Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

Because I am woefully low on original ideas right now, I’m doing this Christmas meme again this year.  It was also posted on December 6, 2007.  Some answers are the same, but not all of them.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? most of the time wrapping paper, but sometimes I’ll use gift bags for oddly shaped gifts or if I’m being lazy

2. Real tree or artificial? growing up we had a real tree downstairs and an artificial tree upstairs; Matt and I have stuck with artificial so far.

3. When do you put up the tree? I like to put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving, this year, it was more like two weeks after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year’s eve or day

5. Do you like eggnog? yes, but not nearly as much as Matt does

6. Favorite gift received as a child? my Cabbage Patch Kids and my pink and gray 10-speed bike

7. Do you have a nativity scene? no, but I think I’ll try to find the Fisher Price one on sale after Christmas for next year

8. Hardest person to buy for? the dads – mine and Matt’s

9. Easiest person to buy for? Little and Boo; right now I can still get what I want for them

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? everything I can think of would put me in the doghouse with one person or another who reads this blog

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail except that I didn’t do any this year – maybe New Years cards? or Easter?

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? this is really terrible, but I don’t really have one; I guess the closest I get is About a Boy which isn’t about Christmas, per se, but part of it does take place at Chirstmas time

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I always say I’m going to shop throughout the year, but it never happens; I usually start in November

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I do occasionally recycle gifts, but I don’t recall re-giving a Chirstmas gift

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Chex Mix ( I only make it during the holidays) and various Christmas goodies

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear, on all 3 or 4 trees (only one of which is up this year)

17. Favorite Christmas song? I don’t have a favorite, I just love Christmas music

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? this year we are staying home and everyone is coming to us!

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? I think so

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? nothing right now; our star is on the mantle…don’t ask

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? we’ll be opening gifts all week

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? the focus on consumerism

23. What I love most about Christmas? everything, it’s the most wonderful time of the year

If you decide to play along let me know so I can check out your answers.

Sometimes you can be thinking about a thing and then events conspire to force you into action. That happened to me recently.

For several months I’ve contemplated switching Boo to cloth diapers. I didn’t really have a firm reason for making the switch but just felt like it was something I would like to do eventually.  That along with the fact that Matt was pretty adamantly opposed to the idea deterred me from taking the plunge and ordering some.

Then, Boo’s eczema got bad.  And then it got terrible.  And then it got even worse and wasn’t responding to the usual course of treatment, so I took him to the doctor.  Verdict – really bad eczema (thanks for the official diagnosis, doc) and contact dermititis…from his diapers.  Treatment – topical steroid.  Suggestion – switch to cloth diapers.  Matt’s response – “So, I guess you get your way.”

Because I had been researching cloth diapering off and on for a while and had talked to a friend of mine who cloth diapers, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to use.  I did consider doing a trial program, like the one offered by Jillian’s Drawers, where we could try several different types/brands of diapers and see what worked best for us and Boo.  But, since we needed these diapers, like, yesterday, I opted to stick with the pocket diapers that I’d decided on previously.

I ordered a dozen Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers and off we went.  I opted for Fuzzi Bunz over other popular pocket diapers because they snap instead of velcro.  With Boo being 8 months old I figure it won’t be long before we get into the “oh wow, I can take my diaper off by myself” phase, and I’ve read that the snaps on Fuzzi Bunz deter little fingers better than velcro diapers.  I’ve also read that velcro is sometimes difficult to keep “clean” (free from dryer lint, etc) and that it wears more quickly.  The snaps do take longer to fasten than I imagine velcro would, but when you’re wrestling an alligator what’s a few more seconds?

One of the intimidating factors about switching to cloth was how to handle poopy dipes.  I can’t exactly say that it is a pleasant experience, but it isn’t really any different than dealing with a potty training toddler.  I dump, rinse, and throw it in the wash pile.  I do laundry every day right now, but with a few more diapers and inserts I could do every other day.  We double “stuff” diapers for nighttime and usually at naptime and rarely have we had an issue with leaks.  He does occasionally leak during the day, but generally it’s because I haven’t gotten his diaper changed in a timely manner.

