Having Fun Together

Whenever I do laundry, Devon almost always wants to play with the laundry basket. The other day she found a new way to play with it. Yep. She "trapped the wild thing." She's a big fan of the book Where the Wild Things Are, so this is why she called Matthew a wild thing.

Matthew thought the whole thing was quite entertaining, and kept giggling which is what caught my attention. I don't know why I always get suspicious when one or the other is laughing, but it always gets my attention quick.

So I showed Devon a different way she could play with Matthew and the laundry basket. There was an added bonus to this game. She got a bit of energy out too. :) Sneaky me.

I'm pretty sure Matthew liked this game better than hunting for wild things.

The Headlines Read "Siblings Rival Over Floor Space!"

So now that little Matthew is very mobile he likes to follow his favorite people everywhere. He likes to follow me in the kitchen, laundry room, bedroom and bathroom. Yep he's such a little explorer.

Well, this is all exciting for everyone, except now Devon is realizing playing with her Cars toys is a little challenging. She is not allowed to let Matthew play with the cars because they have small tire pieces that could come off. So she used to just claim a space far from him, but that doesn't cut it anymore because he loves, loves, loves to go where Big Sister goes.

The other day I finally found a way she can have her own space on the floor and Matthew be safe from the toys. It may sound a bit odd, but I basically barricade Devon in her corner using her doll house. She loves having her own bother or should I saw brother free zone.



Now this worked for a few days, but now little man is stepping up his game and pulling up onto his knees, on her doll house. It's kinda funny. He looks like King Kong reaching into the doll house for a car. And Chris is in denial that Matthew is even remotely interested in the PINK doll house. ;)

I Heart Mrs. Hygh

So as you may recall from a previous blog, I'm pretty anal about my kids education. Too many kids these days slip through elementary school without a good foundation in the basics which makes the rest of there time in school miserable. So last night when we went to curriculum night, I was waiting to hear what Mrs. Hygh, Devon's teacher, had to say about her classroom. And let me tell, I could not love this woman anymore! She is everything you could want in a teacher.

First off, she used to teach 4th, 5th and 6th grade and during those years she was upset about how most kids didn't have a good foundation in basic skills, meaning she was reteaching them concepts they should already know. It's one thing to need a little refresh after three months of not using your brain during summer vacation, but not being able to read, spell or do math at your designated level is unfortunate. So she moved down to pre-k with a strong passion to get things started the right way.

Many of the materials she uses in her classroom are designed for kindergarten and she even told us that she is teaching them many things that they will learn in kindergarten now, because if they catch on great, if not next year it will be sure to sink in because they've seen it. So that means she is working harder to not only teach them the pre-k curriculum but is stepping it up to give more of a challenge. That's passion and that's why you gotta love her.

She mentioned that last year she had a few kids reading by the end of the year and that's when the falling in love process was complete for me. Now I know I am big on reading and many people may think that I go to far sometimes, but I just thought that was incredible. Now I've got to try my best not to push Devon too hard, because I don't want to push her away from it (even though that's hardly possible since she has been called "book girl" in church since she was two!). I tell myself that she will read when she's ready, but I am totally ready for whenever that happens. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

I Love Fall

Saturday was amazing! I am so ready for fall. We started out our adventure by going to the farmers market downtown, which I love. The weather was cool and the sun was shining. People were walking their dogs. There were a ton of other families with kiddos and there was a band playing music. I just love the complex simplicity of it all. We enjoyed some good food too. Homemade empanadas, mmmmm. Next week I'll try to be smart and plan the weekly meals so I can get the produce I need there.

Then after that we went to the library, also downtown, to get Devon new books for the week and me too. Man let me tell you, I could seriously spend all day there looking at books and be perfectly content. It is so huge. I just love it. I got some new recipe books and a book on preserving food, because that just seems like an awesome thing to do.

