One Car Family

Brandon and I have only one* vehicle, that we share. My dad bought it for me after high school: it was my bribe to get a full-ride scholarship :). 

*Brandon actually has a truck, but it is broken and hasn't been running for about a year.

It is a great little car, and we are so blessed to have it. Most days, though, I am carless. Brandon drives the car to work early in the morning, and Asher and I are stuck at home. 

Now, I'm not complaining. I know that having one car alone is a "want", not a "need". I love being at home with Asher, love that God has blessed us so much that I don't have to work outside the home and send him to daycare. It's just that sometimes, it gets lonely. And sometimes, I feel like I'm not being a good servant of Christ. 

I feel like if I had the luxury of another vehicle, I could be serving more. I could be volunteering at the crisis pregnancy center, or at God's Food Pantry. I could be visiting lonely people in the church, or just visiting my family and unsaved friends. I could be doing more for the Kingdom. 

But when I think about it, is that really true? First of all, if I had my dream car (minivan!:), how do I know that it wouldn't just sit empty in the driveway all day? I would probably still end up at home, not doing any of those wonderful Kingdom things. That's what I do anyways when I drop Brandon off at work, and have the car to myself all day. I have dreams of productive shopping trips and activities, but I end up getting carried away with something at home and basically wasting my "day of luxury" with the car. 

More importantly, why am I not doing those things already? I may not have a motorized vehicle to transport me from my home to the other side of town, but I have a stroller that I can push down the road. 

I have neighbors who need to be reached with the Gospel right here in my neighborhood, 300 feet from my door. I can be volunteering my time to help a friend down the road, or I can sit and listen to the grandma at the other end of my driveway talk about her family. I can even walk downtown and encounter others there, do ministry there. 

Maybe this whole dream of a luxurious second vehicle is, in my situation, a covetous desire disguised in sincere motives (if they're even sincere at all).

For now, we have no need of a second vehicle. One is plenty. Sure, it would be nice to have the luxury of being able to go wherever I want, whenever I want. But even if we were to come upon the money to buy a second vehicle, it could definitely be put to better use: increasing our generosity, paying bills. I had been planning on creating a subaccount in our savings for a new-to-us second vehicle, but I think I'm going to scratch that idea for a while. 

God has blessed us so much by giving us all that we need. Selfishly, I have coveted what others have, what I don't even need. I pray that I will find the secret of contentment, in times of plenty and in need, to be Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:12-13). He truly has supplied all of my needs according to His riches in glory. To our God be glory forever and ever! Amen.

What do you think? Do you consider something in your life to be a necessity when really it is a luxury?

My Cloth Diapering Routine

As I've mentioned before, we don't use cloth diapers full-time. Sometimes it's not even really part-time, either, but it's what works for us.

Diaper Choice

There are 5 main types of cloth diapers to choose from:

• Flats: The simplest type of cloth diaper, flats are simply a flat cloth - like a receiving blanket. Flats require a waterproof outer cover to keep them from soaking through onto stuff. Remember how I accidentally wound up using a flat? Yeah, that was fun. 
• Prefolds: The next step up from flats is prefolds. They're thicker and more absorbent than flats, and they're sewn into thirds, which makes it easier to fold them {get it, prefolds?}. These also require a waterproof cover.
• Fitteds: These are sewn into the shape of a diaper, so there's no folding required. Still require a waterproof cover.
• Pockets:These are a bit more like the traditional disposable diaper, in that there is no folding or diaper cover required. The inside is made of a soft, absorbent material while the outside is made of a waterproof material (usually PUL). They are called "pocket" diapers because there is a pocket in which to stuff microfiber, wool, hemp, or bamboo inserts in order to increase the absorbency. 
• All-in-ones: All-in-ones are just like disposables; no work required.

I am by no means an expert in the different types of cloth diapers. What I do know is that the work required tends to decrease as you go down my list, but the price increases as you go down the list. I use either a prefold and a cover (system is shown below) or a pocket diaper.  Here is a little more on the pros and cons of each diapering system.

