Thank You, Pinterest

If I may be blunt, I've seen a lot of dumb shit on Pinterest. I definitely relate to the memes with the "Ain't nobody got time for that!" lady. I think a lot of bloggers write mediocre posts and ideas and "pin" them to create the traffic for their sites. Which I applaud in terms of business-savvy, but I think it has a lot of people doing weird crap like using coconut milk mixed with tears of angels as a laundry detergent.

That said, thank you, Pinterest, for giving me some solid ideas I've been working with the last several months.

- Using left over cardboard tubes as wrapping paper cuffs

- Threading my necklaces through straws for travel; no tangles!

- Making me rethink throwing away cereal boxes. I've turned them into drawer organizers and even a makeshift spice rack for the cabinet.  

- Using Vicks Vapo Rub on the bottom of Landon's feet when he has a nighttime cough. Slather it on the soles, put a pair of socks on and call it a quiet night.

- Inspiring me to cook my own black beans and freeze them. Apparently we go through a lot of black beans, so this is working out great. Using the slow cooker, of course!

- Making pancakes in a mini muffin pan and flash freezing them so you can pull them out and zap them on the go. Landon is confused what a pancake is supposed to look like, but it saves time and energy, so we're stickin' with it.

- Reading "you'll make it through" posts such as this one over at finding joy blog. I love when people write truthfully about parenting. It makes up for the other million pins of moms making Mickey Mouse pancakes every morning and arranging fruit in the shape and color sequence of rainbows; things like that make me feel inadequate. 

- Making my own little oatmeal "packets" for Landon. I use a handful of mini tupperware cups to put half a cup of oats, some pumpkin spice and little brown sugar so it's all set to go. Yank from the pantry in the morning, pour in some hot water and breakfast is ready!

- Inspiring me to try new foods for the kiddies, such as a variety of veggie muffins, quinoa bites, protein cookies, etc. Note: this is different than the aforementioned pins regarding Mickey Mouse pancakes and fruit arrangements. I'm talking about recipes for sneaking food into a picky pint sized belly. Like these black bean cookies in which I of course use my home-cooked beans from bullet point five. You see how I've tied this list all together now? You like how I do that? Baller, right?

The rest of my 400+ pins are sitting at http://pinterest.com/klm290/pins/

Anders 8 Months

The little big A man turned 8 months this past week and he's officially on the move, scoot-scoot-scooting his way across a room with a combination method of scrunching and extending like an inchworm while throwing in a few rolls. Perhaps the description gives the impression it is not very fluid or graceful - and this would be true. It's awkward to watch but exciting nonetheless. Plus this baby can pivot on a dime, yo!

Now that he can maneuver a bit more, he's definitely making it known that he prefers to be where the action is. It had been so simple to leave him nearby in the living room while I picked up a couple things in the kitchen or tended to Landon, but now he protests with a loud babble and leans forward in the "go" position, rocks a bit and then hurls himself forward to inch his way to the destination.

He's also eating finger food snacks pretty darn well. He seemed skeptical last month and then one day he was raking them in to his mouth like a puff factory. [Side note: I forgot how much puffs are like catnip for babies.]

Without further ado, here are some photos:

Official 8 month photo!

Stretching out, but still has some good cuddle wuddle chunkiness going on. Look at those wrists!

Hair is growing in a little more each week, but still super soft. Probably going to be a light blond for now.

"Who, me?"

The aerial photos were short lived once he spotted toys within reach. Commence inchworm and roll technique.

Could it have been one of the best photos ever taken of Anders? We'll never know. Thanks, Landon.

"Can you believe that guy? What if that was one of the best photos ever taken of me? Sheesh."

 

Sweetie McSweeterston.

Landon on the prowl nearby.

Parallel play with a little breathing space.

I love how Anders is just doing his own thing in this photo, immune to Landon's shenanigans.

 

Likes:
- Bert and Ernie little people figurines
- Splashing with brother in the tubby 
- Laughing with Daddy
- Chewing on his little crib bunny's ears to go to sleep
- He seems to like everything he's tasted so far

Dislikes:
- Being bonked by brother's head
- Being dressed in too many layers ("It's 40 degrees, Ma, we're not in Antarctica. Sheesh.")
- Adopting every cold germ that brother brings home from school. Another month, another round of antibiotics :(

Limits Tested - Successful Passing Grade

So I wrote that dramatic entry a few posts ago about the challenges we were having with Landon. They have greatly settled for the most part after working through a few thousand iterations and combinations of factors. A big part of it is having someone stay upstairs when he lays down to sleep. Not in his room or anything; he just wants to know if someone is upstairs with him. It's not a big sacrifice right now; there's always laundry to fold or baby thighs to kiss and these things can happen on the second floor. I can drink tea and eat gratuitous amounts of Oreos (three cheers for dairy free creme!) upstairs or downstairs - don't matter to me. 

He has been having a rough patch at school throughout all this and I can tell his teacher is exhausted with his behavior at this point. I was hoping that rectifying his sleep issues would help, but it's only a minor improvement. I think I will start investigating some new school options since I'm not sure if it's the right fit anymore. Which leads me to my revelation of the year... 

I've spent some time reflecting on the challenges from the last couple months and I'm finally settling into some peace. I don't have the child that likes to sit down at circle time at the library and sing Baa Baa Black Sheep. I don't have the child who wants to sit and color for 20 minutes or wear a smock and finger paint. What I do have is an awesome, energetic little man who loves to explore, jump in puddles, climb like he's conquering the Appalachians and stop to do some puzzles as a breather. He likes to introduce his train cars to his dinosaurs every morning. He likes big splashes in the tubbie and running around like a naked mad man as his nightcap before bedtime. Landon is quite plainly, an awesome little boy. Nothing is wrong with him. He could use some parental polishing here and there to ensure he is a productive and kind member of society moving forward, but nothing is wrong with him.

Train in yo' face!

There are headaches and lessons learned in finding the right groove of discipline and compassion for each individual child. When Landon's toeing the line of rules, he needs a firm directive. But when he is being a huge bear, sometimes a hug is what he needs the most. 

He sleeps.

Landon: mommy loves you, little dude. Now for the billionth time, get off the counter, wipe that booger into a tissue and wash your hands. I see some awesome puddles outside so let's get to jumping.

Sweetie Pie

Your daily does of cuteness. PS: You're welcome.

Cougar-fied

Erik is now a part of the VAQ-139 Growler squadron, also known as The Cougars. I'm not sure how the rest of his hazing went since he continues to snore in a cesspool of smells in the guest room, but when he left the O' Club, he was drenched in champagne and flour. He smelled like a delicious croissant dough. He does not smell like that now, the morning after. It smells like stale whiskey and farts coming from down the hall.

Congrats, babe! Your few years as a retread student have come to a close. You worked hard and got what you wanted. As always, you rock.

Has his new patch and is being whisked away.

Flour bomb!

Time for drinky poos!

Lookin' like a boss and smellin' like a bakery.

Cougars!