Why do we spend money on expensive toys?

I've decided recently, that we have doled out too much cash on toys for Lily. Will this stop us from continuing to do it? Probably not. However, Lily has decided that her toys are not interesting enough....why would they be, when you can play with these??

Chilling in a box

Playing with Fufu

What a good chair!

What do you mean this is for cooking?

So, if you are planning on having a child in the near future, I suggest that all you need to entertain a toddler is: pots and pans, laundry baskets, and boxes. Canned food and wooden spoons are also quite popular!! :)

Poo Corner

Lily turned 18 months old yesterday--officially a year and a half! To my surprise, she has recently been starting to show signs of early potty-training readiness.

*Be prepared: we are now going to talk about poop.*

Brian and I have been laughing for awhile, because there is this specific corner in Lily's playroom that she will go to just to poo. In fact, it has gotten so poo-pular that Brian has actually dubbed it, "Poo Corner." About a week ago, I walked down into the room and smelled something awful that smell and asked Lily, "Did you go poo-poo?"

Lily held my hand as I escorted her up to her bedroom for a diaper changing, and the whole way up she kept saying, "Poo-poo..." I thought it was kind of cute, so I mentioned it to Brian and we decided that we would start saying the word every time Lily went--that way she would, hopefully, be able to connect the word with the action.

The next day, we decided to take Lily to the swimming pool and, not wanting to experience the horrible-ness of a dirty swim diaper, I told her, "Before we go to the pool, you need to go poo-poo, Lily." To my amazement, she went that very second. We were proud of her (yes, proud of her poo!), but not sure if she really did it because I told her to, or if it was mere coincidence.

Still, I could not help myself when I went shopping the other day, so I picked up the "Cushie Tushie"--a little toddler toilet seat, to go on the big toilet. Yesterday, we put Lily on it and told her to poo and she tried...but not much happened. We tried two other times and--yea!--she went, as she says, "Pee-pee!"

This morning, I walked down into her playroom once again and was greeted with a guilty look and "Poo-poo, poo-poo!" I am amazed that she has learned this concept so quickly!

That said, we are also in no hurry to start potty training. I still think she is too young to completely understand what she needs to do and I don't want to make this a frustrating experience for her. I've read that the most successful potty training occurs when you put your full effort into it around the toddler's 25 to 27 month mark, so we are just trying to introduce the world of the toilet to her at this point, as well as making her aware of what her body is doing.

On a side note, I got a good snicker today when I heard Brian discussing Lily's latest accomplishments with his brother. He suddenly chuckled and said, "When did it become okay to talk about this stuff? I guess kids make it okay..."

It's true. Nothing makes you happier to talk about (or commiserate) pee and poo than a toddler! :)

Food, Inc.

The other night, Brian and I decided to watch the documentary, Food, Inc. All I have to say is...

Holy freak me out...!

Seriously, this film will change the way you think about food. For instance, did you know that, because humans like to eat white chicken breasts, chickens have now been genetically modified to have larger breasts? (Brian's comment on this: "Well, just like the rest of the world...") The problem is, chickens are being made to be SO fat that they cannot even walk two or three steps without taking a break.

AND, did you know that the ground beef you eat might have been injected with AMMONIA because it destroys E. coli? This is the ground beef that is sold to you at a fast food restaurant and fed to our children who participate in the federal school lunch program (just another reason to pack a lunch or homeschool...)

And this is just the beginning of several, horrifying bits of information that I was previously clueless about...I mean, I know that eating organically is "better" and I've already mentioned that we are eating grassfed beef because it is healthier and lower in saturated fat, and that we shop locally when we can, but this film has exposed so much more to me...

Buying organically in our area (where we have 3 shopping options: Safeway, a locally owned Co-Op store, and WALMART) is difficult, especially out of the Farmers' Market season, so what is a person to do? Luckily, we are able to find some locally farmed/produced food, thanks to PrairieBloom, but, overall, the task can be quite difficult.

And. that. is. scary. I implore you--watch this film!

I won!

A few weeks ago, Jill, from the hilarious Mom Blog, Baby Rabies, hosted a giveaway on her new Party Blog, Party Lika A Kid. The winner, who would be selected by Random.org, would win 20 free BornFree sippy cups (10 Trainer Cups, and 10 Twist'N Pop Straw Cups).

And. I. Won. I NEVER win anything.

