BumGenuis & more

Now that we are "potty trained," it's time to say goodbye to our cloth diapers.  We've loved them through two babies & lots of money saved.  Please contact me if you want to give these awesome dudes a try. 
I have 8 BumGenuis brand (in white, mint, pale yellow, & baby blue) all w stuffers.  And all "one size," so they'll fit from a 7/8ish lb. baby to about a 30ish lb. baby.  (I used them for L. and Z. at the same time!)
I also have 1 Haute Pockets (in bright yellow) w both stuffers.

zora w a "double stuffed" booty :)

If you haven't tried cloth before, I'll give a quick review...
These are as easy as a disposable to use.  Just stuff a stuffer in the middle of the diaper & diaper the baby (these have velcro tabs, just like disposables).  If your baby is tiny, pre-adjust the diaper to his/her size by snapping down some snappies (across the front of the tummy) to make the diaper smaller.  You can also "double" the stuffer inside so that it is smaller (it comes w a snap, too). 

here's langston showing off a bumgenuis adjusted for a 30 lb. toddler who only wore diapers when napping. :)

When soiled, toss these into a container w a lid (I added some vinegar) & then launder w a tiny amount of detergent, but NO FABRIC SOFTENER.  You can also dry them on low, but NO DRYER SHEETS.  **there are whole websites devoted to cloth diapering, so go to the web w questions.

That's it.
Let me know if you want to try them!

first day of school(s)!

Sweet Langston's first day of Kindergarten!  

Our family just before we walked big L. over for his first day.

It's official!  We have a Kindergarten guy in our fam!  And his first day, in his words, was, "the best day of my life!"  Wow.  Can't beat that. ;)  **Quick side note here:  His teacher seemed fantastic from the first time I saw here.  She was one of the "energetic" ones I remember from a "meet the teachers" thing last spring.  And when we saw the great organization of her classroom (we had open house, then "bring the supplies morning" so L. & fam explored the school twice before he really had to go), we were fired up about this lady.  She has 22 years of experience.  She's from Mississippi (we'll forgive her for being a Bulldogs fan...her hubby did his phD at Mississippi State).  I felt like she seemed a perfect "match" for our Langston...and Mama's usually right about these things. :)**
When we asked him for the 'recap of the day' he gave us a quick run down of the "stations" they did in the a.m., then quickly moved on to when he saw me waiting to pick him up. :)  (Missing: probably the hours b't 8:30 and 2:40!  ha! )  So, we were specific:  Did Mrs. Pryor read to you?  Yes, the Kissing Hand.  Were you the line leader? No.  Door holder?  No.  Did you go potty?  No, but he tried.  Did you eat lunch?  Yes, and he chose salad & carrots w his pizza...and drank all his milk. :)  (Good job!) Did anyone in your class cry?  Nope.  Not a one.  And his b.f.f., Amir, got to come home w him at the end of the day! 
The only "whew" part, to me, was how exhausted this guy was at the end of the day.  7:45 to 2:40 is a LONG day for little people (for any people).  He cried over anything that didn't go his way yesterday.  I hear 'earlier bedtime' calling!

Little Miss Z. on her first day of pre-school!

  

L. loves that sister!  He was more nervous about her first day than we were! :)  

 B. called after he dropped Z. off on her first day to tell me that she did great...no tears or anything.  I made him tell L. that bc L. had been so worried about her!  When we went to pick her up, B. was bringing her out of the classroom & she was SLEEPY, but aside from that great.  She ate lunch well, "helped" w a baby. (Her favorite things in life right now are babies and books.)  And peed on the potty. (she is officially POTTY trained, y'all!...I think I missed posting that somewhere!)  She has the greatest pre-school teachers ever...Ms. Ann & Ms. Sandy...although when I asked her about her teachers I think she combined their names bc she kept correcting me & calling ?them? "Ms. Andy."  :)  But she did have great things to report.  We were all so happy & she was ready for that nap! :

Yea, Zora-bean!  Riding to school w Daddy!

