random bits of this and that!

Here are some pictures!

I think Zoe's under there somewhere!

Just watching the news...

I have no idea what's going on with her hair...I promise I do brush it daily!

Just hanging out together.

Right now, our place is super tiny.  It'd be perfect for a single person or a married couple with NO kids.  But it's been a little hard with Zoe and now with Noah too it feels so cramped and it's just not very child friendly because there's no space to separate their stuff from our stuff. 

That means Noah does not have his own room...Which has been fine for right now because he's only a couple months old.  For now, we're co-sleeping...I know!  Touchy subject and it's not normally recommended.  However, it has been working for us and so for now that's what we're doing.  I don't want to co-sleep forever, but he nurses every 1.5-2 hours (sometimes I get lucky and he'll go 3 hours but that is SO rare!) so having him in our room and bed has made things a lot smoother for all of us.  (He's not a very heavy sleeper).

There is this lovely mom in Portland who writes a blog that I adore (check it out here) and she recently wrote about her daughter Fern's (I LOVE her name!) Montessori inspired nursery (check it here).  Ever since I saw it, I fell in love!  I've been doing some research and I believe this is what we'll be doing for Noah's room (whenever he gets one..)

I really want the kids' bedrooms to be a sanctuary.  A peaceful environment for sleeping and quiet play time.  I want it to be uncluttered (right now Zoe's room is the opposite of what I want!) and a space just for them, to fit their needs for the age and stage they're at in their lives.

Here are a few pictures to give you an idea...(Visit here and here for more pictures...)

In a Montessori inspired room, they don't use cribs. They use floor beds...

 

Everything is at their level (for the age they are!)

I also loved her post here about creating a Montessori home.  I want my home to be child-friendly.  If they aren't supposed to touch it or play with it, I want it in a separate room.  I love that Zoe is so curious and wants to explore everything...But I also don't want her breaking our computer!  And I really don't want to yell "NO!" all the time when she goes near it.  I'd rather it just be out of her sight and therefore out of her mind.  As she gets older, she'll learn to not to touch everything.  But for now, she's TWO!

Anyway, I'm really excited and I can't wait to get the kids' rooms setup better whenever we move to a new place...(Which I'm hoping will be soon!)

I've implemented a new "no fast food for a year" goal.  There are some great local markets with much healthier and yummier options (that also have A LOT of vegan/vegetarian options for me) compared to a drive thru.  (And honestly the same price as fast food!)

Zoe's adjusting a lot better to Noah and sharing mommy.  I've created a new space for her in our living room in a corner by a window...I put her favorite toys and books on a shelf in her new space-it's close to where I sit and nurse Noah so she can be near us playing or reading.  I also bought flashcards to practice with her while I nurse if she wants more one on one time.  I also love reading while I nurse if I can get away with it...Right now I'm reading parenting books! HA!

Speaking of reading we had a very successful trip to the library last weekend.  It was our only outing for the day and it went very smoothly!  Our church is doing a carnival at a local park and it's my goal to take the kids to that this evening...We'll see how the day goes! 

Tony's big 30th birthday is Sunday!  He has to work so we'll wait to celebrate on his days off (Monday and Tuesday!) Guess maybe I should bake a cake or something...