A Shocking 10 Minutes of Distraction

We all went to the mall yesterday.  Thankfully it is a very small one and it isn't busy.  We have been having issues with Levi just wandering away when distracted by pretty much anything and shopping has been very challenging with him lately.  We had only been there about 10 minutes before we hit the part of the mall where they have all those toys for kids to play on; and, when we did get there, there was another child playing on one.  Levi ran right over while we kept walking.  We stopped briefly, and then decided to be more drastic.  We hid on him.  We were close enough to keep him safe, and we could see everything he was doing, but he would not be able to see us.  I have no idea what a normal amount of time would be for a child to notice his family was missing, but for at least 10 minutes, Levi ran around foolishly, falling on the ground and making a big scene while we quietly watched from our hiding spot.  Finally, he clued in.  We were gone.  That moment of fear hit only briefly before I stepped out and called to him, but I am hoping that was enough to teach him a lesson.  I think, after seeing how long it took for him to notice, that I am more scared than he is of what could happen.  Thankfully, we have an appointment with the paediatrician soon and we can hopefully sort out a way to get him more focused.

Oh Parker, You Need Your Own Bed

During the last few nights, it has become apparent to me that Parker needs to start sleeping in his own bed at night.  He has been overly fussy due to excessive heat and being crowded, and this has caused him to cry out every 20 - 30 min and push me or his daddy away to have more space.  This is very exciting to me, but now I'm faced with having no choice but to get him in his crib.  Again, very exciting, but I don't know how I will manage this!  He still seems resistant to being put down alone in a crib.  I think this is where a drop-side crib would come in handy, but we don't feel safe using those due to way too many recalls.  I sure do wish all babies came with a manual some days!  Wish us luck.

Almost Blissful Sleep

Finally, after a few weeks of insomnia and struggle, I gave up on not sleeping with Parker and have gotten a few hours of restful sleep for 2 nights now.  I realized that not only was Parker having a hard time transitioning, but I was also having a hard time with it.  I got so used to having his little body snuggled into me, that as much as I became his security blanket, he became mine as well.  How silly and habitual we can be.  Now I need to figure out, not only how to break him of the need to be with mommy, but myself on the need to be with him, in order to get a decent sleep.  I feel we have a very long road ahead of us.  Thankfully, my wonderful husband is very understanding, and doesn't seem to mind too much, in having Parker in bed with us.  Levi is still struggling on staying in bed, but this morning he stayed quiet and also stayed in bed, letting us all get some much needed rest.  Feeling blessed!

Planning to Go Dairy Free

Parker is wanting, more and more, to eat what the family eats at meal time.  With this, I'm realizing just how much dairy I use on a daily basis.  I hear and read often just how bad dairy can be for people, and with a little one who happens to be allergic to it, I'm thinking it's time to try a dairy free diet, at least for awhile.  I can't help but wonder what types of health changes I might notice, any weight loss that might occur and I also can't help but wonder what this will do to our wallets.  I'm going to spend the next little while gathering recipes and visiting blogs about a dairy free lifestyle and then we're going to go a minimum of 30 days completely dairy free.  Excited and nervous all at the same time!

Sleep Transition: End

Since I'm extremely tired and this whole transitioning thing isn't working out well, I'm going to put this whole thing on rest for a few days while I read "the no-cry sleep solution for toddlers and preschoolers" by Elizabeth Pantley.  I then plan to put all the info I can down onto a blog page where I can access it easily.  I'm curious to see if the ideas and solutions she has outlined in this book really will help us.  

I had been thinking on purchasing this book for some time, but never got around to it, but then to my delight, I found it at Value Village!  What a great deal.  I also came across a couple more books: "Better Sleep for your Baby & Child" by Dr. Shelly K. Weiss and "Raising Your Spirited Child" by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.  Here's to a good month of educational reading.

Sleep Transition: Days 5, 6 & 7

Day 5:  The schedule was only slightly off as we started dinner late and such.  I don't realistically think that the timing will be bang on each night, but the actual routine should be followed and done as close to the times as possible.  Both kids were in bed at a decent time, and it was nice to enjoy a few hours of peace before heading to bed ourselves.

Day 6:  We were very much off schedule, but followed the routine and I think it's going well.  Levi learned a nice quiet game of cards with mommy, and we had some quality time.  I think this will need to be our special time every day.  Parker resisted to the point that I just gave in and slept with him.  I know I shouldn't, but I'm going crazy!

