no car week, how it went

 I wouldn't say it was a compete failure, but it didn't go quite how I imagined either. To quickly own up to things, yes, I drove my car. Multiple times. Most of those times were for good reason. Toward the end, it came more down to being worn out, not just me, but my kids too.

So I guess, I didn't drive my car this week, except for when i drove to...

-Austin (3 hrs) to help my brother unload his moving van
-Conroe (1 hr) to go boating
-the grocery store, the one far away has the best produce/prices
-meet up with friends to go swimming
-buy ice cream with my buddy visiting from Dallas, very important!
-to run around town getting paperwork from girls I work with at church so we can go horseback riding

So, those are the times I drove my van. Full disclosure. It was harder in some ways, but easier in others. My legs are pretty worn out. Towing my kids behind me all over town has taken it's toll. However, the short trips to take Jeff to school, to church activities, to the gym... those weren't too bad. I realized that I can probably continue to only bike for some of those types of things. At least, until it gets too hot.

We're going to continue on our little adventure, allowing ourselves to drive when we need to drive. I think it'll make for toned calves, and a smaller gas bill. Also considering investing in something like this...

The first day, sans car

I have to admit, doing this whole thing probably sounds a lot more ambitious than it is. I live less than a mile from the following:

-Jeff's school
-Nate's pre-school
-Walmart
-the church
-Lowe's
-the park
-the health food store
-Walgreen's
-another park
-the gym
-the swimming pool
-Dairy Queen... that one's a must :)

So really, there isn't much reason for me to drive at all. Scott has a three mile ride to school, but he's been doing that since we moved here. The only hardship, really is the rain.

Yesterday went pretty well. Here's some things I observed:

-Nate scares me to death when he veers all over the road on his bike while cars are passing
-Jeff does a pretty good job of following and not veering
-Gracie does a fine job of sitting on her throne inside the cozy bike trailer
-Nate hates it when I make him ride in the bike trailer to give my heart a rest
-Speeding cars ignite a little bit of anger inside of me - very nearly chased one down
-Walking Jeff to school was peaceful and enjoyable - it's nice to slow down a bit
-It's really not that bad to ride in the rain

Day one, is a success!

No car, just bikes

We've been toying with this idea for a while. We live close to everything we need. Why not park our car and try to make it without. We've had reasons to NOT go forward with it. Rain. Laziness... Okay, maybe not as many reasons as I thought. Anyway, we finally decided that since it's "bike to work week" this week would be as good as any to give it a try.

We'll be putting our keys away, and using our bikes and bike trailer (maybe two if we can get one on loan) to get around town as a family. I'm excited and a little nervous. Can we do it? I think so. I hope so, otherwise anyone who reads this will know I'm a complete wuss. I just don't think I could handle that. So, onto the adventure. I'll let you know how it goes.

Peace out,
Sadie

My marathon

Here's a link to my marathon blog. It gives all the details about my recent run. :)

Enjoy!

Sadie

http://thebattleofthemarathon.blogspot.com

Average

I had an epiphany this week...

If there's one thing about me that I understand very well, it is that I am a very average person in almost every aspect of my life. And I'm okay with that. This isn't a post to solicit moral boosting comments. This is also not a post to suggest that we shouldn't seek the be the best we can be.

Let me explain. I do a lot of things. I would say I'm well-rounded. However, being well-rounded takes time. The time it takes to become an expert in something usually takes about 10,000 hours.

So if I spend the next ten years practicing something for three hours a day, I can become an expert in that subject... Three hours a day. For TEN years! So that basically means that if I live to be 100 years old, and my entire life I work diligently to master skills, I might get about ten.

You can see why this would be a problem for someone who likes to do a LOT of things. If I divide my time too much, I may never become any good at anything. So in essence, I have to come to understand, that I am average. And that is okay. I'm average at a lot of things. Hopefully things that matter.

And THIS is where the epiphany comes. I have learned recently that a gift/talent has been given to me. It isn't anything flashy or exciting that can be done on a talent-show stage, but it is something that can change the lives of those with whom I come into contact. Through the talent my Heavenly Father blessed me with (and prepared a way that I could develop through thousands of hours of practice) I can bless others' lives.

So maybe I'm average in almost every way, but there is one very small way that I am an expert.

"...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..."

Alma 37:6

Why I don't blog

I've been asking myself, why am I not blogging these days... and I'm not sure I have a good answer. But I have an answer none the less.

It's because...

