Diaper cake "May the force be with Jordan"

I'm making a diaper cake for a friend's shower.  Her nursery will be decorated in Star Wars theme, so that's, of course, what we're using for the theme.

I used a tutorial from Pinterest.  You can find it here.  I found it easier to put a few diapers on the layer and then put the rubber band around it... then you can tuck the diapers into the layer without having 6 hands.  She also recommends just rolling through the crotchy part that tries to bunch... but I found my diapers to be irregular and bulky that way... so I held it taught with my left hand and rolled with my right hand.  They all rolled nice and tightly and that's the look I was going for.
I found the little plush guys at Target and the ribbon is just held on with sticky dots.  I think it turned out cute!
I love that the whole thing is completely functional!  The supports in the middle are baby powder and a bottle stacked on top of each other and then 2 packages of diapers stacked around them.

Birth stories and how we chose their names.

This is a little glimpse into the names of our children.  Jason and I "planned" our pregnancy with Adelaide... as much as anyone can plan such.  We made preparations and counted months and such.  She was very planned.  When we found out we were pregnant, I thought for sure we were having a boy.  In my family, a boy came first (my brother) and then I came 6 years later.  In Jason's family, he was first and then his sister came 3 years later.  So... it just made sense to me that a boy was supposed to come first.  We didn't care either way (I know everyone says that, but we really didn't) but I was surprised to find out we were having a girl.  My pregnancy was very easy.  I felt great, was rarely sick and loved (almost) every minute of it.  
I did have a lot of "false labor" toward the end of the pregnancy and she was born, uneventfully, 3 weeks before her due date.  We chose her name pretty simply.  We wanted an Irish name that would sound good with our Irish last name.  When we bought a baby name book "Baby Names around the World" Adelaide was the first name in the girl's section.  We both loved it.  I wanted a name that was unique and special.  I think that's exactly what we got.  A lot of people comment on it and say it's old fashioned.  I guess it is... but not in a "Betty" kind of way.  It means "noble, kind" and I hope she grows into that definition!  
Her middle name is Faith... just because we liked it.  She was an awful baby.  Really, she was.  She cried nonstop until about 8 weeks, where she cried about 20 hours a day.  For reals.  It was terrible.  But I didn't know any better.  
Around the time Adelaide was just over 1 year old, we found out we were expecting Lucy.   She was even more planned than Adelaide.  We really counted days and it took longer to get pregnant with Lucy than we had hoped.  But, alas, she's here, so that's all that matters.  Lucy's birth was a much different story than Adelaide's.  The whole pregnancy was different, in fact.  I was sicker and more tired than I was with Adelaide (and with a toddler at home, there wasn't as much time to rest).  Lucy and Adelaide both had the same due date (November 1), and Lucy made her very eventful entrance into the world 1 week early.  I had been having contractions and such for a couple of weeks, but I wasn't making any progress.  So, my doctor decided to induce at 39 weeks.  I was more than happy to oblige.  We went in for our scheduled birth (I love schedules) and they got the process started. 
 I got my epidural and contractions were speeding up.  About an hour after my epidural, I started feeling woosy.  My blood pressure had plummeted.  I'm told this was a vagal response.  I have no clue if that's spelled right or what it means, but I do know that I "came to" with Jason smacking my face and them bringing in the crash cart and the breathing bag thingy. It was terrifying.  The nurse reprimanded me for not telling her I was feeling badly.  Well, I kinda passed out as soon as that started.  Sorry.  I'll try to give you a heads up next time.  
My mom came in during the afternoon to check on me.  She just couldn't stand staying at home while her baby was in labor.
After about 12 hours of labor the doctor came in and was looking at my strip of paper that measures my contractions.  I could tell by the look on her face that something wasn't right. She stood there, arms crossed for about 2 minutes (seemed like an hour) and then she called it.  "We need to go.. NOW." I remember those words like it was 2 minutes ago.  Jason went into the bathroom to put on scrubs and my mom describes it as superman in the phone booth... the door barely closed behind him and he was out again.  They were throwing stuff in the bed with me, disconnecting cords, and off we went.  I remember my hair blowing behind me as we rushed down the hall. I can only imagine how scared my mom was. Jason was with me... and he was scared too.  But it's horrible to not know what's going on.  When we got to the operating room, the anesthesiologist was in another c-section.  The resident was checking my level to make sure I was numb high enough to perform the surgery.  I wasn't.  They tried pushing more drugs... still not enough.  Jason said after he was afraid they were going to have to put me to sleep.  
Finally, things were numb and they started.  I was so sick.... and let me tell you... vomiting while lying flat on your back and being cut open... it's not fun.  But Lucy arrived healthy and happy and I'm so thankful for her.  That was her last major performance so far.  She likes to stay in the background and not be the center of attention.... so her entrance into our world was uncharacteristic.  
We chose Lucy's name pretty soon after we had Adelaide.  I just liked it and one day I told Jason, let's name our next girl "Lucy" and he agreed.  Not too much of a story there. We chose Kellyn for her middle name in keeping with her Irish heritage.  Lucy means "light" and that's not at all why we chose it, but it fits her.  She lights up a room even though she doesn't mean to.  She's so thoughtful and considerate and I am thankful for her.
Julianne's pregnancy wasn't planned.  At all.  I was going through this stage where I was really questioning birth control and God's plan for us.  I wasn't sure (and I'm still not) what God would have to say about it.  So, I wasn't taking it.   I'm pretty sure I told Jason I was pregnant while in a  McDonalds drive thru... on the phone.  Ha!
Julianne was a planned C-section and it was amazing.  I wasn't sick, it wasn't scary and I would so do it again in a hearbeat!
We chose Julianne Ruby after my grandmother, Julia Anne and Jason's grandmother, Ruby.  My Granny was so very special to me and she had just passed away when we found out we were expecting.  She would have loved Julianne so much... I really with they could have met.  Jason's Grandmama loves Julianne Ruby too and I'm so thankful Julianne knows her.  
There you have it!  For the record,  we had boys names picked out every time, but we haven't had to use them yet.  If Adelaide had been a boy, she would have been Aidan Thomas.  Lucy would have been Isaac Lynn (I think) and Julianne was either Reagan or Rhett Thomas (I think).... the middle names weren't set in stone.  
Thanks for checking in today.  