Changing Routine:

Here's what I do when I want to use cloth diapers (prefolds) on my boy:

First, as with any diaper change, I gather the necessary supplies. The prefolds are in Asher's room, as are the covers. The wipes are... wherever we changed his diaper last. We just change him wherever is convenient for us [I chose our bed this time], but that makes it hard to find everything sometimes.

Necessary items: Diaper, Cover, Wipes, Baby!

Second, I fold the prefold into thirds and lay it inside the diaper cover. (There are more complicated ways of folding it which I suppose work well for some people, but my way works just fine for us).

Next, I lay Asher down and remove his diaper, clean his bottom, and place the new diaper under him.
If possible, you may want to clean baby's bottom as much as possible before removing the dirty diaper, and then do the rest once the clean diaper is under baby. I should have taken that advice when I was taking these pictures because, well, you'll see.

Everything was going all well and good, and then it came...

The poo-splosion!

It was the first poop which has ever necessitated a bath for him.

Not the first one which has necessitated a shower for me though.

Clean and ready for new {cloth} diaper

Then, depending on the diaper cover, I'll either snap the buttons or velcro the back to the front, put him back in his clothes (or leave him undressed, ya know, whatever!) and he's clean!

Finally, I take the diaper downstairs, and if it's just wet, I'll do a quick rinse in the downstairs shower, or a longer rinse if it's dirty, and then place it in my diaper pail (filled with water and some baking soda). Sometimes I forget to do this part, and the dirty diaper will just lay on the bed or in the floor or wherever I changed him until I realize I need to pick it up.

This is called the wet pail method. There is also a dry pail method wherein the diapers do not soak in water, but I like it better with the wet because it keeps stains from setting.

On wash day, which is whenever I have enough diapers to make a small load, I drain the diaper pail in the downstairs shower, then throw all the diapers in for a cold rinse, followed by a hot wash cycle (and occasionally, another rinse). Then, I dry them on low or line-dry them, put them away, and they're ready for the next use!

Detergent

You can't use just any detergent on cloth diapers. Those brighteners and perfumes and softeners which make grown-up clothes look and smell and feel nice affect the absorbency of the cloth diapers. So the detergent I use is a homemade mix of equal parts Borax, washing soda, and Oxi-clean. I use 1-2 Tablespoons per load.

There are ready-made detergents available too. I like this chart because it gives a rating to every detergent I've ever heard of (and many more that I haven't heard of).

So what do you think?

Have you ever tried cloth diapering? What system do you use? What do you think about using cloth? I always love hearing back from readers, so let me know in the comments! 

My Experience with Cloth Diapering (so far...)

Asher is almost 5 months old now.

When I was pregnant with him, I had the idea that I would use cloth diapers with him as soon as we brought him home from the hospital. We accumulated dozens of diapers, and I spent hours watching YouTube videos on how to fold prefolds, use a Snappi, etc. I was excited about this cloth diapering thing.

However, we got used to disposables in the hospital, and when we brought Asher home, we had so many disposable diapers which people had given us! I figured "we'll use the disposables that we have (before he grows out of them!) and then we will use the cloth."

Daddy's first diaper change!

So three weeks went by and I used mainly disposables. Finally, the day came that I thought of using my cloth diapers! I used a prefold diaper (the things which many people use as burp cloths)

and a Snappi

and a Thirsties Duo diaper cover

So cute!

However, I felt like it didn't really fit right. In retrospect, I probably should've used a few that day, rather than decide right away that it didn't look right and put him back in disposables. That's what I did, though. I decided we would try again in a few weeks and see how they fit. 

Well, a few weeks later, he was too big for them! Crazy! This kid grows like a weed. 

So we decided to keep him in disposables for probably the rest of his diaper days. Maybe we could sell the cloth ones or use them on the next baby.

However, I got my cloth diapers out a few weeks ago and decided to give them a try again. Now most of the sized ones he'd grown out of, but I have some one-sized diapers also, so I tried it - and they fit him! 

Now, they're pretty bulky which makes it hard to fit a onesie over them, and he's growing out of most of his clothes anyways, so we don't use them as often as I'd like. Mostly, it's just that disposables are a lot more convenient - I don't have to worry about laundry issues.

