In A Word Wednesday...

Just a few I don't want to forget...

• Exki-ded = Excited
• Mommy Jaedy dry pants! (every time he goes potty)
• Pee Pee potty, keep pants dry.
• Aww, Roxy girl love you.
• Mommy Janson, Daddy Janson.
• You go od-er der (over there).
• Robbie do's basketball, Hunter do's baseball!
• Very hot! (every time I'm using the stove)
• Love you moon a back.
• 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10...20's....9,10, 40's...yay counting (still not sure where he got 20's and 40's)
• Wochte Dog.  Wyan Wochte swimmer.  (He named his stuffed dog Lochte Dog after Ryan Lochte.  Guess we watched the olympics just a bit :)). 

The little man has started singing and praying on his own now, it does take a little help when he get stuck.  I wish I could bottle his little voice and how precious he sounds.  We still cannot get him to do it on camera, maybe soon.  It sounds like this...

Bedtime prayer:

Now way me, down seep, pway woord, sole keep. Jesus watch me, fru night, keep me safe, mornings wight. AMEN!

Dinner prayer:

God is great, God is good, and tank Him, for food. AMEN!

He really loves when he gets to the amen, he throws his hands up and yells "AMEN".  He loves to sing Jesus Loves me and I am quite surprised at how well he sings it.  

The biggest accomplishment (other than potty training) has been learning to count to 10.  He has a hard time with 3 and 4, but gets them eventually.  His favorite time to count is going up the stairs.  He counts each step.  

Blessings!

Potty Time...

Well it seems I blinked and summer raced by!  In the midst of all the business of trips we decided to give potty training a go.  This was definitely not something I was looking forward to, but knew it was time.  How did I know it was time?  Let me back track for a moment...

In April the little man went for his 18 month check up, which was all fine and good until the pediatrician chose to alter the course of life (okay a bit dramatic I know)!  The conversation went something like this...

Pedi: "He is a very bright little boy"

Me: "Thank you"

Pedi: "I am really shocked, he talks more than most of my girl patients.  With an extensive vocabulary it is a good indication you are probably ready to start potty training."

HOLD THE PHONE....POTTY TRAINING...AT 18 MONTHS!!!  

Let's just say shock doesn't begin to explain my expression, at one point in time I think I actually grabbed the table for stability.  PT had not even begun to cross our minds and starting at the age of 18 months...does this seem abnormal to anyone else???  I agree he is a smart little boy, but potty training?  The handsome hubby and I talked it over and decided with a busy summer ahead we would wait until after vacation, thus buying me the time I needed to prepare myself.  That may seem a selfish statement, but all the parental advice I had received from family and friends was that we needed to be all in if we were going to do this.  And while I do believe at 18 months he was interested, I don't believe he was quite ready, I know now that there is a world of difference between the two.  

So we purchased a potty seat and just let the little man play and explore it.  I spent time reading every possible piece of material I could find on potty training a boy, I talked to moms of boys, read little man every storybook I could find on using the potty, watched potty videos and attended a few potty training classes with him at the local library.  

Fast forward to last week.  We decided right after vacation we would do it, begin potty training!  As soon as we arrived home I spent the weekend preparing for the big day.  We talked about it with our little man and pumped it up.  By Sunday morning I felt like a broken record.  As we were getting ready for church I was about to give the little man a bath.  Daddy stripped him down and he ran in the bathroom.  The little man looked me square in the eyes and said "pee pee", you can guess what followed.  I quickly picked him up and put him on the potty.  He finished peeing and was SO proud, that's when we knew it was definitely time.  After church we took him to the store to pick out his big boy underpants...I have to say that's when the reality hit me and the disbelief that we were doing this at 22 months!

We woke up Monday and began the potty process I found in a great blog post by a fellow pastors wife.  You can find it here.  We chose not to use Pull-Ups at all but rather just start training in big boys underpants.  For nap time and bed time we started by using the Bum Genius cloth diapers I had purchased and never used.  We called them night time pants to keep from calling them diapers.  If you would like all the little details let me know, but I will spare those who don't have little ones with my potty process.   

I wish I could say it was an easy day and he picked it up right away, but let's just say the equation looked more like this...

Strong willed child + even stronger willed mommy (x) potty training = a barrel of monkeys!