Stomach bug survival guide

I talked about poop last time and now I'm talking about puke... so again, for you weak stomached people, this post is not for you.

We've had a stomach bug at our house this week, and for those of you that know me... this is the worst possible ailment. I have handled lots of yuck at our house over the last 6.5 years... and this one is the worst! I'm still ranking it above head lice... although Jason disagrees.

Monday, Julianne woke up saying she needed to wash her hands because she fell in a mud puddle. What!? I went in to find her and her bed covered in vomit.

She was sick several more times that morning, but never ran fever and was totally normal by the next day.

Jason threw me a birthday party for my 30th Friday night.... just for grown ups. It was a blast! We got home, exhausted, and had been in bed about 45 minutes when Lucy called me up saying her stomach hurt. She was sick all night and Adelaide started Saturday morning. It was a lovely weekend. :)

I do have some tips on surviving the stomach bug. It doesn't really make it a ton easier, but I like to make things as easy as I can... and here are the tricks I've learned over the years.

If you have girls, this first tip is major. I mean..... like first priority. Hair must be pulled back! When I got Juli out of her bed and straight to the tub, I french braided her hair. This keeps all the little wispy pieces out of her face and the pony tail isn't so long that it falls into the line of fire.

Lucy and Adelaide get as many ponytails, knots, and clips as necessary to keep the hair out of the way. It's much easier to bathe the children again if they "miss" if you don't have to wash hair again.

