A Simple Christmas

I had big grand dreams about how I would celebrate the holidays this year. I was trying to figure out the best way to display an activity Advent calendar, what activities to do and so many other plans. First, I decided that I was going to have Munchkin make a mailbox which I was planning on buying at Michael's. Then I couldn't find a mailbox, so I just got supplies to make the cards anyway to deal with our space issue.

Then I read Lora Lynn Fanning's letter to mamas of littles and I dropped almost all my plans. I still am doing activities with the boys, but it is much more informal. Neither boy can read yet, so the elaborate activity calendar was really just for me, and I don't need it. Munchkin is going to remember that he decorated a gingerbread house, not that he found out because I read him a perfectly coordinated card.

So I have a chocolate calendar for Munchkin (which he has been enjoying so far), the Santa's beard calendar and some crafts, stickers and coloring sheets to keep Munchkin occupied for the month. I got the Truth in the Tinsel with the printable ornaments to bring a bit of the religious aspect into the season, which I learned about from The Art of Simple's Advent plan (with a discount code).

But the most important thing to me this year is just being here with the boys. I don't want to be so busy that none of us enjoy this time of year, which really is amazing. And so I want to let them enjoy the season, and I want to enjoy them.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Our tree is up, and our "elf" decorated it last night. Peanut woke up first this morning, which was perfect for me, as I got to spend a few minutes letting him take in the tree before his brother got up. He was so happy and so excited. The pure joy on his face as he saw the lights and the ornaments for the first time. I wish that I was able to capture them on camera, but as I was holding him I wasn't able to. I hope that it is a look that I never forget, and a look that comes back each year. All he wanted to do was grab everything, which is why we have a small tabletop tree this year.

Munchkin was so excited to see what Jingle McJingles' Christmas magic had done. Our tree had been up for a week, bare as we waited for it to open. This morning Munchkin's face showed such amazement as he explored the tree, looking at all the different ornaments, many that he has seen before but none that he seemed to remember.

Mornings like these are one of the things that I absolutely love about Christmas, the innocence of childhood, the pure belief in magic and miracles. It was smiles and hugs, happiness and joy. It was perfect in its simplicity, and everything that I could wish for.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere: Rookie Mom Challenge

I know that I posted about it before, but I recently realized that I did complete another Rookie Mom Challenge (of which I have completed so very few). I don't ever remember going pumpkin picking as a child, so it is one tradition that I love doing with my children. Right now, they are still too young for these trips to really have a lasting impact, but I want them to grow up remembering. Every year I've taken pictures of Munchkin with pumpkins, but this year our usual trip just didn't work out for us that way. I am so glad that I was able to take them later to another pumpkin patch and get my pumpkin pictures with both boys, but especially with Peanut. Another challenge done (and done weeks ago).

Inside-Out: Rookie Mom Challenge

Over the weekend, Peanut reached 39 weeks 2 days, which means that he has now been an outside baby longer than he's been an inside baby. I am not throwing myself a party, as is the suggestion in the Rookie Mom Challenge. With the holidays and everything else going on right now it just doesn't make sense. But my husband and I did acknowledge the milestone.

Peanut, I can hardly believe that this day has come, nine months ago it seemed so far away, yet it has gone by in a flash. I love you more than you will ever know. And while I would love to freeze you in time and keep you my baby forever, I am very much looking forward to watching you grow.

Week End Reading - 24 Nov 13

Here are just a few of the things that I read this week.

I miss the days when Thanksgiving was a day to spend with family, not a day to shop for Christmas - If you shop on Thanksgiving, you are part of the problem

An interesting list - Wish We'd Known: 21 Things No One Told Us About Being A Stay-At-Home Mom

An interesting point of view on breastfeeding - Why the World Has a Screwed Up View on Breastfeeding (And Some Things We Can Do to Help)

Figuring Out Dinner

While I am still trying to figure out a workout that works for me, I have started to tackle the diet portion of my getting healthier plan. I don't think that it's a coincidence that I was my healthiest when I was diary- and soy-free from breastfeeding Munchkin when he had an allergy. I basically had to cut out all processed food and I ate lots of whole foods, fruits, vegetables. But as great as I felt, there were things that I missed, such as cheese, and even though I've said I was going to go back to the diary-free (or at least diary-lite) diet again, I haven't been able to commit.