So, I was quite excited the day the package came, and ripped into the box, eager to give the new cups a try. Overall, I think that the cups are excellent--and I am especially fond of the fact that they are free of BPA, phalates, and PVC.

Here's a quick review:

The only thing that I would say that I don't like about the Twist'n Pop cup is that, if Lily throws it on the ground while she's drinking, the straw will leak. However, if  you twist the lid close, it doesn't leak at all. So, I'm thinking that this will be an excellent cup as she gets a little older and learns not to throw it on the ground (that will happen, right?) or learns to close it herself.

The Trainer Cup is also great. I just wish I had won this a few months back when we were first introducing the sippy to her! It has a soft spout and is great for preventing ear infections. She may be a little old for this now (she tries to bite the spout off) but we are still using it for milk/juice during the day. I think it would be an excellent beginner's cup as you transition from bottle to sippy.

The coolest part? Lily loves the straw, so whenever she doesn't want to drink something, all I have to do is put it in her new "big girl" straw cup! Oh, and did I mention that they were FREE?? :) I would definitely recommend checking out the BornFree site if you aren't familiar with them. They have some really cool products!

Body Love ♥

So, today, I did something that I have been putting off for at least the last 18 months. I kept putting it off, thinking, "I should just keep them around. You know, for that magical day I finally shed this baby weight..."

I cleaned out my pre-baby wardrobe.

Because, I have to face it. I don't look like that ^ anymore...not to mention, I probably won't need to wear such teeny-bopper clothing anymore (or, at least, I tell myself this to feel a little better).

Seriously, though, I have finally reached the conclusion that after 9 months of baby-carrying, I will most likely not be going back to my size three body.

So, I finally did it. I threw all the clothes onto the floor and stuffed them in a bag for Goodwill. (By the way, if you are a junior's size small, you might want to go to Goodwill, as they will be getting A LOT of good stuff soon).

I feel like I'm trapped in a funny in-between land---I don't know how to shop. I can wear a junior's size large or a Misses size small or medium, depending on the fit. In fact, I actually had to ask a friend of mine how Misses'and Women's sizes worked...I've never shopped in that department before! It is a struggle to find clothes that fit me and are not teenager or grandma. They need to create a department called Young Hip Mom...and then direct me to it.

For instance, right after I had Lily, I decided it was time to ditch the maternity jeans and go shopping for real pants. I cautiously went to the store, making the decision to shop in Misses', so that my new curves wouldn't feel so big. I bought a pair of jeans that looked okay in the dressing room and headed home.

The next day, I wore them, excited to wear something with an actual zipper and button. However, I looked down when I was sitting and realized something..."OMG...I'm wearing MOM jeans." The jeans went over my belly and had a really long zipper and extra material...

So, through trial and error, I've begun to gain a *new* wardrobe that seems somewhat young and appropriate for a mother. Not lying though...it hasn't been easy.Weight loss has been a slow struggle and I've had to come to the realization that having a baby, at least for me, means that my body is going to change (yeah, I so totally dislike you women who bounce right back into your pre-prego jeans...you're freaks of nature and I'm jealous).

However, I also began to realize that my body can still be beautiful--and so can I. And, what's even more important is that I know that my body has the amazing power to birth a wonderful human being and survive the aftermath that is parenting.

Lily's Hair

Since the day Lily was born, people have always commented on her hair. While many babies are born bald, she was born with a whole head full, sticking straight up in a million directions. Being a big-haired woman myself, I loved the fact that I'd have a little girl who could wear bows and pigtails before she was three...

The problem is, Lily doesn't like bows or pigtails...

Well, perhaps I should rephrase that--Lily loves to eat bows and pony-tail holders--she just doesn't like them in her hair. So, we've reached a conundrum. It's summer and it is HOT--and Lily's poor little head is just as warm. She also hates when the wind blows her hair in her face and she can't see--but she won't let me put her hair up and out of her way.

My little big haired girl

I don't want to cut her hair. There is something sentimental about knowing that she still has the same hair on her head that she had the day she was born...but I also don't want her to be uncomfortable. Brian feels the same way--he even suggested that maybe it was time.


What do you all think? Should we--eek--cut it? Or should I keep battling her until she submits to pigtails and pretty bows?

Wordless Wednesday*

The Goose laugh:

And, for some more smiles, Lily's ham face: