Asking My Wise Readers...

Just a quick note to say I may be a tad scarce today and tomorrow. For the first time EVER for me during a pregnancy, I have caught a whopper of a cold. I'll be the first to admit that I am usually (blessedly) healthy and only catch a cold every other year or so. But when I do? It usually progresses to either RSV or pneumonia. I'm an "all or nothing" kind of person when it comes to illness!

If you didn't know this about me already, let me just tell you that I tend to avoid ALL medications when pregnant, even Tylenol. I treat headaches with ice packs and sore throats with peppermint tea. That being said, this little bug is wiping the floor with me. Any suggestions for ways to conquer this cough? Or at least keep it at bay long enough to sleep a bit? I sure appreciate the help!

And I'll try to be back on track very, very soon...

Did Someone Order a Triple-Shot?

I absolutely love giving away these Fiber One Chocolate Mocha Spa Baskets! I truly hope my winners are able to enjoy theirs as much as I've been able to enjoy mine. Happily, I still have one more to give away this week.

To read more about what's in the basket, please check out this post.

If you've been along for the ride and already know, just answer this simple question to be entered in the giveaway:

For fun, what "fiber-enhanced" product have you been afraid to try or have tried and it flopped?
For my family, that would be whole wheat pasta. We just can't adapt. But we do love the enriched white kind! (e.g. Ronzoni Smart Taste)

Fiber One Spa Basket Week 2 Winner!

Congratulations to Marie R., the winner of the second Fiber One Spa Basket!

Here are your random numbers:

20

Timestamp: 2009-04-05 23:12:21 UTC

Marie writes, "I eat a bowl of oatmeal everyday. I love the fiber one granola bars and I eat alot of beans." Those are great ways to get more fiber! Seems a lot of you just eat lots of veggies and whole grains (the straight-forward way) but quite a few of you like the sneaky fiber too. Sounds about right- I know our family relies on both methods!

I've already emailed Marie, but make sure the rest of you enter this week for our final basket giveaway.

Having A Friend You Can Count On

Meet Mr. Penguin.

Yep, that's his name.

And that's my now 4-year old son shortly after his second birthday, on the day Mr. Penguin first arrived to our home.

Mr. Penguin lives on A's bed, but he does make occasional forays into the living room or play room... especially during times of injury or illness.

Mr. Penguin is an important part of the bedtime routine.

Mr. Penguin has been to Connecticut, Niagara Falls, and all the states in between.

I'm not sure how long Mr. Penguin will be such an important part of our lives, but for now?

I just know it's awfully nice for my little guy to have a friend he can count on.
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For more Finer Things, please visit Amy's place every Friday!

Buying Baby Shoes

My pediatrician has said it over and over...

And, actually, my sister's pediatrician has too...

Assuming your child does not have special podiatry-related circumstances, it is more important that you buy shoes that FIT your child than it is that you buy "name-brand", high-end shoes. In other words, he'd much rather you pick up your baby's or toddler's shoes at KMart and change sizes as often as needed as opposed to buying those fancy-pants Nikes and trying to eke more use out of them.

Fair enough.

My only issue with this idea comes from the fact that in KMart (or Walmart or Target), I'M the one expected to fit my child. That's not so bad now that they're 3 and 4, walking, and talking. But... as one-year olds? It was a challenge.

My advice?

Go to a specialty store, e.g. Stride Rite, and have a professional fit your child. By all means, check out the sales and clearance racks while you're there! But if you can't find shoes to fit your budget, don't feel guilty giong to a less expensive store armed with the knowledge of exactly what size your little one needs. There is no rule, written or otherwise, that says you have to buy your shoes there just because a sales associate sized your baby's foot. As long as I'm patient and polite, I've never caught any attitude for this.

Getting a perfect fit for a minimum price? Always helpful when you're raising kids in a tough economy!
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For more money saving tips, visit Frugal Friday hosted at Life as MOM.

Sacrificial Hospitality Week 6: The Final Project!

