Rebirth

I've been going through a sort of rebirth as a Christian, wife, mother, and woman in general over the last few months...

I downloaded an app on my phone "Daily Bible". It gives me a daily verse, and an option for reading through the Bible plan. I've enjoyed taking a few minutes before the house wakes up to read, pray, and meditate on the Word.

LJ and I purchased three books last night and at least I am chomping at the bit waiting for them to come in the mail. Two topical studies (one on parenting and one on couples), and a book going through history and geography of the Bible. The big question: where do we start?!

I've never been a "good" homemaker. I knit, sew, etc. etc., but I am a lousy housekeeper. I am kicking my own bottom (we've had to stop saying "butt" in the house) into gear using "Large Family Logistics" as a resource. Slowly but surely I am getting into a stricter routine of housekeeping, homemaking, and getting everything presentable. I'm cutting down on clutter. My mom will be coming over to help me get rid of all of the kids' baby clothes that I've held on to for years. Many I've already gotten rid of, but some I have held on to for nostalgia or some meager hope of a future fourth. While I know that will never happen biologically (unless God intervenes), it may not even happen through adoption. My three are fine with me though, and I need to cut the clutter out of my life.

I'm taking more time to read to the kids. I homeschool Arianna (and occasionally let Jonas and Josiah sit in on it too until they get bored), and usually I let LJ read each unit's book. I'm starting to get into a habit of reading more to the kids. More Bible than the homeschool Bible time and our family Bible time. More books casually read than with Daddy. I want to be that mom. I want my kids to remember me reading to them.

I've also dug my "crunchiness" a little deeper. Before our trip to Colorado (see Help For Arianna for more info on that) I purchased some herbal books. I have fallen in love more and more with herbalism and herbal healing. God has given us a beautiful world, and we have natural gifts that He has given us that can work amazingly with our body systems to mend bones, heal disease, and improve our quality of life. I have used several herbal remedies and plan to do more. I have joined the "nopoo" movement as of tonight. I will write more on that soon too! I have seen an improvement in my chronic pain issues with the use of more herbal remedies as well as removing toxic chemicals from items I use in my daily life.

So it's a new me. More natural, less clutter, more devoted to God, my husband, my family, and myself than ever before.

Tutorial: From top sheet to curtains

Happy new year! We're getting back into the swing of things with the new year, and one thing I want to do is get this blog up and running more regularly. We've been busy already with AHG meetings and homeschooling for Ari, occupational and speech therapies for Jonas, and Josiah's just along for the ride. They're getting huge. And gorgeous. I don't mean to brag, but I've got some awesome, gorgeous kids...

OK, I digress... the reason for this post. We got the kids twin size mattresses and the bedding sets they wanted for Christmas. They were so excited. When we unpacked the bedding, we didn't know what to do with the top sheets. We live in Florida. We have maybe two weeks of super cold weather. Our kids are like their Mama. They get hot fast. We just don't need the top sheets!

I remembered my mom making curtains out of her top sheets the last time she got a bedding set for my parents room. It was super easy. She whipped them up in a day. I wanted to expand on her idea, so here's my take on it.

1. First, figure out which end you want to be the top. Because the kids' bedding had characters on it, we had to be careful to make sure the top was the right end. Fold the seam of the top over twice and pin it.

2. Press the folded seam so you have nice creases.

3. Cut off what you've pinned (I got to use my new rotary cutter! Oh, where have you been all my life??) Cut this in half so you have two pieces half the width of the top sheet.

4. Open up the pinned seam and tuck the raw edge in, then sew it shut.

5. Fold over the raw edge where you cut this strip in half, then sew it down. Do this for both strips, then set to the side. We'll use these later.

6. Back to the sheet. On the same edge you cut from (what is going to be the top of your curtain), fold over the fabric enough so you can fit a curtain rod in it. Pin and press (pressing is optional, just makes it nice and easy to sew).

7. Sew this folded piece down, giving enough "seam allowance" to fit your curtain rod in.

8. Find the middle of the sheet. Fold and press.

9. Remember the strips we cut and sewed up? Find the center of one of the strips, and tack onto the middle of the wrong side of the sheet. One curtain down!

10. You might need someone to help you, but lay both sheets right side down onto your cutting table. This will show you how much of the fresh sheet you need to cut to get it to match the finished curtain. Cut off all but about 2 inches (more if you're using wider rods than the "el cheapo" curtain rods at Walmart or Target). Repeat steps 6-9 for the second sheet.

