22 weeks old … I think

by Meghan // February 8, 2013 // Comments off

Im in bed writing this post, and i usually have my planner to help me with what week i am on. I do not, however, have my planner. Oh- it is a very fun planner, it is an Erin Condren life planner, and i LOVE it. My only complaint is there aren’t enough lined pages for writing notes and thoughts .. but they sell a separate notebook for that, of course! Anyway. This is not a post about my planner. The point of me mentioning it, was to say the weeks are running together on me!

Max is in the middle of his 22nd week of life; this weekend is going to be SO busy, so I am writing this one early. He is rolling over like crazy; especially when he is trying to go to sleep. He is a side sleeper. So he rolls onto his side and sucks his thumb. Its oh. My. Gah. So cute! Bt, he also flips over to his belly. And while playing and alert, he can easily flip back over to his back. B when he is tired and trying to go to sleep, he gets angry and does a lot of yelling… So i have to go roll him back over. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it does happen.

He is nursing better, thankfully. He is taking his bottles well, but after about 5oz he is ready for his oatmeal. The boy is devouring oatmeal! I use a measuring spoon to measure out the oatmeal, then eye ball the formula to mix it with. He usually ends up eating 4-6 tablespoons, sometimes more, 3xs a day. That usually means i end up mixing the rest of his 8oz bottle into the oatmeal. So he is taking a full 8-9oz per feeding. I am still doing the probiotics twice a day and not doing any solids besides the oatmeal. Since we are moving and all, I think I will wait until after the move to add in real foods. It will just be easier with the traveling and everything to only have t have oatmeal, formula, and my pump in case he doesn’t nurse well.

He is in 6 month clothes and pajamas, and can wear some 6-9 footies, they’re just a little big in the feet. But it wont be long and they will fit perfectly. We are still signing, I am doing “milk” and “more,” while he eats. He watches me, like “Hrm, what is it that she’s doing?” but hasn’t started signing back at me yet. He likes to squeal! It sounds like he is gasping for breath, you know what I mean? But he is squealing- it’s cute. He is obsessed with his feet (what a difference a week makes!) and reaches for his toys, or anything that is in front of him. I have started sitting him up more, and he can balance for a second before he topples over. =)

Lexie is so much fun, we have started building forts! She loves it, haha. We went to Mid America Science Museum Sunday, and it was wonderful! We have never been because before now she was really too young to enjoy it. But thanks to super bowl, we were the only souls in the whole place. Seriously, she got to run around and do anything and everything she wanted. It was us and a lady building with blocks. And the guy who took my $10. Lexie is under 3, so she was free. Who knew a $10 outing would be so fun?! I promised we would go back next week after Jtom leaves. I have some videos i will upload here soon.

Tuesday we went to the library. I have packed up *most* of her books, so we have started borrowing them. Her new favorite book is the “Three Billy Goats Gruff”. She retells it by saying, “the billy goat broke the troooole!” That’s the only thing she cares about. I didn’t realize how scary/weird those classical stories are… But they are important for her to read. She is down to one day a week of school, so now we can do something fun on that day we don’t do school anymore. Really, I’m relieved she isn’t going to school two days a week. A break is nice, but now that Max is older and can travel more easily for outings, i feel like our time can be better spent together, learning and experiencing things together. Although i did a lot of chores while she was at school 2 days a week, the other three days during the week were mostly spent at home, because otherwise were were out of the house 3-5 days out of the week! That’s a lot of running and going with two young children. It’s just too much for us. So now that she’s down to one day, we can use a second day for our outing(s), and spend the other days playing and learning at home. Its less chaotic and less pressure.

