7 Quick Takes Friday... The Baby Edition

 Babies are great. Babies are fun.

 Babies are such a nice way to start people. - Don Herald

Everyone loves a baby..so this is the all things baby edition of 7QTF

--- 1 ---

My super , super, awesome friend dropped of this high chair for us this morning. Yay! This will make eating much easier, as now Elsa can sit in the chair, instead of on our laps. It will also keep salad dressing from dropping on her... not that olive oil isn't good for the complexion or anything..but I don't think she likes having it drop on her head..

 

--- 2 ---

Yes, she is wearing a hat. Yes, it is like 70 degrees outside. No, she doesn't need it...but hats are so stinking cute on babies, that I just can't help myself. I think I'm especially enjoying dressing her up in cute clothes, because I know how quickly they start developing their own opinions.

Toddler: Waaah, I want the princess dress, I want the princess dress, I want the princess dress.

 Me: The princess dress is dirty, you're worn it for the past 5 days and we have to wash it.
 Toddler: Waaah, I want the princess dress.

Repeat, repeat, repeat...

So, while I can, I still dress her in whatever cute clothes I want. Like these super, awesome, fabulous cow baby leg warmers.

or this:

--- 3 ---

Speaking of high chairs, despite what our pediatrician "suggested", we aren't starting her on rice cereal at 4 months. We probably aren't giving her rice cereal at all. I basically follow Baby Led Weaning because I'm way too lazy to spoon baby mush into a baby's mouth. So, I basically just wait until my babies are old enough to feed themselves. So far, no one has starved to death and they all weaned...eventually.

--- 4 ---

I just started using my Kozy to put Elsa on my back. Oh my word..does that make life easier. I can cook and stuff with her back there. I love my Kozy. It's like 9 years old now and I've used it for newborns through kids age 3 or even 4.

Sorry for the cheesy, bathroom mirror, Ipod photo.

--- 5 ---

Two weeks ago, some random person gave me a bumbo seat in the parking lot at Wal-Mart. They just came up to me and asked if I wanted one...she said she had been trying to find someone to pass it on to.  So, I took it, but I don't really get it. Between her big bubble, cloth diaper butt and chubby thighs, Elsa can barely squeeze into it at 5 months, especially with the new repair kid harness (apparently, they have this repair kit that adds a seatbelt  that you are supposed to add on.  So I think we are just going to pass it on.  But, it was super nice of this total random stranger to hand it to me..so it totally made my day...even if we can't really use it.

--- 6 ---

Having a baby and big kids is wonderful. Awesome. I always tell people that my 4th was so much easier than my 2nd or 3rd, because now I have an 11 year old daughter who can hold/comfort the baby. Makes life so.much.easier.

--- 7 ---

And, just so you don't think our life is all sunshine and butterflies..let it be known that my baby has no schedule.  She doesn't sleep alone and even at night, wakes up after only 45 minutes or so of sleeping by herself after a day of not sleeping. But, that's okay..because who needs sleep anyway...I gave it up for Lent.    Just kidding...I actually gave up yelling for Lent...which I will elaborate on in a future post.   Stay tuned for an update on my no-yell Lent.

. For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real and Leaves!

{pretty}

 Double-dipping with this one and joining up for Clan Donaldson and Theme Thursday:  Leaves or Trees.   I braved the frigid, cool morning and pouring rain to take this picture of palm trees and leaves. And, for your interesting fact for the day, did you know that palm trees aren't really trees...they are actually a type of grass.  A very large, type of grass apparently.

 {happy}

Happiness is ice cream cake and birthday celebrations!  A perfect picture to post for Lent, no?

 {funny} 

 This is Greta's Valentine's day card for me.  It reads 

Roses are pretty,

Not as pretty as you

Cake is sweet.  Not as

sweat as you.

I'm so glad cake isn't as sweat as me, because who wants sweaty cake?

  

{real} 

 This is how we do school around here...sitting on the floor with toys strewn around.  Lollipop not usually included.  Although today she is eating a lollipop, at 11:00 AM, even though it's Lent.  They received a plethora of candy at the Valentine's party on Tuesday and as Greta says "I didn't give up sweets for Lent, I gave up sleeping with a pillow."  Not sure where she come up with that idea?? 

That's all for now folks!  Hope you enjoyed this edition of pretty, happy, funny, real! 

