Thoughtfulness On A Tuesday

So, in hopes to get me to blog more, I want to start posting thoughtful messages. Whether quote, essay, or photo I hope that these will help me personally grow and strive as a compassionate person and parent.

Today's comes from some random sign I saw on etsy a while ago. It makes me feel better when the living room is covered in toys, there's flour all over the kitchen from the latest baking project and I can't hear myself talk, let alone think.

Please excuse the noise and the mess,
The children are making happy memories

Tandem Wrapping!

With tandem nursing and tandem...well, everything comes tandem wrapping. I love babywearing and I love wrapping. I also hate chasing my toddler around when I don't have to. When Tristan was born, I bought a size 7 wrap in hopes of being able to wrap both of my sons together. The weather's been super hot, so I haven't been doing much more than rucking with shorties. But, come fall, I can see myself taking walks with both of my boys wrapped on me.


The other day, I tried wrapping two for the first time. I think I did fairly well, though there is room for improvement. I put Tristan on my front in a cross carry with my Zara TriGreen 6. Finnegan is rucked on my back with my Simon 3 (favorite wrap, really.). I did not like how high up Tristan was. Also, the wrap was really tight so I couldn't put any over his floppy new born head. Also, the wraps put ALOT of pressure on my neck. I couldn't see wearing them that way for long.

Adventures in Truffles

This year, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to make gifts instead of buying them. I've already learned this makes holidays and special occasions simultaneously more stressful and more enjoyable.

For Valentine's day this year, I thought about buying all of the cheap pink and red crap that lines the aisles of Wal*Mart. I mean, my children need yet another stuffed animal to collect dust in their rooms, right? They may think that, and sometimes I like to indulge, but not this time. Ideally, I would have loved to have knitted them something. But, I'm still trudging through my baby blanket and I want to stay focused on it. So instead, I decided to cook something. Valentine's Day is all about chocolate anyways, right?

This was my first attempt at making truffles. I think they turned out fairly well. I took 10 ounces of cream cheese and mixed them with 3 cups of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup (ish) of cocoa powder. Really, I didn't measure and just added the cocoa powder to taste. After chilling the filling and shaping them into vague ball like shapes. Then I melted a package of chocolate chips (12 ounces) and dipped the balls into them. This yielded me 24 truffles.

Truffles about a morning to do. The whole process was pretty simple, but I was a bit tired of chocolate when I was done! My entire family loved them. And they were much, much cheaper than buying a cardboard heart of stale chocolates. And better too! This is definately a skill I'd like to prefect. I want to get better at shaping the truffles and get a little creative with fillings and toppings.

Happy Valentine's Day!

An Annual Fresh Start

Happy 2010! I love the new year as it's a great way to start fresh. I've always written up a long list of resolutions and goals for the start of the new year. I realized this morning that I've been doing that since I was probably 15. I like to think I've made progress since then! Although, I know for sure, one thing has always remained the same: I never have enough time.

I think that since this is a new year (and decade!) and a new blog, it would only be fitting to post my resolutions as my first post.

1. Family
   
   • This is the year that we'll officially start to homeschool Abigail in the fall. I want to make sure I'm extra prepared.
     
   • Put more of an emphasis on holidays, seasons and family rituals.
     
   • Work on strengthening family ties and bonds.
     
   • Work on patience with the kids.
     
   • Relax food restrictions while showing Abigail more healthy options.
   
   
   
2. Knitting
   
   • This year I want to really focus on my knitting! I have a lot of WIPs that I need to finish up and an ungodly stash.
     
   • I'd like to make a sweater (or two) this year.
     
   • I'd like each of my children to have at least one hand made by mom thing a year.
   
   
   
3. Homesteading
   
   • I think Kim and I both feel the same way on this topic: we need to work harder to be self sufficient.
     
   • I'd like to see us having a flock of chickens this year. It would be great to get some goats in too.
     
   • I'd like to make 95% of our meals at home from scratch. Same goes with breads, sauces, butter and etc.
     
   • Used 95% cloth when it comes to diapers (already there!), cloth napkins, toilet paper and mama cloth.
   
   
   
4. Health and Fitness
   
   • I really need to get into shape. Right now, that means preparing for baby #3's birth.
     
   • After the baby's birth, getting in shape is going to mean losing baby weight and dropping down to a decent weight (150? 130?)
     
   • I'd like to start running. Also: learning how to ride a bike and possibly swimming.
     
   • Also, body image is going to play a huge part in this and I'm going to really need to work on it and build it.
   
   
   
5. Personal
   
   • I want my dreads back.
     
   • I want to completely redo my fiances.
     
   • I need to work on getting the family to being self employed and prosperous.
     
   • I need to finish what I start!!!
     
   • I really need to get on track to becoming a midwife, especially if that's what I want to do for the rest of my life.
     
   • I need to become more social.
     
   • I'd like to get a baby sitter lined up for the kidlets so Kim and I can have some together time.
   
   

I always plan a lot. I guess I'm always one for self improvement.