Next priority... finding tile... or wood... or something other than carpet to hang out on. If your only options are carpet... find blankets, quilts... sheets... something to cover the carpet. Something that can go in the washing machine. I lined the floor around the kids' beds with extra sheets and the path to the bathroom with towels. I had a friend recommend newspaper... you could just throw that away... but that required an extra trip downstairs... so I went with towels. I think the preparation is much easier than the cleanup... so I'm willing to throw down some blankets and towels.

I also cover furniture that the kids are on with blankets. You're not puking on my couch! Get up.... I'm putting a quilt under you.

Number 3... you need a bucket. Or a bag or something. We have a couple of glad containers that were grabbed once upon a time and they now reside under the sink in the girls' bathrooms. The bucket goes everywhere with you. I don't care that you think you feel better. It's throw up day and you and your bucket are best friends. Get used to it.

Number 4... everyone in the family goes on a bland diet. Not quite BRAT diet, but close. Jason and I usually end up fasting. It's sometimes not intentional... but nothing really seems appetizing when you think you might see it again. But the kids (unbeknownst to them) get lots of starches, NO dairy and bananas and apples. Can you say eggo waffles for dinner? Yup! This helps to settle the stomach and keeps from putting too much heavy stuff on a potentially throw up day. Dairy is also a pain in the tail to clean up... it curdles. Which is gross.

Number 5... we push fluids after we KNOW their stomachs are ready. If you push too much too soon, you're just going to be cleaning it up again. So, after they've been puke free for awhile (maybe 30 minutes) they get a SIP of something clear. My favorite is Propel fitness water. It's clear but it is full of electrolytes.... and with a little flavor, the kids like it. And, unlike Gatorade, it doesn't stain anything if it does come up.

When you, as a parent, are in the trenches and being the right hand man... you know the role, holding hair, wiping mouths, rubbing backs... stay behind your little one. You don't see as much puke, you can be there for them to rest on... and hopefully you are staying a little further from the spray of nastiness that you're sure to catch next.

On cleaning up... everything this weekend could go in the washer thanks to the above tips... and I just put everything in the wash like I did when I cloth diapered. It goes in on a normal wash (Hot)... and when that's done I do a sanitary wash (super duper hot with extra rinses). Towels all get bleached.

I hope this helps someone. If you have puke tips, I'd love to hear them... I'll take all the help I can get during stomach bug week!

Conveniently crunchy

I wouldn't say we live a terribly natural lifestyle at the McKeown home. My kids love snacks and cookies of all shapes and sizes (and so do I) and we don't eat all organic or local. However, we have made some changes over the years that I think have made a difference in how we operate. I'll just talk about a couple today. I used cloth diapers with Lucy and Julianne. Lucy... almost the whole time she was in diapers and Julianne, throughout most of her first year (except when we had a sitter or were at church). I love cloth diapers. There's just something about a cute little cloth diapered hiney. They are so sweet!!! They are very economical and they aren't nearly the nightmare to wash as most people think. I normally washed diapers every other day (what's one more load of laundry when you're already doing several loads a day?). They just go in the normal washer and then I dried some in the dryer and hung some out to dry. Then I normally didn't even fold mine. I just stacked the liners and the covers in the drawer and they were ready for another day.

******* If you have a weak stomach or think this is disgusting, skip this section*******

While the little still had breastfed poo, I just threw the whole thing in the washing machine... when they started on solid food and had more solid poop, the poop was sent into the potty and the diaper was sent into the wash. I had a washable liner (think dirty clothes bag) in a trash can... so I just threw the whole thing in the washer (no reaching in and grabbing dirty diapers or anything). So... it's not that gross. It's not for everyone, but it worked for us. I also used reusable wipes... they were just wash clothes with a water spray... the whole thing went into the diaper pail for washing. Julianne didn't love the velcro at the top of the cloth diapers, so we stopped using them before I would like. If you are looking for a cloth diaper to try out, I would recommend the FLIP diapers. They fit great, are trim and are super easy to use... no stuffing liners inside a cover... and you use the cover over and over. I only went through one cover a day.

