Summers Here! Time for some swimsuit DRAMA!

We recently moved to Alaska, I know what you are thinking, "who the heck needs a swim suit in Alaska!?!?" I'm with you, but... The sun came out and warmed us right up!

 

See?!? Look how warm it got! So we threw on our swimsuits and headed to the indoor pool. Score! And by swimsuits I mean my kids threw on their swimsuits from last year and I threw on a sports bra and spandex shorts. Stylin' I know. 

So we enjoyed a few hours of floating, splashing and some good old fashioned water phobia. It. Was. Awesome. Naturally our next stop was a clothing store to get a better fitting swimsuit for my oldest. After minimal discussion with my husband we agreed she will not be rocking the two piece for modesty reasons. I'm her mom, she's five, I can do that. 

But then it got me thinking. And I took to Facebook. 

Of course a few friends and family weighed in, and argued their opinions...I am not posting all of that here but I added a few of them.

Lots of good points were made, but I couldn't justify "two pieces are for adults, one pieces are for little girls" because WHY??? Why are two pieces for adults? Why do we get to flaunt our bodies?

Some said to give her appropriate choices, sure, I like that, but it still begs my question, WHAT ABOUT ME? Tank tops and swim shorts is a good idea for bathroom breaks, but she wasn't exactly interested in any of those anyway. Maybe next year. 

I wish I could've posted more of the comments but was having trouble protecting certain identities. 

Bottom line, what I liked the most was the very first comment I got LEAD BY EXAMPLE. I personally can feel good and honest about telling my daughter NO to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, tattoos and other LEGALLY subjected things. But I do my best not to say NO because I said so. I like to have a reason for my yes's and my no's.

So, I bought a one piece, actually, my husband bought me one!! My husband once told me one piece swimsuits for adult women were ugly and unflattering so to have him buy me one after I told him my conclusion from all this was to wear a one piece you can imagine the level of swooning I reached over his understanding and support. 

Isn't it beautiful?? 

(It's not the best lighting and it's wrinkled but I still love it!)

Ok so that really wasn't DRAMA...But I am curious, what type of suit do you and your little ones wear and what are your opinions on the matter?

Caution Heartbreak Ahead-Preparing for Charlie's imminent Surgery

Today my niece had to have emergency surgery to reattach the tip of her finger. I can not imagine the pain and emotions her parents endured in just those few hours of the initial trauma and surgery. I can't even imagine how they are coping now after so much has happened. I can however, find happiness in the fact that they rely so well on God and his power and grace.  My niece is a month older than Charlie.

When I was pregnant with Charlie we learned about a condition she had that "could be no big deal and could be serious". Gee, thanks for the peace of mind. Charlie has a kidney disfunction and deformity that grants her routine trips to see a Pediatric Urologist and all the invasive tests her doctor wants, so far we at about 3 different ones. Isn't life grand. At first her visits were few and far between and it was made to seem that we were in the "no big deal" category. We were pending a move, thanks to my job, and now looking back it seems the medical personnel there just didn't want to deal with us and get us out the door. Once at our new home, the great state of Alaska, we quickly learned that we were more in the "could be serious" category than the other. Charlie got a really bad UTI and we learned that the previous medical facility failed to mention a UTI in December that had gone untreated. Since the second UTI Charlie has been on a prophylactic dose of an antibiotic with ridiculous side affects! But, she needs it, so she gets it.

Around Charlie's first birthday we will see the doctor again, not before undergoing another round of invasive tests that she's done before but doesn't mean it's easier. The doctor said at that appointment we will discuss the intricacies of her surgery, what exactly he'll have to remove or "fix", where it will be, WHEN it will be. He said the older the better but not too old as one of her kidneys function isn't the best.

After learning about my niece this morning and praying and crying and praying some more I started to wonder. What is easier? Or is it ever easier? To have the long wait and build to the surgery or to rush in to surgery and with in hours be emotionally drained? Every time we talk to the doctor about the surgery or Charlie's failing organ I want to cry (sometimes I do). How could my baby, my perfect, adorable baby really have something wrong with her? She LOOKS normal. She ACTS normal.

So, I wonder, if you've been through a surgery on your child, what were the conditions and how did you handle the wait or the rush?

I don't feed my baby

Ok, so I lied, I do feed my baby. But this whole who feeds what to their baby is just getting out of hand. 

That phrase "breastmilk is love turned into food..." Is irritating. Milk is food, nutrition, period. I've talked to so many moms who feel less than because of the way they feed their baby. If you make milk and want to give it your baby, great, that's what it's there for. If you don't make milk or choose to give your baby formula, great, that's what it's there for. IF you decide not to feed your baby, shame on you. That's the ONLY reason moms and dads should be made to feel less than.  

A night in my sleepless-ish life

I need sleep. It's true, I need sleep, as much sleep as I can get. Which happens to not be much. 