Then after that, yep it was a busy day, we went to the Austin flee market, which is conviently on the way home from downtown. It's a buck per car to park, if you hadn't noticed this whole day was pretty cheap. We walked around, had some ice cream. Then we headed back home. When we got home Matthew was passed out and stayed asleep for another hour. So I watched Cars with Devon while searching for new recipes in the library books I got. It was just so mellow and exciting at the same time. I loved it. It was a great family day.

Surrogate Mommy Boosting Morale

So every morning when I drop Devon off at school, I walk her to her classroom where she has to sit on the ground in the hall with her class until the teacher lets them in. Lately, many of the kids are real interested in playing with Matthew, and Devon, of course, is just so proud to show him off and show them things like how to tickle his feet. Mostly it is the little girls who want to see him, but there have been a couple of days where a few boys have wanted to play with Matthew too. Doing this has allowed me to get to know these little kiddos and now I know at least half of their names. L (I don't want to use their names) always wants to show me her lunch, even though it is the same thing everyday, but it's cute.

Well, today there was a group of five little girls adoring and playing with Matthew and then the teacher opened the door. When Devon stood up I gave her a hug as usual and told her to have a good day. After that, one little girl wanted to give me a hug too, then all of them did. It was really sweet. I just love the fact that I can give them a little extra love, maybe even boosting their confidence to get their day of learning started. :)

But who knows what this is doing to Matthew. I mean he's sitting here getting loved on by a big group of girls five days a week. Who knows....

Magic Tree House

So this week at the library I was inspired by another devoted reading mom to try longer fiction books with Devon. I was being nosey and looking at the books she grabbed for her little girl, who turned out to also be 4 1/2. She had a copy of The Wizard of Oz, which had great illustrations, and four other novels with pictures. The little girl asked her to read one of the books and of course Devon had to plop down next to them and listen. She's not shy when it comes to mooching off stories. So while she was listening, I grabbed a book from a series called The Magic Tree House because Devon seems to like books with familiar characters, and this series has almost 40 books in the series. Luckily, the library actually had book number one, Dinosaurs Before Dark.

Sunday I started reading it and by the end of chapter three she wanted to stop. I was a little sad that she didn't want to keep going but I didn't let it discourage me. Monday while Matthew took a nap with Chris I was able to start at chapter three again and read the entire book! Devon loved it too. There were some scary parts when a dinosaur was chasing a kid and Devon was clinging on to me pretty tight, but I just kept asking her, "Do you want to keep reading to see if....?" Every time she would be like, "Yeah let's see if ...." It was totally cute. It was the best part of my whole day to be able to sit and become absorbed in a book with Devon.

And so we don't leave little Matthew out, he's becoming very fond of Goodnight Moon and sometimes it can distract him from his fussy moments. I can't wait for the day when they are both on each side of me and we can just sit and read for hours on a rainy day.

Baby Food

So I have kept my word about making Matthew's baby food. It is actually easier than I imagined. Since I use the ice-cube tray technique to freeze his food I make at least one tray's worth of whatever it is I cook. So far, I have made green beans, carrots, apples, peaches, butternut squash, and cauliflower. He's loved everything, except the cauliflower. But I'm not giving up on it yet, I'm going to combine it with other foods to see if it tastes better to him that way. He's such a little champ. And for the record, Friday is the 19th, which means the little man will be seven months old! I just can't believe it!

So my point here today was to toot my own horn, because I'm worth it.

I Don't Really Like Meat Anyway

So since I have been on this health nut kick I've been making trips to the library and consuming all kinds of info. Everything from recipe books, to books about public school lunches to what's really in the food we buy pre-packaged (which to me is now frightening). Last night I finished a book called Skinny Bitch . I actually found out about the book from the Ellen show. Based on the interview, it seemed that this book was about how to eat more healthy and nutritiously and as a result you will naturally loose weight. This sounded right up my alley. So I checked it out and brought it home.

Now during the interview Ellen asked, "You know I feel that throughout the book you were yelling at us. Was that your intention?" And I loved the reply. They said they did not write the book to make friends, they wrote it to educate people and that was there way of hammering it into our heads.

