eye to eye on much but every time we talked it was with civility and respect. I enjoy talking politics with people who are able to control their emotions and not make it a pissing match. I believe in discussions with other you can learn more about the issues and it can force you to do more research, to not only give you a stronger foundation on which to stand but to look at the other side as well.

Billy, I don't know if you follow my blog but thank you! I will always value your opinion and will always be willing to talk the issues with you!