I am no good at meal planning, we always seemed to have extra ingredients at that end of the week that we just ended up tossing, and I didn't like having to come up with meals that everyone liked. It always just seemed easier to go out which wasn't great for the diet or budget. So back in January, when Jill from Baby Rabies asked her Facebook followers for meal planning ideas, I was very quick to jump on a popular suggestion, The Fresh 20. I absolutely loved it. I was getting delicious recipes that were not hard to make, not wasting tons of food, money and time. We weren't eating the same things every night, and even Munchkin was trying new things. While it wasn't dairy-free, there wasn't a lot and often I could leave it out.

A few dinners I made from the Classic plan

Then at the end of February, Peanut was born. I thought that the plan would make it easy for my husband to take care of dinner while I took care of the new baby, but he decided that it made more sense to use a food delivery service for the first few months. It was nice to not have to deal with cooking, but it was a paleo service, not really budget friendly and not feeding Munchkin.

So it wasn't too long before I started back on cooking dinners again. Unfortunately, my husband had gotten used to a paleo lifestyle, and while The Fresh 20 is good, I wasn't always able to remove the dairy. So for a while, we had the same few meals over and over again. I was getting very tired of it, and started to research other meal plans when The Fresh 20 released their dairy-free plan. It isn't exactly paleo, but it really was what we needed. A few weeks ago I started using it, and it has been great. It is everything that I fell in love with back in the beginning of the year, just without the dairy. Bringing me one step closer to my goal of healthier living.

This is not a sponsored post, I use and love The Fresh 20, have purchased the Classic and Dairy-Free plans and recommend them to anyone who asks. Also, right now for subscribers they have a Thanksgiving plan that looks amazing. If I wasn't already going to my mother's to celebrate, I would probably be making this dinner.

Holiday Prep

The holidays are coming up so very quickly, and while I do respect the turkey and not actually decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, I need to start getting ready now. Thanksgiving this year is on the 28th, which means that December starts that Sunday and Advent with it. While I have to figure out a way to bring in the religious aspect of the holiday, there are a few calendars that I am interested in.

Growing up, we always had a chocolate calendar, and that is the first one that I've gotten this year. I'm not sure how well that one will go over as Munchkin seems to have gone off of chocolate since the chocolate bunny vomiting incident of Easter 2013, but we'll see how it goes.

Another calendar that I used last year is this Santa's beard printable. I only got as far at the 16th before pregnancy and a bad cold caused me to slack on just about everything I was doing, but for the first part of the month Munchkin really seemed to enjoy it.

My big Advent project last year was an activity calender that I threw together at the last minute. Recently, Rookie Mom Heather talked about her plan to create an activity based Advent calendar and it reminded me that I need to get started now so that I'm not just leaving daily notes like I did last year. I do not really have the space to use the same kind of wooden calendar as she does, so I need to figure out another way to make it work for us. I also need to finalize my list of activities. While there are quite a few printables and lists out there, I haven't found one that is perfect for us.

Finally, I love the idea of a book based Advent calendar which I recently read about on Delightful Children's Books. I'm not sure that I would be able to do a full month of books in addition to the rest of the stuff I hope to do, but maybe I can incorporate it into our activity calendar.

How do you prepare for the holiday season?

Simple Goals

I love making lists, I am just not very good at the follow through. Kristin recently wrote about her four simple goals, and I knew that it was something that I had to do as well. We are already almost two weeks into November, and this year is slipping by so quickly. I started off the year with a long list of things to do, and for the most part dropped them when Peanut was born. I love the idea and rules of this challenge (as explained by A Beautiful Mess), and think that this is a great way to end the year on a positive note.

Before we reach 2014, I plan to:

1. Do holiday crafts with the boys - I had huge plans for this last year, and it all fell through due to me being tired and pregnant and then sick and pregnant.
2. Build on our holiday traditions - I've always been a huge fan of Christmas, and I really want the boys to feel the same way. I'm hoping to take some of the traditions of my family and my husband's family and make them our own.
3. Create a night time routine - With not sleeping I haven't had much me time, and I need to figure out how to take care of myself and do what I need to.
4. Read a book for fun - This is something that I used to do all the time, and it's been seriously lacking recently.

Week End Reading

A busy as I've been recently, I do spend some quality time with my Feedly app while nursing. Here are just two of the things that I've read this week.

