Modern bird Studios Contest

Help us win a print from Modern Bird studios! Click the link below, first you have to "like" Modern Bird on facebook, then "like" our picture of Jackson. It would be SO awesome if we won this!
The link to "like" Modern Bird Studios
The link to "like" our picture

Eye on Parenting: Diaper Debate

(For some reason the video is outta whack, click HERE to watch it on CBS) 
I don't really know what to say about this. It actually seemed like a joke the first time i watched it. Almost like it was sponsored by a disposable diaper company? 
Maybe the could have gotten someone who has some experience or knowledge about cloth diapering to be part of the segment. I know  a pediatrician is knowledgable about a lot of things, but she's never used a cloth diaper in her life! The point of view is ridiculously biased, based on the opinions of two women who've only tried disposable diapers. OF COURSE people will think cloth diapering is hard, gross, and messy if thats what they've been told.The host Natali says she THROWS OUT onsies because they get poop on them? (i personally would wash them)
A great point made by the ped; if you use cloth diapers you don't have to buy "quite as many" diapers as you would using disposables. 30 cloth diapers is A LOT less than 4000 disposable diapers! (thats if your child is potty trained by 2)
I do however think it's great that Natali has decided to try cloth diapers for a month, and write about it on her blog. I hate to be so pessimistic, but for someone that throws out onesies when they get poop on them, i can't see it lasting longer than the month. 
Use disposable diapers if you must, i just want correct information given to people who are considering cloth.

Cherish

"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them"-Richard L. Evans
This makes sense, and i would hope every parent would feel like this. Sadly, this isn't what i see everyday. Parents too busy to spend the time making their children feel cherished. Instead, they buy them a gameboy (or whatever is cool right now), because thats the same thing as love right? I know we all have to work, but i feel, that when you are home, before your children are in bed, 100% of your time should be devoted to them. Not the t.v., not the computer, not checking sports scores or the stock market. All of that can wait. I don't want to waste a second, of this wild and precious life, i know that in the blink of an eye he'll be all grown up.

Don't Forget...

...that you can vote every day : )

Bento Lunches

Check out these cool blogs: Wendolonia, Whats For Lunch at Our House?They have the BEST lunch ideas for kids. I hope to make Jacksons lunches that interesting and nutritious!

(Pic is from www.bentolunch.net)

These are bento lunches. A bento is a traditional Japanese boxed lunch. I like the idea of it for kids because it makes the food look fun, and you can incorporate small bites of a variety of different foods.

(pic is from www.wendolonia.com)
I already get stuck in a rut, trying to make sure Jacksons meals are tasty, baby friendly, and nutritionally balanced. It will be much easier when he can eat everything. I love coming across sites like these, that give me inspiration to keep changing it up and making his meals fun.  
Today jackson ate:
Breakfast: Squash, cottage cheese and oatmealLunch: Diced pear, diced orange, cheddar cheese cubes, chopped roast beef, and a slice of pita.Supper: Squash, diced carrots, cottage cheese + mashed broccoli
I think i'm giving him enough variety, and  he enjoys the foods he eats. The kid eats broccoli, what more can i ask for!

Our Weekend

We started off Friday night, going to a Commencement ceremony. Marcus' youngest sibling, Zach graduated from high school! It was past J's bedtime, but he was a trooper. He even got all dolled up for the event, in his fancy glow in the dark skeleton pj's! (You'll notice in picture 2, Jacksons Auntie Kaitlin is attempting to eat him.)

After the grad Jackson went for a sleepover with his Grandma, while we went to a party. It was a cold night, but we kept warm by a raging bonfire. Marcus took a few pictures of it. I love night shots!

Saturday we went for a fall walk (we forgot the camera), had a coffee at Bohemian Friday's, then headed home. It's time for the clocks to go back one hour. I used to love that, now, not so much. We kept J up an extra hour in hopes it will help him sleep in and adjust his internal clock. It.was.not.fun. He is very used to a certain bedtime, and is always ready for sleep at that point, even if he has a late nap. I pulled out all the stops, entertaining him for an hour. The little people animals barely survived.

We capped of Saturday with lattes and blue cheese burgers, yum freakin' um!

Sunday...we had a lazy family day. (keeping J up an extra hour worked, he slept until the same time, even with the time change! yay!)  It was needed after a busy weekend. Marcus went to open mic night at Flyers Cafe. I didn't get to go, because i was home with the Jaxman.
Happy Monday Everyone!

