Tuesday Ramble

Today I had an MRI done on a knee that has been giving me trouble. It was only after I arrived at my appointment that I was told I'd need to dump my breast milk for 48 hours after the procedure! Apparently they want to inject a dye in me that will show up in my trouble spot if blood is going to that area. Umm, hello? My baby is like two months old & I don't know if she'll even take formula as I've never tried giving it to her. Luckily the appointment wasn't a total bust. They took some images today without the dye & on Friday I'll have some taken with it. So anytime you think of me during the next four days I'll probably be hooked up to the milk machine. Oh & I'm really dreading the nights we'll be bottle feeding. I generally have a baby on boob half the night every night. Now I'll actually have to get out of bed & warm up a bottle! Yikes! Wish me luck.

Micah's class wrote letters to Santa today. He couldn't wait to tell me what he asked for. He wants hockey equipment & a Lego kit for himself. He thought Ayla would like some more Polly Pockets. He very thoughtfully requested a meat grinder for his Dad. That way Craig can make his own ground venison. So, that leaves me & the baby. He didn't think the baby needed anything. OK, well what about mom? He couldn't think of one thing that I might like. I continued to prod him & he decided that something I would really love would be a new bowl for cooking! So. Apparently I'm the big fat mom that only cooks & cleans & has no outside interests. I know, I know, that's not what he meant, but I found it interesting that it was hard for him to come up with something. Maybe I do need some hobbies. Any suggestions?

Where Does The Time Go?

Hint: The photos will tell you what I like to spend my time on.

I've been asking myself that every night at about supper time. Then at the kids' bedtime I'm asking myself, "Why am I so tired & what did I do today?" My hubby is probably asking himself the same thing although he's wise enough not to say it out loud! So I've been thinking about it & decided to write myself this post. Next time I'm wondering I can look it up & answer my own questions. I've decided that the bulk of my time gets eaten up by two things. (Being on the computer is not one of them. I multitask when I'm here. Just look at my keyboard & you can see that I almost always eat when I'm here. My hubby was not happy to find that dried chocolate is the reason two keys were sticking together. I'm also nursing the baby as I write this. No wonder my neck & shoulders are sore.) Anyhoo, the biggest consumers of time in my life are; 1) All that has to happen in order to get the kids to & from school. 2) Getting everyone in the family fed & the cooking & cleaning that entails. I'll give you an abbreviated version of a typical day.

- I finish the baby's early morning feeding at about 6am

- 7am - 8:30 is entirely consumed by getting the kids up, dressed, fed & to school.

- If I'm lucky I have from 8:30 to 9:00 to fix & eat my own breakfast.

- It's 9:00 & time to feed the baby again.

- Now I have from the end of baby's feeding until about 11:00 to throw in a load of laundry, unload the dishwasher etc.

- From 11:15 to 11:40 I'm busy getting Ayla from school.

- It's almost noon. Time to get Ayla her lunch & feed the baby again.

- Thankfully from about 1:00 to 4:00 every day the baby is napping. This gives me time to fix, eat & clean up my own lunch. I also continue with laundry & whatever else has to be done.

- At 4:00 Micah gets off the bus. That means it's time to get the kids a snack. Usually the baby wakes up hungry during this time period as well.

- Between 4:30 & 5:00 I'm done feeding Kaia & it's time to move into the kitchen & prepare supper.

- After we eat we need to clean up the mess. I feel ready to go to bed by then, but I go ahead & finish cleaning the kitchen. Then it's time to get lunches & snacks ready for the next school & work day.

- 7:00 time to do homework with Micah & get him & Ayla off to bed.

- 8:00 the kids are in bed & often times I am heading that way shortly.

So you see, it's mostly all about food. I do have to confess to one thing though. Whenever the baby isn't eating or sleeping you can often find me just sitting. I can't seem to stop holding, kissing & snuggling with Kaia. She's talking & smiling now. I just can't resist trying to get those sounds & smiles from her as often as I can. So, that's our life right now. I'm tired & lots of things aren't done, but I can't say I regret one minute of it! I'm just realizing I didn't say much about Craig. He helps a lot when he's in the house. But, a great majority of his time is spent messing with our wood supply. It seems like there is always wood to cut, stack & split. Since this is how we stay warm, I'm not complaining!

Who could resist that sweet smile?

Nine Things I'm Thankful For

1. I'm really glad that we don't have any snow yet. I'm not looking forward to going out into it every morning to get the kiddos off to school.

2. I've been appreciating my family a lot lately. Both the immediate & extended members.

3. I'm happy that no one in my house seems to mind left-overs for supper.

4. It is wonderful to have a two month old that takes long naps during the day.

5. I have met so many people through blogging. I appreciate the new people in my life & acquaintances I've gotten to know better this way.

6. I love, love, love my baby sling. It is the best way to shop & cook supper. I really don't think it has made my back hurt any more than normal either. So there Motrin.

7. We're going to Sherilyn's for Thanksgiving this year. I can't wait to spend time with them & some dear friends from Iowa.

8. I have a full bottle of my favorite essential oil blend, Immupower. It doesn't seem like winter without it.

9. My hubby is in the kitchen tonight. He likes to cook his venison & the kids like to eat it. For that I am very grateful. The kids are great guinea pigs. Because of them I don't feel so pressured to try his creations.

What are you thankful for?

Fake Boob Spoof

I was requested to post this link so here it is. It's pretty funny!

Annoying Commercial Alert

Maybe I'm a day late and a dollar short, but I just watched this commercial. I guess the company has since pulled the commercial, but it still makes me mad. Does it bother anyone else out there?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmykFKjNpdY

Oh, & I know there is probably a much, much better way to link this to my blog. As of yet, I haven't had the time & patience to sit down & try to figure it out. Maybe one of you can teach me next time we're together. Shannon? Wanna teach me some stuff when we see you next month?

Too Funny Not To Share

That said, if you are easily offended don't read this. Today I had my postpartum checkup. This checkup includes a bit of time on the exam table with stirrups. You know the one I mean. I had the girls with me. Kaia of course was oblivious. Ayla was not. Afterwards Ayla looks at me with saucer eyes & says, "I don't like what she did Mom. It hurted my eyes." Ooops. Any babysitting volunteers for the next time I have an OB appointment?

It's After 8:00 And The Kids Are In Bed

I've finally got time to post some new photos. They are a bit old as you can tell. Anyway, here are the big kids on Halloween. Craig took them to the businesses in town while I went & got my birthday massage.

The kids love to snuggle with Kaia before school. This is a typical scene most weekday mornings.

My good friend Michelle came to visit for a few days. We were lame & didn't take many photos, so I don't have a good one of our kids playing together. Michelle's daughter is 10 months old & this is the first time we got to meet her. We had a very low-key visit just hanging out & talk, talk, talking. Every time we thought about doing something like taking a walk we'd realize that some one's baby was napping. We never did get their nap schedules synchronized......

Ayla took this photo of me nursing Kaia & I happen to love it. This is what most afternoons look like around here.