*****Okay, weak stomach folks, welcome back******

We also don't use paper towels... well, rarely. I own a few paper towels. Only because I have a dad. He likes paper towels. Correction : he LOVES paper towels. So, I keep some for when he comes to visit. We also use them when there's something to cover in the microwave (I don't like a cloth napkin that is covered in spaghetti sauce). So, what do we use!? Cloth napkins (as stated above) and rags. I clean everything with rags... no paper towels. And we use cloth napkins every time we eat. Then they just go in the wash with our towels. I was towels about every other day, so that works great for napkins and rags, too. I found the transition really easy actually. It started out being for environmental reasons... why are we using so much stuff and throwing it away!? And now I'm just too stubborn to pay a ton of money for when I could use something I already have. We use about 1 roll of paper towels every 6 months now. That's a far cry for the case I bought nearly once a month before. If you are interested in making this transition, just try putting the paper towels under the sink for a week. You'll be surprised how many times you reach for them. I challenge you to try to use things you already have. I'm not a tree-hugger or anything, but I do think God has called us to be good stewards of what we've been given and it doesn't make sense to me to spend money on things we throw away when we could use things we already have. Paper towels may not be the way your family "goes green" or saves money, but I urge you to take a look at your excess... and see how you can change it.

Just a few other things I do to save money/not use nastiness:

I use olive oil to remove my eye makeup, I tried washing my hair with baking soda/apple cider vinegar, but Jason said I smelled like a salad. I make my own detergent for our clothes, I clean most things in the house with vinegar and baking soda....

That's all for now. What do you do to save money/go green?

My favorite books... everything from homekeeping, to parenting to homeschool

I love to read. I really do. It takes me away from everyday reality and into a fantasy land. I need that. A lot. Today, though, I want to talk about some of my favorite self help books. These are the tried and true books that I turn to when I have a question about a "phase" my kids are going through or something that I'm struggling with in my daily life. I will try to keep them somewhat separated into categories because some of them are vastly different.

I'll start with parenting. *Please don't dismiss these books because of the behavior of my children! :)* I think my children are well behaved. Usually. But they are children. I've learned the hard way to never say, "my child would NEVER do that." It's not true, folks. As soon as you say that, you will have to eat your words. I do, however, make a promise that when my children do things that aren't what I expect out of them, it will be dealt with. That's all I can do. So, here are a few of my favorite parenting books.

Obviously, the Bible is the number one parenting book... but let's face it. Sometimes it's hard to make applications from the Bible to every day situations. I think the principals taught are the basis of great parenting and should be put into play in our every day roles, but sometimes we need good, Biblically based books that help us with situations we deal with.

Making children mind without losing yours by Dr. Kevin Lemin

I love this book! It has just the right amount of humor and real. Some of my favorite chapter titles, "Inconsistency- or how to raise a yo-yo" "Pull the rug out and let the little buzzards tumble" "DANGER-Super parent at work" I love the real applications this book offers. It gives real "if this, then that" sort of situations. It's probably my favorite. I have read it cover to cover and I think I'll start again.

Next on the list "The New Dare to Discipline" by Dr. James Dobson

People either love Dr. Dobson's books or they hate them. I love them. I also recommend "The Strong Willed Child."

And I would like to say, I think all children are strong willed. I have three very different children. But they are all strong willed in their own way. People are pretty strong willed in general, wouldn't you say?

Dr. Dobson also offers ways to cope with discipline and hard to handle issues. He shoots it straight, though, so be prepared to feel like he's stepped on your toes.

"What the Bible Says about Child Training" by J Richard Fugate

I have not read this one through, but I like the way it's broken down into easy to flip to categories. Some of them include: rebellion, guilt and confession, the correct use of chastisement, the child's nature, God's promises to parents... etc.

I think it's a good one to flip through, but I found it hard to read straight through. Maybe I should try again. :)

"No Greater Joy" by Sheila Keckler Butt

I love this book. It talks about the joys of parenting and finding the joy in parenting. I need to read this more often. So often I find the everyday tasks of keeping up with children and the home and being a wife are so overwhelming, I don't find the joy in any of it. I need to do better. Some of the chapters in this book include, "Developing intimacy with your children, it's a matter of priorities, the worth of a child, building character." Now I think I might need to read this one again, too. ha!!

