6 months

I can hardly believe that I am writing about Carson turning 6 months old. I feel like I was just sitting down at the computer to write about his birth story. He is an incredible blessing to have in our household. He is now enjoying the tastes of green beans, sweet potatoes, and pears. Savannah thinks she can "play" mommy by feeding Carson so I am going to have to start learning not to leave the food out and walk away. I have cleaned up 2 messes already and lost some baby food by my little helper. Carson is attempting to get in the crawling position too. I help him by pushing his butt down. hehe. I am not ready for him to crawl yet. He can just stay put with the rolling for my sake. I am not ready for the baby gates up again and to put away some of the "baby" items (the bouncer). He started blowing bubbles with his lips yesterday. He is quite a handful to change a diaper with now. He either finds his toes or rolls away from me. He has places to be and changing his diaper is not going to slow him down. I love watching him grow up and seeing how they now interact with each other. Now that he sits up, I'm constantly telling Savannah to "be nice to your brother, stop sitting on your brother, or don't push him down." Oh my! It has just started.

I have also been VERY busy this week with a job that Jeff suggested I get into. I have been buying/selling the kids clothes on Facebook now for a year. I have learned quite a bit on how to ship items, how to price items, and how to list items correctly. I still love to venture to our local Once Upon a Child's or other resale shops in the area. When Jeff comes with me, he often hears me say oh I know someone looking for this or do you know how much people would pay for this on Facebook? This past weekend he told me that I should turn that into a business. Go to find the stuff that other people are searching for at a fraction of the price and sell it for more. Granted I'm only making a couple dollars at a time profit mainly charging for my time spent looking for items and shipping it to them. In one week so far, I have banked $200. Quite an accomplishment for me. I love the thrill of walking into the store to wonder what you are going to find. Jeff enjoys seeing me being passionate about something again. I enjoy being able to bring a little bit of money in, doing 2 jobs I love, and still provide some means of income. Well now I'm off to clean the house while the kids are still napping.

The monkey and the hare

I realize I have not written a while. Summer has gotten the best of me and trying to wrap up all these projects has occupied most of my time. Oh yeah and taking care of those 2 kids. Savannah has gone into pure monkey stage. If you do not put things out of reach at least 8 feet high, she sees this as a challenge and will test your true "out of reach" ability. I cleaned the cupboards inside and out a couple weeks ago. She saw me push a chair over to reach the top cabinets. She finds this perfectly acceptable for her to do the same now. (insert big sigh) Now the top cabinets are not safe. I didn't even thing about child safety on those things. She also is very intrigued with the fridge and figures she has every right to help herself to a snack if we do not put a lock on it. She is so sneaky about it also. She doesn't even worry about making a lot of noise in the morning to let me know she is awake. Instead she tip toes into the kitchen to see if daddy forgot to lock the fridge. Some mornings he does when he is in a hurry. Jackpot! I wake up to mozzerella sticks, yogurt, and blueberries strewn across the floor. Not exactly the "good morning" I was looking for. She watches and waits for you to be out of sight to do things. We are still working on that "we obey mommy even when she's not watching" rule. This child has no fear. Well the only fear is being caught.

Carson just will not slow down either. We will be celebrating 6 months in a week. 6 months? 6 months? How did a half a year go by already. I have been thoroughly enjoying this little ham. He rarely ever cries. Right now he's singing in his crib waiting for me to come get him. He sleeps through the night most of the time. Last night he was woken by the storm. Wanted comforting for 2 minutes and was back to sleep. He rolls all over the place. Or maybe he rolls/scooches himself all over the place. He is also a big sitter now. He thinks he is no cool now that he can sit and play with his toys like his big sister. He giggles, coos, and smiles more than Savannah ever did. I caught him the other day trying to put himself up on all 4s. Nope not ready for that. I told him to get back down. I'm not ready for you to crawl YET. He just won't stop moving around and growing up so quickly. It just goes by so quickly.

Well I'm off to start my day. Carson will only be happy for so long before he would start protesting and Savannah only stays out of trouble for a small amount of her day.

