Today I celebrate my 33rd birthday. Thirty-three years of laughter, tears, joy, sorrow, learning, growing, evolving, loving, living.

For some reason, this number - 33 - has been hard for me. Perhaps because I’m nearly one-third of a century (gah) old now. Perhaps because the days, weeks, months and years seem to be going by faster and faster than ever before. Perhaps because I’ve been taking a mental inventory of my life and haven’t been particularly happy with some of my discoveries. Perhaps a combination of these things.

Don’t get me wrong, I have a wonderful life, a charmed life. But I’ve recently had to be honest with myself about how much I can realistically commit to doing and still feel good about the kind of parent I am. I want to do it all. All of us moms do. We want to juggle all of the balls and keep them all up in the air, and, if we drop one (because invariably we will), we don’t want anyone to see it.

I’ve been getting more and more comments lately from people saying they don’t know how I keep it all together or how I do so much. I tend to answer the same way, telling them that it’s hard and I’m still working on finding that perfect balance, but the truth is when someone seems to be doing it all and have all of their sh*t together, you can rest assured that they are falling behind in at least one area (probably more) of their life. I know it was happening to me.

And so I’ve chosen to cut back on some commitments (though it was very hard to) and not take on new ones (even though they were appealing) in an effort to focus more time on the things that really matter - my children and my husband.

Jody and I had a parent-teacher conference with Ava’s Waldorf preschool teacher last night and she raved about what a delight Ava is. Ava is “fiery” (no surprise to us to hear that word), but a real joy. I love hearing about how well she is doing in school and how much her teacher appreciates her. It’s sometimes easier for me to focus on the bad and overlook the good and this was a good reminder for me that she really is an amazing kid.

Julian strung together his first two-word phrase last night. “Hol’ me.” (Hold me.) He said it first to Jody, but later to me as well. He’s been talking more and more the past couple of weeks, but this in particular was oh. so. very. sweet.

I don’t have any special plans for today, and that’s OK with me. I intend on spending some good quality time with the kids and enlisting Ava’s help in baking my cake. I think we’ll go with carrot cake and cream cheese frosting made from scratch. Mmmm. Perhaps we’ll play outside for a bit. Perhaps we’ll read some books. Perhaps I’ll focus on just how amazing these first 33 years of my life have been, how blessed I am, and make a wish for more of the same in my next 33.

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I had the privilege of observing this conversation at the dinner table this week.

Ava wasn’t very motivated to eat dinner, so I enthusiastically pointed out the different foods on her plate in hopes of encouraging her to eat something. After saying the name of each thing, Ava added “poop” to the list of foods.

Jody piped in, “We don’t eat poop, our food turns into poop.” And then gave a fast lesson on digestion about how when we eat food it goes into our tummies, turns into energy and helps us grow, and then we poop out what’s left.

Ava had an incredulous look on her face and said, “Nuh-uh, that’s not what happens.”

Jody said, “What happens to food when we eat it?”

Ava explained that when we eat food “it goes into a pile and then little bits go out to your body” and give you lots of “energy and energy and energy!” At which point she got very animated in demonstrating the energy.

She then turned to me to ask, “Is that right, Mommy?”

Me: “Yes, that’s pretty close to what happens.”

Jody (to Ava): “So then where does poop come from?”

Ava (pausing to think for a second): “Your butt.”

Cue peals of laughter from Jody and me.

Yep, Ava, you definitely know what you’re talking about. :)

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I had a wonderful weekend. The weather was amazing. Hooray for spring!

First, I enjoyed a night out with my friends including dinner at a very tasty Japanese restaurant on Saturday night. Three and a half hours of good food, good company and good conversation. Oh, moms’ night out - how I need you more often! ;)

Then Sunday Jody and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. It’s amazing how much our lives have changed in seven years, though definitely in a good way. We took the kids out to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Things got a little chaotic between the appetizer and main course (let’s just say you could tell Julian hasn’t been out to eat much), so I took the kids outside to listen to a street busker play the saxophone (which Julian was enrapt by) until our food arrived. That did the trick. Jody called me on my cell phone when the waiter brought our meals and the kids were ready to dig in. Trying to head off any further restlessness, we rushed through dinner, which was delicious, then got a couple of pieces of cheesecake to go. (So much for the Buy Nothing challenge this weekend. Oy.)

I have a couple pictures of Julian to share from this week, one just being cute and then one enjoying his hummus.

