Squeaky Clean!

From last night's bath... little did we know at the time that just a few hours later the B man would be up screaming bloody murder for over an hour. ***teething*** Inconsolable... not a sucker, not an ice cube, nor a cold washcloth, and not even nursing would calm this sweet thing down. Finally around midnight I decided to try the car. He fell asleep... I only got four hours of sleep. And the sleep I did get was spent on the floor of the living room with the door to the garage cracked so I could hear B when he woke from his slumber in the car. *humph* Hoping for a better night tonight! :)

Green can be easy

While recently reading one of my favorite blogs, Crunchy Domestic Goddess, I read her green tip of week encouraging readers to shut down their computers at night. Makes sense, right? Just like humans, machines need breaks too. According to Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess, "By turning off your computer instead of leaving it in sleep mode, you can save 40 watt-hours per day. That adds up to 4 cents a day, or $14 per year. This will prevent carbon dioxide emissions from heating up the atmosphere (AKA global warming)."

With an extra $14 I could buy one of the following:

• Almost a whole jumbo package of P*ampers diapers
• A few new pairs of panties from Aunt Vicki's
• A bottle of A*veda shampoo (Can you say Rosemary Mint?!)
• A ticket admitting one adult into the zoo... plus a couple dollars to go toward an ice cream cone!

Amy also mentioned a blog that has 50 Ways to Help the Planet. This is a great site that has tons of easy-to-adapt-to green living ideas. Check it out!

Of the 50, I currently:

1. Recycle
2. Hang dry my clothes... mainly because I'm paranoid that things will shrink.
3. Wash in cold or warm 90% of the time
4. Can you say duplex when it comes to printing?
5. Use cruise control whenever possible
6. Lump as many errands into one trip as possible... also keeping in mind that this can be rather difficult with a 10-month-old in tow
7. Keep the fireplace damper closed (Be sure to open it when in use!)
8. Donate and buy re-sale items
9. Use rechargeable batteries

Ways I'd like to make an effort to do for Mother Earth (although, I'm not promising)

1. Not pre-heat the oven before baking/cooking. Truthfully I've always thought this was a waste of time and resources!
2. Use cloth diapers-- if I were a stay at home mom I would definitely go the cloth route, but frankly I don't have the time nor the energy to convince my husband and my sitter that it is a great alternative.
3. Telecommute!!! I'd love love love to do this! And, it would be totally possible with my job... *sigh* perhaps some day. For now I'll have to be patient, put in my time and pray

Update...

Meredith went Home to be with her Heavenly Father on the morning of April 22. Please continue to keep her family and friends in your prayers as they grieve the loss of their loved one, yet rejoice in her Home going.

Pray...

My dear friend April's best friend, Meredith is dying. Meredith was diagnosed in May 2006 with colorectal cancer . Meredith, who is 25 years old, is days away from her home going. While I've only met Meredith a handful of times through A and A's wedding, I can't help my heart from aching for her.

Please visit her Web site to read her journey of courage, strength and faith in God the Father. May peace, comfort and love overwhelm Meredith, her husband Justin, her parents, sister, family and friends at this time.

We're smitten for each other!

Here are a couple recent photos...

"Elephant, elephant tell me who do you love? Oh you know it's my mama that I love..."

My little man... funny little bunny.

Taking food for granted...

Do you take accessible nutritious foods for granted? I know I do. I even take for granted the opportunity to make and provide milk to nurish Bryce.

I just checked my long-time friend's blog. Katie is a first year missionary in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa. She is a beautiful girl on the inside and outside, and more importantly has a genuine desire to share God's faithfulness through loving on others. Her most recent post touched my heart as a child of the King and as a mother. Take a couple minutes to read how a new mom has been unable to feed her darling baby.

No doubt Katie (and many others) are doing great things in Africa, and even more so it is obvious that GOD is doing awesome things through her!

May I hunger for the Lord each day... "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." -- Matthew 5:6

Vote for Our Little Man!

As posted on before... take a moment to visit The Twinkies Photo Contest and vote for Bryce. (It's listed under Katie) The photo with the most votes wins a $10 gift card to A*mazon, which I would use toward the purchase of a new book for Bryce.

Vote for Bryce!

An Opportunity to Spread the Breastfeeding Gospel

Today and for the next couple days I am attending some FEMA training and, therefore, working from a remote location. The last time I was at this particular location for a workshop the staff allowed me to pump in the conference room. This morning I reintroduced myself to the receptionist and reminded her of our last encounter a few months ago. Unfortunately today the private, and more importantly not-a-bathroom-conference-room was booked all day. She did however let me pump in a cubicle on the other side of her desk. While not an entirely private location, I was so thankful for a spot with an electrical outlet and chair to do my "duty." I was also glad I had a sweater so I could express more discretely. It's one thing to bare your breast while nursing a baby... it's an entirely different scenario to expose yourself while pumping. Yikes!

I thanked her for the accommodations and told her how grateful I was to not have to make my baby's food in a dirty bathroom. After my mid-morning milking session, the reception started asking me about breastfeeding, how I store my milk, whether or not I breastfeed or just pump and offer a bottle, and how long I plan to breastfeed. It was obvious that if she does have children she did not nurse them. That said- I was so glad to have been able to give her some basic knowledge about nursing, including the benefits for baby and mom. I really look at every opportunity that I have to talk about breastfeeding as a chance to educate and normalize breastfeeding. My goal is not to force my beliefs on any one, although I do believe that breast is best.

If you're a breastfeeding mama or papa don't be ashamed! Spread the word that breast is best! :)