Hello Pete

Pete may not know it yet, and he probably doesn't care, but it's official. We will be visiting him again in February. Pete is our favorite bartender at the Hale Koa in Hawaii. Craig is booking our tickets as I write this. We are thrilled that the Finks will be joining us and feel that they are brave to travel with us, since Murray will be a little over a year when we go. There is just something magical about knowing you are going on vacation, especially when you know you can leave the cold and be warm for a while.

Today is a good day. We close at noon on Fridays, so I'm looking forward to having the whole afternoon free to run errands and get some things done so we can enjoy the weekend. It may be raining, but there are worse things. It's a good day to snuggle up with a good book and a favorite beverage. I think I'll do just that. TTFN!

Cheerios

I have been researching the benefits of holistic medicine. For the past few years, I've dabbled with essential oils, but I've finally taken the plunge and purchased a diffuser for our home. The benefits of using essential oils are amazing - I have witnessed many different "cures" (for lack of a better word). It all began several years ago when I sunburned my arms so terribly that I blistered. My friend Lisa noticed and talked me into rubbing some lavender oil onto one arm. I was skeptical, but miserable, so I tried it. The next morning, the arm that I used a few drops of oil on was completely healed, while the other arm was still blistered. Since that time, I've become a believer. Essential Oils have THOUSANDS of uses, and most importantly, they remove the toxins from the air in your home if diffused properly. There are only two companies in the world who produce grade A therapeutic essential oils (www.youngliving.com is one of them). It's important to purchase oils only from these two companies, because those sold in grocery stores, health food stores, etc. are not pure. These have added chemicals which can actually do more harm than good. I could go on and on, but I won't, because I'd be writing all day. Anyway, this is another exciting change on our venture to healthy living.

Speaking of healthy living, against our better judgement, Murray had his first "unhealthy" food over the weekend. Craig and I walked into the living room one afternoon, and caught my grandma and Murray sharing an ice cream bar. Well, they weren't exactly sharing it. Grandma's defense was that she was holding Murray and he grabbed the ice cream bar right out of her hand. Hmmm. . .sounds a bit fishy to me, but what the heck. I wish I would have captured the guilty expressions on both of their faces. It was so funny that we let him have it. He and grandma were covered in chocolate and ice cream. I have never seen that child so darn thrilled with anything. Grandmas are about the only people in the world who can get away with giving babies ice cream. Thankfully, it didn't upset his tummy.

I'm looking forward to wine club tonight. Craig went to steak night last night, so now it's my turn. We are staying home this weekend for a graduation and we're going to finish the yard, finally. I will be so happy when we can wrap up this project.

TGIF, almost!

Good Thing I'm A Morning Person

New pics of Murray - check out a few at:

http://jenniferpetersphotography.wordpress.com/


We had a beautiful, relaxing weekend. I haven't been so at ease in a long time and it felt wonderful. The weather was mediocre on Saturday, beautiful on Sunday, and terrible yesterday. Murray was an angel (probably because he received constant attention), the dogs had a blast, and Craig and I even got some time to ourselves. Yesterday we unpacked and reorganized for the week. Since we both only work half days on Fridays during the summer, this week should fly!

Murray has a new trick. He pretends to "cough" and then giggles. It's the funniest thing. I realize that most babies do this at some point, but it's still pretty cute. He thinks he is so clever, but actually, we do too. We keep telling him how smart he is. :)

Speaking of Murray, he slept through the night last night. I did not. I kept waking up thinking he wasn't breathing and wondering when he would start squawking for a bottle. By the time I finally settled myself into a deep sleep, it was five thirty and Murray was ready for the day! I've decided that I can handle waking up at 5:30, as long as it's at least starting to get light out. It gives us more time to play together in the morning, I can get a ton of extra housework done, and I even went for my walk this morning (much to Rudy's delight). I am not feeling any more tired than I usually do. What's ironic about the whole situation is that Murray likes to take his nap around 7:30am or so, when we are well into our day. How I'd LOVE to join him!

