Our Sguar Free Journey

It all started back in June when we were trying to decide what to watch one night.  We had heard of the documentary, Fed Up, and decided to watch it.  Little did I know how much my life would change that night.  A very long story short, we felt compelled to try to cut out sugar from our diets.  Once of the most disturbing facts is that the recommended amount of sugar for an adult is 6-9tsp per day (4-7tsp for children, I believe) and we often consume up to FOUR TIMES that amount on a DAILY basis!  So after looking at different blogs and Pinterest, we found an 8 week program called "I Quit Sugar" by Sarah Wilson.  We looked through our schedules and were somehow able to carve 8 weeks of our lives to cut out the white (and brown!) stuff.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we cut out all sweeteners, as well...this includes honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, etc.

The jist of the program is weaning off sugar (and processed white flour) in the first two weeks, completely cutting out all sugar (including fruit) in weeks three through five; adding low fructose fruit back in during week six and seven, and then by week eight, you've survived!  Note: the reason Wilson promotes a fruitless 3 weeks is so that your body can truly detox and your palette can be reset so you know what "sweet" really tastes like.  It is allowed back in during week six and thereafter. 

Let me just say that sugar is in nearly  EV-REY-THING!!!!!  Oh my word, it was a challenge to find edible things that didn't have sugar as an added ingredient.  But, we prevailed.  It took awhile to get acclimated, but I somewhat found a groove when it came to shopping.  It was a mindset change, and once we found things we liked, it was ok.   The hardest part was breakfast and snacks.  Fortunately, the kids were able to eat plain oatmeal and plains Cheerios.  Rylan enjoyed plain yogurt and coconut granola in addition to oatmeal and Cheerios.  I'm amazed how much the kids now enjoy carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers now.  We also ate a lot of nuts for snacks.

I originally didn't tell the kids what we were doing.  I didn't want to fight or argue with them, but Reagan continued to ask why we were eating the snacks we ate instead of "normal" snacks.  I finally explained to him that we were not eating sugar because sometimes eating too much of something can make our bodies sick.  He seemed to understand and accept that answer, and he was totally fine.  He didn't complain much throughout the process; he only wanted to eat fruit and syrup on pancakes again :)

My overall feelings of the past 8 weeks are mixed.  There were a few things I expected to happen.  First, I thought my palette would be affected more.  I definitely am more sensitive to sweet things, but not as much as I anticipated.  For example, in a venti drink, there are 5 pumps of syrup - I couldn't handle that much; I can only handle 1 pump.  Anything more is too sweet.  So that's a positive.  Second, I also still crave sugar and if I eat something with sugar, I don't feel crummy like most people who've been through this program do.  My body doesn't seem to notice a spike in sugar and respond poorly.  On the positive side, we are eating more vegetables and I know that eating less sugar is good for our kids' growing bodies. 

The bottom line is that we will mostly likely continue to be sugar (or nearly) free at home, but we will consume in moderation at social events.  Our desire is to keep the kids away from the white stuff as much as possible, but not deprive them as kids.  We realize after the past eight weeks that sugar is literally in all "kid friendly" items and depriving the kids of EVERY treat will just backfire in the future.  So our goal is to allow them small amounts so that they can know the taste of something too sweet. 

Kyleigh's 3rd Birthday

Kyleigh turned 3 exactly three months ago.  Yes, I'm a little late on the post about her birthday.  I have no legitimate excuse; just got busy doing other things and felt too wiped at the end of the day to write about it.  But, I didn't want it to go past 3 months ago, so here I am writing her post!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Kyleigh!  First, at the end of May, since my parents were in town, we had her bigger celebration with the Lehmanns and Sue.  I gave Kyleigh the option of Minnie Mouse or Curious George as her theme and she surprisingly chose Minnie Mouse.  That was lucky for me because I found some super cute DIY decorations for Minnie :)  Kyleigh was thrilled to open her gifts (some Minnie themed!) as well as eat her cake.  What 3 year old doesn't love being spoiled?!

Her birthday cake

Cupcakes for everyone

Minnie Mouse Dessert Plates

I surprised Kyleigh with donuts from Mariano's that morning before heading out for the day.  On her actual birthday, Kyleigh chose to go to the Shedd Aquarium.  We walked around the general area, but she wasn't that into the fish.  Both Ryan and I were surprised because she always wants to read fish stories and see Mimi and Papa's fish in their backyard.  She was more excited to eat the picnic lunch on the grass overlooking Lake Michigan and then chase the birds around.  After coming home from the Aquarium, Kyleigh opened her birthday presents from us and she picked her birthday dinner.  We then treated her to DQ for dessert!  All in all, it was a good day and she seemed to really enjoy both celebrations!

So serious!

She loves ice cream!

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 11

Well, it's the last week of summer before school starts!  I can't believe it.  With a constant stream of visitors and plenty of things to do, we had a great summer.  Even though this is post is named Week 11, it's the last week of my little activity stick pulling because we didn't officially start pulling until the second week of summer, which is why my weeks are thrown off a bit.

Week of 8/17:
Monday: Swimming Pool with Alvarado's
Tuesday: Picnic with the Lehmanns
Wednesday: FireZone with Wilczek's
Thursday: None
Friday: Harley Davidson Museum
Saturday: Lambs Farm
Sunday: Chicago Botanic Gardens

We had a very full week, especially since the Levesque's arrived on Thursday!  It was the perfect week to end the summer.  The kids loved all of the activities, especially FireZone and Lambs Farm.  Of course they enjoyed the swimming pool and picnic, too.

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 10

Despite having a super busy week of work, I managed to get some activities accomplished!

Week of 8/10:
Monday: none
Tuesday: Pool with Preschool friends
Wednesday: Ice cube painting
Thursday: Barrington Library
Friday: Play Red Light Green Light

Of course, the pool was a big hit on Tuesday.  The kids really enjoyed the ice cube painting, but I won't do it again unless they are naked.  It made a huge mess and fortunately, the stains on their clothes came out.  The Barrington Library was AWESOME!  I can't believe it's taken me 3 years to get there.  They have a light wall, a slide, and tons of things to play with.  The kids had a great time.  Red Light Green Light was a calm game for a busy Friday.

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 9

We technically didn't pull any activity sticks this week because Uncle Brandon, and Michelle and our cousins were visiting.  But just because we didn't pull any sticks doesn't mean we didn't have a great time and fun adventures for the week :)

Week of 8/3:
Monday: nothing - picked up the family from the airport
Tuesday: Lunch at Pilot Pete's
Wednesday: Downtown - Maggie Daley and Millennium parks
Thursday: Picnic at Twin Lakes and then the Cubs vs Giants game
Friday: none

This was our most exciting trip to Pilot Pete's.  Our table was right next to the runway and it was active!  We saw two or three planes land and take off and one helicopter.  The kids were in awe :)  Maggie Daley park was also a hit!  The slides are huge and there are just so many places to play and run around.  Each adult was assigned to a kid so we wouldn't lose anyone (Jacob was considered an adult for this!).  I mentioned to Reagan early in the week that we would go on a picnic with his cousins and he wouldn't let me forget it.  So we squeezed a quick visit to Twin Lakes for playing and a picnic.  Then the kids took the El to the Cubs game and we all had a great time watching the Cubbies win :)

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 8

I fell off the bandwagon and just haven't updated our activities for the last 3 weeks.  So here ya go!

Week of 7/27
Monday: Indoor Picnic
Tuesday: Picnic and Water Show at VBS
Wednesday: Playing with the water table (Jumps n Jiggles closed)
Thursday: Eagle Park
Friday: Twin Lakes with Friends and Lunch at Daddy's work

The kids were really bummed that Jumps n Jiggles was closed on Wednesday.  Mom didn't do her homework and took them there just to find out it was closed.  The kids took the disappointment well and then enjoyed playing in the water table at home.  We also did an unexpected lunch at Ryan's work Friday afternoon after playing at Twin Lakes with the Lehmanns and G's.

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 7

We are already over half of summer!  I can't even believe it.  Some days it feels like time is flying, other days I can't wait for school - and a normal routine - to start.  This was kind of a crazy week for us, so the kids didn't get to pick as many activities.

Week of 7/20:
Monday: Blue and Red Park (Willow Park)
Tuesday: Palatine Library Play Area
Wednesday: Anderson Park with the Grand's
Thursday: None
Friday: None
Saturday: Blueberry picking/ice cream/tractor riding/running through sprinklers

We spent over an hour at Willow Park on Monday.  It was a beautiful day; although a little humid. I thought for sure we would run into Reagan's friends there, but it was just us for that hour and we had a blast.  Rylan discovered the creek and wanted to go near it.  Brought me right back to the days of Kyleigh like that.  Thursday was crazy busy with errands all day.  Friday, I was supposed to have a work meeting, but that was cancelled last minute.  Plus, we drove to Michigan to visit the Barretts.  They, of course, had a blast picking (and eating) blueberries and the ice cream.  Riding the tractors at Erin's parents house is always a blast as well.

Only a few weeks left of activity picking.  They are still having as much fun picking as they did during Week 1 :-)

Reflections

I have really gotten away from writing notes about the kids,  I think it's just the busyness of life and also trying my best to disconnect from my phone (where I usually write all my notes for the month) all the time.  It serves its purpose for sure, but I don't want my kids to remember me having a phone in one hand and playing with them with the other.  So my note taking has suffered and unfortunately, I'm too tired at the end of the day to write stuff down and then I'll just forget.  So here's my best attempt at remembering stuff the kids have done over the past 2 months.

Reagan:
Imaginative play is a favorite thing of his.  He ranges from Planes: Fire and Rescue to Frozen to David and Goliath.  Sometimes he wants me to play with him, but many times it's just a running monologue with either planes/helicopters or "swords" (made out of the broken fire truck ladder and two Lincoln logs) in his hands.  If I am asked to participate in his playing, I often do things the wrong way and I'm constantly being corrected.

His way of coping with things he doesn't like or want to do is being alone.  He'll retreat to his room, lay on the bed with his blanket and animals and suck his thumb.  I'm not sure if this method of handling situations is always the best, but I usually give him his space and then try to talk with him about what's happened and try to get him to use words to process the situation.  Ryan was the same way growing up, so I'm not overly concerned.

