Oooh a fun new meme that allows me to gift others with something I have made!? How can I resist!? I am totally crafty like that. Ellen, at Ellen Quilts, has continued the pay it forward trend, and now, so am I. The Rules: 1. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. (I will email you for addresses.) Note: You have to express interest in joining t…[more]

Oliver really likes to feed people, he gets great joy out of pulling a half masticated, drool covered piece of food out of his mouth and shoving into yours. He grins like mad, and afterwards, will clap happily, proud of his ability to feed you.His family members, myself included, have gotten very good at avoiding the sodden offerings. This makes Oliver sad, as he loves to share. Yesterday, he found one family member who didn't mind at all. Bella loves Oliver's special breakfast offeri…[more]

Marlena has strep. We took her to the doctor on Friday, and they hopped her up on anti-biotics but the antibiotics don't seem to be helping her feel much better. She still has a really sore throat, a cough, and a runny nose. In addition, she is delusional. Yes, I said Delusional. She spent all day yesterday staring at her father and me and telling us our heads were too small. She would then rub her eyes, shake her head a little, and then stare at us for a minute before a…[more]

Melting Snowman Sorrows: A SeriesMelting Snowman, Vainly covered in iceIce cubes failing Melting Snowman SorrowsOther images for the week:Oliver plays chase in his walkerA rose is a roseVanilla Extract in the makingA basket of possibilityVisit here for more of this weeks Weekly Winners

Good morning. After our deep and meaningful political discussion yesterday I feel the need to post something utterly meaningless with no depth whatsoever. So here it is: While nursing the baby yesterday the television was inadvertently left on the Entertainment channel. I was far from the remote, and he was busily and happily slurping away so I found myself watching a show on red carpet beauty tips. It turns out that Julia Roberts gets her lovely glowing skin by…[more]

I have been feeling the need to point out a few reasons why a person might take gender into consideration when choosing a candidate in this election. (Obviously similar reasoning would apply to race, but I am most effected by the gender issue, so that is where I am writing from.) Thank you for reading!A Haiku about finding that one person who can represent you. Why would a womanfavor another woman?Representation. Women face issues unique to women, shared by other women.Pregnanc…[more]

Oliver tricked me. Yesterday he slept all night long, in his crib. I slept the deep and uninterrupted sleep of a non-parent. There was no nursing, no smacking in the face, just blissful sleep. Then last night, he woke up, got moved into my bed, and nursed forever. All night. He wanted nothing to do with being put back in his crib, or with sleeping with me. Finally, at about 5 in the morning, I put him back in the crib with his mobile, stuffed some earplugs into my ears…[more]

My roomie found this and shared it with me this morning, it pleased me so much, I had to share it with you! Visit it over at ThinkGeek.

I went to Costco yesterday and stumbled across these fantastic all natural fruit crisps. I thought I would give them a try, primarily because they are 100% fruit, and nothing else. These snacks don't have anything added to them, they are just freeze-dried fruit, so I know I can feed them to my family without adding to their sugar intake. Oliver loves them. They have the crispiness and consistency of his Mum Mums, but they have a rich flavor, so he gobbles th…[more]

Change has been on everyone's minds the past few months as the campaigning for the democratic nomination surges ahead. (But I don't want to talk about that right now. It turns out I have a lot invested in this race, in a whole new way, and I have some not too rational feelings about it.)So the change rhetoric got me thinking about changes that can be made at home, which got me thinking about my family's diet. I try really hard to cook with organic, healthy foods. I use whole grains, fre…[more]