Do Cloth Diapers Really Save Money

(My cute man, and his fluffy bum!)

Check our this article on Handmade Adelaide Baby, and their calculations to see if cloth diapers really save money. (I'll ruin the ending, they do.) However, do read to see how they came to his conclusion. Remember if you use them for more than one child, the only expense the second time around is the cost of laundering. Also, the cost they calculated is way more than what i've spent on getting my cloth diaper stash' started, so the calculations are very generous.

Oh, for fun, here's an INSANE article, that claims it costs $25-$60 a month to launder your own cloth diapers. Clearly they must be washing them with fresh spring water flown in for Switerland. I wash mine twice a week, so that is 8 extra loads per month.There is no possible way, 8 loads of laundry cost $25-$60, or we'd all be wearing dirty clothes!

If you have questions about cloth diapering, Ask me! 
 I'd love to share any info, knowledge and experience i can. 
Anyone can do it, it's not intimidating, hard, or gross. (In fact it's simple, easy, and oh so adorable!)

Just a Reminder

I made this purdy sign, havin' some fun with photoshop today. I know, i'm fancy. I also know i could use Illustrator, but i don't know how to do things in Illustrator, and it drives me BoNkErS!

Nine Months Old!

My little man,

You are 9 months old. Nine whole months have gone by.Nine months since you came into our lives, changed our lives, made our lives.At
9 months old you are almost 19 lbs. You are getting to be a big man! You're standing on your own for increasing lengths of time, and even trying to take a few steps! Your record is two! You have 3 teeth, and more on the way. You eat like a champ, sleep like an angel, and hardly nap.
You're becoming such a silly guy, always smiling and laughing. You love to make mommy and daddy laugh too. You are most famous for your pterodactyl noise.
You are our little adventurer. Always getting into things and exploring. We don't mind one bit, it's all part of becoming a little boy. You love to tackle Zipper, and get a million kisses from Winston.
I can't put into words how much mommy and daddy love you, all i can say is, every time i see you, or think about your beautiful face, i feel like my heart is bursting.

Little man, you make me smile. 

Love,
Momma

Blanky Mc Blankerson

Don't know if y'all noticed, but there aint much going on in terms of a background on ye old blog. I'm going to try this for a while. I decided to make my template wider. Less frou frou, more room for my pictures and posts. Right now, me likey. I'm sure i'll change my mind in 6 hours. Anyone else have blog design add?
Nighty night.

Hoot Hoot

Needless to say i love owls. These little beauties are from ModCloth. Can you say swoon? Maybe i'll get an owl necklace for my birthday...only 77 shopping days left. Owl-t on a limb necklace is my fave : )

Left to right: Owl Be There Necklace,  Too Hoot to Handle Ring, Med-Owl-Ian Ring, Groovy Owl Napkin Holder, Wise Old Owl Trivet, Owl-t on a Limb Necklace, Owl Call You Back I Phone Skin. 

Happy Halloween!

Jackson enjoyed his first Halloween (he went trick or treating at 4 houses!), and his first taste of candy (half of 5 m&m's). I can't wait for next year, when he understands, and is more into it. This year it was really for us, although he got really excited when we went to the houses, and he saw other kids all dressed up.

I hope your Halloween was wonderful too!

Car Seat Safety

Why is rear-facing especially important for toddlers? (from; Canadian Parents.com)

In a collision a forward-facing toddler has a an immense amount of stress on their neck and spine due to size of their heads in proportion to their bodies. In the forces of a crash this can have grave consequences for a toddler and their still developing neck muscles and spine (a child's spine does not ossify/fuse until they are three to six years of age). The forces of a crash in a forward-facing seat could potentially cause internal decapitation as the child's head is thrust forward taking the brunt of the crash force. Rear-facing seats do an amazing job of protecting children as there is very little to no force being applied to their head, neck and spine. When a child is in a rear-facing car seat their head, neck and spine are all kept fully aligned while the seat absorbs the bulk of the crash force.

This diagram shows the difference in the way and infant/toddlers body is proportioned in comparison to an adult.

