Wordless Wednesday

Success!

My first month of shopping for American made stuff is sort of one step forward, one step back. The Boy was in desperate need of new jammies. He's growing like a weed and only had 2 pair of jammies that weren't comically small. I had to act quickly in order to avoid him spending too many more nights going to bed looking like The Incredible Hulk or that kid in that commercial. But in my haste I relied on my old standby - Baby Gap. Crap.

 

The bright spot, my one step forward if you will, was purchasing a pair of AG Jeans. Though they cost three times as much as I've ever spent on jeans - $150... on sale! - they're made in LA and come in petite for my short ass. I've been wearing them for all of 3 hours and already I love, love, love them. The denim is soft, there's no weird zipper lump sticking out, the rise is good and there's not a huge gap in the back exposing my butt. Love!

 

Here I am modelling them from my throne on the sofa.

Art

I broke out the finger paints for the first time the other day. Mostly because I was late getting holiday-time foot and hand prints of the boys, but also because I thought that it would have to happen eventually. It's not that The Boy and I don't do crafts, we do. Coloring, gluing stuff on stuff, folding things - we do crafts! We're not crafty, but we do crafts. The finger paints made me nervous though.

Stupid really, as the paints proved way more easy to clean than I assumed they would. So yay,  The Boy had fun and I didn't have a stroke.

Mr. Athletic

Hubs and I aren't big sports people. I grew up with a strong like of basketball and Hubs, like anyone who wasn't born in America, loves him some footie. Sorry, soccer. We were never going to be the parents who got our boys American footballs for first birthdays or pestered them to play Little League.

We took him to a few toddler soccer classes last year but pulled him out when all he wanted to do was rearrange the orange cones. He was only two, so no big deal. We're trying soccer again now. He's still not super into it, but it's a nice way to spend a Saturday.

So it was with pride, and a small amount of shock, that I suggested we play some basketball one day at school, he went to a shelf with 20 different kinds of balls to choose from and he chose the basketball. And then he even knew what dribbling was and that the point was to get the ball in the basket.

So if Saturdays watching Premiership games with Hubs and going to glass can't teach The Boy to love soccer, maybe peer pressure at school can teach him to love basketball.

Living A Better Life

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. Yeah, I usually make a mental list - lose weight, tick more books off on my reading list, work on my novel, blah blah blah - but I rarely write anything down and even less rarely stick to my "resolutions." So for 2013 I was thinking that maybe I need something more tangible to stick to, something requiring a more wholistic approach to change. Moving my body more, yes, but also paying more attention to what I eat, use and purchase. The whole 'less is more' or 'quality over quantity' thing is really what I'm aiming for. Fewer but nicer things. Less stuff made in developing world sweatshops, preferably made here in the US.

I know it will be difficult as it seems as though everything is made in ChinaIndiaBangladeshPhilippines. But I'll give it a go and see how much American made stuff I can get by on.

As a start I figure that in oder to pay more attention to where the stuff I buy comes from I have to learn where the stuff I already have comes from. So this morning I took a look st my toiletries and makeup. I gotta say, I'm not doing do badly in this department.

Shampoo - Giovanni's. Super crunchy points for this as it's US made AND cruelty free.
Toothpaste - Tom's of Maine
Deodorant - Tom's of Maine
Tinted moisturizer - Laura Mercier
Mascara - Jane Iredale
Hair product - Aveda

I didn't include Hubs' Burt's Bees stuff and the Burt's Bees face wipes I use to clean my face at night. All made in Durham, North Carolina. Burt's Bees is also what we use for The Boy's baths. His toothpaste is made in Germany and The Little Boy's bath stuff is made in France, so 50/50ish for the rest of my family.

As for the rest of my stuff, my comb is made in Switzerland, shower gel made in Canada and the rest of my makeup and sundries are made in France. So the bulk may not be made in USA, but at least it's less likely to have been made in a sweatshop.

So this is a start. There's still a year's worth of food to buy, birthday and holiday gifts to get and clothes for quickly growing boys to shop for, but I'll give it a go.