My woven wrap came in! WE LOVE IT! It is a beautiful bright turquoise. I only know hwo to do one carry, but I will learn some others soon. I have sold some of my girly cloth diapers, and have my ring sling listed to sell. I am saving money for this wrap:

Isn’t it beautiful?! It is a super strong wrap, the length I want is $135, so I have a way to go to save! But I am getting there. I have tried to find one used, but they’re hard to find because people love them so much. So I may end up having to pay full price. The mama owned business I want to get it from offers a 5% discount coupon, so that would help some. Anyway, wraps are super fun. There is a whole lingo (sorta like cloth diapering, and sleep training) for wearing babies, especially in wraps. You have to “break in” your wrap. The Colimacon et Cie that i bought is pretty soft out of the package and doesn’t require as much breaking in. But the Storch I want is one that needs a lot of work. It’s suggested that you sleep on/with it, use it for picnics, forts, braid it (which is basically making a chain knot like you would in crochet), let the kids play on it, wash it, etc. to get it broken in good. I want the longer length in this one so I can do more carries with it, plus I like having a longer tail on mine. The turquoise one I have is an average size length at 4.6 meters, but I think I would be more comfy with the longer length, especially until I lose some more of the baby weight (which is slowly coming off, but at least it is coming off!) I got a few pics of Max and me in the wrap outside the other day; after I get them uploaded to the computer I will get them on the blog.

Anyway, so that’s what we have been up to. Something sweet, the other day we were reading our devotional. That day it was about angels, and how God sends them to watch over us and take care of us. Lexie said, “Like Da does!” (She calls JTom Daddy, dada, and Da, a lot). I said, “Yes! Just like Daddy does.” Oh, priceless. Today, JTom got home and Lexie was down for nap… not napping. When it was time to get her up, he went in and she was so excited she stuttered. She couldn’t get anything out! It was so cute. When he got her changed into her “walking panties” (those are her regular panties, instead of her “night night” panties which are her lupus , and got her milk she said, “mama! I am so excited, Daddy is HERE!” haha After that we showed daddy all her new tricks- she can wink! We also do this thing where I lay on the floor on my back, and put my hands by my head. She stands in my hands and I lift her up. It is what we used to do in cheerleading to prepare for single basing stunts. Anyway, she loves it, so that was new. We also do a new trick where i lay down and put my feet on her chest, then lift her in the air, and she is on my feet … if that makes sense? I will get JTom to do some pictures this weekend. Anyway, we had to show him that, and the library books … and the fort. Then I ran to TJ Max to get boxes and they played outside, feeding the chickens and stuff.

About the move
We have the movers lined up for Monday, February 18th. They will come and do some of the packing I am not doing, like the kitchen, breakables, pictures, mirrors, electronics, etc. Tuesday the semi truck will come and load up, and leave! The kids and I are going to drive to Memphis, see family in a quick 36 hours, and then my mom is traveling with us to Nebraska. Once there, our things will hopefully have arrived by then, and we can get settled in. Mom can help w the kids, and the decorating, etc. Although we have all this “planned” it is strictly contingent on the closing of the house. I am signing papers in AR and supposed to be over-nighting them back to whomever I’m told to… There are still a few things not complete, like something the appraiser is supposed to have turned in. If everything gets done and here are no glitches, we close next Friday. 7 days and a handful of hours from right this moment. And I am terrified. Not really. I am actually pretty calm about it, for me. I’m just concerned about something not going right and the closing being moved … which means we live separate for 2+more weeks. =/ The other option is to move into the basement JTom is a guest in. And if closing doesn’t go well, then that may be just what we do! Just pray for us that things go smoothly, and happen like they should.

Thankfully, JTom’s uncle is just 40 minutes away and he is going to take the chicks for us. I am so sad, and I mean SO SAD, to let them go. They’re so rotten, and so sweet. And I have enjoyed eggs every single day since JTom has been gone; with the longer days they are back to laying an egg a piece per day! Maybe that’s why I am losing weight, I eat eggs and whole wheat toast for breakfast and dinner. =)

Here are some videos. I figured out how to upload them from my phone to youtube, so hopefully I will be loading a lot more on here in the future.

