WHY-Wednesday: Why I love Costco.

One day, 

when the kids are out of the house 

and I get to go back to work just for the fun of it...

I'm gonna go work me at Costco!

I love that place!

I could go there every day and walk their aisles all day long.

Chit-chat with their workers, 

(ask them all sorts of why questions :p),

study all their merchandise,

eat me some $2 combo sliced pizza with a 50 cent drink,

and sample all their goodies.

I would look through all their books,

glance through all their new seasonal inventory,

and pretend I won't get fat if I ate one of their giant muffins.

I'm like a kid in a candy store.

I think it's what a teenage girl feels when she steps into the mall,

or a woman inside of Target.

It's that.much.fun :)

Aside from the fact that Costco is a great company in itself

(11 Reasons To Love Costco That Have Nothing To Do With Shopping),

I love the fact that--

* I run into about half the people I know every time I go.  Now, this would normally be a nightmare for the average person, but not me.  My high school friends can attest to the fact that during my teenage years, if I was to step into a public place with them, they would have to severely warn me:  "Lauren, if you see somebody you know, you do not need to chase them down to say hello"  (yes, chase).

* I love the fact that they carry the *best* of everything.  They don't carry six different ketchup brands, or one hundred different TVs.  They only carry products which have been proven to provide the best customer satisfaction.  If they carry something, you can trust it is the best of its kind.

*  Their customer service is outstanding.  I had a pair of pants I purchased about two years ago after having Emma.  I had lost all my baby weight, but then kept on loosing even more weight.  None of my clothes fit, so I quickly purchased a pair of their pants.  I didn't really like them (they were too short on me), but they did the job until my weight plateaued.  A few months ago, as I was going through my closet, I decided I wanted to get rid of those pats.  So get this-- two years after I purchased them, and with no receipt, they gave me a full refund (in cash) on these already-worn pants.

*  What do they do with everything that is returned?  They try to resell it if able, but most of the time they donate it.  All produce is donated to a farm that picks it up at the end of every day, and a lot of the clothes (like my pair of pants) is donated to charities (I know this because I asked them).

*  Their employees are incredibly kind.  And not the I-have-to-be-friendly-to-you-because-it's-part-of-my-job kind of friendly, but they truly are.  I guess that's what happens when a company treats their workers so well... they are happy!  Mr. Jesse is my "Picture Friend"-- "Heeeey, Picture Friend" we say to each other (he spent hours helping me get our Christmas cards done last year) :)

*  They print good-quality pictures, and will give you multiple copies of it (even if you just purchased one) if you are not satisfied first time around.  For example, when purchasing Baby Byron's passport pictures, the first four they printed had a small defect in the background (I didn't think it was that big of a deal).  So they printed another four pictures without the defect, free of charge.  I walked away with eight perfectly good (in my opinion) passport pictures.

*  Despite purchasing in bulk, my grocery budget remains the same or maybe slightly higher.  Why is this a good thing?  Well, for a little more money, I am getting higher quality food (not all their meat is organic, but all is grass-fed), plus, I always have a full pantry.  Before, when I used to do all my shopping at a regular grocery store, I would only buy enough for one week at a time.  So what happened when the week ended and I ended up using all my week's supplies before being able to go back to the grocery store?  We would go out to eat!  So now, even when I have used up all my weekly planned meals, I always have meat and pantry staples, which make it very easy to whip up a dinner meal in no time.  All this to say, because of their bulk sales, we now hardly every *need* to go out to eat.

*  Their food court!  Need I say more?  A very large, high-quality pizza is only $10.  Our entire family can happily eat out for under $6.  Byron and I have been known to go out there on dates (*shame* I know).  Sometimes, when the grandparents graciously give us a night off, we don't care where we go out to eat, as long as we get to go out to eat and have some alone time.  We'll go out for dinner at Costco, then out for coffee at Starbucks.

****

There are many more reasons why I love Costco, but will leave it at this for now.

If you are thinking about joining, but still are unsure, just know that you can join, and if you are not completely satisfied with it, they will give you a full membership refund at any point before the year ends.

