The Natural (and Supernatural) Family

Revamping

Amanda — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:12:14 +0000

So I have been inspired to blog a little more often with a focus on the two things most important to me: the well-being of our family and our desire to grow in love for Christ. This blog can serve as a form of accountability in those!
I’d love to write more about backyard garden planting/harvesting, all natural babyfood making, natural family planning, cloth diapers, (hopefully some exercise), repurposed-decorating, the Catholic formation of my children, and a trust and surrender to God’s will for our lives. Phew. Got all that? Tall order.

Updates!

Amanda — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:22:17 +0000

Holy cow, has it been awhile!
So, almost 6 months ago, we had our little Hazelbean! After finding out that she’s got a milk protein intolerance and eliminating it from our diet, she is SUCH A SWEET LITTLE GIRL! Rowan is a great big brother as well!
Here’s our family Christmas card, compliments of Shutterfly!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Little Man and Babygirl

Amanda — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:21:30 +0000

It’s so interesting how children make one better. Example: I try to feed Rowan a “balanced diet.” Today for breakfast he had cream of wheat, banana, and peanut butter puree with our bullet and some apple slices. I consequently had a PB bagel with banana and apple slices. Preparing his meals plus wanting to eat well for Babygirl’s sake means that I end up eating healthier. A little bit anyway

So for anyone not “in the know,” we are having a little girl! We are 22 weeks along. She has begun a steady nudging schedule. I am very excited.

Till next time!

Oh baby!

Amanda — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:48:08 +0000

I am getting so ridiculously excited! Feeling a bit of movement is imminent and I was pretty sure I had a little last night. Oh, and I’m pretty sure that picking a name will make me insane. I’ve got quite the list and it’s only getting crazier by the second. Like. Our kid will never get named at this point.
I have had an odd few days without John home. Things have gone smoothly… almost too smoothly. This realization makes me wonder exactly why my husband’s absence = baby fed, bathed, and put to bed early/on time + more housework completed. Maybe he insists that I relax? I’m blogging, aren’t I? Maybe my idea of relaxing feels more productive than watching tv. I definitely have to resist purchasing anything that I stumble across whilst browsing interesting sites. I miss him.
I’ve also determined that teething turns sweet boys into MONSTERS. Whiny, bored, and easily frustrated little people who say “Up pease” only to immediately scream and demand to be put down. P-a-t-i-e-n-c-e.
Crankiness does not diminish Rowan’s cuteness at bedtime though. He’s still a charming little snugglebug if you give him his “blanket” and a book. I cried in the middle of “Wherever You Are.” What a sweet and heartfelt book! The section, “So if you’re ever lonely…” just brought on a full-out melt down. The entire thing is just such a sweetly versed testament to how much I love my little Peanut. (I am going to stick the author’s other three books on his next birthday wishlist. Or next baby wishlist. Did I mention the artwork is also beautiful? Very realistic style, just how I like it.)

Someone remind me to attach a belly picture in the future.

These are a few of my favorite things…

Amanda — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:26:04 +0000

If only “snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes” could have the disclaimer of not threatening to make me late for work!

So I’ve wanted to write this post for awhile as there happen to be a few material things that I “couldn’t live without.” They mostly have simplicity and efficiency in common; a combination that wins me over every time since it just tends to make life run just that much smoother. Ok. Less cryptic. More specifics.

#1. Breathe Right Strips: my most recent discovery thanks to my mother-in-law and one that I wished I’d made much sooner. You get a head-cold. You happen to be pregnant. You can’t take anything. Vicks vapor can’t even dream of getting in your nasal passages, let alone work some sort of magic. I have gone from 3-4 weeks of stuffed-up-mouth-breathing at night involving getting up at least once to blow my nose and take a drink to moisten my sandpaper mouth… to a full night’s sleep followed by waking up with my mouth shut. Lifechanging. I kid you not.

#2. Diaper liners: another discovery I wish I made a year ago. I figure that even if the thing only catches HALF the poop, that’s half the time I spend rinsing our cloth diapers! You just pick up that heavy-duty-toilet-paper-esque strip full of doo and flush it away! I am not sure the brand that we use, but it comes in a roll. And placing a strip of it over the cloth portion of the diaper couldn’t be simpler.

Along with this is a quick shout-out to Best Bottom cloth diapers. Ridiculously easy to use and simple to clean. We’ve been having issues with bad leg gusset stretching, but our local retailer has really good customer service and we’re brainstorming how to keep that from happening to our 2nd set of replacements (such as different washing strategies/detergent due to our hard water.) So besides that eventual issue, we love them. I’d imagine the “one-size” capability will make having a toddler and an infant pretty easy, instead of lugging around two different size disposables everywhere. Oh, and we’ve taken a nearly week-long trip with these. If you have an extra large wet/dry bag, it’s a cinch! You bring back just as many bags as you leave with, so it’s not really any trouble to bring them with!

#3. NUK Trendline learner cups. The silicone spout ones. They don’t leak (unless your child squishes it upside-down if they get bored while eating). If I could do it again, I’d purchase the latex spout kind and replace the spouts with the silicone ones. For whatever reason, the latex CUPS stay nice and clear while the silicone ones seem to get that foggy plastic look after many washes. The latex just look cleaner. The silicone spouts work amazingly well though. I’ve had two latex versions, both of which leaked pretty badly. And the best part is that the spouts and lids fit together simply, are easy to wash, and also fit on the 10 oz Active Cup for bigger kiddos. No random assortment of cups/lids in our cupboard!

On the subject of NUK, I also love their snap-lid bowls. They don’t leak AT ALL and are pretty straight forward and simple. (I believe Gerber has a similar bowl that is also awesome.)

#4. Our Magic Bullet. John and I went through Kohls yesterday and saw that they now have a Baby Bullet. I’d just go for the “real deal.” The original has much larger blending cups. I used that thing A TON when Rowan was starting out on foods and have continued to use it for chewy or harder things since he’s a late teether. I even blend up easier stuff if his mouth seems to be really sensitive on a certain day to avoid painful chewing. The Magic Bullet + “Super Baby Foods” book by Ruth Yaron + Sensible Lines Freezer Trays + freezer ziplock bags = a solid year of exclusive home-made baby food. Ruth talks about making large batches at once and I ended up with a variety of foods for a month after a good solid evening of cooking. I mixed them to make yummy combinations and sent them with Daddy in our NUK bowls. (Interesting note: Pureed sticks of raspberries and other fruit are adult-friendly ways to add fruit to smoothies, oatmeal, or icecream!)

#5. My Timex Ironman Triathlon wristwatch. I love this watch. I’m on my second since the bands kinda stink, but it’s soooo worth it. The backlight is perfect for my nocturnal blindness to avoid reaching out of warm covers t0 check my phone. The stopwatch feature is really easy to use, and I use it constantly. (Timing Rowan’s naps/time outs, my lunch break, work-related tasks that require me coming back in 5/8/10 minutes….). And…. (drumroll)…. It’s WATERPROOF to 300 meters. I can shower with it, bathe kiddo with it, and household chores galore. Plus, it’s pretty cute and dainty for a sport watch.

Ok, that’s all for now. There are many other things that I appreciate, but these are currently my Top 5.

Spring is here!… wait….nevermind

Amanda — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:24:46 +0000

I am so easily fooled by days like today! It’s beautiful out (at least for January in WI!) Makes me want to do a bunch of spring-cleaning.

So we just might be beginning potty training. Rowan seems slightly interested in the toilet and has announced on multiple occasions that he’s “done his thing.” So I bought a single pair of training undies and they are pretty dang cute.

They are pretty much the only ones small enough to fit around his skinny little legs. Plus, I love the fact that they say “No Dumping” on them! Haha. Love me a good pun.

*Addition from later in the day: Taking ‘em back! They are cute, but after talking to a super knowledgeable friend, my original plan would probably confuse him more than anything. We will wait quite awhile. Still, they are ridiculously cute!

This is what happens when one tries to multitask on errands (today when getting said undies):

Anyway, looks like BackFlip will be moving to an office space in February which, besides many unknowns, is really stinkin’ exciting. They’ve been working really hard and the fact that the budget for their business plan has already be raised for the year is insanely awesome. (It’s only Jan 5th, in case anyone forgot!)