Voila! Beautiful Hello Kitty curtains for my little princess's Hello Kitty bedroom!

I did the same with my boys' Avengers top sheets. Sorry I didn't take the time to fix their blinds before taking the picture. Working with a headache!

Both sets of curtains were completed in a day. The boys' curtains were done before naptime. Arianna's curtains were done between dinner and bedtime, and I had time to post this tutorial!

Happy sewing!

The Transition of a Basket

When I was a young, excited, expectant mother, I had a baby shower. I received a basket, and in that basket there was a hand-made crocheted blanket for my daughter. Bright pink, with hearts crocheted so carefully. A trim of different colors. Hand-made with love by a woman who is dear to our family's hearts. It continues to be a cherished blanket of Arianna's.

The basket went on after Arianna was born to be used as a home for diapers, burpies, receiving blankets, and the like. We kept it in the living room for quick access to those items. We did the same with the basket for when Jonas and Josiah were newborns.

As our newborns grew into infants and toddlers, we used this same basket for baby toys. The rattles, "chew toys", things that were special for the babies to play with, that the older kids knew not to run off with. The babies knew where they could find their toys. It locked so we could keep them from stringing the toys all over the place.

Now that we're heading into a new era of parenthood, with Arianna heading into Kindergarten, the basket has found a new job. It now holds homeschool curriculum. It has held up to the test of time, and has found a new career. We open it, pull out what we need to teach her, and when we need to we lock it so they don't mess up everything before we use it.

A basket has transitioned through life, but so have I. I've been a mom for five years. I've gone from being nervous, excited, to frustrated and sleeplessly hoping for the next stage in my child's life, to comfortable and enjoying every minute God blesses me with these kids! I fondly look forward to what lies ahead for us... and that basket...

Things are about to get serious up in here...

July.








Wait, WHAT?! July? When did THAT happen?








Where did May and June go?








For that matter, where did the past FIVE YEARS go?


Yes, five. I have been a mother for almost five years. We're staring down the barrel at our oldest child's fifth birthday. I vividly remember the summer of 2007. Well, the first half. The second half flew by so fast I hardly remember any of it, mainly because I was in an cesarean and oxycodone-induced postpartum depression fog, but that's a story for another day and time. June and July was hot. I mean, hot. I'm pretty sure it hit 200 degrees. In the shade.


Fast forward to five years later. I have a happy, bouncy almost-five-year-old telling me, "Mommy, it's July. My birthday is in July!" The next half of this summer going into fall is going to fly by, much like that c-section/oxycodone fog.


First, we'll be signing up Arianna for soccer. She wants to play so bad. When we had to take a ball away... again... due to her kicking the ball in the house, we decided it was time to sign her up for soccer. Lord willing, we'll be getting her in with an Upward league near our house. This makes me excited and nervous at the same time. Having a child with anaphylactic allergies makes anything like this scary. Kids or parents bring snacks that have her allergen, if they touch her or she touches the food, we could be dealing with a life-threatening situation. However, we can't live our lives cowering in the corner, with her in a bubble, for fear of the unknown. We do our best to maintain a nut free environment by having me sign up as team parent and bringing snacks for the kids, we make sure the coaches, parents, and other kids know the seriousness of her condition and take it that seriously, and we carry her rescue medications and most importantly pray that she is kept safe.


After soccer is handled, we'll be purchasing her homeschool curriculum. We've decided on using My Father's World curriculum, based on several positive comments from friends who use it and that it has everything I want in a homeschool curriculum. To prepare to homeschool, we will be spending the next month and a half cleaning and organizing bedrooms, my sewing desk (which will double as a "Keep the school stuff away from the boys" area), and a closet that has a lot of our office supplies that has been neglected. I am wanting to have everything ready by August, but we won't be starting school until the 20th.


In between soccer, preparing the house and curriculum for school, and all of the other things we do (OT, ST, doctor's visits, etc.) I'll be working to get our year planned for American Heritage Girls. I'm the co-leader for Arianna's age group in our troop. They don't get patches at this age, they get beads. They get small beads for coming to meetings, and then they get big beads for accomplishments like knowing the Pledge of Allegiance, the AHG creed, motto, etc. There's stuff we're doing with the littles, then there are things we are doing with the troop as a whole like camping, participating in Wreathes Across America, collecting change to buy chickens and a goat to send to Haiti (this provides a constant food supply/income for poor families), having a float in the Gator Bowl Parade, and other fun stuff.