I'm off to pick up Little One, then wrestle both dogs into the truck and over to the vet. I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to take them both at once, but it's too late now. Live and learn, I guess.
I've been thinking a lot lately about why we do what we do. What I mean is, the day to day activites that fill our lives and often leave us breathless. We go to work, we keep our households running, we strive to be good memebers of our community - why? I have a quote that hangs in my kitchen cupboard that says, "For a long time it seemed as though I was waiting for real life to begin. Then I realized that this IS real life." Small or large, daily tasks comprise our lives. They keep us going so that we can spend time with the ones we love. Ironically, sometimes I feel as though all I do is spend time to make time. There has got to be a happy medium, but I'm still searching. For now, I will continue running around like a crazy woman so we can hurry up and relax at the lake this weekend.

Memorial Day weekend has always been the "official" beginning of summer for our family. The lake calls me, and even if it rains, we still go. It means family get togethers, sunny afternoons, and backyard BBQ's. While we still plan to do all of these things this weekend, Memorial Day has taken on a whole new meaning for me. I'm ashamed and embarrassed to admit that I haven't really ever recognized Memorial Day for what it truly is. A day to remember the men and women who fought for our country and those who have passed. Sadly, it has taken the loss of our beloved mom for me to sit back and truly feel grateful for all we are blessed with this Memorial Day. I will enjoy the special time with my family, but I will remember that we wouldn't have these wonderful freedoms if it weren't for those who fought for us.

Vac vs. Mop

It's time. We can't take it anymore. We have to sleep train Murray. We are allowing him to set the rules, which we swore we'd never do. We're exhausted and Murray is out of sorts, thanks to this night waking, so it's time to say hello to saying good night. I have spent hours upon hours researching the many different methods of sleep training. There are so many things to consider, which makes it almost impossible to choose an approach. The next few nights are going to be tough, (I honestly don't know how we will be able to let him cry it out) but I am assured that we will all be thankful when Murray is sleeping through the night.

We are very excited for Murray's sixth month and our family photos tomorrow. Jennifer is taking them again, and I already can't wait to see them. Rudy and Nala will be there too. They both went to the groomer on Saturday, so they are looking their best. It should be a fun afternoon - I'm hoping for sunshine.

I used my new mop yesterday, and I am pleasantly surprised at all she has to offer. There are definately benefits to using her over Vac, but I'm still not convinced that she can perform as well as he can. For instance, Mop manuevers around furniture and corners a bit easier, but Vac sucks up his own dirty water. Mop takes up less room in the closet, but Vac is easier to clean after use. Hopefully, Vac can still be fixed and then I can reap the benefits of both. The problem with Mop is that before I even filled up the bucket, I swept first. Then, I mopped, and then, since I didn't feel like the floors were clean enough, I used Swiffer Wet (also a good option when in a hurry, though not as through as a vacuum). Mop was much more time consuming, plus, the floors took forever to dry. I'm sure it sounds ridiculous to compare floor cleaning devices such as I do, but I really can't stand dirty floors. It's gross when you walk around with bare feet and they feel gritty, or when your socks turn black. Plus, I have a baby who will soon begin crawling all over those floors, so it's vital they are kept clean. I own six differernt floor cleaning devices - I'm thinking I should write an article for Consumer Reports! Nothing works better than elbow grease on your hands and knees, which I try to do once a week, using a Vac/Swiffer/Mop combo the days in between.

We are looking forward to a quiet family evening at home. The back yard is coming along nicely; we're almost ready for a load of black dirt. Now, if I could just get to my hostas. . .

Pray for sleep!
After picking Murray up from daycare today, I was driving down our street and noticed that all of the trees finally have leaves on them. I love colors this time of year. The hues are fresh and promising, hopeful and vibrant. We only experience this for a short time, so enjoy!

Mondays are always so hectic in the summer. Craig had to cook for SAL at the Legion tonight, so he literally walked in the door and back out again. Murray and I went over for a burger and now we are home relaxing (Murray is snoring). Craig will head out to the softball fields around 8:30 and after, they'll head out for a beer. He will be home long after I am in bed, but that's okay. It gives me a chance to decompress, although by Tuesday morning, I'm always lonesome for him.

I'm going to finish a few things around the house, and I think I'll turn in. Good night. . .

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog! I have decided to switch locations because this site offers so much more than what I was using previously. I still plan to check my old site often, so feel free to keep in touch either way.

It will take me some time to personalize this page, so bear with me. I am very excited to try out all of the features that blogger.com has to offer!