Project Life Tuesday - Week Four

Hello and welcome to Project Life Tuesday! This is my third year of doing Project Life and I have found it to be so beneficial to have this post planned every Tuesday because then I have a standing deadline to get my photos done!  I'm doing things a little different this year and instead of the Photo a Day approach I've done for the last 2 years, I am approaching this year on more of a Layout Per Week basis.  This means that some weeks might have more photos than others, some weeks will be missing days, but the goal remains the same: To provide a glimpse of our life and preserve it. 

If you're taking on Project Life this year, good for you!  I am so happy I decided to accept the challenge back in 2010!  Welcome aboard and be sure to enjoy.  This isn't meant to be stressful.  It's a wonderful way to simplify scrapbooking and memory keeping.  If you're looking for inspiration on what others are doing with their Project Life, you can check out my board on Pinterest and be sure to link up on The Mom Creative!

I ended up with a LOT of photos this week.  I'm still struggling to incorporate those "bits of life" that so many are including in their albums this year - things like movie stubs, packaging, programs & fliers, etc.  Perhaps it's because we don't really get out much?  We're kind of hermit-like.  I need to work on that. 

On with the layout!

I used two additional inserts this week - an 8.5 x 11 page protector I had lying around and another Design G.  I didn't have a "scrapbook" 8.5 x 11, so I had to throw in a cheap-o office supply one.  Hey, it works for now.  Anywho, here's how the whole thing looks when you first open up to this week. 

Left side:

I've really liked mixing up the little tid-bits I add right to the photo.  For example, the "I'm a VIKING!" on the top photo really complements the journaling about how the boys like to act along with their favorite movies.

I used that fabulous Tweet card (that you can download for FREE here) to include a little moment from our day that really represents every day when I can't find the specific particular car from the specific particular movie that one child or another wants to play with at that specific moment.  Pandemonium ensues when that one little 3 inch long car cannot be found and I find myself grabbing my phone to call 911 my husband for assistance. 

First side of the 8.5 x 11 insert.  I basically copied and pasted a blog post I wrote that day about Thomas becoming attached to his blanket and put the text on top of some digital paper for the Cobalt collection.  I printed it as a 8x10 photo and voila!  Here's what's on the other side:

I couldn't choose my favorite photo of Thomas and his blankee, so I made a collage of six of them and had it printed as one 8x10 photo.  Paid a little more moolah to have this one done, but it was worth it.

And next to the lovey collage, I have the Design G page.  My in-laws came over Saturday night for a visit and I got way too many good photos.  I love love love how Design G lets you get a great mix of horizontal and vertical photos.

Here is the flip side of the Design G across from the last page of this week's photos. 

This is probably my favorite page of this week's layout.  I just lucked out and got so many wonderful shots with my kids.  The one in the bottom left spot is my favorite.  I was just messing around with my new tripod and caught that one.  Melts my heart!

This was also the first time I included one of the 3x4 accent cards included in the Cobalt kit.  So far, I had used all photos or journaling cards, but this one just went so well with the overall theme of the page that I just had to make room for it.  I'm really pleased with the final result.

Again, I really need to make it a priority to try to include more stuff.  More pieces from our world, more tidbits, paraphernalia, you get the picture.  In the meantime, keep snapping and keep it simple, right?

Right. 

Here's a few more of the photos if you're interested.  See you next week for Week Five!

Micah with his finger up his nose, Thomas in his new owl hat, and Isaiah with a weird smirk on his face.  And Grandma in the middle of it all!

 Micah looks 14 here.  Freaks. Me. Out.

Anyone else have kids who just love "How to Train Your Dragon?"

 Playing "Flush the Toilet" with Grandpa and Grandma.

First time I've ever bathed one of my kids in the kitchen sink.  Really not sure why I didn't try it sooner!

Isaiah is usually pretty willing to jump in any photo you want to take....as long as you intended to be taking it of someone else.  In the middle of Thomas's little "lovey photoshoot," Isaiah hopped up there and wanted to be in the picture too.  After I saw this one, I can't say I minded very much.

Sometimes playing around with the tripod brings some pleasant surprises.

What a big brother, huh?

When Daddy's Gone

The night before he leaves is always the worst.  Last night was the worst of the worst because I picked a fight.  I don't really know what I was even upset about, but my guess is that it was probably something stupid and completely unimportant.  Maybe I thought that if we were fighting and not really talking to one another, saying goodbye wouldn't be so difficult.

