S'prise! Happy Birthday, Mama!

This guy!

Surprise, indeed, since it was not my birthday.  The Bear is my kind of guy because he enjoys celebrating birthdays regardless of the day.

Friday, I'm sitting on the couch.:

The Bear:  Mama, close your eyes. I hava s'prise for you.
MamaBee:  Okay, mister.

{I close my eyes but sneak a peak of TB going around the corner and secretly preparing something invisible. Mind you, I have been directed to close my eyes, yet this secret preparation ensues. TB walks towards me with hands cupped and a smile to melt any mother's heart.  I'm still pretending my eyes are shut.}

The Bear:  Open your eyes, mama.  Happy Birthday to you.... {sings whole song}. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. {claps a bunch as if it is part of his song and counting to 8}.  S'prise, Mama!  Happy Birthday! Here are some flowers I made for you.  They are paper.

{He hands me his pretend paper flowers}

Clear Your Mind... and your inbox. How to find the strength to UNSUBSCRIBE.

Photo Courtesy of DaveBee

It is something I have wanted to do for a while.  I felt like the job was insurmountable.

With every new email, ad, or newsletter that flooded one of my 3 email inboxes I would try my best stay on top of deleting them but somehow they just kept filling up!  Whether I had subscribed for them or had been added to some listserv a million years ago I felt like I was drowning in them.  In an effort to simplify my life and downsize the number of cell phones, emails, and, ultimately, all things technical I decided to... UNSUBSCRIBE. I did not want any of them anymore!  I was no longer afraid of what I would be missing.

Titanium jewelry sales (married 3.5 years ago), What to Expect When You're Expecting (ahem, Birdie is 14 mos old), tons of band updates from college era, Fry's, ProActive, Zulily, Southwest, Groupon, MeetUp, PiperLime.... and the list goes on and on.  Each time one would pop up on my email I would scroll to the bottom and click for the words in tiny print that held so much power:

unsubscribe.

After a doing this a few times I realized how easy it was.  While it may take a few annoying questions or steps (Are you sure you want to UNSUBSCRIBE? Tell us why you no longer want to hear from us.) it is so worth it.  I don't feel bogged down with constant phone reminders and ads telling me what I must try or buy.  I enjoy looking in my inbox for treasures that would usually be hidden amongst junk mail.

I did keep a few guilty pleasure subscriptions and there will be those random pop-ups here or there that I missed but, overall, I am not missing a thing.

What email subscriptions can you not live without?  If you share yours, I'll share mine!

There's Nothing to Look at, Folks. No Potty Training Going on Here.

Dave Bee and I have decided to put as little pressure on The Bear while potty training as possible.  He is starting to show signs of being interested and we are keeping it pretty casual.  Luckily, he has taken to stripping down wherever he might be when he feels the urge.  This results in the picture below and a half naked little man streaking across the house or yard to make it to the desired destination.

Meanwhile, The Bird just takes it all in.  I would not be surprised if she potty-trains herself.

Cornered!

As of late, I have been struggling to get anything done in the kitchen with The Bear (3 yo) and The Bird (14 mos) hot on my heels.  The Bear is in his "Mom, watch me! Watch me! Watch me!" phase as he sails through our long kitchen running SO fast and The Bird enjoys emptying out the contents of the cereal boxes from the pantry onto the floor.

Check this out.  I pulled an unused kids table into the kitchen and added a few simple, self-starting art supplies (crayons, coloring books, paint brushes, water colors, paper) The Bird digs it so far. Any suggestions for keeping the babes occupied at your house?

We are still working on the coloring part but she sure likes looking like a big girl.  Dang, they grow fast!

That's a Wrap: Gluten Free Sandwich Wraps

I am on a sandwich wrap kick! Any gluten free tortilla will do but I like the large brown rice ones from Trader Joe's.  Check these out:

The Protein Wrap

Gluten free tortilla

Hummus

Dijon mustard

Red onion

Romaine hearts

Mild cheddar cheese

Sliced Turkey Breast

Salami

You're welcome!

