Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Me, the Guest Blogger Over at Rockin' Green!
If you cloth diaper (CD) or use natural laundry products, check out Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent . Today they posted my guest blog post about going back to work when your babes are in cloth - there are some suggestions for how to find a daycare and how to do some community education about cloth diapering. Show RnG some love!
Monday, July 18, 2011
My Littlest Best Friend’s Back – Kiddos Mirror Your Emotions
For eight days in June (June 8-16) I went to Kansas City for work. Before I left, Silas was my super best friend. He laughed at my silliness, he followed me around, and even called out to me sometimes. We always had a good time and I got lots of hugs and snuggles (except when he was teething but that’s a different story).
When I went to KC, I called the first night and Mike put me on speakerphone. Silas cried because Momma was in the phone. The second night he cried again. The third night he went to the front door when he heard my voice, and THEN he cried. So by day 4 we quit doing speakerphone because it upset him and he didn’t understand what was going on. Then I started worrying (ok, I was worried from day 1 that he’d be pissed at me when I got home). When I got home on a Thursday, Mike and Silas picked me up from the airport. I got in the car, Silas looked at me, and looked out the window. I was super excited to see him. I got an, “Oh, it’s you, ho hum” response. I just about cried on the spot.
For the next few days he cried when I left him at daycare in the mornings and he tried to follow me out the door. In the afternoons he ran to me when he saw me, hugged my legs, then went on his way playing again. If I picked him up, he’d scream and throw himself on the floor if I put him back down. At home if I asked for a hug or a kiss or a cuddle at night, he would ignore me, not look me in the eye, and go find Daddy. Ouch. Even as educated as I am about this stuff, I was still worried that I had hurt our relationship, and I was worried.
Apparently this worry showed on my face, and he was seeing it and mirroring what he saw in me back at me. So if I approached him tentatively, then he did the same (or moved away). If I half smiled or wasn’t silly momma (because silly momma was trying to figure out how to get her best friend back), then he didn’t grin big at me or play silly with me at dinner.
So after thinking about this for a while, I quit. I decided he would be fine with me at some point, I just had to be fun and funny and consistent and we’d be best friends again. So when I was with him I tried to push all the stress of work and everything else out of my head and just enjoy my time with him. I sat with him and taught him how to pet the puppies (which he is very good at now – “Soft, that’s right, soft”). I helped him put on his shoes by sitting him in front of me and asking him, “Does this shoe go on this foot? No way! Silly! Do we eat it? No way!” Just small silly stuff. I started making him give me a bite of his dinner (and he feeds it to me). Now he grins and shoves a piece at me while he’s eating (even if I just had one).
Last night Daddy came in and Silas offered him a piece of fruit (with chicken with BBQ sauce attached). Mike scrunched up his nose and said, “No, thank you.” Silas’ face turned inside out and he CRIED like you would not believe. He reached for me and gave me a hug (and patted me on the back) from his seat a few times, but even when Daddy came back in to the kitchen he still cried. When he got down from his seat he followed me around or yelled, “Mama?” from wherever he was to find me.
Apparently my son is sensitive to you not taking his gifts? And I’m pretty sure that we’re back to being BFFs. Yesterday he came and sat on my lap while I was sitting on the floor. He can also crawl up on the couch, and crawled up on the couch and got himself into my lap on the couch, head back on my shoulder. He was napping as I wrote this, but he woke up and I just heard, “Mama? All done!”
I have to go. My BFFs calling. I have to get all the best friend time I can before he’s an adolescent and thinks I’m not cool or something.
When I went to KC, I called the first night and Mike put me on speakerphone. Silas cried because Momma was in the phone. The second night he cried again. The third night he went to the front door when he heard my voice, and THEN he cried. So by day 4 we quit doing speakerphone because it upset him and he didn’t understand what was going on. Then I started worrying (ok, I was worried from day 1 that he’d be pissed at me when I got home). When I got home on a Thursday, Mike and Silas picked me up from the airport. I got in the car, Silas looked at me, and looked out the window. I was super excited to see him. I got an, “Oh, it’s you, ho hum” response. I just about cried on the spot.
For the next few days he cried when I left him at daycare in the mornings and he tried to follow me out the door. In the afternoons he ran to me when he saw me, hugged my legs, then went on his way playing again. If I picked him up, he’d scream and throw himself on the floor if I put him back down. At home if I asked for a hug or a kiss or a cuddle at night, he would ignore me, not look me in the eye, and go find Daddy. Ouch. Even as educated as I am about this stuff, I was still worried that I had hurt our relationship, and I was worried.
Apparently this worry showed on my face, and he was seeing it and mirroring what he saw in me back at me. So if I approached him tentatively, then he did the same (or moved away). If I half smiled or wasn’t silly momma (because silly momma was trying to figure out how to get her best friend back), then he didn’t grin big at me or play silly with me at dinner.
