A Lucan Letter and Update

So much to say, so little time.

Dearest baby toddler boy,

I don't know where the time has gone and how you are almost two and a half years-old. Baffling.

You are independent and strong-willed. Just like your parents. What you want, you want. And what you don't want, well you definitely don't want it. You can be an adorable charmer and a stinker all at the same time. We have some hitting issues, which have mostly developed at daycare. (I blame most of our problems on too many unruly children at daycare. That's completely fair of me, right?) If something doesn't go your way, you like to flail about and hit. But then when you cool off, you'll wrap your arms around my neck, give me a squeeze and say "sa-wee momma." Melt my heart.

You are a good eater. I feel blessed and grateful this everyday. Last weekend you ate three bowls of cheeseburger soup without batting an eye. You would eat McDonald's Chicken McNuggets Happy Meals all the time if we'd let you (we won't). Somehow you think that all meat is chicken. I don't think that your Papa would approve. But last Sunday you ate an entire steak. Like a grown man portion size of steak. Oh me, oh my.

Routines are def your thing. When we get out of routine, things start getting a little crazy. You have a set bedtime routine of potty, diaper, jammies, teeth brushing, books, octopus light, praying and songs. Life is better for everyone if we can start this routine at 7:45 pm and have you in bed by 8 pm.

You love blankets and pillow. Multiple blankets and pillows. You like to be buried underneath all of them, especially on the couch. This game is called "hiding." Hiding becomes especially fun when it involves people sitting on the couch and you "hiding" behind them. Silly boy.

Elmo and Daniel Tiger are your favorites. Sesame Street has been renamed "Elmo's Street" and Daniel Tiger is called "Gain-Gain." Today at the doctor's office I was astounded when you recognized Spider Man (stickers), Dora (also stickers) and Dinosaur Train (tv show). I suppose since your dad like watching Dinosaur Train, that shouldn't surprise me. He gets a kick out of the fact that all the carnivores are pescatarians. Your dad has a weird sense of humor. As far as Spidey and Dora goes, there's too much TV on at daycare. Yep.


Fully clothed, with shoes, you weigh 31 pounds. My tired arms bear witness to this fact.

Somehow you know a large majority of your shapes, 90% of your body parts (your dad keeps quizzing you on things like shin and wrist - really Lance?!) and a large chunk of animals and their sounds (your favorite it a macaw) but you have problems with some of your colors. I just think that you like to make up what colors are which. If you end up color-blind like your daddy and uncles, it would be ironic since color-blindness comes from your momma. Goodness.

Sometimes you like to use the potty. Sometimes you miss and poop on the floor. That was fun to clean-up, especially since you wanted to "help." We are going no where fast when it comes to potty training. All underwear are called "big boys." Even mom's underwear.

Overall, you are a good helper. You will clean up your blocks with a little prompting, throw things away in the garbage can and you like to help spray bottles and wipe up spills. If I'd let you, you'd run the $350 dyson vacuum. Thanks, but no thanks.

 

Lulu, you are very impressionable. Just last Sunday at church we made the mistake of sitting by one of your favorite friends from daycare, Noah. Noah is just over 3 years-old. Everything Noah did, you had to do too. That meant everything from standing on the back of chairs, bouncing up and down, crawling underneath chairs to shouting AMEN! at the top your lungs. Multiple times. Mostly when it was quiet. Awesome Lu. Maybe we should have been baptist. 

You have your opinions about things and are more than happy to vocalize them. For example, riding in the car. You will let us know if the music is too loud (loud! too loud!), if you are hot (hot! hot!), if you want the window down (window down!) and you like to do a running commentary of the things you see: truck! big truck! water! tractor! combine! school bus! I never paid so close of attention to all the tractors we go by.



Dad is still your favorite. Of course he is the more fun parent, lifting you up to touch ceilings and swinging you through the air. But when it comes to hugs and kisses, mom receives a large portion of them. You also dearly love your grandparents. If you have a phone in your hand, you like to pretend to call Gammer (grandma) and say hello. Sometimes we actually do call and you get a kick out of that. But I have a sneaking suspicion that your grandparents love those calls too :)

I love you little boy and you'll always be my baby. I treasure those extra snuggles and kisses while I can still get them.

