On my mind

1. Ethan can sound out and write all of his letters now. So instead of "spelling" by yelling out a stream of random letters, he's working hard to hear each of the letters in the correct order. I love that he works so hard! He's even managing to read a few short words by sounding out the letters!

2. Edward backed off on wanting to use the potty for a while. But the interest seems to be back. He saw a potty at Target last week and fell in love. (It's frog shaped.) He's been sitting on it multiple times every day. No success yet, but the dry diapers all day and the overfull ones at night indicate that he's learning some control. We'll get there.

3. Please don't tell me how thin I look. I'm very aware. My pants are hanging off of me and all the baby weight has disappeared. (Wish the extra skin would too!) Even my face is thinner. This was not an intentional weight loss. It was achieved by a combination of stress, too little sleep, frequently eating only one real meal a day, and lots of Dr. Pepper to keep the blood sugar up and the headaches at bay. I am looking forward to gaining some weight back in Dec. Then losing it in a much more healthy manner.

4. So happy for John. He's loving his new job. It's exactly the type of growth opportunity he was looking for, and they need him there so badly. He jumped right in, meeting with people to figure out what he needed to learn, interviewing someone to do their SEO, and scheduling a business trip to get some hands on experience. Nine months was worth the wait!

5. Think I might attempt to fold the many, many loads of laundry and clean a bathroom or two before having to go to work. Better get started...

Goodnight Moon with a Twist

As a fan of speculative fiction, I absolutely love this review of Goodnight Moon. It's so good, I couldn't keep it to myself.

(Please don't read it if you want to continue to think of Goodnight Moon as a sweet children's book.)

Yummmm

Have you seen Foodzie yet? It's like edible Etsy.

The Pantry and Spices section makes me crave time in my kitchen to try out one or ten. Honey and Jam is making my mouth water. (Raspberry Cocoa Preserves! Macadamia Nut Blossom Honey!!) The Bakery..., well you know me and all things baked just go together. And I could spend my life's savings in Chocolate and Candy.

I'm having to force myself to think long and hard about what my first purchase will be. To keep myself from buying up everything I see. Maybe it'll be that honey...

I must be crazy

Because I've been feeling like I don't have time to do anything for me, I decided to commit myself to something else. I've joined the Daring Bakers.

What does that mean?

Every month, a host (chosen from the membership) challenges us with something they've been wanting to try. The recipe is a secret for everyone but the membership until the end of the month when we all reveal how we did at once. It's a commitment because you have to participate nearly every month to stay a part of the group.

For September, we made puff pastry. Absolutely crazy. I've posted about how I did on my other, sorely neglected blog. So if you're interested in my massive failure, go check it out!

Challenge Update

So....

We've completely blown past the $25 a week. We were doing well until last night when John decided we were having an at home date night and picked up some things for a nice dinner. And then today Ethan and I picked up school lunch items. (Because he would have had some strange lunches otherwise.) And Sunflower market has 5 lbs of potatoes for 99 cents! (Starting tomorrow for you TX folks.) Gonna stock the freezer with some hash browns and french fries. Plus, a trip down to Sunflower means stocking up on a few things I can only find there. I don't make it down very often.

The plan for the next three weeks is to only buy milk and fruit. (Plenty of veggies in the freezer.) Barring great sales on items I need to stock up on, we shouldn't go too far over.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Updating the blog. New look. New links. New fun little tidbits if you look hard enough.

Yes, I am a Nerd

John got me the best present ever. Check it out! He couldn't decide which microbe to get me, so he went with a neuron. Because we could all use an extra brain cell or two. I love it.

I've been looking at all of them and I don't think I could decide either. I want so many! Clostridium perfringens, a Leukocyte, Yersinia pestis, Helicobacter pylori, ... I could go on and on. These are so awesome!

Some Random Things

- Edward got his first tooth on his first birthday. That could have been bad, but we didn't even know he was teething. Yay for my stoic, sweet guy!