Happy Birthday Heidi...11 Years in Pictures

In the year, 2002, Ash Wednesday also landed on February 13th.    We didn't make it to Mass that Ash Wednesday and we didn't get ashes.  Heck, I'm pretty sure I even ate meat, because that is what the hospital gave me, and after a super long labor, I was famished.

On February 13th, 2002 at 11:00 AM, Heidi Marie Bentrup was born. 

Over the past 11 years, Heidi has grown from a tiny, little 6 lb 12 oz. baby to an 11-year old girl that is almost as tall as I am (and at 5'5", I'm no shrimp).   It's been an amazing journey..being her mother.   I was only 24 when she was born, and we had been married for just over a year.  I'm sure many people thought we were too young to be parents, but she has taught us so much and we are so blessed to have her.

Heidi is very sweet, smart and social. I call her the social butterfly, because she makes friends so easily and will enjoy playing with just about anyone.    Unfortunately, she's also a lot like me in many ways...and it's rather disconcerting seeing all your bad traits show up in your child.  Sometimes I think God gives every parent one of those just like me kids so we can know what we put our own parents through.  Unlike me however, Heidi is also a very gifted singer (in my totally non-biased opinion of course) and she did NOT get that from me.   She also really enjoys art, playing the piano..and believe it or not...archery, which she does through 4-H.

To celebrate her birthday, I'm posting one picture from every year of her life.

2002, Louisville, KY

This picture was taken at St. Martin de Tours parish in Louisville, KY.  We LOVED that parish..it was such a great church!  So many good Catholic families there.  It is still our most favorite church.

2003, Louisville, KY

Notice the bookshelf made out of bricks and boards.  We're classy like that.  That thing was a BEAR to move.

 2004, Murfreesboro, TN

This picture was taken outside our home in Murfreesboro, TN.  We sold the house and moved a few months later. Yes, we bought a house..and then sold it a year later.  It was craziness.  Several years after we left TN, this house actually burned down to the ground.  Thankfully it was vacant at the time.  So sad..I loved that house. 

2005, Derry, NH 

2006, Rhode Island

2007, Rhode Island.  We still have that scooter.  It's going to make a trip to scooter heaven very, very soon.

2008, Rhode Island

2009, Rhode Island

I love this picture.  Sr. Veronica. (my sister) visited Rhode Island and dressed the girls up.  We joke that she already has a room reserved for them at her convent.

2010, Rhode Island.  First Holy Communion at Jesus Savior Parish in Newport

2011, Naples, FL (although this was taken in Nashville, TN while on vacation)

2012, Naples, FL

2013, Naples FL

Wow, this also chronicles our various moves and different states we've lived in.  What a journey!
Happy 11th Birthday Heidi, We Love You!!

Parenting and the Papacy

Photo from catholicphilly.com

The Catholic world was rocked this morning with the news of Pope Benedict's resignation..to take place at the end of this month.   I woke up this morning...and immediately checked my email and got on Facebook first thing, Doesn't everyone start their day that way?   And, that is when I first learned THE NEWS.  Sadly, I get all my news from Facebook...without it, I would totally be in the dark.  I was stunned....to say the least. 

Pope John Paul II was the Pope during my formative Catholic years.  I loved him...I really, really loved him and was very saddened by his death.  Ben and I even named our pet cockatiel that we had when we first got married after him.  We called him JPII for short.  I didn't think I would love another Pope as much, but over time, I learned to love Pope Benedict.   They called him a "Catholic Rottweiler" (or something like that), and he is tough.  But, he is also gentle and clearly, very, very humble.   For, it would take great humility to do what he is doing.

I will admit to at first feeling some fear and anxiety when I heard the news.  After all, I am Anxiety Girl (able to leap to the worst possible conclusion in a single bound).  Who will be the next Pope?  What will happen to our church?  Then I remembered this passage.

  And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  Matthew 16:18

 The gates of hell shall not prevail.  Jesus promised us this...that he will always be with us and that hell shall not prevail.  I know that whoever is chosen for the next Pope..the decision will be guided by the Holy Spirit.

