Mar
15
2012We were all feeling a little bit under the weather this week. It started with Sedryn and trickled down to the girlies. Started with snot… and ended with vomit. Lots and lots of vomit. Mommy included.
So we had a few days cramped up in the house and made the best of it with two fun activities this week.
We made three types of playdough: chocolate, gingerbread, and coffee (recipe included).
The girls helped stir the first batch (don’t worry, I the burner was off for the picture).
And then were on kneading duty.
I wish you could have heard their voices singing their beloved Noodlebug song “Play Dough Day”
Squeeze it! Squash it! Squishy Play!
Mash it! Smash it! Play dough day!
Sadly, I was up to my elbows in flour and salt so I didn’t manage to grab the video camera. But I did make a snowman (also featured in the Noodlebug song).
My girls love play dough. And their concentration is epic.
I don’t like coffee, but I love the smell so I made them some coffee play dough.
Coffee Play Dough
- 1/2 C Salt
- 1 C Flour
- 1 Tbs Oil
- 2 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 3/4 Cup Instant Coffee Granules
- 1 Cup Water (or in place of granules 1 cup very strongly brewed coffee)
Mix Dry ingredients in a saucepan. Dissolve Coffee Granules in the water then add the oil. Over Medium-low heat, stir the liquids into the dry ingredients. Stir until forms a pretty solid lump. Have your toddlers knead it.
For our second and super fun Toddler Activity, we gave the girls some glow sticks in the bathtub. Hysterical fun!
And the best part: Sedryn absolutely adored the glow sticks, too! I never would have thought to give my baby a glow stick without toddlers in the house 🙂
Mar
13
2012I finally narrowed down the food that makes Sedryn turn into a chaotic ball of fussiness for hours. It’s like he’s a different baby when I eat eggs!
It’s took me over 3 months to figure it out. His worst days were Christmas Eve, Christmas, and 3 days 2 weeks ago. Seriously, my folks thought he was an terrible baby when they were here for Christmas. He did nothing but scream! On those days I had eaten a frittata and baked French toast. On those 3 days 2 weeks ago: omelets and quiche. With no eggs in my diet, I know have super content baby all the time! Sedryn is so easy going 🙂
Fortunately, I’m allowed to have brownies and other baked goods: those amounts of eggs don’t bother him!
However, I have been hit for the first time this go round by the evil that is called Mastitis. It was the perfect storm of sleeplessness, followed by an weekend of vomit that found me sleeping accidentally in a nursing tank, and a missed feeding. Youch! I picked up some grapefruit seed extract today (a natural antibiotic) and have rested a ton. Hopefully, I’ll be in the clear soon 🙂
Mar
12
2012The temptation arises again this week: the one to complain.
The one to say that these good gifts (no matter how disguised) aren’t enough.
That Jesus and His sacrifice isn’t enough.
The facts are simple:
Sick feverish baby boy.
Snotty sick toddler girls.
Little sleep.
Tummy bug crashing through all females in the house.
Almost no sleep that night.
Mastitis.
It was a hard week.
But hard weeks are good gifts.
Why?
Because they bring me to my knees.
The shove me off my throne of control.
They show me my weakness.
They keep me humble.
They reinforce that He is enough.
He is the only thing I need.
He is Enough.
#3059-3079 Gifts Proclaiming that He is Enough
- Toddlers saying “ribbit ribbit!”
- Running into Karen at Hobby Lobby & Jay calling the girls friends
- Karen and I laughing with our eyes as an older lady told our kids not to touch harmless things
- Girls cuddling and reading with me for an hour while sick
- Carrying boy upstairs in his laundry basket
- Walking out of Target at 10pm with a case of diapers haphazardly balanced on my head
- The glorious rainbow covered full moon
- Hearing the song “Come Thou Font of Every Blessing. after 2 nights where my longest stretch of sleep was 1.5 hours and I’m tempted to complain (O to Grace! how great a debtor!)
- Repentance
- Julia on FB chat helping me see the depth of my own sin
- Vomit bug only lasting 12 hours
- Hero husband self-sacrificially thanking care of 3 vomiting women all hours of the night.
- Girls, daddy, and I all falling asleep in our bed after the girls climbing in to “wake-up”
- Sedryn boy sleeping late to make our early morning family nap after sickness possible.
- Already having Pedialyte and yummy homemade no sugar applesauce on hand
- Joy in giving so Dixie could go serve in Ecador
- Ruthie dropping carpet cleaner off in the midst of the vomit bug
- Afternoon in the pool with the girls
- Sedryn lying contently in his carseat next to the lifeguards
- Both girls shedding “turtle” and “crab” willingly to practice swimming
- Derek willingly staying home when I woke to a fever and mastitis
- Boy with lost pacifier found sucking on his crib rail