This article by Baby Rabies very nearly made me cry. I am not quite as far along in the journey as she is, as Munchkin is only in preschool and her oldest is now in kindergarten, but I understand everything that she said. I cannot believe how quickly the past eight months have flown by, so much faster than three years ago. Her words are exactly how I feel.
Tell Me How Beautiful It Is To Watch Them Fly

The fact that this has to be explained is a shame, but How To Be A Dad's article is a great dad point of view.
Boob Visibility Comparison Chart (Models vs Mothers)

In Need of Sleep

I know I've mentioned it before, but sleep is still elusive here. I hate to complain because the snuggles are nice, I know it won't last forever, and we could have much worse problems, but I am tired. Very tired. It is definitely starting to affect other parts of my life. I feel much more disheveled. Not that I was completely put together before, but now I just feel like a mess. And I am sure that there are lots of things that I could do to change that, but sleeping would definitely be the best. 

I get maybe two to three hours at night that Peanut will sleep on his own. That doesn't leave much time for getting anything done, and it seems all aspects of our life are suffering. The house is not in a state where I feel comfortable having company as I am behind on cleaning. Laundry isn't happening as quickly as I would like, and often stays clean but unfolded until it is time to do another load. I haven't been good about meal planning and prepping, and I seem to be constantly rushing and forgetting things. I am living in fear of Sunday since we'll be changing the clocks and I'm afraid that will just make things worse. I would love to simplify our lives and I think that is a step that we will have to take.

But for now, I just want sleep.

So peaceful, if only he would do this all night...

To CrossFit Or Not To CrossFit

I am not happy with the way that I look right now. I don't think I'm fat, I know that I had a baby less than eight months ago, but I do not like where I am. While I need to fix my diet, I know that one thing that I need to change is how I work out.

A little over a year ago, my husband joined a CrossFit gym (or box), and absolutely loves it. He was always on the slimmer side, but he very quickly shed the few extra pounds he had put on since Munchkin was born, and looks amazing. He has recently been trying to get me to join as well, and while I have great respect for CrossFitters, and I know that you can get great results, I am not sure that it is for me. CrossFit is something that you have to be 100% committed to, and I am just not in that place at right now. Physically, I don't feel ready for those kind of workouts, and especially with the two boys, I don't feel that I have the time or energy to commit to the classes.

I've been tempted to join on many occasions not only for the results, but for the community that I've seen open up to my husband. The people he works out with are some of the friendliest people that I've met, and very welcoming. Maybe in the future, things will change and I will join, but for now I'm looking for something different that fits into my life better.

How do you keep in shape?

Pumpkins and More Pumpkins

Over the weekend we made or annual trip up to the pumpkin patch near the boys' great-grandmother. We've always had fun, Munchkin would run around while I got great shots of him surrounded by orange before heading off to lunch and quality time with his great-grandmother.

This year did not work out exactly as planned. The weather wasn't on our side, and while I did get one decent family photo, which was very needed, Peanut didn't get to experience the pumpkins and I didn't get any pictures of just the boys since I couldn't put Peanut down on the wet, muddy ground. Munchkin still enjoyed himself putting pumpkins into his wagon, but I was disappointed in the pumpkin part of the morning.

So yesterday I took advantage of the weather and brought the boys to a local patch. It was perfect, the ground was dry, it wasn't crowded and there were pumpkins everywhere. I was able to get my shots of the boys surrounded by orange.

Peanut was fascinated by the leaves and barely looked up, and once again Munchkin was more interested in filling a wagon, but I love the pictures that I got. They are perfectly imperfect. Over the weekend most of the pictures focused on Munchkin, and Peanut seemed to suffer from Second Child Syndrome (which is a post for another time). Yesterday I was able to focus on Peanut and give him the attention that he deserves.

Linking up with Mama Kat.
5.) Pumpkin patch post!

A Summer in the Past

This past summer we made not one, not two, but three trips to the NY Renaissance Faire. While Peanut spent the entire time in either the stroller or the Ergo, Munchkin had a great time. He played games, winning many stickers and "pirate" necklaces. One weekend, on Pirate Day, he even attended pirate school which I believe was one of the highlights of the entire summer. He also got to have a conversation with Robin Hood, which left all of us a little start struck. Of course we also did the usual of watching the early joust, and a few other shows. We picked our weekends well weather-wise, but we ran into the problem of the nicer the weather was, the more crowded it got. It wasn't a terrible problem, but it made potty breaks and feeding hungry preschoolers more interesting. Although when in doubt, we made sure to get our frozen oranges, and while Hubby sought out the beef jerky, I was partial to the pickle cart. Overall, we had a great time and are really looking forward to returning next year.