Instead, it only made it worse. 

I mean, we made up and all was right with the world once again before it was even bedtime, but it still didn't change the fact that he was leaving and soon.  He played with the kids a lot last night, even more than he usually does.  Sometime I forget how hard it must be for him to be away from them for weeks at a time.  Meanwhile, I fantasize about a weekend away from them for a change! 

But I digress.  My point is that the night before my husband leaves for China really sucks.  There's this tension in the air that just sits there, hovering over everything you're doing and making you feel uncomfortable.  And then we have to say our goodbyes before we fall asleep because he's setting his alarm to go off at the unholy hour of 2:45 am so he can leave for the airport in plenty of time because there's some stupid rule where you have to be checked in for your flight no less than an hour before its scheduled departure or you're not getting on that plane, a fact that he found out the hard way when he got stuck in traffic on his way to O'Hare one time and arrived a mere 55 minutes before his flight and was forced to stay overnight in Chicago to await the next day's flight to Shanghai.  Yeah....this gal's not really waking up at 2:45 for much now that the baby's not a newborn, so goodbyes must be said the night before.  No fun.

So now we're on Day 1 of this installment of "Business Trip Widow."  I honestly don't know how women who have husbands who are gone all the time handle it.  I'm thinking of the military wives who are left alone with their children for years while their husband is off fighting a war, often times having no way of knowing if he's dead or alive.  I am in awe of those chicas.  At least I know what day my man will be home and what he'll be doing while he's gone and it certainly doesn't involve using a weapon of any kind.  Hallelujah.

It does mess up my world something fierce though.  I had to ask off for a couple shifts of work....again.  My mother is coming over for a few days to watch the kids so I didn't have to ask off for all my shifts.....again.  What really gets tough is how all the little things that we do so well as a team don't even come close to working when I'm by myself.  For example, I'm staring at two baskets of laundry that need folding.  I was about to start on them when I decided to blog instead, but let's forget about that for a moment.  Usually this is how it would go.  The boys are in bed, Evan would enjoy whatever dumb show he chose to watch on TV while he quickly folded those two baskets of laundry, leaving me free to go downstairs and work out on the Wii with enough time to spare before Castle comes on.  Laundry's folded, Mom's done her exercise, Nathan Fillion on the tube, everyone's happy.

Only tonight....I'm going to fold the laundry, finish the dishes, tidy up the living room after my toddler tornado demolished it, and then maybe stay awake long enough for Castle.  I really don't see the Wii in my future for this evening.  I'm really not feeling the greatest anyway, so maybe that's a good thing.

I just really hate it when he's gone. 

I think that's all I really meant to say.

Lovey Dovey

Have your kids ever had a lovey? 

lovey - (def.) Any item a child forms an attachment to and cherishes.

My good friend Sarah Jo has three boys and they all have different lovies (loveys?).  In her own words, "Colin has Lambchop, Kyler has a cheetah that use to be name Cheetara (after Thundercats) but was recently renamed Snowflake and Micah has his yellow elephant Yumbo."  I had to laugh when she once told me she had to order several more Yumbo elephants from an overseas seller on eBay because there was nowhere else to get them in the States anymore!

Isaiah had a pacifier when he was a baby and now at the age of four, he is pretty attached to a particular blanket as well as his lion and his Clifford stuffed animals.  Micah was also a paci baby, but now he sleeps with his T-Bone stuffed animal most nights.  He isn't really super attached to it though.

But Thomas is the first baby I've had who does not take a pacifier and has claimed a lovey as a baby.

Thomas has had this blanket since the day he was born.  It was a gift from one of my co-workers and it was handmade by her grandmother.  It's soft, stretchy, and very snuggle-friendly.  It's definitely been his favorite blanket since he was a newborn because it was perfect for swaddling and I liked that it had enough large holes in it so I didn't have to worry about the whole suffocation danger thing when leaving it in the crib with him.

It wasn't until just a couple days ago that it dawned on me that this blanket was more than just a blanket.  Thomas was tired.  He was whining and fussing and just being a stinker.  He wouldn't take a bottle, didn't want to play, didn't want to be held and so I decided to try and rock him in his little rocker chair thingy.  Usually, that will do the trick and conk him right out, but this time he just continued to cry and cry.  I cradled him in my arms and grabbed his blanket.  I draped it around him so that a corner of it was up between his hand and his cheek.  Lo and behold, that baby grabbed on to the blanket, pressed it to his cheek.....and his eyes shut.  He was asleep in about 60 seconds.

