Technology will take over your soul

Don't get me wrong, I'm a tech junky. I love that shit. I have a smart phone and an iPad and a laptop and every now and then in the evenings after my sweet, darling, little angels are asleep, you might find all three fired up around me. 

Overload? Probably. 

But what I saw at the mall the other day made me question my faith in the institution of family. It was just plain sad. I'm sitting at the table with Jonas eating my weekly Sweet Teryaki from the Great Steak whatever it's called, not minding my own business. I look to my left because I'm hearing a commercial or something and had to do a double take.

This poor woman is sitting at the table gazing off into nothing, probably daydreaming about some hot latin pool boy while her teenage boy and husband are watching shows on their separate iPads and eating their lunch. 

They would laugh at their show, take a bite, and repeat, not saying one word to each other. 

I make an effort not to pull my phone out during a meal, while interacting with my boys or when I'm spending time with others. I find a person who can't disconnect, even for just a few minutes, to be rude and inconsiderate. Granted, an emergency or a one-time, have to talk to this person right now thing is forgivable. 

Making it a habit? Not so much.

There are certain places where I know Adrian and I could improve (he is a repeat offender and it drives me craaazy),  especially not bringing technology to bed. I really do hate when it imposes on our...ahem...together time? 

We do try to shut off at a certain time and watch a show or look up random stuff on the internet together, but sometimes I miss the times when I was pregnant with Gabriel and instead of being so "on" all the time, we would play cards or board games all night long.

It's that. That stimulation that comes with looking people in the eyeballs, actually communicating without LOLing and LMAOing and making synapses fire in your brain, that's the good stuff. The stuff that you lose out on when your eyes are glued to a computer, a phone, a tablet, geeking out with your internet friends and playing weird warcraft games.

Does your family struggle with this? Do you have any rules to make sure all that techy stuff doesn't take over your life?

GFC Blog Hop

Hi Friends,

Come join in, link up and find some new, great blogs!

It's Tuesday again which means it's time for the GFC Blog Hop!

When I want to follow a blog the first thing I look for is GFC (Google Friend Connect), it's so easy and  nice to be able to go and see all of the blogs you follow in one spot. It's really a great tool to have. 

One side note- Did you know you can follow through GFC using your Twitter Account? TRUE, it's definitely an option!

Ok, so let's get to the party, shall we?

RULES are simple:

1. Follow your host via GFC

The First link below

2. Follow your co-hosts via GFC

The Next 8 links below

3. Link up below using your main blog url not a specific post.

4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link up and follow them via GFC 

and if you want to leave them a comment, I'm sure they'd appreciate that as well.

5. Tweet about this blog hop

Tweet

6. Share about this blog hop by grabbing a button and putting it on your sidebar!

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Hard work: flower beds and walk way

This weekend we were so lucky to have my sister-in-law and her family here for a quick visit. They were awesome about getting their hands dirty with us as we continue knocking away at our large laundry list of things to do around the house. 

As we sat watching the kids play and my father-in-law finish the grading that he started a few weeks ago in the front yard, I mentioned to my SIL that I was planning to rip up all of the nasty weeds in the front flower beds and plant something pleasant to look at.

Before you know it, my brother-in-law and all of the kids are ripping up weeds while she and I jump in the car to head to Home Depot.

I'm so thankful that she was here to help me because I would never have known the difference between perennials and annuals, what soil to buy and where things grow best.

Okay, okay. I got a little carried away photographing the flowers...

...and babies...

He was so fascinated by the dirt! We'll come back to him in a minute.

Since we will be adding a circular driveway and parking in the front yard, we knew we'd need a pathway through the flower beds.

Lining it so pesky weeds don't grow through the rock.

Pretty stones! I know that I want a little more contrast though, so we're going to try to find some darker stones to mix in with these.

We're making progress and I'm loving it! Our next project is going to be the grass and laying out the driveway. This will be the most expensive part of our outdoor project as we're planning to plant some trees, do some landscaping and lay everything out with railroad ties. I also picked out some paint samples for the kitchen and will hopefully be working on that in the next week.

What's up in your world?

Christmas Tree Pallet Project

I'll admit it, I'm one of those obnoxious people who gets into the Christmas spirit about 4 weeks ahead of everyone else. I just put up Fall decor and I'm pretty sure by the end of this weekend I will have torn it down, replacing acorns and pumpkins with snowmen and santas. Thank God my husband loves me despite my crazy.

