Back Home

Last weekend, James and I took the quickest trip of our lives (less than 48 hours) and flew to D.C. As we were finally landing at DCA (I hate layovers!), I turned to James and said without thinking "We're home!!!" Because I truly felt like I was. 

And then I got choked up. I kinda got attached when I lived there. I know it better and feel more comfortable there than I do my present living environment. And I know happiness doesn't have a zip code, but man was I happy there. If only I could convince Brian that he could be happy there, too . . .

 See? Even James is happy there!

Anyway, the National Book Festival was taking place the weekend we were there (partly why we went) and I've only missed it once in the last six years. I just love this festival. My goal (very long-term) is to speak as an author there. Some day . . .

Anyone who has ever seen PBS Kids is probably familiar with "Steve Songs." Some of the songs are annoying and others are quite catchy ("line, line, circle, circle," anyone?). We happened to stumble across THE Steve singing said songs and Jamers was in heaven dancing along. 

 Oh, and this guy, too. We're kind of familiar with him at our house.

And then there was family time, another main reason we made the quick trip. Not only does my sister live in D.C., but my parents would be visiting as well. Jamers had a grand old time soaking up attention from his grandparents and aunt. 

D.C., we'll be back. Soon, I hope. Next time we'll take a direct flight, though.

Random Thoughts, Part II

In no particular order . . .

Random Thought #1:

Being pregnant is expensive--aside from the obvious reasons of having to buy all that baby stuff. Over the last few months, either absolutely nothing sounded good to me or only very specific things (the thought of anything other than what I wanted made me sick) that I had to go out of my way to buy.

Like crab cakes. Not cheap, but sorry, I wanted them. And they were worth it.

A very specific bagel sandwich that I normally would only splurge on once every so often. I had it several times.

Specific chips I usually only buy on sale I had to have no matter the price. Then James ate half the bag and I had to go buy more.

And Cheese curds. Oh, the cheese curds. I had to drive 30 minutes to get them and I cringed when I saw the price. But I'd wanted them for weeks and I'd driven 30 minutes. So naturally I had to get them. Luckily, the first trimester has passed and my food cravings are more or less tamed. That also means the cheese curds are just sitting in the fridge because they don't seem all that appealing any more. So, if anyone wants some cheese curds, just let me know . . .

Random Thought #2:

It really bothers me when people put periods outside of quotes at the end of a sentence. Come on, it's a simple rule that we all learned in school. For example, I love the book "Anne of Green Gables". The period is supposed to go inside the quotes (like so, "Anne of Green Gables.")! Book titles are also, technically, supposed to be italicized and not in quotes, but that is another matter entirely. Now I'm not a perfect writer/speaker/anything else. Proper comma placement is my downfall, (see?) but the period outside the quotes thing is something easy to remember. It especially gets to me when it comes from a professional blogger. I know anyone can blog these days, but still . . .

Random Thought #3:

I'm not complaining about being pregnant because I realize there are loads of people out there who would like to be and can't for a whole slew of reasons. I am eternally grateful. Yet, I wish there was a way to avoid the awkward stage I am in now. People only know I'm pregnant if I tell them--or maybe not, because what's with people who comment "I was wondering!" after you tell them the news. Really? You were? That's not exactly what I want to hear. So I guess I should rephrase that. For the most part, people only know I'm pregnant if I tell them. But I'm starting to get that full lunch look--that totally unflattering roundness in my belly that just makes me look like I've been taking really bad care of myself lately. Not that I'm anxious for the feet/hand swelling and maternity clothing to kick in, but I guess what I'm wishing is that you could go straight from week 6 to week 20 and skip the awkward in between stages. Or that maybe the father could take care of those weeks and then I'd gladly take over after that.

Random Thought #4:

I've been thinking about potty training James for awhile now. My goal was always to do it before he turned two. Any one have any tips on potty training boys? I've already started a very slow process with him, as in for the past few months I take him in "there" at least twice a day and at night before bed when I know he has to go. But aside from that, how do you teach a kid to actually tell you when they gotta go? He has no problems telling me after, but never before. While I don't buy into the whole "he's not ready" thinking some parents have, I do know it will be hard work.  But, of course, working at it is what I'm unsure of. If anyone has any tips on how to get it done, please send them my way!

So, in my new Pinterest fascination, I came across this Toddler "Busy Bag" swap. Ten or 20 (or however many people are interested) come up with a "busy bag" idea (my favorites are highlighted below) and make 10-20 (or however many) of them up in a giant ziploc bag. Then all the women get together one day and swap them. So you immediately get a bunch of fun bags of things to keep your toddler busy for awhile. How awesome is that? I know there aren't enough people in Knoxville who have toddlers, so if anyone else out there is interested, let me know. Perhaps we could do some kind of mailing swap? Or maybe it's just a good Enrichment activity idea. If enough people are interested, I can try and get something going.

Any takers?

Here's the website and more/re-posted info that explains it better than I just did:

http://therigneys.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/toddler-busy-bag-swap/

Toddler “busy bag” swap!

By the Rigneys

This post could also be properly entitled: My Winter Survival Kit!

This past week, I hosted a Toddler “Busy Bag” Swap in my home for a group of my friends after deciding that I needed a little help keeping my toddler busy when we are snowed-in this winter (not to mention for the times when I will be busy caring for his new little brother!).

I assigned each woman a different toddler activity (or they could come up with their own idea) to replicate 20 times (storing each activity in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag).  We all met over dessert and then swapped our activities with one another.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching each mom carry a huge bag filled with 20 different activities to their car!  I plan to keep Sam’s “Busy Bag” stashed away until the wintertime and then slowly introduce one activity at a time.

