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Life After Kids.
I watched an Oprah awhile back (I have to watch them with the DVR in sometimes 6 sections while breastfeeding in the middle of night or at other random times) and I was sad to see that so many women were unhappy with motherhood. I think a lot of women give up their interests-trips, exercise, hobbies etc when they have kids. I have been lucky to grow up in a family where we traveled and hiked- everything. It's just the way we grew up. I see my sister going on cruises, rock climbing, traveling, and living life with her three kids. She showed me it could be done. We are trying to do the same. We want to show our kids that they don't need to give up who they are once they become parents. We want active kids who love the outdoors and love life. Yes, everything takes more time and we have to be a lot more creative with naps, meals, and getting from point A to point B but Carleton and I are a lot happier when we make the effort to get out.
I just got back from a three week trip where we visited family and friends and took our yearly family trip to Moab, UT. Here are some of the adventures from our last trip and some of the ways we were able to cope:
Constant Stops. I have to breastfeed little Annie at least every three hours. We have to make sure we get our all our meals and that Apollo gets fed. We had to stop on an exit to change Apollo's REALLY poopy diaper. There was poop everywhere (it's hard to change a diaper in the dark and on the road). All we could do was laugh.
Carleton called on his way home (he drove back after Moab to go to work while I went to my sister's to visit) to inform me that he had made the trip with only one stop.
Random Naps. Apollo sometimes slept in the car (right where we were climbing) while Annie slept in the front pack while we hiked or snuggled in my parent's trailer. We have a bear that we give Apollo at bedtime and he checks out when we give it to him.
Babysitters. We were glad for all the help!
Entertainment. We kept pumping Apollo with books in the car while we listened to our books on tape. I made some skull bandannas for fun for everyone and brought some temporary tattoos and pirate dolls to make (complete with glitter and glitter and glue).
Feeding. Since Annie eats every three hours, even if I have to feed her by a trail where people are passing, I do what I have to do.
Hands Full. Carleton carried Apollo on his shoulders and I carried Annie on the front pack wherever we went. Diapers. Snacks. Sunscreen. Hats. Jackets. Blankets. Make sure kids don't fall off cliffs. We still do what we want - it just takes so much more planning and time.
Fun. We rock climbed, rappelled, went jeeping, hiked, 4-wheeled, and sang songs with the guitars by the fire. We only lost Apollo once.
Flying with 2. I remember the days when I would buy a magazine, chat with the person next to me, or take a snooze on the plane. This past trip I flew home with two of them for the first time by myself. Even though I had a 2 hour layover, it went by fast. It takes awhile for me to go to the bathroom (Apollo was in the stroller and Annie was in the sling all in the stall), get the kids' diapers changed, and get them fed. They were great. The guy next to me slept most of the time in the first flight while Apollo played with his arm rest, played peek-a-boo with the people behind us, and crawled all over. On the second flight, they were both good again until I had to put Apollo in his seat belt (it's hard to keep an 18 month old in the belt with a 2 month old in my lap). They were both done on the descent and I had to hold Apollo with all my strength while both of them were screaming. All in all I feel pretty proud of myself.
Coming home. I'm thankful to have to coolest husband. He had the car and house spotless. There was the most beautiful flowers on the table, he had bought P90X (the workout videos I really wanted-they'll help me get rid of my baby fat), and had hung the picture my sister painted for me.
Decorating Eggs.
My sister and her kids made these eggs for Easter. After the eggs were blown out (to make them light enough to hang and so they didn't have to be refrigerated), the kids decorated the eggs with crayons, dipped them in the dyes, and decorated them with markers. To blow out an egg, poke a hole at the top and bottom of the eggs. Stick a needle inside to mix it up so they can be blown out easily. Rinse with water to get any egg juice left over.
These egg decorating ideas come from Martha Stewart's website. They're all pretty simple to do so kids can help out. Click on the ones you want to find out how to make them.
The Silk Tie Easter Eggs can be done with any silk scarf, boxers, ties etc. The pattern comes right off on the eggs.
Glitter Eggs.
More Glitter Eggs.
You can use napkins, magazine cutouts, paper, stickers, or anything you can cut out and mod podge on to make these eggs.
Keep 'em busy.This wonderful idea comes from my sister-in-law, Sloane. It's nice to find a project a toddler can work on by himself. All you need is water, a paint brush, and construction paper (no paint needed!). The water shows up on the construction paper and there's no mess. When the paper dries, it can be used again. It was nice for Apollo to work on this while I made my Christmas presents this year.
Fun Finds.
I copied this idea from my sister-in-law's blog. This is what she wrote on her blog about the job chart they are doing for their three year old:
Here is the job chart that James fashioned and created for Jacob. Everyday Jacob has the chance to earn what we call "Fuzzy Wuzzies" by doing a variety of tasks. He gets to put his Fuzzy Wuzzies on the board, and at the end of the day we add up the amount he earned. He then gives 10% to tithing, 40% to savings, and he gets to keep the other 50% to spend on whatever he chooses. He especially loves quarters because he loves to buy gumballs. He has a little money pouch we bought him at the rodeo, and he loves holding it, counting his money, and carrying it around in his pocket. He is learning a ton about the value of money, the different types of money, and we are hoping he is learning at least a little about good work ethics.
More fun finds at the dollar store. I love this little vase! I also picked up some fun Easter stuff up too. Carol came over for breakfast yesterday so I covered the table with Easter confetti and we drank out of egg straws.
I "made" these for a baby shower I threw. I just bought white chocolate covered pretzels and covered them with caramel (I bought the caramel cubes and put them in the microwave) and put them in the fridge to set up. They were so good (they barely lasted until the shower) and looked cool.
My sister, Heidi, came over to help me with the new baby. When we had a second, we made some earrings and little hair clips. I showed how to make the clips before on this blog and wanted to show some other ideas.