Anyway, I saw this on Pinterest and after checking out the huge stack of pallets in the backyard left by the previous owners, I knew it was about to get all Christmas up in the club. The picture is a little different than mine (aka, she used super cool font and different colors) but I'm pretty much in love with the way it turned out.

Here is my extremely non-scientific, clumsy, not-the-right-name-for-any-of-the-tools awesome tutorial for my very merry Christmas tree.

What you'll need (all of this is critical, super important stuff):

-Pallet
-Stake
-+ all of this stuff below...

STEP ONE:

Use middle beam of pallet as the backbone of your tree. Cute boards in the shape of a tree with the saw.

Hack away at other pieces of board if necessary. That's what the hammer is for. To wield against the dark forces of board-dom.

STEP TWO:

Spray paint tree green. Or don't. I wanted mine green because, well, it's a tree.

Let it DRY.

STEP THREE:

Once tree is dry, get your grater thingy out. You also may sub this for sand paper/handheld sander. I would have used the alternative had my husband not misplaced the sandy supplies in the move. Hence weird grater thing.

Sand the edges of your tree for a distressed look. Don't like distressed? Don't do it. I do. So I did.

STEP FOUR:

My first thought was to just trip down the backbone of the pallet, but then it was too thick and my saw was sucky and so I walked through my backyard and found a stake. I drilled it onto the back using two screws. Easy peasy. (Like my work boots?)

STEP FIVE:

Use coffee grounds to darken edges.

Again, not entirely necessary, but I liked that it didn't look like brand new wood underneath. I used a paper towel (could use one of those little metal scrubber things) to rub them all over the edges and then wiped them off with a rag.

STEP SIX:

Decorate.

I wrote "May your days be merry and bright" because I'm not creative and that's what the other girl wrote. It has a nice ring to it. I used glitter on the letters and acrylic paint for the writing.

The paparazzi was all up on me while I was glitterating.

The only change I may make is to outline/darken the brown. In person it is readable but in these pictures it blends in a little too much.

Are you into the Christmas spirit yet? When will you be decorating??

Cattle Call, ya'll

The Brawley Cattle Call Rodeo is one of the biggest events, aside from the state fair, to grace the valley each fall. It brings professional riders and racers, broncs and steer, and enough locals to make the Brawley traffic a royal nightmare.

This was the first year that we attended as a family; last year Adrian went with Gabriel and let's just say, the vendors got the best of him. All I know is that he came home with a bag larger than Gabriel full of kettle corn and a large fake machine gun about the same size. If you know us, you know we don't allow guns in the house aside from nerf or water.

It was a special night for a number of reasons. First, I love going to rodeos - I love the atmosphere, watching the riders and enjoying the good food. Secondly, I love spending any night out with my little family. Third and most importantly, being close to Veteran's Day and close to my Tata's birthday and watching those beautiful girls on horses, it brought back some fond memories.

Enough to bring tears to my eyes.

You see, sometimes when you get busy in life and with family and friends and stuff, you forget about the memories you shared with the people you've lost. They kind of get put on the back burner for whatever reason and then BAM. It's like a mack truck hit you right in the face.

 Now, I never went to a rodeo with my Tata, although I'm sure he went to plenty on his own, but he did teach me to ride a horse. He taught me how to throw on a saddle, put a bridle on, bathe and feed a horse...he taught me a lot about responsibility, about kindness, about making mistakes and then owning up to them. He would sit outside his sliding door to his room and watch me. Give me pointers. Talk about life.

Now that I'm grown and have my own kids, I wish times a million zillion that he could be here to snuggle my children. Play Santa for them at Christmas. Yell at them when they're running around his house like crazy people. Tell them stories about bear fights and Indians. 

Although this night was a special time to reminisce about my Tata, I loved spending it with Adrian and the boys. We had a great time while there, ate some chili dogs, drank some hot chocolate and watched all of the cowboys get bucked off the steers.

The first event of the show was the wild mustang rides and Gabriel was NOT amused. As Adrian and I saw there laughing at this silly men trying to get astride these kicking horses, Gabriel looked absolutely horrified. When I asked him if it was funny, he said, "No mom. This is NOT funny at all. They should not be doing that!" He loosened up after that and enjoyed himself, though by about 8:45, both boys were ready to pack up and head home.

Aaaaaaaand out.

#PalmoliveFreshInfusions Dish Soap from Influenster

You know you're old when you get excited about dish soap. But seriously, let's talk about this stuff. When I found out I qualified for another shipment from Influenster, I think I jumped for joy (again).