Day 7:  Levi and I enjoyed cards again.  I love spending time with him again.  Parker went to bed wonderfully at 9, but when he woke at midnight, he would not go back to his crib.  Again, i had to give in and sleep with him.


The schedule we set up has been working well for our 4 year old.  He's going to bed well and getting up well.  We still have attitude problems, but he is finally averaging about 11 hours of sleep a night.  I'm hoping that after a few more weeks with this routine, he calms down more and rests better.

The schedule works well enough with Parker, also; however, he is still refusing to sleep in his crib.  We're going to give in and try a pacifier with him.  I'm also going to take his mattress out of his crib and put it on the floor.  He notices as soon as I pull him away from my chest and wakes up screaming.  I know this is a difficult transition for him, and I am trying to remain patient, but my lack of sleep has left me bitter in the wee hours of the morning.  My hopes with our new plan is that he can go to sleep much the same as he had been, on a mattress on the floor, but he will be getting used to a new mattress.  I will continue to wake up to feed him, but when he chooses to just suckle, I will pull away and place the pacifier in his mouth instead.

Here's to dreaming of a peaceful sleep soon.

Sleep Transition: Days 3 and 4

Day 3: Parker went to bed easily, but of course I put him down while asleep.  He managed to go quite some time before waking, and when he did wake to eat, I was able to get him back down in his crib again.  The only problem was that Levi had decided to get up and crawl into my spot in bed while I had been feeding Parker.  This made me pretty upset because I then had to wait until Parker woke up again to go back to sleep.  We can't hear him as easily from Levi's room.

Day 4:  Parker fought his crib!  He refused to go down and it was after midnight before I managed to get him peacefully asleep.  Once asleep, he did very well and didn't wake until about 3am.  I was way too tired by this point to bother trying to get him back in his crib, so I gave in and put him in bed with us.

Tonight, probably the dumbest night to start, we plan to start a new sleep regime.  This is how it will go:

5:30 TV Off and Dinner
6:15 Levi has his bath
6:35 Quiet family activity
7:00 Bedtime snack
7:15 Stories for Levi, bath for Parker
7:30 Levi brushes his teeth, Parker has stories
7:45 Lights out for Levi, Nurse Parker
8:15 Brush Parker's teeth
8:30 Lights out for Parker

It is going to be a tough run, but we've decided that we are going to hold to this schedule and make it work.  Once this schedule is in place, I can finally come up with a daily routine that works well for all of us.

Making Your Home Business Work For You

I have 3 home businesses, Tupperware, Epicure and Norwex, and I started each for similar reasons.  I had also tried Avon for a bit, but joined for a much different reason, and failed at it.  The difference for me was passion.  Avon didn't hold a place in my life.  After 1 complete fail, 1 struggling and 2 successful business attempts, I hope I have some insight on making this type of business work for you.

Tupperware was my first business.  I had thought of making it a full-time job so I could be at home with my little one, but I never found it lucrative enough.  The person who signed me up wasn't much of a leader and had screwed up my kit order and such, so I lost motivation before my stuff arrived a whopping 2 months later.  I do, however, love the product and sell it mainly just to keep my discount.  I have signed 3 people up under me, however, and they are all doing better at it than I am.

Epicure was my second business, and like Tupperware, I love the product.  I sell it easier though and realized that it's because I am more passionate about it.  I love to cook, and I enjoy new flavours.  With hundreds of spice blends, baking necessities and an abundance of innovative cookware solutions, for me it sells itself.  It also holds another value to me; everything is locally grown, low sodium and non-GMO!  How great is that!  I can cook really simple meals, guilt free and make it look like I slaved away.

My latest business is Norwex.  I'm in love with Norwex, and not because I love cleaning.  After having kids, solutions for cleaning not only your house, but your body become a priority.  What's best, how safe is it, will it actually clean things.  I became a Norwex customer a couple years back and finally joined after realizing my husband wouldn't kill me if I had just one more business.  I had wanted to sell for awhile.  I find Norwex also sells itself, especially when you can give great examples of how it helps your own family.  Generally, you go to someone's house and clean it live in front of a crowd.  Using only water and a cloth and getting something so shiny and clean is amazing to just about everyone.  I've managed to also clear up eczema, eliminate perfumes and take out all toxins from that aspect of our lives, and for that I am thankful.