Speaking of laundry, it's not really that difficult to launder the diapers. There are a few things which make it more difficult for me to launder them:

• We don't do laundry very often: This may be because I'm lazy and wait until we are out of towels or clean undies or whatever before I'll do a load of laundry, or it may be normal for small families to not have to laundry very often - or it may be both. Either way, I am accustomed to only having to do about 2-3 loads per week.
• Ew that smell: Because I tend to wait as long as possible to do laundry, a bucket full of soiled diapers soaking in water will start to smell after a few days (which has, I'm embarrassed to admit, already happened - a few times!).
• Inconvenient Laundry area placement: I'm not complaining here, I'm very grateful that we have our washer and dryer, but it would be so much more convenient if they were located upstairs with us, rather than down in the unfinished basement (which can be scary sometimes, especially to a girl who followed the Jon-Benet Ramsey saga several years ago!). Plus, the washer and dryer being downstairs adds an "out of sight, out of mind" aspect to it.
• I'm afraid I'll mess the diapers up: I've read so much about cloth diapering, and there's a lot that I can mess up. I like to avoid those kinds of situations when possible. 

I'll post Thursday about my cloth diapering routine, where I'll explain how I use the diapers and wash them. Who knows? Maybe I'll get crazy and make a video about it! Probably not, though - I hate seeing or hearing myself on camera!

Linked with Miscellany Monday and WFMW

Why I Choose to be a Stay At Home Mom

I wrote two weeks ago about The Cultural Bias Against Stay-At-Home Moms. I promised a follow-up, so here it is.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I know I'm not a full-fledged Stay-At-Home Mom (SAHM) yet. I am still working toward finishing college, including taking one summer class this summer and going back to campus for one more year. In addition to that, I've only been a mom for 4 and a half months.

However, I (along with Brandon) believe that home is where God wants me while my children are at home. And it's where I want to be, too. (Isn't it nice when what you want matches up with what God wants?)

Here are my 5 reasons:


1) The Bible tells me so. 
Titus 2:3-5 says "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."

1 Timothy 5:14 "So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander."

Proverbs 31 speaks of an excellent wife, and she works. I believe if we ever needed extra income, it definitely would be fine for me to work to bring in income, as long as my responsibilities at home were taken care of first - meeting the children's needs and maintaining our home.

2) My husband is supportive of it.
Brandon is not forcing me to stay at home, nor does he scorn me for it. He does not think I'm lazy for preferring work at home rather than work outside the home. Actually, he is glad that I am able to stay at home with Asher and take care of our home. 1950s-ish it may be, but he loves coming home to a home-cooked meal - and I love making it for us!

He would rather work two jobs - which he does - so that I may stay at home rather than both of us work and have to send Asher to daycare or a babysitter. We would rather be tight on money than tight on precious time with our precious boy. Plus, we can manage to make one income work because we know the difference between needs, wants, and luxuries.

3) We want to raise our children.
This is one reason we will homeschool our children, but it also applies to their preschool years. I want to know and love and nurture my children, rather than have someone else do it for me. Why would I pay a daycare or a babysitter to watch my kids all day when I can give them all the love and care they need at home? No one - not even their grandparents or aunts or uncles or dear friends - can love my children like their Dad and I can.

Deuteronomy 6 tells parents to teach God's Word to their children diligently. Parents are to talk of God's Word "when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." The passage makes it clear that God's Word should be the business around which all of family life should orbit, and I personally do not see how I could do that if I only saw my kids a few hours each day.

We want to "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." -Eph 6:4    and we feel that the best way to do that is for at least one of us to be with them constantly, day in and day out, imparting the truths of God's wisdom to them.

4) There's nothing else I'd rather do.
When I was in high school and early in college, I really struggled trying to decide on which career to choose. I knew that I would want to stay home with my kids when I had them, at least during their preschool years, and I took that into consideration when thinking about a future career. However, the more I thought about it, the more my desire grew to homeschool my future children. I knew that Brandon and I would be getting married in college, and kids were soon to follow (little did I know just how soon!) and that is when I decided that motherhood was my dream job.