1. I don't take pictures, and a blog without pictures is lame. And then there's the guilt, that I don't take pictures of my adorable children and the fun things we do.

2. Things are not changing much, life is good and happy and wonderful so what's there to write about?

3. It's because I keep my house spotless all the time and therefore, there's no time to blog... this one is a lie. I waste plenty of time in a day that could be spent blogging. And, my house is not spotless. It's covered in sand from the sand box, toys, books, fruit snack wrappers, and little shoes and socks. I promise I won't lie anymore.

4. I'm busy. While that is true, I found time today to take a nice hour long nap. It was one of those that you have to use a metaphorical pry-bar to get yourself awake. But boy, did that feel nice. The nap, not the pry-bar... that was actually almost painful.

5. I'm busy running, and recovering from running. This is actually true. I've got a marathon in a little more than a month and it seems my life is pretty consumed in preparation. I only run three days a week, but when you get into high mileage, that equates to about ten hours a week. That's like a part-time, part-time job. I'm excited for the day my runs only take half an hour instead of half a day.

So, that's me. That's why I'm not blogging. That's my excuse. But I'm going to try and do better. Maybe if I splurge and get a nice new camera I'll be more motivated to take pictures... and that could be my springboard back into the business. Scott'll love that one. :) "Honey, I need to spend lots of money to buy a new camera so I can be motivated to blog." I'll phrase it differently. It just might work. I'll use my PR skills and see what kind of spin I can put on the situation. Stay tuned.

We're still alive

So yeah, we didn't fall off he face of the planet. We've just been busy. :) I'll resume writing blogs one of these days.

The first day of school!

Jeff started his first day of kindergarten. He was super excited about it. Especially since he gets to ride his bike to school. I love that he is so close to us this year. I'm planning on spending lots of time in his classroom. It's so quiet having him gone all day long. Our favorite part of the day is after-school-snacks. We all love them... me too. :)

Swimming lessons

Jeff and Nate did swimming lessons all summer long. I'm glad I did it. Even if it meant a lot of sweating. :)

Jeff can swim the length of the pool all by himself and do a freestyle and backstroke. He started out only able to do bubbles.

Nate can glide by himself and dive for things too. His favorite thing is to go off the diving board. He started the summer terrified to even put his toes in the water. I think we made some serious progress.

Getting ready for things

We're getting ready for things at our house. Getting ready for school to start, getting ready for things to get back into a rhythm, getting ready for a little less chaos all day long. I know most people cry when they send their kids to school. I don't. I'm ready. And I'm pretty sure Jeff has been ready for quite some time. He is counting down the days (literally).

I think Nate will enjoy a little time with just me. And I think Gracie will like being able to nap when she is tired. We've been doing swimming lessons all summer and it seems lessons were scheduled right when Gracie wanted to sleep. I hope getting the kinks worked out in her schedule will help her.

So that's us.

Another Blog

So, I've started another blog. I know, I know... as if one isn't enough to keep up with. ;) But the other blog is to keep track of my marathon training. I'll post every day, but it will really only be about my workouts. This blog will still be my family blog that talks about things that are really important.

So here is the link if you care to hear about my training.

In other news. I'm headed home for a few weeks. I'm excited to see my family and a few friends. It's been a year since I've been home, so it will be good to get back for a bit.

Things I'm looking forward to no the trip (in no particular order):
1. showing off my Texas tan to my sisters (who will envy the slightly more than opaque color of my legs)

2. Being on the farm

3. My ten-year class reunion (it really has been THAT long)

4. Seeing all my nieces and nephews and the rest of the family for that matter

5. Remembering what cool nights feel like

6. Seeing mountains

7. Watching my boys play with their cousins

8. Drinking the water on my parents' farm that comes fresh to us from our well

9. Seeing how I hold up in my running at higher altitudes

10. Playing in the grass with no fear of being attacked by fire ants (this one will be hard to get used to)

I choose this!

I was reading this article the other day and came across this quote...

For young Mormon women, who face immense cultural pressure to stay home with children rather than pursue a career, blogging about their adventures in homemaking becomes a sort of creative outlet, a way of contributing to the larger world beyond the home.
-Emily Henderson

I started thinking about why I stay home with my kids. Do I do it because I feel like others will look down on me if I don't? Do I do it because I don' want a "real" job? Do I do it because I feel pressure to do it?

While I don't debate the idea that there is a lot of "cultural pressure" to be a stay-at-home mom, I have to say "pressure" isn't the reason I choose it.

