Weekend Away

We had a visit with my sister and her family on the weekend, so I thought I'd share a few pictures of our time there.

On Saturday, we went downtown and took the ferry. Here are Chris and Josiah by the docks:



This is Josiah and his cousin Wesley:



Chris and Dan:



We missed the first ferry, so we had a bit of time to wait for the second one:



This was Josiah's first experience on a boat of any kind. He wasn't sure what to think...but he's still talking about it!





Dan and Andrea treated us to a really neat, bustling little cafe with a European flair...very enjoyable! Here is Josiah tickling Wesley:



The boys did really well together for the most part. Of course, the usual sharing toys (and mommy) issues, however, Wesley is the first kid that Josiah has willingly shared his precious Bo with! It is very sweet to watch them together.



Bath time was not quite as enjoyable for Josiah. He is still saying, "Wesley splashed, mommy."



It is always hard to come home after being with family, and knowing that I won't see them again for a while. Although, I am looking forward to a weekend away with Andrea in December!

Chris and I have often survived on a limited income, due to putting ourselves through school. Chris was also a student for the first seven years we were married, and I finished my BEd. during that time. So, needless to say, things have often been tight. Now, being off work, I have a little more time to 'save' us some money. This is hard, because the more time I have means the more time I want to shop!

These are a few of the things I/we have been doing to cut costs:

-Shopping for used clothes/items (we've been doing this for a long time).

- Using homemade baby wipes, which are way cheaper and nicer than the bought ones (this idea/recipe/supplies were a baby shower gift from Chris' brother/sister-in-law that we have loved!).

- Giving free hair cuts to Chris and Josiah (I loved those couple years of freedom when I didn't have to do this).

- Giving a free hair cut to myself (please never do this...there is always money for your own haircut. I wish someone had reminded me of that before Josiah's nap today! I also know exactly what I want, and could cut it for someone else. But I didn't realize until part way through that I REALLY couldn't do anything with the back. So now I have to go and get it fixed and endure those 'looks' from hair stylists:).

-Baking more (especially items like wraps, specialty breads, etc...that can really add up. It's also very hard to buy the store-version of these things once you've made them yourself!).

- Cooking/buying more in bulk (this can see expensive for the first few months, but saves a HUGE amount of money if you can stick with it long enough for it to pay off).

- Cooking simpler meals.

- Making laundry soap (I don't think I will ever buy again!)

- Using dryer balls instead of static sheets (the cheap ones are loud!).

- Making hand soap (I'm still experimenting with this! The first batch is a little stringy...but it's so much cheaper, and better than using a bar). (NOTE: If you have a husband like mine who does not like the idea of homemade soap, try only having a bar of soap available for a couple of weeks, and he'll be begging for your homemade liquid version- even if it is a little sticky!). I'm sure I will find a better recipe yet, but I did have fun adding my own scents.

- Making bath salts.

- Making facial cleansers...I love this!

- Obsessively turning everything off when it isn't being used.

- Cutting coupons, bargain shopping, buying local or in-season produce.

- Using local 2-for-1 coupon book for family outings/dates (can't afford dates, but will use coupons when we can!).

- Getting a bus pass, and trying to walk more instead of driving when it can work.

These are a few things I would like to try to make: dish soap, shampoo, multi-purpose cleaner that doesn't smell like vinegar, toilet paper (okay, maybe not)...

Any other ideas for ways to save money or make homemade versions of household items?
(Oh, and Bob, watering down the ketchup doesn't count...I already tried!)

Bo

Do you notice a pattern in these pics?





If you were to look through our thousands of pictures, you'd notice the scruffy, saggy looking stuffed dog in the background. He was a gift from us last Christmas, and the two of them have been inseparable since that time. The problem is that this dog seriously needs a bath! If you have been around lately, you've probably smelled him. I think it might be worse than real dog smell, which is disgusting!

Here is the last time Bo had a bath, and sunned himself dry (summer seemed easier!):



So I have been plotting ways that this might take place again. The problem is that Josiah is NEVER willing to let him go anymore. My first thought was that I would sneak in after he was sleeping, snatch the dog, wash him, and hope that he dried by the next morning. As I considered this more, I remembered the dozens of times Josiah looks for Bo in the night to help him get back to sleep.

Tonight, I am ashamed to say that I tried to reason with my toddler (I have always found this to be ridiculous, but I was desperate!). I told Josiah that Bo was very dirty and that I was going to take very good care of him and give him a bath,and that he would be all clean and ready to play in the morning. He seemed fine with it...until I walked out of room with Bo, and I heard the shrillest scream that has ever come out of Josiah. He was yelling, "Hug Bo, hug Bo.." Obviously, I had to return him. Josiah is still awake, and he just called me in to tell me that he is keeping Bo and, "Mommy no clean Bo..."

