You know I'm back when...
Was it really August the last time I
did one of these?! Wow! So since then, I've gestated and given birth
to a new baby boy! I do so admire and respect those that just keep on
keepin' on during pregnancy. I don't know how you do it! I guess I
realized in part why I don't do it: I kinda get anemic during
pregnancy. (I think it's safe to say after three out of three). I
didn't have a blog during either of my previous pregnancies, but I
did have other stuff that got sorely neglected. This pregnancy was
pretty rough for me all around, and I've yet to determine exactly
why, but thanks be to God, the recovery has been the easiest by far!
On another note, my two year
"blogiversary" just whizzed right by in June. I did nothing
to commemorate! Boo!
Anyway. July has been a pretty calm
month for us. We are getting back into the swing of things, and I've
been brave enough to take three little ones out in public "awl
by mysewf" as my daughter would say. It's July in Arizona, so,
you know...it's HOT, so we don't get out too much. But we've
had some breaks in the heat with our annual summer Monsoon (the most
amazing weather).
So, without further ado...
On My Nightstand- (Or
rather, on my living room side table) Grace Based Parenting. This one
is full of revelation for me, even though I'm only on the second
chapter! I may be posting about something that "clicked"
for me pretty soon. (Brace yourself! Ha ha!)
Want to Read- French
Kids Eat Everything (among others). Seems like it would be a good
read for me, especially since we deal with a fair amount of picky-ness
around these parts.
TV Show Worth Watching-
Well, lemme tell ya! I've never really had anything noteworthy to
share in this category, but oh, we now have Netflix. (Hellooo, 21st
century!) I've been mildly obsessed with watching favorites from my
childhood and adolescence. My selections so far: The Wonder Years
(I'm now about halfway through the second season- and as an added
bonus I can watch this one on my phone- we don't yet have any sort of
device that allows us to watch the streaming shows on the
television). Punky Brewster is one of my DVD selections, and we're
about halfway through the first season. To my delight, my kiddos
actually enjoy this one. It's a pretty sobering thought that my older
son is the exact age I was when this show premiered. Yikes!
Also, I've started to watch some
reality television- (I have so much to catch up on, being that I
haven't been willing to subscribe to cable in about eight years or
so...but I digress). I watched PBS' miniseries, Frontier House, and
soon discovered that they have several other versions from different
eras. (So exciting!) If you aren't familiar with Frontier House, they
recreated life on the old frontier in Montana, from the time of the
Homestead Act of 1862. They sent three families out with only the
provisions that would have been available at that time to see how
modern people would adapt. I found their challenges really
interesting, especially now that I've learned to not depend on some
modern conveniences like certain health and beauty products. (I know
there was a lot more to it than that, but that's just one area I can
relate to).
There. I think that more than makes up
for my lack of enthusiasm for television in the past. Don't ya think?
(By the way, feel free to suggest shows for me to watch. I'm all
ears!)
Movie I've Seen- Somehow,
nothing is coming to mind...even though we recently signed up with
Netflix. Ha! (Suggestions?)
In My
Kitchen- I'm back on the allergen-free diet. My little one
was starting to show some allergic symptoms, pretty similar to what my daughter dealt with in her early months. I figured a little
proactivity on my part was in order. I started an elimination diet
like the one here, but quickly added in some other foods, since I
started to feel like I was starving myself. Not good for a nursing
mother! So, for now, we're eating a lot of meat, rice, vegetables,
and I'm experimenting with some gluten-free, dairy free, egg free
ideas. I made crackers the other day, which were a hit with everyone,
I'll share my recipe in a coming post. The good news? The symptoms my
son was experiencing have improved a lot! I'm all about progress.
Newest Blog
Read- Becoming Peculiar. I found her through a link up on
Sorta Crunchy. I saw the title of her post, "14 Reasons I Don't Wear
Shoes," and I had to read (who doesn't need more reasons to not
wear shoes? Maybe this is why I haven't been totally
successful with the Fly Lady's program. Ha ha). But then I got kinda
sucked in to reading about her Mennonite upbringing (a culture I knew
virtually nothing about). And found some cool recipes for personal
care products to try.
What I'm
Looking Forward to Next Month- Well, it will be six years of
marriage for my husband and me! Also, Baby J is turning two months
old. Aaand... my big boy will be starting school! We've opted to do
the online public school for this year. With the new baby and a
toddler to care for, I just wasn't sure about jumping in to doing
full-fledged homeschooling this time around. I'm glad this option
exists, especially since it can be tailored to each child's specific
educational needs. So, for now, we are doing "school at home"
rather than homeschooling. I'll let you know how it goes!
What are YOU
into this month?