Admittedly, I'm a bit of a dish soap snob and you'll usually only find Palmolive or Dawn on my counter top, so I was really excited to review the Palmolive Fresh Infusions soap.

Palmolive designed these three with the freshest scents in mind and let me tell you, they are delicious - Ginger White Tea, Lemon Thyme and Lime Basil. The bottle is sleek and pretty, not bulky and awkward like the usual from other dish soaps.

Unlike some soap options, the Fresh Infusions doesn't dry out your skin and actually leave my hands feeling nice and soft! It develops a great lather and a little goes a long way, even on the toughest, dirtiest dishes.

Best part? They are available at stores like Target and Walmart for only $2.99! It's worth the buy if you're looking for a great smelling new product!

Have you tried this product yet? Would you be interested in trying it?

(I was given this product to review, though received no compensation. All opinions are my own.)

Why I chose to be a crazy person and go for a med-free VBAC

Childbirth is an incredibly intimate experience and no labor will ever be the same. Thank God.

After Gabriel's birth experience, I felt an enormous load of guilt around the choices I made. Sure, I had a baby, of course he was amazing, and thank goodness, he was healthy. But throughout my first pregnancy, I set certain expectations for myself, expected a certain amount of...willpower? I didn't follow my plan and I felt that deviating played a large role in why it ended as it did.

There's no question that I had no idea what to expect, but I am also very competitive. I'm the girl who used to pester her coach after basketball games on the rides home and ask him to go over everything she did wrong so she could improve. 

I felt like this - my child's birth - demanded the utmost dedication. And I knew my body could handle it. So when I went into labor and handled the contractions on my own at home for 12 hours, I thought, oookay, this is nothing. 

But then they kicked into high gear and fear started to creep in. Fear of failure. Fear of pain. Fear that I had no idea what the hell I was getting myself into and so I cried for an epidural. Sat for a gut-wrenching 2 hours with contractions ripping through my body while the needle guy took his sweet ass time to get to my room. (Which, by the way, they checked my dilation as soon as he was done and I was at a NINE)

I had done extensive research as far as pain intervention and the possibilities that these interventions could yield. There's this thing called the cascade of interventions, which basically states that by choosing one "intervention," let's say an induction by pitocin, you are more likely to have other interventions such as pain medication, forceps, or a c-section. Did you know that c-sections have risen from 4.5% of births in 1965 to 32% in 2010? Uhhhbuuuh?

Basically you could consider me another one of those statistics. I won't share the details here because I've vaguely done that already but just know it took a long time for me to come to terms with some of the guilt and negative feelings I had towards the actual birthing experience with Gabriel.

So, at my first appointment with my midwife with my second pregnancy, I explained that I intended to have a natural VBAC. She doubted my abilities, attempted to bring up rupture stats and pain thresholds and myriad reasons why there was a chance this wouldn't work out. I had done my homework, I had answers too. 

I was and still am convinced that had I not already had an epidural with Gabriel, I would not have been giving a c-section. I truly believe that they would have tried other methods of getting the cord unwrapped. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm not, we'll never know, but I knew when I found out I was pregnant for a second time that I would never go through surgery like that again.

I also believe that probably had the first experience not ended in surgery, the chance of me wanting an epidural with my second may have been higher.

When my midwife continued to doubt me, I stopped seeing her at the urging of my doula and found someone who would be supportive of my choice to birth my baby without any pain medication. Surprisingly, it was an MD at Kaiser who really showed belief in me.

You see, I wanted to make my experience the best and safest for ME and for my BABY. Everyone has their own idea of what they are comfortable with and for me, I was not going to give anyone any excuse to cut me open. If it was to happen, I wanted it to be extremely inconvenient. 

Luckily, after about 8 hours of labor and a lot of willpower, I did it. It was empowering.

There are many people who have safely and easily had an epidural and then go on to have a safe and easy delivery. That's awesome. More power to you and I wish my first would have ended that way so my second could have been blissfully pain-less (less pain, not the absence of [=). I don't feel like I'm any better or any worse for having done it without meds. Although I'm not going to lie, I swear I could have moved mountains or cured world hunger or whatever that day. I felt pretty freaking awesome. I felt vindicated.

What was your labor experience like? Was it everything you thought and hoped it would be?