My hands are full! I couldn't be happier though! I love my kids, and I am so happy to be blessed with the opportunities to do all of these things with her. I can't wait until the boys are old enough to do things like this too!


This post has been mostly about my little girl, but our boys are getting so big! Jonas is losing his baby fat, saying more and speaking clearer, he still has his days where neither of us understand each other and we both end up crying, but we work it out. Josiah is running everywhere. LJ says he is at "maximum cuteness" level, which means that he could get away with murder if we let him! He's TOO cute! Portraits forthcoming, this week!

Adventures in Co-Sleeping Volume I

I love co-sleeping. I'd say 95% of the time it helps us get more sleep. We have an open door policy at our house. If Mommy and Daddy's door is open, the kids are welcome to come into the bedroom. Often I've opened the door as we're getting ready for bed (we usually watch TV/play xbox in the bedroom at night) and Jonas will be there, pillow in hand.

Like I said, 95% of the time we get more sleep. They come in, slide in bed next to us, and fall asleep.

Then there's the 5%. Last night was the 5%.

So, around 4-5AM, I was nursing Josiah who had woken up. I was about to fall asleep when Arianna comes in the room. She insists on laying next to Mommy. So, she gets halfway on the crib and our mattress and starts to go to sleep. Then enter Jonas. He wasn't happy that his sister had taken the spot on the crib. That was HIS spot, and he made sure everyone knew. So, I scooted her over more on the mattress, and he snatched the crib's blanket and laid down. Which, naturally, caused her to melt down because she then was left without a blanket. Does she want the big comforter that Mommy and Daddy were sharing? No, no she does not. She wants HER blanket. I tell her to go get it. "BUT I'M TOO TIRED!"

At this point, Jonas is sitting up, irritated that his sister isn't content with him getting his way. Now, you may be wondering if the baby is sleeping through this. No, no he's not. Is Daddy? Why yes, yes he is. Grrrrrr.....

(**Disclaimer: I love my husband. He works long, hard hours in a very physically demanding job in the Florida heat and humidity. He deserves to sleep through the night. However, nights like this are when I need a little support.)

I wake Daddy. He goes to get her blanket, she lays down, then Jonas and Josiah refuse to go back down. Daddy takes Jonas, I nurse Josiah a bit longer, then switch to pacifier when he doesn't want to nurse. I hold him in the crook of my arm until he falls asleep. He's just almost asleep, as I am, when his left arm flies up and smacks me across the face... Did I mention I had a headache too??? Well, now it was worse.

I waited until he was good and asleep, transferred him from my arm to the bed, rolled over and looked at my cell phone. 5AM. Yay.

As I kissed LJ goodbye this morning, I said, "They had better sleep past 8!"

The time is now 8:13. They've been up for approximately 45 minutes.

This is the rare experiences with co-sleeping. Like I said, 5%. Attachment parenting (really, parenting in general) is about taking the good with the bad. Enjoying the fun and not pulling your hair out during the frustrating moments. The usual mornings, when we wake up to the baby nursing, the other two quietly asleep in our beds, and not remembering any of it happening, are reward for the bad nights. The big reward is how close we are to our kids. I wouldn't change it for all the sleep I could get!

Time Flies

The more children I have, the faster time goes by. I remember being a new mom, with this tiny, fussy little girl in my arms thinking... 


"I can't wait until she sleeps better!"
"I can't wait until she sits up!"
"I can't wait until she crawls!"
"I can't wait until she walks!"
"I can't wait until she talks!"


Then in the blink of an eye, I'm pregnant with her brother, and she's one! I wished her infancy away, looking forward to her next development and never appreciating the now.


I was determined not to let it happen with her little brother. I would enjoy every moment. Breathe it in, accept the struggles of no sleep for three months (yes, three months. She's still our lightest sleeper) and enjoy her baby babbles without wishing to hear words.


Yet, enjoying an infant is rather difficult while chasing his big sister around. His first year went faster than hers. I didn't get to enjoy as much quiet time just holding my baby, just appreciating all of his wondrous traits. He was typically on my chest in a wrap while we went about errands, doctor's appointments, etc. I got lots of cuddle time, but not enough quiet time to breathe him in. Before I knew it, he was one.