So after thinking about this for a while, I quit. I decided he would be fine with me at some point, I just had to be fun and funny and consistent and we’d be best friends again. So when I was with him I tried to push all the stress of work and everything else out of my head and just enjoy my time with him. I sat with him and taught him how to pet the puppies (which he is very good at now – “Soft, that’s right, soft”). I helped him put on his shoes by sitting him in front of me and asking him, “Does this shoe go on this foot? No way! Silly! Do we eat it? No way!” Just small silly stuff. I started making him give me a bite of his dinner (and he feeds it to me). Now he grins and shoves a piece at me while he’s eating (even if I just had one).
Last night Daddy came in and Silas offered him a piece of fruit (with chicken with BBQ sauce attached). Mike scrunched up his nose and said, “No, thank you.” Silas’ face turned inside out and he CRIED like you would not believe. He reached for me and gave me a hug (and patted me on the back) from his seat a few times, but even when Daddy came back in to the kitchen he still cried. When he got down from his seat he followed me around or yelled, “Mama?” from wherever he was to find me.
Apparently my son is sensitive to you not taking his gifts? And I’m pretty sure that we’re back to being BFFs. Yesterday he came and sat on my lap while I was sitting on the floor. He can also crawl up on the couch, and crawled up on the couch and got himself into my lap on the couch, head back on my shoulder. He was napping as I wrote this, but he woke up and I just heard, “Mama? All done!”
I have to go. My BFFs calling. I have to get all the best friend time I can before he’s an adolescent and thinks I’m not cool or something.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
First Giveaway – Your Reusable Bags
After reaching 50 Facebook “likes” for the blog’s page, I would like to thank you for hanging out with us. And since it’s me, I’ll thank you in an ecofriendly sort of way!
For this giveaway we have four reuseable shopping bags – two artsy ones and two nature-y ones.
How do you enter? Well, let me tell you…
1. Make sure you’ve “liked” us on Facebook.
2. Fill out the entry form.
3. A winner will be chosen randomly on August 1st, so that gives you a whole two weeks to enter. The winner will be emailed for their shipping information once the giveaway ends.
4. Shop eco-friendly!
Thanks for all your support you guys.
Love,
Liz
For this giveaway we have four reuseable shopping bags – two artsy ones and two nature-y ones.
How do you enter? Well, let me tell you…
1. Make sure you’ve “liked” us on Facebook.
2. Fill out the entry form.
3. A winner will be chosen randomly on August 1st, so that gives you a whole two weeks to enter. The winner will be emailed for their shipping information once the giveaway ends.
4. Shop eco-friendly!
Thanks for all your support you guys.
Love,
Liz
Thirsties Fitteds – New vs. Old
Thirsties has recently updated their fitted diapering options – previously called the Thirsties Fab Fitted, it is now called the Thirsties Duo Fab Fitted. Besides the name change, there have been other changes as well. The previous Fab Fitted came in four sizes – extra small (6-12 lbs), small (12-18 lbs), medium (18-28 lbs), and large (28-40 lbs). The new Duo Fab Fitted comes in two sizes with snap-down rises – small (6-18 lbs) and large (18-40 lbs). The Duo also comes with either snaps or Aplix closures whereas the older version only had Aplix.
Let’s take a look at a side-by-side comparison. Since I’ve used both, I can tell you the benefits and drawbacks of each as well. On the left is a large Fab Fitted (color: Melon) and on the right is a large Duo (color: Meadow).
The older version Fab Fitted (left) is longer, even though they’re both supposed to fit up to 40 lbs. The older version is a AIO (all in one) diaper, while the Duo has an opening so that more layers can be added for extra absorption. Both require a waterproof cover to be waterproof. There is also a price difference – the older version is about $20 while the newer one retails on Amazon.com for $17. It seems as if Thirsties is trying to streamline their product line while also decreasing the overall/lifetime price of cloth diapering, which is fantastic.
But for those of us with babes with long rises, the new Duo size large just isn’t long enough. My son barely fits in the Duo while the Fab Fitted fits him well and is a great naptime or nighttime diaper (and you can simply layer additional layers on top of the diaper before closing it, so the pocket on the Duo really isn’t necessary for us).
For babies with shorter rises, I think that the snaps or Aplix option of the new Duo is awesome, and I definitely suggest it for folks who can fit their little ones into it. But for us we’re going to have to try to find some Fab Fitteds before retailers run out and replace them only with the Duo.
Let’s take a look at a side-by-side comparison. Since I’ve used both, I can tell you the benefits and drawbacks of each as well. On the left is a large Fab Fitted (color: Melon) and on the right is a large Duo (color: Meadow).