I don’t remember if i posted this one or not? It is from August (notice her tan!), she was not yet 2, identifying all her ABCs. She now knows the sounds of some of the letters. We play phonemic awareness games during the day; for instance I will ask her what words start with the /m/ sound- like Max. And she will name a bunch of words that start with m. She also does it on her own, randomly. I might say, “let’s do a flip!” and out of no where she will say, “flip is like four or friday!” Using that as a teachable moment, we will talk about the letter f and the sound it makes. We have fun =)

Identifying and placing some of the States on her map puzzle

These are all from the museum Sunday:

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This is probably my favorite. It was so warm the other day, and she wanted to water the flowers. So… that is what she did!

21 Week Baby Summary- baby 2

by Meghan // February 2, 2013 // Comments off

Baby 2 is 22 weeks tomorrow, and 5 months old! Wow, how the last 2 months have flown by! The first 3 …. well, those seemed to drag on forever, and that’s probably because he didn’t feel good. But now, they are going by so quickly.

Developmentally, during his 21st week of life, he started really grabbing and reaching for things. If a toy was on the blanket next to him, he rolled to his side, and reached for it. It was pretty cool the first time he did that. =) He can sit well in the corner of the chair, but isn’t really anywhere near ready to sit on his own.

Something I notice with #2, is they don’t get to do as much as early as #1 did. Well, for mine anyway. I think this is because I still have to be careful where I put Mister, can’t leave him etc., with Lady able to reach. She will try to lay him down so she can lay with him, roll him over, sit him up. She knows not to, but being the 2 year old she is, she thinks he “needs to, Mama!” haha

He is rolling over consistently now, from his back to his belly. Mister is a side sleeper! When he falls asleep, it is often on his side. Oh the joys of having a video baby monitor =)

I think I mentioned last time, Mister’s reflux has seemed to flare up. The dr. said although the dairy allergy aggravates it, babies with reflux will have flair ups between 4-6 months old, it just happens. She suggested medicine, which our insurance doesn’t cover and is …. $132 a month! Not happening. So, I got to thinking and remembered I had some powdered probiotics (this brand) left over from Lady having thrush. I started googling and read that many parents have calmed reflux flare ups with probiotics. We tried it, and it is working! Yay! $17 (I think they were) vs $132, I’ll take that any day!

Because of the reflux flare ups, I have taken him back to only formula mixed in oatmeal, no more solid foods; he was’t tolerating them well. Everything came back up. He is eating the oatmeal/formula mix like crazy, and that’s good enough for me, for now. =)

JTom came home last weekend, and everyone was so happy to see him. L was excited, of course, and Mister laughed and talked to him a lot. Baby2 definitely knew his daddy! I think we were both a little nervous he wouldn’t after 2 weeks. But, he did. The first thing Lady did when she saw her daddy was show him her fingernails. Then she hugged him and asked him to play.

We are anxiously awaiting the move; I have started packing. Warning to all grandparents: NO more stuffed animals or dolls. EVER! For either child. I do not care how cute they are, how fluffy they are, or how much they look like our own animals. No more! Please … =) I have thrown out I don’t know how many stuffed animals that L doesn’t play with. Oh, and no more battery operated toys, unless they are the trains that go to her Thomas set. Those are okay. Books, age appropriate puzzles, art stuff, educational toys, that stuff is fine. Just no more stuffed fuzzy things, please. =)

Anyhow … oh! Good news! We found a chicken! We thought the dog killed and drug off the missing chicken, but it turns out she was at the neighbor’s house … so Lady and I went down yesterday afternoon and got her. The only problem we had was Lady eating the banana we were going to use as bait… But we got the chick. She is happy, being back with her buddies again.

That’s it for now. I will try to keep updating through the move, but it may be hard for a while.