Suddenly, I realized I had been completely blind to the power of the blanket.  How many times had I seen him wrapping his little fingers around it and I would pull it away?  So often, I would find him in his rocker seat with that blanket shoved up by his face and I would yank it down....and he would be crabby about it. 

It's not just a blanket.  It's a lovey! 

Today I fed Thomas a bottle right before his nap time and I could see his eyes starting to droop.  I grabbed his blanket, nestled it right between his hand and his cheek, and put him down in his crib.  I turned on his Sleep Sheep and left the room. 

Silence.

All hail the lovey.

Does your child have a lovey?  What is it?  Is it easier or more difficult to deal with a lovey or a pacifier?  I'd love your feedback on this one....I'm new to the lovey at the baby stage!

Wordless Wednesday: "Brothers"

(click photo to see it bigger)

Project Life Tuesday - Week 3

Hello and welcome to Project Life Tuesday! This is my third year of doing Project Life and I have found it to be so beneficial to have this post planned every Tuesday because then I have a standing deadline to get my photos done!  I'm doing things a little different this year and instead of the Photo A Day approach I've done for the last 2 years, I am approaching this year on more of a Layout Per Week basis.  This means that some weeks might have more photos than others, some weeks will be missing days, but the goal remains the same: To provide a glimpse of our life and preserve it. 


If you're taking on Project Life this year, good for you!  I am so happy I decided to accept the challenge back in 2010!  Welcome aboard and be sure to enjoy.  This isn't meant to be stressful.  It's a wonderful way to simplify scrapbooking and memory keeping.  If you're looking for inspiration on what others are doing with their Project Life, you can check out my board on Pinterest and be sure to link up on The Mom Creative!

Please forgive me everyone, but the photos I took of this week's layout are awful.  I just couldn't get the lighting and settings correct and two out of the three kids were screaming, so I had to kind of rush a bit and just git 'er done.  Sometimes, that's just the way it goes.

I got wild this week and busted out a Design G page protector in the middle of my layout!  It worked out really well as a way to spotlight two big events that took place - weaning Thomas and Ali's birthday party.

Left Page:

I included two 3x4 photos on this side of the layout and I must admit that it sometimes makes the journaling a little problematic.  I've found myself adding little snippets on the actual photo with PSE, but that creates issues too.  For example, check out that photo in the bottom right corner.  Here it is closer up:

Love this picture.  And I thought I was being all cutesey when I added the little quote from Walt Disney in the corner and gave myself a little pat on the back for being so clever.  Until I went to Walgreens on Sunday afternoon to pick up my prints to find out that adding that quote and speaker to my photo created a copyright infringement and it was then illegal to print this photo!!!  HUH???  I asked the guy at the photo counter to explain it to me because it made no sense.  He said if I had just added the quote, but didn't identify the speaker.....it was fine.  But because I added the speaker, Walt Disney, it was a copyright violation.

Yeah, as an English teacher, that made no sense to me.  By citing my source, I was breaking the law??  What. Ever.  I raised a bit of a fuss about how that was the stupidest thing I had ever heard so he gave me my print with a stern warning, mostly I think just to get rid of me.  I guess I'll have to be more careful from here on out.

Moving right along.

Right Side:

That photo in the bottom left corner is my "Before" photo, despite it being taken after I had already lost 13 pounds.  I'm looking forward seeing how different I look by the time this album is full.  :)

Design G:

It's such a bummer these are sold out right now, but I highly recommend this page protector once they are back in stock.  I found it so helpful to have some additional spots to include photos and journaling of some special things that happened this week without having to worry about committing to using this design again next week like some of the 12x12 page designs require.  I used the first side to commemorate Thomas's departure from the world of breastfeeding.  It's kind of a big deal to me to have made it to 4.5 months with this baby, so deciding to quit was a big moment for us.  I used a plain 3x4 journal card to write down Thomas's feeding schedule from a particular day this week and then a 4x6 journal card to write up a little more about this transition.

The flip side of the Design G is dedicated to our friend's daughter's 4th birthday party.  It took place on Saturday, the end of my Project Life week, so it worked out perfectly to have this whole day on this side of the page.  Can you even believe that cake? 