No career could ever be as rewarding as diligently raising up faithful children for the Lord. Now I know there is no guarantee that our children will come to know the Lord, and it's out of my hands - the decision is theirs to make. However, I can "lead a horse to water" so to say ... I can shepherd him in the way he should go.

When my kids are grown, I want to be able to say that I did all that I could do, I was a faithful steward of my children and my time with them.

5) Bonus:
Then there's the added bonus that I don't have to change out of my pajamas if I don't want to, and can take the day at my own pace. This may sound like code language for "I get to be lazy", but actually I try very hard not to be lazy, because I want to be a blessing to my family rather than a burden. Also, because the Bible warns against laziness and idleness in many places, such as here in 2 Thessalonians:

⁶ Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, butwith toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. ⁹ It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. ¹¹ For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. - 2 Thessalonians 3:6-11

I enjoy being a Stay-At-Home Mom, and am so blessed to be able to do so. I'm thankful that I get to spend the good days and the bad days with my son {but I dread going back to school next semester, even if it is only 2 days a week!}.

Linking with WFMW and WLWW

The Adventures of a Not-So-Smart-Mommy (volume 1)

Yesterday, I made plans to go today to the movies with my mother-in-law Shannon and sister-in-law Haley. We were going to see "MouseHunt" at the local theater, since they have free movies throughout the summer on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings ...or so we thought.

I woke up earlier than usual, showered and got dressed and ready, then woke Asher to get him ready. Shannon and Haley arrived around 9:30am with breakfast. We ate and headed out.

We got to the theater a tiiiiiny bit late - as is my usual custom - and pulled in to a scene similar to this:

an empty parking lot.

"Surely they're open," we thought. "Surely it's just... no one else showed up. We're the first ones here... 3 minutes late." We tried the doors - locked. We accessed their website and found, to great our dismay, that we had the wrong date. They don't start the free movies until June. Fail.

Well, Fail number one.

We went to Wal-mart to get a few groceries, and then Shannon dropped us off at my house. Haley stayed, since there's church tonight.

After a while of being lazy at home, we ate lunch and decided we should go for a walk. The weather was perfect - nice temperature, yet overcast so we wouldn't get sunburnt or too hot. Haley and I loaded Asher up in the stroller for a short walk to the bridge over the highway... or so we thought.

We got to the bridge (about a half mile away) and decided that we felt fine, not too tired, we'll go to Dairy Queen. That was all well and good, since I had brought some money just in case we decided to go a bit further.

It turned out it was quite a bit further (about a mile maybe? I'm not good with distances). We still weren't tired, so it was okay. We ate our ice cream and shake and decided to go to the library.

I thought it was a good idea... Asher would be getting hungry soon, and since the library wasn't very far away, it would be a nice place to relax and feed him and read and rest up for our journey back home.

We went upstairs to the kids' section, I selected a few board books to read to Asher, and we chose a nice comfy chair in which to sit. I read one book, then another, then the first again, and then heard a nice, loud, pffffft. 


Oh yes he did. I even felt it. ...and then another.

And those weren't dry toots. They were loaded. His diaper was loaded. And the worst part?

Not-So-Smart-Mommy forgot to bring a clean diaper and wipes. Oh yes she did. Fail numero dos.

We weren't supposed to be going that far! We had only planned on going to the bridge, and I had packed accordingly. All I had was one receiving blanket, and the outfit he was wearing. Oh goodness.

I thought about our location, and realized there were no stores around where I could buy diapers. I only had three dollars anyways, after our stop at Dairy Queen. I glanced around the kids' section of the library, in hopes that another mother of a baby would be around. Maybe I could bum a diaper off someone?

Nope, no other babies. Not even a toddler.

In a stroke of brilliance  an attempt to redeem myself, I recalled some information I had read online about cloth diapers. The simplest form of cloth diapers consists of using only a flat cloth diaper, referred to as a "flat", folded up to form a diaper. I had a receiving blanket, maybe that would work.

It did! I borrowed some paper towels from the librarian on which to change Asher in the changing station in the bathroom, and to use as wipes. I folded up the blanket, wrapped it around his hiney, and buttoned his onesie over it. Then I pulled his pants on as an added back-up.

