Additional thoughts

Matt & I just want to say "thank you" to everyone who have shared their thoughts and prayers for us through blog comments, facebook comments, wall posts, retweets, direct messages, emails, facebook messages, phone calls, and intentional seek-outs at our respective places of business. Your support, your words, your kindness and your genuine care for us has been overwhelming.

We are humbled, we are thinking, we are talking, we are praying.

We did some math today and figured out that relocating to Greenfield, which is about 30 minutes between both Carmel and Shelbyville, we will reduce our "car time" by approximately 14 hours a week between the four of us. The kids and I would lose about 2 hours each and Matt would gain a whooping 8 hours of his life back weekly that he's currently spending in the car.

Now, before you get all "he's only worked there a week" on me, let me give you just a squench more background information:
1) Matt has been working on the North Side since August 2009.
2) We've been driving an hour (or more) to church at least once a weekend (most times twice) since about April 2010.
3) Matt tried to move us to Shelbyville last fall. I don't know why, but this seems relevant.
4) Matt actually came into a good bit of job security--he was told in his initial interview that NVCLC prefers to hire on a long-term basis and that they're well aware that it could take a year or two to "get his feet underneath him"
5) Contrary to popular belief, Matt's job is a FULL TIME job. While he makes a good deal less than he did at Liberty Mutual there at the end, his salary is still ever-so-slightly HIGHER than his base at his first two post-college professional jobs.
6) We're still thinking historical as far as homes go--we just can't see ourselves in Vinyl Village.

Again, we thank you for all of your kind words and prayers. We will do our best to keep you both updated and entertained as we continue down the path that God has set before us. Blessings to you all.

Some thoughts

I basically gave up on this blog over the summer in favor of starting a twitter (follow me, carriedilley) and a tumblr. While I really like both of those, and facebook, my fear is that this post maybe a bit too long winded/whiny for either venue. So here we are.

Matt got fired. It wasn't as bad or as good as I had hoped--he was pretty miserable at his job but they waited until I was back in school to do it. Cut to me spending the entire summer alone, then the first month or so of school really alone. Not the greatest season of our lives.

But God is good. God is so good. Matt was recently asked to fill the position of program director and worship leader for the middle school and high school at North View Christian Life Church. As I'm sure you guessed by the fancy title, NVCLC is a mega-church. Or at least it is in Indiana. He's happy, he's thrilled, we're moving.

Okay, I don't know that we're moving. I don't even think I want to move. I love this house. I love a million things about this house, from the arches to the wood floors that we finished ourselves to our finished basement to the new AC/Furnance that we put in last month. The office, the play room, the living room without a TV in it....sigh. And it's more than the house. I love that we live close to a school so we can't have a sexual predator living anywhere near us. I like living near my parents. I love that we can walk to all of the following: the post office, Village Pantry, Marsh, Penn Station, McDonald's, White Castle, Burger King, CVS, The Willard, Imagination Station, Benjamin's, Kira's Cottage, the Art Craft, all of downtown Franklin and like 17 different parks. I love my hand-picked rocks that surround the place where the bushes used to be, the fire pit I dug myself for Matt for father's day last year, all the flowers I've planted, and our huge black driveway that the kids play on in the summer and which snow melts off easily in the winter. I love the cabinets that I painted, all the colors on all the walls, and the security system we had installed. I. Love. This. House.

See, that's the problem. I love this house. I've always wanted to live in a cool old house and I never thought that it would actually be possible. The thought it leaving it to go some place else is pretty terrifying. In fact, the reason we didn't buy a big, plastic box to begin with is that we wanted to skip that step all together and go right into our "forever home." And while I kind of know that we could, in theory, find another old house to pour ourselves into, I'm not very fond of the idea. When we bought this house we were young and stupid--an older, wiser Matt & Carrie might not be so quick to take on so many challenges.

To back up a bit, Matt's dream job is about an hour north of Franklin. Since leaving our original church, Franklin Christian Fellowship, on Mother's Day we've been hearing God's calling to the North Side of Indianapolis. Literally. Calling. Like on the phone. Back in like February, Micha from White River CC called Matt and asked him to back him up when he needed to be out of town. One thing lead to another and churches started calling. Eventually, Matt was hired by North View, but the process wasn't pretty. Our family has been making the trek to various north side churches leading worship, which has been really great for it's part. Luckily, our kids are young and still fairly portable. We've met the good, the bad and the ugly of nurseries along the way (you know who you are) and met some really great people.