Cheese and Veggie Wrap

Gluten free tortilla

Real mayonaise

Yellow mustard

Sharp cheddar cheese

Romaine lettuce

Avocado* 

Cucumber*

Tomato* 

*Home grown!!

The awesome thing about wraps is that they possibilities are endless especially if you are into spreads and cheeses!

Often, I see recipes online and they inspire me to try their meal but with my own twist. Let me know if you are inspired to make a wrap and if so, what did you put in it? 

That's a wrap! (too easy!)

Part 3 of 3: Must Have Family Camping Items

Part 3 of 3: Must Have Family Camping Items

To round out the Family Camping Trilogy I give you the "Must Have Family Camping Items!"

• Wipes (spit baths and dirty flop-flop feet!)
• Diapers (if the babes need them or if they are not fully potty-trained)
• Headlamps - the more, the merrier the children are.
• Extra Blankets (for cold weather and beach blankets)
• Non-Perishable snacks (Fruit squeezes, trail mix, crackers, jerky)
• Reuseable water canisters (individual and large size to refill) 
• Firewood (in case scavenging is not an option or local wood is wet)
• Durable stroller (if you plan on walking or going on mild hikes) 
• Toys (that you don't mind getting dirty!)
• bikes, buckets, shovels, tractors, dump trucks, plastic or wood toys that can be cleaned easily 

Thanks for reading through the Family Camping Trilogy:  

Part 1 of 3:  Family Camping: Packing

Part 2 of 3:  Family Camping: Gluten Free Meal Planning

What Must Have's do you have to share?!

Tractors are good toys! ;)

Musical Beds

As of 1 month ago Dave Bee and I had it all figured out...

A rare moment caught on film!

The Bear was sleeping 12 hours in his own bed in his new room.  We had just gently sleep-trained The Bird in her crib in her room after 13 months of co-sleeping with us. Nights were good...in fact, they were too good!

Over the last couple of weeks I can only describe what is happening as "musical beds" and no one is sleeping through the night!

Excerpt from last night's musical bed number:

7:30 - 9:00:     The Bear gets out of bed 1000 times after our regular bedtime routine.

11:00:             Dave Bee and I go to bed.

11:01:             The Bird wakes up momentarily screeching like a baby owl (that has been the noise as of late; quite shocking when it is out of the blue!).  We wait and listen, and that is all.

1:03-1:23:       The Bear sneaks his way up on our bed, in between us, and under the covers undetected until he clocks me in the forehead with his bee flashlight.  I contemplate letting him stay since he is so cozy and I am so tired until The Bird starts squawking again.  Most likely because The Bear passed by the two sleeping pups in the hallway and they inevitably both shook their ears loudly.  I carry The Bear and his bee flashlight back to bed and The Bird is silent again.

3:30-3:45:      The Bird wakes up crying and it escalates.  Dave Bee and I mumble to each other about whether he should try and put her back to sleep but this thought always pops into my head: "Well, she ate dinner at 6:30pm and now its 3:30am and it has been 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 100 hours since she last ate and must be starving!" I go in and nurse her on the guest bed where I usually fall back to sleep momentarily.  Only to wake up moments later wondering where the hell I am!  The Bird is asleep and I slip her back in the crib and crawl back to bed.

3:46:              The Bear is back!  We are too tired to have the exchange of words that would persuade a persevering three year old to go back to bed... again. His warm, squishy little body wins the sweet spot in the big bed.

6:00:             Dave Bee's alarm wakes he and The Bear up.  As they amble out to make coffee, the dogs shake their ears and The Bird awakens.  I roll out of bed and open the door to the sweetest sight.  The Bird standing in the morning light with a ginger-blonde, disheveled top pony tail which is now sticking out to the side and her steel blue eyes meet mine and the corners of her lips curl up as she says, "HI!" in her raspy morning voice... and the musical from the night before is all but forgotten.

What does musical beds look like at your house?