It was an exhausting and frustrating experience for both of us.  By Monday night dinnertime we hadn't had a single success.  I told daddy perhaps we weren't ready and we talked about holding off a few more months.  Feeling completely defeated I took the little man up for a bath and bed time.  Out of no where he looked me in the eyes and said "Mommy, go pee pee potty".  So on the little potty he went and suddenly he did it...he began to pee!!!!!  I jumped up and called out to daddy "He went potty!!!" and we began cheering.  All the stress from the day was washed away when his precious little face lit up with a huge smile of accomplishment.  We laughed and cheered.  But that wasn't it, after bath time he asked to potty and once again he went and he hasn't stopped using the potty since.  The next two days were a little rough, but by Thursday he had it down pat, telling me every time he had to use the potty.  Thanks to daddy he actually began to use the big potty on Friday and now prefer's it to the little potty.  

Potty training has definitely left me feeling like an unaccomplished individual as funny as that sounds.  Teaching another human being how to do something, that you yourself have no recollection of learning you just do it, is an extremely daunting task.  But it is SO worth it.  Sure not having to purchase diapers is a blessing, but seeing his face light up each and every time he uses the potty on his own is the greatest accomplishment to me.  I am not always going to be the one who helps him learn how to do big things, but boy am I one proud momma to have had the chance to do this along side him.  

For more details on how we did it, shoot me a comment below.

Blessings!

In A Word Wednesday...

Well our sentence phase has rapidly turned into the conversation phase!  Our little man loves to jabber on and REALLY loves to talk with mommy and daddy.  Even when he's in his crib napping you will hear him talking or singing over the monitor until he finally falls asleep.  I adore him so much and I love this phase in his little life.

Here are a few conversations we had just this week...

Pulling into the garage...

• Little Man: "Tennis...Racket"

• Mommy: "Where sweetie?"

• Little Man: "Right Dare.  Two tennis...racket" (pointing at the rackets on the wall)

Getting ready for bathtime...

• Mommy: "Are you ready to take a bath?" 

•  Little Man: "Yes, yes! Bath disa-bubble bath too, fruog too?"  

•  Mommy: "Yes you may have Mr. Bubble and frog too" 

•  Little Man: "Yeah, disa-bubble, fruog" (laughing and shaking his head)

Morning Routine (when he wakes up)...

• Little Man: "Mommy, where are you?"

• Mommy: "Good morning!"

• Little Man: "Daddy go?"

• Mommy: "Where did daddy go?"

• Little Man: "Daddy go work." (nodding his head)

• Mommy: "That's right daddy did go to work and where does daddy work?"

• Little Man: "Church! Daddy go work, church...yeah."

Story Time...

• Mommy: "What books do you want to read?"

• Little Man: "Bible book....baby signs....lama"

• Mommy: "Who's in your bible books?"

• Little Man:  "Noah....Jesus....puppy dog too"

One afternoon while I was checking email on my laptop...

• Little Man: "Pway, Close it!"
• Mommy:  "Close what sweetie"
• Little Man:  (walking over and shutting my laptop lid)  "No, Close it! Pway, shwizbee"
• Mommy:  "Where do you want me to go play frizbee?"
• Little Man:  (Grabbing my hand and pulling me to the hall) "Seet (sit) down, pway shwizbee"
• Mommy: "Okay mommy sit.
• Little Man:  "YAY, shwizbee, can jam it!"

More vocab...
Lately our little man has been saying some hilariously cute words and with that his current words are changing, which is both exciting and heartbreaking at the same time.  Never before have I felt time was going by as fast as it is now.

Here are a few of his latest:

• Disa-bubble = Mr. Bubble
• Too-ed = Tooted (thanks to a kids song :-/, he loves to say "Mommy too-ed, daddy too-ed, doggie too-ed.  As you can imagine this makes mommy really happy...arg)
• Woshie = Lotion
• Shwizbee = NEW! Frisbee
• No much, no much! = So much, so much
• No wike it = No like it
• Bee-chu = Beat you (when we race :))
• My schuggars = My Sugars (when we give him kisses :))
• Can Jam It! (anytime he throws the frisbee)
• Mommy baby kwy-in.  (anytime he hears a baby cry. sorry that one is hard to spell!)
• Drive, cool car. (anytime he wants to go for a ride in the car)
• Pee pee in potty (NO, we are not potty training just yet)
• Daddy Sing Song
• Pucky Dog is now Puppy Doggie

Learning his name...

