Still Kickin'!

Dear Readers,

Stick with me here, life's been a little wild. Here's a bit of why:

I decided Paul and I needed to have a birthday party for our 30th. This put us (mostly him) into high gear on house projects, including but not limited to painting, decorating, and furniture making.


Besides the obvious Grace-in-a-box, we see here an incomplete paint job, a wall under repair, and a coffee table midway through the construction process. Grace is enjoying a rejected decoration which today houses her books displaced as a result of the completion of the doors for the bookshelf:

Paul did a mighty fine job on the doors. Turns out babies + paper = utter destruction, so until recently the bookshelf had been demoted to play shelf. It's nice to have reclaimed it for us big kids.

Here's the finished (for now, anyway) living room:

Mom and little sister came over the day before the big bash and Mom helped me decorate my kitchen while sister trimmed, highlighted, and straightened my monstrous hair. Thanks lovely ladies! Here's the kitchen makeover; I don't have a Patty makeover picture but I wish I did.


The party was a lot of fun. I'm so glad everyone came. I feel blessed. That being said, we probably won't do that again. I'm not sure our budget (food is expensive) or our marriage could take it. I feel compelled to note: Each of Paul's furniture projects--bookshelf doors, coffee table top, wall shelves--cost a mere $12 each. Thanks to his dad for all the reclaimed pine!

In other news, Joshua is all better and working on a double chin. I took him to the doctor (actually saw the MD!) for a follow-up this week and he had gained over a POUND in the three weeks since our initial visit.

Grace...well what can I say...Grace loves meatballs. She has really improved her eating habits. Perhaps it's the independence. It may be long overdue, but we now just give her the food on her own plate with her own utensils and let her go. Beneficial neglect.


And that's all for now!

Flick Pick

VS

Just finished "The Business of Being Born" and wanted to let whomever is interested know that it is available now with Netflix. Here's the link if you haven't heard of it and want the lowdown.

My critique:

Well, it's definitely one-sided, but eye-opening and thought-provoking. And apparently hyphen-inducing. Anyhow, I enjoyed it because I like to be affirmed in my choice to birth at home with a midwife. It made me feel good and I liked seeing the beautiful births.

I was trying to play the devil's advocate too though while I watched, because I was thinking of persons on the other side of the issue, like medical professionals and those who choose hospital birth. I think if such a person were open-minded, he or she would be very interested in and informed by this movie, but I also think (this is my catechist's mind coming into play) that it could make one very defensive if she (or he) felt sure they had chosen the best for themselves and their baby by birthing in a hospital. I guess what I'm saying is, it might not get to their hearts. Although, how can you see a baby born in such a starkly contrasting manner to a hospital birth (as you do on this movie) and not be moved?

I hope it helps change things because it is just downright scary to me to think what can happen to mothers and babies in hospitals and what all this says about how we view life and the human person.

In other movie news: Paul and I watched "No Reservations" last night (McD in Goddard has Redbox--YAY!!!) and I would rate it 'enjoyable' on the non-existent Patty Movie Rating Scale. It is PG and would be 100% kid-friendly if it weren't for the fact that you know the guy slept over. (They show some kissing and then breakfast the next morning.) The way the guy chef relates to the niece would warm any gal's heart. Just some light movie-watching for the night you feel like a little "Ahhh now that's just sweet."

Soooooo......now Paul and I have to make what is possibly the biggest decision of our lives. Netflix, or Redbox?

Confessions of an Average Mom

I pick at my son's cradle cap. Once I start, I'm hooked and I can't stop (until he gets squirmy).

I keep my daughter's mouth busy with snacks in the car so she won't scream bloody murder and scare brother and give mommy a headache and make mommy mad.

In desperation I have let my daughter play with the following items: my cell phone, my land phone, my laptop, my wallet, my checkbook, my car keys (think panic button pressed over and over), a roll of toilet paper, a box of kleenex, paperback books...it goes on and on.

My daughter eats a lot of peanut butter.

I'm good at fake sleeping. (That's all I'll say; you'll have to deduce the rest.)

I don't cloth diaper. (I'd like to, but I've just never gotten started with it and quite frankly I LIKE wrapping the poop up in the diaper and throwing the whole business out.)

When I'm working I'm thinking about how I should be playing with my kids and when I'm playing with my kids I'm thinking about work.

To Be Continued...