Week 3: January 15 - 21, 2010 {#Mamatography}

It was so hard to choose photos for this week's Mamatography post. It seemed like I had the camera out all of the time. And we did so much! I had the kids help me choose which picture to include and this is what we decided on:

Day 15 (1/15/12)

"I push this button!"

Little Guy was just thrilled when "Brubber" invited him to play computer games on his laptop with him. Usually, we try to keep him away from our computers because he gets over-excited AND had that "I know what I'm doing and I'm going to do it myself" attitude going. The two of those, together, usually equal a computer that is completely frozen up within minutes and hours of trying to figure out how to fix it. But, my oldest patiently kept little guy in check and found a game that would allow him to use the mouse pad easily. He had the BEST time!

Day 16 (1/16/12)

Warm Winter's Catnap

Number 1 has been in heaven lately. He comes into the house after spending a few hours in the freezing cold, gets a bite to eat, then lays down somewhere for a nap - purring the entire time. I can't help but wonder if he ran into a stray who told him he should be grateful for a warm home and food in his belly. He's been showing his appreciation in many ways, too. He knows how much I like a kitty sitting on my lap, but he never really cared for it himself. Not recently! He's been bringing up "presents" to the door (and sometimes tries to sneak them into the house) in the form of field mice. My oldest usually is the recipient of these gifts, since he's often the first one to leave the house in the morning! And, he has even been hanging out with Little Guy, who has just recently made the differentiation between stuffed animal and real animal.

Day 17 (1/17/12)

Goofball

If you're my friend on Facebook, you already know about this picture. My oldest borrowed my camera for a school project he had to do (how cool is it that he can email his homework to his teachers?!) And, while he had the camera, he had to screw around a little, right? I found about 20 goofy pictures of him and his friend on my camera after he returned it to me. I jokingly told him that he should always delete photos after uploading, or they could make their way into the wrong hands. Then I mentioned putting one of the pictures on Facebook and tagging him in it. The kid actually DARED me to do it. Well, being the mom that I am, that's exactly what I did. I started feeling bad a few minutes later, so I removed the tag (the picture is still there.) I just don't know if one of his classmates might get a hold of his goofy picture and turn it into some kind of nasty joke. So, it's on my wall and he can tag himself in it if he wants. And I'll be having prints made of these photos because they are just too fun to forget about!

Day 18 (1/18/12)

You Could Have Put Your Eye Out!

You know how you're always warning kids to be careful with scissors? Yeah... While Little Guy and I were making our Craft Idea Book, I put the scissors down for a split second. That was long enough for him to come charging across the room at full-speed to grab them. Only I was faster and snatched them up. And, as you can see by the picture, I didn't do so safely. I stabbed myself in the hand - and it was a bloody one. Little Guy's eyes were like saucers when he saw what had happened. I think that he truly did not believe me all of those times I told him that scissors are dangerous. He probably thought I was just saying it to keep him from having all of the cutting-up-paper-fun. Ever since this occurrence, though, he hasn't tried to get my scissors. And I'm on the look-out for a good pair of child safety scissors for him. It is fun to cut paper and why should I be the only one to enjoy it?

Day 19 (1/19/12)

My Very Cold Friend

It was so cold! The wind was blowing like mad and the temperature, without taking windchill into account, was 9F. We have a pair of Blue Jays that have decided to winter in the woods behind our house and I couldn't help but see this bright blue guy all puffed up and trying to stay warm when I passed the window. I tossed a handful of seeds out for him and he quickly swooped down from his perch to fill his stomach.

Day 20 (1/20/12)

The Sick Blanket

Another chilly day. Rather than heading outside, Little Guy and I had an all-day indoor camping trip. This picture was taken early on in our day. We ended up making a campfire out of paper towel tubes and tissue paper. We made beds and Little Guy took a nap in his tent. We had snacks. We even went fishing, using sticks, yarn and paper clips for hooks. We didn't catch anything and concluded that fish do not like gummy worms, so we ate the worms for "dinner", instead!

See that striped, crocheted blanket? My great-grandmother made that before I was born (I think it may even be older than my mom.) It is known as "The Sick Blanket" because that is the blanket that we used whenever we were ill and laid on the couch in the living room all day, while our mom or dad nursed us back to health. It is used for the same purpose for my kids and, hopefully, one of them will become as attached as I have to it and their kids will get to know The Sick Blanket, as well. And when we were well, that blanket made the BEST tents... Still does!

Day 21 (1/21/12)

Wintertime

This is the picture of winter in my mind. Sled and squirrel tracks in the snow. Kids' footprints, big and small. The sunshine creating those cool blue shadows that you can only see in the wintertime across the snow...