More than clothes

When moving here a year ago my neighbor told me about different pages where you could buy/sell your children's clothes on facebook. I was foreign to this whole discovery but quickly became addicted as I saw all the cute things that I couldn't get in the store because they were out of Savannah's size or the price was just too high for me to spend that much. I always take very good care of Savannah's and now Carson's clothes. I hate bringing them to consignment shops only for them to "pick" through what they will take and what they won't take. I come out frustrated and often disappointed with the amount of change that is handed to me after I spent so much on their clothes. I for the most part am a bargain shopper but do splurge when its something that is absolutely adorable and will work perfect for such and such occasion. I didn't like the budget I was left to when I was paid by the consignment shop. That all changed after moving here and having Stacy bring me into the world of facebook selling. I learned how to ship items and how to price them accordingly. Now I'm addicted and love the "hunt" for the items that were from past seasons that people still have and will sell to me or trade.

Its more than clothes though. It's a weird bond that you form with these people. You joke and laugh about the silly things your kids do. You vent to one another about your child dumping the glass of milk all over the floor and smiling at you. You bounce ideas of parenting and what has worked for them in such a situation. Its a community of moms coming together in a way that is indescribable. Yes you do have the bad eggs of the group as everyone does. You have the people who labeled something as in almost brand new condition and you get it with holes, stains, etc. You also get those people who take your money but never send the item. It forces you to file a claim with paypal and take valuable time out of your schedule.

This past Monday the selling facebook world has been saddened. My newsfeed is clogged with posts of a mom who was killed in a car accident leaving behind her 2 young children (a one year old son and 3 year old daughter). You see people grieving over the loss of someone they never even met just became connected through a cyber world. You sit at your computer reading through all the comments and pictures only seeing your own family. You connect with that person so much and feel for what her family must be going through. I am amazed at the outreach that people are doing for not even meeting this person. Not even ever hearing her voice. There is a fundraiser set up in her name to help with funeral expenses along with the needed childcare as she was the primary childcare provider as a stay at home mom. Their original goal was to raise $3000 by August 14. They were not sure if they would be able to obtain that goal. This fundraiser has been set up for approx 48 hours so far and has raised nearly $28,000. It's more than clothes. Its a friendship, an understanding, a real connection to a person. As a stay at home mom you often wonder if you are making any difference in the world. The world lost one mom that should not have been taken away so soon.

Here's the info on the fundraiser and information what happened. http://www.indiegogo.com/AmberRoussel?c=home

Sprinkler and finger paint

You know I have to say, it is really fun to blog when you have something to blog about. My goal is to do at least one activity with Savannah a day. Now that she is getting older and catching onto things more, I feel the need to engage her in the activities I blog about.

Yesterday I decided to let Savannah just do what she wanted to in the morning and she wanted to watch cartoons. She would dodge back and forth to catch a few glimpses of Curious George or Sesame Street in between playing with her babies. I had a few things to get done in the morning. I figured the easiest way for me to get those things done is to keep her occupied doing the things she wanted to do in turn hopefully keeping her out of trouble for a moment. It's amazing to me that not only looks in a child come out when you have your own but also the personalities you had as a child come out in your offspring. Savannah is an early riser (usually) like her daddy was at this age. She is also always looking to get into trouble and seek adventure quite like her mama at this age.

I decided to set up the sprinkler yesterday for a little run-through-the-water fun. She was less than thrilled at the idea because I allowed her to do it. She had no problem the previous night running through the neighbors sprinkler with her clothes on and squealing with delight. Its funny how even to kids the grass is always greener in the other persons lawn. I decided to forego the swim diaper as they are costly and we were at home. Really do you think she is going to have to "go" in the 15 minutes we are out there? The answer to that question is yes. Not only will she "go" once but she will "go" twice. Lesson learned :)  As I snapped these pictures of her yesterday I had to sit back and look after uploading them where did my little girl go? She looks so grown up and has changed SOO much since last summer. The time is going by too fast.

We also did a little finger painting in the driveway. I forgot to snap a picture of that activity but she had fun wearing one of daddy's old t-shirts and taking a foam brush to the big art size sheet of paper. She did not have to worry about making a mess since it was outside. We learned about how to stroke a brush and all about the four colors. Once we get the red, yellow, blue, and green color names down we will start mixing them together to make a whole new set of colors.