Learning the pirate ropes

Pirate School graduate

Don't blink

New Season, New Start

Fall is here, and I wish that I felt that I could do NaBloPoMo since I love the theme and prompts. I know myself and I don't trust myself to post every day. My goal is to post three times a week, although with my lack of sleep, I hope I'm not just dreaming.

I look at other blogs, and I don't know how they do it. I have found myself completely overwhelmed as far as computer time goes since Peanut was born. And while writing has been hard, I'm not always the best at putting my thoughts into words, I don't like posting without a picture. I feel like I don't have the time to deal with photos, either working on my own or finding something to use. For now, I'm going to try to let this hangup of mine go if I don't find something quickly and hopefully I'll post with more regularity.

So here is to new beginnings, cooler weather and fresh starts.

Autumn at Mt Macedon by Ryk Neethling, on Flickr

Sleepy, But Still Here

This past month has been rough. Sleep has been no existent as Peanut has decided that he will only sleep if I am holding him. I get him to take maybe an hour long nap in the morning, even less likely to get one in the afternoon, and he may sleep for an hour on his own at night. Sometimes he will sleep in hour long stretches over night, but the past few nights the only way to get him to sleep is to sleep next to him, which does not lead to a very good sleep for me. I am exhausted and barely functioning during the day, but life moves on, and I don't get to stop taking care of Munchkin just because I didn't sleep last night.

Something had to give, and recently it's been this blog. I very obviously didn't finish NaBloPoMo, but I also think that was a bit ambitious for me. So I am going to start a bit smaller, but I do plan on continuing. I have been feeling a little lost recently and I hope that writing here will help me sort things out, but that is a post for another time.

Wordless Wednesday: Not All Smiles

Do I Have A Temper?

I definitely think that I have a temper, and it is something that I try to work on. In my tween years, I got into some pretty nasty fights with my brother. I have slammed quite a few doors in my past, and more recently screamed into a few pillows. I have gotten angry to the point of wanting to hit something (hence the pillow screaming).

As I have gotten older, I have gotten better at dealing with my temper. I once had a co-worker who could drive me to my breaking point. If I had been younger, I would have been screaming like a banshee, but I was able to tell her relatively calmly that I was angry and needed a few minutes away from her to calm down.

Now with the boys I am even more conscious of my temper, and I don't want them to see me when I am that mad. I am hoping that if I can learn better ways to channel and deal with my anger, they will too.

Loosing Sleep

I've been struggling for the past week, as Peanut has been sleeping in shorter stretches at night. The past few nights have be especially brutal as he didn't want to sleep at all unless he was nursing, and really didn't make it longer than two hours between sessions. Naps have not been great either, especially since Munchkin has completely dropped his nap now. Loosing so much sleep really shot my weekend, and most of today I suffered as well. I don't remember having this issue with Munchkin, although there is a lot of things that I blocked out. How do you deal with sleep issues?

A surprise nap in a sleepier time

A Breather

It's Friday night and my husband's turn to go out with friends. My plan for this evening is to give myself a mini-facial, open the windows to let in the cool air, and relax with a book. Goodnight Internet, I'll see you tomorrow.

Book by guitargirl8022, on Flickr

Ten Things to Smile About

Sometimes the days are long, but here are some things that make it all worth it.

1. Sleeping with the windows open.
2. Nursing and snuggling Peanut in bed first thing in the morning.
3. Reading and cuddling with Munchkin while Peanut is napping.
4. Sunny days that aren't so hot that you melt when you go outside.
5. Picnics in the park with my two favorite boys.
6. Watching the boys play with each other.
7. Flowers. Just because.
8. Peanut falling asleep in my arms while nursing.
9. A new book to read (even better when it is a friend's first novel).
10. Cuddling with Hubby on the couch and watching True Blood (even if we are a season behind).

Linking up with Mama Kat

1.) 10 Things to Smile About (inspired by Things I Can't Say)

Wordless Wednesday: Trying So Hard

Dreaming of a Hot Soak

I am not a bath person. I've always wanted to be a bath person, but life had different plans for me. In high school and through most of my twenties I didn't even have a bathtub, as my bathroom just had a shower stall. I think that was when I first started wishing that I had one of those big soaking tubs which I could enjoy with a book and, once I was old enough, a glass of wine. The only bathtubs I ever had access to were not at all luxurious and the few times I tried to relax I felt like I didn't fit, I just couldn't get comfortable under the water. Eventually, I gave up on my dream of the ideal bath and have stuck to showers. Maybe someday I'll get to indulge.