"This is actually pretty neat," I thought to myself. "I wouldn't do this full-time, but it works."

We finished up at the library and headed home, stopping by Dairy Queen again to grab some ice waters since the sun had come out. It was quite the tiring walk home, but we made it and felt good.

Then Haley passed out..

Not really. It just felt so good in the house and we were so tired. She was being dramatic. She's good at that. ;)

And as it turned out, Asher didn't even dirty the blanket!

So the Not-So-Smart-Mommy learned her lesson: Always be prepared. Even for "short" trips.

My First Mother's Day

This past Sunday was my first Mother's Day as a mother. Last year, I was pregnant on Mother's Day, but only a few people knew about it. There was an awkward moment last year at a church Mother's Day brunch because my mom, mother in law, and one other person knew I was pregnant, but I wasn't making it public yet, so when we were acknowledging all the moms and expecting moms, a few knowing grins were exchanged when I didn't stand up as "expecting".

Mother's Day started out with Brandon making breakfast. It was a simple canned cinnamon roll batch, but it's one of my favorites for breakfast and I was happy. I found a sweet note - in true Brandon fashion.

We got ready for church and had youth Sunday School in our living room. Only two students showed up, but Brandon preached the Word faithfully as usual. I ducked out a little early to get Asher dressed and ready.

My sister Kourtney and nephew Westin came to church with us, as we were having Asher's Baby Dedication. The boys were very cute, reaching for each other and all. Westin tried to sing along when the choir sang their special music. I had to take Asher down to the nursery for a few minutes because he was getting fussy, but I got back upstairs in time to come forward after the invitation.

We went to our pastor a few weeks ago to ask if our church does anything for Baby Dedications. Now this isn't like infant baptism in any way: we know that our decision does not save our baby; Asher will have to come to the Lord on his own. Rather, a baby dedication is simply a time where we as parents vow to raise our child(ren) in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

Baby dedication is modeled after Hannah's dedication of Samuel to the Lord, as chronicled in 1 Samuel. In her case, she actually gave Samuel to God, in that once he was weaned, she took him to the temple of the Lord and left him there to be raised as a priest/prophet under Eli. In our case, we acknowledge that Asher belongs to God, and we as his parents are here to raise him up in a godly manner.

We went through a responsive reading, vowing to set an example for Asher and to teach him the ways of God. The congregation agreed to help in reinforcing what is being taught at home and seen at church, and to keep us accountable in our endeavor to teach Asher diligently.

I received a large hanging flower basket for being the mother of the youngest child, and church was over. On the way out of church, we saw a dripping wet dog (it was raining). Ol' Woody chewed his way out of his collar again, and proceeded to run up the church steps - smelling like a wet dog - to greet everyone. Brandon took him to our basement, where he stayed until we could get him a new collar. That's probably the tenth collar we have bought him. Anyone have suggestions for getting a dog to quit chewing? (And digging?)

Most of the rest of the day was spent relaxing at home. We went to the evening service at church, then visited each of our moms for a few minutes.

Brandon's mom has some cute puppies.  We actually thought about getting one, and I even had a cute one picked out (the one on the left) but we decided we can't get another dog if we can't take care of the one we have. I've been working on playing with Woody more often: we're trying to train him to stay in the yard while we're outside with him: other times he's on a tie out/ trolley system thing. We'd like to get an underground fence for him, but those things get pretty expensive.

Anyways, my first Mother's Day went very well. I was glad to get to spend it with my sweet guys, taking it easy at home.

Oh! And yesterday, the biggest part of my Mother's Day treats arrived: Ashley! :) She and two of Brandon's sisters came over and spent the afternoon spoiling Asher, cleaning our bathrooms, windows, and kitchen floor, and dusting and vacuuming and folding laundry. It felt good to be able to sit back and relax a little, while someone else got our house squeaky clean.