Meg

Running update, pictures, and videos

by Meghan // November 8, 2011 // Comments off

Sadly I did not meet my goal of 72 minutes on the 10K course. It was closer to 77 minutes. =/

And while that isn’t as terrible as the first time I ran the race 2 years ago, it is not nearly as good as I’d hoped. But, I can say it was a terrible run. We went to eat after church and I did not realize it was 12:30 when we left- I had to run at 1:30! So I had an immensely full stomach, I was sore from the run Thursday (or maybe Tuesday’s mountain run?) and I was dehydrated … so overall I was not prepared for the run Sunday afternoon. I also experienced theses stupid side-stitches in the first 2.5 miles. I don’t know what’s going on there, but for the last 2 weeks in the first half of my run, the cramps are so bad they takes my breath away. And what sucks, is if it weren’t for the cramps, I’d have no problem running! The cramps are caused by not exhailing enough of the CO2 out, so you’re supposed to breathe into the cramp and exhale as much out as you can. And I do that. Or I try to do it, and yet the cramps are so terrible. But after I get over the first incline on the mountain and get to go down hill for a few minutes, they usually go away and stay gone until the end. I wish I could just avoid them all together, since I have the hardest time in the beginning anyways.

I do think this year I will warm up before the race, just a jog around the parking lot or something, so my muscles aren’t dying that first mile; the first mile is always the worst. After that my body feels pretty good and I can keep going okay. I am hoping that since I had a hard time and walked a TON on the practice run Sunday, that on my real run I can shave off a few minutes, maybe even 4 minutes. We will see…

So there is that update. On to what you really want to see and read about ….

———-

Yes. Yes. ~~This is a video of Lou~~. It was a video of Lou, but it says it is too long. So, there is no video today. Sorry. =( I know, she’s cute. And luckily, about two days after her daddy was home from his trip, the tantrum stopped and she became my sweet girl again! YAY

Let’s see … updates on Lexie. Oh yes! She ate her first grilled cheese sandwich today. Of course she loved it! Which surprised me a bit, since she doesn’t like maccaroni and cheese? But anyhow, she liked it. She also said “Thank you” without me saying it first! AND, she drank out of a straw (finally!). So, when we went to Walmart, I got her a sippie cup w a straw to drink her milk from-she loves it! Now we need more, because only one will not get us through the day. Oh, and she pointed in her book and said “frog,” and when I asked what a bird says, she said “tweet tweet!” haha So dang cute.

For my newest sewing projects I am making her a bib, and sleep sacks. I still need to get her a new sleep sack w a zipper, but I found a tutorial to make them from men’s shirts! So, like I used one of my brother’s dress shirts, cut out the sleep sack shape and sewed it together- tada! Instant sleep sack. Only problem is it’s not quite big enough for her now .. it would probably have fit about 3-4 months ago. So I am going to save it for the next baby. And I’m not sure that JTom has any bigger shirts that are old/worn enough for me to cut up into a sleep sack. We gave most of them away when we cleaned out the house for Lexie’s arrival, and then again when we were going to move …

Oh, that reminds me. We aren’t moving! YAY- I mean, one day, yes we will build on our lot. Or at least a lot. But right now, we are staying put. And this makes me happy, because I LOVE our location, our home, and our yard. I mean, it is an older home and we do have a lot of work to put into it, but I am looking forward to it. JTom has already put new shelves in my pantry- WOO HOO (I will post pics later)- and the fireplace is ready for its first fire.

Oh yea … the fireplace. Well, that is another story. It’s old (duh) and needed some fixin’. It needed a new chimney cap on the roof, and it just so happens that our chimney, of course, is an odd shape. So you can’t find a chimney cap for it just anywhere … for a decent price. So JTom rigged one. We hope it doesn’t blow off during a storm. =) Then, we needed glass doors to A) keep it warm in the house when the fire goes out, and B) protect babies from fires. So, those are ordered and on their way. We also had to get a rack for the wood inside the fireplace. Whew- yes, it all added up to a whopping $500+ dollars (thank you cleaning business) and I just really, really hope it pays for itself in utilities over the next five years .. ~~because it was my bright idea.~~