We are currently working on teaching our little guy to say his name and learn to recognize the letters.  You can imagine my excitement after a week of asking him how to spell his name he actually said "O"!  Of course that is the only letter, but it's a reoccurring letter in both his first and middle name, progress baby!  He is absolutely obsessed with his middle name so if you ask him what his name is he will most likely respond with "Maaaa-nix" (Maddox).  He says it in the CUTEST WAY!!! I love that he is recognizing his own name!  

Current Fav...

This week my favorite part has been hearing him recite his prayers back to me.  It goes something like this:

• Mommy: "Now I lay me"
• LM: "Now way me"
• Mommy: "Down to sleep"
• LM:  "Down seep"
• Mommy: "I pray the Lord" 
• LM:  "Pray ward"
• Mommy: "My soul to keep"
• LM:  "Soul keep"
• Mommy: "And Jesus watch me"
• LM: "Jedus wach"
• Mommy: "Through the night"
• LM:  "Night"
• Mommy: "Keep me safe"
• LM:  "Keep....safe"
• Mommy: "Till mornings light"
• LM:  "A-MEN!"

Did I mention he closes his eyes and folds his hands the entire time!  I honestly do not know how it is possible that he is picking this up at 21 months, but paint me a proud mama.  He is learning to pray and oh how I love it!

Blessings!

Melt my heart...

Are there things that happen with your kids that just simply melt your heart?  For this momma it was just before bedtime:


Me: "Baby where does Jesus live?"

Little man: "Heaben!" (pointing with both fingers to the sky)

Me: "That's right, where else does He live?"

Little man: "Heart!" (pointing to his heart)


Hearing those precious little words come from his lips, it's a little hard to maintain composer.  I love that my sweet little man is learning about Jesus at such a young age.  Somehow exchanges like this one make me feel like we're doing something right.

Blessings!

In a word...

This week our little one has moved into sentence mode!  I have to admit, as hard as it is to hear him sound so grown up, it is stinkin' adorable.  Here are just a few of the things he has been saying:

• "Where mommy/daddy go?"
• "Thank you mommy/daddy"
• "Milk please mommy"
• "Daddy/Mommy go bye bye"
• "Please have it" or "Please have some"
• "Go bye bye, cool car" (when he wants to go for a ride in the car)
• "Daddy/Mommy read book"
• "I you-ya no much" (I love you so much. For some reason it is "no much" instead of "so much")
• "Via-min time please" (vitamin time, he loves his vitamins!)
• "Go pee-pee/poo-poo on the potty" (we are working on potty training)
• "Go down-ner, puwa wif it" (down there and play with it are ADORABLE! going to miss those)
• "Ro-sy go ni-night" (when we leave and Roxy "Ro-sy" goes in her box)

I keep forgetting to write down what he says as he says it, somehow I think I will just magically remember but I never do :(.  I am sad to say several of the cute little words he would say in his own language are now forming into the proper pronunciation:

• Don-on is now Donna
• Durama is now Grandma
• Basidas is slowly becoming basketball
• Bees-bow is now baseball

But even with these changes "I you-ya"(I love you) still remains the same and I LOVE IT!  We are frequently told that our little one has a huge vocabulary (not even joking, at least 10 strangers made remarks about it just this week) but to be completely honest we don't know any different.  To us he is just a growing little man who talks alot!  We have been asked what we have done and I have absolutely no idea, it is truly just the way God designed him.  We read ALOT of books and have always made it a point to have conversations with him, but does that make the difference?  Like I said we have no idea, he is our first so we have nothing to compare him to.  To this mommy and daddy he is just our little boy, growing up WAY to fast and amazing us every step of the way!

Blessings!

A different kind of Good Friday...

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...Ecclesiastes 3:1

A number of times in the past I've sat down to write this blog and the words never seem to make it from my heart to the page, but this year I feel confident to put down on paper what I feel in my heart.  I beg you to read this post in it's entirety...

As I approach this mothers day, I feel burdened and heartbroken, not the normal course for a mother.  I remember feeling this same burden just a year ago, my very first mothers day.  Sitting in church service, surrounded by mothers of all ages, I should have been overjoyed.  On the contrary, my eyes were filled with tears and my heart ached so deeply I couldn't breath as I recalled so many mothers days before this one.  When I should have been feeling joy I was burdened with anguish over those I knew desired so badly to be in the moment I had been given.  Seven years I waited, patiently for my time to celebrate, but I felt no sense of celebration.  