As for Carson one of his favorite new activites is hanging out in his jumperoo. He likes spinning the ball to make the rattle sound and staring down the lion in the middle of the activity table. He coos and giggles as he checks out all the fun toys the jumperoo has to offer.

Well I'm off to make a little girl breakfast and get us ready for story time once again today. Hopefully she will just join right in on the fun and not waste a moment staring down the kids to decide if its a good idea to sing/dance. Another hot day here so I think the kiddie pool will be another must in today's schedule of summer fun. Happy first day of summer!

Waterpark adventure

Yesterday I was woken up at 6:45 by a little girl with no bottoms on (diaper included) and attempting to take her shirt off to hop in the shower with daddy. I was UP! Carson awoke at 7am. I decided this was the start of my Monday whether I was ready for it or not. I could really have used about 4 more hours of sleep after working so hard on the weekend. Nevertheless, it was me and the kids on our own once again. We got ready to hit the road at 8:30 in order to get all our errands done in time. Errands took me longer than I thought they would and I was doing the almost impossible...grocery shopping during lunchtime! The double carts were all out so I was forced to get a single cart with 2 kids. I am now starting to sit Carson up in a cart or high chair to strengthen his neck and stomach muscles. Plus it just makes life a tad bit easier. The single cart idea was not working. I had Carson in the front and Savannah in the basket of the cart. I did not realize how much of a disaster that would be. We had only made it down the produce and pasta aisles. Savannah had already worked on eating the buns with the bag still on, opened a box of fettuccine noodles, and was onto the single serve mac and cheese containers. I was determined to get that double cart. Went back to double check both sides of the store to make sure one had not been returned. Nothing. Darn it! I returned to my grocery shopping frazzled and hungry. Savannah had found a way to keep herself entertained now. I couldn't stop from laughing and snapping a picture quick. This child was working on stacking the items in the cart then saying 1,2, wee as they all came tumbling down (some onto the floor). I hit it in reverse after I realized this was now going to be the game of the remainder of the shopping trip. I was determined to find an ulterior way to get through this shopping trip that just wouldn't end. Alas there was a car/double cart just being returned. I quick snatched it and shuffled all my groceries to it. I had a very nice gentleman help me load my groceries into my car and we made it home just in time to eat some lunch (at 1:00). 

I was really debating after that fact if I wanted to brave a waterpark with the 2 little ones myself. I had asked a neighbor to go with me but her boys were less than thrilled to find out where we had discussed going. They decided to venture to the Y themselves for some big kid pool time. I was left with deciding whether I could handle a 4 month old and a courageous, scared of nothing 2 year old. Oh I should also add no nap 2 year old. After lunch I just decided to brave it out and go for it. It could be a complete disaster but at least I would try to give Savannah some water time. We got to the waterpark which took me a couple turn arounds because I don't have a GPS anymore (stupid GPS stealers). I had been to this waterpark once last year but couldn't remember the exact turns just the general direction. But we got there and it was a blast. Savannah was unsure of the water and the water slide at first. I finally dunked her under one of the waterfalls to get her all wet. She stood there and shivered (yes in 93 degree heat) deciding whether she liked it or not. She came back to the stroller to take some more sips of her icee and ran as fast as her little legs could take her back to the water. While watching her squeal with delight, I couldn't help but stop to think how could I ever deprive her of this amount of joy and memories because I would be too scared to handle 2 of them. After all it was my choice to have them so close together. I should be embracing every opportunity to get her out and exploring the world. The waterpark/glorified splash pad was the perfect size for me to keep an eye on her while I was next to the stroller watching Carson sleep but big enough for her to have enough activities to keep her thoroughly entertained. We were there for almost 2 hours. It wasn't a disaster getting her to leave. I asked her if she was ready to go bye bye. She waved bye to the water and wrapped her towel around herself.  We will be going back on Thursday. Savannah went to bed no problem at 9:00 and slept until 7:30. I was actually up before her for a change. Today she is laying in bed watching cartoons. I think she earned a little cartoon time after all our adventures yesterday.