Also, if and when you join, consider having a member-friend (like me!) go with you.  If you are referred by a friend, you will EACH receive $10 in store credit.

WHY-Wednesday: Why I long to be simple.

(This post is written in response to our Sunday morning sermon from Sunday, June 15, 2014 by Dr. George Robertson at First Presbyterian Church of Augusta titled "You are (not) special!")

What does it mean to live a simple life?

Are we simple because of the modest way by which we dress?

Or by the small home which we own?

Or by the fact that we don't go on extravagant vacations?

Or drive fancy cars?

Or have fancy phones?

I am no expert in this, but I have a feeling that simplicity is not an end in itself, but a way of life.

The moment we find ourselves saying that we live simple lives, chances are we are not.

You see, I think simplicity is an attitude of the heart, not a standard of living.

To be immensely satisfied with what the Lord has entrusted us with.

To be grateful and enjoy every season of life.

To marvel at a child's work of art.

To be generous with our time and resources. 

To know and understand what really matters in life.

"'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free" 

 writes Joseph Brackett.

Simplicity makes us free.

And you see...

I long to be free.

Happy Anniversary

Celebrating seven years of marriage!

Thankful for the man I get to call my husband.

What can I say?

It's been a good seven years :)

WHY-Wednesday: Why do I cloth diaper? Part 3/3

Okay, so we have finally made it!

This is where the rubber meets the road.

The nitty-gritty. 

Why do I love to cloth diaper my babies?

*  They are environmentally friendly.  The Earth belongs to the Lord (Psalm 24:1).  We are only it's stewards.  We don't own it and thus, we must protect it.  What are you doing to fulfill your job as caretaker?  

*  They are free.  Aside from their initial cost and the (minimal) cost of water/detergent/power for washing and drying, they are completely free!  

(As a side note to this, you can register for them at just about any baby store, Target, diaper website or Amazon, and receive them as shower gifts). 

*  When it comes down to it, I am not the one doing the washing, my washer is.  I mean-- helloooo?  I even have a dryer, for crying out loud!  The physical effort required to keep up with my diapers is close to none.

*  I have no clue how much it costs to diaper my children.  "I can't wait to get my Tyke out of diapers" you say, "it will be like getting a raise!"  No kidding!  I honestly have no clue what paying for disposable diapers costs.  My guess is about $40 a month, but really, I don't know.

I think I'll just take those $40 each month and buy myself something nice... 

Something like, aaammmm, let's see-- a Vitamix (which I have), or a City Select double stroller (which I also have), or go out on nice dates with the hubby (which I do).

My point is-- are you sure you want to spend that money on poop-catchers?

*  Thy are cute.  

*  They are easy to use and handle.  These are not the diapers Grandma used.  As a friend once put it:  "cloth diapers have evolved faster than cell phones."  They are compact, durable, and easy to sort and put away after each wash.

*  Cloth-diapered babies are easier to potty train.  Granted, I've never potty trained a disposable diaper child, and granted... I've only potty trained Emma, but I'll tell you one thing-- when we did it, it was fast (at 25 months old)!  

I did not know this at the time, but when you potty train, you are essentially teaching your child to learn to make the connection between their brain and their bladder.  When you use disposable diapers, the urine is absorbed immediately, so the child barely knows he's even gone to the bathroom.  

A cloth baby, on the other hand, knows exactly when he has gone to the bathroom.  Because cloth does not give them a dry feeling after they've gone potty, they learn at an early age that when their bladder is full, something comes out.  You have basically potty trained your child while still in diapers.

****

WHY-Wednesday:  Why do I cloth diaper?  Part 1/3

 WHY-Wednesday:  Why do I cloth diaper?  Part 2/3

Cards

Emma Girl loves her big cousin McNeill (better known as Meel around here).

Now that it's summer, Mc is able to come over and play and delight our little girl with her presence. 

We had a great time with her, in particular making our Father's Day cards.

Pull-up arrangement

It is ironic that I find myself posting a picture of my child with her 86 disposable pull-ups right in the middle of my WHY-Wednesday series on cloth diapering.  But it is what it is.  I hope you know by this that even though I really, really, really do love and encourage cloth diapering, there is a lot of grace involved in this also.