Some things I have totally dropped the ball on

Call it a lack of inspiration, call it a lack of time...whatever it is, I've been kind of, absent? I haven't been sleeping well, up at crack of dawn with Jonas, so to make up for it I've been going to bed early and skipping my blogging time.

I have at least 7 half-written posts in my queue...

-How I met my husband part 5 - that time I accidentally told Adrian I loved him
-Pictures from the Cattle Call Rodeo
-Jonas' 10 month post
-Pictures and post about our yearly tamale-making tradition
-Why I chose a natural birth
-We should take it easy on ourselves (women are so hard on themselves!)
-A new DIY project

So yeah...I'm thinking tonight I'll try to start knocking some out and we'll have one by tomorrow...maybe.

How are you all doing? I'm missing my blog reading/writing and need to get into a good routine again!

Oh, just fyi, go enter the birthday giveaway that I'm a part of going on over at Lena B, Actually. Lots of really great prizes to win!!

What makes your bedtime routine special?

Like millions of households across the world, bedtime is kind of like gearing up for the big game...every single night. I pretty much start thinking about bedtime as soon as I start dinner.

I know it's coming, like a freight train, it's coming full speed ahead and I'm standing frozen in the tracks like a deer in headlights or a car stuck on the...

...bed times...that's what I was talking about. Routines, yes.

So anyway, on bad days, the onslaught of the bedtime routine can be fear-inducing. Cold sweats. The shakes. Need-a-glass-of-wine-the-second-these-beasts-rest-their-little-heads.

But the good days, I'm all about those. For us, we start the second dinner is over. Boys get in the bath together and play. Jonas comes out first, diapers and jammies and snuggles and nursing for about 20 minutes then into the crib he goes and out for the night. 

Meanwhile, I've either beckoned Gabriel to climb out (or threatened him, depending on what kind of day it is) and he's usually snuggled up in his jammies next to us watching Jake or Team Umizoomi. Once Jonas goes to sleep, we'll snuggle or I'll pick up the kitchen while he hangs with dad for a bit.

Here's where the fun begins.

This is really my favorite part. 

After we've convinced Gabriel that it is indeed bedtime and that he has to go to his room, he and I get under the covers and read 2-3 books, sing 4-5 songs, say some prayers and begin the questions game.

I promise you that you will not regret doing this with your child because it is the sweetest, most hilarious thing ever. 

     "What's your favorite color horse?"

     -purple

     "What's your favorite place?"

     -Circle Target

     "What kind of animals do you want someday?"

     -peacocks

    "Who is your favorite person?"

     -my dad. (me:) whaaat?? (him:) Oh, no, I mean you!

I love hearing about the world from his perspective, learning about the little things that he picks up on a day to day basis and getting a glimpse into that sponge-y brain of his. 

What are your children's bedtime routines like?

Do you have a favorite part or something that makes it extra special?

Hard work: outdoor landscaping in progress

Gabriel loves to do "hard work" as he calls it and when you have a new house that needs a heap load done to it, he has plenty to keep him entertained.

This weekend we spent organizing the last loads of stuff from our old house. I donated another 2 boxes of miscellaneous baby stuff, 2 bags of Adrian's old clothes and a bunch of hideous shoes that I've been holding onto for years. 

We have laundry list a mile long of things that need to be done, both inside and out, so when my father-in-law offered to tear down some old trees and move dirt around, we were so happy!

In the process, we ended up being out of water for several hours because he accidentally ripped up a pipe. Oops!



Thankfully, my jack-of-all-trades husband saved the day and replaced the pipe. And really muddied himself in the process.

Dirt was piled up and smoothed out in the front yard to make way for what hopefully will be a beautiful turnaround driveway, lined by railroad ties and surrounded by grass. I wish I would have gotten better before photos of the dead trees in the front that lined the property. It looks a million times better now!

If all goes as planned, we're going to put in the grass seed sometime in the next few weeks. This happens to be the best time to work on your grass here in the Valley so we should have some green out there soon.

Adrian and my FIL spend the entire day, minus church, outside on Sunday to make sure the front was ready to start landscaping. Thanks, honey!

I did super important things like laundry, organizing my crafting supplies and rearranging our walk-in closet.

We're hoping that in the next month or two we can look into getting the house painted on the exterior and possibly the interior as well!

The boys had fun playing in the dirt, watching the cars pass by and playing/crawling around.

It doesn't seem like a whole lot, but this will be the foundation of everything that is done in the front yard! I can't wait for the future of our home and to share more updates in the next few months as we make our house a home.

What did you do this weekend?