Family Musings

Last night, I started having second thoughts about finding out Babin's gender. And up until about halfway through the ultrasound, I still wasn't sure. But I am glad we found out. I secretly had a preference and it turns out I didn't have to worry. Those of you who are friends with my on Facebook, might already know that we found out today that Babin is a girl. And I have the ultrasound pictures to prove it (if you know how to read them that is!) First though, let's look at Babin's sweet face. It's always nice to look a lady in the eyes when meeting her and you can do that by staring near those two x's, which show roughly where her eye sockets are. Her round belly is on the right side of the image. The doctor who did the ultrasound thinks Babin is just over 1 lb and has a heart beat of about 164 bpm. And now, hoping Babin won't be embarassed some day, here is an image of her girl parts. These are the only two pictures we have, so I am showing them o...

There has been a lot of speculation about who the VIP was that came to visit us last week. I had many inquiries about who it might be, and even some suggestions that it was either Bruce or Charlotte. It was neither, but someone equally important to our family. And now, I can tell you (and show you) who our VIP is. Her name is Miha and she is a friend of ours all the way from Romania! Bruce met her while traveling there several years ago and then I met her when I traveled to Serbia a couple of years later. On Miha's first day with us, we took a short road trip but the jet lag caught up with her. While in the US, she wanted to enjoy some special crackers that she can't get in Romania. Once we found them, Charlotte and her had a cracker toast to new friends. Here is a little video of Charlotte saying Miha's name and having a little more fun with her Romanian friend. Untitled from Jennifer S on Vimeo . We found out that Miha had never riden a motorcycle before so B...

This giveaway is now closed. Ladies, this is one of the highest value giveaways I have ever had the pleasure of hosting here at Family Musings. And I am so happy to do this, not just because I might get a little extra traffic, but because I get to talk about breastfeeding again! Back when my daughter was just born, I immersed myself in the world of breastfeeding. I read mom blogs that focused on the topic, as well as being an active participant in forums that focused on positive breastfeeding experiences. For a while, it seemed like breastfeeding was the only thing I talked about, on my blog or IRL! (Many apologies to my father and brother!) Now that Babin is on the way and I am still nursing Charlotte, I don't feel any less passionate about the subject of breastfeeding, but I feel there is less for me to say as I've processed the relationship more and gathered more experience. One might say the honeymoon period is over. :) Well, what is it I am giving away you might ask? Mom C...

If you have been paying attention, you know that I gave up traditional shampoo and conditioner 2 weeks ago. I went no 'poo , and so far I have no regrets. Day 8 - I didn't do anything with my hair except pull the front back with some clips. Day 9 - Same as day 8. Day 10 - Had planned to rinse my hair with apple cider vinegar (ACV), but woke up too late. Just pulled the front back with more clips. Day 11 - Um, woke up late again. I guess it will be more clips to keep my hair off my face. It doesn't feel bad at all, but the frizz is creeping in a little bit. Really wish I had rinsed it yesterday. Day 12 - I think sleep is more important than hair and don't take the time to do anything to it. Day 13 - My hair is starting to feel a little slimy from not getting any water or anything for almost an entire week. I have definitely been showering, but didn't want to waste time with my hair while my VIP is in town. Day 15 (April 30) - I finally had time to properly rinse ...

Since my VIP is taking a much deserved late sleep this morning, I decided to conquer a couple of small decluttering tasks - my kitchen drawers. The kitchen utensil drawer, before then after: The dish towel, other random stuff drawer, before then after: I'm on a roll here! Though I doubt I'll have for more decluttering this weekend... am I boring you with these posts?

Charlotte blessed me with a few extra hours to work uninterrupted this morning by sleeping until 10 am. So, here are the kitchen pictures I promised last night. As scary as it looks, I should have had nightmares last night knowing what awaited me this morning. I freely admit it, I went to bed with my kitchen looking like this. I do think these pictures represent a new low for even me. There is hope for the worst of us though, and these following after pictures prove it.   Now obviously, there is stull stuff on my counters, and dishes I just washed that need to dry before I can put them away. But, I have a small kitchen and this is my reality. I won't ever be able to have clear counters the way I want. Oh, and my pantry needs another reorganization so that I might get the box off the floor. I also cleared up the entry way. Before and after side by side. This was pretty easy because again, more decluttered stuff from the rest of the house was just waiting to be taken to the d...

I have crossed 3 items off my list tonight, all downstairs where our VIP will get her first impression of my homemaking skills. Let's look at the before and after shots: The wall by the stairs - it still looks somewhat cluttered, but now at least, all of my stuff is organized a little better. Someday I'll have a more put together organizational system for this wall and it will look even better. And maybe we won't have so many large toys hanging out in the living room either. The end table - Here too more work is needed, but we still have improvement. This table seemed like a good idea at the time we bought it because of its height and size. Now though, I am not so sure. most of the art is now between the couch and table and the large boxes have been relocated.  Clearing Charlotte's toys -This was the fairly easy part. I still intend to pair down the amount of toys she has regular access too (maybe do something like MoziEsme ). Oh, and the blue glider you now see ...