It also helped Ashley - she's been fundraising to go on a mission trip to Africa and a trip to Washington D.C. this summer, so she's been cleaning houses and having bake sales like crazy (and crazy good! I LOVE her white chocolate chip cookies!). I'm so excited for her, because I went to Africa in 2009 and I know how awesome an experience it can be. So, if you'd like to order some baked goods or need your house cleaned, let me know and I'll let her know! Everyone wins! :)

The Cultural Bias Against Stay at Home Moms

In honor of Mother’s Day, I want to thank all you moms who so diligently work to train up your children. Proverbs 31 speaks highly of a diligent and godly woman who also fulfills the roles of wife and mother: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Also “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also and he praises her.”

I’m so blessed to be the wife of an amazing husband who appreciates and values me, and to be the mother of a handsome, sweet baby boy.  

Being a mom is a hard and scary job, though. Children are a blessing, a gift from God (Psalm 127) and we are to be faithful stewards of our time with them and of their lives.

I’m writing today about being a Stay-at-Home Mom. I know I’ve only been a mom for a short time, but I truly feel that motherhood is my one true calling. I look forward to raising a house full of kiddos for the glory of God.

However, I’ve noticed a cultural bias against children and motherhood (especially Stay-at-Home Motherhood). It’s only natural that the world would be opposed to SAHM-hood, since the primary goal in (my endeavor, at least, as a) SAHM is to raise kids up in the training and admonition of the Lord. The world’s ways are naturally opposed to God’s ways*.

I'm writing a short series on Why I Choose to Be a Stay at Home Mom. This post is sort of the introduction: "The Cultural Bias Against Stay at Home Moms".

When I was growing up – all through school, high school especially – I was always taught to “dream big” about what job I wanted to have when I grew up. “You can be anything you want to be” was the slogan: astronaut, lawyer, doctor, architect, teacher, and veterinarian were commonly touted as “successful” options. There were Career Aptitude Tests which matched you up with possible career options; there were lists of careers one could pursue in different disciplines, miles long.

It’s funny, though: I don’t recall Stay-at-Home Mom being on any of those lists.

Now, I’m not anti- women’s rights or anti- working mothers – this post isn’t about what I believe everyone should do. The purpose of this series is to let you know why I choose to be a SAHM.

When I finally decided that what I wanted to do more than anything in the world was to be a full-time mommy (without a second job), people occasionally voiced their concern that it was a waste of my “talent”. I could do so much more, if only I’d have a professional job. What a brilliant mind, what a shame it won’t be put to better use (okay, so no one ever said it so straightforwardly, but the bush was beaten around). 

At college, no one ever considers that someone would want to “find [their] calling” at home. In classes sometimes when we go around and tell what our major is, what we plan on doing with that after college, etc, they would respond to my response with an “Oh! Okay…?”

I had felt it slightly before, but I never fully realized the extent of the disdain or condescension that many people in society have toward wives and mothers who choose to stay at home and work there rather than find a “real” job in the “real” world.

Maybe people don’t realize the bias they have against SAHMs. When I first began to tell people that I want to be a Stay at Home Mom, I was… ashamed to say it. I find it to be an honorable calling, yet I’m ashamed to admit that it’s what I want to do? You see, the cultural bias against SAHM-hood has been deeply ingrained.

I don’t understand it, but somehow it’s deemed alright by society if a woman wants to be a teacher or secretary or cook or maid or nanny or nurse or personal assistant as long as they’re doing it for someone else’s family and being paid for it. However, those same jobs within the home, taking care of one’s own family, are less than; inferior; somehow not as honorable.


Many people look at Stay-at-Home Motherhood as simply the absence of a job. They think that SAHMs sit around watching TV all day, or on the internet constantly. In fact, I did a Google images search of "Stay at Home Mom" and half of the pictures had a woman on her laptop with a baby in her lap! Those people have obviously never been a SAHM. 


There is so much work to be done in order to keep a home maintained - and I only have a 4-month old! I know I will need God's grace more than ever to keep the house running when I have multiple children (who can make messes on their own) who need to be taught and played with and supervised in addition to the responsibility of making (and cleaning up after) 3 meals a day; keeping the laundry caught up, folded, and put away; keeping the dog taken care of; dishes clean; bathrooms cleaned; floors vacuumed; etc. That's not even including personal ambitions and time with God! Do you see how much work goes into this job?