We call the Pope our Holy Father.   And, that he is...he guides us and teaches us.  With humility and love and sometimes sternness as the occasion calls for it...he is our spiritual father.   Parenting is hard work...so very, very hard.  I have often said that for all the labor involved in caring for babies..I find babies to be way easier than older kids. Guiding and teaching and disciplining is exhausting.   There are a million decisions to be made each day...and a million and one ways to second guess myself. Am I being too strict?  Am, I being too lax?  Am I expecting too little of my children?  Am I expecting too much?  Does this occasions/transgression call for justice or mercy or both and in what proportions?   A parent's role is to protect and guide and teach and discipline his//her family.  It's not an easy job.

How much more exhausting it must be to be the spiritual father for the entire Church?    To be responsible for safeguarding the Church, to be her custodian and caretaker and to present the faith to the entire world.   What a task to take on at the age of 78...when he probably wanted nothing more than to retire in peace and pray and write!!

So..to Pope Benedict...we all say thank you.  Thank you for the past 7 1/2 years of service.  Thank you for your love and humility and books and encyclicals and prayers and sacrifices.    Thank you for your guidance and teaching.    We love you.

7 Quick Takes Friday

--- 1 ---

Best. Catholic. Meme. Ever!

--- 2 ---

Monopoly is getting rid of the iron and replacing it with a cat.  This is incredibly good news, because who the heck in their right mind would want to be an iron?  I mean..an iron?  Who came up with that.  That's about as dumb as being a thimble.   Who wants to be reminded of work while they play.  Not that I would know anything about ironing as work...because I don't do it.

--- 3 ---

I just found this on facebook.  This is me...so totally me.

--- 4 ---

I must admit, I'm jealous of all my Rhode Island/Massachusetts friends that get to a experience a historic blizzard of crippling proportions.  I've never experienced  a blizzard. ..and down here in FL, we're all just like So, is it going to be warm, hot or super hot today?    I miss not sweating. 

--- 5 ---

CNN did a piece where mothers (and fathers) can share their stories about abortion.  The stories are very interesting and sad.  A few are just maddening and are only about abortion in the strictest medical sense (same as a miscarriage is a "spontaneous abortion."  Anyway...you should check it out.

--- 6 ---

Lent is right around the corner, and I still haven't decided what I plan to "give up" or do this year.  I always find Lent so hard with a new baby....I'm all like...Well, I already gave up sleep..and going anywhere by myself for the next year and being able to do ANYTHING without being interrupted, isn't that enough.   And, I already don't eat sweets (except for ice cream on Sundays and dark chocolate...but that's a health food...really it is...it lowers my risk of heart attack or stroke, so I HAVE to eat it.) or soda, or any of those things. So, I really don't know what to do.  Any ideas or suggestions??  I'd love to hear what others are doing this Lent!!

--- 7 ---

 For number 7, I'll just leave you with our miracle of the day.  Elsa slept ALL BY HERSELF in her bouncy chair DURING THE DAY.  This is A BIG DEAL.  Here is the cute, photographic evidence.  She slept in there for like a whole TWENTY MINUTES.  WOW!  Keep it up babe...pretty please?

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

How I get rid of a Cold or the Flu..FAST!

I've been sick the last two days.  It started yesterday with an obnoxiously, annoying runny nose that had my hypochondriac self convinced I was actually leaking brain fluid.  Thankfully, after careful examination, I was able to determine that it was just regular old, garden variety snot.   Whew.

Several years ago, I started getting really into home remedies and home treatments.   In fact, I even have a whole website I researched and wrote, devoted to this very topic.  Check out...My-Home-Remedies for all your home remedy needs.

Anyway, since colds tend to come around several times a year, over the years, I've had lots of experience going through my arsenal of herbs and vitamins to find the most effective at getting rids of colds or the flu..fast!  So, I thought in my generosity, I would share what I have learned with you.

Now..for the obligatory bit of legalese...I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on the internet.  This does not constitute giving medical advice nor the practice of medicine.  Use any home remedies at your own risk.  Always seek the advice of a licensed medical professional...blah, blah, blah..

This is just me...sharing my experience with you.  (Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?)

Vitamin D:  Vitamin D is like the MacDaddy vitamin for getting rid of colds and the flu.  I started researching Vitamin D in 2009 when the whole swine flu scare thing came about.  Remember that?  The media had everyone convinced that the swine flu was worse that the bubonic plague   The media is good at doing that.  Anyway. Vitamin D if taken in high enough quantities is highly effective at stimulating the immune system to fight off colds or the flu fast.  I take 5000 IU on a daily basis and when I'm fighting something, I temporarily bump that up to 20,000 IU (just for a day or two..no longer).  I also give my kids larger doses of Vitamin D depending on their size, when anyone in the house is ill (ranging from 2000 IU to baby Elsa to 15,000 IU to Heidi (who at not quite 11 is already bigger than many full grown women I know).