See infertility doesn't care if it's Mothers Day.  Infertility doesn't care how many times you have attempted and failed to conceive.  Infertility doesn't say bravo when you attend a friends baby shower or hold their new born baby in the hospital.  And infertility doesn't just go away when they place a baby in your arms.  This throne in the flesh is a constant reminder of what you cannot do and what you have no control over.  What is so seemingly easy for others is so painfully difficult for you.  Mother's Day is a reminder of what you desire, what you long for daily and wait for patiently.  And while you put on your best smile, mustering up every bit of strength you have to celebrate with the mothers you are blessed to know, you are quietly crying inside.  

I find myself asking the question: why if I have been blessed with a precious son do I still feel such a heavy weight?  I truly believe it's because God has called us to carry the weight of one another burdens.  By recalling to memory the seven years prior to our little ones adoption, the pain and anguish of infertility along with three failed adoption process', God is helping me to remember their are those who are still struggling.  Many of them close friends and family members.  That's not to say this burden should take away the celebration of the great blessing God has given me in my son, nor should it diminish the joy I have in being a mother.  Rather it is a matter of reverence for me personally.  Because I still struggle with the pain of infertility myself, there are parts of Mother's Day that will forever remain a silent painful struggle.  It is a thorn in my flesh, however I choose to see this thorn as Paul chose to see his:

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Please do not misunderstand me, I DO NOT for a moment believe the thorn of infertility is a messenger from Satan nor do I believe I have even a muster of strength as great as Paul, but I do believe God has put this into our lives personally so that His power, His plan, His purpose and His glory might be displayed in our life.  Without this thorn we would not have our beautiful precious son!  Without this thorn we would not have met the precious young woman who gave birth to our son.  Without this thorn we would not have been able to give a voice to those orphans who cannot speak.  Without this thorn we would not have been able to minister to so many other hurting couple's.  And most importantly without this thorn we would not be the same believers we are today.  Because of this...All the more gladly I WILL delight in this weakness, for when I am WEAK, then I am strong.

So in preparation for this Mother's Day I have decided to observe a "Good Friday" of sorts.  Around Easter we observe Good Friday to remember the sacrifice Jesus made when He died on the cross for our sins.  This is in NO way to be anything like that, but it is a day I am setting aside to remember and pray for those who share this thorn in the flesh.  If you have those in your life who share this struggle I would greatly encourage you to pray along with me.  Here are just a few ways I will be praying:

For Couples who struggle with infertility - For peace, comfort and strength to continue on.  For a sense of God's presence to know they are not forgotten.  For great assurance that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.  For confidence that they are nothing less than God designed them to be.  For laughter to replace tears, joy to replace heartache and mourning to be turned into dancing.  For peaceful guidance to make Godly decisions on the direction they should go.  For understanding and grace for those who don't understand or say the wrong things.  For understanding and grace for one another, to grow closer through this journey.  For the Lord to show Himself in mighty ways.  

I pray as we approach Mother's Day that we might be sensitive to all those who struggle with what should be a day of great joy.  Not just for those dealing with infertility, but those dealing with miscarriage or the loss of a child, for those who have lost their mothers, for the sacrifice of those PRECIOUS birthmothers and for all the babies just waiting for a Mommy of their own.  May our hearts be burdened for one another.

Blessings!

Found...

I found God on my deck.  I promise I'm not crazy, I'm linking up today and you can read more about "Found" on one my favorite blogs Beautifully Rooted.   So lately I have been challenging myself to "Find" God everyday.  As I said I "Found" Him on my deck...

Around here the seasons are changing and with them our little man.  This spring he is a little bit older, a little bit taller, a little more grown up.  It's hard to grasp the fact that time isn't going to slow down and our baby boy won't be a baby for long.  Life has been so busy lately, so many changes, so many things to get in the way of dedicated time with just me and my little man.  So when I saw him standing at the screen door, looking intently at the leaves blowing around, I knew this was a moment I wasn't going to get back.  I slid the door open and out he ran...

Without hesitation he began running around the deck, laughing hysterically as he made circles around me, as if he was playing his own little version of duck, duck, goose...

Pausing momentarily in a curious stare over all the little creatures flying around him or the noise the deck would make when he stomped his feet...

He wasn't worried about missing his favorite cartoon, playing with his favorite toy, what he would eat for lunch, if the house was clean or the laundry was folded.  He simply enjoyed all the little wonders God put around him...

And the only thing he asked of me was my time and attention.  It wasn't in the words he said, but in those eyes and the toothy smile.  It was the way he lit up like a Christmas tree when I ran circles with him.  It was that infectious little laugh when I would chase him from corner to corner...

