What I Wore Sunday. Vol. I

 

Joining up with the fine ladies at Fine Linen and Purple for the first time ever, for the weekly What I Wore Sunday.

Lemme just tell you all..that posting this particular post is an exercise in humility for me.  I generally HATE pictures of myself and heaven knows I'm not a fashion plate.  But, I am trying to get noticed for that What Not To Wear Show and I figure this is my best shot.  (kidding, kidding, I've never even watched it).  Actually, I just really enjoy reading and seeing what everyone else wears, so I figured I might as well join the fun.

Plus, my entire outfit cost me practically nothing..so that's pretty cool...I'm all about a great bargain.

So, here goes nothing..

 Shirt:  Thrifted from an awesome thrift store up North.  I can't remember what I paid for it.
Tank top: $2 on clearance from Wal-mart
Skirt:  Given to me by a friend who "would never fit into these clothes again."
Shoes:  Given to me by someone..can't remember who or the circumstance

I'm sure it's like so 10 years ago or something, but I really like the layered look of tank tops underneath button down/ fitted shirts.  It makes breastfeeding in public much easier, and I just personally really like the style.

So, that's my first volume of What I Wore Sunday.  Go visit Fine Linen and Purple for more fashion ideas.

7 Quick Takes Friday..I'm Traumatized

--- 1 ---

You guys..I'm totally traumatized over here.  On Wednesday, we were sitting down to eat dinner.  I had made a salad using all sorts of healthy ingredients...kale, romaine lettuce, real salt, Parmesan cheese, dried oregano,extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.  When I went to take a bite, I saw a dead, dried up one of these..

I apologize to any readers, I have traumatized with this picture.  Send me the therapy bill.

inside a lettuce fold.   

--- 2 ---

The lettuce was just from a plain, sealed bag of Publix brand Italian Blend (romaine and radicchio) and the roach was just folded up in a piece of lettuce.   And, you know what Ben had the nerve to say.

 That's the last time we buy organic.   

--- 3 ---

And, all I could do was cry.

It's not organic!!!!  It's pesticide-ridden lettuce from a sealed bag and it STILL had a HUGE  bug in it.  I can't bear to throw it away and I can't bear to eat it.  Waaaaah

--- 4 ---

So, finally, Heidi threw it away for me, and I called Publix to complain, and they said they'd call me back.  When they do, they better be offering me a nice Publix Gift Card.  Either that, or offering to pay my therapy bills. 

--- 5 ---

I'm no stranger to bugs in my lettuce.  I grew up with crunchy parents who grew organic before it was cool.  I've seen bugs in my lettuce before.  Let me tell you, there is a WORLD of difference between seeing a bug on fresh, from the garden, organic lettuce and seeing a dead, cockroach in your bagged, pesticide ridden lettuce from the store.

--- 6 ---
  Lemme just tell you though, this was way worse than the time I found a tailless lizard running around in the bottom of one of my pots.   The lizard was inside a strainer, trapped underneath a lid, running around like crazy...with it's tail just lying there separate.   And, I didn't even find that traumatic..and we still use that strainer and lid..after sanitizing the heck out of those things.

--- 7 ---

And, I think I've stretched this traumatizing story for enough quick takes..but speaking of traumatizing things...have you seen that Catholic Meme with the cat staring at a bunch of mice crawling around on his head and the caption reads:

Is Lent Over Yet?

 Every time I see it, I want to run screaming from my computer and bleach my eyes out.   I'd post it here, but I can't bear to look at it.   Mice are worse than cockroaches. .

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real.... Piles of Gifts from Spain

When Ben was in college, he spent a semester in Spain.  While, there, he met a dear friend, Rosa, with whom he has continued to keep contact.  A few weeks back, we were surprised and delighted with a lovely package from Spain..chock full of gifts and goodies for all of us along with a lovely, long, handwritten letter detailing the story of the Three Kings and the traditions found in Spain.  Ben translated it and read it to us one night, and we all heartily enjoyed it.

So, to you, Rosa, many, many thanks!!  Muchas Gracias!!    This edition of Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real showcases those wonderful gifts!

{pretty}

For me, there was a lovely bath, soap set!  It was so pretty and smelled so wonderful!  There were many more soaps included, but some are already in use!

                                                                            {happy}

For Heidi, there was this cute little store-front treasure box, and this darling cat, who she named Cecile.

Greta was super pleased with her little bull piggy bank and cute marionette.  They were both perfect for her.

She needs to work on keeping those strings untangled..but she loves it.

John got this super, fun, double-sided puzzle, which he really loves.