He's been very interested about money and buying things.  So we introduced a chore chart for him and Kyleigh.  We made sure they understood that some things are expected (like taking their plate to the sink or putting toys away), but that if they completed certain chores, they could earn money.  It's going really well so far :)

Kyleigh:
She continues to be a challenge for us.  Back in May, we could not get her to stop saying potty words like "butt" and "poop."  Over the past 2 months, she has gotten better about not saying those words, but the habit isn't broken.  If I ask her to do something and she doesn't want to do it, she'll respond with "poop" and just look at me.  We've tried various methods to break this habit, but she's holding strong.  And as much as I don't want to do it, ignoring her only works half the time.

She is beyond obsessed with the swimming pool.  Ever since she started swimming lessons in June, I've been asked EVERYDAY (I'm not exaggerating here) if we can go to the swimming pool. She will be our fish, for sure.  And she's doing really well.  Ryan is in class with her; she kicks well and also does her "ice cream scoops" well.  Kyleigh has no fear of the water - she'll jump in without hesitation.  In fact, Ryan took her safety belt off and she insisted Ryan let go of her because she could do it on her own.  So Ryan did and she started to sink.  Obviously, Ryan got her, but she was so confident in her abilities.  She's one I have to keep constant eyes on because she'll walk to the deep end and think she can stay afloat without any help.

Kyeigh is a constant helper.  Even in situations where I don't want her help, she is there to assist me.  I appreciate this giving side of her and want to foster it more.  She has a great love for Rylan (most of the time) and wants to help Rylan with various skills.  So Kyleigh is often out of her chair at meal time trying to give Rylan more food or to help feed her.  She'll also show Rylan the safe way to get down the stairs or she'll give her books/toys if Rylan is sad.  It was such a sweet side of Kyleigh and I want to see more of this than her sassy pants attitude.

I feel like I'm still learning how to interact with her because she can push my buttons so fast and my patience is beyond thin.  My mom keeps telling me that Kyleigh is EXACTLY like me when I was that age.  I roll my eyes because I like to think I didn't give my parents as much grief as she gives us.  But when my dad called one day and without prompting just went on and on about how much Kyleigh is like me, I knew I had to accept it.  It's not that I didn't believe my mom, I just didn't want to believe her.  But dad sealed the deal.  And that's probably why she pushes my buttons so easily - she's just like me.

Rylan:
Oh my sweet Rylan.  How she is growing so fast and especially so this summer.  This is seriously one of my favorite ages because she's learning to communicate, but can't quite talk yet (although she seems to add new words by the day).  One of my greatest memories from May was when we walked around the block.  She's perfectly capable of walking without assistance, but for some reason when we took walks around the block, she would reach for my hand and hold onto my pinky finger.  And she'd walk the majority of the block this way.  It was so sweet and such a gift to my heart.  She could do it, but she just wanted to hold my hand (or dad's).

She has learned so many new words over the summer.  I think she started off with only a handful of words, but she now has around 10 clearly identified words (others would understand), but several more that sound like real words.  It's so fun listening to her.  As I'm typing, the words I can think of are: mommy, daddy, dog, milk, snack, book, sock, shoe, uh oh, bye bye (more like buh bye, and it's so adorable!).  Just recently, she had learned how to say Kyleigh's name, but it comes out more like Kai-ee and I totally remember Reagan saying her name like that, too!  When Rylan wants something, she'll look at it and wave her hands in an up and down motion (like saying hi) until she gets it.  It's so cute!

Rylan is also beginning to throw temper tantrums.  At this time, it's still funny and cute, but I know the cuteness won't last long.  It's just hilarious to me to see such a little person throw herself on the floor because she's not getting what she wants.  The tantrums usually last a minute or two, so it's definitely bearable, but we're seeing her will emerge like never before!!

She has a healthy appetite just like her siblings!  Man, this girl can eat :)  Rylan is also particular about certain foods, especially green beans.  She wants nothing to do with them.  She's like the others in that she'll often choose to eat her fruit before anything else - even fun kid food like chicken nuggets or pizza!  When she hears the refrigerator open, she comes running into the kitchen.  If I turn my back even for a second, she's usually grabbed the applesauce container out of the door and is handing it to me!  Or if I open the cupboard, she'll walk over to it and say "snack snack."  I know my kids' appetites are a blessing because some kids won't eat anything; however, it can also be frustrating because they want to eat so much and if I limit the amount of food they eat, they'll just ask for more.

I know I've missed a lot here because it's hard to remember details spanning a 2.5 month time period.  However, I wanted to capture some of my favorite memories this summer.  For the first time since she was born, I feel like Rylan is getting the "3rd child syndrome" because I don't have as many notes on her as the other two.  I may not have as many notes, but I sure am enjoying the moments with the kids.

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 6

I know this post is really late.  I'm trying to get better about posting sooner.

Anyway, we had another fun week of activities!

Week of July 13:
Monday: Build an indoor fort
Tuesday: None (VBS day and my birthday)
Wednesday: Mess Free finger painting
Thursday: Watch a movie (Kilmer park planned, but then it rained and then Kyleigh had a fever)
Friday: Bake cookies together

Of all of these activities, I was confident that baking cookies together would have been the favorite, with watching a movie being a close second.  Honestly, though, I think the kids liked the indoor fort the best!  They had a lot of fun playing under it and we even had a "picnic" (ie plastic food) in the tent.  Of course, the movie was a big hit as well.