Image by undreaming, on Flickr

About the Issues

I have not been here for very long, and I feel like I am still finding my voice. I do have some pretty strong opinions, but I do not like confrontation. Because of this, I have made it a point to not discuss any hot issues on this blog. I do not go out of my way to even publicize them on my personal Facebook page. I hope that when I get more comfortable here I will be able to address some of the issues. But then again I want this to be my happy place, so I will probably only talk about the ones that I feel the strongest. How do you deal with hot issues in this social media heavy world?

First Day of the Rest of Summer

Last Friday was Munchkin's last day of summer camp, and tomorrow will be the first day since June where it is just Munchkin, Peanut and I all day. I had grown accustomed to my alone time with Peanut, which does not happen very often, and Munchkin really loved going to camp each day. In September, he will start preschool, and I think that camp really helped him get ready. Camp was the first time he was away from me on a daily basis, and he gained a lot of independence these past six weeks. So while I will miss having my mornings for my baby, I am looking forward to spending the time with my big boy as well. We now have one more month to make summer memories.

Just a few camp mornings

The Best Summer Treat

Today, we made our first trip of the year to the NY Renaissance Faire. I'll have a full post and more pictures up soon, but I wanted to share one of my favorite things about the faire. I have been going since I was a child, and the frozen orange was something that I always had to get. I had stopped going in my twenties and didn't start again until after Munchkin was born. A few things had changed, but I was so glad to discover that they still had the frozen orange. It isn't exactly how I remember it, I don't remember ever using a spoon and the top I believe is new, but it is still wonderful.

Partially eaten because I didn't want to wait...

Spice for Dinner?

Growing up with an English father, I remember having Indian food quite young. The problem with this is that i am very sensitive to spice, I even find black pepper to hot. I ate a lot of rice, which we called "popcorn rice", on these nights out. These days, while we still go out for curry I tend to order things as mild as they can be. Currently, my meal of choice is lamp mappas, although I have been know to make a decent biryani which even Munchkin likes.

Image by magical-world on flickr

To The New Royal Parents

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave hospital by The British Monarchy, on Flickr

Your Royal Highnesses,

Welcome to the wonderful world of parenting. While I am sure that you are getting tons of advice from all around the world, here ten things you will need to survive the little prince's first year.

1. A Thick Skin - There is a steep learning curve when you are new parents and unfortunately for you, you are doing it under a microscope. You will make mistakes, and you will be judged for it, however unfair that may be. You need to learn to ignore those who are trying to make you think you are doing it all wrong.
2. Advice - While there will be people who criticize you, there will also be people with good advice. You need to listen to this advice and figure out how to make it work for you.
3. A Village - I understand that you want to raise him yourself, and you should. But raising a baby is hard work, don't turn down help when you need it. It really does take a village to raise a child, so take advantage of the village you have.
4. A Sense of Humor - Sometimes the only way to deal with things is to laugh. For example, the other day Hubby was noming on baby thighs when he got poop on his face. On. His. Face. When things like that happen you have to look for the funny in it. 
5. Each Other - At the end of the day, you need to support each other.
6. A way to transport him in a car - Which you already have.
7. A way to transport him my foot - Be it a stroller or a carrier, he needs to get around.
8. A way to feed him - Breast, bottle, or a combination of both.
9. A place for him to sleep - Or your arms will get very tired.
10. Clothes and blankets to dress him - Pretty self explanatory.

There is a ton of additional gear which you will think that you will need. It is hard to tell you what to get as each baby is different and each family has a different way of approaching things. You will need to do a bit a trial and error to figure it out for yourselves.

So best of luck to all three of you, and if you want any more advice, I'm here for you!

Linking up with Mama Kat
4.) 10 Things Will and Kate will need to survive baby's first year.

Wordless Wednesday: Before The Parade Passes By

To Drink Hot or Not

I have never been a fan of coffee, I just don't like the flavor. I don't even like coffee ice cream. One time in high school, a friend had me try a mocha Frappuccino with extra mocha. I hated it, even with the extra mocha all I could taste was coffee. When I was pregnant, I couldn't even smell coffee it turned my stomach so much. I often wish that I did like coffee though, there are so many drinks that look so appetizing to me. Pumpkin, gingerbread, peppermint and I cannot drink any of it. But I am not completely left out when I meet friends for "coffee". I do drink tea, maybe it's the English in me. In cold weather I may have a hot chocolate, but I can drink tea just about all year long. What hot drinks do you drink or not drink?