Rear-facing myths

from Carseat.se

There are quite a few reasons why people don’t keep children rear-facing longer. Many parents don’t know how much safer it is but some also rely on myths to turn their child forward-facing. A few of the common ones:

• My child’s legs are touching the vehicle seat which is dangerous: Research has show this is not the case. It’s not dangerous to have long legs or let them hang over the edge of the seat. Forward-facing children not exempt from lower extremity injuries either. “The lower extremity is among the most frequently injured body regions for children restrained by forward-facing child restraint systems, accounting for 28% of their clinically significant injuries, defined as AIS 2 and greater injuries excluding concussions.”.
• Kids get carsick when rear-facing: Not true. There are cases with children getting carsick while rear facing but it’s extremely rare.
• My child can’t see out the window while rear-facing: Children who have switched from an infant seat can see out the window just fine while rear-facing.
• Children hate to sit rear-facing: Not true.  A child who has been sitting forward-facing for years and is then turned back around might complain. A child who has been sitting rear-facing since the beginning rarely complain.
• I have to turn my child forward facing at 12 months,  it’s the law: There are laws saying how long parents must keep children rear-facing but none which regulate forward-facing.  A child should sit rear-facing for as long as possible. Those are guidelines which more countries are starting to follow.
• My 14 month-old-has a strong neck, I can turn her forward facing: Not a good idea. A rear-facing child is 500 percent safer than forward-facing. It may seem like the neck is strong but a collision with a child who is forward-facing puts tremendous force on the child’s head, neck and spine.
• My seat says I can forward-face at 20 pounds so that’s what I’m going to do: Not a good idea. Research has shown it’s far safer to stay rear-facing. Difference in safety are largest during the first 24 months.
• Rear-facing children are at increased risk for collision from the rear: Research has shown this is not the case. Collisions from the rear are rare, roughly 5% of accidents, and usually also less severe than frontal impacts. The guideline is that rear-facing children are as safe or safer in collisions from the rear.
• Rear-facing is a new thing with research just now becoming available: Not true. Sweden has been rear-facing children since 1965 and the huge benefits were known early on.
• Rear-facing is uncomfortable for my child: Older rear-facing children often sit with bent legs which is not uncomfortable. Notice how children sit when they play, almost never with legs straight out. It’s very rare hearing a child complain about leg problems while rear-facing.

A Day in the Life of a Mommy:Part 2

After little man is all played out. It's nap time. Usually 30 mins-2 hours. No rhyme or reason, just random. This is my time to try and clean the house, do laundry, BLOG, maybe reheat that cup of coffee for the second fourth time.

At some point he wakes up again, and it's lunchtime. I try and have J's bottle ready to go when he gets up, which gives me a few minutes to prepare his lunch. This kid loooooves his food, so i have to be quick when he's hungry. Sometimes i give him some fruit, crackers, veggies etc to munch on while i prepare his fave, avocado on toast. I've learned that this is really the best time for me to eat. If he's already eating, i don't have to share my food. Don't get me wrong, i love sharing with poo face, but momma's gotta eat too. Of course, lunch ends eventually and we start the whole washcloth routine again. Eeek.

I try and get him to have some alone playtime while i clean up the ole' lunch mess, it's usually a big one when he's feeding himself. Afterwards, we read a few books, sing a few dozen songs, chase the cat, J uses me as a jungle gym, etc.

At some point in the afternoon, we have an outing, weather it be a walk, a trip to the grocery store, or window shopping. I try to get out with him everyday, I'm sure i get boring. This always turns into quite the trip, between loading and unloading him, and people ooooohing and ahhing over his sweetness, it takes up a chunk of our afternoon.

When we get home, we have some more playtime while we wait for daddy. Sometimes J has a second nap in the afternoon, if his first one was short.

Of course there are about 6 trillion more diaper changes in there, but i don't need to explain the whole ninja diaper changing system again.

When J's daddy gets home, he takes care of the whole dinner, bath, bottle, bedtime routine. That gives me a chance to make us some dinner.

It's not an exciting day, but man oh man, i wouldn't change a thing. Spending every day with my little man, is my little slice of heaven.

A Day in the Life of a Mommy

Our day is something like this... 


I start my day and try to get up before Jackson, in a desperate attempt to brush my teeth and chug what might be my only glass of water for the next 5 hours.


I love getting him up in the morning, he's well rested, happy and smiling at me from his crib. AND his baby-energizer bunny battery is recharged for a few hours of destruction. It all starts with a diaper change. Anyone who's had a baby, knows how fun diaper changes are once babies become mobile. Why can't they invent a change table like this:

This is where the ninja training comes in. I have to be stealthy and illusive when I change his diaper. He's still mad that he's been made to sit still for 2 seconds, but if I'm quick enough, the drama is kept to a minimum.