When I start reading the book, they literally are yelling at you and with explicit tones! At first I got a kick out of it, but then it kind of got old, but I keep on reading because it really was interesting. I get half way through the book and realize there is an ulterior motive here. They are vegans and so of course, they advocate that lifestyle. In order to do this they list stories about how animals are treated before their end of times and it's horrifying! A part of me thinks well, there is no nice way to die, but then again there are much more pleasant ways than what was discussed here.

So in the end, I'm in deep thought about whether or not I feel compelled to engage in the vegetarian lifestyle. I do know I'm not feeling the vegan lifestyle. So we'll see. I have to think about how this will affect the kiddos and of course Chris because he likes to say often, "I like meat." I on the other hand, really don't eat that much meat chicken, ground beef and occasional pork in the form of ham or pork chops. But I'll let you know what the verdict is whenever I come to it.

I remember that I used to call myself a vegetarian in high school, but that was mostly for weight control. And in college I called myself a "bird-ivore" meaning I only ate poultry, no red meat. It wasn't until I was pregnant with Devon that I had those crazy cravings for cheeseburgers. And I gave those "ideals" up. Just thought I would through that in there. :)

Devon's Gift

Well, Sunday evening Chris and I were discussing whether or not to go out for my birthday. I said no, because we've agreed not to do any spending on the credit card, except for gas. He said my birthday was an exception.

So during our discussion Devon says, "Daddy, are you made at Mommy?"

Chris says, "No. I'm just frustrated."

Then Devon made my day by saying, " You shouldn't be frustrated at Mommy. Mommy is nice to everybody."

This made us all smile. It is so incredible to know that Devon really does notice that I try to be nice to everybody. It was the best birthday present a mom could ask for. I have always heard that kids will be more likely to do what they SEE their parents do. It's not just about telling them how to act, you have to behave too. :)

So in the end, Chris and I went out to dinner while Granny Franny watched the kiddos. But this wasn't any ordinary dinner for us. We went to a place called The Melting Pot, which is a fondue restaurant. It was AWESOME! We had a four course meal that included bread and cheese fondue, salad, a main course fondue, and of course dessert fondue. We were so stuffed by the end. It was pretty pricey though, but a fun experience. I felt very loved that Chris wanted to take me out like that.

Bullies!

Today while I was waiting outside of Devon's classroom with her, waiting for the bell to ring I saw two little boys picking on this little boy, we'll call him C. They were teasing him and calling him stupid. There were two other moms right next to them, but just standing there. When one of them hit C (not hard of course, but that's not the point) I walked over to them and confronted them. It was obvious that they knew they were not being nice and not doing what they should be doing, because as soon as I was over there and started talking to them they put there heads down and avoided eye contact. So I told them to leave C alone because he didn't want to be bothered right now and tried to change the conversation to breakfast. I asked them what they ate and one said toast. I asked "With jelly?" He said "No, they don't have jelly." And that caused the two boys to start talking about something else, so I walked back to the end of the line of students where we were originally standing.

Then I saw them bothering C again. This time I told Devon to come with me and we stood right next to them until the bell rang. Poor little C was sitting on the ground indian style facing the wall, crying. I tried to talk to him, but it was pretty obvious he didn't want to so I just rubbed his back and told him I was going to stay with him. Then the teacher opened the door to let the kids in and I told the little boys to get up and get into the room so they couldn't bother him anymore, well at least for the moment.

I walk Devon and C into class and Devon goes right off to put her backpack up and so does C. I ask the teachers assistant if she knew where C's mother taught, because I had seen her the last couple of days and noticed that she had a school employee badge. Then I dashed to the classroom because it was two minutes until the bell was about to ring and told her that C had a tough time this morning because two little boys had been picking on him and left because I knew she had to get class started. She seemed to appreciate the news.