Wordless Wednesday

Deja Vu

The Boy was a terrible sleeper. Really, really terrible. At first I blamed it on my supply issues - leaving him hungry and us fumbling while we made bottles for him - but that was just the first month. My milk came in and he was a well fed super chunk his whole first year. And happy, he was very happy too. But he just didn't have it in him to sleep for more than 2 or 3 hours, 5 on a good night. I was in a stupor that whole first year and can't, for the life of me, figure how Hubs functioned as well as he did. It was so rough.

So it was with much rejoicing that, upon meeting The Little Boy, we learned he was an awesome sleeper. Night 2 of his sweet little life was rough as he waited for my milk to come in, but it was super smooth sailing after that. Hooray!

But then, about a month ago, he started with the drooling and the hand sucking and the nomming everything withing his reach. No worries though as teething didn't seem to darken my sweet baby's mood.

Until this week. <> this week! The Little Boy has been working hard on those teeth, the bottom middle ones it looks like, and he's making sure we know it. Fussing all night, screaming all day and leading me to drink my weight in coffee and tea.

I knew it was coming, and of course it's to be expected, but shit this is hard.

Back To School

The Boy started back at school this week after 3 weeks off. Uncle Hez, home for the holidays and taking a break from jet setting, came with us on Monday for the big drop off.

 

It wasn't a promising start as we witnessed several children clinging to their parents - a rarity since lat September/early October. But he was fine! I signed him in, we went for a wander then exchanged huggles and Hez and I were on our way.

 

Tuesday, however, was a different story. The drop off went fine but then, as I got in the car and went to put the key in the ignition, The Boy ran up to the gate - bottom lip extended, face crinkled up, hands holding onto the gate and one little foot trying to escape.

 

What? Not enough time had elapsed for him to be slighted or hurt by another kid, I'd only turned my back on him 30 seconds earlier. So I went to him and asked him what was up.

 

"Nothing." Sniff. "I just wanted to give you a kiss." And then he blew me a kiss.

 

Swoon. A teacher came up and they went for a walk as drove away.

 

We've had a few drop off hiccups since, but he seemed to be over the worst of it this morning. My little love.

Wordless Wednesday

A Sort of Rite of Passage

The Boy loved his Jumperoo, or Bouncy Thingy as we called it.  When I showed The Boy this picture he was like, "It's The Little Boy."

 

I said, "No, that's you."

 

"No it isn't," he responded, "it's The Little Boy."

 

There was no convincing him. Though, to be fair, they do look a lot alike.

 

Evidence - The Boy, January 2010

 

 

 

The Little Boy last week

 

School's Out

Well, technically, it's almost starting back up again, but we've lasted 3 whole weeks of The Boy being out of school without me losing my sanity and The Boy not losing all of his toys.

Having spent everyday for 3 years with him I shouldn't have been too intimidated, but The Little Boy changed everything. No daily coffee with Grandpa, not able to run outside and play whenever we wanted to, quiet time when The Little Boy was napping, or needed to nap. Throw in The Boy not having his 3 hour outlet to "get the sillies out" at school, potty training and our living space cluttered up with The Little Boy's things - Jumperoo, swing, PacknPlay - and it's a wonder my poor oldest child has maintained any amount of manners or civility. He's had his moments, but he's actually done remarkably well. I'm a guilty, angsty mess, but he's been pretty good.

Anyway, here are some pictures of us getting out to play while The Little Boy napped.

 

And here we are having coffee with Grandpa and Daddy! Yeah, Hubs had the week between Christmas and New Year off. Maybe that's why we've all remained sane.

5 Months Old

Rolls all over the place, chews on everything, champion grabber of things and fascinated by watching people eat - solids for you next month, my love.

Happy New Year

The boys have colds. The Little Boy is snuggled up on my lap while The Boy follows Hubs around with his toy Dyson.

"I'm doing all the hard work for you, Dad," as he traces where Hubs has just vacuumed.

Last night we geve The Boy his traditonal NYE bath, and I took pictures - despite Hubs' objections.

All we've done todayis take a long walk so The Boy could ride his balance bike and I could freeze my butt off. Who knew it could be cold in Southern California in January? Or ever, really.

I would make a list of resolutions for all of us, but right now I'm too tired and too happy to bother.