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 5

Here are the activities we did last week:

Week of July 6
Monday: Puddle Jumping
Tuesday: none (took Mimi and Papa back to the airport)
Wednesday: Collect rocks from around the block and then sorted them biggest to smallest
Thursday: Woodfield Mall play place
Friday: Swimming Pool (with preschool friends in the morning and with Daddy and the Revs in the evening)

The puddle jumping was kind of a bust because by the time the kids got up from naps/quiet time, the humidity had dried up most of the puddles.  But, they did get a few jumps/splashes in.  The rock collecting and sorting went a lot better than I anticipated.  The kids were really excited to collect the rocks in their baskets and then at the last minute, I decided to have them sort from biggest to smallest and that was a hit!  Of course, the best activity of the week was the swimming pool.  The kids had a great time, as always.

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 4

Here are the activities we did this week:

Week of June 29
Monday: Play Date at Piper's House
Tuesday: Ride Bike/Tricycle around block
Wednesday: Climb Trees
Thursday: None (picked up Mimi and Papa at airport)
Friday: Fireworks

We didn't really pull sticks while Mimi and Papa visited for the Fourth of July holiday; however, we did lots of running through the sprinklers, went to the "outdoor" swimming pool, roasted marshmallows over the campfire, and made homemade ice cream.  So even though we didn't pull sticks, we did plenty of fun activities this week!

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 3

I know I'm a little late with this post....

Week of 6/22:
Monday: Joe's Park (the Pirate Park by his friend Joe's house)
Tuesday: Rainbow Volcano (baking soda and vinegar solution with food coloring)
Wednesday: Walgreens park
Thursday: Read Books (it was read together as much as they want, but they didn't choose to read that much)
Friday: Play hide-n-seek
Family Stick Saturday: Roast marshmallows over the campfire

Again, it was another successful week of activities!w

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 2

The kids were just as excited as the first week to pull the activity sticks each morning.  We had a lot of fun this past week together!  Occasionally, Ryan or I will pull from the "family activity" jar if we don't have a lot of plans for the weekend.  

Week of 6/15/15:
Monday: Water Paint
Tuesday: Twin Lakes park with the Lehmanns
Wednesday: Play with Play Doh
Thursday: NONE (pulled an activity, but ended up driving to Bolingbrook that afternoon)
Friday: Story time at the Palatine Library
Saturday: Family movie night with popcorn (Sleeping Beauty)

Their favorite activities were water painting and Twin Lakes.  Reagan enjoyed story time at the library, but Kyleigh's attention span was too short (her poor preschool teacher next year!!) and she was all over the room.  Kyleigh had fun with the Play Doh, but Reagan wasn't into it.  Of course everyone loved family movie night :)

12 Weeks of Summer: Week 1

Technically, we are into the second week of summer, but the whole first week was spent as a family on vacation.  I didn't have the kids pull sticks this week, so even though we're in the second week, we're on the first week of pulling "activity" sticks.

Here's what happened last week (week of 6/8/15):

Monday: Gelato at Mariano's
Tuesday: Play Simon Says
Wednesday: Scavenger Hunt
Thursday: Park by Walgreens (Kyleigh pulled Hi Ho Cherry-O, but we never played, so we pushed it back a day).
Friday: Play Hi Ho Cherry-O (Reagan pulled "make and blow bubbles," but it rained most of the day, so we did yesterday's activity and we'll do the bubbles another day)

So far, the kids are really enjoying getting to pull a stick each morning after breakfast and they can't wait to find out what the activity is.  Reagan threw a fit a few times last week because he didn't like the activity pulled, but he went with it anyway.

Oh yeah, so of the 60 sticks I have, there was gelato and ice cream at DQ in the jar once.  Reagan pulled gelato on Monday and you better believe Kyleigh pulled ice cream at DQ on Tuesday!  What are the odds?  I obviously had her pull a different stick because I didn't want our only two treat nights to be back to back the first week of summer :-)

Reagan Finished Preschool

I cannot believe one year of preschool is already behind us!  Where did the time go?  It was a really great year from Reagan and I'm happy Ryan and I chose to send him to school this year.  He seemed to enjoy going each Tuesday and Thursday and it was always fun to have him come home and (kind of) tell me about the day.  I think he learned a lot and was able to make connections from things he learned at school to his everyday life.  I also really liked his teacher, Ms Kari.  She did a great job with the kids this year.  Although it took Reagan awhile to participate, by the end of the year, he thoroughly enjoyed music class with Miss Kitty!

We ended Reagan's last day of preschool the way we started it - lunch at Chick-Fil-A!  All in all, it was a great year!

12 Weeks of Summer

A few weeks ago I started thinking about this summer and what it would look like.  I had seen lists on Pinterest before about "100 free things to do this summer" and it sparked my interest.  I then counted the number of days from when Reagan gets out of school until this first day back.  It is 87 days.  So I thought I'd come up with a list of 87 things for us to do.  I couldn't quite get that many and after talking with Ryan about taking weekends "off" I came up with a new plan.

