I tend to get the same questions from many of you via email, convos comments, etc...I try to answer them when I remember to but often I am only answering them in my head and not at the computer. So since I feel like I have neglected to answer too many for too long, I decided that this will be my FAQ post and I will link to it in the tag cloud over on the side and do the same with any future FAQ's. :) Okey dokey? But first the disclaimer: the thoughts below are just MY philosophies or opinions...you do what works for you and I will do what works for me.
One question that I often get is how I get so much done. This is much more of a complex question than it appears because it has so much that goes into it. More than anything I think it has to do with balance and priorities in many many ways. Since having Moses we have had to shift our balance quite a bit. We make him a priority while also making our marriage a priority. Doesn't make sense huh? Let me explain a little better. For the first two months of Moses life he was perfect in every way. Great sleep, great eating, great growing, everything. Perfect I tell you. Then the third month came and something happened. He began waking up 8-12 times during the night, not being able to fall asleep on his own or self-sooth in anyway. By the end of that third month I knew that something had to give...I was weary, as a result Doug was weary...our family was very
off balanced and all about Moses for all the wrong reasons. I did some research and found
Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. I ordered it immediately based on the reviews. We implemented it almost the day it came in the mail and
overnight our lives changed. He immediately went from waking up 8-12 times a night to 1-2 times to a short time later sleeping through the night. That quick. From the second or third night on he has also gone down for 99% of naps and night time without a peep. And he has always gone down awake...not asleep.
We learned that his schedule must be our priority at all times for him to be the healthy, happy and loving child that we wanted him to be. I remember reading in that book the first time a paragraph about a couple who had a child who everyone commented on, who everyone loved to be around and thought was so laid back and happy. I wanted that baby. To get him it took a lot of self sacrifice. And it will continue to require that. You can ask anyone who knows us...Moses' schedule is our priority. Sometimes we miss events, parties, weddings, etc but honestly, who wants to drag a cranky, tired baby to something anyway? Sacrificing his schedule makes us all suffer...him the most. At the same time, by making Moses' schedule our priority, we also make our marriage a priority. Moses goes to bed at 7:30-8pm every night...it used to be 6:30pm. That gives us A LOT of time to do the things that we want to do, both as a couple and as individuals. It gives us time to stop parenting for a few hours and just be together. We also stick firmly to nap times as well. Whatever errand we have to do or run can wait. Good naps = good days and a good nights sleep for all of us.
And guess what? I can't go anywhere that I don't get a compliment on how happy he is, or how well behaved, or how loving. :) Jesus and Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child make Moses the baby he is today. :) The best part is that now he will have healthy sleep habits for the rest of his life! :)
Next question. No I am not closing my shop when this baby comes. Not sure what it will be like but I am fairly certain that Little Bit Funky is not going anywhere. :)
Right now (July 6th I am about 6 and 1/2weeks pregnant). Baby is the size of a lentil bean. :)
We only let Moses watch Sesame Street and Elmo's world, occasionally some PBS or Sprout. Whenever we turn off the TV we try to remember to change the channel to one of those stations in case Moses turns it on...we don't want his mind littered with some of the garbage that is on TV these days. I try to do the same with the radio in the car as well (tuned to Spirit FM).
We only keep healthy food and snacks in his sight. So basically anything he sees he can have. We honestly try to ONLY buy things that we are OK with him eating as well. That makes us all healthier. (We keep our little treats well hidden...and honestly there aren't many of them.) :)
Moses is 21m.
One more: Why did I share my pregnancy so early on? The way I look at it the more I tell, the more there are to pray. Same goes if something terrible were to happen. The more people know the more who can pray.
Ok, so that took a little longer than I thought it would. I hope that answers a majority of the questions that were out there...if there are more you just let me know...either here or via etys/email. :)
Here is a fun game of I Spy...no I'm not back, just cleverly posting. :)
The winner of this giveaway will be whoever posts the 46th comment...comments as much as you like...the only catch is that you won't be able to see how many are already posted because I won't be publishing them until we get back on Tuesday. :) So have fun and leave me some love!
Who couldn't have fun with all those colors right?
Check out my yummy new paper...mmmm...can't wait to dig into this.
Sweet fun stamps...
And these must be the most adorable rub-ons that I have ever seen...all mine. :) Can't wait to see what comes of all these cute new goodies!