But the big thing is that his skin issues started to clear up immediately!  In addition to the eczema, he’s always (as in since he was about a week old) had some bumps and spots on his lower abdomen where the top of his diaper hits.  Within 24 hours of switching to cloth they were all cleared up.  With the combination of topical steroids and cloth diapers his eczema was on the mend quickly as well.

I’ve been quite pleased with the Fuzzi Bunz diapers and the cloth diapering experience as a whole.  Now that we’ve jumped in and made the switch, I don’t plan on going back (at least not long term).  And for that, Boo’s legs thank us.

Little: I hear Jesus!
Matt: You do?
Little: Uh huh.
Matt: What is he saying?
Little (shouting): Hey!

My wonderful SIL Lu has tagged me for a meme. The rules are really easy: write six things that make you really happy and tag six people.

1. Sweet baby giggles. There’s nothing like hearing my two year old or my eight month old laugh, I mean the big, belly laughs. They make me smile.

2. Great friends (and neighbors). I feel so blessed that God led us to a neighborhood with such great neighbors. My best friend lives two doors down. We have a ton in common and enjoy hanging out all the time (literally, we see each other almost every day); we also do things together as families since our hubbies get along great, too. Then I have my other good SAHM friends, and my best friend that I had to leave behind in Knoxville. I’m quite blessed in this realm.

3. Clean sheets. I love climbing into a bed made with sheets fresh from the dryer. The feel of clean sheets on my skin and the smell of dryer sheets on my pillowcase are delightful.

4. A really good book. Give me a well-written book with a great story and I could read for days on end. Books that meet my “great book” criteria aren’t all that common, but when I find one I relish it.

5. My family. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and two great kiddos. My life would not be complete without them. Sometimes the kids make me want to pull my hair out, but they bring great joy to my life.

6. Christmas trees. I love Christmas. And my favorite of all Christmas decorations are Christmas trees. I own three (we only have one up this year because of the little man) and would keep them up year round if Matt would let me. I love the ambiance they add to the house, the beauty of the lighted branches, and the way the ornaments look. Just can’t get enough of them!

I’m not going to tag anyone, but if there is anyone still reading after my unintentional blogging sabbatical I would love for you to play along!

Little is just a bit confused this Christmas. A couple of weeks ago Matt brought home a two-liter Coke (or Cokey-liter as Little says) with the Christmas label. Matt showed it to Little and asked her who was on the label. Her response…Noah.

She seems to understand the difference now, at least most of the time, but up until a few days ago there was still some confusion.

We were at the mall one day last week and passed the area where Santa sits as we walked to our destination store. While we were in the store Little asked to see Noah. I told her we would go by Santa again on our way out of the mall and she could see him then. We went on about our way and she was content with seeing him as we walked by. Then there was this conversation at dinner:

Matt: What did you do today?
Little: Went to mall.
Matt: Who did you see at the mall? (expecting her to name friends we were with)
Little: Noah…and the ark!

Wow, it’s been two weeks since I posted last. What have we been up to? Let’s start with Thanksgiving…

This year, for the first time, Matt and I decided to stay home for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed being home and hosting the holiday for a change.

Thursday was spent preparing since we weren’t having our Thanksgiving meal until Friday. I cooked all day, and Matt and Little raked the yard and played in the leaves. We have some cute video of Little playing in the leaves – scooping them into a bucket, throwing them around, and rolling around in them. She had a big time playing outside with her Daddy.

Bebe and Grandad arrived about 8:00 Friday morning and our Thanksgiving really began. I cooked and washed dishes for another several hours while Little enjoyed playing with her grandparents. We enjoyed a delicious (if I do say so myself) meal and good company.

We all had a great weekend visiting and playing and being together. We have a lot for which to be thankful.