Winterizing Wardrobes

Now that the days have been 100 degrees and under, for like 3 days straight, I realized it is time to start winterizing Bear's wardrobe. Also, we are going to visit my sister in Little Rock, which is about 30 degrees cooler there. 

I have Fridays off so Bear and I hit up H&M, which is a GREAT place for kids clothes. They have a section of organic pieces : 3 for $12. I can't buy second-hand clothes for that price! I generally have a rule about paying too much for his clothes that he won't wear in a month or two, so I love being able to find little fashion forward pieces for him.  

I bought these little mustard yellow jean at Baby GAP when Bear was just a few months old. I knew he wouldn't be needing jeans for a while because of our scalding summers, so I bough 6-12 months. I pulled them out a few weeks ago. As you can see, past the adorableness, they are squeezing his little baby belly a little too tightly. 

So, here's a tip: don't spend $24.99 on a pair of baby jeans. 

H&M has them now for $9.95 if you can find them in your wee one's size. I unfortunately could not, therefore, he now has blue pants.

But if you think that striped onsie is cute, well, that I got as part of the 3 for $12 deal! Major Score!

In need of distraction : Teething

My little guy is getting his first tooth! Bottom left! He hardly lets me look at it, but cannot stop me from sticking my finger in his mouth to feel it. As exciting (and frightening) as this time is for me, it's really hard on Bear. He whines most of the day, and wakes up 3 times during the night. 

Yesterday he woke up from his afternoon nap and nothing would make him happy. It broke my heart, and made me reflect his mood. I thought enough is enough! So Pat and I loaded the crying boy into his stroller and went to the park near our house.

As it was the first day of fall, and tempuratures were remarkably under 100 degrees, the park was swarming with children. Bear LOVES children. He loves to watch them, and interact when he can. His mood immediately changed for the better. I could still tell he was in pain, but he was distracted enough for a little fun.

We put him in the swings for the first time ever and I really think he enjoyed the first couple pushes! Then we put his little feeties in the sand! He wasn't so sure about that... But was intrigued.

After we left the park we gave Bear a bath and got him ready for bed. Another great form of distraction were his books. And he really loves books! He likes me to read them over and over and over. Then he tries to turn the pages... Which he is getting better at.

Today I bought Natural Orajel to try out. I hope it gives my little Bear some peace tonight. I hate to see him in any sort of pain or discomfort. And, as my dear father said, "All this AND the damned tooth will fall out and [I'll] have to pay a buck for it!"

 

Getting back to our roots

On Tuesday Pat cancelled our DirecTV. After a moment of OMFG that was a knee-jerk reaction, I was really happy he did it. (Um, hello? Sister Wives Season Finale is coming up!?!?!?) 

Now, I don't plan to be the hipster who says, "Nah man, we don't have cable," and then go home to stream stuff on Hulu+. I totally plan on having Hulu+ and enjoying every minute of it. But what streaming vs cable provides is a consciousness in my TV time. I am not going to sit in front of HGTV to watch another House Hunters just because it's on. I have spent far too many evenings wasted in front of 60" of garbage. 

Not to mention the commercials that are not child friendly. As an adult, I think they are pretty clever. As a parent I think they are totally inappropriate. Have you see the one where the little boy asks his mom how the baby got in her belly? Well, I don't think that should be presented by an insurance agency. Just sayin'.

Anyway, when Pat and I first moved in together, we didn't have cable. We didn't have a visible TV at all. We spent most of our nights on our teeny tiny back porch drinking wine, playing dominoes, and talked about things that really mattered. We were productive and in-tune with one another. 

I am looking forward to that again. We both know we function better as a couple without the boob tube working its way in as the third wheel. 

Now we can focus more on our family, our house and our hobbies. And, we are saving an additional $70 a month. I'm not going to scoff at that! 

Unoriginal creative

Growing up in small town Idaho, I would say I was the "creative" one in my group of friends. I was surrounded by cheerleaders, soccer players, stoners, Mormons, geniuses and preppy kids- if I were to classify them. Although we all dabbled in being poets, terrible, terrible poets, I was the one that took Art, Photography, Drama and Yearbook. I nearly did not graduate high school because I managed not to take Health and PE until my senior year! I was so late in the game, Health had to be taken online on the new fangled Blackboard so I could receive the credits in a condensed period of time. As for the Sciences, I took Astronomy when everyone else took Chemistry. I have no idea about the periodic chart, but ask me about Pleiades any day!

Because of my love for theater, I started college as a Drama Major, with the intent to be an awesome junior high Drama Teacher, inspired by my own. I realized after the first semester, I was not cut out for it. Being one of the best in my high school was peanuts on the university level. My confidence fizzled and I was onto the Graphic Design Major the next semester. I loved learning about type, and even taking Art 101. It isn't hard to excel in those courses, but when it came to my drawing class and painting class, again, my skills were soon dwarfed by my fellow students. Additionally, I was having a hard time keeping up with my classes due to a broken back & chronic migraines. Needless to say, I quit school and was unable to return once I started working full time.

I didn't realize it at the time, but by quitting school and removing myself from a creative space, I was creating a void in my life. It has taken a lot of life changes to realize what that void was, but there was always a sense of something missing.

Patrick has been a real force behind me finding my creative side again. There are so many things I have wanted to do, but I haven't had the gumption to start the projects. After seeing him go for the things he wants, I have decided to follow suit!

I have had an idea for years and years that I have wanted to do. It very much has to do with leather working, and once again, I feel like I am behind in the game. There are so many people that have already honed in on this craft and I am just starting out, and I feel like I have no one to teach me. I see what these creatives are doing and again, I feel unoriginal.

That's just the thing though. Growing up as the "creative" friend, I didn't have many people surpassing me. I am not saying I was the best, I was just a big enough fish in a very small pond. Once surrounded by great people, I start to feel like a guppy. My fellow bloggers are better bloggers, my Pinterest and Tumblr inspirations are far superior in their craft than I am.

But, that is just today. I am working hard to take what inspiration I get from them to create my own original ideas. I am working at being a better self starter and better creative example for my son. I will not be discouraged because I am behind right now. There is so much time to be a leader, a though provoker, and an inspiration. I hope to be all of these things - especially in my  son's eyes.