Elsa, got this adorable, super, sweet sheep..that we named Shelly. Because really..Shelly the Sheep sounds adorable.  Elsa loves her!

{funny}

For a funny picture, I piled all our wonderful gifts together and snapped a picture! Linking this one up with Cari, from Clan Donaldson for Theme Thursday.  And, Cari..you are so right...the red really does make a difference!

{real}

Last, but not least..we can't forget a real picture.   Ben's gift was a real(ly) awesome guidebook from Segovia, Spain.  If we ever make it across the Atlantic..we'll be all set to visit Segovia.

Now, go visit Our Mothers, Our Daughters for more Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real. 

Why we've stuck with attachment parenting

I just love Facebook. Seriously..I love it...I get exposed to so many blogs and ideas and links...and since I have carefully selected my "likes" to correspond with my interests, a lot of interesting articles show up.

This morning, an article entitled: Why we ditched attachment parenting showed up in my newsfeed.  So, I said to myself, Hmmm, that looks interesting, I think I can waste a few moments of my life reading that.  So, I did..because I love reading blogs and wasting time.

While the author was careful to state that different parenting styles work for different parents, she also seemed to say that co-sleeping turned her son (and lots of other children she knew) into a clingy, sleep-deprived mess, while her sleep-trained daughter was happy and content and slept well and everything was all rainbows and butterflies.   And, while I have no doubt that is true for her, I don't by any means think  it is a universal experience.

I think the real issue here is that new parents can get so caught up in parenting "styles" or labels, that they lose sight of the real focus and don't just do what works.   While we follow many of the "tenets" of attachment parenting,  I don't  consider us hard-core followers of any parenting style.

Love my Kozy!  I think it is my favorite baby carrier!

I'm all about baby-wearing..I have a too big, nice little collection of slings...everything from ring-slings to mei tais, to pouches (never could get into wraps though), but Elsa still spends plenty of time in a stroller, or the exersaucer or bouncy chair  or just on the floor.  Floor time is becoming limited though because Miss Grabby Hands has this amazing ability to reach and grab things that I could have sworn were out of reach when I put her down.   She doesn't crawl yet..she just sort of wiggles and stretches and somehow manages to grab things and the next thing I know, I'm all, Aaack, the baby is chewing on the computer cord,  and then I have to take it away from her, and well..she's not too fond of that.  I need to get the kids to keep the floor better picked up with their toys, because most of the time, it's one big, baby booby trap.

The baby in this picture is Heidi.  And, I have no idea why there is no sheet on that mattress??  This picture was taken in RI, while we were on vacation one summer, visiting my family.

And, yes, we do co-sleep and yes, she does *have* to nurse to fall asleep, and yes *all* my kids did that as babies and none of the older ones do that now.  They all fall asleep on their own, just fine, in their own room, and you can't even tell that when they were babies they had to nurse to sleep.  It's true..they do all eventually wean and potty-train and move into their own bed...and it even happened before kindergarten!

Yes, my not-quite 6-month old still nurses during the night...but. really..it's super easy when she's in bed with me.  I just latch her on real quick and go right back to sleep.  Hardly any sleep disturbance at all.  And, lately she's been giving us a good chunk of time when she first falls asleep for the night, where she sleeps alone in bed..which is wonderful.  And, all my kids did that as babies..they'd fall asleep around 8:00 or so and give us about 2 hours where they slept alone, before waking up around 10:00 ish..which is when I go to bed anyway.

Now, you may remember that last Friday, I posted about how I was sleep-deprived and tired, due to Elsa.  But, that wasn't totally true (ok..I admit it..I sorta lied... I better go to Confession now).  The reason I was sleep-deprived wasn't so much that Elsa was keeping me up, but that *I* had stayed up too late a few nights that week (and especially the night before), and it had caught up with me.  Yes, Elsa does wake up to nurse, but the real reason I was so tired was that I hadn't gone to bed early enough the night before or a few previous nights that week as well. Ever since I was a kid, I have had an inability to "sleep-in".  I'm totally wired to be a morning person, so when the sun starts peeking through the shades, I wake up..and can no longer sleep. Which means, that I can't make up lost sleep from the night before, by sleeping later.