And since it was my bright idea, I get to man the fire. FYI: I know nothing about building and keeping fires burning in chimneys. I still need fireplace tools, like that poker thing and a shovel, I guess? And we need a big bucket to keep the wood in, I suppose. I know they have those at TJ, my favorite store of all time. Guess those will top our Christmas list. I’m not sure what else you need for a fireplace, but any tips or ideas are welcome. I really know nothing about fires in chimneys. I know lots about bonfires. =) Fuel, matches, and pallets … ~~pick up trucks and beer~~. Wala, you’re done! But I don’t think chimneys work like that …

After our doors get here and this project is complete, I will start saving for the bigger project. That would be the kitchen wall. We are taking out the wall between the kitchen and living room/dining area. I cannot wait! The biggest part about that is we will have to redo all of the kitchen walls when we open that section up. This wouldn’t be a problem except there is old wall paper that’s been painted over. Actually, I think it’s just been primed over; I don’t think the problem will be taking the paper off … I believe the problem will lie in taking the sheet rock off with the paper. =/ And if that happens, we will either texture the walls, or just put up new sheet rock. We will see.

The good thing about redoing the walls is that I can finally make the kitchen OURS. It’s the only room in the house that has never been touched. After we complete the walls, I will start saving for the floors, we desperately need new floors in there and the entry way. But I am thinking there is original hardwoods under the linoleum, and I would LOVE to refinish them, even if they don’t match the rest of the house perfectly; I think it would be neat and add character. =) I don’t want to redo the counters- I mean, I do … but I don’t want granite. I clean granite in houses and condos every week. The glare and speckles drive. me. nuts. I have a hard time seeing with glares anyway because I have a stigmatism in both eyes … and I know that seems silly, but when you can’t see to clean your own counters, it will drive you ~~bat shit~~ crazy. So not granite for this girl. EVER. But I wouldn’t mind eventually having some new counter tops. But I really don’t mind the blue too much, even if it is dated.

Actually, before we do the floors, I will probably tackle the cabinets. I’m going to start small in my bathroom so if I mess up it’s not a huge deal. but I want to paint them an antique white and then distress them. I have been looking up how to do it, but I’m really confused. It’s one of those things I need to see someone else do in front of me step by step before I can do it myself. But I think that would TOTALLY change our kitchen and make our house the chic little cottage I am going for … bit by bit I will get there.

And this brings me to the other topic, last one i promise. BABIES. Some of you know we were going to start trying for a new baby in September and… we’re going to wait. =) Not what you were hoping to read (family), I know. But since we aren’t moving any time soon, we want to get the house remodeled/updated a bit more before we have a new baby. We can work during those 9 months, but I don’t want all that pressure and then have a house that isn’t complete. Plus, if we get it done now, when we decide to move, it’s DONE and we don’t have to deal with it ANY MORE! So … that’s that. A month worth of updates in 6 paragraphs or so.

Now, here’s your favorite part: a few pics of the baby from this week. Some are pretty hilarious.

yes, that’s her leg. She finally passed out for her morning nap.

sweet girly face

those curls …

“duck”

“hi!”

silly face

pretty face- I promise I did not do this to her hair.

“help, please, mama”

playing with her farm

Running …

by Meghan // November 6, 2011 // Comments off

The Hot Springs Spa 5/10K is quickly approaching. Like many in town, and throughout the state, I have been hard at work preparing to run the 6.2 miles of which the first 4 are all up hill. Did I mention it goes over the mountain? Oh, well, yes. There is a mountain involved. Here, “involved” means torturing the runners attempting to conquer it.

I began the journey of training for the 10K in September. The Spa Pacers, the running club here in town, puts on a clinic to help members of the community train for the race. I have been a member of the Pacers since 2008, when I started my running journey. They are the most wonderful group of people and give so much back to our community.

For the first 6 weeks or so of training, I cannot for the life of me figure out why I always return to running. But then, the 7th or 8th week rolls around and ah. There it is. The whole reason I love running- the people, the ease of moving, the challenge, the fulfillment of accomplishment. Knowing that you have accomplished something because you pushed yourself to do so is a wonderful feeling. It is a feeling that keeps you coming back for more. Truly, the runner’s high. And while mine is a delayed gratification, it is still fulfilling, none the less.