Random sidenote, Wally has been a great GREAT dog for our family. He’s so laid back and even though some puppy traits are coming out now that he’s used to us (ie. baby-slipper obsession, galloping around), he’s still the most chill young dog that we know. It’s almost annoying how much he wants to be near you, but he’ll find some place near your feet and just pass out. This is how John found him when he couldn’t find a suitable space on the office floor:

Recent Happenings

Amanda — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:09:36 +0000

So Merry Christmas!
We’ve had a great (and eventful) Christmas season. Visited John’s folks first and also celebrated Liz’s birthday, then went to my parents’ place the next weekend and also met up with some close friends from high school.
Rowan, of course, was thoroughly spoiled. He got some great toys, books, and cloths. Something that I’m especially excited for is this:

The bunny is either awake or asleep and is an easier way for a kid to know that it is/isn’t time to get up (if they aren’t old enough for numbers yet). We started it tonight and I made a big deal out of discussing how the bunny is asleep because it’s bed time. Rowan repeated “Nigh nigh” as his agreement.
Rowan’s getting to be such a big boy. He talks quite a bit and has many mispronounced but understandable words in his vocabulary including (some spelt phonetically for comedic purposes):

mama, daddy, kitty, buppy (puppy), hot, right right (bright light), no, yes, pee pee (please), pee pee (boy part), pee pee (Sleepy, his groundhog), dump (jump), butta butta (belly button), eye, tuba (bathtub), nigh nigh (night night), tanta (santa), Jedus (Jesus), baby, cookie, open, nana (banana or Nana), bapa (papa/Grandpa), Tata (Tasha), Autin (Austin), Iz (Liz), uh oh, up pee (up please), all dee (all done), and dah doo bee (?)

I’m sure there’s a few more, but it will be crazy to look back on this list in a year and remember how much/little he knew!

We are also wonderfully 14 weeks pregnant with out next baby! I feel great and this time around has been much easier than the last two (We lost a baby at 13 weeks in July that had stopped growing at 5 weeks… still had BAD morning sickness the whole time though. We decided to name her/him Lucy, buried her in the baby cemetery down the road from our house and visit her about once a month). So this time around has been blessedly mild. Ultrasounds have been great and I am so very very excited to have another. We are so blessed. What’s more, at least four friends/family members are also due in June. It will be an amazing summer of babies!

I have a new job as a dialysis nurse. I love it. The longer days allow me to stay home with Rowan more and once John’s business picks up even more, I can get down to working two days a week. Ideally by June

Lastly, in the realm of updates, the craziest update of them all. While visiting John’s family in Iowa on the 17th-18th, I HAD A STROKE. No lie. Full blown, ischemic right frontal lobe, s-t-r-o-k-e. While going out to the hottub on Sunday with John and Rowan, who was in my right arm, I opened the garage door to go outside and immediately afterwards had slurred speech and complete loss of movement in my left arm. The speech improved within seconds, but I couldn’t move my left wrist or hand for about an hour. One of my first thoughts was, “I can barely get Rowan changed with TWO hands! How am I going to manage with one?!”
In the ER while having tests run, I was able to wiggle a finger, then another about an hour later, then another. By the ambulance ride to the larger Iowa City hospital, I could move my hand again, but my whole arm felt sluggish and weak. By the next day, everything was pretty much back to normal and they did more tests (that involved not eating until 7pm… uh). We got home Tuesday evening. Crazy. I’m great now. On aspirin forever and a shot added in when pregnant/nursing, so I can’t complain. It could be much much worse. I haven’t needed therapy or anything.
Thanks to anyone praying for us. It was really overwhelming to think of telling anyone since I was still wrapping my own mind around it, but two weeks of nothing else happening have helped reduce a lot of anxiety and I’m mentally feeling good now too. John calls it (my spot of dead brain) my “fuzzy jellybean” and jokes that one day I’ll count to 100 and find that I’m missing a number or something. I love him so much. And I am very thankful.

Now everyone wiggle your fingers and smile!

Fluke, but Funny

Amanda — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:01:28 +0000

So kind-of a big day, although not more than a fluke. Rowan is really obvious when he’s ready to do “#2;” he grunts, gets red in the face, stares off into the distance, wiggles forward and backward, or any combination of these. I purchased a potty chair recently with this predictable-poop-routine in mind and the thought that at least we’d need it eventually.