There are 12 complete weeks of summer.  Instead of finding an activity for every single day, I decided to find an activity for each weekday - so we have 60 activities instead of 87.  Phew!!  Some of the activities I've chosen are very simple or things we would do anyway (like walk around the block or read books).  But other activities are more involved, like making homemade pizza or visiting a farm.  I've got a decent mix of at home/indoor activities as well as adventurous/outdoor activities.

I wrote all of our activities on wooden craft sticks and I'll place them in a mason jar.  Each morning, one kid will take a craft stick out and that will be the activity for the day.  I'm really looking forward to doing this with the kids because I feel they will get excited about picking the activity and it will also provide some structure during a very un-structured time of year!  At the end of the summer, I'll post a picture of all the craft sticks together for a complete list of the things we did.

The Kids - April 2015

I'm really slacking these days, but here are my notes from last month:

Reagan:

• Learned how to buckle himself
• Observing everything!  He likes to observe numbers, especially the number 4
• Can do some very basic math (2+2)
• One of his dogs is now called Max; Max eats everyday and takes quiet time and prays with us at night
• A more nurturing side is coming now in how he cares for Max
• Comes up with ridiculous stories of why he should get things (like watching a movie because he broke his leg)
• Loves all things Planes: Fire and Rescue (imaginary play is done this way)
• Wants to only read the "S is for Shapes" book 

Kyleigh:

• Can easily count to 12 and sometimes to 20, but gets confused in the teens
• Giving us attitude again :(
• Very motherly toward Rylan (wipes her nose, tries to carry her, calms and soothes her, etc)
• Eating cat food again
• Has to take off jacket/shoes the moment she walks into a building

Rylan:

• Loves to take shoes and socks off in the car
• Kinda saying mama
• Has a will and is using it!  Does NOT like when I redirect her away from the street or when we turn around to walk back to the house
• Wants to be on the ground walking; only wants to be held on her terms
• Teething again (1 more came through)
• Understands coat, socks and shoes and will point to them or walk to where they are before we leave the house
• Sometimes understands who Reagan and Kyleigh are
• When she wants something, she'll lift her arms up and wiggle her wrists (mostly when she wants me to pick her up)
• More interested in books
• Likes to put things on her head

Let Go

God reminded me today what my priority is and should be.  But I didn't accept that reminder right away; I had my plans, my ideas first.  And then I had to let go of those and return to my first priority.

A little backstory - I feel like I have a lot on my plate right now; mostly in regards to the upcoming garage sale and then work starting back up at the end of this week.  Any free moment I get is put toward organizing and prepping all our outgrown stuff for the garage sale.

When I put Rylan down for her nap today, she didn't fall asleep like normal.  In fact, she cried for quite awhile, which is very unlike her.  However, I dismissed the cries for the first 10 minutes.  After sending Reagan and Kyleigh to their rooms for quiet time, I walked into Rylan's room, held her for a few minutes and put her back down.  In my mind, I had 45 minutes before Reagan's quiet time was over to sort through clothes for the sale.  She screamed as I shut the door.

I went downstairs, quickly going through the clothes while listening to her wails.  I gave her 15 more minutes before I finally went back up to hold her.  The moment I walked in the door and picked her up, she immediately calmed down.  She snuggled her head into my neck and began to relax.  "Ok.  I'll hold her for 10-15 minutes until she falls asleep, then I'll put her back down, and sort through another stack of clothes before Reagan gets up."  I knew she was asleep so I started to put her back into the crib.  I no more than reached over the railing before the screams began again.

Here was my wake up call from God.  This is the exact text I sent to Ryan: "I guess my calling today is to hold our baby girl so she can sleep.  Let go of the things I "need" to get done and be here for her, right?"  It dawned on me after my third attempt to get her to nap today that all she needed was me to hold her.  She needed mommy's arms and the rhythmic motion of the rocker to calm her down.  I checked on Reagan because this was about the time he should be finished with quiet time and he was sound asleep in my bed.  And that's when I knew I had to let go.  Rarely do I get Reagan to take a nap, so when he does, I take full advantage of all 3 kids sleeping at once to get things done around the house.  But I didn't have 3 kids sleeping; I only had 2.  My baby girl wanted mommy time.  So instead of fretting about everything I "could" be getting done during that 2 hour window, I sat in the rocker that hasn't been used in 2 months and snuggled with my little girl who doesn't snuggle all that much anymore.  During this time I remembered why Ryan and I sacrifice to have me stay home.  It's not so we can have a perfectly clean home (haha, like that ever happens!) or gourmet meals on the dinner table every night.  I stay home to be with my kids; to be their comfort when they are out of sorts.  Today was one of those days.  Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that being Mom was more important than sorting through clothes for a garage sale.

Reagan Turns 4

This post is a little later than I'd hoped, but oh well.  I've got to give myself a little grace in some areas of my life ;)

I can't believe Reagan is FOUR!!  Where have the past four years gone?  I seriously don't know.  Ryan and I were talking the other day about how quickly these years are passing; although it doesn't always seem that way.  He's becoming such a sweet spirited and caring child.  He's definitely not a toddler anymore; he's grown up to "kid" status!