Each activity needed to meet the following criteria:

• Self-contained.  This way, you can just grab a bag and GO! (without having to add a number of supplies to the bag in order to make it useful.)

• Transportable.  Yes, they will definitely be used at home, but I want to be able to grab a few bags to take to a restaurant, a waiting room, plane trips, car rides, etc.

• Convenient.  None of the bags will have supplies that require major set-up or clean-up: (no paint, watercolors, liquids, sand, dirt, etc.)

• Inexpensive. I didn’t want anyone spending too much money on this project!

• Easy to Make: I didn’t want anyone spending hours and hours and hours making their activity.

• Re-usable. I want these activities to last a while so that our other children can use them in the future.  Therefore, I avoided activities where you would have to buy new supplies to re-stock the bag.  This is why lamination is important for some of the activities.

I’ve posted pictures of the activities we swapped along with the corresponding links to give you a more detailed explanation of each activity.  I am sharing this here in case you are interested in coordinating a swap for you and your friends.  I already know of another group at our church planning a swap very soon, so hopefully these links could be of some help!

Mini Reversible Felt Board

“I Spy” Fish

Pasta Sorting and Stringing

Pony Beads and Pipe Cleaners

Matching Color Shades

Foam Shape Puzzles

Build-Your-Own Felt Pizza

Button Snake

Matching/Memory Game

Homemade Organic Playdough

Button Matching Game

Color Matching Wheel

Lacing Cards

Popsicle Stick Puzzles

Homemade Number Boards

Animal Counting Cards

Number Wheel

Pushing Puff Balls

Next Year

For everyone who figured out the last post, here's more info:

March 19, 2012 

We find out next month if it's a boy or girl.

9/11

I posted this two years ago and my sentiments are the same as they were then. Except now I can't believe it's really been 10 years. I almost can't remember what life was like pre-9/11. I've lived in a post-9/11 world most of my adult life and it's sad my children will never know what life was like before all that evil changed our country (although all the new security measures don't bother me at all--in fact, I'm glad they are there). Five years ago I was working on President Bush's speeches leading up to the 5th anniversary of 9/11. They were some of the hardest working weeks of my life (I remember leaving work at midnight and having to be back at 6 the next morning). Back then, I couldn't believe it had really been five years. Time goes by so fast. I hope even 20 years from now that America won't forget to keep their faith in God, in times of crises or otherwise. I can't say it any better than President Monson . . .

"If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season." -Thomas S. Monson

................................

It's hard to believe it has been 8 years. I have a lot of love in my heart for this great country of mine. I have so much admiration for the men and women who work to protect it. As cheesy as it sounds, the song "Proud to be an American" still gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I pray that the leaders of our nation keep the policies in place that have kept us safe since that dreadful day 8 years ago.

Last year President Bush invited former White House staffers back to the White House for the remembrance ceremony. I knew it would be my last time at the White House before a new president took over, so I met up with my good friend Millie and we waited on the South Lawn together and reminisced about old times (we've been through a lot of craziness together). Obviously, I was not invited back this year. I'm okay with that.

(Can you see me in this picture? Hint: I'm to the back right of Mrs. Cheney in the black suit holding a white paper.)

A Few of My Favorite Things

Things I'm digging these days . . .

Chocolate covered banana chips from Fresh Market. YUM!

Cherry Lifesavers. Okay, so I've liked these forever but lifesavers are nearly impossible to find anymore (you can find them at Michaels craft store, oddly enough).

Zucchini: My garden is abounding in them these days. Needless to say, I've been looking up a lot of zucchini recipes lately. I've tried a few good ones already from my friend's food blog, but if anyone has any other tried and true zucchini recipes, please pass them along!

Cheese Curds: I'm not typically a big cheese person, but cheese curds I love. I'm upset that more stores don't sell them. The only place I've even found them in Tennessee is a Dairy/Cheese Farm 30 minutes away. But, man, they are good.

Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo. I know, I know. Suave? I got a free sample of it a few months ago and have been hooked ever since. It's incredible. Very few products work on my fine hair and it is a fraction of the price of other dry shampoos and actually smells good. Not having to wash my hair every single day has been awesome.

Books. Let me explain. I've been a book worm most of my life but since James came along, the habit went out the window. Now, I'm spending less time on the computer and more time reading. While on vacation, I read six books and since being home I've read six more. I feel like my old self again.

The Help. The movie. It's rare when a movie lives up to the book. This one was just what I pictured when I read the book and I loved every minute of it.

Pinterest. Thanks to my little sister, I am now totally addicted.

Facebook Scrabble. Thanks to my other sister, I am now totally addicted to this, too. 

FoodGawker.com. Holy smokes. So much good looking food. I used to be really good at trying new recipes and have totally slacked off lately. This site has re-inspired me.

Mustela Double Action Stretch-Mark Lotion. It did the trick last time. Not a single stretch mark (that's probably tmi). Praying it works again this time around.

"An Artist Cannot Fail"

I can say with certainty that this little guy is probably not a budding artist. But we did have fun for the five minutes that this activity lasted. And at the very least, my artistic mother should be proud. Here James is right before he started painting all over himself:


If anyone who reads this (does anyone read this!?) has any ideas for other fun activities for young toddlers, please let me know. I feel like the most boring mother ever these days.

On a happier note, Jamers has been a champion sleeper ever since getting back from our vacation. He's been sleeping from 8-8 all night and taking at least 2 hour naps. This morning he slept until 9:15. If only I could be so lucky every day!