That's it for today in the parenting section. There are others that I like, but I these are my favorites!

Moving on to books for the home.

"The house that cleans itself" by Mindy Starns Clark

Let me start by saying, this book struck me as sort of weird when I first picked it up. It begins with telling you to go on a prayer walk through your house. I've heard of this through a neighborhood (which I think is a great idea). You walk through your neighborhood praying specifically for the families in each home. I know our minister has discussed doing this for every country specifically. But walking through my house asking God to show me things in each room that need changing just felt strange. But I did it. And I did find myself with new ideas for each space. The basis of this book is finding ways to make your home and it's layout work for you. For instance, we rarely use our front door. I mean, Adelaide comes in the front door after school, but that's about it. Our cars are parked in the back and that's our main way in and out. So... that's where all the shoes and backpacks end up. It's not a very big area. When you first come in from our garage, it's just a hall... like a normal width hall. There's no room for a stool to take off shoes or anything like that. So, I moved some junk out of the coat closet and put a couple of bins and a shoe organizer in it.... it's now the shoe closet. Now that our girls are in preschool/kindergarten, I have put hooks and message boards up. So... the hall has started working for us instead of being a dumping ground that collects clutter. See what I mean? The house still doesn't clean itself, but the book teaches you to use the home and make things easier for you depending on how you live... not living based on your home. Does that make sense?

Lastly, I don't really feel like I'm capable of writing much in the way of home schooling since we only really did it for a year full time... but we still dabble in it and the kids love it, so I'll share my favorite curriculum and let you take what you will from it. There are several reasons why we decided not to homeschool (for now) and I would love to share those with you later if anyone is interested.

"Before Five in a Row" and "Five in a Row" are by far my favorite homeschool curricula for little ones.

These two programs (before is more for preschoolers but can be adapted for older kids. Five in a row volume one is really best for Kindergarten/first grade because the stories are a little longer and more in depth) are based upon Children's literature. So, in the beginning of each book is a list of books that you will study. Some of them are books you have on your shelf at home and some you will have to search for in the library or online. Each lesson is broken down into subjects. You read the same book every day for 5 days. Get it? Five in a row!? When we were doing it, we tried to hit one subject a day... sometimes two depending on the book... then we usually took a "field trip" one day. The subjects in BFIAR are: Art, Math, Bible, Character, Safety, Science, Social Studies.... and more.

I loved the way the kids asked questions and were really interested in the books... especially after a few days of reading the same one. It was amazing to see them learn and watch their little brains develop. We still use these books some and I hope to use them even more this summer when things slow down a little.

"Reading made easy" by Valerie Bendt

This is how I taught Adelaide to read and it's what I'm planning to use for Lucy and Julianne as well. It's a great, easy way to teach them the basics of language and it works! Adelaide was reading like a champ before kindergarten started.

Things you should never say to a mama...

Why is it that people think just because you have had a baby, they can dish out all kinds of advice? It actually starts when you're pregnant. Don't drink that diet coke, stay away from lunch meat, sit down, lay down, lay on this side... blah blah blah. Okay, I know some of those things are medically recommended, but why do people feel the need to enforce it? Mind your own business, folks! People make comments about the name you've chosen and how you're carrying. I don't think it's ever appropriate to comment on how big/small a pregnant lady is. Either way can hurt her feelings! I think it's great to say, "You look fabulous" or something to that affect... but any comments on how a lady is carrying can lead to worry (if baby's too big or small) or low self esteem for a mama that already feels terrible. Just keep those to yourself!!

Never... ever... give your two cents on breastfeeding. Ever. I'm guilty of this, too. But not anymore. I've had 3. Breastfeeding worked out great for us... once. It's just not something the others did well. And that's okay. As a pediatric neurosurgeon told me when I was stressing after Adelaide was born (she was a friend of Jason's... I didn't go see her about breastfeeding, ha!) we were all similac babies. It's true. Adelaide and Julianne (my two bottle babies) are healthy, happy and thriving.