Anyway, so back to the reason why I was planning on posting this picture to begin with.

Emma is only wearing diapers at night.  She is in undies all during the day and at nap time.  We still had her wearing her cloth diapers at night (since I am already doing diaper laundry for BB), but it had started to become more and more of a nuisance.  She is almost thee years old, so laying on her diaper table to get her diaper on is no longer on the top of her priority list.  She would much rather stand up like a big girl when getting ready for bed.

I considered purchasing some cloth pull-ups, and may eventually do so, but for now, I thought it would be fun getting her some cartoon diapers.  She loves choosing which character she'll wear that night, and for $30 that will last two months of night excitement, I consider it worth it.

Anyway, so back to the picture--

Emma was doing her morning "quiet time" the day after we had purchased these pull-ups.  When I went in to get her out of her room, I was so tickled by her arrangement, I had to picture it!

WHY-Wednesday: Why do I cloth diaper? Part 2/3

Did you know that using disposable diapers is not the norm?

At some point over the past 50 years, using disposable diapers has become the "normal thing to do," and anyone who cloth diapers is weird and odd and probably has too much time on their hands (which may be the case, but I'm okay with that :) ).

Even though I was raised very "green," and have always been environmentally friendly, I remember initially dreading telling people I was going to cloth diaper.

You know-- the looks, the rolling of the eyes, the well-intended "oh-you-just-wait-until-you-have-to-rinse-those-dirty-diapers" warnings, etc.

I just couldn't understand it.

Why so much fuss over something that people have been doing for centuries?

Why so much fuss over something I am *privileged* to get to do?

My mom once told me she had gone to see Graciella (our former house-help from growing up) after she had had her baby.  She lived in a small, humble, brick home-- a luxurious home compared to how most lower-class Mexicans live in.

My mom says she held her little girl and noticed she had no diaper.

She had no diaper.

 No cloth, no disposable, no nada.

Did you know that using disposable diapers is not the norm?

****

WHY-Wednesday:  Why do I cloth diaper?  Part 1/3

WHY-Wednesday:  Why do I cloth diaper?  Part 3/3

A big sister's little brother

Wouldn't you know...

That Baby Byron's favorite toy is Emma's play lipstick.

He will go find it, carry it around, stick it in his mouth.

Oh, how he loves it!

I think it reminds him of his very special index finger, which he loves to suck on in his crib.

****

He is a big talker.  Words such as:

da-da-da-da

ta-ta-ta-ta

ma-ma-ma-ma

na-na-na-na

ba-ba-ba-ba

He will turn 10 months this week, so we've also begun weaning him.

(I never thought I'd be so excited about this, but I am!  I guess I should be sad, right?  oh well...)

WHY-Wednesday: Why do I cloth diaper? Part 1/3

So here I go...

You knew this day was coming.

You saw it from a mile away.

And you were dreading it.

(Or were you?)

Why do I cloth diaper?

****

Did you know everything we do has a price tag?

I mean, really... think about it--

Cook at home?  Kitchen will get dirty.

Go out to eat?  Will spend more money.

Let the kiddos watch TV?  Hinder them from developing their creative skills.

Don't let the kiddos watch TV?  You go insane as a mother.

Exercise?  You get tired.

Don't exercise?  You don't burn calories.

Clean the house?  Miss out on relaxing.

Don't clean the house?  House stays dirty.  

Buy new clothes?  Spend money.
Don't buy new clothes?  Don't look/feel as nice.

Take a nap?  Miss the chance to do something without kids all over you.

 Don't take a nap?  Remain tired.

Leave your home nice and cool during the summer?  High power bill.

Don't leave your home nice and cool during the summer?  Sweat all summer long.

Save money each month?  Miss out on shopping sprees, going out to eat, etc.

Not save money?  Not build retirement account. 

Use disposable diapers?  Pay $40 a month per child on diapers.

Use cloth diapers?  Dealing with human waste and extra loads of laundry.

When it comes to covering your kiddo's bottom--

what price are you willing to pay?

****

WHY-Wednesday:  Why do I cloth diaper?  Part 2/3

WHY-Wednesday:  Why do I cloth diaper?  Part 3/3

Winter hat still on.