As of right now, we are stretched between 3 communities: Shelbyville (where I work) Carmel (where Matt works) and Franklin (where we live). For most people, this wouldn't be a huge deal, but when you're a teacher and a church employee, there's a certain amount of "being involved with the community" that you can't achieve when you're trying to be in 3 places during one life. Which brings us back to moving. Which seems, at this point, inevitable.

I mean, I've been in church my whole life, and I always knew that God could, at any time, call me out of my "comfort zone." I just always figured it'd be to Guatemala, not Carmel, Indiana.

Not that I have anything against Carmel. When you're a "south-sider" (a term, I'm convinced, was coined by someone from the North Side--I never knew I was from the south side until someone from the North Side told me), the Carmel area is considered to be the wealthy part of the Indianapolis area. I just never would have guessed in a MILLION YEARS that Matt and I would have ever, ever considered moving any where near there.

So tonight, maybe because I had one of the worst migraines of my life, maybe because I'm sick of being in the car all the time, or maybe because I lost my mind for just a fraction of a second, I told Matt to try to find a town between Carmel and Shelbyville. Because I'm not convinced I'm ready to leave my school, and I'm not convinced this is the only house in the world that I could love, and I love my husband very, very much. Even though he snores.

We stepped out in faith and left the only church we've ever really known. We stepped out in faith and took a major pay-cut so that Matt could leave the corporate world (which he hated). I guess I just thought, we've come this far, we might as well go all the way.

And really, I'm not sure that Franklin is worth living in without Beth, anyway.

So....one post a month is good enough, right??

Where have we been? Well.....

1) Amber (Matt's sister) got married

2) We had 6 snow days
3) Bailey had a birthday

3) We got a puppy

4) We were busy every weekend from the end of January to the beginning of April. Seriously, coffee houses, baby showers, weddings, fake-store parties, birthdays, (yes, all of those are plural), you name it, we've done it in the last 2 months. Well, except sleep.
So there wasn't a lot of this going on. Also, Matt got a hair cut.

And this doesn't really explain the lack of posting so much as it's an excuse for the lack of posting. Also, Bailey doesn't really take a bottle in the same way anymore, and I'm not sure what that means for this site. I still like the idea of "Tips on Tuesday" and I'm still happy to talk about bottles at any time, but my ba-ba days are coming to a close :(

Anyway, I'm still here--I haven't really figured out how to type a blog, be a full time working mom, and do all the other things I want to do (garden, make jewelry, date my husband, cook, etc), but if you stay with me, I'll get there :)

Points of interest from the last few months:
Our stove broke. We're considering not replacing it.
We found a local farm that sells organic beef, pork, chicken, fruits & veggies.
Matt took over paying the electric & gas bills.
Matt now turns off lights when he leaves a room and wants to sleep downstairs when it's hot.
Bailey is not talking.
Jackson has fallen in love with baseball.
We gave up on cage-training our puppy.
Matt is experimenting with leading worship at churches that are not our home church.
LOST is back!
Bailey's hair is long enough for real pigtails.
We're starting to slightly question where we live.
I've decided to work 8 days this summer. It's going to be rough :)
My school year got pushed back into June.
We still haven't found a pre-school for Jack.
I'm not totally sold on the idea of pre-school for 3 year-olds.
Sue came to visit us as a surprise. It was awesome.
I re-connected with an old friend. Also awesome.
We're planting a garden.
By we, I mean me.
Matt built me a box for our garden.
Bailey is the grossest kid ever.
Bailey will eat anything, including leaf spinach & raw zucchini.
I hid all the Easter candy so that I would stop eating it.
As a result, no one is eating Easter candy.
Jack will eat nothing but hot dogs.
Jack dances the hot dog dance more often than he eats hot dogs.
I may or may not have had a Dove truffle egg for breakfast.

I'm off today because my sitter has a sick kid. So far, we've been to the "special" park, had lunch together, and now the kids are down for a nap. I try NOT to take joy in other people's hardships, but this is shaping up to be one fantastic day. Feel better, Jonah!

Tips on Tuesdays--Diaper Rash

Our beloved Boo girl has been experiencing what can only be described as "wicked bad diaper rash." Seriously. I've had to tell the people in the nursery at church to come get me if she needs changed for fear that if they saw it, they'd report me to CPS. And this has been going on for MONTHS.

I've managed to cope with it using the usual methods--switching brands of diapers & wipes, using several different types of creams, and, when it finally "got away from me," a prescription from my doctor. No I didn't try cloth, and no, I didn't try seventh generation (or similar) because they don't sell those at a store near my house. And I'm not driving all over the world for diapers, people. In case you didn't notice, I work full time, have 2 kids and a husband, a house to maintain, and this blog doesn't write itself :) Anyway, we tried a lot of stuff and we managed to keep the diaper rash at bay, but it was never really gone.