I would LOVE some advice on how to do this in a painless way! Any suggestions?

Moose

The other day, we were sitting at the table when we saw this coming in the distance:



It walked all the way around the pond, and up the path by our house:



We are still wondering how it got there, because it came from the direction of downtown. Even people from across the river drove over in order to get a closer look. It was very exciting, especially for Chris and Josiah!



Chris followed it from a distance to take some pictures, and as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.

It reminded me of a time a few years ago that my sister and I were having lunch downtown, and we saw a moose running down the street just outside the restaurant!

Being Home

Many people have been asking me what it is like now that I am home full-time, so I thought I would write about a few things that I have experienced. (Disclaimer- none of this is meant to be a judgement about staying at home, working, or both. It's just a glimpse of my story. I didn't realize until I became a parent what a sensitive topic this is!)

As many of you know, my part time job ended in September. Although I enjoyed working along with being home, I hadn't realized how difficult this is to do until I had more time to reflect.

When people would hear about our schedule, they would comment that it was ideal. Chris stayed home with Josiah while I was working, and some of my work could also be done from home. It was a blessing in many ways, but I never realized how busy and stressful it was too. I found that writing psychological reports was very difficult, especially if I was tired or if the house was getting out of hand. The pace was a little crazy too, and I always felt rushed and like I had a million things on my 'to-do' list.

Here are a couple of pictures I took of my office before I left (does the 'client' look familiar?!):







It was a positive experience overall, and I am thankful to God for the opportunity and provision.

Things have slowed down a lot in the past month! Here are some of the positive things:

1) I have had more time to enjoy Josiah, and I am trying to make the most of each day.

2) Because my mind is not preoccupied with reports, I can think of more interesting things for us to do and I am able to be more present.

3) My free time is actually free! (Some people work from home easily, and some type of work is easily done from home; however, I did find this a challenge).

4) Nap times and after bedtime is now spent on cleaning more, baking, and other domestic tasks that were often ignored before. Other times I am able to read/reflect on parenting skills so I can become better at my job. I also find that I have more time to think, write, and be a little creative.

5) I have more time to schedule play dates and spend time with friends.

6) Potty training has become a priority. Josiah is now sitting on the potty several times a day, and he uses it about 1-3 times each day...progress! I didn't have the time or ability to be as consistent when I was working too.

7) I have been more deliberate about taking pictures and videos again.

8) I am working out a lot more.

9) I have had time to read books!

10) I have more head-space to organize and plan. Also, to work through some personal issues that have been on the back burner.

11) I have more time to spend with Chris, and I'm not so tired on our days off.

Overall, I am really enjoying these changes. Part of me misses getting dressed up for work, and not having anything spilled on me all day. I miss talking with adults on a regular basis. I miss the paycheck! I miss having something all to myself that was not touched by anyone else in my home, like my clean office! I am also struggling with adjusting my expectations. I feel that I should be super-mom now, and I really struggle if my house is messy at the end of the day since I am home to clean it! At least before I had a better excuse when I was struggling! I am also surprised by how many things are still on my 'to-do' list. I used to hear adults say, "There just aren't enough hours in a day..." I didn't get it, and thought it sounded silly. Now, I understand! I don't think it matters what we do or where we work or what phase of life we are in, it can get busier than we'd like!

But there are just too many moments to be missed for spotless kitchen floors (and I LOVE spotless floors!).

Here are a couple of pictures that I took of Josiah on our days home. We made a tunnel out of a diaper box that made for hours of fun!













Oh, and did I mention that we have WAY more time?! Come on over and visit!

These are a few pictures from an early fall hike we did:











Thanksgiving with Chris' family:



And a little touch football afterwards:

Josiah has been getting up early again. This means it is still dark out. The other day, we got up, and he asked me to turn all of the lights on, so I did. Then, he hollered and jumped up and down yelling, "Light on, mommy. Light on!" It took me a few minutes to figure out that he was pointing out the window. I explained that mommy wasn't able to turn the sun on, but that God would take care of that. We played and waited, until finally the sun came up and we sat at the table to watch it. Josiah was so excited.

A couple days later, we got up early again so, of course, it was still dark. Here is the conversation we had:

Josiah: "Sun on mommy."

Me: "We have to wait. God turns on the sun for us, Josiah."

Josiah (with hands in the air): "How's he do dat?"

Me: "Blah, Blah..." trying to explain the sunrise to a two-year-old is not easy!

Josiah (pause): "God...da...da...lots of stuff...lots of stuff..."

Me: "That's right Josiah. God does do lots of stuff."

How beautiful it is to experience this life through the eyes of a toddler!