Which brings me to my next point..the reason I was so sleep-deprived last week.  It's because the night before I had gone to a fun Mom's Night Out with friends...with baby in tow.  And, it was totally fine.  I held her some, a friend held her some (and showed her off to the snowbirds at the next table) and eventually she nursed and nodded off and I just held her in my arms while chatting with my friends, relaxing, and having a great time NOT being at home, while my wonderful husband dealt with the older kids and put them to bed and all that.  You see, having a baby that always nurses to sleep does mean that *I* always have to nurse her to sleep,  but it also means that she is totally and completely flexible and portable.  She will fall asleep anywhere..we don't have to worry about cranky baby while out, or having to take her home so she can nap.  Saturday night, we were also out with her past her bedtime...(at a wonderful friend's house for a lovely First Saturday Rosary and social time) and she was passed around and held by lots of friends, and then when she got tired, I just nursed her and she fell asleep and was still passed around while asleep. Lately, it's worked out that Sunday Mass happens to fall during the time she would nap, so I just nurse her in the pew, she falls asleep and we just hold her for the duration of Mass, and all is well.

You see, I value social time, and outings and getting out of the house and being with friends.  It would drive me CRAZY, to have to schedule my life or our outings around a baby's nap or bedtime.  Seriously crazy.  With 3 older homeschooling kids, I need to be able to take them to activities or coops or field trips without worrying about a baby's nap.

The one time she slept in a crib..I think it lasted about 10 minutes.

I totally realize that a different parenting style works better for other parents..and for some families, the baby always sleeps in crib, lifestyle works for them.  However, that type of life would not work for me.  I would much rather baby was dependent on *me* for nursing and sleeping and just drag them along wherever I go, than have to schedule around feedings or naps or get babysitters (because heaven knows, babysitters are NOT in our budget).  This is what works for us.  And, that totally dependent stage does not last forever.  My baby will be 6 months old next week...and honestly it feels like she was just born yesterday.  I know, that before I even know it, she'll be even more independent.

I don't follow attachment parenting because I think it is "better"..but because for the most part, it is what works for our family.  And, I think really..that is what parenting is all about.  It is about finding what works for each family and baby.  So, for some families, co-sleeping may be an absolute disaster and lead to sleep-deprived parents and babies, while for others, it may be blissful and lead to happy parents and babies.  It's all about finding what works, and then letting go of labels and styles and preconceived notions.

Catholic Woman's Almanac Link-Up

Today I am:

Thanking God For:
...the snap of "colder" weather we had this weekend.   It was a real gift, and I throughtly enjoyed taking walks without sweating!
...good friends
 ...healthy children.  So many people I know are struggling with sick little ones, I so grateful that for the most part, my children are all really healthy.

 Reading:
 ..a total fluff, mystery book I got from the library for my kindle. I love fluff, mystery books. I can't even remember what it is called, it's that fluffy.

Pondering:
...birthday presents for an 11-year old girl. Her birthday was in February, but she received some money and can't decide what to spend it on.

Learning: 
...about the Papacy. We're going to be starting lapbooks on the Pope, thanks to Shower of Roses.
...new recipes..always learning new recipes.

Praying:
 ...for everyone I know suffering from illness
...for a job for my husband after graduation.
 ...the bar exam.

Wandering Around:
...besides the aforementioned, Shower of Roses Blog, I've really been enjoying reading on The Wine Dark Sea.  Gotta love a blog with the word wine in it's title.
...I've also been enjoying reading Shoved To Them.
 ...Shutterfly. I've been having some computer issues, so I've been frantically trying to back-up the last 5 years or so of pictures onto Shutterfly.

  Remembering

 ...old times. Since I've been uploading old pictures, I've been having some great memories. Here are a few old favorites

This was taken shortly before our wedding.   I actually think I may still have sweater.  It was one of my favorites!

This is one of my favorite pictures of me.  I was at a friend's house/playgroup in TN and Heidi was about 22 months old. I think I still have that sweater too.  Apparently, I am not too good at getting rid of sweaters.

.
Now, go visit Suscipio for more Catholic Woman's Almanac.

Who's on first?

This article recently popped up in my Facebook feed. It's all about how Giuliana Rancic,

Look at all the priests we had at our wedding.

who by the way I have no idea who she is, because I tend to be super clueless about celebrities and pop culture and all that, said she puts her marriage first before her baby.  Why this is news, I don't know, because I personally don't care too much about celebrities. However, the article did get me thinking about who's on first...as in who is my first priority.

 I find it to be an odd question actually...Who comes first..kids or marriage?. It seems like just another way to pit parenting style against parenting style. The marriage first people are all:  

My marriage comes first because that is the base of our family, and we never, ever, ever, ever, let our kids in our bed, and we leave our kids with a babysitter once a week for date night and twice a year for weekends away. And, when my husband and I are talking, my kids never, ever interrupt, and when my husband comes home, all my focus is on him.

Who lives like that? And, who has enough babysitters or preferably family, willing to watch their kids so they can go away on vacations alone twice a year...because whoever does I kinda want them to adopt me. (Just kidding, Mom).