Here are a few other favorites (or unfavorites, if you will):

"was this planned?" nonya.... seriously... it's none of your business. And the last thing I want is for my children to think they were some sort of a mistake. I have described one of my blessings as a "surprise." But they think of surprises as wonderful things (which she is).

"Are you trying for a boy?" As if I didn't do a good enough job the first three times. I hope and pray we are blessed with another baby. And it will probably be another girl. And that's just fine. God knows what He's doing.

"Are they all yours?" It's not like a have 30 kids... just 3. And yes, they're all mine. :)

"You're not done!?" Why do you care?

"You don't need any more." Someone seriously said this to me. Ugh. It's just as bad to tell people they should have another. The number of children people have is very personal to them and ultimately not up to them at all. If a family chooses to have one child (or is given that number by the Lord), don't make it your job to comment.

"You're in for it in the teenage years." I know. You don't have to point it out. All I can do right now is put one foot in front of the other and pray pray pray. As Mr. Kyle says in our "Kid's Sing" program for the little ones, "I will do my best, I will never give up, and I'll let God take care of the rest." That's all I can do about the teenage years. I will do my best to have my children's heart and hope and pray I make the right decisions when it's time. Don't be a naysayer.... please!

Lazy lazy lazy

I have a really hard time accepting laziness. I just don't understand it. How does a mama sit in a room while everyone around is bustling to get a party ready and not lift a finger!? How is that even possible? I love to be busy. I love to help. I love to be needed. Let's face it. It's nice to feel needed and helpful. Isn't it!? Am I the only one that likes to feel like I've made someone else's life easier? Well, I've been faced with a plethora of moms this year that just don't seem to be connected. They don't seem to have time for their children... they don't seem to be interested in taking a few minutes out of their day (or month) to help in the classroom... they just don't seem to care at all. I'm the room mom in Adelaide's class, and I'm shocked at how many parents didn't volunteer for ANYTHING! I understand some moms have to work and it must be difficult to figure out a schedule for helping in your child's classroom while working full time outside the home. But there's still plenty that can be done! When there's a party at school and you are asked to send something in, that's a perfect opportunity! It doesn't require anyone's presence... it doesn't require you to forfeit your lunch hour or miss a meeting. You just need to buy a package of capri suns and put them in your child's backpack!? Am I missing something!?

Anyway, thankfully, there are a few parents that help with matters in the classroom, but it's just a few.

Well, yesterday we had a party for Julianne's class. At the beginning of the year, there's a signup sheet for all of the parties. There's a place to sign up for food, paper goods and party favors. Normally there are two people that bring food... because that's a pretty big undertaking. Well, nobody else was signed up for food. The teacher sent home a note asking for help and when nobody offered to help, she offered to bring something. But she has her own kids' parties to prepare for. She shouldn't have to bring food for her class. So, I did it myself. (*disclaimer: there was a helpful mom... she brought table clothes, plates and napkins... and the other helpful mom was out of town, so this isn't directed at them... at all) There's also a child in the class with a gluten allergy... so I had to make arrangements for him also... we had pizza, fruit, marshmallows dipped in white chocolate and milk boxes. While we were setting up, I was running around trying to put pizza on plates, cut fruit and put it out, open milk boxes.... you know the drill. There was another mama just sitting there. Playing on her phone. She made sure to note that she wasn't a "party mom" she was just there early because she didn't have time to go home first. But how does one sit there when things are bustling around them... without offering to help!? What happened to asking, "what can I do??" Or "here, I can put pizza on a plate." AAAAhhhhh!!!! It makes me nuts! Anyway, Jason was there with me. Thankfully. He doesn't usually get to go to their parties, but since we left for Nashville right after, he was off work.

Okay, that's all for my rant. For now. I can't make any promises for the future. :)