So, after many, many conversations with many, many people, we finally have a system that seems to be working. I no longer feel like we're moments away from a "wicked bad" breakout at any time. When looking for a "cure" I wanted a couple of things:
1) Simple--I didn't want something that was going to be complicated for me, my sitter, or a Nana to do every time we changed a diaper
2) Portable--I take my kids with me pretty much every where I go, I wanted something that would be easy to take with me
3) Inexpensive--I'm not made of money, people
4) Green for my baby--I hate, hate putting chemicals on my baby. Every time I put that steroid on her I thought, "Honey I hope mommy isn't making you sterile doing this, but I don't know what else to do"
5) Green for the environment--I am a closet-environmentalist, you know. Something disposable (other than the diapers and wipes) would go against my nature...sort of.

Anyway, here's what I've come up with:
1) Drying--after each clean-up, I dry Bailey's bottom.
2) Norwex--I dry Bailey's bottom with a cloth from the Norwex company. My sister-in-law, Jen, sells Norwex products & I love them. They are self-cleaning, reusable cloths. I have 3 for Boo, and I switch them out every Saturday. They never smell, even with what they're put through each week.
3) Bourdeaux Butt Paste--I hate the name of this product, but I like what it does for my daughter. After she's good & dry, I apply this cream to her bottom. It is a yucky color of brownish-tan, which tells me that no chemicals have been put in it to make it that sterile "white" color. It smells a little like cinnamon & works pretty well.
4) Yogurt--I started feeding Bailey yogurt for it's probiotics. I feed her a little bit of Stoneyfield Farm's Plain Organic yogurt every day. This also seems to be helping.
5) White Diapers--She breaks out as bad with Huggies Organics as she does with the Parent's Choice brand from Wal-Mart. In fact, the Parent's Choice is what we've switched to officially because it doesn't have any dye in the, for lack of a better term, crotch area. I think all those cute baby Mickeys & Minnies were making it worse. The plain white seem to work a little better.

So, there you have it--a lot of little things that add up to..........some what better results for Bailey. Maybe I'll try 7th Generation after all. God is good all the time and I got a week or so's worth from my church recently for free.

How long on bottles?

How long should my baby stay on formula/bottles?
Well, first and foremost, you should ask your doctor. Generally speaking, though, by one year of age, most babies will be ready to give up formula. My doctor, being the kind man that he is, lets me keep my babies on the bottle--not the formula--for an additional two months. This lets me get them used to drinking whole milk instead of formula before taking away what has been their comfort & food source their entire lives.

This, in my most humble of opinions, is a major benefit to bottle feeding: You can ease your child off first his type of food, and then his method of getting food gradually over time instead the all-or-nothing approach. No matter how thin you slice it, you can't give your child whole milk through breastfeeding--but I can put whole milk in my baby's bottle.

Sorry if this irks you. Occasionally, I have to take a small victory when I can. Two babies and almost 4,500 bottles later, it can STILL be a tough world out there for a bottle feeder.

Making your own baby food--Green Beans

I'm a cheater. I readily admit it. Okay, so I don't really cheat, but I will make some adjustments to my usual baby-food-making-methods in order to make things as efficient as possible.

So......you know those "steam-in-the-bag" veggies that you can buy at the store?? I buy them, I cook them, I puree them, I freeze them, I re-heat them, and I serve them to Boo.
And you know, she's never once said to me, "No thanks, Mama, those aren't home grown 100% organic green beans." Although she does occasionally say, "Here, Mama, let ME do the spoon."

I haven't tried it, but I bet this would work with peas & other veggies that come in those bags, too! Best of luck!

Good bye, Grandma Trusty

Matt's great-grandmother passed away last week. Her funeral is today and I thought I would take a moment to pause and reflect on this 90 year life. During that time, her most significant accomplishments were those of a wife and mother. One of her children had special needs and a large portion of her life was dedicated to caring for this child. I rejoice in her passing, for she is a child of God. May her life be a reminder to all of us of the bittersweet transition from life to death--though the sorrow may last for a night, His joy comes with the morning. Welcome home, Grandma.

2 hands, separated by 5 generations

Making your own baby food--Step Three

We've mastered bananas & pears, and you've probably figured out by now that the fruits are easy. Basically, you peal, dice & puree. That'll get you pears, apricots, peaches.........pretty much you name it, you can puree it. Except for apples. Here's how you make baby apples:

Seriously. Save the money. Buy a jar of applesauce. If you're concerned about diluting it, throw in a little baby oatmeal and some water.

Tips on Tuesday--Toy Cycle

My friend, Molly's house always looks amazing. The last time I was there (which was waaaaay too long ago, Molly) I looked around and thought "Why can't my house look like this?"