This was a bit of a rant, but… Do you see it? Do you see the bias against women who choose to stay home and cultivate their children’s lives rather than leave it to the “professionals”? 

I don’t have a problem with working moms or daycares or babysitters: I worked at several daycares and was a babysitter and loved it! I worked for a few weeks as part of my internship for school and had to leave Asher in daycare, and he flourished there. Those ladies loved my baby and I’m sure he was learning so much – but no one can love my baby like I can. No one knows him like I do.

To Be Continued...

(*I’m not trying to say that it is worldly to be a working mom: some families need moms to work, and some moms choose to work. A family can raise godly children without being at home with them 24/7. God is sovereign. Personally, Brandon and I think the best way for us to train our children in God’s ways is for me to stay home with them and teach them.)

4 Month Check-up

Long Version: (see bottom for short version)

I was really dreading today. Asher turned 4 months old yesterday, and that meant the 4 month old check-up was drawing dreadfully close. You know what that means: shots.

We had planned on Brandon being able to come to the doctor with me and Asher - Brandon asked off work a couple of weeks ago in order to be there with us. The plan was to switch his work day from Tuesday to Monday and then go with us on Tuesday.

"Mama made me a mohawk this morning!"

However, Brandon went off and got himself hurt on Sunday afternoon. We were at the home of some friends, celebrating one of our youth's 16th birthday, when a game of volleyball started in the backyard. Brandon joined in, and on the first play - the first play! - he jumped for the ball, landed badly on his ankle, and heard some pop!s. He sat out the rest of the game, went inside, and put some ice on it. 

Asher being rocked on the trampoline at the cookout :)

I didn't realize how badly he was hurting until he suggested that we go to the hospital to get it X-rayed: he thought it could be broken. Thankfully, however, we got it X-rayed on Monday (yesterday) and no broken or fractured bones were spotted.

All of that to say, Brandon took off Monday to get his ankle checked out, so he did indeed have to work today (Tuesday) and thus was unable to come to the appointment with me.

I arranged Asher's feedings today so that he would be getting hungry around the time of the doctor's appointment. Any time he has to get shots, I try to be able to nurse him immediately afterwards, as that's been shown to help reduce the pain the baby feels and comfort them as well.

I didn't realize how behind schedule the office was, though. By the time we finally got to the exam room and Asher had been weighed and measured, he was HUNGRY!!! I decided it might be awhile before the doctor came in, so I let him eat a little to hold him over. Then he fell asleep.

When the doctor came in, she talked to me a bit, listened to his heart while he was sleeping, then we laid him down so he could wake up and she could check him out. He did wonderfully, and the doctor and the student with her were amazed that he woke up in such a good mood. He's just that great of a baby :).

The doctor left, and then I freaked out. I remembered how last time Asher had shots, we had a mean ole nurse who had no sense of humor and gave him the oral drops in a manner that made him gag and made Brandon "hold him down!" and then didn't even put the band-aid on the right spot! I prayed for a different nurse, a nice friendly nurse, who would be gentle with Asher. I prayed that God would give Asher strength and grace and that he would do well with no adverse effects. I cried.

Cool superhero band-aids!
In the right spot!

I calmed down by the time the nurse came in, and sure enough - praise God! - we had a nice nurse. She was very friendly and very gentle. She gave Asher the liquid vaccine in a much gentler way than the mean ole nurse had. She told me I could stand by his head, and to hold onto his arms so they wouldn't get poked. He cried, and so did I, but it wasn't that bad. He was finished crying by the time the nurse left the room.

I fed him and he calmed down some more, got his belly full, and we left happy.

Short Version:
Today, I took Asher to the doctor today to get his 4 month old check up and shots. Brandon couldn't come. Asher did fine. I cried but I did fine too. Praise God.