This whole situation made me MAD! First of all, it's only the third day of school and this poor little four year old is getting picked on by two little boys feeding off of each other. Where do these kids learn to call each other stupid. Devon is four and has never had the urge to call someone a name, much less stupid. And I don't want to hear that boys will be boys, because that is CRAP! Boys will be what you let them be and just because they happen to be boys doesn't mean they have the excuse to behave like turds.

I gotta get going, but there are a couple of positives from this situation. C hopefully now knows that it is not ok for him to be treated like that because someone stood up for him. And Devon hopefully learned that it is ok to if not absolutely necessary to stand up for those who aren't being treated nicely. Actions speak louder than words!

Yum Yum!

So I'm sure you are all just dying to know if I went through with my previous blog and made Devon a cute healthy lunch. Here it is!

That's what I'm talking about! We've got some rotisserie chicken lunch meat, whole wheat crackers, grapes and black berries, and clementines. I know what you're thinking, "Where's the dairy and veggie?" Well, Devon isn't big on raw veggies so tomorrow I will put in some cooked carrots in there. I just didn't have time to cook some. And the next time I go to the store I'm going to grab a small container for her to bring milk in.

But isn't that CUTE! I just love it. All it consists of is a small tupperware container and silicon cup cake holders. Something I didn't mention before is that this is also a great way to have a waste free lunch for all you environmental gurus out there. What's not to love? So go on, tell how awesome this is.....

What's for Lunch?

Here's to my new found devotion to being healthy! I've mentioned before that Austin is a pretty big hippy city, filled with health nuts of all kinds. When we first moved here, I had an odd encounter with a extreme health nut at a park. I was sitting with Devon eating some grapes and a sweet little boy was begging with his eyes. So I asked if he wanted a grape, so I gave him one and he went back to playing. His mom saw him take the grape and stormed over to me and asked, "Was that an organic grape?" I was pretty baffled and said no. She flipped! Claiming that people in Austin have a higher standard for their children. I thought this was outrageously hilarious (and still do). However, now after consuming many articles, books and advice (from sane people) I can see why she would want organic for her boy. But come on, one grape isn't going to send his pure body into toxic shock.

I know what you may be thinking, "Hey Michelle, lover of Taco Bell. You want to be a health nut?" Alas, it is true. Thanks to some inspiration by some awesome friends I have in my Sunday School class, I do want to live a more simpler and healthy life, and I especially want the same for my children. (I'm still getting used to the plural form of that word. Hard to believe I have two now.)

My class is called the Honeymooners and it's filled with mom's and mom's to be (and dad's too). They are indeed the greatest examples for me on my quest to health nut central. Recently I was introduced to this insanely cute way to pack healthy lunches for school using laptop lunches/bentos. Click here for some examples. I don't feel like explaining it, so just to take a quick peek. Beware if you have kids you may get hooked!

So since my thoughts are consumed with how to make cute healthy lunches for Devon, while we were at the library I got a few books with good recipes for healthy stuff to make for her as well as some books with baby food recipes. Yep I have been making his food too. :) I Found this book I absolutely LOVE! It's called Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children. Not only did it have great recipes, it has a ton of info about nutrition for kids. Above all I love the facts it slips in about the food we (as in Americans) eat, like McDonalds. For example:

• A chicken McNugget may be white meat, but it is mashed up with over 50 chemicals and additives.
• McDonalds french fries have very little in common with a potato. They contain more than 10 ingredients, including flavoring that comes from a beef source and trans fat, sugar and salt.
• In 2000, government agencies spent about $48 million to promote nutrition and health for kids, but McDonalds spent 14 times that amount - $665 million - to advertise its food.

So that's that. Hmmmm I think I see the number of happy meals in Devon's future dwindling.

Beautiful Messages

So the other day Chris told me something spontaneously cute that Devon had said while I was sleeping in (until 8:15 in the morning!). He said Devon was at the kitchen table eating breakfast when she just said, "God is in everything. But he's not in my cereal." After I finished laughing, because let's face it that's pretty random, even for Devon, I felt like this "message" spoke to me.