My first 10K was in 2009, this same race, and I completed it in 80 minutes at just under a 13 minute mile (in other words: S-L-O-W-L-Y). That’s an hour and ten minutes of running/walking. Last year I was 3 weeks postpartum when training began, so I ran the 5K. This year I want to complete the 10K in under 75 minutes. We will know tomorrow if that goal is attainable, since we are running the route for practice. Thursday we completed 5 miles in 57 minutes, so add another another 15 minutes to that … and I am thinking I can complete it in 72 minutes. Geesh. I sure hope so. That will be awfully hard for me, though. I am a slow runner. After this race I hope to prepare for a half marathon, which is 13 some odd miles …

Here is a map of the route:

I will update on the practice run tomorrow night.

Wish me luck!
-Meg

LOTS of pictures .. lots and lots

by Meghan // November 6, 2011 // Comments off

I have mentioned that my video camera doubles as my every day camera. While that isn’t ideal, it does get the job done and I love snapping pictures of my sweet girl. Lately, all we do is play outside- all day long. In our pajamas, in blue jeans … with hats on. Outside is our favorite place to be. And by “our” favorite place I mean Lexie’s, and therefore mine as well.

Also, I forgot to mention that last week, just before we left for our camping trip, Lou cut her first molar- a top back molar. A few days later, she cut a bottom molar. I think this explains some of our excessive crankiness because life has been easier the last 2-3 days. (YAY)

fell down in the leaves

“laf. laf.” which translated is “leaf. leaf”

Just hanging out

Saw Daddy. Must follow Daddy.

“ball”

“laf. laf”

sleepy baby

Mama-“lexie, leaves aren’t for eating.” Lexie- “oh, like this?”

“num num laf”

“hey, what you doin?”

Isn’t it, though?

one of our birds. eating us out of house and home, but Lexie loves them and so do we.

“awer. awer”

“ote. ote”

ready to go “ote. ote”

Mama- “stick”

Lexie- “MY stick”

Lexie- ” num. num stick”

“laf. laf. laf”

“see?”

“yay!”

“booty”

“what’s that over there?”

“car”

” and the mommies on the bus go ‘sh sh sh’.”

my coffee bar, Lexie’s toy chest and book shelf

Busy as a …. (Queen) Bee: Freecycle

by Meghan // August 31, 2011 // Comments off

It has been a few days, and what have I done with my time rather than FB? Well, I’m not sure..

I do know that at night, rather than sit down to read updates and leave comments, click links and research other’s topics, which then leads me to playing on pintrest for hours, I have been knitting. I am almost done with Lexie’s first scarf =) I like the colors, but they don’t match her winter coat, so I will have to make her another one. I have the yarn already, and I am thinking I have enough for a scarf and a hat, and quite possibly a pair of mittens! You know why people knit mittens v gloves? Because gloves are hard. Well, the mitten pattern did not look easy, but it definitely read easier than the glove pattern.

Today I: vacuumed (twice), ran to the village (30 minute drive) to drop off business cards at the real estate companies, went to party city and old navy, met J.Tom for lunch, came home and finished decorations for Lexie’s Very Hungry Caterpillar First Birthday party, did a bit of laundry, washed and folded diapers, and made Lexie some pears. Oh, then I knitted for a bit tonight.

You’re probably thinking one of two things: wow, she did a lot today (and) OR why did she just tell us what she did today? I got so much done because Lexie was at school. It is Tuesday and she has school on Tuesdays and Thursdays; it’s easier to get things done when you don’t have a 12 month old following you everywhere 😉 Which I actually miss on days she is not there; but appreciate the time. I told you everything I did because I felt like I accomplished more today than in the last month. But really, Monday I accomplished the most because I got almost all my cleaning done-WITH an 11 month & 3 week old daughter ~~tagging along~~ totting around. Minus the bathrooms. I did not get that far..