I think my child missed the memo on no longer needing to use her winter hat outside (it's summer, for crying out loud!)

But we are a creature of habit, and that's what we do.

Playing bedtime.

One of Emma's favorite things to do with her baby brother is play "bedtime."

You know-- find a place to lie down on, bring a blanket, and each of their lovies. 

It can be done on the floor--

On mommy and daddy's bed--

Or anywhere else she feels fit.

So thankful these little ones have each other :)

WHY-Wednesday: Why I read through my Bible in a year, every year?

"As Christians, we should read through the Bible in a year, every year" 
--I've heard said a time or two.

"How ambitious.   How fun.  But really...?"

Reading through the Bible in a year, every year.
 Let me tell you something...

This has been one of the most powerful ways by which the Lord has been working in my life this year.

It's exhilarating. 

Yes, I do believe there is a place for quality instead of quantity in Bible-reading.

Yes, I do agree that life is busy.  We are young moms, soccer moms, homeschooling moms, working moms, sleepless moms, aching moms, stressed moms...

Life happens.  I get it, I get it.

But even so...

As our Sunday School pastor says:  "if some is good, more is better."

If a little bit of Bible-reading is good, why not drench ourselves in it?

If this Means of Grace has been gifted to us, why not rip it open every morning, every year?

I think this is what C.S. Lewis mant when he famously said:

"[we are] like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

We are far too easily pleased with convenient Bible-reading tools catered for our fast-paced and busy lives.

We are far too easily pleased with the excuse that we are too busy to take the time to read through it.

We settle for a life that is ignorant of the vast richness that comes through doing this.

We are far too easily pleased.

We simply cannot imagine the richness and the spiritual growth we will experience by aggressively reading our Bibles. 

We cannot, we cannot.

You have to do it to know it!

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"

I don't want to close this post without giving a few practical suggestions for doing this--

- Use a Bible that is meant to be read in a year.  I am currently using this one and love it (it also has a kindle edition for your tablet). If you do not have a Bible that keeps the pace for you, you will not read it as fast and will then become discouraged. 

-  Try to stay ahead.  Things happen, life happens.  But if you fall behind, just spend a day or two catching up.  No big deal.

-  Depending on what book of the Bible you are currently reading through, most readings will take an average of 15 minutes.  Fifteen minutes!!  Give or take.  This is nothing!  You can do it in the morning, during lunch break, before going to bed, while the kiddos watch Curious George, etc.  Time should not be a hindering factor.

-  If you would like to begin getting in the habit of reading through your Bible now (yay!), I would recommend starting half-way through, where the date of your read-through-your-Bible Bible tells you to.  This way, when the New Year rolls around, you'll be back on track.

The simple way of making yogurt at home

I've had a tremendous response to my WHY-Wednesday post regarding making my own yogurt at home.  

In particular, I've spent a couple mornings walking different friends through the process of straining and storing yogurt after it has set overnight.  It has been so much fun being part of their excitement as they discover for themselves the thrill and empowerment that comes with making your own yogurt.

Though I referred you to some good sites that show how to make your own yogurt, I've realized through answering some friends' questions that the sites did not do a good job walking readers through the final steps of straining and storing your home-made yogurt.

Therefore, I have decided to take your hand and walk you through this very simple process of making your own yogurt.

For starters, you can use any kind of cows milk-- whole, 2%, 1% or skim milk.  Since I strain it in the end, I have found the consistency to be the same.

I use an entire whole gallon of 2% milk.

You will also need 1-2 TBSP of starter yogurt 

(live culture yogurt found in any grocery store.  After you've made your yogurt once, you can just use your homemade yogurt as your starter for your next batch)

Pour the milk in your slowcooker.

(You can also use a pan over the stove top, or even microwave.  It really does not matter as long as you are checking the temperature.  Using the stove or microwave will make the heat-up/cool-down process go much faster than when using a slowcooker)

Cover and put on high and let it sit for about 3-4 hours until it reaches at least 180F (if it reaches over this temperature, no big deal.  It will just take longer to cool down).