Annual photo of wearing daddy's shirt

 

For Reagan's birthday, we took him to get a donut before church at Mariano's.  The day before, the kids and Darcy made Mickey Mouse pretzel snacks for Reagan to take to Sunday School with him for their treat.  He was thrilled to be able to share these snacks with his friends.  The best part of the morning, though, was being in "big" church during singing and then going down to Children's Church for the first time.  By far, this was the most exciting part of turning four ;)

So excited to be in Children's Church with Katie as his teacher

After quiet time ended, we decided to give Reagan one of his presents: his bike with training wheels!  He was really excited, but had a hard time trying to ride it.  The weather was a little chilly, so he didn't stay out for very long.

Learning to ride with training wheels!

It was time to make dinner anyway. Reagan originally requested "meat and ground beef."  We guided him toward picking hamburgers and when I asked him what he wanted as a side dish, he said "chicken."  No question, this little guy likes to eat!!  We ended up having hamburgers and home baked french fries (so yummy!).

 

The Lehmanns and Sue came over for dessert and presents. I made him a blue square lego cake with 4 nodules on the top.  I even wrote "LEGO" on each of the nodules.  I think he really liked the cake.  He grinned from ear to ear the whole time!  Reagan received lots of Planes: Fire and Rescue presents, as well as Legos, some Thomas stuff, and some clothes.  All in all, it was a really fun day to celebrate the little man turning four!

LEGO cake!

Planes: Fire and Rescue

A Planes: Fire and Rescue tent!

 

New Advendture - Work

If you read my post about becoming debt free, then this post won't be that much of a surprise.  After Ryan and I sat down and set our debt free goals, we were discouraged with the amount of time it was going to take.  That said, we had two options: first, Ryan gets a part time weekend job or second, I get a job.  Without a doubt, the first wasn't even a real option in my mind.  So I began the hunt for a job.  I was open to working nights and weekends at a place like Starbucks or Marianos.  But the ideal position would be a work from home job. Through some really cool circumstances, I got a job that will allow me to work from home with my own hours!  I started this new adventure on Monday, April 6th, 2015.

Let me tell you about the really cool circumstances!  It's so awesome to see how The Lord works things out.  I was very disappointed when we had to cancel Rylan's one year pics due to pink eye.  Little did I know that postponing her pics 10 days would open up this opportunity.  When we went to take the pics, I was casually talking with my friend about returning to her job once maternity leave was over and she mentioned that she had just quit the day before and that she would now be working from home (insert mental note here).  Fast forward 3 weeks when I decide to start looking and I immediately think of my friend and the job she has.  I texted her and asked if her company was hiring.  My friend didn't think so, but said she'd talk to her boss when her boss returned from vacation the following week and let me know.  It turns out that the boss's daughter had just resigned and they were beginning the search to replace her!  My friend mentions me and I submit my resume and the rest is history.  How cool is that?!  If we would have taken Rylan's pictures as scheduled, my friend wouldn't have even mentioned the new job because she hadn't quit her old one yet.  God's timing is perfect!

Now, onto what I'm doing.  My official title is Data Conditioner.  To sum that up, I basically take raw files and reformat them into my company's standard format.  I also review the files for accuracy and look for anything that may be out of place, but the jist of it is reformatting so our Programmers can then do their job.  The really awesome part is that I basically only work the first 2 weeks of every month.  I currently have 4 clients (with the option of taking more in the future if I want); my work needs to be complete by the 12th of the month for 3 of those clients and the last client the work needs to be complete by the 17th of the month.  Once I'm done, I don't need to start working again until the following month.  Everything is very cyclical.  I'm paid a flat rate based on the clients, so I know how much I'll be making each month. 

My first month of work went great and I'm really excited for this opportunity.  It is the ideal situation for my family: I get to make a little extra to help us pay down our debt, but I still get to focus on my main priority - my 3 adorable kids!  Praise to the Lord for supplying my needs :)

The Kids - March 2015

I've gotten so bad at this lately :(  I seriously think it is because I'm no longer nursing, so I don't sit down with my phone in hand 4 times a day.  I'm too busy with the kids and I often think of making my notes while I'm driving and I obviously can't do that!  So, here is another month of weak note-taking!

Reagan:

• Officially in a big boy bed (removed the guardrails from the side of the bed)
• Loves to fly planes in the basement (and make awesome plane noises)
• Imaginative play is great
• Enjoyed his birthday!  His favorite part was being able to attend children's church

Kyleigh:

• Very interested in coloring
• Obsessed with the cats (follows them around the house, constantly touching them, saying 'kitty cat' etc)
• Very sweet with Rylan, especially when Rylan's upset

Rylan:

• Loves to give big open mouth kisses
• scrunches up her nose and gives a big smile
• Goes from sitting to standing without using help to pull up
• Walking EVERYWHERE!! Got more confident each day
• Four teeth came in
• Said first word "bye bye" on March 29 (although Ryan thinks it was "tattoo" on March 28, and Darcy thought it was "momma" on March 23
• Will only play with real remotes; won't even play with the grey colored old real one (she knows it's not the one we use to work the TV)
• Does a good job backing down the stairs
• Starting to play games (a favorite is peekaboo)
• Moved her to a big girl car seat
• Loves to look over the side of her car seat to the middle of the van when I put her in
• Has learned how to take off her tennis shoes (grr!!)