It was in the way he would take a break just to sit in my lap and talk about the birdies or the kitty that lives next door...

He just wanted me!  In those moment's, on that deck, I "Found" God.  He used the most precious gift He has ever given to me to remind me just how precious I am to Him.  How He longs too for nothing more than time with me.  He reminded me that He doesn't want my clean house, my folded laundry or my next pinterest project, He just wants me!  He reminded me of Matthew 6:26:

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

I am worth so much to Him!  He reminded me I need to slow down and not feel like I need to accomplish everything, just enjoy the little moments running around on a deck.  

So run we did, the dishes and laundry will always be there later.

Blessings!

April Showers bring...May-heim???

That's right, April Showers in our house bring about a bit of Mayheim!  Why you ask, well April is traditionally my quarterly spring cleaning month and because disorganization and clutter are like complete mayheim to me, the overhaul of April will keep us from the two being an issue.  What do I love about spring cleaning...EVERYTHING!  SC allows me to keep a grasp on what I own, what I need to donate and what I need to trash.  And since we have not spring cleaned since moving into our current rental (less then 3 months ago) it's about that time.

So here is the plan of attack for the Spring Clean/To-Do List:

Living Room:

• Organize Buffet (donate anything not used in 6 months)
• Find new storage for blankets
• Repurpose old lamp
• Make window treatment
• Decide on fabric for arm chairs
• Deep clean sliding door, buffet, shelf and frames
• Vacuums out couch (remove cushions)
• Switch out blanket to summer

Dining Room:

• Work on "Our House Rules" for the big wall
• Find MEGA carpet cleaner
• Summer centerpiece
• Deep clean window, baseboards and overhead light

Guest Bathroom:

• Finish decorating
• Deep clean window and baseboards

Entry Hall:

• Make summer door hanger
• Make front door mat
• Make shoes/purse shelf
• Make purse hooks
• Make "Please Remove Your Shoes" decor
• Deep clean front door and base boards

Coat Closet/Pantry:

• Pantry shelf re-model
• Pack up winter coats
• Donate unused kitchen stuff
• Install low hooks for little man's jackets

Kitchen:

• Make a menu board
• Make a weekly calendar/appointment/to do board
• Clean out cabinets (donate anything not used in 6 months)
• Find storage solution for wraps and baggies
• Finish spice jars
• Deep clean fridge, floors, cabinets, counter tops and window

Master Bedroom:

• Find a dresser!
• Clean out closet and donate clothes/shoes 
• Organize shoe madness
• Re-organize purses/scarfs/accessories
• Purchase other side table from antique store
• Find a free shelf or make one
• Finish putting up decorations

Full Bath:

• Re-organize bathroom cabinet
• Organize make-up
• Make magnetic make-up tray
• Find storage/caddy for shower stuff
• Find hooks for loofa
• Find free shelf!

Little Man's Room:

• Short clothes - Change out sizes
• Pack up 12-18 month clothes and take to basement (too fast...insert VERY sad face!)
• Clean out closet and prep for makeover
• Rotate books
• Sew seam on throw pillow
• Make more shelving 

Craft Room:

• Empty remaining boxes
• Clean and organize closet
• File all loose papers
• Look for twin bed, night stand, dresser, etc.

Playroom/Man Cave:

• DECORATE!  YIPPEE!!!!
• Find shelving
• Make chalk board table top
• Make curtains
• Hang lamps
• Clean kiddie rocking chairs and move them in
• Find storage solution for dirty laundry
• Post couch and chair on craigslist
• Wipe down and organize laundry area
• Organize dry storage closet
• Hang storage solution for mop and broom

Garage:

• Take old Rx to county for disposal
• Purge spray paints and take to county for disposal
• Donate old fridge
• Organize Christmas into corner
• Organize dry storage shelves
• Dispose of old boxes
• Organize tools
• Make a wood working/furniture repurposing area
• Change out curtain to add more light
• Spray down garage!

Outside:

• Back - Rake out leaves in back yard
• Back - Spray down slider and CLEAN!
• Back - Spray down slab
• Back - Hang lights from deck
• Back - Plant flowers
• Front - Weed front flower bed
• Front - Find free chair or swing
• Deck - Spray down deck
• Deck - Look for free patio set and swing
• Deck - Bar-B-Que Grill!

I know it looks like alot to do, but the reward for this hard work is a well organized, well maintained home.  Since my handy hubby loves to help out it makes much of this list go by in a breeze.  If some of the list bleeds over into May, that's okay, after all it is my list, my goals and my plan.  The only one holding me accountable to finish is your's truly.  One thing I refuse to do is allow my list to get in the way of time with my guys, they are my first priority.  