You are sweetness and I love you,

Mom

Stitch Fix Review Box #2 - October

This box was an improvement over my last box, far and above. Again, if you are new to Stitch Fix, the concept is pretty easy. You go to Stitch Fix’s website and provide basic information such as their body shape, size, style preferences and budget. Then, a Stitch Fix stylist uses that information you provided to select and ship a box of five items to try on. Then you can keep and pay for the things you like and send back the stuff that doesn't work. Stitch Fix charges a $20 per box styling fee, which goes toward any purchase that you make. The company keeps track of what you keep and send back to further personalize your clothing profile. It's pretty neat overall! And if you use my referral link, I get a $25 style credit. Win! Okay here's the good stuff.
 

41Hawthorn Shara Herringbone Vest with Black Piping. Ugly. My stylist added it because she had seen a lot of vests on my pintrest board and thought I would like it. Wrong. $68 wrong. No offense mom, but it looks like something you own. In fact, I do think you own a vest like this.

Style tips. I like the denim dress they style the vest with. Can I have the dress instead?

Mak Neptune Stripe and Colorblocked Cardigan $48.This sweater was teeny tiny and ugly. Sorry. I like stripes and did request something mustard colored to take me into the fall. Just not this one.

Ick.

Renee C Rossi Polka Dot Print Neck-Tie Blouse. I like this shirt and I kept it, despite feeling weird about the bow tie. I feel like a court reporter in this shirt. Let's not talk about the awkwardness of the selfie bathroom shot. It takes me about a dozen shots to get it right and even then my walls look a lurid lime green (they aren't in real life). But even the most awkward selfies don't even begin to compare to the horrid pictures Lance takes. I will never be a fashion blogger for this reason.

The shirt is white with a small white polka dot design. It's lightweight, almost sheer and flowy. I didn't have anything like it, design wise, in my wardrobe so I kept it! Winner!

I don't have coral colored skinnies or a turquoise pencil skirt. But I'd gladly wear both!

Kensie Jackie Longsleeve Striped Sweater Dress. Oh sweater dress. Sweater dresses are just never going to happen with my body. They cling to all the wrong places and have no structure. I gave feedback to my stylist, Sidney, to stop sending them because they're never going to work.

Bye bye sweater dress. You were way too price anyways at $88.

41Hawthorn Galway Bird Print Button-Up Blouse. $58. Hello birdie shirt! You are adorable and quirky and perfect! Loved this shirt. Flowy cut, fun, yet manageable print and cute details like a pearl button and shirred shoulders. Perfect for layering! 

I've noticed that in other Stitch Fix boxes they've gotten fun prints and I'm happy to have gotten one in my box too!

My at-home fashion stylist getting fur all over our bedding.

I kept two shirts this time and was much more pleased by my second fix. I don't think I'll do a Nov fix, but maybe I'll do a Dec or a Jan fix. That's the nice thing about Stitch Fix, they don't tie you into a monthly subscription. Again, if you are interested in receiving fun mail and clothes picked for you by a personal stylist (mine was Sidney) - try Stitch Fix out! I think I'm going to ask for a Stitch Fix gift card for Christmas.

31 Things I'm Grateful for in October

1. Safety. There were big storms that blew through Lance's hometown and did major damage. Fortunately, no one was hurt but it does remind me that things are finite and God is infinite.
2. Weekend road trips to visit friends. I dearly miss our friends, Ryan and Erika and their goofy kiddos.
3. Almond Patties. Similar to Dutch letters, but better.
4. I had such a wonderful time seeing a college friend and getting an "insiders" tour of my beloved college campus. That being said, I have no idea how we are going to pay for tuition for Lucan to go to college someday. It's crazy expensive.
5. Consignment store shopping and chicken costumes. Because if there is ever a doubt of whether or not your child should be a chicken for Halloween, the answer is a resounding "yes." Chicken costumes are the best.
6. Date night and friends who swap babysitting services.
7. Yoga classes at real yoga studios. It's 60 minutes of me time. Glorious. I've been making good on the groupon I bought to PowerLife Yoga and am sold. I love the community of yoga.
8. Friends with cameras.
9. Lunch dates with new friends and old friends.
10. Food days at work!
11.  My momma who doesn't mind when I demandingly ask "but you'll still have time to make me supper, right?"
12. Thursday night television. It's the small things in life.
13. Text messages from friends commiserating over our children's bodily fluids.
14. Trips to the pumpkin patch with friends. And the 45 minute car ride to reconnect.
15. Cider doughnuts. Yum!
16. Being home for weekends and "resting." It's great to go and see friends and family, but being home in my own bed is hard to beat.
17. A handy husband who is my go-to fixer. If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!
18. Jesus and culture discussions during Sunday School. Thanks Jake!
19. Adorable footie jam-jams (what we call pajamas in our household)
20. Suddenly, Lucan knows his shapes. Not sure when that happened, but I'm impressed.
21. Lucan sees my phone and always wants to call "Gammer" (Grandma). Sometimes that's not appropriate at 7:30 AM. But it's pretty cute.
22. S↑TC. Stand Up to Cancer.
23. Lucan loves his family members. We spend quite a bit of time going through pictures on FB and my ipod/ipad. Lu gets excited when he recognizes someone.
24. Spiced Latte Coffeemate Creamer. It's a seasonal flavor and my newest favorite. I know I said previously that we really aren't buying creamer anymore, but I'd like to make a budgetary exception for this flavor :)
25. Rachael T. who took time out of her busy life to do some interview screening work with Lance. She's a treasure folks. And not married. But dating. This isn't a singles advertisement, so I digress.
26.This video about moms' perceptions of themselves versus our child's perception of us.
27. Antibiotics. I know there are parents out there who are anti-antibiotics for various reasons. But when Lucan has double ear infections, I like knowing there's something we can do to help.
28. Lance has taught Lucan to say "Bye honey" to me as they leave for daycare.
29. Finally fall. Finally
30. The influx of cute kiddos on facebook in their Halloween costumes.
31. A husband who offers to sleep on the couch when he knows that his snoring is going to leave me more tired than rested in the morning.

Frosting face.

My precious baby chicken.

And an angry chicken the night of Halloween. We went trick or treating with our small group, so there was a crowd that included a pirate girl, a ninja, a dalik, Captain America, a chicken and Clark Kent/Superman. It was fun!

Disappointment – It’s not Where Jesus Wanted You.

I thought that after going through the process of two lost jobs, I knew how to handle disappointment. I felt like I was a PRO at dealing with rejection and being told “no.” I really did. But I recently applied for a little on-the-side writing gig and didn’t get it. It broke my heart, made me sad and then made me bitter. I hate the way rejection makes me doubt who I am and what my life is about. Am I not good enough? Is my writing not interesting? Am I too dumb? Am I not cool enough? (Sheesh, it makes me feel like I’m in junior high. That’s what it makes me feel like – an angsty teenager!)

Typically my route for dealing with disappointment is eliminating all mentions or reminders of it from my life until I feel like I can handle it in an adult-like, mature way – which isn’t mature or adult-like at all. Hiding isn’t the solution. Accepting that this simply wasn’t what Jesus wanted is the much better answer.

Looking at the root of the problem in and of itself helps me to distill my feelings into the actual heart of the matter, which is this: placing my identity in something other than Jesus. You see, sometimes I get wrapped up in titles ­– wife, mommy, marketing specialist, only child, church member, blogger, etc. and I forget that before any of these things I am nothing without Jesus. I am a pile of dung, a heap of chromosomes, a person who doesn’t deserve any of the wonderful things in my life but is instead given them by the grace and love of God. Knowing and really accepting these things are part of the process of believing in God’s plan for me.

Rejection and disappointment are inevitable. But what do you do when they are staring you in the face? Do you turn and give it the silent treatment and pretend like it doesn't exist? Or do you place your hope and faith and identity in Jesus? (Psst … the answer is the last one)

True Confessions: Daycare and a Tiger-Momma

How do you balance having your beloved child in daycare with a natural tendency of being a tiger-mom? Well, the long and the short of is, you don’t. So you learn to figure out what things are important and what things you are willing to let go. Here are a few of the things that I decided to accept as is:

1. My child is going to eat things at daycare I would never allow in my house. i.e. pop tarts and canned peaches. Yep, I don’t believe either is going to enhance the health of my two-year-old, Lucan.
2. Lucan will inevitably come home covered in sand and dirt. Everyday, without fail, Lucan could use a good scrub. It’s like he rolled around in the sandbox and then put fistfuls in his diaper to take home.
3. Lucan’s diaper is changed whether he needs it or not. I err more on the conservation side (a damp diaper is fine!) diapering. Daycare does not. I was initially interested in cloth diapering, but most daycare providers are not interested in scooping poop out of a cloth diaper.
4. He probably watches more television than I care to know about. For example, he correctly identified Dora the Explorer and Barney the other day. I don’t even know what channel Dora is on (we don’t have cable) and I loathe Barney, so the show is NEVER on. As a rule, I don’t have major issues with a little kid-friendly tv, but I’m not advocating the tv being on just for the sake of being on.
5. With Lucan being at daycare, I don’t have a good handle as to who the other kids and parents are. There’s a part of me that wants to require that all new daycare children must first be cleared by me, but I acknowledge that’s ridiculous. I get zero say in the matter, but the tiger-mom in me wouldn’t mind at least having a vote :)
6. Everyday Sometimes I get reports that Lucan has been hitting other the kids. The crazy mom in me thinks that the other kid probably deserved it – quit taking my kid’s toy from him! He had it first! Then I recall Lucan hit me this morning because he didn’t want to put on his coat or leave his night light at home. So … Lucan might have aggression issues we need to work on. Especially since I later found out that Lucan appears to enjoy hitting other kids and then putting himself in self-inflicted timeout.

Like I said, I’m a bit of a tiger-momma. But if there is one thing that parenting has taught me, it’s to let the little things go. A few germs are okay. Learning how to get along with others is a natural part of growing up. Socialization is good. Routines are a part of life. Elmo isn't the end of the world. Pick your battles and figure out what’s important. So each day I remind myself that Lucan has fun at daycare, enjoys the experiences he has there and likes his little daycare friends (for the most part). Even if I don’t know all of the other daycare kids' birth weights and APGAR scores :)

 

Things We Don’t Spend Money On

1. Apples for canning. See here. Sweet corn to freeze. We are lucky enough to have family members and connections who bless us with the fruits of their garden.
2.  Beef. This one is negotiable. We have been super blessed by my father-in-law to only have to pay for the meat locker costs when we buy a side of beef annually. We haven’t had to pay for the costs of raising the cow or the actual purchase price of the cow. Super blessed indeed.
3. New cars. We paid off our “newest” car this past summer and we hope to never have to take a loan for another car again. Lance is super handy and has been able to keep his sixteen year old car running indefinitely. Lucan refers to this car as “daddy old-car.” We have a total of three vehicles (I know) the oldest being sixteen years old, the next being ten years old and the last is three years old. Some people would feel shame in driving our sixteen year old car (it’s lost most of its paint, has some definite fan issues, the radio only has one volume (Lu likes to shout “too loud daddy, too loud!” most mornings) and recently left me stranded at Pancheros about a month ago (Lance said this was my fault, not the car’s as I had not been cleared to drive the LHS. As a lesson he left me at Pancheros for two hours while he sat at home) But we have three vehicles that are all paid for. That feels nice.
4. Haircuts for the boys. I actually hate cutting their hair as I get covered in hair and both of them are pretty whiney. But my husband has hair that grows like a chia pet, so its money better left in the bank.
5.  Morning coffee. One of our budget slashing efforts was to stop buying creamer and making coffee to take with us in travel mugs to work. I think I definitely lucked out on this decision because my work coffee isn’t awful. Lance’s coffee apparently is. Coffee on Saturday mornings is one of my favorite things about the weekend. Ya know how Folgers commercials say “the best part of waking up, is Folgers in your cup”? That’s exactly how I feel about coffee on Saturday mornings.
6. Alcohol. We don’t order drinks (pop/lemonade/iced tea, etc.) when we go out to eat and I rarely buy alcohol. In fact Lance complains that any beer or alcohol I buy goes into cooking. I can count the number of times I’ve had alcohol in the past year at restaurants – twice. I had a $9 glass of sangria (I’m still in sticker shock) six months ago and Lance and I both had free wine two weeks ago at a celebration open house. My philosophy on alcohol is that I’d rather eat my calories than drink them (unless it’s a chocolate milkshake J)
7. 7.       Cable television.  I will admit that I would go back to direct tv in a heartbeat if we could afford it. I miss the DVR and Top Chef. However I do NOT miss hours of ESPN.
8. 8.       Starbucks coffee. By being super stingy with myself (I don’t buy coffee after noon and I don’t have time during my morning commute to stop anywhere, therefore the only times I get to buy coffee is when Lucan has a doctor’s appointment or when I have a late morning into work or I’m doing something social with a friend and we go get coffee) I have been able to stretch my Christmas and March birthday gift cards until October. That being said, the balance on my gift card is $5.35. Sad lifeL.
9. Family fun. We just don’t spend money on entertainment. The last movie Lance and I saw together was the James Bond movie, Skyfall. We spend time at Farmers’ Markets, library story times and free things going on in town, but I have yet to spend money on swimming, Chuck E’Cheese, etc. (I should say a couple of things: one, Lucan’s daycare takes him to plenty of places so we just don’t. Two, I did just spend money to take him to a pumpkin farm last week. Three, we swim at my parents’ house. Four, I got a bunch of free tickets through work for the Iowa State Fair) Next summer I’m completely open to doing more of these things, especially since Lucan might have memories of some of these adventures.  But we’re not putting Lucan in tumbling classes or special zoo/animal classes. But I’m not completely closing the door on those options someday.
10. Gambling. We’ve lived in Central Iowa for eight years and I’ve never stepped foot in Prairie Meadows. But Lance’s grandma loves the slots, so before we had Lucan, we would go to the casino with her once a year. I should mention that it pains me to spend more than five dollars (which I compare to coffee money) at the casino. I usually bring a book. The very first time we went I won $92. I should also mention that I was completely confused on how to play, but thought it was probably a good sign when some lights and music started going off.
11. Clothes for Lucan. I have generous friends who let me thumb through their hand-me-downs. I figure until Lucan starts caring what he wears, I’m going to milk hand-me-downs for all they’re worth. I still buy clothes for Lucan, just not as many.
12. Data plan for my phone. I have a dumb phone. I’m not really a fan of it and an Iphone is at the top of my Christmas list, but our combined monthly phone bill is $76.