The Beginning of Becoming Debt Free!

About 6 weeks ago, Ryan and I decided to tackle our debt.  The short story behind this decision was a conversation with some friends a few months earlier and their desire to get out of debt.  They recommended the book The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.  I had heard of Dave Ramsey before and put the idea of reading the book on the back burner.  Fast forward about 6 weeks later and Ryan and I were discussing money problems again.  And that's basically when we decided it was time to take control of our finances instead of letting our finances control us.

I never thought we had a debt problem.  We've never had credit card debt, ever.  We only have our student loans, 1 car payment, and the home equity line of credit.  I assumed most of the debt we carried was "acceptable" debt.  However, my perspective was turned upside down after reading the book. 

Ryan and I sat down mid-February and had a great and peaceful conversation regarding our finances.  We refocused our budget and found some opportunities to put money into our "debt snowball." It was really exciting to see that with some focus, or "gazelle intensity" as Ramsey calls it, we will debt free (except our house) much sooner than we ever thought possible.

Our goals are as follows:
CarMax - pay off by March 2015
Sallie Mae - pay off by June 2015
Line of Credit - pay off by April 2016
Citibank - pay off by October 2016
Aspire Resources - pay off by November 2018

Why are we doing this?  Basically we got sick and tired of being sick and tired (about finances).  I was often stressed and frustrated that we were living paycheck to paycheck.  We shouldn't have been strapped the way we were.  I hated discussing finances with Ryan because it was always a tense conversation and we never seemed to make any progress.  Another reason is because the Bible is explicit in that God does not like debt.  We are trying to get out of debt so that we are not enslaved to our debtors, but rather, we can give more freely to the advance of the Kindgom. 

In the years to come, there will be much sacrifice to attain our goal of becoming debt free.  However, we are willing to make these sacrifices in the short term so that we can live the way we want in the future.  As Ramsey says, "If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else."

We've  closed our credit card accounts and cut up the credit cards.  It's real now!

Bye Bye Credit Cards!!!

The Kids - February 2015

Now that Rylan has passed the one year mark and all of my notetaking doesn't go into her calendar and babybook, she'll be added to my recap of the previous month.  I have to say, this month was a little rough on the notetaking, but oh well. I'm trying to keep up with my busy kiddos!

Reagan:

• Imaginative play continues to develop (mostly train/car related things)
• Only interested in "Minnie's 5 Minute Stories" after Kyleigh received it for Valentine's day (literally, it's the only book he wants to read)
• Very kind to his sisters, but can also be bossy

Kyleigh:

• Very polite ("Mommy, please don't do that" or "Reagan, please stop")
• Miss independent!  Wants to dress herself, buckle herself in the car seat, put shoes on...anything that is remotely possible, she wants to do it on her own
• Says "bye bye" to her pee and poop every time she flushes the toilet
• Says "that's my perfect color" when referring to her favorite color

Rylan:

• At beginning of month, she was taking 2-3 steps, but not trying to walk on her own.  By the end of the month, she took at least 6-8 steps and is more confident in trying to walk
• Standing well on her own
• Walks quickly while she holds onto something
• Has her tongue out all the time (toward her left cheek)
• Drooling a lot, but no additional teeth (still 6)
• Loves to open and close things (fireplace door, drawers on coffee table, and books are her favorites)
• Adjusting fairly well to whole milk
• Officially weaned as of February 26 (no more before bedtime feedings)
• Knows when she doesn't want something - she'll push it away
• VERY good eater - watches food go from plate to mouth if she doesn't have any food.  Eats almost anything we give her, but occasionally will throw food on the ground

Health Problems

2015 has not started well in the department of health for the kids and me.  Fortunately, Ryan has pretty much been able to stay away from all of the issues!

It all began mid-January when Rylan was diagnosed with a double ear infection and pink eye.  Our pediatrician wasn't concerned with the pink eye because the antibiotics for the ear infection would take care of the pink eye (and the pink eye was in the early stage - we caught it early).

During Rylan's birthday weekend, I got terrible headaches for 5 straight days.  It turns out I had a sinus infection.  First one ever and I seriously hope to never get one again.  It was painful!

Then Reagan got pink eye right after everyone left.  It only took a few days to get rid of, but still annoying. 

And of course, Kyleigh got pink eye also. 

Why not have Rylan get pink eye again?  Because that's exactly what happened.

And to top it all off, I was diagnosed with shingles!  I couldn't believe it because I thought that only happened to old people, but it happened.  Praise the Lord, the pain was minimal and only last about 10 days. 

After the shingles pain started to wear off, I seemed to come down with a nagging cold.  Nothing that prohibited me from doing normal activities during the day, but I felt tired and had a really sore throat, especially at night.  All 3 kids seem to be holding onto something as well.  Again, nothing that stops our normal stuff, but a constant runny nose and a bad cough for Rylan.

I'm hoping we are all feeling better by the time we enter March.