I choose to be home with my kids because when I have thought about all the other things I could do (and I think about things a lot) I always come back to the fact that my kids need me.

They need me to make them breakfast. They need me to take them to swimming lessons. They need me to help them get bathed and dressed. They need me to read books to them. They need me to teach them to eat healthy things. They need me to teach them to be kind. They need me to give them some consistency in their lives.

While I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who are a better mother than I am, I can't get over the fact that these kids have been entrusted to ME. I'm their mommy. I have a love for them that no one else could duplicate. I can't even duplicate it for other people's kids (though I feel a little embarrassed to admit that).

Really, when I think deeply about it, I realize I need them. They teach me things I would struggle to learn without them. I learn things that help me to be more like my Savior Jesus Christ.

Here's a few more photos of the cute kids in my life... minus Jeff. He's usually at school when I get the camera out. :) There's also a few shots of Gracie showing off her designer diapers. You don't just get pictures, but a report of the first week of cloth diapering... you'll have to go down to the end to read up on that because these kids need to be the first thing you see when you come to this blog.


Here's the report. I started out using these on both Nate and Gracie. I soon decided to potty train Nate. It only took one poopy diaper to make me decide on that. (Almost) three year old poop us way worse than new baby poop. I'm sorry for using the word "poop" so much, but let's be honest, that is my life these days. :)

So Nate is now in potty training mode (and using disposable during naps). Gracie uses cloth all day but we use a disposable at night. I'm not sure why. I think there's a part of me that thinks she might sleep longer if she has a super absorbency disposable diaper. So far, she still only sleeps for six hours at night (I know I shouldn't complain, it could be worse, but I just want to sleep more).

Here's what I have to say about diapering Gracie. It's easy. Especially since I made some cloth wipes (with homemade solution). The reason this makes it easier is because now I don't have to worry about what to do with a handful of poopy (there it is a gain) wipes when I change her diaper. Now I just change her the way I would with disposable, but it's all cloth. I toss it all in my wetbag and it's done.

Washing isn't too tricky either. Run my diapers and wipes through a rinse cycle then add soap and do a wash cycle with hot water. Dry the inserts and hang the covers. Done. Not too big of a deal at all.

I have had moments of thinking, "Why am I doing this?" But that was mostly after dealing with Nate's yucky diaper and I haven't really felt that way since then.

Gracie has only leaked once and it was more because I put the diaper on wrong than it was because the diaper failed. In fact, she hasn't had any blowouts with these, and she has some pretty explosive poops (last one, I promise).

That's the report thus far. I'll keep you updated on how things go over time. But for now... so far, so good.

I'm out,
Sadie

Gracie's Smiles

Because some of you think there isn't enough Gracie on here... :) He she is, fresh after a bath and full of smiles. She melts my heart on a daily basis. :)

They Came!!!

I've been tracking my package of cloth diapers for a week... they seemed to disappear a few times... and then they made it to my door!

I was so excited to see the package sitting on my doorstep when we got back from a race that we ran/biked in this morning. So happy!

So, here's what I can tell you so far. I expected that since the diapers were 1/3 of the cost of other similar diapers that they might be of lesser quality. NOT so! They are AWESOME! Not only are they cute fabrics that make my little girl look super cute, but they have extra snaps for the perfect fit. So far, I'm very happy with them. I'll keep the reviews coming and keep you informed on how we are getting along. I'll try and take some pictures of my sweet baby in her new digs. "Try" being the key word. :)

Over and out,
Sadie

Not here yet

I know you are all just waiting and anticipating the next cloth diaper post... but you'll just have to wait. Mostly because I have to wait. My diapers started in Shanghai then went to New Jersey... and then they disappeared. I'm hoping they reappear on my front porch within the next few days. Probably some punk kid saw how cool they were and decided to steal them... I should have used the missionary technique and had the lady put a picture of the Savior on the package so it would reach me unscathed.

Size Matters

One might ask, how often do I have to buy a new size of cloth diapers... like when I buy disposable, I can choose from size N, 1, 2, 3, 4... how do I do that with cloth?

The nice thing about the new generation of CDs is that you only have to buy once. They have a new way of snapping and folding that makes it so all you do to make a size 1 diaper is snap a few snaps. You want size 4 for your ginormous baby? All you have do do is undo a few snaps. Pretty simple. Just the way I like it.