So those are 12 things we’re saving money on and I’m sure many of you are doing other things that we should probably be doing too. What places in your life are you saving money? 

Citrus Lane: October Box - Toddler

When I opened up my (I say "my" loosely because it's really "Lucan's" box. I just enjoy the fun of getting mail) second Citrus Lane box, I was sorta "meh" about it's contents. Look closely at the picture and you'll see what was inside:

• Puppy Slide Whistle from Hohner Kids (value $8)
• Dreamz &Twinkles To Go from Cloud B (value $19)
• Bops from Good Boy Organics
• Ladybug Magazine from Cricket Magazine Group (value $3)
• Ladybug Magazine Digital Subscription (value $6)

First off, a whistle is annoying. There's no way around it. Lucan already has plenty of annoying toys and certainly didn't need to add a whistle to his collection. Then, without fail, Lucan promptly picked up his puppy whistle and started playing and blowing into it. Of course. 

The little blue octopus light thing I felt was unneeded. Of course Lucan adores it. It's a little night light that projects stars and fish with bubbles and cute stuff. It has the option for green or blue LED light and has an automatic 45 minute turnoff. This morning the box was sitting empty on the counter and Lucan started throwing a fit about his "light! light!" I had to remember where we had left it last night and then hand it to a frantic toddler. The octopus light also had to ride in the car to daycare where I gently, but firmly reminded Lu that if we took his light inside, we would never see it again (true story - does anyone else have problems with things getting lost, never to be seen again at daycare?)

Organic potato chips. So unnecessary. Then Lucan (again) proved me wrong and started shouting "Chips! Chips! My chips!" Whatever.

Ladybug magazine. I see this being a better option for older children, or someone my niece's age, say around 6 or so. I just see Lu ripping out pages. We'll see.

After my initial reaction being so-so, I think Citrus Lane hit it right on the head by knowing what my child might like. Apparently they know and understand toddlers better than I do.

As always, if you are interested in trying out a sample box, you can get $10 off using my referral code. That would make your first box a cool $15. It's fun to get a specifically tailored box to your child's age and gender every month. If you are interested in reading about our September box, click here!