Random

I have a lot on my mind lately most of it is random and insignificant, but what is my blog if it's not random!

First, the nursing is going better.  I haven't had an infection since the first.  The baby does have some issues eating but he's getting better.  Hopefully by the time it's time to ween him he'll be a pro!

He's sleeping well, and that is good.  Hopefully that will last!  My last baby was a great sleeper and I was sure that CH was going to be awful and I was never going to sleep again.  I have to say that I really think the "Baby Blues", or Postpartum Depression, or whatever you want to call it, is related to how much sleep a mom gets!  I've had babies that did not sleep through the night EVER and I felt like crap.  I was angry at the baby, angry at myself for being angry at the baby, angry at my husband for who knows what, and just wanted to run away.  When L was born I was waiting for the angry feelings, waiting for the regret, but it never came.  L slept at least 6 hour stretches every night since day one and I felt great!  CH sleeps 5 hour stretches so far and it's fabulous, I had a little melt down at the beginning but it was minor and has since gone.  So, so far so good!

L on the other hand is well...a handful.  We already knew that though.  He really wants to be a good big brother but the baby does not need to use a big fluffy pillow on his face, or a blanket, or to be rolled off the ottoman, or to swing THAT high in his swing, or to be carried around by his big brother.  I have to be on L Watch all the time.  The only time I can relax is when L is tucked safely away in his bed, he can't get out of his crib!  Otherwise I can't leave the room, or pee, or shower, or even switch laundry without worrying about CH.  

On another hand L is so cute!  He is talking a lot now and is trying to be helpful.  Yesterday he cleaned the whole living room by himself.  Today I asked him to bring me an empty laundry basket upstairs and it was adorable watching him bring it up.  It was a little sad watching him struggle, but he was very ingenious in his technique, and he got it up the stairs.  

My friend started a Facebook page called Simply Living in the City that I've been following lately and it seems like it's going to be great.  She tries her best to live as simply as possible and I find that the things she does I also have been doing, or at least some of them!  I still have a lot more to learn.  I started living more simply when we moved to Illinois.  I found that our budget did not jive with the way I was cooking/eating out/shopping and I knew I had to make changes.  When we moved here we paid off all of our consumer debt and that has been the jumping off point for a lot of good changes in our lives.  I cook most things from scratch, we do not have cable/satellite dish, we use Vonage for our phone, we do not have cell phone plans, we live very close to Chris' work which helps on saving gas, I shop a lot of sales and thrift stores, and I use our annual clothing exchange for most of the kids clothes and mine.  When we do eat out we eat where kids eat free, or the dollar menu, or leave them at home and go by ourselves.  We also do a lot of lunch dates because it's cheaper!  Now I'm wanting to learn about gardening, and canning, and preserving.  Can't wait.

Every time my Mother-in-law comes to visit she cooks very yummy stuff for us.  We always start our visit out with a trip to the grocery store.  As we are walking the grocery store she asks me if I have certain things: plastic wrap, ground ginger, better than bullion, a lasagna pan, parchment paper, mini muffin tins, non-stick spray, onion powder, and I NEVER have any of these things.  Over the years I have acquired the lasagna pan, and mini muffin tin (thanks Penny), but the other stuff I never buy.  She usually buys it for me and it's here until the next time she comes and when she finally uses it all it's gone!  Well the last time she came I had purchased (before she came) some non-stick spray and was so proud of myself for having it when she asked, then I completely forgot about it.  The other day I remembered it again and have been using it like crazy...where have you been all my life non-stick spray!!!???  No more getting my fingers all greasy with butter/oil/shortening it's fabulous!!  Ranks right up there with my epidural.  

This brings me to another random thought I've lived here in this house for 5 years come October 19th.  I have moved my kitchen cupboards around several times except for the spice/baking cupboard.  That particular cupboard came with a spice rack installed on the inside of the door.  So naturally all my baking stuff went in that cupboard, even though most of my food preparation happens on the other side of the kitchen.  My food prep side has a cupboard by it that is large but had no spice rack.  A light bulb went off in my head on Saturday...MOVE THE SPICE RACK!  Seriously folks in the 5 years I have lived here it has NEVER dawned on me to move that sucker!  Chris had it switched in less than 5 minutes and I now have all my baking stuff in the larger more convenient cabinet!  It's amazing how much more I love my kitchen now!

Well that's long enough for random!