Mommy's little neat freak

I bragged on Levi several days ago, so I figure I should be fair and brag on the other two. The next in line, age-wise, is Isaac. He is a cute, cuddly, 34-pound 2-year-old with a real eye for detail. His strength is anything technical. Despite being younger, he usually figures out how toys work before Levi does. He has also figured out many of our electronics, such as the TV, which he nonchalantly turns off whenever someone is watching something he doesn't want to watch. Give him a piece of paper and a pencil (which he holds like a pro), and Ikey will be content to draw for hours--mostly helicopters. His drawings have an incredible amount of detail for his age. No, the outside observer might not recognize them as helicopters, but if you watch him draw, you can clearly see him form the body, tail, and blades. He fills entire papers with tiny drawings. Along the same lines, he seems to be pretty good at "math." With encouragement, he can count into the teens, and he gets especially excited about 20.

He is also a bit of a neat freak. Where he picked that up, I'll never know. He can't tolerate doors being left open, and when he spills, he immediately reaches for the nearest piece of fabric to clean it up (sometimes this is a t-shirt, but it's the thought that counts, right)?

And more than anything in the world, he loves his Mommy. I don't know if it's because he was slightly premature, or because we nursed forever or what, but we are joined at the hip. If I'm sitting, I can almost guarantee that he will crawl into my lap and cuddle or give me a big sloppy kiss.

That's my Ikey!

ETA: He drew a wonderful helicopter this morning, so I updated with a picture.

Instant gratification

In case you saw the first round of "weekly" weight loss progress pics, you way be wondering what happened to the other 7 weeks. The truth is, I never took them (or had Nate take them). I don't know why. Maybe there is a mental block because I am afraid that I won't look any different--or maybe I'm just lazy. Anyway, we are halfway through the contest now, so I really ought to be posting some by the beginning of next week.

Tonight, I got curious about what I might look like after having reached my target weight. I had played around with My Virtual Model before when my mom and I were "trying on" clothes at L.L. Bean's website. It's a pretty helpful little tool. You enter a few details like your height, weight, and frame, then choose facial features, hair, and skin color. The last time I tried it, I came up with a model that vaguely resembled me. I found the site again, and now you can actually add your own face to the model. Now she looks a little more like me, except her face has a strange blue cast from my webcam. It was fun nonetheless. The site allows you to try on clothes from various retailers and see prices, etc. First I tried on a bunch of different outfits, which was so much fun--kind of like paper dolls. Then I dressed her up in something pretty similar to the clothes I usually wear and started playing with her weight. I'll post the three side-by-side for comparison. The first picture is at my beginning weight, the second is where I am now, and the third is my target weight.

I really hope that I actually have made as much of a difference as this shows. In that case, I'm not so afraid to post progress pics. Now if I can only get down to that "after" weight ...

She who cuts her own hair ...

... has a fool for a barber. I heard this saying from a friend at work, and based upon most of my home hair-cutting endeavors, I would say she was right. Knowledge of this doesn't stop me from trying. For one, I am a cheap-wad, and I flinch at paying even $20 for a haircut. Also, going to a salon simply takes too much time. I cut my own bangs in November and got compliments on the look, so I decided to tackle it. With a lot of help from this YouTube video (thanks, JayJay!), I was able to pull off a decent cut. Maybe I'm a fool, but this fool just got $20 richer!

Why "Blue Colored Glasses?"

So I looked at my post from yesterday, and according to the time stamp, I posted it on March 3. Maybe it counts from the time I opened the editor window. That means I'm still in the running for NaBloPoMo! Sweet! I don't have much else to blog about (no bento today since Nate is off tomorrow!), so I thought I would share a draft that I wrote several months ago. Orignally, this was from the time I decided to name my blog "Cornflower Cottage," before Googling it and learning that a blog by the same name already exists--a pretty cool blog, I might add. This explains the name of the blog and a little background about me and my family. When appropriate, I have added necessary updates in brackets.

I had to rethink my previous blog title (Spencerville, Population 4) for several reasons. The most obvious reason is that our family's population is now 5! As much as I love my boys, I am thankful for another female presence in the house. She hasn't changed our "routine" much, as she is a very calm baby.

Also, the name "Spencerville" implied an independent community, which we were when we lived in the country. Since my last posting, we have relocated to town. This puts us closer to both of our workplaces. We also somehow also have a nicer, bigger house and a cheaper mortgage. You really can't beat the cost of living here! The only thing we are giving up is our huge yard, but there are some advantages to that (i.e. mowing takes 20 minutes here).