Not all businesses work for all people.  For anyone who doesn't like cooking, isn't concerned with chemicals, or perhaps really likes scented products, my businesses wouldn't make sense.  Just like Avon didn't make sense for me.  I don't wear much make-up, I am allergic to perfumes, I'm trying to eliminate chemicals and I'm unwilling to buy clothes I can't try on first.  I also didn't have time to canvas the neighbourhood for customers, and hated ordering books every 2 weeks.  The only reason I joined was because one of my friends needed someone else on her team to make the next level and, at the time, it was free to join.

So how can you make sure a business is going to work for you?

1. Make sure it is a product or service you use daily.  Become a customer first and see if it fits in your life and how often you would need to make a purchase or service call.  If you can't use it often, how can you sell it, even to someone who can.
2. Talk about it, even before you start the business.  If you can get other people interested and excited, you know you can sell it.  For home party businesses like mine, host a party first and see how many guests you can get to come.  If you can get a good turn out, they can all be potential customers for you.
3. Be prepared to invest a lot of time, money and energy at first.  If you can't commit to at least a few hours a day to think of your business, even if it's just while kids are napping, or after they go to bed, then wait until you can.  The first few weeks and months are crucial, and you need to make sure you have time to build a customer base, and money to spend on supplies.  Each business will also require it's own unique amount of work to be put into it.  Talk to others doing the same job to see how well they are doing with the time they put in.  
4. Truly love the product.  If you have no confidence in the product, or feel uncomfortable talking to complete strangers, say at the grocery store, about what you do, then it's not the right business for you.
5. Invest in that company's personal website.  It's usually only $10/month to have your own site and some companies, like Epicure and Avon, offer it for free.  There are always people looking for a rep, but unless you have your own website, people can't generally find you.  At first, you may not get a lot of business, but once you have a client base, people will inevitably hear about you and start looking online.
6. Customer service is key!  Calling customers is very important.  I tend to forget a lot, but when I do remember, I'm always glad i did it.  The amount of loyalty you can get just from 1 simple call is amazing and you almost always make extra sales.  If a customer has any questions, no matter how silly, find the answers.  It seems simple enough, but I have had my share of almost impossible questions.  I also like to give stuff away now and then.  $8 out of my pocket, can mean several hundred dollars into my pocket.  
7. Lastly, know the product.  Do the online webinars if they are available, read all the info that comes in your kit, look up allergens or ingredients and if needed keep a printout with you on anything you may be asked.  Also know your competition.  Do they have something you don't offer?  What can you offer that they don't.  Each company will have at least 2 competitor companies, and you need to be able to say what makes yours best.  If you can't come up with something...perhaps you are in teh wrong business.

Good luck in all of your business ventures, and I hope you have great success!

Sleep Transition: Second Night

It was possibly more successful last night.  I have a lot of people telling me to use the CIO method, but that just doesn't sit well with me.  We had tried it with Levi and gave up after about 4 days because it was just too hard on us all.
I got Parker down around 9, in his crib, and he slept right through until 12:30.  I went to bed right away, but couldn't sleep because I had hit my second, or third, or possibly fourth wind.  I did manage to unwind quite a bit and eventually fall asleep after Kirk came to bed.
Now comes my fail.  Once Parker woke up, I nursed him and then snuggled and then attempted to put him in his crib.  He sort of woke up a little grumpy, and I could have held him another 10-15 minutes and gotten him back to sleep.  Instead, I marched into my room, shoved him into the bed, and curled around him for what I hoped would be 4 hours of blissful sleep.
What I wasn't counting on, was Levi keeping me up.  He woke upset because he needed to use the bathroom, no problem.  Then, he comes in, says he's too hot in his bed, and when I get out of bed to put him back, he says "well where are you going to sleep?"  Oh, the audacity of a 4 year old!  

Sleep Transition: First Night

Well, that night was a bust.  I didn't get any sleep at all.  Parker went down the same as always, but as always, woke up a couple hours later to eat.  After one failed attempt, I managed to get him back to bed and then crawled back into bed myself.  I actually started drifting off, and was feeling confident about the night, but just before I crossed that border into sleepy land, Parker woke up again.  This time, I never managed to get him back in the crib.  He wanted to sleep on mom.  I was too grumpy for that, so I kept him awake a bit in hopes he would eventually go down in his crib.  Needless to say, i am going to be one crazy and grumpy mommy today!