- Ethan is having sleeping issues. Mainly going to sleep issues. It takes hours every night, and napping is non-existent. (It was only four days a week before, but he still needs it.) Our boy is exhausted. He's so tired that he's started having tantrums again. Like he's two. And the nearly constant whining and crying is driving me out of my mind. We have no idea what the problem is and have found nothing that will keep the boy in his room. Really no fun at all.

- Edward is a chatterbox. He almost never stops talking. I love that he looks at me and rattles off whole sentences, like I should understand exactly what he's saying. We've figured out a few. Mama, Dada, and Hi are all obvious. Then there are those that no one else would get. Ethan, All Done, What's That, Ball, and Raaar (as in roar). Also he has a specific grunt that means "Yes, my diaper is stinky." And he has the "no" head shake down pat. Loving that we can communicate more!

- John is shaving off his goatee in three days! Really, two days and a wake up. I'm so excited!! I've decided to call it a Christmas present to me. I've been ready for it to be gone for a while. He's had it for a year, people. A year of a scratchy faced husband is not my favorite. (I love him, just not his unkempt facial hair.)

- My Grandpa's doing great. We couldn't even let ourselves hope for this before, but he should be home for Christmas! Probably even the traditional Danish Christmas Eve at the farm. I wish I could be there. (Also, this means I really need to decide on a layout program and a printer so that I can buckle down and get his book ready for publishing. At least the first volume. Any suggestions? I've used Blurb, but have some issues with their layout program. Solvable ones, but it's easier to avoid them all together.)

- How is it that Christmas is so close and I haven't finished my wrapping???? Usually I'm done shopping before December hits and I'm done wrapping by the middle of the month. I like having the last few weeks to just relax and enjoy the season. Life managed to get in the way this year. At least I'm done shopping. (Unless you're family. We're aiming to have your gifts done by the end of January. Hopefully.)

- I need to clean the boys bathroom. But I think I'm going to go make some chocolate gingerbread cookie bars instead.

Testing All Toys

I'm sure that most of you have heard about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) by this point. I've known about it for about a year, but was unaware that it would be incomplete.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for this legislation. Safer toys? Fabulous. But, especially because of this. Yea. That would be the lead analyzer my dad's company is making. The company that we all hold stock in. We've been excited for the CPSIA ever since word first leaked out. And we all watched for the news when the bill passed in August. It was great news for us.

The problem I have with the legislation is the reason you may have heard of it. They made no provision for handmade toys. I am a firm believer that people should have the right to accept the risks of an "untested" handmade toy if they so choose. Without this provision, most makers and sellers of these toys will go out of business as the cost of testing is just too high.

So, if you are planning to write your congressman or something of the like, suggest that the CPSIA be amended to allow for handmade toys. Even if it means we as the consumer have to sign a release form to buy them. Don't bother asking to have it repealed. There were only 3 votes against it in the congress and senate combined. They LIKE this bill. But they may be convinced to fix some of its flaws.

Haven't heard of this bill? Here is a great overview of it. And here is a good analysis of how it may affect toy sellers (as far as anyone understands right now.)

For My Family

Every member of my family is both a science or tech nerd AND a music or drama geek. This video is for all of them. Enjoy!

Missing Screws

My laptop is missing some screws in the back. No big deal, right? Except they are the two screws that hold in the hard drive. I spent two days trying to figure out how to deal with a "hard drive not found" error before flipping the computer over and seeing that the drive was popped out an 1/8th of an inch. Pushed it back in and all's back to normal. I think I should maybe replace those screws before traveling again.

Prop 8

I don't usually wax political, especially on the blog. (Don't ask me about the presidential race. I get mad.) Although we don't live in California, we're interested in the outcome of the vote on Proposition 8. First because of the issue, and second because the CA state supreme court set a very dangerous precedent that needs to be dealt with.

Even if you don't live in CA, watch this video all the way through. It's really well done, and you might learn a thing or two about the effects of this kind of legislation. (I know that the picture youtube shows makes it look incredibly biased, but I promise it's really level headed.) Thanks Marci for passing it on!

Help Out Some Friends!