Goals for the Week - 5/6/12

Here's how I did on my goals last week:

1. Keep Asher well fed, happy, and clean.
• Check! 
2. Feed and water the dog every day.
• Check!
3. Have dinner at home every day of the week.
• Check! We had Tacos, Chicken Spinach Pasta Bake, Taco Corn Fritters, Cowboy Spaghetti, and a Homestyle Bake Chicken meal.  
4. Go grocery shopping so that I can accomplish number 3.
• Mhmm. Good and done. 
5. Make a meal plan for this week before I grocery shop.
• Check!
6. Tummy time for Asher twice per day.
• Mostly. One or two days, only did it once.
7. 10 minute quiet time, first thing in the morning. 
• Not exactly. I began this week to make a habit of making the Bible the first thing I read, even if it's only a paragraph. But it wasn't what I would consider a quiet time.
8. Read to Asher at least once per day.
• Yep!
9. Help Brandon take care of youth ministry tasks.
• We got signed up for camp and paid. Yay! Now just to get all the paperwork turned in on time. 
10. Keep the house picked up. 
• I asked Brandon to grade me on this, and he gave me a B- for the week. I know he was being generous. I'll be working on this one especially this week.
11. Organize 1 closet. 
• I got started on this project, and made some good headway, but I didn't complete it. I'll work on that this week.

So that's that. 

Here are my goals for this week:

1. Keep Asher well fed, clean, and happy. 
2. Go to Asher's 4 month check up - on time or early. Try to be strong for him when he gets shots.
3. Feed and water the dog every day. Play with him at least 3 days of the week.
4. Make a meal plan and have dinner at home every night. 
5. Spend only 1 hour (or less) on the computer every day. 
6. Read 5 chapters in Shepherding a Child's Heart. 
7. Have at least a 5 minute, interruption-free quiet time every day, spending time in the Word and in prayer.
8. Keep the house picked up, do some deep cleaning.
9. Finish organizing bathroom closet. 
10. Get youth camp forms sent out on time.

I like posting my goals on the blog, it gives me some accountability knowing that I'll have to report back next week and let you know how I did. It also helps me to evaluate how well I'm doing in different areas and what I need to work more on. 

My Favorite Baby Items

A countdown of my top 10 favorite baby items:

10) Diaper Bag.
       It goes everywhere with us, carries everything I need. Basically it's part of the family ;)

9) My BrestFriend nursing pillow
      I don't really use this anymore, but it was very handy in the first few weeks. It snaps on around your body, and you don't have to worry about the pillow scooting out of position.

8) Pack N' Play

      This is where he sleeps for now, it's pulled up right next to our bed. Once he starts sleeping through the night, we'll move him to his crib, but the Pack N Play has been so useful, especially on trips! On our ski trip, we just set this baby up in the lobby and took turns watching Asher and skiing!

7) Car seat cover:
       This thing was awesome. It kept the wind and cold away from Asher, and he was warm and cozy inside!

6) Large receiving blankets.
      I use these for so many different things: swaddling Asher when he was newborn, keeping him warm when there's a breeze, laying him down on one, covering up when nursing, catching spit up, and shading him from the sun.

5) Evenflo Exersaucer
     This is pretty new, we bought it in late March. Asher is just now getting to where he can use it, and it's neat to see him develop coordination and interest in the toys.

4) ErgoBaby Carrier

     I looked online a lot before I decided which baby carrier to use, and this seemed to be the favorite. It's a little tough on my back, but it has really come in handy, like around the house when Asher wants to be held but I also need my hands, or on trips like at Together for the Gospel, where we had to walk around a lot. I think I may try a BabyBjorn for the next baby though. 

3) Bouncy Seat

      This is one of Asher's favorite items. It's one of mine, too. :) I can sit him down while I cook or clean or spend some time on the computer, and he usually is pretty content to just play with the toys on the toy bar. He loves grabbing the elephant and giraffe which dangle from the toy bar - they were the first objects he grabbed, and I think the bouncy seat has really helped his coordination.

2) Nuk Pacifiers

      These are the only pacis Asher will use. Everything else he might suck on for just a moment, then Plop! out it comes. He's not obsessed with his paci, but it will often soothe him more than anything else will, and it's often the one thing he needs to get to sleep. 

1) Family

      The most valuable "item" we've had with Asher is family. They never fail to give him love and attention, and are always willing to hold, play with, and spoil him. Even though we don't always get to see all of our family, the love is always there and it's evident when we do see them. 

What are your "must-have" baby items? Let me know in the comments!