So, that's my Project Life this week!  Here are a few more highlighted photos, just for kicks.

 Thomas: 4.5 months

Apparently in this family, when the Packers play a horrible game and lose out on a chance to return to the Super Bowl, we take out our frustrations by hitting one another over the head with a dinosaur.  The laundry basket is required safety gear.

Isaiah is such a big help with his baby brother.  He seriously just loves to pitch in whenever and however he can!  Love that about him.

 All my boys!

 Thomas got to try out solid foods for the first time this week, but he wasn't quite sure what to think.  I'm not entirely sure if he even actually ingested any of the cereal, but at least we gave it a whirl.  We'll try again soon.

He fights and fights and fights me at naptime.  Then he finally falls asleep (because lo and behold, he is in fact tired!) so late that I have to wake him up so he doesn't sleep too late.  Then I get this face for the next hour.  Good times.

Thanks for stopping in for Project Life Tuesday!  Hope you're having a great week!

The Baby and the Bath Water

This just happened.

And my heart exploded from cuteness overload.

The End.

The Princess Cake

I ate a piece of birthday cake today.

I rationed my points all day in anticipation of that birthday cake. 

When I came upstairs from checking on my kids playing and saw that this had just landed on my friend's kitchen table, my mouth hung open like a fly trap.

Check. Out. That. Cake.

When it came time to eat supper, I took about an ounce of shredded beef and piled the rest of my plate with green beans.  The plain green beans I had brought with me.

Yes, I brought my own green beans to a 4 year old's birthday party.  You read that correctly.

When the time came, I was handed a gorgeous slab of that incredible cake and believe me when I tell you it tasted just as good as it looks.  I had to take a break halfway through just because I'm not used to eating things that sweet anymore!

I blew 14 points on that birthday cake.

I should have only eaten half the piece though because I had a tummy ache and a headache within 10 minutes of finishing it. 

Lesson Learned.

Victory

Last night I made myself a turkey burger before I took the boys to church for Family Faith Night.  I cooked my "burger," measured out a tablespoon....exactly a tablespoon of reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese to add to my Arnold 100% whole wheat sandwich thin. 

Turkey Burger - 4 points
Sandwich Thin - 3 points
Cheese - 1 point
Oil to cook burger in - 1 point
Total: 9 points

All well and good until I get to the meal at church and find myself face to face with a dessert plate piled high with about six or seven delightful treats that were smothered in chocolate, oozing with marshmallow cream, and bulging with chocolate chips.

Things like this:

Source: tendercrumb.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

And this:

Source: bakedperfection.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I stared at that plate in front of the man across the table from me like a starving child.  People, I could literally feel my mouth filling up with the sweet-induced drool. 

And I didn't cave.  I didn't give in to the overwhelming urge to run up to that food line and pick out one of those heavenly sins for myself.  Heck, I didn't even snitch a bite of the cookies I had taken for the boys. 

For me, that's a victory in and of itself.

Go me.

Closing the Milk Factory

First of all, allow me throw myself a little party for nursing this baby for four and a half months.  Yay me!  That's easily the longest I have made it with any of my three kids, so I'm supremely proud of myself for that accomplishment.  That being said, it's time to wean. 

Ever since I started Weight Watchers at the beginning of the year and changed the way I eat, my supply has dropped significantly.  Now that I'm not eating myself silly, my breastmilk just isn't producing the way it used to.  Thomas will nurse for 15 minutes and pull himself off, but then scream 10 minutes later and suck down a 6 ounce bottle!  He clearly isn't getting the amount of milk he needs from me.  Could I try to pump for a while to build up a little freezer stock and still bottle feed?  Sure, I could.  But I don't want to.  I really don't want to devote that kind of time in a day to being hooked up like a cow.  He eats formula just fine and I'm really just fine with this transition.

Other benefits?  I finally get my boobs back!  I was so embarrassed when I was talking to a girlfriend the other day only to realize my left breast had been leaking all over my shirt for the last 5 minutes.  Quite the fashion statement I was making that day as I walked through the grocery store. 

Of course, once I'm done nursing, I lose 7 points off my daily allotment of food from Weight Watchers.  On the other hand, perhaps that means I will drop the weight that much faster.  I know a lot of people say that nursing actually helps you lose weight, but my experience has been the opposite.  Nursing actually prevents me from losing weight.  I remember the pounds coming off much easier with Micah once we switched to formula. 

