The Sound of Leaves

Baby Daniel and I have been really enjoying the weather this last week. We have gotten out for several walks near our house. The trees lining the sidewalks are just letting their leaves go softly as we walk underneath them. Daniel is very active as we walk, looking from side to side and looking down to watch our shadows. He loves the sound of crunching leaves, and he reaches out to touch bushes and low hanging branches. The whole world is exciting to him. As we pass by children playing ball, he turns his head to watch them with fascination.

It hurts to think how we will be closed in with the cold much too soon. If all goes well, this will be our last winter in Grand Forks, and I dread its coming. However, I will enjoy this fall season with all of my might and the holiday season to come. Sharing this time with Daniel is very special as we approach his first birthday.

Growing Up

Well, I've done it.  Baby Daniel has been rolling over on the changing table lately.  This is becoming a safety issue and a big mess issue.  We have tried saying "NO" and holding him back, but that wasn't making an impact.  So this morning I swatted his thigh while saying "NO".   He was mad at me, but this time he really paid attention.

Dan and I have discussed our discipline philosophy a lot since we have been married and we agree that discipline is more than just spanking or time outs.  Its about knowing each child individually, and helping them learn control so that we have a happy home and so that they become healthy adults.

Not all kids need physical discipline, but some do at some times.  We also look forward to using the time out system as seen on Supernanny and with our friends Kate and Jer.  They have really demonstrated to us the power of setting a time out spot, using it, and talking to the child afterward.

Its a complicated issue for a lot of parents, but we are resolved to do our best and to love our children in every way, including discipline.

Weekly Recap

Another busy week has gone by.  Baby and I still have lots of boogers, but we are feeling much better.  We are looking forward to having friends over for dinner on Monday night, so I have focused each day on my routines in order to keep the house in order.

Bathroom wiped down - ☑
Bed made - ☑
Dishwasher unloaded - ☑
Laundry started - ☑
Baby kissed - ☑

I feel quite satisfied with my focus on the bathroom this week.  The tub was draining really slow, so I got this inexpensive tool from Menard's to try.  The Sink Wizard dug up a nasty mess of hair and gunk, so now my tub drains nicely!

Dan is spending the weekend at home doing the heavy lifting for me.  He got to try out our new Hoover WindTunnel vacuum on the stairs.  His verdict: "I like it!"  I personally love the powered hand tool for the stairs and also the washable filter.  So no bags and no filters to buy!

Dinner tonight was just lovely!  Now that I have learned how easy Fettuccine Alfredo is to make, its part of my regular menu.  I just added some chicken breast, steamed some fresh broccoli and doubled the recipe for lunch tomorrow.

Kindle Review

I have finally received my new Kindle Reading device!  Its the 3rd generation of the regular sized Kindle.  I have owned all three, and they just keep getting better.  The price keeps going down, and now this one is available for $139 and $189, with the only difference being how books can be downloaded.  With the cheaper one, you can only use a Wi-Fi connection and with the more expensive one, you get Wi-Fi and 3G Sprint Whispernet.  I will always chose having both options, because I love being able to access my books anywhere at any time. 

Here is the Kindle in its new slate blue cover:

It features an elastic band to keep it closed in my purse and to hold back the cover when I am reading.

Images on this new Kindle are more crisp than ever before:

I love how easy the text is on the eyes.  I can read for hours (and sometimes do) without any eye strain.

The buttons have been revamped to make the whole device smaller, and the 4-way control is very easy to use.

The new Kindle has more options for the text size, font, and orientation.

And the neat thing with the new cover is that it has a built in light, powered by the Kindle when it is attatched.

(I was not compensated in any way for this review, and all opinions and pictures are my own.)

Rough

Words you don't usually hear, "boy am I glad the weekend is over!"  We had a doozy.  Baby Daniel came down with a head cold during the week, and I followed at the end of the week.  Lots of boogers in our house.

I woke up on Saturday and had to call in to work sick.  (If you are a guy or my grandma reading this, now is the time to skip ahead)  Not only was I unable to breath due to my cold, but I was surprised with my first period since getting pregnant.  To top it all off, I also had my first blocked milk duct along with fever and chills.  Lovely.

Ok, safe to read again.  Moving on to happier topics, my home-made spaghetti sauce was a success.  Since I was feeling so bad, Dan made supper by heating up one of the containers of sauce and adding a can of tomato paste to thicken it.  He says it is really good, and it might be, I will find out once I can taste again.

This week, the menu is all about keeping it simple with frozen pizza, mac and cheese with hamburger and Rotel Tomatoes, and crock pot chicken.

PS, Baby and I are starting to feel better, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Back to the Grind

In August, we had a wonderful 2 week vacation in the Black Hills and visiting family in Rapid City and Minnesota.  You can see the pictures on the slide show in the right side of this blog.  While the trip was great, getting home to our own place was pretty nice!

Daniel got his cast off right after we got back, and x-rays show that he is completely healed.  It was so nice being able to put him in the bathtub again.

This last week, I have been getting back into my routines and catching up on housework.  I have also had a surplus of tomatoes to deal with.  Here are the cherry tomatoes that I picked right after coming back:

I have been freezing most of them whole using Ziploc Vacuum Bags and pump to remove the air first.  They will be used in casseroles and roasts this fall.

In the mean time, we enjoyed homemade lasagna with the addition of fresh summer squash and even a purple pepper.  It was almost too beautiful to chop up!

On Wednesday, the weekly produce box was bursting with some awesome items.  We had a small watermelon, green and purple basil, wax beans, cauliflower and tons of heirloom tomatoes in different colors.

I have been wanting to try homemade spaghetti sauce for a long time, so I found a recipe, Stephanie's Freezer Spaghetti Sauce, gave the tomatoes a rough chop, and cooked it all in my crock-pot.  It certainly isn't like your normal sauce, but it sure is tasty!

Update:  My new Kindle is shipping early next week, so I will have pictures soon!

Dan's 2am Dilemma

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