So, what did your week look like? If you'd like to join me in this endeavor, just click on the Mamatography button at the top of this post to learn more. I'll be linking this post at Diary of a First Child's Week 3 Mamatography Linky when it's posted on Wednesday (1/25), so if you'd like to see more photos you should head over!

(Trying to Be) Creative with the Camera {Wordless Wednesday}

Rainbow Sunset

Shadows in the Stairwell

Pointillism?

OK - not "camera-creative", but creative just the same. We made these bookmarks with THIS PIN as inspiration.

River of Sticks - These must have been left over from the flooding we had a few months back. The dark area is made up of a 4-inch-thick bed of twigs, dead grass, and seed pods. All of the grass & sticks were pointing in the same direction. Well, either the flooding or miniature aliens...

Mamatography - 366 Pictures in 2012

I love taking photos, want to learn more about using my digital camera, and keep a journal in pictures for the year. That's why I've decided to join Luschka of Diary of a First Child in her Mamatography 2012 Challenge. I will take a photo each day that kind of reflects what our day was like, whether it's the pile of dirty dishes that I repeatedly walked past (feeling guilty) or a project that the kids and I worked on.

This is a creative challenge, so you can go anywhere with it! Maybe you want to take a photo of your kids next to the same wall every single day to show how they've grown, or perhaps you want to take some risks and attempt to take an artsy photo each day? Whatever floats your boat goes here. And, if you miss a week or two - no problem. Just pick up when you can. You can post just photos, captions, or even little explanatory paragraphs of each picture. (I think this will help me with my major UN-Wordless Wednesday problem!)

I've just learned of this challenge today, so I may not have all of the facts straight yet. But, from what I can understand, there will be a linky posted on Diary of a First Child on Wednesdays to link up. If you're interested in taking part, you can visit THIS POST to learn more and sign up.

Let me know if you plan to join and I'll try to make it to check out your progress every week! 

A "Real" Post! {Finally!!!}

Man, my whole week has been nuts! It would seem that I got in way over my head. Well, actually, things wouldn't have been so screwed up if I hadn't caught a nasty cold a couple of weeks ago. You never realize how great it feels to be healthy until you're sneezing, coughing, and trying to keep up with a little one - all while trying to let a fever do it's work to kill the germs inside!

Had all gone smoothly, I'd have managed to write one giveaway sponsor's review and a "real" post everyday. That was the plan. But, I found myself writing nothing, then trying to get all of the sponsor posts up before the hop. I was up until 5am on Friday morning putting the finishing touches on the Made in Michigan Giveaway Hop post - just in time. I still have one more review post to write and another great Etsy giveaway to post by tomorrow. Then, things will calm down around here. I'll be able to get the Mindful Parenting Collaboration post written (I did manage to get my inner work done while sick!) and a few other posts that I've been meaning to write taken care of. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back on track soon!

Other than being sick, I've been getting ready for Halloween! Last weekend, our town had a really great Harvet Festival - complete with Trick-or-Treating at the small businesses downtown. It is so neat to watch Little Guy's eyes light up at every single Tootsie Roll and Twizzler. He smiled HUGELY at every stop (I don't think he could stop smiling!) and his "Thank You" to everyone was so genuine! You see, we don't do a lot of candy around here, though I don't completely outlaw it. Up until this summer, in fact, fruit leather and raisins were referred to as "candy".

Today, the farmer's market held their own Trick-or-Treating! So, Little Guy got to dress up in his really cool Thomas costume again and get FREE CANDY from the vendors he's come to know all over the summer.

Oh, and we decorated pumpkins last night. Check out this post to see how we do pumpkins around here. It's more economical - and safer - than carving!

Showing off how strong he is!

And, finally, here are a couple of pictures I managed to catch this morning that ended up being nice little surprises when I uploaded them from my camera:

The River Raisin this morning. I really like getting photos of the river when the reflection in the water comes out so beautifully.

I love this one! The flower vendor has a blue tarp over her stall this morning. I just love how everything in the picture has that blue hue to it except the flowers.

8daysOfTreasures - Review and Extra (Easy) Entry {#MadeInMichigan}

This is a review for one of my sponsors of the Made in Michigan Blog Giveaway Hop, which will take place from October 28 – November 2. I will be offering my readers the chance to win a (Hand)Made in Michigan prize package worth nearly $200! Please take a moment to read about this wonderful Etsy shop and then fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a very easy extra entry into the giveaway.