Plus, Thomas is getting ready to start solid foods, so I'm pretty comfortable with this whole thing.

Well, regardless of what happens from here on out, I am really at peace with this decision.  Thomas is happy, I'm happy, everyone is peachy keen with it.  Breastfeeding has never been something I have really enjoying and relished like so many mothers do.  I wish it was.  My reality is that I just tolerate it as long as possible for the sake of the baby and then I stop when I've had enough.  My view is that any breastfeeding is better than none, so by giving Thomas this long has been doing my best for him.  He isn't going to suddenly develop webbed feet or a third eye just because I decide to stop nursing.  He'll be just fine.  And so will I.

Project Life Tuesday - January Week Two

Hello and welcome to Project Life Tuesday! This is my third year of doing Project Life and I have found it to be so beneficial to have this post planned every Tuesday because then I have a standing deadline to get my photos done!  I'm doing things a little different this year and instead of the Photo A Day approach I've done for the last 2 years, I am approaching this year on more of a Layout Per Week basis.  This means that some weeks might have more photos than others, some weeks will be missing days, but the goal remains the same: To provide a glimpse of our life and preserve it. 


If you're taking on Project Life this year, good for you!  I am so happy I decided to accept the challenge back in 2010!  Welcome aboard and be sure to enjoy.  This isn't meant to be stressful.  It's a wonderful way to simplify scrapbooking and memory keeping.  If you're looking for inspiration on what others are doing with their Project Life, you can check out my board on Pinterest and be sure to link up on The Mom Creative!

My complete layout for the week of January 8 - 14:

Left Side:  Someone I follow on Twitter posted this photo of the screen shot from her phone when she checked the weather in our area.  I was just floored that it said 50 degrees for January 10th, so I had to have that in my Project Life album!  The other 3x4 spot is filled with a photo of the Weight Watchers magazine that Evan's aunt sent me as a "Way to Go!" surprise.  She's so good to me.

I like how flexible this weekly approach is and I took advantage of it this week.  Isaiah and Evan were both home sick on Wednesday, so I included a photo of the little boy on the couch, an Instagram shot of Daddy & the baby, and a photo of the bath with glow sticks I gave the boys to cheer up my sick Isaiah.

For this 3x4 card, I used the digital paper from the Cobalt collection as the background and then included a 2.5x2.5 Instagram photo and some journaling.

So, that's how the album ended up for this week.  Here's more on each photo if you're interested.

Sunday, January 8th - Thomas is starting to get pretty good at grabbing toys you dangle in front of him.  He's even starting to cram them into his mouth.  Looks like we'll be attempting some first baby foods soon!

Monday, January 9th - The boys were playing this goofy game where they took nearly every toy out of their toy basket using a hot dog grabber thinger (official name is escaping me right now) and dropped them in the "garbage" - aka the couch.  This was the pile in the "garbage" when they went off to bed.

Wednesday, January 11th - Sick Day!  Isaiah was up for hours the night before, throwing up seven times when all was said and done.  Evan came home that night feeling awful too and ended up calling in sick on Wednesday morning.  Isaiah spent most of his day laying on the couch and using his best sick boy whiny voice.  Daddy felt better as the day went on and got in some playtime with Thomas.  After supper, I surprised the big boys with a special bath time treat - GLOW STICKS!!  I tossed about 6 of them in the tub and turned the lights off.  They both thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Thursday, January 12th - After having a 50 degree day on Tuesday, we woke up to this mess today.  I suppose we were about due for winter to finally arrive.  This is Wisconsin, after all.

Friday, January 13th - Guess who can roll over from his belly to his back?  Yup.  This guy.

Saturday, January 14th - I brought the Bigs outside after I got home from work.  Isaiah helped me shovel some lingering snow off the driveway and Micah threw snowballs at me.  But, seriously.  Look how gorgeous that face is in the snow.  Love that kid.

Hope you're enjoying Project Life and thanks so much for stopping in to check out my photos this week!

P.S.  Just in case you're wondering, I am still hurting pretty badly from the Packers loss on Sunday afternoon.  The best way I can describe it is that it feels like my boyfriend just dumped me out of nowhere after the relationship was going so incredibly well.  Ugh.