Well, we used it today. I’ll spare the details, but I saved myself a diaper change. There was, however, no celebration as Rowan didn’t really understand that anything out the ordinary happened (he poops in his highchair all the time) and was more content to play with the boy-parts he so rarely sees. :)

Guest Bedroom

John — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:18:03 +0000

Amanda and I have been in the spring cleaning/remodeling spirit for the past couple of weeks and this last weekend we decided to tackle the bedroom in our basement. The walls are wood paneling and the whole feeling down in the basement was kind of cold, dark, and dingy. Last summer, Amanda’s sister lived with us and painted the walls white to brighten it up a bit. The white paint certainly brightened the room, but the wood paneling is not the best surface to paint on and it sucked up most of the paint she put on last year.

I’m not sure if I have a picture of the room with just white paint, so you’ll have to imagine. Amanda did a little brainstorming and came up with a color scheme for the room built around a bedspread she liked at Kohl’s. Turns out, the white paint that Amanda’s sister put up last year made a great base coat for our new paint job!

Amanda’s design idea also incorporates owls (which seem to be taking over our house). The owl lamp pictured above is from Amanda’s aunt and was originally brown, or owl-colored I guess. Some white paint brought it up to the modern era and we think it will make a nice addition to this room.

For the floor, we decided to go pretty low cost. We think that eventually we might do a bigger remodel of the basement (put up drywall, new insulation, new ceiling, new floor, etc) so we wanted to keep this cheap enough to justify redoing it in 5 years or so. The old floor was vinyl tile on concrete. The new floor we selected is a vinyl material that has a little more thickness to it with a sort of foam backing. Just for kicks, I wandered over to the “remnants” rack and, sure enough, there was a piece of flooring that was exactly the size I needed and very close to the color I wanted.

This stuff is SUPER easy to install. It requires no glue at all. Sweep up the floor, lay down the vinyl, trim the edges, hide edges under trim. The material has enough weight to it that it stays in place (like carpet would) without needing any glue.

Amanda and I are always keeping and eye out for decent used furniture and have happily collected many hand-me-down piece from our parents and relatives. My dad gave me a hard time about crowding our apartment with so much furniture, but I knew what I was doing… ha! It has spread out nicely in our house.

So here’s the break down of the whole project. We were more thrifty in some areas and spent a little more in others. Overall, we’re really happy with our updated guest bedroom. And we hope we can use it to bribe more people to come visit!

Yellow Paint: $17
White Paint: Left over from previous projects… kind of free?
Impact Vinyl Floor remnant: $117 (new was $150)
Blue Area Rug: $34 on sale
Bedspread: $30 after Kohl’s Cash and 30% coupon, etc (Kohl’s has so many crazy deals!)
Re-purposed Desk (you can see a sliver of it in the pic on the right side of the doorway): free
Bookshelf (left side of doorway): $10 my mom found at a rummage sale
Bed side table: $5 my mom found at a rummage sale
Owl Lamp: free hand-me-down

Grand Total: $213

(Our Thrifty-ness Disclaimer is the Mattress. There are probably ways to get a cheaper bed and if you’ve already got an extra, then you’re all set. I’ll spare the details but there is enough literature out there to strongly suggest that a mattress isn’t the best item to buy used. We purchased this full size mattress new from Verlo on their Miss-matched sale for $279. We think the real savings will come some years down the line when this bed is able to be used by our children. I’m sure it will still be in great shape when that time comes.)

So there you have it… Two days, $213, a deep gash in my thumb (By the way, did I mention to exercise extreme caution when using a razor blade?), and we’ve got an updated guest bedroom. Hope to see you there soon!

Rowan’s Progression of Mobility

John — Sun, 01 May 2011 15:07:55 +0000

I finally dumped a bunch of videos off of my cell phone and thought it would be fun to show Rowan’s progress in the area of mobility over the past few months.

Trying to Crawl

Sitting Up Well

Crawling a Short Distance

Using Laundry Basket for Support

Almost Standing Up

Standing/Cruising on Furniture

Busy Little Boy

Goofy Eating

I’ve also determined that this might be the best way to share videos with friends and family. Youtube has this cool setting that allows you to post a video “unlisted” so that only people with the direct link can view it. I can set a video to private and invite specific users, but I know not all of our family and friends have Youtube accounts. Maybe some of our more creative videos will be public, but we don’t need every little 30 second video we shoot to be out there for the whole Youtube audience to see.

I hope you enjoyed these videos. Hopefully we’ll be posting more now that I’m feeling less pressure to write long, creative blog posts. You don’t mind if I just toss up a video or picture do you? No… you don’t!