Vitamin C:  Vitamin C is also effective...but you have to take LOTS of it, for it to work.  We only use Vitamin C in the form of sodium ascorbate powder and I "try" to take 1000 mg every 2 hours throughout the day when sick.   For kids, I mix it with peanut butter or honey...but a lot of people like to put it into juice.  We almost never have juice in the house, so I don't use that.

Raw Garlic: Garlic is like better than penicillin.  I love garlic!  It heals a whole host of things.  I eat 3-4 cloves of raw garlic, wrapped up in bread 3-4 times/day.   The bread is just to make it more palatable..you could use anything.

Apple Cider Vinegar:  Apple cider vinegar thins the mucous, and is especially useful for sinus infections or when you get all clogged up.  I drink 1 tablespoon of ACV in water, 6-8 times a day, throughout the day.

Cayenne:  I put about 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a glass of water and drink that...3 times a day.  I usually have to alternate sips of cayenne water with sips of plain water to soothe the burn...but cayenne is highly effective so it's worth it.  I can feel a noticeable difference in my sinuses when using it.

There are lots of other herbs that other people use....elderberry, ginger, cinnamon, honey, etc..and these are wonderful and I do use these on occasion.  But, the aforementioned herbs and vitamins are things we pretty much always have in the house...so they are my "go to" home treatment.

I hope you all find this post useful...and I sincerly hope you don't need any of these home remedies and stay healthy the rest of the cold/flu season!

Blessings,

Amelia

7 Reasons to Keep Breastfeeding 7QTF

--- 1 ---

I recently came across an article titled 6 Reasons to Stop Breastfeeding, so I figured I'd get all cute and do 6 reasons to KEEP breastfeeding...except this is SEVEN Quick Takes Friday..so I'm going to come up with SEVEN reasons.   The authoress of the article listed only "non-medical" reasons...so to be fair..I'm only going to list "non-medical" reasons, too.  (P.S. I sorta, kinda, maybe, possibly could have stolen the idea from my friend, Martha....must give credit where credit is due!!)

1

If you stop breastfeeding, you still have to feed the baby.  Doh'...ya'll are probably all, so tell me something I don't already know already.   But, it's totally true, if you stop breastfeeding you still have to feed the baby, which means you have to buy formula, and you have to mix it up in bottles, and warm the bottles and then feed the baby and then wash the bottles.  Golly...I'm exhausted just typing all that.   That seems like a lot of work...and I don't like work..it cuts into my internet blogging/surfing time. 

2

You can totally multi-task while breastfeeding.  I'm breastfeeding now as I type this post.   Once the baby gets older and has more head control, it is pretty easy to read, or facebook, or surf the internet or type, or teach school or even eat all while breastfeeding.

3.

It gets easier...I promise, it really, really, really does.  Most of the problems moms have in the beginning are because new babies are tiny and have tiny mouths and no head control.  But, babies grow and get head control..and it gets easier, much, much, much easier, and it's so worth it. 

4.

It's free..it's free!  Yippee!!  I love free stuff!  And formula is not free...in fact it is $$$$$. 

5.

You always have a readily available, perfect temperature, food source with you..and you don't have to lug a bunch of stuff around.  Which is great news if you are totally disorganized and always late and constantly forgetting things...like me.  But, so far, I haven't managed to forget my mammary glands..yet.

6.

It gives you a great excuse to get away from boring or annoying people.   Say you're at a  party and get stuck listening to someone drone on and on..  Whoops...sorry Uncle Roger, I'd love to hear all about your trip to Timbuctoo for the 20th time, but baby's hungry.  What's that you say...she just fed 30 minutes ago and appears to be sleeping soundly.   Growth spurt..she'll wake up any time...better go feed now...sorry to miss those pictures. 

On the flip side though...if you're someplace fun and don't want to get up and leave, you can just feed anywhere.  I do it all the time, and so far, no one's ever kicked me out.....yet.

7,

Breastfeeding  assures that you are at least one person in this world's totally, bestest, most favorite,person ever!  I love admiration...even if it is only coming from someone who drools all day long.  I'll take it!

Look at my admiring fan!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!