First, and the big one, is an old friend Danny. Without going into detail, he is a great guy who has had some rough spells in life. With renewed hope, he's now in PT school and his wife is about to have a baby. He is a finalist in the Wells Fargo Someday Stories Contest. Meaning he has already won $10,000 for his essay about his "Someday" goal to be a Physical Therapist and enrich people's lives. As a finalist, he can win $100,000 to put toward that goal and taking care of his family. Please, please, please, go HERE and vote for Danny. Once with each email address you have. (They use your email to verify that you are a real person and to let you know who wins. That's it.) He is a very strong second and only 500 votes behind the leader, so we know we can help him get there!

And second, my gorgeous friend Steph. She is in a baby bump photo contest to win a new nursery for her first boy. Following two older sisters, I'm sure the little guy would appreciate a more manly room. Go HERE and vote for #82. You can also find her in the photos, but it's an obnoxious system so don't feel obligated.

Meet Mia!

Have you seen American Girl's Girl of the Year? Yup. Her name is Mia. She has green eyes, dark blond hair, and chubby cheeks. She even has my funny, unbalanced lips! I'm kind of creeped out. (But I also kind of want one.)

PS to the Moms: Don't buy me one. Seriously.

Halloween is coming up fast!

And we can't decide what to wear. Ethan will be Buzz Lightyear (obviously) but the rest of us are undecided. Take the poll on my sidebar and let me know which idea you like.

Suit Drive

Have you heard about the Suit Drive at Men's Wearhouse? They are collecting gently used professional clothing to help at-risk men and youth move into the workforce. They'll add a new dress shirt to every suit donated. I love this. I've seen it for women before, but never for men. I'm going to pull out John's old suit and see if its in good enough shape to donate. And I know he has ties he doesn't wear. They're also accepting slacks, belts, and sport coats if you're looking to clean out your husband's closet ;)

My Favorite Movie

Now, don't laugh. My favorite movie is The Prince of Egypt. Yes, the animated movie. Every time we watch it I am struck by different parts of Moses' early life.

Today I felt his mother's pain as she gave her little baby son to the river and the Lord's hand. Would I be able to have that amount of faith? Even with the alternative?

I was moved by his struggle to decide where he belonged. In pharaoh's house with the man who had ordered his slaughter as a child? Or with an oppressed people he didn't understand?

And today I was particularly moved when Moses was called by the Lord to return and save the Israelites. He clearly felt inadequate, unworthy, and unable to do what the Lord had asked. But he did it anyway. He faithfully obeyed and followed the Lord's instructions. And succeeded! I know that my struggles as a mother pale in comparison to delivering the Israelites from bondage. But the Lord gave me these children to raise. He has given plenty of instruction. All I have to do is faithfully obey Him and follow His instructions and I can succeed.

New Blog

No, keeping up with this one is enough for me. I'm posting because one of my favorite people has finally started a blog. I'm not sure how she has the time, but I'm grateful for it.

Kolette Hall and her husband Jason live a hard life. Jason has been a quadriplegic since he was a teenager. Kolette wasn't deterred when they met at the Y and they married. Several years later Jason's specially equipped van malfunctioned, causing the brakes to fail, and he spent more than a year in the hospital followed by many more years of surgeries. Their day to day life is more difficult than I can even imagine, but they somehow manage to be some of the happiest people I have ever met.

I've been privileged enough to see some of how they maintain perspective and choose to be joyful through their struggles. Go here to read their story and here to read Kolette's blog. Her first post is about "Thriving vs. Surviving".

And if you ever have the chance to hear Jason speak, GO! He is hilarious and truly inspiring.

National Cheesecake Day

Did you know that today is National Cheesecake Day? At least at the Cheesecake Factory. It's their 30th anniversary. To celebrate, you can buy slices for $1.50 instead of $6-$8. The catch is that you have to dine in and you can only buy one per customer. So our plan is to go in with some friends (and our kids), share an appetizer, and buy cheesecake all around to take home. Do you think they'll let me count Edward as a customer?

I hope you see this early enough to enjoy it!

Best argument I've heard

"If you need drugs or alcohol to "have a good time," you aren't having a good time, the drugs are. They're using your body and your brain to do it, but you and your mind aren't even invited to the party." -Orson Scott Card