And then this one of Ava and Julian is my Best Shot for the week. Of course I wish they were both looking at the camera, but I also love the far off look in Julian’s eyes, while Ava looks cute as a button.

Head on over to Mother May I to see what everyone else has in store for their Best Shot Monday posts.

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My daughter Ava has slept in the same bedroom as me every night for the last nearly four years now. As a newborn she started out in an Arm’s Reach Cosleeper next to Jody’s and my bed, then transitioned into our bed around four months old. When she was two years old, we bought her her own bed, which we put next to our’s to expand our family bed in preparation for the birth of Julian and adding another person to our cosleeping arrangement.

For the most part, cosleeping (or sharing sleep) has been a great experience for our family. I’ve always loved the secure feeling of knowing my children are close by and safe. If they ever cry out or are sick in the middle of the night, I’ve been right there to comfort them. Mornings full of kisses and snuggles and goofing around in the bed are times I cherish.

For the past few weeks, Ava has been saying she’d like to move into her own bedroom. I admit I was rather surprised to hear it coming from her. We’ve talked before about her getting her own room once we move into a larger house (someday), but never pushed the issue in this house. I figure if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

After she mentioned it a few times, weeks apart, I thought we should take this request seriously and respect it. So last Friday we moved her mattress (not her whole bed) from our “family bedroom” to the “kids’ room,” which has always just been a room to store things - dresser of their clothes, a glider, diapering paraphernalia and some toys.

Ava was very excited to be moving into her own room. She declared that she was going to go to sleep all by herself and “no mama milk tonight!,” something she’s said more than once lately, but has yet to follow through on. ;) (I’m gently encouraging her to wean by her fourth birthday in June.) I thought that was a little much to try to tackle all in one night, but since it was at her urging I figured we’d give it a try and see how it went. She soon acquiesced and asked for mama milk and for me to lay with her while she fell asleep (which is our usual bedtime ritual). Before she went to sleep, Jody and I reassured her that we were there if she needed us in the night, and Jody put down a sleeping bag on the floor next to her mattress just in case. We slept with both bedroom doors open so if she woke up, she could easily wander into our room.

After she had some mama milk, we talked for a bit and she fell asleep. I took my time getting up that night. It was a little hard for me to think that my baby girl was growing up and taking the first of many steps towards independence. I laid in bed with her and whispered that I loved her. I gave her three extra kisses before I got up and left her sleeping contentedly in her very own room. It was bittersweet. I snuck back in there a little while later to snap a picture (had to) and cover her back up.

Around 2 a.m. we awoke to Ava yelling “Mommy” and she came running down the hall towards our room. Jody met her in the hallway and carried her into our room, where she said, “I don’t want to move back in here.” So Jody took her back to her room and slept next to her on the floor.

We made a big deal about her first night in her own room the next day and told her how proud we were of her.

That night, not wanting her to feel like she had to stay in her own room if she didn’t want to, I told her we could move her mattress back into our room if she wanted, but she was adamant that she wanted to sleep in her own room again.

She’s been sleeping in her own room now for the past week. She tends to wake up and call out for one of us around 3 or 4 a.m. most nights at which point Jody goes in and sleeps next to her on a second twin mattress that we got off Freecycle this week. Other than that, the transition has gone really well. She is happy to be sleeping by herself and has no plans to move back in with us. Gulp.

I am very proud of my little girl. While this transition was a little harder on me than I think it was on her, I know that we’re doing the right thing. I feel lucky that we had such a great co-sleeping relationship for the first 3 3/4 years of her life and that she was able to move on to her own room when she was ready.

It’s hard to watch your children decide they no longer need you with this or that, but at the same time it’s also rewarding. We give them wings so they can fly.

Just don’t fly too far yet, honey, k? :)

*Alternate title: “Proof that AP kids really will sleep in their own beds someday” ;)

Cosleeping Resources
Kellymom: The Family Bed
Attachment Parenting International: Engage in Nighttime Parenting
The Natural Child Project: Cosleeping
Berkeley Parents Network: Co-sleeping: The Family Bed
Mothering: Sleep articles
The Natural Child Project: Articles on Sleeping

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That’s egg-citing, not to be confused with egg sighting, though I guess either would work in this case. ;)

On Saturday we dyed a crapton of 26 eggs using natural dyes made from things like tumeric, chili powder, beets, blueberries, and red cabbage. We did 14 during the day with the kids and my sister (Aunt Carrie), and then because I wanted to experiment some more, Jody and I did another dozen after the kids went to bed. We now have enough boiled eggs to feed a small village.