An old photo, but still one of my favorite "coffee" dates

World Breastfeeding Week

First time nursing Peanut, right after he was born

The first seven days in August is World Breastfeeding Week. I am a huge believer in breastfeeding, I nursed Munchkin until he was twenty-five months. And while part of that had to do with his dairy allergy, I loved the closeness that it brought us and continued long after he outgrew the allergy. I found it hard in the beginning, I would cry every time I nursed for the first six weeks. We had latch issues and neither of us knew what we were doing. I never would have made it if everyone around me hadn't been so supportive.

Almost six months in this time, Peanut has still never had formula, and I am so glad that I've been able to provide for him. And while things were definitely easier this time around, I still see how important support is to make this journey successful. I would have given up very early if I didn't have the complete support of my husband, who in the early days picked up a lot of slack around the house, my family and friends. Even Munchkin, in his three-year-old way, has been supportive and understanding when it comes to feeding his brother.

This week's theme, Breastfeeding Support: Close to Mothers, highlights how important it is to support each other. As my friends have started having babies, I have tried very much to do this. I gave advice when asked, let them know what products I found useful and was there for them if they needed me. So as more friends and family are expecting babies, I plan on supporting them in any way that I can.

It's a Hot, Hot Month

In an effort to really get started, I've decided to participate in NaBloPoMo. The theme this month is hot, which seems appropriate given the weather we've been having. While I plan posting every day on August, I am also hoping on working on my redesign, Facebook, Google +, and Twitter pages. Please check them out and follow me if you haven't already.

So here are four days down, only twenty-eight to go.

Lazy Summer Days

I woke up dreaming of a day like this one. The heatwave that just recently broke had made beach mornings with the boys a memory, and I was looking forward to heading back. Then it rained. And I am sick. So our relaxing day in the sand and surf is still just a memory and we completed chores around the house instead. Well, my husband was amazing with the chores while I did little and napped. Now I am going to be heading to bed early tonight and dream of tomorrow being a better day.

Getting Warmer

Mulder: I was told once that the best way to regenerate body heat was to crawl naked into a sleeping bag with someone else who is already naked.
Scully: Maybe if it starts raining sleeping bags, you might get lucky.
-The X-Files

When it came out, I was a huge fan of The X-Files and this quote has always stuck with me. To this day, if my husband tells me he is cold, I tell him we should get into a sleeping bag naked.

All joking aside, snuggling is the best way to get warm. I have also shared my love of hot chocolate with Munchkin and am looking forward to sharing it with Peanut once he is old enough.

Image by Martin Cathrae on Flickr

Of course, the weather we've been having recently I'm more concerned with cooling down than warming up. I hope that I remember this feeling in six months.

Nine Little Words

It is summertime. Take me out to the ballgame.

Linking up with Mama Kat
2.) 9 pictures. 9 words. (inspired by Bits of Bee)

Baby in the Water: Rookie Mom Challenge

This challenge happened a little ahead of the Rookie Mom Challenge schedule, but it happened, so I'm recording it now (since I've been failing at doing so many of these). Munchkin was never a fan of the pool. He took swim lessons at eighteen months which he pretty much cried through. We went to the Bahama's last year, and he refused to enter the water areas, didn't want to get wet. We recently took both boys to visit their grandparents and tried to get Munchkin to go in the pool. He was still a no go, but Peanut (being only 4 months old) didn't have much of a choice when we took him in.

At first he was a little hesitant, but he very quickly warmed up. Turns out he loves to splash and kick. We were very careful to not dunk him or make it a traumatic experience and it seems to have worked out well for us. We have brought him to another pool since this trip, and he still loved being in the water.

And I loved being in the water with him. The pure joy on his face as he got to splash with me, and then his father was wonderful to see. I am very much looking forward to our next pool trip.

Adventures in Grocery Shopping: Rookie Mom Challenges

Week five the of Rookie Mom Challenges calls for you to go to the grocery store for just one item. I love that I was fourteen weeks late with this. I guess I've been lucky to have Hubby really do the grocery shopping, especially since I always seem to have two children with me. But now Munchkin spends the mornings in summer camp, and I needed beef for that night's dinner, so to Trader Joe's Peanut and I went.

Photo by Joe+Jeanette Archie on Flickr

I'm sad to say that even though Trader Joe's has been in our neighborhood for years, I really have never shopped there. It was great, and so much more convenient than our usual shopping trips. Even better was that Peanut was great, very happy and relaxed. Not that I plan on doing all the shopping from now on, but it's nice to know that it isn't a terrible ordeal to get something done.