7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 2)

...1...

Today I paid a visit to my cousin who recently had a baby boy. It was so comforting and funny all at the same time how similar all of the issues women have while pregnant and post-partum can be so similar from one woman to the next. It always feels really good to be able to relate to someone who knows what you're going through. And since this baby is her third, as this one is for me, we were also relating on making the transition from two children to three. It was a quick visit, but also a very satisfying one. I like it when God gives us those little treats!

...2...


All day yesterday I was accompanied by my good friend who drove down for a visit. We both had such a nice day taking the rare opportunity to spend time together! She brought her newborn and was able to leave her other three children at home and the whole time I was just struck and awed by her calmness, her new-mother soothingness. It was so nice to experience that soothing presence, but at the same time, for me, it really showed the contrast of the hurried, frantic, not-so-soothing-or-calm persona I've come to inhabit.

I'm still trying to analyze exactly why I felt that way and come up with an explanation for all of it. "When did I get to be like that?, Why do I feel that way?, Will it go away and eventually I'll go back to my normal have-my-act-together self?, Was the contrast there simply because she was able to slow down and concentrate on only one sleeping infant baby while I was still trying to travel and shop with a 2 and 4 year old?"


The last one seems the most logical and makes me feel the best about it, but I'm still going to check myself and keep tabs on it just to make sure it isn't a horrible new character development.

...3...

It occurred to me today that I should probably re-read Dr. Ray's book, "Discipline that Lasts a Lifetime." Lately, for some reason, it seems like my children have been doing a worse job of listening, following directions, not making each other scream for various reasons, etc. This, as a pregnant woman prone to easy agitation, is probably the whole cause of #2.

Because I've read that book before and because a good chunk of my college education was spent studying learning and behavior (bs-psychology), I have to believe that at least some of the children's conduct is due to an increase in inconsistency (and pregnancy laziness) in discipline. AH!


Most days I find myself just not up to the task. Yet, at the same time, all of the shenanigans just drive me crazy. I'm torn between telling myself that I just have to ease up on my expectations and accept they way they act and telling myself I really have to get myself back on a stricter discipline bandwagon. Any suggestions?


...4...

This is the time of year when it comes in handy if the kids' car seat straps are easy to adjust! Big for winter coats, tighter for days of spring-jacket weather. Pure summer will be wonderful!

...5...Over the past several months I've been learning about ways to modify the regional diet that I grew up on to make it a little healthier for our family. Based on recent research and reading a few really interesting books, I thought that tweaking our normal cuisine by substituting for red meat a couple meals a week; increasing the whole grain (switch over from 'white' flour, noodles, rice), bean, legume intake; and experimenting with new and different options (quinoa, etc.) would be really exciting, interesting, and healthy.

It really was at first. But I'm finding that now that I've stopped using the recipes and cookbooks that I was in the beginning, I'm kindof stumped when it comes to what to make for supper! I was hoping that cooking in that way would become easy and natural after a little while, but it hasn't yet. Does anyone have any good tips for this? (Short of me going back to the library for some more cookbooks?) :)~

...6... I've decided it's time for me to get back on the pregnancy-workout bandwagon. The key, for me, I believe is to do them at some point in the first 3/4 of the day before I am too worn out!

...7...


Tonight was the first time that we attempted test driving a van with the children along. We thought it would be a good thing to do to see how the van accommodated the car seats, space and placing considerations, etc. It was something that was good to have done, but it really hooked our boys on the vehicle! Once they got inside all the talk was about 'our van' and that we should drive right home, and on and on. The icing on the cake was when our youngest said, just minutes into the ride, "Wuv van."

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