Apparently I have a jar problem. I never noticed until my husband pointed it out to me a while ago. Thanks honey. Since he mentioned it I am finding them all over the house. The ones in the photo above and the next couple of photos don't live there but were temporarily relocated for photo sake. :)
Look April...there are my buttons, then my sharpies, then Doug's bouncy ball collection, then all the empty thread spools I have used up so far.
There are dum dums for package thank-yous, ribbon (of course), clips and flowers. On top of the last two is a jar of faux cherries. I want more of those but can't find them...
Oh, look. Moses' oatmeal in a jar!
What household doesn't have one of these?...
A jar for all the random metal do-dads that somehow multiply.
And here we have a box of jars, some super old, that have yet to make it out of the box from when we moved...
Jars in the kitchen for cookie cutters, sugar and flour. :) It's nice having big jars for the holidays...less trips to stock up!
And finally...jars for all my shells...from every beach I have ever been to. :)
I was Lazy with a capital L yesterday...and pretty much all weekend...but yesterday I even stayed in lounge clothes...and they earned their name. :) I did rearrange the living room and mantle, though. Does something look funny to you in these photos? If you can't tell...I'm not telling. :)
I love a good change. :)
And I still love the color of this living room. :) I even touched up all the scuff marks this weekend (see Bethany...your not the only one who does that). :)
Moses is doing many cute things at the moment. One of which is making me sing "If your happy and you know it..." but he only like the "Shout Hooray" verse. And boy does he shout "Hooray!" and jumps at the same time. :) I have lost count of how many times a day he makes me sing it...when his dad comes home he get him to help him jump even higher while he shouts "Hooray!"
Lately he has all the guys come to breakfast. Saturday morning we had to take all these guys minus Elmo to the post office and the bank. :)
I love it when he wears this hat. :)
This morning we went to Panera for breakfast and then took Moses to the playground.
He love the slide.
Not as much as he loves his daddy!
This is the view we pass on our short walk to the playground. I love Virginia. :)
And just how precious is this? He stopped to pick a couple "pretties" as he calls them and held on to them through snack time. :)
I tend to get the same questions from many of you via email, convos comments, etc...I try to answer them when I remember to but often I am only answering them in my head and not at the computer. So since I feel like I have neglected to answer too many for too long, I decided that this will be my FAQ post and I will link to it in the tag cloud over on the side and do the same with any future FAQ's. :) Okey dokey? But first the disclaimer: the thoughts below are just MY philosophies or opinions...you do what works for you and I will do what works for me.
Look at that handsome boy!
He was my little crafting sidekick last night...he kept taking those buttons out and placing them just so on the fabric circles...played with them for a good while. :)
...from the AMAZING last 24 hours or so that we have had!! The first AMAZING news is that Doug got a promotion!!! YAY!!! He works so hard and this is just the next step to getting up that ladder to where he wants to be eventually. The good things about this promo are that we don't have to move(yet), he gets a bonus and a raise! The bad part is that he will be working overnights...the good part is that we will have most mornings together and honestly I think it will be great once we all get used to it. And...I love my husband and he is a great father but it's not like he woke at the sound of a baby whimper during the late nights with a tiny Moses...two times we counted that he was up at night with me...and I never minded...he could sleep through a truck ramming the house...so it's not like I will be missing all the late night help. :) So YAY Doug!!! I am so proud of you!
Another fun thing is this adorable pillow! You need this right?
I am trying to work through all the random projects that I have all around...cause I will be losing my craft room to a tiny new family member. I still have a couple more pillows to get out of the way. This one is in the shop...just waiting for you!
And I got some of these made last night...while Doug watched the Olympic swim trials...
Made these this morning...since I was up at 5:40 anyway...
And THESE. Oh. These. I am so excited about these...part of the reason I got no sleep last night was because I had just thought of this fun idea as I drifted off to sleep and I kept waking up and thinking about them....they are sweet little tags with chalkboard on them!!!! So you can write and wipe away! 
How stinkin' cute are these? You could use them for organizing your pantry, craft room, closets...etc...
Or use them for tags on goody bags for parties with each child's initial or name. I just can't get over how much I love them...also in the shop. right. now. :)
(note the placement of the throw pillows...all his work and i never move them when he helps)
