The Benefits to Waking Up Before 6:00 a.m.

Tali and Eli playing with "Aunt Cara's blocks" in the kitchen while I cleaned.

This morning, Tali and Eli woke up at 5:50 a.m. Yes, that's early for us. About an hour and a half early. But, I got so much more done today because of it.

Before school I:

fed the kids breakfast
did a load of laundry
got the kids dressed (and myself)
taught Tali how to make our bed
cleaned the kitchen
made a grocery list and most of our weekly menu
took Jackson on a walk

And, we still made it to school on time. Amazing! Not that I'm hoping for a repeat performance tomorrow, but it was nice to have one day of numerous accomplishments before 9:00 a.m.

Our First Vegetable Garden

We recently did some more landscaping in our backyard and decided to include a 7-bed vegetable garden. We hope this will be a fun thing for the kids as they grow up. As I've never gardened before, it's going to be a great learning experience for me. I'm starting a bit late in the game this year so we'll what grows. I don't have high expectations for my first year. It'll take a few years before I really know what I'm doing.

Today, I decided a fun activity would be to start planting the seeds with Tali. Ha! I sometimes forget that she's three and likes to make a mess. I also forget how chaotic it can be to try and get something done with her. Throw in a furniture delivery and it was all out chaos. But, Tali had a great time.


I had about ten seed packets and Tali really wanted to plant carrots. With everything going on, I didn't read the package. These are supposed to go directly into the ground so that the roots are straight. Oh well. If they grow, we'll enjoy some crooked carrots. A fun reminder of our very first gardening experience together.

Ha!

I quickly ran down to our boiler room to get some information off of our well and when I came back upstairs, this is what I found. (He was fully dressed, with a bib, when I left him.) I must've been gone for no more than a minute!

PS Yes, I know I need to write more. A lot more. It's just still so crazy here that I can never seem to find the time. When my kids get older, someone please tell them that I loved them and they were cared for at this age. I was just too busy to record it.

Mohawk!

Everyone is always telling me that I need to sculpt Eli's hair into a mohawk.  I agree. He has the perfect hair for it. But, I never seem to find the time. Today he woke up from his nap with a mini-mohawk. This will have to do for now.

First Tooth!

Eli got his first tooth about a week and a half ago. It's so cute out there all by itself. It's not fully out yet, but it's very visible. His second tooth cut through this past Saturday, right next to the first. You can't see it unless you peer inside his mouth, but trust me, it's there. The third and fourth teeth (on top, to match the bottoms) aren't far behind. Tali didn't get her first tooth until after she was one so this is one area where he's beat her.

Still Under Construction

I'm trying to get our life "back to normal" (including regular blog posts) around here but there's still so much going on. We've been in our new house almost a month and a half now and are still under construction. We've yet to have a week of peace and quiet. Today, there are three different crews here: two painters, one landscaper and three electricians for the generator. I also have my cleaning ladies (there are two of them) coming today. So while I try to keep the kids happy and out of trouble,  I will, at one point today, have eight extra people in the house.

It's very bizarre to live in a construction zone. You're never really alone and regular activities, such as meals, are a bit of a juggling act. Plus, Tali is still prone to tantrums and I always feel like I'm being judged if she's acting out. She is always in a safe place and never destructive to anything/anyone but the screaming and ranting can go on for a while. When it's just us, I don't mind. I let her get it out and she'll eventually calm down and do whatever it is I need to her to do. But when others are here, it can be hard to parent her. I still hold my ground, though.

Supposedly the painters will be done Friday (and my kids will have lost quite a few brain cells in the process) but then we start on the real landscaping. That'll be another few weeks.

I look forward to the day when we can have some peace and quiet.

Losing My Purpose

This morning I had to answer the door just as I was about to get breakfast on the table. When I came into the kitchen, Tali had put her yogurt, a spoon, a cereal bar and her milk at her spot, my yogurt and a spoon at my spot and Eli's food and a spoon at my spot. The only thing she couldn't reach were the bananas. What a nice surprise. Now if only she would do the dishes!

Moved to the Country

I still have very little time for myself (hope that changes in the next few months), but just had to say hello after a loooong break. We finally moved to our new home and it's great! There's still a lot to do and I'm still juggling the end of a renovation with two children. The good news is that I don't have to commute over an hour to get to the renovation. The bad news is that there are days I'm stuck inside (like today) because there are workers here and I don't want to leave them alone with all of our things.

It's been almost two weeks since the move and everyone has gotten used to being here. Today we had a nice, spontaneous "we live on 4 1/2 acres of land" moment. UPS came to drop off a package and Jackson seized the opportunity to run outside. Usually, he pees and comes right back. But Tali, still in her pajamas and socks, ran after him. So he ran some more. The two of them spent a good 20 minutes playing chase and running around half of our property. They had a blast! Eli and I watched all the action. He thought it was very funny.

Of course, when it was over I had to spend the next 15 minutes checking everyone for ticks (all clear!) but I guess it was worth it. Before Tali's nap, she told me that when she wakes up she wants to go do it again. This is why we moved here.

My Kids Are Cute

Very Cute.

Another Foodie-in-Training

Before Eli started eating real food, I was hoping that he'd be a good eater. After Tali (aka the kid who eats everything), I didn't think I would know what to do with a picky eater. But secretly I was preparing myself for the worst. I was not, however, preparing myself for a kid who could beat Tali at eating. I didn't even think that was possible!

Eli is not yet six months and he's already eating three meals a day. He eats everything he's given and sometimes has two servings. Even more impressive? He can chew. Really chew. He can eat chunks of soft food without choking. He just chews and swallows. Tali didn't get pieces of food until seven months.

This morning he ate about 1/4 of a large banana - all in pieces. I'm impressed!

There is a whole new food movement called Baby Led Weaning where kids get "real" food from the very beginning. No purees, no mush, just real food that their parents eat. It's controversial and until now I didn't really believe in it. But I am now thinking of giving it a real try. Eli seems like the perfect candidate.