My two older kids both slept through the night at 3 months old. They both slept from 8 pm until 4-5 am which was right at the time I had to get up to get ready for work. It was awesome! So, naturally, I assumed the same from Miss Charlie girl. No can do, says Charlie. Here we are at 7 months still waking and fussing all night. I've given in to the pacifier. Which has worked WONDERS. But she still wakes and needs a helping hand putting it back in her mouth. And then there's Mr. Ben...Ohhh Mr. Ben, you are loved for sure. Ben has been waking up between 2 and 4 am to sleep with me. This normally would not be a problem, however, at this point he has already gone pee and not in the toilet. So, sometimes, I get up, change him, change the blankets and sit next to him until I think he is asleep. Then he continues to come back toward my room and we repeat the sit and wait a couple times. Some may be wondering where my husband is. Well,eventually my husband gets up sends him to his room and Ben is never heard from again. But poor Ben I think, then I quickly remember I'm tired so I try to close my eyes, just in time for my alarm to go off. Ugh! I need sleep!

Oh and just to add to the fun, I'll be on a 24 hour duty on Thursday. 

They definitely don't want you sleeping there. 

This is my unamused, still needing sleep look. 

Always the hardest part...The Title

Writing is an outlet for me. It's an opportunity to form my words and change my words without "saying" something that could leave someone upset at something misspoken. I love to write. I've written in multiple fashions but it seems the title is always where I find myself stuck. WHAT?!?! I have to name my words? Ha! Not likely. These words can not be tamed or summarized.

In any case. Now that we've learned that my titles will not be sufficient and solely added for the purpose of publishing a post, let's move on. If you've looked around you'll find my posting is sporadic at best, I've decided to attempt to write a bit more frequently because I have a lot going on right now and, as we've already covered, writing is an outlet for me.

Not much has changed in my life. I've added a kid, so that's cool. We live in Alaska now, per my awesome job. My husband had to settle for his Associate of Arts degree in Graphic Design also per my job. Yay, him. On a related note, anyone need a freelancing graphic designer? He's all kinds of awesome. The kids are a chip off the old block, awesome. Ady, Ben and Charlie light up my world. Which, if you are familiar with the Anchorage, Alaska area you already know, will come in handy in the winter months.

We'll move on with specifics later, but until then, whats going on in your life? Let's get interactive.

Life gets tough

It's been pretty crazy around here lately but this song has really been helping me through a lot. 

Now this is where you really gotta belt it out...

Just say JESUS!!! He knows your heart and everything that concerns you. He wants wants to love you and pick up all your pieces. Just call out His name. 

A Stunningly Shallow Woman

All my life I've wanted and longed to be stunning. I wanted to be the girl or woman that caught every eye as she walked into the room. I prayed God would just immensely bless me and make me physically irresistible. How shallow, right? Yep, that's probably why I'm not. And it sucks. Not that I'm not pretty. I admire the body and beauty my God has blessed me with. I even catch a glimpse of that shallow, stunningly gorgeous woman from time to time. God has a sense of humor. What sucks is that I want it so bad that it is ruining my life. Chasing my loved ones away and eatin away at my soul. The devil knows this is a weak spot for me so he nags and belittles and reminds me of my mediocre beauty. Even as my husband, the one person who should think the world of me, compliments me, I counter with degrading thoughts. 

I am not enough of a beautiful woman, right? I am not pretty enough. I am not tall enough. Not short enough. I do not have enough curves. I do not have skin that is smooth enough. You catch my drift. 

Ady Just Said...

"Don't you know you have to go McDonalds to get a toy?!?!"

This was said after getting Jack in the Box for dinner and discovering...gasp...only food in her children's meal.

Guess it's time to step up your game Jack in the Box...

We found it...The perfect diaper

My husband and I, oh who am I kidding, *I* have been buying cloth diapers since 2010. It doesn't seem that long but I probably averaged 5 diapers a month if not more. My husband hated this. He wanted to buy a bunch of one kind of diaper and stick with it.

Well ladies and gents, it seems we have found it...THE PERFECT DIAPER.

We are both in agreement that the TotsBots EasyFit diaper is by far the most perfect diaper on the market. It is so much easier than a disposable too! I love the velcro version. I bought one in a small boutique in North Carolina in 2010 and that is probably the only diaper that has not given my any trouble to date. The manufacturing of it is superb. I only wish it was manufactured in the US because, of course, I am, as you know, American! But other than that flaw it has none! I love that you can stuff the diaper with more cloth if you need a more absorbant diaper and when you wash it the insert doesn't go flying away.

Best diaper ever! Any questions?

I can't remember the last time I...

I can't remember the last time I took a shower with out being watched by a 2 year old.
Showering today my 2 year old stood in between the clear plastic curtain and the show-off fabric curtain watching me, trying to convince me to let her get in with me.
It was my own fault, I told her she could come upstairs. But it got me thinking, I couldn't remember the last time I showered with out her beautiful eyes taking me in. She is so curious and intent on not letting me out of her sight.
Then again, my husband gives her baths every night, essentially watching her as she "bathes" so maybe she thinks it is common practice to ensure a bather is being watched while they get clean.