Reagan and Kyleigh - January 2015

My notes (very few) from January:

Reagan:

• Often says, "No, Mom, I have an idea..." and then tells me whatever is on his mind
• Uses "cross" in various situations
• VERY competitive (has to beat everyone or always be the winner)
• Growing out of toddlerhood and becoming a little boy - it's becoming more apparent these days (his mannerisms, ability to think through situations prior to acting, etc)

Kyleigh:

• Being naughty again, flat out disobedience several times a day
• Often uses the need to use the potty as an excuse while she's in timeout
• Says the words "freaking" or "poop" or "butt" all the time (NOT OK!!!!!)
• Wants Rylan to play with toys or crawl somewhere when I'm holding her and Kyleigh wants to be held ("Rylan, go play with your toys" and then Kyleigh crawls into my lap as soon as Rylan vacates it!)
• Likes to carry Rylan around, especially if Rylan in a place Kyleigh wants to be (ie, my lap) or if Rylan is trying to climb the stairs
• Becoming very aware of her surroundings (like where we are and places we're passing along the road)
• Copies everything Reagan says
• Recites the Lord's Prayer very well
• Having separation anxiety from Mom (full blown screaming/tears when I leave her at the Y or at MOMS)
• Constantly changing her mind (I don't want water...ok, no  water...I want water.  I don't want a story before bedtime...ok, no story...I want a story, etc)
• After reciting her ABCs, she says "Now I know my ABCDs, next...."
• Can recognize all the letters in her name (and several other letters in the alphabet)
• Says "Stop, pee pee, Stop.  Don't go in your underwear" as she runs to the bathroom to use the potty (hilarious to listen to her as her little feet run through the house!)

Nursing Accomplishment

This will be a short post because I don't have a lot to say.  I am so excited though that I was able to nurse Rylan for a year.  I had high hopes of nursing Reagan for a year, but when I got pregnant with Kyleigh when he was only 5 months old, I didn't make it.  Then, I thought for sure I'd nurse Kyleigh a year, but with some mild weigh gaining problems and her first tooth coming in around 9 months, I gave up by the time she was 9 months old.  So for this round, I really wanted to make it a full year.  Despite Rylan getting teeth early (before 6 months), I pushed through with nursing.  There was a slight chance I was going to need to supplement around 10 months because she had some weight problems.  However, formula supplements weren't needed as I worked really hard to avoid it. 

I began weaning Rylan earlier this month.  She's down to one feeding - right before bed every night.  I am ready to be done nursing, but I will miss it.  I am just really happy that I was finally able to reach my goal of nursing for a year!

A Season of Change

We're going through some sleeping routine changes around here and I can honestly say I'm not ready for it.  We've been on a fairly consistent routine for about a year now and I've been able to adjust my life accordingly.  Now it appears sleep habits are changing - mostly for Rylan - and I'm just not ready (or willing is probably more accurate) to change my schedule around.

You see, everyone eats lunch between 12-12:30p everyday and then Reagan has quiet time for 45 minutes while Kyleigh and Rylan take 2 hour naps.  That's what is supposed to happen everyday.  Rylan has transitioned off 2 naps and is now taking one nap.  I'm fine with that; except that she's ready for her nap around 11:30 and if I'm out, she'll fall asleep in the car and then the hope of a nap at all the rest of the day is out of the question.  And being home everyday around 11:30 is often an issue because of various things happening throughout the week.  So I'm in a bit of a predicament at the moment.

Kyleigh also seems to be going through a change.  She regularly slept from 1-3p and I would need to wake her at 3p.  As of the last few weeks, she's been waking on her own about 2:30p.

I know change is good and the kids are growing up, but it's hard when routines change, especially with little ones.  We had a good system going; I guess I need to find a new one.

Reagan and Kyleigh - December 2014

My notes from last month:

Reagan:

• Waking up in the middle of the night
• Love to play "find the letter" while I'm nursing Rylan
• Talks about daddy staying home all day on Saturdays and Sundays
• Using the word disaster, but not usually in the right context (picked this word up from Misty Island Rescue movie)
• Reciting Misty Island Rescue to anyone who will listen
• Doing great at letter and number identification (has almost all letters correct)
• First comment on Christmas morning was "I looked outside and it's not snowing"
• Can't get enough of his "big boy" (ie normal size) Legos

Kyleigh:

• Beyond obsessed with eggs; to the point that she'll open other people's refrigerator and look for eggs
• Identifying some letters by sight
• Obsessed with Christmas lights
• Calls a "W" a "double me"
• Still like to run away when she sees something she wants
• Very good at putting toys away
• New fascination with floor drains, especially in public places
• Doing great with potty training, especially pooping
• Repeating everything Reagan says
• When asked to show 2 fingers, she holds up her middle and ring finger and says "two"
• Loves to sing "Away in a Manger"
• Wants to do everything Reagan does (putting shoes on, letter identification, etc)
• While listening to Nancy during the Christmas Eve service, she yelled "Hi Mommy" and waved several times, walked around the stage and took ornaments off the Christmas tree.  Then she walked up to the pulpit and announced, " Mommy, I have to go potty."
• Enjoys feeding Rylan her Cheerios
• Loves to be the first person the pray at the dinner table "Thanks you God for my mommy and daddy and this food, Amen" with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands folded
• Calls everything silly "Those silly Christmas lights"
• Has a musical note at the end of some of her words