I will do a post with the details of the natural egg dyeing, including what worked well and what didn’t work so well and pictures of the process, later in the week. For today, however, I’m just sharing some pictures of the egg-dyeing egg-stravaganza, our indoor egg hunt (due to snow) and then my best shot of all of our eggs in one basket (I know, I know, they say not to do that) is at the end. ;)

Most of the pics were taken with the point and shoot, and a few with my SLR. Mouse over the pics for a description.

Our natural egg-dyeing egg-stravaganza was on Saturday. Julian enjoyed eating leftover blueberries (from the dyeing process) while the rest of us dyed the eggs.

Our Easter egg hunt on Sunday was inside (since our snow from the night before hadn’t melted yet). Ava had a blast finding all of the eggs, while Julian enjoyed smacking eggs together and throwing them around the house.

And lastly, here’s my best shot. All 26 of our naturally dyed eggs (in one basket). :)

Head on over to May Papers to see what everyone else has in store for their Best Shot Monday posts.

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The weekend was sunny and semi-warm, at least warm enough for some good outside play time which is what the kids have been craving these days.

On Sunday we went to the park for a while. The kids did some swinging, went down the slide, demolished the sand cakes Jody and I made, and even got in a bit of hang time. Since I didn’t take very many pics this week, these are going to have to do for my best shots. :) They were both all giggles while upside down and Julian gave new meaning to the term “hanging out.”

You can see more “best shots” over at:

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More Wordless Wednesday.

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I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. ~Edward Everett Hale

A few weeks ago, Sarcastic Mom put out a call to action to get others involved in a project to help clean up our neighborhoods, recycle or otherwise spread the word about green living. She called it Project Support Beauty in Nature.

This Saturday was a beautiful sunny (though super windy) day. It was nearly perfect for going outside and getting stuff done. While Jody cleaned out our garage and broke down all of the cardboard boxes we’ve collected over the past several months (we save them up for a while, then take them to our recycling center since our curbside recycling program doesn’t accept cardboard), the kids and I went for a walk to the park to pick up trash along the way.

A cursory glance around the park didn’t indicate there was very much garbage. However when we paid attention to it, we soon discovered a fair amount here and there and it didn’t take long at all for us to fill up the Target bag I brought along as a trash bag.

Julian fell asleep in the stroller, but Ava was a wonderful helper (like always). We found several soda and beer cans, fast food drink cups, plastic bags, and other miscellaneous trash, including 1 glove, a mini-highlighter (that Ava kept for herself), a piece of wood, candy wrappers, and straws.

There was a lot more trash down by the stream but I couldn’t maneuver the stroller down there so it will have to wait for another day when I can go back by myself or with just Ava.

We took it home and I sorted through it to recycle the cans and plastic bottles. Then Ava helped daddy load up the last bit of cardboard and dog food bags full of paperboard (cereal and cracker boxes, egg cartons, etc.) into the car.

I need to remind myself to take a bag with me whenever we go for walks because invariably there is some trash that needs picking up along the way and I feel a lot better about stuffing it in a bag, than I do in my pockets. :) There’s my green tip - take a trash bag to fill up on your walks. My guess is that you’ll always find at least one thing to pick up.

Here’s another green tip. Even if your community does not have a curbside recycling program (or if you do have one, but it doesn’t include all that you’d like to recycle - like our cardboard/paperboard), there’s a good chance there’s a recycling center somewhere nearby you with more options. Earth 911 is full of useful recycling information and more. You can use their Find a Recycling Center search box to find a center near you.

If you want to get involved in Project Support Beauty in Nature, there is still one more day! Sarcastic Mom is going to put up her big post where everyone can link back to their action posts on Monday, Feb. 11. So get to it and help make the world a little greener. :)

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I went to my first ever caucus tonight. However, I did not vote. Life, it seems, is full of surprises.

Yesterday I called the Colorado Democratic Party to verify whether or not Jody and I were registered Democrats, because in order to vote in a caucus you must be registered as one party or the other. The woman I talked to told me that I was a dem, but that Jody was unaffiliated. I thought it odd at the time that I would’ve declared a party and not him, but I said OK, excited that I’d be able to participate in the caucus.