Today will be a catch up day. I will do the laundry. I will sweep/mop the floors. Organize paperwork and get letters mailed/bills paid. After a crazy, busy day yesterday you just need a day to catch back up. Tomorrow will be story time and I'm sure another set of errands :) Well I'm off. I have a little girl calling my name and a shower to grab before both of them are awake and I REALLY have to start my day.

The Social Butterfly

Being a stay at home mom has forced me to be more of an introverted personality now. I stay at home and rarely talk to anyone outside in the real world. I talk to friends and family on the phone. Going places with 2 just seems to make life a little more challenging. This summer I decided to change my introverted style and start to meet people again. I had some really great friends with our very short move to Massachusetts. I haven't been able to connect as well here as I did there. I made a commit this summer that I would change all that and meet some other moms.

First on the agenda was going to Jumpin Jacks. Its an indoor playground for kids under the age of 10 (in my opinion). Savannah had a blast going down the BIG slide and crawling through all the tunnels with daddy. I met one mom there and exchanged phone numbers with her. I arranged a playdate for us the following week. I got a text a few hours before they were suppose to come saying that her daughter was starting to get congested and she would have to reschedule. That was a month ago. I am yet to hear from her. Ok so that attempt to make a new friend failed.


This month we have ventured to story time at our local library. At first Savannah was not a fan just looking at the group from the back of the room. I had brought the stroller and realized that may have not been the best idea as she just stood next to it pretty much the entire time last week as her comfort means. Today I carried Carson in his carseat, Savannah in my arms, and a gigantic purse filled with all the toddler/baby needs into the library. It was a bigger challenge to carry all those items in but it paid off. After 15 minutes of standing in the back of the room, she decided to join the group. Here are some pictures from our time today.

With the library adventure I have to sit and wonder, where are all the stay at home moms? I sat among a mentor for a kids program, grandmas, and a few dads. I think I counted 2 MOMS there. As you can see from the picture there is 3 grandmas in the background. How am I to make friends if there are only Grandmas in attendance? I wish these stay at home moms would branch out of their cocoon and join the rest of the world. Take your kids to these wonderful experiences so they can dance and sing with other kids. Its so much fun to watch your kids interact with each other and lets admit it, we could use some socialization of our own. Become the beautiful social butterfly once again.  

The cost menu to staying at home

Why it's worth the sacrifice to stay home.

My job in MN right out of college, I was earning roughly 32,000/year. I was bringing home roughly $2200 per month. I can talk about this now since I don't work there. Now everyone knows how much I was "worth" to society. For me to stay at home, its what works best for us. When adding up the monthly costs it just doesn't seem to make sense for me to do anything else.

Cost of daycare for Carson and Savannah: $1300/ month according to our church daycare rates
Cost of diapers for home and daycare: $160/month
Cost of gas: Roughly $150/month (depending how long of commute I would have)
Cost of clothing for work and children: $100 (just going by an average for kids outgrowing clothes and me needing new work clothes after a while)
Increase in car insurance because of an increase in driving miles: $40/month

So far I'm bringing home about $100 per week. Although this does not factor in eating out due to not wanting to cook when you get home from work tired. It does not take into effect the lack of couponing ability because I don't stay at home or have time to go through ads. This does not account for having to pay for daycare while I'm home with my child who is sick.

Ways I have learned to cut costs to make up for that $100 per week I would be bringing home:
Cloth diapering (at least part time)
Buying/selling/trading my kids and some of my own clothes on facebook and ebay
Making food by scratch such as bread, cookies, waffles, etc.
Using the majority of leftovers for something else
Lumping my errands to cut the cost of fuel each month. I put ONE tank of gas in my car per month
Less driving= less car repair costs and lower insurance rates
Homemade detergents, cleaners, etc

I believe with just that short list that I have made up for that $100 a week that I would be bringing home if I was working. The best part that you can never put a value on is snuggling with Savannah in bed in the early mornings. Catching her attempt to cook. Working on picture recognition through flashcards. Being a lifeguard next to her pool. Being the one there to soothe all their worries away and wipe all the tears. Playing peek-a-boo with Carson. Talking to Carson and having him coo back to me. These are just a few things that are priceless.

This is just how we are able to do it. Again the situation doesn't work for everyone.