So this will be my last week of Sacrificial Hospitality challenges. At least, it will be my last week of coming up with and posting an idea on my blog here and then following up with all of you on how it went! I definitely have enjoyed making this a part of my life and I think it would be a shame to stop. I have been so touched and blessed by these experiences and, to be honest, it's been very painless. I wonder if more people knew it could be painless if there would be more kind gestures? But I digress...

Yesterday afternoon, I had the absolute pleasure of receiving a phone call from my husband's grandma. She is his only living grandparent and very sweet. Turns out she's already busy at work making Christmas presents for all of her kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids. Let me just tell you... that is a LOT of people. Apparently, she had been trying to reach my sisters-in-law for awhile now to find out the ages of all the children in our "branch" of the family. She wasn't able to reach them, but she caught me! And I was so glad. It was lovely to chat with her and catch up a little bit. Turns out she wasn't aware yet that we're expecting a baby in June, so that was fun to share!

My "Grandma-in-law", if you will, lives in an assisted living facility. When my husband and I first moved here to Indiana, close to all his family, my father-in-law once suggested that I go there sometime and play the piano for the residents. I smiled and agreed it was a nice idea... and promptly forgot about it. I've never done it. We've lived here for almost four years now, and I've just never taken the time to make it happen. The facility is less than 15 miles from me; it would be no real hardship.

The reason I haven't gone? Well, there are a few. Mostly, it boils down to laziness. I just haven't bothered. There's also the "nerves" factor. We don't actually have a piano in our home so I don't really get to practice and I fear I'll be rather rusty. And you know what? It's just easier to stay at home. I can certainly make myself busy here. I can absolutely convince myself that I am best serving my family and the Lord by staying right where I am and cleaning and baking and singing to my children. Those are all noble pursuits and important roles for me to fill, but the truth of the matter is that I could most definitely find an hour to share some music with the elderly.... Really? We all could. The simple truth is that we MAKE time for what matters...

And so I will. I will make it a mission to contact the assisted living facility and set up a time when I can play the piano, maybe sing a bit, and just visit with these amazing people who could teach me so much...

Honestly? I'm starting to really look forward to it.
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Is there a nursing home, hospital, or assisted living facility in your area? Could you spare an hour to share music, read aloud, or even just to chat with some of the seniors in your community?

Sacrificial Hospitality: Week 5 RESULTS

This week was a successful- and fun!- one. I love how quickly these teeny, tiny hats work up. I made a few different sizes (since all baby heads are a little different!) and worked with yellow yarn to keep it "gender neutral". That little sweater was already partially done- I just decided to finish it off this week and donate that as well. It is a tiny sweater, much more suited to a rather skinny preemie than a full-term infant. Lord-willing, none of my friends or family members will need it...

I had no reason to drive to Indianapolis this week, so I chose to just call the NICU and let them know I'd be paying them a visit later this month. My daughter has a follow-up appointment with her eye doctor, so I'll already be at the children's hospital. We'll be out of "RSV season" by then, so it'll be a great time to pay our beloved nurses a visit! On that same trip, I plan to stop off at the Ronald McDonald House to drop off another box of food/toiletries that I've gathered over the past few months for them. Even though she's still quite young, it will be good for my daughter to be with me on these trips- to witness giving in action and to learn to view it as just a part of who we are. This is one of my wishes for my children... that giving and hospitality will become so second-nature that it does not feel like a "project", per se, but just a normal, everyday part of life.

As I worked on those little hats this past week, I was reminded of how caliming and cathartic crocheting can be for me. I truly adore handwork and I simply must thank my Grandma Jane for teaching me how to do it when I was only six years old. I also enjoyed how the process took me back in time to when my daughter was so teeny tiny and still in the NICU. When she was a couple weeks old, this was the hat that would have fit her little head:



It pays to remember that.
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To read more about this Lenten journey and why I'm doing it, please go here.
Be sure to stop by later today to find out what my sixth and final project will be!