When their little brother came around, I knew being home alone with three kids all day would be difficult. I knew it would take a lot of time and energy. I didn't know his infancy would pass the fastest. I remember telling LJ at every developmental stage (newborn, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 11 months) "I love this age!" because I do! I can now appreciate the highs and lows of infancy, how there are good things to having a newborn (hello, you get to nap when baby naps!), a young infant (searching for that first smile, lots of lovies, watching him discover fascinating things like... his fist), an older infant (becoming mobile... yay!), and a pre-toddler (those first steps...).


Once again in the blink of an eye, and way before I'm ready to, I'm looking at a one year old. He didn't help the process by walking at 10 months old. It's almost as if he knew he had to catch up to his brother and sister. I feel like this last year has gone by way too fast, faster than the first years of his brother and sister. Why, oh why, is it now that I've learned my lesson that I don't get to appreciate babyhood?


Time flies. I know, because my parents tell me. My grandmother tells me. I complain about my baby being one before I'm ready, her baby has a baby that has a baby. I know it's just going to get worse as they get older, as we're flying around to scouts, homeschool activities, family activities, etc. All I can do is appreciate the now. To those three angels who, during the night, have overtaken our bed. I watch them sleep, so peacefully, knowing in about ten minutes our house is coming to life and it's not going to stop until 9PM. And I pray that I can appreciate the ages they are in now, knowing that if I blink too much they will be grown up...


Happy birthday, Josiah.

So there's me...

My name is Becca. I'm pushing 30. I grew up in sunny Florida. All over Florida, actually. Everywhere except the Panhandle. My parents moved around a lot when I was a kid. When I was 12, the same year I put on my Lord and Savior in baptism, my grandfather died and my parents moved up to Jacksonville to be closer to my grandmother.

We started going to church with Edna. She is a really sweet older woman who loves hugs! She had a grandson, LJ, that would visit occasionally. After he would visit, she always told me, "I want you to marry my grandson someday." I had to admit, he was quite cute. He was also very shy and wouldn't say much. I didn't think he'd ever be interested in me!

Time passed, I graduated high school, went away to college for a year, but decided to move back home. About the same time, LJ started coming to church on a regular basis. We started hanging out in December. By the end of January we were dating, and by March we were engaged. We married in September of the following year.

Look at the babies!! This was us the Easter after we got married.

A little over two years later, we were surprised and thankful to be expecting our first child. Arianna was born in July. Almost a year exactly after Arianna was born, we found out Jonas would come in February. We thought our family was complete.

LJ, Jonas (14m), Arianna (2y9m) and I on the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom, April 2010

Not long after that picture was taken, I had a wombache. I wanted another baby. LJ and I discussed this for about 30 seconds, then decided we wanted to try for a third child. Thirty seconds after that (give or take 28 days), we were pregnant! Josiah was born via a vaginal birth after 2 cesareans (VBA2C). To read about his birth, check out my other blog at Road2VBA2C.

Mommy's littlest man! This was taken about 1 hour after birth.

Five days after Josiah was born, I had the scare of my life. I was extremely fatigued, retaining water, and felt horrible. I took my blood pressure, which was fine. My pulse was not. When you go to the ER with a pulse in the 30s, they tend to work on you pretty fast. Fast Forward two of the worst days of my life (away from my newborn, pumping and dumping milk, horrible headache from medicines to get my heart working right), they assumed it was fatigue from childbirth. So, ready or not, we were done having babies!

I don't think we could ask for more wonderful kids!

I couldn't ask for better kids. They are my life, my world, my reason for dragging my butt out of bed in the morning. My blog is called "Attached To My Kids" because that is what I am. I don't work outside the home (although I am actively looking into non-pyramid scheme ways to make money from home without sacrificing time away from my kids). I homeschool (at least I will--Arianna starts kindergarten this fall). When we go out, we usually all go out together. Except for my weekend trips to the grocery store. Usually I like to go by myself. It's clearing. When we're all out together, I'm usually wearing the baby. I breastfeed. Josiah turns 1 this month, and I don't plan on stopping any time soon! Our boys are intact (uncircumcised). We co-sleep. This means that on any given night, we have between 3 and 5 people in our bed before morning. The older two typically start out in their bed, but sometimes end up in our bed. The baby is still nursing, so we have a crib/co-sleeper next to our bed for easy access during the night. He is quite accustomed to waking, crawling over to me, nursing, and falling asleep next to me.

So now you know me. You know my reasons for living. Welcome!