Once it has reached 180F, turn off the crockpot and let it cool down to 112-114F (this does not have to be too exact, but you do want it to stay close within this range).  Depending on how quickly you need it to cool down, you can either leave the lid on or off.  This will take between 1-2 hours.  

Check temperature has reached the 112-114F range.  If it has gone bellow this range, no big deal.  Just turn it back up until it's back to the temperature you want it to be.

** picture missing-- will post one later**

(If a layer of "skin" forms on top of milk, just remove after it has finished cooling down)

Take a blob of your starter yogurt-- about 1 - 2 TBSP of it.  If you've never done yogurt before, you'll need to buy it from the store.  Just regular ol' plain yogurt that has live culture.

Yogurt-making is very forgiving, so no need to measure.  I normally just scrape the sides of my yogurt container, and whatever is caught, that's what I use as my starter.

Place the starter in a little cup, pour some warm milk in it, gently stir it, then pour back into the slowcooker. 

**picture also missing**

Place lid on crockpot, wrap in a beach towel and place in the turned-off oven with light on (the light will help contain the heat which will allow the good bacteria to reproduce overnight)

Leave it in the closed oven overnight for about 10-12 hours.

When you wake up in the morning, this is what you'll find:

TA-DAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

The yogurt is at the bottom, your whey is on top.

At this point, your yogurt is already made.  You can go ahead and whisk it right then and there to make regular yogurt (it will be very runny.  Runnier than store-bought yogurt), or you can drain the whey to make greek yogurt.  

To drain, you'll need a large bowl to catch the whey, a colander, and a cloth.  I use a cheesecloth, but it can be anything-- a towel, rag, shirt.  Basically, a cloth large enough to comfortably fit over the colander.

Pour the freshly made yogurt over the colander and strain for about 20 minutes.

NOTE:  The thicker the cloth, the longer you'll need to drain.  A cheesecloth is very thin, so it drains pretty fast.

Before it begins draining--

After about 20 minutes of draining--

The whey--

Dump the drained greek yogurt back into the slowcooker--

And whisk until smooth--

 

You can always add some more whey back into the yogurt to adjust the consistency.  Just keep in mind that as it sits in the refrigerator it will become thicker. 

I like to save my whey and use it in my cooking, or toss it over my plants or compost pile if I already have too much of it.

Friends... I have made me some yogurt :)  

Two large containers full of it, for a little over $3.

On Little Man...

Our Little Man is 9 months old.  And such a gift to us.  

He began crawling for the first time last week.  Emma and I were at our Fancy Nancy birthday party when he took his first moves forward, while alone with Daddy.  

I can't get over him crawling.  He is so fun.  I set him down on the floor, and he goes off exploring.  He crawls into the living room where he finds a ball or two.  Then crawls down into the dining room table or finds Big Sister.  I know it sounds terrible to say, but it's like I have a little doggie just moving about.  He seems to be, for the most part, a pretty independent little fella. 

His two bottom teeth are completely in.  And loves showing them off!  He is quite the giggler, and put him next to Big Sister, and maaan, he will laugh and squeal the entire time.

He is getting better about eating.  I finally discovered that as long as I mix some applesauce with it, he'll eat just about anything.  This week he ate some spaghetti with meat sauce one day, and lentil soup another day (both mixed with some applesauce).  He also loves a good ripe pear.  I will cut him up some slices in the morning, and he'll gladly feed himself some.

He also likes mozzarella cheese, toast (he will not eat non-toasted bread), cheerios, and veggie straws.

We are starting to teach him to use a sippy cup, and has been pretty good at it.  We normally just put a little water in it.  He likes to imitate Big Sister.

He now takes a bottle and will drink both breast milk and formula.  We don't do this too often, but at least he does take a bottle now!

I plan on beginning to wean him next month when he turns 10 months.  I keep going back and forth with this, since I did nurse Emma for the full 12 months.  But due to a few personal reasons (mostly selfish, but it is what it is), he will more than likely be drinking fully out of a bottle or sippy cup by 10.5 months.