And, then the kids first people are all:

We choose to have kids, and every single second of my day is devoted to my kids and if they so much as make a peep we come running, and we would never, ever, ever leave them with a babysitter or go to any childless functions and we spend every single second of every single day focused on them.

And to that, I just say...Are you crazy..because you must have way more patience than I do.
 
And, really...who does either of those things? Because, the truth is that priorities change...they change with the season, they change with the stage and they change in the moment. Sometimes the baby cries and wakes up and is fussy and wants to nurse .all.the.time and then she takes priority. And, sometimes Heidi needs help with a math problem or Greta needs help with her writing and that takes priority. Sometimes, John needs something or is having a tantrum, and he takes priority. And, sometimes, Ben and I are trying to have a conversation or spend time together and we kick all the kids (except the baby) out of a room so we can share a meal together or talk without anyone interrupting, and marriage take priority. And, sometimes Ben himself takes priority, like when I have to hold his hand while he fills out the bar application...except I can't literally hold it, since he needs his hands for typing and mouse clicking and all that. And, sometimes it is the hunk of meat sizzling on the stove that takes priority..because if I don't attend to it, it will burn. And, I would never, ever just walk away from something on the stove and let it burn. And, sometimes I take priority...because I'm working out or taking a shower or getting dressed or writing or doing some other totally pressing thing like Facebook and then I yell loudly call for someone else to pick up the baby or make John a peanut butter sandwich or whatever someone needs at the moment. And ,hopefully, all the the time, God takes priority..although not necessarily in hours spent in prayer each day, but in the way we live our lives, the way we treat others and the way we do our work. I know there is some famous quote about that...something about how a mother is called to leave the alter of prayer and find her Lord in the dirty dishes and daily work..or something like that. I don't know the exact quote or how to look it up, but I've always liked it.

Being part of a family is all about balancing each family member's needs, as they are, at the present moment.   It's not about who is most important or who takes priority or which came first, but about helping everyone work harmoniously together. Or at least that's the way it should be...not saying that's always the way it is..just the way it should be and the ideal we strive towards. I don't see my marriage or my kids as being more important...they both are..and they each take priority in different times and different seasons and different moments.

7 Quick Takes Friday...No Unifying Theme

I

t's Friday!!! I'm totally tired and feeling a bit brain-dead right now, so these 7 Quick Takes are being written in a sleep-deprived stupor.

--- 1 ---

Why am I so tired you might ask? Well, it might have something to do with this amazing, floating baby. Actually, she's not really floating, she's sleeping on my lap. Which is the only way she naps...if I even *think* so much of putting her down, it's wake-up-and-party baby. So there she sleeps...until my notoriously small bladder can't take it anymore.

--- 2 ---

It's cold today! Well..cold by Florida standards..which means high only in the 60's. Yay!, I got to pull out my favorite fashion accessory. Baby leg warmers...try not to be too jealous of Elsa now. She's doing her part to bring back the 80's.  Notice my sandal-clad foot in the backgroud..cause it's never too cold for sandals. .  .

--- 3 ---

Today is March 1st..which means only 71 days until graduation and only about 3 months until we likely move out of Naples. Waaahh...I don't want to leave...we have too many good friends here. On the other hand..having a steady income again will be very, very, very good!

--- 4 ---

So..did you hear the one about the guy who got swallowed by a giant sinkhole while sleeping? Unfortunately, it's not a joke..it really happened. So sad and scary...and this happened just 2 hours or so north of us, in Tampa. Prayers for that family and survivors.

--- 5 ---

And, just to keep it real....here is a picture of John and his cake-wreck worthy car cake.   It looked horrible, but tasted great..and gluten-free to boot!

--- 6 ---

I haven't been watching any of the media coverage of the Pope's last day...mainly because I never watch media coverage and hate having the TV or anything on during the day. So, I've basically been getting all my news from Facebook..how sad is that? Anyway, our prayers are with him and we pray for the new Pope. Did you know that you can go Adopt a Cardinal to pray for? If you haven't done it yet..you should. I got Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa SchP from Chile.

--- 7 ---

I used to hate shrimp...and then Ben got us gift cards to Applebees and I got some chicken/shrimp dish (because it was one of the few gluten-free items they had) and it was delicious...and all of a sudden I've been LOVING shrimp. So, I'm going to attempt to make a pasta/shrimp dish for dinner tonight....gluten-free of course. I don't have a recipe, so I'll just wing it. If it turns out well..I'll post the recipe. And, if I don't..then you can assume it was a dismal failure and my family all went screaming off into the woods to hunt down a deer for dinner. Either that, or they all died of food poisoning.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!