The older version Fab Fitted (left) is longer, even though they’re both supposed to fit up to 40 lbs. The older version is a AIO (all in one) diaper, while the Duo has an opening so that more layers can be added for extra absorption. Both require a waterproof cover to be waterproof. There is also a price difference – the older version is about $20 while the newer one retails on Amazon.com for $17. It seems as if Thirsties is trying to streamline their product line while also decreasing the overall/lifetime price of cloth diapering, which is fantastic.
But for those of us with babes with long rises, the new Duo size large just isn’t long enough. My son barely fits in the Duo while the Fab Fitted fits him well and is a great naptime or nighttime diaper (and you can simply layer additional layers on top of the diaper before closing it, so the pocket on the Duo really isn’t necessary for us).
For babies with shorter rises, I think that the snaps or Aplix option of the new Duo is awesome, and I definitely suggest it for folks who can fit their little ones into it. But for us we’re going to have to try to find some Fab Fitteds before retailers run out and replace them only with the Duo.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
It’s Very Quiet Here…Shh…
The dishwasher is humming.
The washer is washing diapers.
The child is asleep.
Mike is lying in bed playing with his iPhone.
The dogs are relaxing on the couch.
And I finally have some quiet. This past week has been rather crazy. I’ve been teaching two online courses this summer, and on Monday I added in two face-to-face courses (2 hours each with a 20 minute break in between). I started the dissertation portion of my Ph.D. program Monday and I don’t think I’ve done anything differently since then – I haven’t had a free minute really. Silas has been working on new teeth, and refuses to nap after we get home around 4:45 p.m. from daycare/work and then he’s a crank ass at bath time and bed time (but he’ll go directly to sleep, so that’s good). Mike’s taking a new class as well (Weight Training 2) and has already injured himself (he did the same thing the first day of Weight Training 1 if I remember correctly).
So by the end of a day of waking up at 6:15, taking the Monkin to daycare, doing office hours, teaching four hours straight, doing more office hours, and then picking up the Monkin and going home, I am dead tired. And he’s been screeching. All week. I want to say, “Buddy, I know your teeth hurt. I know they do. And I do everything I can to help. But just STOP SCREECHING.” I keep reminding myself that it will pass and I’ll have my lovey little boy back. It’s a phase. This whole thing (work, Mike’s classes, teeth, dissertation), they are all phases and they all shall pass. At some point.
Sooner rather than later please.
But I have done everything that needs to be done around the house – dishes, laundry, kitchen, it’s all ready for tomorrow. And I’d really rather not think about all the things I have to do like grade my online classes or prepare syllabi for the fall (especially for the new statistics class I may be teaching if enough students sign up for it). I’d really rather just go to bed to be honest. A glass of wine doesn’t even sound enticing. If that’s not tired, I don’t know what is.
But the not wanting wine thing, that’s a phase too. It’ll pass.
So go do something productive. And then do something relaxing. And then go to bed (if you can).
The washer is washing diapers.
The child is asleep.
Mike is lying in bed playing with his iPhone.
The dogs are relaxing on the couch.
And I finally have some quiet. This past week has been rather crazy. I’ve been teaching two online courses this summer, and on Monday I added in two face-to-face courses (2 hours each with a 20 minute break in between). I started the dissertation portion of my Ph.D. program Monday and I don’t think I’ve done anything differently since then – I haven’t had a free minute really. Silas has been working on new teeth, and refuses to nap after we get home around 4:45 p.m. from daycare/work and then he’s a crank ass at bath time and bed time (but he’ll go directly to sleep, so that’s good). Mike’s taking a new class as well (Weight Training 2) and has already injured himself (he did the same thing the first day of Weight Training 1 if I remember correctly).
So by the end of a day of waking up at 6:15, taking the Monkin to daycare, doing office hours, teaching four hours straight, doing more office hours, and then picking up the Monkin and going home, I am dead tired. And he’s been screeching. All week. I want to say, “Buddy, I know your teeth hurt. I know they do. And I do everything I can to help. But just STOP SCREECHING.” I keep reminding myself that it will pass and I’ll have my lovey little boy back. It’s a phase. This whole thing (work, Mike’s classes, teeth, dissertation), they are all phases and they all shall pass. At some point.
Sooner rather than later please.
But I have done everything that needs to be done around the house – dishes, laundry, kitchen, it’s all ready for tomorrow. And I’d really rather not think about all the things I have to do like grade my online classes or prepare syllabi for the fall (especially for the new statistics class I may be teaching if enough students sign up for it). I’d really rather just go to bed to be honest. A glass of wine doesn’t even sound enticing. If that’s not tired, I don’t know what is.
But the not wanting wine thing, that’s a phase too. It’ll pass.
So go do something productive. And then do something relaxing. And then go to bed (if you can).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)