 Mondays and Wednesdays are "daddy mornings" right now.  B. will bike both kiddos to school on Monday (weather permitting) while Mommy teaches Zumba (Mon. 8:30) and then my Yoga & Pilates class at the University (Mon. & Wed. 10-10:50).  Zora will be at her "school" on Monday mornings.  I'll pick her up at lunch & bring her home for nurse & nap-time.  Wednesdays B. will have her all morning if I sub & then teach or I'll bring her to him when I teach at WIU, then take her home around lunch.
Yesterday I bought this huge dry erase board to put all our "stuff to do" on. B &I are alike in that "if we don't write it down, it doesn't happen."  Huge fans of "lists" in this house!  I even made L. his own personal tiny dry erase w. his name on it & a pack of dry erase crayons (bc those "low odor" things are still stinky, I think...I don't want him breathing that stuff).  His has what happens at school on it (they are beginning "color days" next week, so they will get to wear certain colors...his "share day" is next week, too).  He gave me hugs & kisses for that surprise! :)  I filled out my classes/PTO meetings/dr. appts./playgroups on the board, then B. filled out meetings/ball games/babysit for friends...and more than I am thinking of right now. :) 

KIN 252 Contemporary Physical Activities

Here I am in the gym (we are now in a FANTASTIC dance studio) on my first day of [teaching] class.  Don't worry, I didn't ask a student to hold the camera!  :)  I took this on the "timer" before class began...just to document my first day in yet another experiment of "career choice."  Could one make a career of experimenting w careers?  Hmmmm. :)  My doula training is in a few weeks & I am SO excited about that, too.  I think maybe if I didn't enjoy so many things it wouldn't be so tough to choose one...or two. :)

Anyway, class is going great so far.  I have around 20 guys and 4 or 5 gals.  (Which I didn't expect, but they are phys. ed. majors & that's traditionally male dominated, so I guess I was just thinking about the whole Yoga/Pilates thing...not Phys. Ed. kids.)  So far, we've had one day of lecture &one day of "movement" (which includes explaining, exploring, correcting, etc.).  They've been attentive, respectful & a little shocked by how intense Hatha Yoga can be.  But four of them stayed after to talk the second day & I feel like almost all were in agreement that it was "more intense & more fun" than they thought.  Good stuff.  I hope they apply it when they finish.  I would LOVE to see some Yoga (& Pilates) taught in the schools.

BMIs & early puberty

http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/nm/us_puberty_earlier
Yet another good reason to keep our babies healthy.

BEing

Today when I was reading to the kiddos before nap Langston hit me in the eye.  We were being silly and he didn't mean to, but I said (in a serious tone), "Langston!  That hurt mommy."
He immediately started crying and said, "Sorry," in this meek little voice. 
I hugged him and told him it was okay.  I knew he didn't mean to; just try to be more careful.
Then it hit me how wonderful it is to have a kid (or kids, as I do) who feel comfortable enough to open up and cry when they think they might have hurt me.  I love to see how honest and real and raw the emotions of children are.  They are so beautiful! 
I am thankful that these little people can really tell and/or show me how they are feeling.  I relate such purity w God.  God, to me, (or being w God or relating to God...) is that place where one can just BE.  Be completely whatever you need to be...hurting or angry or joyful or even self pitying.  Not judging or being judged, but just bringing it all and laying it out there.  I think that's one of the many ways we, as adults, are told to "be like children" and also where we miss the big picture. 

What if we expressed what we felt or allowed ourselves to feel more often?  I can't help but think we'd all be a little better off.  I'm not saying "fly off the handle," but I am saying that if someone hurt you, tell them.  If someone made you so happy or brings you peace, tell them.  And if you might have hurt someone...no matter how meekly it comes out, say "sorry." 

our busy summer...

the girls showering off before "baby swim lessons," which Z loved this time!

Forgive me, readers, for not posting. We've had a crazy-busy summer. And the past few weeks have been full. Here's a preview of things to come via blog...swim lessons for both kids, L's 'getting ready for grade K', grandparents Key visit, vaca to St. Louis (in large part to meet our friends, the Gartlands), t-ball, mom's new job(s)**, a visit from Aunt Leslie, Uncle Logan and "cousin" Winston the dog, and I'm sure I'm leaving something out! :) We've had busy days recently helping our good friends, the Ballards, move to their new home, L got sick (from a vaccine, then just a virus, which we shared), Z currently has a cold, and just the usual crazy days. :) I am promising an up-date complete w pix soon! Sorry grandparents, it's coming! xoxo

shopping for school supplies! he's sooooo ready!


**I feel pretty prepared for my part-time at the Y. I'll have one day a week of Zumba and two Kid's Yoga, but I met w a prof in Kin at WIU yesterday about teaching a class ("contemporary activities") of Yoga & Pilates to students who will be phyis ed instructors for grades K-12. I think it'll be really fun and I'm looking forward to it...just not all the prep! :)