So why "[Blue-Colored Glasses]?" That has to do with our new (old) home. It's sort of a Victorian cottage, although I don't know if I've ever seen one shaped exactly like this. We have great woodwork, an open staircase, high ceilings, and tall windows that give provide perfect natural light. The outside also has some great details, including half-round siding in the gables and a really cute, quirky paint color--[a blue that is almost neon, really]. This new house is the key to the life we have always wanted. We were able to leave a lot of our clutter behind and start afresh (we're still struggling with that, but it's getting better every day). Moving here also allowed us to save money on the mortgage and energy bills, which means I am able to work very part time and stay home with my kids during the day. Better yet, when the time comes, I will be able to homeschool. [Living in this old house has allowed me to see things in a more hopeful light--you might say, through "blue-colored" glasses.]

I am excited about building this new life, and my goal is to write about it here regularly. First and foremost, this blog is my outlet. If it happens to entertain or inspire someone, that's great. If not, I've still accomplished what I set out to do.

Failed NaBloPoMo ... again ...

Well, this is aggravating. I had really planned to stick with it this month. For me, it is still Wednesday (I almost always stay up until 1 or 2), but I think my time stamp will disagree. Oh well. Maybe next month.

Today, I am going to break tradition and actually post a bento for the second day in a row! I was a bit concerned that they were all starting to look alike. I don't have much creative license within Nate's likes and dislikes. Interestingly, it was one of his preferences that sparked me to do something different. It's been a couple weeks since my last Meijer expedition, so I asked him what he thought of peanut butter and jelly. Ha! Apparently, to him, that is a mere snack. He told me he would just take some pizza rolls. I gave him the pouty face and mentioned that pizza rolls aren't quite a well-rounded meal. We reached a compromise, wherein I was able to use my smallest Lock & Lock and pack him some sides and a dessert. I think it came out cute, and it's idea I may use more often. Again pardon the retro-creepy photo. This mini-bento includes: Carrot and celery sticks; mini Babybel cheese, unwrapped and cut in half; yellow cake topped with strawberries.

Ham & Swiss Quesadilla Bento

I thought it was was about time I posted another bento. Work schedules have been a little crazy in the past few days, but today, baby girl fell asleep in her high chair, giving me some much-needed time to scrub down the kitchen. A nice, clean kitchen inspired me to make Nate a bento.

I need to start making and photographing these earlier in the day. The poor lighting in the evening means I have to play with brightness and contrast, making the photos look really bizarre--like something out of a retro cookbook.

Today's bento includes: Rainbow Chips Deluxe; Mini Babybel cheese; carrot and celery sticks; red grapes; ham and swiss "quesadillas" on whole wheat tortillas. I tried to cut hearts in the tortillas, thinking the pink ham would show through and look cute. In retrospect, I would cut the hearts before assembling the quesadillas and arrange them so that whatever showed through was, in fact, attractive. Chances are, he won't even notice.

Mommy Tools Monday: Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers

How much does a jar of baby food go for these days? I have heard around 75 cents, although I haven't priced it lately. Ouch! I honestly don't know how people afford to use it all the time. I have used it a handful of times and even have a jar or two stashed for an emergency. However, with the right tools, making homemade baby food is quick and easy, and holds several advantages over store bought:

• It's cheaper. A whole bag of frozen peas costs only $1. That will make about 16 ounces of puree--a huge savings!
• I know exactly what I'm putting into my baby's mouth. I can lightly steam the veggies and fruits, retaining more nutrients than if they were canned. I freeze my food, so it needs no additives or preservatives.
  
• It helps kids develop their palate. Often times, I can just mash or blend things the rest of the family is eating to feed to baby. This way, they are exposed to a wide range of tastes. Also, since it tastes so good, it gives babies a good first impression of veggies. To this day, my older two kids eat just about everything--except, in the case of my oldest, meat. Interestingly, I did not feed him much meat as a baby.
  

Now that I've sung the praises of home made baby food, I should get around to the tool I was supposed to be sharing: Stay-Fresh Baby Food Containers by One Step Ahead. I have made my own food for all three babies, and I wish I'd had these with my first two. I simply bake or steam whatever food I want to puree, run it through the blender, pour into these handy, two-ounce containers, and pop it into the freezer. They are microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safe. For those who are concerned about it, they are also BPA-free. The lids screw on (my mom commented how hard they were to remove before I informed her of this fact), and the containers attach to one another (kind of like Legos). Once I am through making baby food, they will be handy for all sorts of other uses--snacks, Nate's lunches, storing small items, etc. At $9.95 per dozen, you really can't beat the deal!

Oh, and one more bonus tool: for tips on making and freezing baby food, visit http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/