So bring on the rain of projects and the mayheim, I'm ready!

Blessings!

Swim Lessons...

With summer around the corner and our little ones love for the water, we knew it was time to start swim lessons.  As a kid I remember growing up in the water and loving every minute of it, so having a little water bug of my own really excites me.  I loved every minute of watching him in the water tonight (daddy took the first class so I could take pictures), daddy said he kept saying "FUN" during the entire class.  I'm guessing he really enjoyed it...

Time for class!

Daddy and Little Man doing the Hokey Pokey!

Kicking to catch the ball!

Floating on his belly with daddies help.

Water and a ball, 2 of his favorite things!

Time to float on your back, needless to say he didn't like that so much! 

With daddy and his ball he was just fine after a few minutes.

Hi Mommy!

And of course he made some friends along the way!

That face says it all!

Happy little man!

Time to learn to jump into the pool!

Class is over, until next week! 

The cutest little water bug after his first swim class!

He looked like such a big boy tonight, it's hard to believe he will be 18 months old in just a few days.  I am such a blessed momma to have such a precious little man.  These swim lessons are going to be a blast, I can't wait until next week!

Sometimes it's just hard...

This weekend we spent alot of time putting up family pictures from our little guys one year photo shoot.  I loved looking through all the pictures again and choosing our favorites.  Each one of those pictures reminds me just how blessed we are, so much more than I think we will ever truly understand.
As I was hanging the last of the pictures on the wall it hit me, the inevitable wave of grief associated with infertility.  These waves just come, unannounced, and this one hit pretty hard.  I'm not sure where it came from but the ache that left my hearth hurting and eyes filled with tears was so unexpected.  Our pictures are beautiful but they just don't feel complete.  We want so badly to give our little man a brother or sister, but it is completely out of our hands and our control.  I wish it was as easy as just desiring to have another, but that's not the path God has for us.  It's not that we are not content with one, but we long for more.
When I sat back and looked at the pictures I began to weep.  I didn't ask to be put on this journey, but given the option, I wouldn't change a thing.  God knows my heart and He know's it is healthy for me to grieve this loss.  I guess it's like any other loss, the grief just comes in waves.  I won't try to hide the reality that after 9 years it still hurts.  He know's I will have days like this, I just continue to strive to glorify my Father through my pain.  Thankfully just like waves come and go, so it is with grief, eventually the waters will calm.

Sometimes it's just hard...and that's okay.

What's For Dinner: Monday Menu Planning...

Menu planning has been something I have strived to do for years, but even more so now that we are down to one income.  On average our grocery bill is about $90 every 2 weeks.  To help all those out there who may need help and inspiration, I am adding our weekly menu's to the blog.  Bon Appetite!   

Monday

Dinner with our Small Group

Tuesday 

Main: Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin / Side: Sweet Potatoes and Glazed Carrots

Wednesday

Main: French Onion Soup / Sides: Tossed Salad

Thursday

Main: Broccoli and Chicken Alfredo (one dish dinner)

Friday

Main: Chicken Piccata / Sides: Potatoes and Green Beans

Saturday

Main: Taco Salad (one dish dinner)

Sunday

Main: Baked Ziti / Sides: Tossed Salad

Dear Well-intentioned...

...Business man on the airplane who scoffed at my crying 6 week old,
...Breast feeding mom who implied I was a selfish mother for using formula,
...Lady at the MVD who scolded me and implied I didn't know how to discipline my 12 month old,
...Elderly couple who remarked about my child not having a winter hat on,
...Young mom who implied I was abusing my child for giving him vaccinations,
...Man in the mall who made note of my shoeless child and bad parenting because of it,
...Mom with her teenage son who yelled at me in the parking lot for not putting my cart in the corral,


While I'm sure you are a very nice individual, with very good intentions, I'm sure you didn't realize...


...this was my first flight with an infant ever.
...my baby is adopted, breastfeeding was not an option.
...I had been there for 3 hours, missing his nap time.
...I drove 35 hours to move and his hat was buried in the back seat.
...I did my homework and made an educated decision.
...he had just taken them off.
...I had a toddler in his car seat and didn't want to leave him alone.


You see I am new mom and while I make mistakes I am striving each day to take good care of my baby.  So please have patients and grace for me, I am doing the best job I know how.


Sincerely,
New Mom