I often feel envious of the folks of the new testament times, where Jesus spoke to people (after the resurrection) and even appeared to them. It seemed to happen often and sometimes I wish he would just plop down on the couch and chat with me. But then I look back at what Devon said. She is four and yet is capable of understanding this very simple and incredible truth that God is in everything.

I can't help but wonder that perhaps it is still possible to have such interactions with God as I so long for. The only thing interfering with this wish is life. It is so easy to be consumed by it. Constantly fretting over what needs to be done today, tomorrow, what are we having for dinner, did I take the trash out, where did I put that receipt, I think it's time to get the oil changed......... It just goes on and on. Our minds are overloaded with clutter about clutter. But Devon who is so lucky to be four hasn't been consumed by all that life throws at you. She is capable of being still and keeping a clear mind for receiving beautiful messages.

I can't help but wonder if perhaps God uses our precious little ones to send us messages that we are no longer capable of receiving. I'll tell you this, I felt compelled to simplify my life to be mindful of what is really important during the day. Do I do it all the time now? No way! But, I do what I can and keep trying when I fail. I am constantly feeling like I need to slow down and enjoy the little things, and often I do. When all is quiet I feel the urge to simply live.

Resurrecting the Old Me

So I'm sure none of you can deny that having kids changes you, as well as being married. Unfortunately, it has created some changes in me that are not so good. I have been suffering from post-partum depression. Yep, I'm ready to admit it to the world. (Obviously.) This means I get the opportunity to sit down with a really rad counselor and talk about me, me, me, and sometimes the family.

We, meaning Chris and I, were a little concerned that just counseling would not be enough and that I would need to get on medication. But this would mean I could no longer breastfeed Matthew. Lots of tears were shed over that possibility, let me tell you. Luckily, just having therapy is making a considerable difference. I am started to think and act like I did five years ago. Don't be so scared, I do remember what I was like five years ago and I assure you, I am merely speaking of my more personable characteristics, such as my since of humor, and love of having "moments" with strangers.

For example, Tuesday afternoon I found myself literally struggling to hold my tongue in the waiting room. I so desperately wanted to lean over towards the only other person there waiting and say, "So. What are you in for?" This was a man, who seemed to send off a big "I'm really into myself, and take myself too seriously" vibe. But I managed to refrain and just worked on my sudoku puzzles. It was really tough though.

I'm sure you're thinking, "Michelle! What a horrible thing to do. How immature?" And to that I say, BINGO! Now I KNOW therapy is working. :)

Mmmmmm, Paperbacks

Well, lately I have been devouring books like there is no tomorrow. Just in the past couple of weeks I have read The Educated Child, and The Five Love Languages. This may not sound impressive to some, but don't forget I have an infant connected to me most of the day and an energetic four year old. So there!

Currently, I am reading an awesome book called, The Read-Aloud Handbook. It may sound odd, but yes it is actually about reading out loud. It gives an insane amount of scientific support for reading out loud to your kids. I love it. Jim Trelease you are my hero! He also managed to compile a great treasury of books for different ages. I will easily be using this book for the next ten years or so.

Something Jim talks about in the book is how most children can comprehend listening to books three to fours years above their reading level. While this may sound trivial, it has challenged me to step up the books I read to Devon. I mean she loves her picture books, but we both know almost all of them by heart. So Saturday we ventured to the Austin Public Library and got Devon her very own library card. She was in love! The awe of owning her own library card was enchanting. I picked out a small chapter book, with five chapters to see if Jim was right. And of course, he was. Devon comprehended just as well as a Franklin book. And we have read it about three times a day so far, but that's ok, she's worth it. Next time I'm going to try for one a bit longer. It's like my own little education experiment, mwah ah ah ah.

Now everyone knows Devon has been a book girl from infancy, but the challenge now is to instill the same love of books to Matthew. So far we are off to a good start!

Here is Devon at four months, she was such a little chunker. :D

Here is Matthew, who is now four months old. So far, so good!