I did decide that I need to enforce a more definite routine with him.  It was so much easier with Levi, especially being bottle fed.  Once I come up with an actual routine, I will post it on a page.

Decluttering: Day 1

Today we get to prepare the house for our soon to be house sitter.  We are already 3 hours behind due to a few social/business visits, but we finally made it to the house.  Or main goal is to get the bathroom and bedroom ready, and pack up Parker's crib. 

We didn't manage to get all of our list done today.  We got sidetracked a few times with social visits.  We did get a lot done though.  The crib is now in the apartment and set up, and Parker is even sleeping in it.  His first day without mommy and his first night sleeping alone.  Hoping it isn't too much for him all at once.  We also managed to get our bed frame here.  It will be so nice to sleep higher up off of the floor.  And we also got some drawers to put crafts, bills, and catalogs in.  So relieved to be able to get stuff off of our counters and away.  

I didn't manage to get any actual cleaning done today, however, so that will all have to be done on Wednesday.  We also decided we will put most of our stuff into the one room with a locking door, and that way it's out of the way and we are the only ones who have access.  The unfortunate part is that we will have the kids with us that day and so cleaning will take about 3x longer.  

All in all, I think we will have that place completely organized and on the market either just before or just after Christmas, and we will be able to relax a little more. 

Living in Two Places at Once

For the last month and a half, we've been living in 2 places.  We have our house and we have an apartment.  Kirk's work gave us all of 2 weeks notice that he was being temporarily transferred to a different location so he could get someone trained to be manager.  I'm not a very organized person, but i had to arrange times to look at apartments, try and keep the kids lives normal, and pack what we needed.  The transition has been fairly difficult for all of us, especially Levi, who doesn't handle change well.
We spent 5 weeks with no couch, still don't have proper beds, and we are all tired and grumpy.  Every second or third day off, we head back to the house, to pack a few more things in our tiny car so we can live normally.
We did find a house sitter, thankfully, so that one stress is gone.  But with it, comes the stress of having to clean that place up before he moves in!  As I said, i'm not very organized.  The house is clean, but very messy.  There are stacks of clutter, too many clothes and just stuff...everywhere.  Not hoarder quantities, but still a lot of unnecessary stuff.  I was actually excited to move into a small apartment so we could see just how little we really need to be happy.  Turns out, beds are a must!  We get upgraded on Sunday.
Also, we start cleaning out the house Sunday.  We do plan to sell it eventually, as there is supposed to be yet another move, but this time more permanent, coming up in about 6 months.  I'm going to write about getting that house set up, and how difficult it is to sell that particular house in today's market.
Wish us luck!

Quest For A Challenge

So, one of my mail goals with this blog is to come up with different personal and family challenges.  I will be making a page specifically for that purpose.  In the mean time, I need to brainstorm some ideas and whether or not to just find some, or make my own.  So far I know I want to be a better parent, get healthier, become more organized, be more active, live frugally and live greener.  What are some awesome challenges out there?

Sleepless Woes

I love my boys dearly, but I seriously miss my sleep.  It has been far too long since I have had a decent night of rest, and it is really starting to get to me.  Lately, I have been so exhausted, I actually start falling asleep while walking...outside...with my boys.  I have to stop every few minutes to make sure I'm actually awake.  Needless to say, I haven't gone out much with them.  

I miss sleep!  I miss feeling energetic!  I miss feeling like a good mom! 

High Hopes

Lately I have felt very disjointed with my children, especially Levi.  I had no idea just how much things would change once Parker was born.  Levi had been bottle fed, due to lack of supply on my part.  It worked out well enough, as he was able to bond with his daddy and me in the same way.  Levi and I were a team and just absolutely in love.  Try as we might, there really is no way to prepare a child for the arrival of a new baby and with Levi's hyperactive personality, we had to limit his time playing with his new little brother.  Parker is also breastfed.  The time spent with Parker is wonderful, but my relationship and closeness to Levi has suffered greatly.  I'm often short tempered, frustrated and just "too busy" and I really hope that i can overcome this.  My greatest hope is that I can find a way to become a happy, carefree and most importantly, a fun mom.  I'm going to set up challenges for myself and my family in hopes of growing closer together.  Both my boys deserve it.