 This Etsy shop is very aptly named. 8daysOfTreasures is filled with a variety of amazing items! What first caught my eye in this shop, based in Mount Pleasant, were the Moss Terrariums. If you know me, you know my inclination toward anything that has to do with nature. But these aren't just any old terrariums. Their containers are beautiful and come in just about every shape and size imaginable. The shop's owner, Stephanie, up-cycles jars, pitchers, and even salt and pepper shakers into little ecosystems that you can watch grow and flourish. The moss is collected from her own yard, then layered in the containers with carbon, small pebbles, and soil. The carbon works to keep everything clean. All you have to do is mist with water once or twice a week and enjoy your own little bit of Michigan!

But that's not all you'll find at 8daysOfTreasures. You'll discover some beautiful handmade jewelry and scarves, too! I especially love the eclectic mixture of glass, bone, shell, and wood beads used to make the bracelets. Each one is unique and the mixture of different textures and colors all come together to create a one-of-a-kind work of art. 

 
And I cannot forget to mention the huge assortment of Vintage and Antique items that Stephanie has collected for your shop-at-home pleasure! You'll find everything from glass candy dishes to antique books, vintage jars to candy dishes. I swear, this portion of 8daysOfTreasures reminds me of my grandmother's house! I used to drink "coffee" (hot cocoa with a few drops of decaf  sprinkled on top) in a cup just like the one on the right!


And I've saved the very best for last: Stephanie is a very talented photographer. She's managed to capture some wondrous bits of Michigan that I could look at for hours. She has beautiful photos of forests, trees, and amazing autumn leaves. Then there are those shots of wildlife that I could wait a lifetime for the opportunity to come across (then somehow manage to blur into obscurity!) I mean, you have got to check out this Frog - the colors almost make him (?) appear to be metallic! And don't even get me started on her abstract photos - simply breathtaking! And here's the great part - you can order her work in just about any size/form imaginable. From a basic 4" x 6" photo to a large 20" x 24" canvas print to a jigsaw puzzle! You can see the many other options at the shop policies page. Check out the beautiful photos that I had the pleasure to receive for this review:

 "8daysOfTreasures", as I said before, really describes Stephanie's Etsy shop better than any other name I could think of. I mean, really, you could probably get the majority of your holiday shopping done all at once. And her prices are so low... PLUS, she's currently holding a sale - you can get a whopping 20% off your entire order simply by entering the code: AUTUMNSALE11 at checkout until November 30! And, to stay informed of new items and sales (plus to get ahead on the Made in Michigan entries), you can find 8daysOfTreasures on Facebook!

  I received a set of 4"X6" photographs for the purpose of writing this review, which will become part of the giveaway prize. I received no other form of compensation. All opinions are my own.

Keeping It Wordless This Time! {Wordless Wednesday}

Natural Art {Wordless Wesnesday}

Now, I'm not "into" spiders or anything, but I hold them in high esteem. It just amazes me to look at their webs and see all of the hard work and precision that goes into each one. Often, I'll see a web in a tree when we go for walks and I'll just stop and look at it. Of course, no one else can see it, so everyone treats me like I'm nuts, "What are you looking at?!" They should know better than to ask silly questions like that, I'm obviously looking at something interesting that they've passed up because they were too busy walking from Point A to Point B without bothering to take notice of the scenery on the way. Anyway, here's my Wordless (ha ha) Wednesday post - I thought October would be appropriate for it:

Mid-morning in my garden.

This is actually TWO Daddy Long Leg spiders, head-to-head. I don't know if they were being extra friendly or fighting to the death. Sorry for the fuzzy pic. It's just such a rare thing to observe that I had to share it!

There was an entire clearing in the woods with about ten of these giant weeds covered in webs just like this one. The photos of the collection didn't come out right - It's hard to take pictures of webs without the right light!

The spider is top, center. Waiting to trap the silly bug that attempts to land anywhere near him/her.

This one's waiting to jump out and catch his/her dinner, too.

We came upon this one at Sterling State Park, right on Lake Erie. I've never seen a spider like this before!

Who's Been Messing With My Camera?! {Wordless Wednesday}

Earlier this week, Dulce de Leche posted a photo that one of her kids took when they got hold of her phone onto her Facebook wall. It got me thinking about all of the photos I have just like that. Why haven't I deleted them? I guess they represent a little part of growing up that I don't want to erase. So, without further ado... Surprise Photos on My Camera

The Basement?!

Blankets on the Bed

Looks like Zee from Nick Jr. on TV

Little Fingers

More Bed

Sleeping Kitty

Oldest Got the Camera

Guess Who!

I Think This is My Oldest - Weird Looking...

Umm... I Wonder Who THIS IS... (saving it for a "Why Kids Shouldn't Drink" post - JK!)

The End of an Era... And the Start of a New One {#WorldBreastfeedingWeek}

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I'm done with breastfeeding... forever. It's a bittersweet realization. I'll never have a little one smiling up at me, sharing a special bond ever again. Yeah, I'm done having babies. Little Guy weaned about a month ago, at 32 months. I knew it was coming. He'd go a few days without even asking. Then, suddenly, he'd need it constantly. But, the need to nurse slowly dissipated as he changed from a toddler to a little boy.