Best,
Sadie

The first step

I'm starting on a new adventure. One that means I'll be using cloth diapers. I'll document how things go here on my blog, because my friend Christine asked me to. So, if you're the type who prefers birth stories... I'm sorry. You'll only be getting diaper stories for a while.

So today I did two things to take a step forward in the cloth diaper (CD) experience.

First, I went to the fabric store and bought fabric, zippers, and thread to sew up some wet bags. These bags are used to put "wet" (aka, stinky, poopy, yucky) diapers in until you wash them. It is designed to hold in the smells and fluids. Naturally, you use cute fabric for such a bag to make you more optimistic about its contents.

You make these by doing one layer of a waterproof fabric (I used PUL from Jo Anne's) and another layer of the said, cute fabric. My friend recommended I make four bags. Two big "at home" bags and two small "travel" bags. You'll have one that is in the wash and one that is in use... theoretically...

I'll be working on sewing this today... after I blog, feed Gracie, and get the boys down for naps.

Second, I actually ordered my diapers! I did some research yesterday before making my purchase today and I learned a few things. There are MANY different options out there as far as the "system" you use.

Here's a few types...

"All in one" -these are a cover that has a pocket in it that you insert a liner into. These diapers you use once and wash the whole thing when you're done.

"liner and cover" - these are designed to reuse the cover for several diaper changes and inserting new liners each change.

Brands that are said to be "the best" are Fuzibunz, Flip, and Bum Genius. They are SUPER expensive initially, but over time they are worth it. I found an off brand that is supposed to be as good as Bum Genius. They are an "all in one". Instead of paying $265 for a twelve pack... I paid $78 for a 12 pack, with an additional 12 inserts. Cha-ching!!! I'll let you know if it was worth it. If you want to find out for yourself, check out sunbabydiapers.com :)

Until next time...

Sadie

Cloth Diapers

So, I know this is going to shock many of you, but I'm seriously considering buying cloth diapers. I'm also going to stop shaving my legs, grow my hair out really long, start driving a 1960's VW van, and eat granola that I've made for every meal...

Okay, so not all of that. But I really am thinking I might do the whole cloth diaper thing. I'm still not sure what's gotten into me. I've NEVER had a desire to depart from my beloved disposable diapers. Okay, beloved might be a bit of an exaggeration. Still, it's never been something I've been remotely interested in doing, but I'm suddenly super excited about the idea.

My friend showed me the ones she's been using with her little girl and I think it might be a great way to save money as well as get in touch with my deep hippy self. The ones I'm looking at are the cheapest I've seen so far. If you feel the urge to check them out, they're at sunbabydiapers.com

If I decide to actually do it, and not just research it online, I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Blue Bell Fun Run

Last weekend I ran in the Blue Bell Fun Run. There were two big reasons why I wanted to run this race.

1. I wanted to have a reason to start exercising as soon as possible after I had baby Gracie.

2. There's all you can eat ice cream at the end.

Interestingly enough, I learned two things from running in this race. I'll share them with you.

1. When I was pregnant with Jeff I got sick in the beginning and didn't exercise one bit. Once I got to feeling better, I was so stuck in not doing anything, that I just continued with the trend. After I had the baby, things went back to normal pretty easily and quickly (with regard to weight, not my sleep).

When I was pregnant with Nate I wasn't sick one bit. But, we were broke and I didn't have a car to leave the house... so I sat around. I again, didn't exercise one bit. After he was born, things went back to normal pretty quickly and easily (with regard to sleep, but not with the weight). I had to work very hard for many months to get back into shape.

When I was pregnant with Gracie, I was determined not to have another pregnancy that kept me from being fit. In fact, I made Scott promise before we got pregnant that he would make sure I exercised every day. The first three months I was WAY too sick to do that. I was lucky to get out of bed at all, let alone do anything other than make my way to the couch. However, once I got past that stage I did my very best to be active. Once Gracie was born, I did my best to become active again as quickly as possible. I didn't want to waste any time getting into bad habits of becoming sedentary.

Back to the race...I didn't really "prepare" much for this race. I didn't run more than a few times. I did play basketball and walk, which I think helped. I fully anticipated that I would take 45 minutes to complete this race. And now... what I learned...

Our bodies are capable of more than we give them credit for. If we simply put one foot in front of the other, we will get somewhere, and it isn't nearly as hard as our minds try to tell us it will be.

2. I also learned that after running a 5K, you can't eat nearly as much ice cream as you think you can... so eat more before the race.