After ruining what started out as a good day by being a mean mommy and changing his diaper, it's breakfast time! If I'm lucky i can distract him with toys for a few minutes while i make his breakfast. If that doesn't work, my last resort is cheerios. (As a distraction, not his meal, there aren't enough cheerios in the world to fill his bottomless pit)

I shovel what i hope is a healthy balanced meal into his gullet, although i am never fast enough to make him happy. After eating more food than most grown men, it is time for...the FACE CLOTH. This is where things get crazy folks. I used to wipe his high chair tray down first, thinking he would see the face cloth as a harmless object. Boy was i wrong. I though i could make face wiping a fun game, make goofy sounds while doing it, to amuse him.  Still wrong. I've learned that this is another area where stealth and speed are key. I'm still perfecting my technique, but we're down to almost no crying come face wiping time. 

After breakfast time is over, i try and occupy him for a few minutes with the buckles of his high chair, yep the buckles. Generally giving me 2 minutes to clean up the breakfast mess. BTW i haven't eaten yet.

Next is playtime, which really is anytime he's not eating or sleeping. Sometime there are brief periods where he'll happily play alone. Sometimes i just have to sit with him while he amuses himself. The majority of the time I'm chasing him, and saying no a million times over. Usually when he is trying to pull out the outlet covers (useless things) unplug lamps etc and eat the plugs, lick the garbage can (which i do keep clean, but still, GROSS), or assault the cat (one of his favorite things to "pull up" on is the cat). I try and squeeze a few books in here and there, I've heard that reading is good? 

If I'm lucky he'll have a mid morning nap, around 11, if not, he'll go down at 2. It was FAB when he had an early nap, i could eat breakfast then. Now that he's going longer periods between naps, i have to eat breakfast IN.FRONT.OF.HIM. Which means i have to share. One spoonful for mommy, a few pieces of cereal for Jackson. Oi. At this point, i usually try and start drinking my coffee. Which is very cold, and about 2.5 hours old already. Don't worry, it'll take me another 4 hours to finish it.

With that, i'll finish er' up with another post...

Pretty. Amazing.

(scroll to the bottom and pause the music player)

"The word pretty is unworthy of everything you will be. No child of mine will be contained in five letters. You will be pretty intelligent, pretty creative, pretty amazing, but you will never be, merely pretty"

This poem by Katie Makkai made me tear up. I know some may think that men don't feel the need to be "pretty". Let's face it, we live in a society obsessed with looks. It doesn't matter if you are a boy or a girl. I hope with all my heart that i can teach my son that there is much, much, MUCH more to a person than their outward appearance. I want him to be as intelligent and creative as he can be, i already know he'll be pretty amazing. 

Love Letter

I did not write this. But i love it. Click here to read an awesome "Love Letter to the World". 

It is featured on Kind Over Matter, but written by Kate at Your Courageous Life.
Beau-utiful!


Ya know what else is beautiful? This little man. 

Our Weekend in Pictures

 We had so much fun at a Halloween/Birthday party this weekend, hosted by Marcus' cousin. I was dressed in general "80's" garb, and Marcus went as Mr T. Jackson just wore Halloween pyjama's, no way would i have been able to get him to keep a costume on. 

 We also had some fun with dollar store masks, and fake eyebrows and moustaches.
(Yes i am making kissy lips underneath the mask in the second pic. lol.)

The highlight of the evening? Jackson waking up at 3 am screaming bloody murder for an hour. No idea why, it's never happened before and he's slept normally since. Let's just say we hope it doesn't happen again, we seriously though that boy was going to need an exorcism.

What are you or your little ones being for Halloween?

I'll have pics next week of Jacksons super cute Halloween costume.

Happy Monday everyone!

The Summer Day

I love anything that makes me stop, think, and appreciate. Wether it be a poem or a song. Sometimes we need a little reminder. A reminder to live each day, love each day, and kiss our babies a million times. I wanted to share this reminder with you today.

What will you do with your one wild and precious life?

The Summer Day

By:Mary Oliver

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean-

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don't know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

With your one wild and precious life?

Car Seat Safety

This is an excellent video, explaining and showing the difference in rear vs. forward facing in a car seat.  

This video shows the result of a child forward facing.

If i could, i'd keep Jackson rear facing until he's 30. Although, it may be hard for him to pick up chicks that way? In all seriousness though, rear facing is the SAFEST way for your baby/child to ride. I hope in posting this, i change at least one persons mind.