The final blow was his first full-blown cold. Yeah, he'd never been sick before this. Maybe the occasional runny nose or fever that lasted 2-3 days, but I blame those on teething - a new tooth always popped out withing a few days of his "illness". Oh, did I mention that the only vaccine he's ever had was for polio. (It's a terrible disease that is still around. We live near an international airport and come into contact with a lot of tourists. Plus, his grandparents remember all too clearly the effect that polio had on friends, family, and even themselves.) ANYWAY, I attribute his perfect health to breastfeeding - I can't tell you how many illnesses I had that were never passed on. But, I believe that his first cold can be attributed to the lack of nursing. Once his nose was completely blocked and remedies only lasted a few minutes, he just gave up on breastfeeding. I wanted so much to use it as a comfort to him, but it was not to be.

I noticed a direct correlation between his growing independence and weaning. He had started potty training around the same time. We stopped using the stroller when we went somewhere - he could walk (or run!) everywhere. He got into the "No helping me! I do it myself!" stage. He was ready.

My oldest son, who is now 13, quit nursing when he was 15 months old. It coincided with his learning to walk. As soon as he could get himself from here to there, he decided he didn't want to nurse anymore. I was fine with it - I was working full time in a restaurant. He refused to take breast milk from a bottle or a cup, so my husband would bring him to where I worked (thankfully it was only a few blocks from our home) during my breaks so he could be nursed. It was getting tedious - I never really got a break from someone needing something from me. As soon as the nursing session was over, I was back to the customers.

I describe the end of our nursing relationship as "bittersweet" because I was beginning to feel chained down. I was the only one who could put him to bed. I was the only one he would come to when he needed some affection. My husband was beginning to feel very left out. Plus, Little Guy had this habit of clamping down when he fell off to sleep. As if he knew that once he was out, I'd get up from the bed. Oh, and if someone made a loud noise, the telephone rang, or he heard a train outside our window, I knew I'd get bit! Toddler teeth are very sharp and there were many occasions when I'd have to put a little band-aid on one of my nipples. Sexy!!!!

I'm going to miss the closeness we shared, but there are new ways for us to spend special time together. Little Guy loves sitting on my lap and hearing stories. His imagination has grown to the point where I can read him stories from books without pictures and he is following my words closely. I know he's understanding because he'll often stop me from reading to ask a question or add to the story. How cool is that? And, while he's in my lap, he loves sitting in his old nursing position. We still get to share those special smiles.Oh, and even my oldest still has breastfeeding ingrained in him - when I check on him in the middle of the night, he makes little suckling noises in his sleep. I know those noises and remember them clearly - way back to when he was just a tiny little one.

I'm going to really miss breastfeeding. Since it has just started to become an "alternative" to bottles in our area, I'm finding that many pregnant and new moms are asking my advice. I never thought of myself as an ameture lactation consultant, but that seems to be a new part for me to play. In fact, I recently received a phone call from a woman I'd never met before. Screaming newborn in the background, all she could do was cry into the receiver. She finally managed to tell me she couldn't get her little one to eat. I was able to talk her through a nursing session over the phone and she came over to my house as soon as the baby was full - before the next feeding was due. We talked and I was floored by the misinformation she had been fed - by friends, family, and even her doctors. I helped her understand why these "facts" were merely opinions and gave her real facts. I helped her through the next feeding and she left smiling, with a baby who was sound asleep!

I'm going to address these "facts" that she had believed in another post. They are the ones I have heard over and over - in person, online, from health 'professionals', and from well-meaning friends and family. Hopefully, it will help a new mom who is struggling in a misinformed community with no real advice coming toward her.


***Sorry there are no pics. I do not have any. I'm the picture-taker in the family. Please, if you're the family photographer and are still nursing - MAKE someone take pictures of you nursing. I feel cheated that I don't have any, now that it's too late to do anything about. :-(

***

I’m celebrating World Breastfeeding Week with Natural Parents Network!
You can, too — link up your breastfeeding posts from August 1-7 in the linky below, and enjoy reading, commenting on, and sharing the posts collected here and on Natural Parents Network.

(Visit NPN for the code to place on your blog.)

By Myself {Wordless Wednesday 6/29}

Trying to keep it as "wordless" as possible... but you know me! LOL

While Daddy and Little Guy went to search for cans (MI has a 10-cent return!) for some piggy bank money,  I had a chance...

 ...to relax!

...to enjoy a family of Canada Geese that I've been watching grow since spring.

...to listen to the swallows and crickets as the sun set!