At his nine-month doctor's visit, here are his numbers:

Weight:  19 lbs 13 oz (50%)

Length:  28 inches (25%)

Head size:  18 inches (75%)

Thomas' firefighter birthday party

In case y'all haven't noticed, it's "party season" around here.  And we are loving it!  

In addition to our two last week, we had another one mid-week this past week (no pictures - sad - I know), and then a fourth one yesterday.

Emma's good little friend Thomas (again, more like mama's good friend's son) turned two, and celebrated it with a fire!

We met at a fire station near our house with about half a dozen other little ones running around.

The firefighters let the kids get on the trucks, blew the horn, got a tour of the station, played with some toy firetrucks, and had one fighter dress-up for the children to see their full attire. 

WHY-Wednesday: Why I loved "Moms' Night Out"

(If you don't know what movie I am talking about, please click here for the trailer.  And just as a heads up, the trailer does not do it justice.  When I first saw it, it did not appeal to me one bit)

Have you ever watched a movie and thought to yourself:  "this would have been the perfect movie had it not been for all the (unnecessary) swearing or sex-scenes"?

Moms' Night Out is that movie!  They finally made one.  A very funny and touching movie... without the bad language or unnecessary sex-scenes.  I laughed so hard and cried so much.  Did not know those two could go so well together.

Now, before I move on, let me get something out there in the open, just so you know where I am coming from--  I am NOT a fan of Facing the Giants or Fireproof.  These are what people call "Christian movies."  They are cheesy and unrealistic (in my opinion).  The Gospel is being presented and "shoved-down" our throats in the most awkward moments.  And forget about the predictability.  Extremely predictable.  In addition to preaching (in my opinion) the "prosperity gospel."

"It's the difference between a Christian movie and a movie made by Christians" -- a friend said. 

Moms' Night Out was a movie made by Christians, not the other way around.

Also--

*  It was real.  The humor was not overly exaggerated, and was relatable.

*  I am not laughing at them, but laughing with them-- you know what I mean?

* Sean, the husband of the main character (Allie), is a wonderful man.  Played by Lord of the Rings' hobbit Sean Astin, he comes across a loving, caring, and wonderful husband and father.  A fresh take to the looser, dumb, worthless, jerk father/husband-like figure Hollywood is portraying in their movies these days.

*  The plot is very well made.  It is funny and complex, all at the same time.  A combination between Steve Carell's Date Night and Steve Martin's Father of the Bride.

*  I love how the bottom-line message of this story did not come through the "perfect" stay-at-home mom, but through a single, hard-working mother.

*  It moved me.  And I think that every mother who is still "in the trenches" with little ones will be moved as well.  It penetrated my heart in an unexpected way.

*  It encouraged me to view and love the beauty of my every-day mess.

I encourage everyone who is wanting more of these kinds of movies to go out and watch it at the "big theater" (opposed to waiting for it to come out at the Dollar Theater or Redbox).

We've got to VOTE with our wallet.

ps-- this is a movie that both mothers AND fathers of all ages will enjoy, not just something to watch with your mama-friends.

Spring 2014 family pictures

Spring 2014 photo shoot. 

Fancy Nancy party

Emma had a second birthday party yesterday afternoon.  Karis had a Fancy Nancy-themed party.  The girls dressed up and played with dolls, tea sets, had fancy little tea food, and just enjoyed themselves. 

Emma and Karis.

The girls.

Ballerina birthday party

Emma's little friend Ruth Ann (well, more like mommy's friend's daughter :p ) celebrated her fourth birthday over the weekend.  She had a CUTE little ballerina party.  About one dozen little girls took a ballet class in the living room of their home and then did a ballerina craft.  It was one of the cutest things I'd seen in a long time.  Emma was very observant the entire time, mesmerized by all the tutus and new moves.

 

Little Man looking around the corner at all the girls.

Emma did not leave RA's side.

slouch

I feel like all my children's pictures these days take place in the kitchen.  I guess that's because the camera never leaves the kitchen counter.

------------------------------------------------------

This picture does not do it justice, but this is how Byron likes to eat-- all slouched up.  Oh, and another thing-- the only thing he seems to like to eat are Veggie Straws (aka- chips).

"take picture meeeeeee"