I’ll tell you about the train table, because that part’s more exciting. I have been toying (get it?) with the idea of getting a train table for Carver because he loves playing with the one at the museum, our neighbors’ and with the one at school. I didn’t even consider buying a new one, as they can cost $200+. I heard about a used one this weekend, selling at a consignment sale for $150. I went to look at it the 2nd day of the sale (everything was half off) and it was gone. Well, that made my decision easy. And then tonight, as we were getting ready to leave YL club, the area director’s wife pulled up and said “you guys don’t want a train table do you?” Five minutes later we were pulling into our driveway with a train table in the back of the van! Carver has not stopped saying “my choo-choo, my choo-choo.” He can hardly believe his crusty little eyes…

CVS

2 packages of Huggies diapers

2 tubes of Colgate Total

total: $9.00

Harris Teeter

$106 worth of groceries for $43!

A few weeks ago I started to realize that by 8 PM I was feeling as tired as if I was back in trimester #1. I couldn’t manage to keep up with daily dishes, let alone actually get any real projects done around the house. After a while of complaining about being tired and not knowing what was wrong, I found out I have pregnancy anemia. NBD, I’m on iron supplements now, with high hopes of feeling back to normal soon.

I did manage to clean out my fridge, and I don’t just mean throwing out anything growing mold. I actually emptied it, washed it (with soap and a rag), washed the drawers and then took a picture. I did this for proof and motivation for the me 8 years from now, when I’ll have yet to clean out my fridge again. I also captured the moment so I could brag about something most people probably do once a month. Hey, we all have our strengths. Mine just happen to be more along the lines of abandoning piles of laundry to go hot-glue some craft.

What this means for us:

No more grazing, on-demand feeding out of the cabinet, when I’m cooking, or otherwise

Only water between the 3 meals and 2 planned, sit-down snacks (no more gross sippy-cups filled with forgotten milk lingering in the corners of our house and car!)

No more spilling drinks or snacks as he carries them around

I (we) have be very intentional about having dinner ready at a reasonable time (which for him is usually before or by 6 PM… this is a hard one)

No more using food as a distraction or manipulation

He is allowed to have seconds and thirds of whatever is offered at the table, without trying everything on his tray. Yes, this means that he could potentially fill up on bread and fruit  every meal, if offered. But no walking back to the kitchen to offer substitute meals or replenish the bread bowl, etc.

Obviously, we are going to be flexible with this, while providing as much structure as possible.

***Warning: The following -and preceding, actually- might be incredibly boring if you’re not interested in the minute details of our parenting

Here is how its gone so far. I’ll write everything we offered at each meal, and what he actually ate in bold:

Day #1

B- Whole-wheat waffle with peanut butter, yogurt, blueberries

S- *At school he eats a structured, sit-down, typical preschool snack consisting of goldfish or graham crackers, etc. As far as I know, he always eats at least some.

L- Orange slices, garlic bread, pasta

S- Pears, cereal, yogurt

D- Avocado, bacon, corn chips, cheese, tomatoes, chicken

Day #2

B- Toast w/peanut butter, cereal, yogurt

Overall, we are noticing him eating more at each meal than he normally would. The hardest habit to break for me will be the snack I use to keep him in a good mood between school and home. I’ll give it a week or two, and I might just end up brining lunch to school if I need to. The whole change hasn’t seemed too hard on Carver, I think the structure of our weekdays helps. I’m pretty excited to have any sort of plan to go off of, and it helps so much with decision-making tension between the grown-ups.

Good ideas, suggestions and questions are very welcome!

• Plan an easy menu or something you can make (or buy) ahead of time. This is just something I’m still learning about hosting in general. I never prepare enough ahead of time.
• I love the idea of basing a party off a book. So many decorating, menu, invitation and game ideas can stem from one easy book theme… and if there are few enough kids, you could get them the book or memorabilia from that book for a favor.
• Definitely have some pictures of your little one displayed. The tough part will be holding back the tears when you pick them out.
• As far as entertaining your guests, put the focus on the child (and maybe the other kids, if they’re lucky). Guests are there to celebrate your b-day guy or gal, or at least to celebrate you celebrating them.
• Keep the party short (I’d say 2 hours is about right) and make the agenda about the kid. Mingle, eat, do cake, presents, mingle, peace out.
• Pick a time of day that your child is usually the happiest.
• I didn’t want to deal with games for the other kids coming to Carver’s party so instead I got a huge sheet of blue bulletin board paper from school and used it to cover the dining table and coffee tables and set out lots of crayons. Adults and kids loved it and it left me with a “guest book” to keep, as lots of them signed it or wrote notes to Carver.
• You could also do a plastic tablecloth and put play-doh on it if you can’t find paper like that. I would suggest keeping it over tile, though!
• Put someone else in charge of the camera… a stranded-looking uncle or neighbor might appreciate the job.
• Last, but most important, take time to be with your sweet dude or dudette on their birthday!

Is it too much to ask for a cheap (as in free), childless, easily accessible activity we could do on a weekly basis? I would even settle for bi-weekly. Tennis is near the top of the list of options right now, although we are both pretty bad at it. And sitting next to each other on the couch, eating ice cream and looking at Facebook does not count. So folks, if you have any suggestions, send them my way.

1. Cold weather and pregnancy…boy am I thankful for leggings.

2. These are the things Carver has done in his bat costume since the beginning of November: dinner at Moe’s, visiting Ethan at school, Trick or Treating by knocking on my bedroom door. I just can’t resist when he brings me the costume and says “tic-o-tee.”

3. It was so fun having friends over for dinner tonight. Not only did we know 6 whole people to invite, but I actually felt up to cooking! The menu: Cuban pork, rice and black beans (the kind that take all day to make), green beans, homemade Cuban bread (thanks to Ethan!) and key lime cheesecake. Mmmmm. It feels good to have fun with people that are taller than 3 ft.

God is good.

My husband buys me flowers.

Preschool has been 100% successful!

Carver has done so well. He doesn’t cry when I drop him off and really seems like he’s having fun in his class. My class has been smooth as well. The (3 hour) school day goes by really quickly, which is good for the kids, as they’re all still adjusting. Don’t tell anyone, but my favorite might be a bouncy girl named Ruby who has quite a sense of humor and was recently adopted from Ethiopia. Its crazy how their personalities stand out so much, even at 14-23 months. Well, we’re off to school, now. More soon!

I go in tomorrow for my first teacher work day at St. Paul’s Episcopal Preschool. I will be co-teaching the toddler class from 9-12, Monday through Friday. I cannot wait to get my hands on that die-cut machine. I’m pretty sure my favorite part of working in an elementary school (aside from Lauren Cleary – and the kids, of course), was the seasonal bulletin board. Lets just say I’m a sucker for crafts and holidays.

I’m pretty sure I’m also going to be working 2 evenings a week in the child care center at our YMCA (read: free membership). Ethan, get ready for frozen pizza. The rest of you, please pray for this transition in the lifeofval. Woohoo! Here we go!!