I'll tell you why: Molly's house isn't full of a bunch of crap.

Nice work, Molly.

My house, however, is, at times, full of a bunch of crap. Way too many toys, way too much laundry, way too much paper.....I'm getting away from myself, we're here to talk about toys.

Jack & Bailey have very generous parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, adopted grandparents, second-cousins-once-removed, friends....you get the idea. They also have more toys than 10 kids could play with in during the average baby/childhood.Now, some people would say, just get rid of extra toys that you don't want/need. But honestly, how could I do that? How could I choose between the doll Matt & I got Bailey for Christmas and the one her grandmother got her?? How could I make Jack choose between the sorting set he bought with his very own allowance money when he was all of 9 months old and the wooden one his Popsy bought him special for his first birthday?? I can't--maybe you can. Good for you!

So I invented the "toy cycle" or, rather, my mother invented it 20-some-odd years ago. Anyway, I gave each toy a partner--a toy of a similar use, purpose and approximate size--and put half of the "partners" away.

So, what I have gained is:
1) Space in my cabinets
2) "Brand new" toys that I can get out (trade out) on a rainy or snowy day
3) The ability to hang on to--and use--some of these generous gifts

There's something precious about a child's toys--and if you don't believe me, then YOU watch Toy Story (1, 2 or 3) and try not to cry!

P.S. For the record, I have been eying the "baby" toys and making a mental list of ones we're officially ready to pass on to another family. See, I'm not all sentimental!!

Making your own baby food--Step Two

So you made bananas?? Good for you. I hope that your baby liked them! Now it's time for step two--pears.

Pears are easy. Peal the pear--I use a vegetable pealer. I'm pretty sure my mother told me NOT to do this, but no harm has ever come to me, the kiddos, or the pears, as far as I can tell :)

Anyway, peal the pear and slice it into small pieces--maybe about an inch. I love my glass cutting board for this step. Isn't it pretty? Throw the pieces into the blender with very little water and puree.

Pears are naturally full of water, so they REALLY don't need for you to add much. You will need to add a little to get things moving, but, trust me, it's very little. You can always add more water if you need to and you'll get better at knowing how much to add.

What if you accidentally add too much water?? No problem. Do you have a couple of graham crackers laying around?? Toss those in there--it will thicken right up. What if they're cinnamon flavored? So much the better :)

Also, now's a good time to talk about spices. It's never too early to introduce your child to the wonderful world of spices. Toss a little cinnamon in with your pears, throw a little nutmeg in with the bananas. Be creative. Now's the time to build up you baby's palate to crave good, healthy things like spices. Jack loved squash with cinnamon. Does it automatically mean that your baby will grow into an adventurous eating toddler? Unfortunately, no. But it can't hurt, right??

Tips on Tuesday--Dressing a Girl

When I was (early) pregnant with Jackson I was sure he was a girl--my brother said he was a boy, and I'll never live that down, I'm sure. I was wrong and Jackson isn't just a boy, he's all boy, and has been since day one.

Turns out, this was a good thing for me. I was good at dressing him--he always looked adorable. I quickly learned to dress him in all blue-all the time-and, for the most part, he wore onesies for the first 5 months of his life (it was a warm fall).

I quickly learned that dressing a boy isn't easy. There is about a 1:5 ratio of boy-to-girl clothes in most stores. Weed through the stuff my husband would kill me if I put on him, take out baby gansta clothes and the pickins were slim. Diligence paid off, though, and was soon dressing my little Jack like a pro. The following photos are some examples of how good I was at dressing my son:

Isn't he adorable??

I got my girl the second time around and I was all set for ribbons and bows and pink, pink, pink. As it turns out, I was much better at having (or at least dressing) my boy. Her first "dress up" occassion (the symphony with Mommy & Nana) I brought the dress and the panties, but no shoes and no bow. I managed to forget the camera, too. Whoops. I don't think my mother's entirely forgiven me. I've also been known to bring her to church with her teeny panty hose slithering down her weensie legs. How do you make those things stay on???

Needless to say, my Tip for Tuesday, obviously, is one I got from someone else. Michelle Wallace, to be exact. Thanks, Michelle, for all the adorable clothes you've given Bailey and for helping this hopeless mama learn to dress her baby girl.

First, put on the diaper--please, don't forget the diaper!

Second, the pantyhose. Or tights. Whatever they're called.

Third, and this is the important part--the onesie.
It'll add to the modesty and/or warmth factor, too.

Fourth, the little panties. These just slay me every time--too cute!

Feel free to garnish with bows & accessories.