Fast-forward to tonight. I got online to verify the address of the school where the caucus would be held and in the process I came across a site that allows you to look up your political affiliation. For some reason, I decided to put in my information and was a bit surprised when I came up as “unaffiliated.” How could that be?! Was I registered or not? I figured I’d have to wait and find out for sure when we got to the school.

Jody and I agreed that we’d all go to the caucus tonight regardless of the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to vote (and, after the most recent development, even if I ended up not being able to vote). He was interested in learning more about the process, as was I, so after grabbing a quick takeout dinner, we headed to the school, kids in tow.

The line to get checked in was out the door and we had to park two blocks away. While I’d never been to a caucus before, I had a feeling it was a larger than normal turnout and that was exciting.

I made my way to the front of the check-in line and the volunteer behind the table searched for my name, but it was not on her list. I told her my story about being told I was a registered dem, but then finding myself unaffiliated online and she said it didn’t sound like I could vote, but there was one other person I could check with just to be sure. So I went over to that woman and she did a search for my name online and found that I was, in fact, unaffiliated. Bollocks. She said that we could still sit in if we like, provided that it didn’t get too crowded, so after letting the kids run the halls a bit, we made our way into the second of two gymnasiums packed full of people in bleachers.

My guess is that there were about 400-500 people in the gym we were in. We were told it was a record turnout and Jody overheard a man saying that if even 1/4 of the number of people showed up tonight, it would have been a record. A woman mentioned that when she usually comes, there are about 5 people there for her precinct, so this was really huge.

We took our place on the floor (where everyone with kids seemed to settle in). Ava was content to sit there and eat her dinner, but not Julian. He had no intention of sitting still and wriggled his way free of Jody and made his way out into the middle of the gym floor where the “super chair” was speaking. The chairman noticed him standing there and made a comment to the crowd, “Oh, here’s our youngest democrat!” The crowd chuckled and gave a hearty round of applause. And Julian stood there happy as a clam, smiling at his audience, until daddy whisked him away. ;)

It wasn’t long after that that Jody took the kids out into the hallway, where they could both run freely (and they weren’t the only ones who had grown tired of the festivities), while I stayed in the gym to experience the event.

We lingered about an hour, until the two large groups broke up into smaller groups by precinct which was just about the same time that the kids were showing signs that they were ready to head home. Truth be told, after a night of little sleep (both kids had the sniffles and Julian was up more times than I can count), a pap smear and a trip back to the dentist to pick up my new bite guard today (it fits!), I was ready too.

It would’ve been interesting to see what exactly went on in the precincts too and to be a part of the voting process, but I’ll have to find out next time, after I get myself registered as a democrat. ;)

While I was disappointed that I didn’t get to place my vote, I am glad that I got the opportunity to experience a bit of a caucus. Had I been told initially that I was unaffiliated, I doubt we would’ve bothered going.

Regardless of who emerges as the winner tonight (though in Colorado, it appears to be Obama - yay!), it was awesome to see so many people stepping up and making a difference. Yes we can. :)

Stumble it!

That’s how much money we saved ourselves this weekend by picking up the dog crap in the yard ourselves, instead of hiring the local pooper scooper to do it.

After the diagnosis of the crazy balled up ligament in my back and the increasing pain I was experiencing, I felt justified in considering hiring someone to remove the last two months’ worth of frozen poopsicles from our yard. However, after discovering the pooper scooper charges $40 per 5-gallon bucketful for a one-time removal, and knowing our backyard was fuller than I should probably admit, Jody and I decided just to do it ourselves this past weekend. Most of the snow had melted, the temperature was in the 50s, the sun was shining - it was a glorious day for poop scooping.

After quickly realizing a yard full of poop was no place for a toddler, Julian hung out in the swing while Jody, Ava and I all got to work. I know what you are thinking - what awful parents, making your 3-year-old pick up dog crap. The thing is, she insists that she helps. She was like that this past fall and apparently the novelty hasn’t worn off yet, so I’m going to enjoy her enthusiasm while it lasts.

Ava was so cute while we were spending family time picking up poop together too. She remarked, “See mama, you didn’t have to pay someone to pick up poop. You and me and Dada can do it. It’s the whole group family picking up poop.”

Who says you need a day at the park to get in good quality family time? We can get it right in our own backyard while picking up dog poop! :oP

Anyway, we ended up filling up our 5-gallon bucket two and a half times. $100 worth of crap. Makes me wonder what in the world the pooper scooper does with all of that poop.

Stumble it!