But the bummer part is I wish I’d had a cleaning job rather than my own chores today. I need to fill my Tuesdays with regular customers.. I’m putting out the effort through networking and following up on leads from friends, putting out my cards and talking to people. It’s just not happening yet. Maybe soon.

Despite all I HAVE accomplished, there are some things I’ve not accomplished. The bathrooms, for one thing! haha But the main one is running. I have not ran in two weeks. Grrr I really need to get my butt in gear.. I think I may set my alarm for the morning but I never get up. How do you get yourself out of bed at 5:00 in the morning when you don’t HAVE to? I did it most days for quite some time when I was in school. When I had 8:00 AM classes in Arkadelphia, I had to wake up, get ready, and maybe finish some work by 5:00 so I could leave the house by about 6:45 to get to class (and get a decent parking spot). And most nights I was up WELL after 12:00-1:00. And I ran with my group in the afternoons, and I didn’t feel too worn out.

What has happened?!

Maybe it was because I ran and exercised that I was able to keep that schedule. Actually, I am pretty certain that is why. OK, so I am running in the morning… 😉 Really, I would have to get up before 5:00, because JTom has been leaving the house about 5:30, WALKING to work, then walking back about 7:00 so he can get Lexie up and play with us until he has to leave again about 7:45. Oh, ehum. Yes you ~~heard~~ read me correctly- walking.

My husband has started walking to work. I am so proud of him! For those of you who do not know-we have hills. And mountains. I didn’t really know those land forms existed as a kid; I thought they were just fairy take things teachers forced us to make from Playdoh so they had something to teach us in geography… Well, guess what? There really are mountains and BIG hills. We have them in Hot Springs. You cannot walk, run, drive, skip, or cart wheel for a mile in the Spa City without going up a pretty steep incline at some point. I think that is why I like running here; I hate running on flat surfaces, it’s causes too much impact. Hills are much easier on my body. (I say “run” like I have really been running.. but you know what I mean.) Anyways, so I am very proud of J.Tom for his efforts.

But this brings me to my most favorite part of this blog- FREECYCLE! woo hoo

My brother loved freecycle. Whenever I would ask him if he had extra computer speakers, CDs, an ink pen, a ~~cigarette~~ lighter, heck anything- he would reply “check freecycle.” So finally I wised up, and I did!

Now you know my whole “trying to live more simply, save money, live on less because it CAN be done” lifestyle change I am working on? Well, freecycle helps…. and it can hurt a weeeee little bit. =) See, you post on the group if you have something free to offer; this post shows up in all the group members email inboxes. You can also post if you are in need of something. If you’re lucky, someone may have what you are looking for and be willing to give it to you. This helps the earth and our pocket books by keeping lots and lots things out of the landfills and while families receive second hand goods vs buying.

So tomorrow, I am calling a lady tomorrow about picking up in response to her post for …. wait for it ….

A TREADMILL! Yes ladies and gents you heard me correctly. She posted her grandma’s rarely used treadmill on the group for FREE. Who do you think the first person to respond was? That would be M E!!! She was finally able to get back to me today; she asked that I call her in regards to picking it ALL up. “All up? But Meghan, you said you were just getting a treadmill?” Yes, yes dear reader I did. But I ALSO happen to be getting a 2 drawer metal filing cabinet, a diaper pail, and sippy cups! This lady posted half of my wishlist on freecycle in a matter of minutes. Now how stinkin-freakin awesome is that?

“But Meghan, nothing nice in life is free…” Oh yes, that fine print. Hrm. Well, see what had happened was… *ehum* A side story: I posted Monday that I was looking for a small, nice printer in good working condition just to print coupons. Nothing fancy. People are all the time posting printers on the group. So this old lady responds, everything sounds great, I head out to her house. The printer is an AWESOME printer. The problem? It smells so badly of cat pee that I was afraid to put it in the back of my car. I DID, but it wasn’t fun.. and then when I got home, I put it in the trash. In between, I disinfected my hands about 10 times. Not only did I throw away the printer, but I will be calling animal services after a few days (so she doesn’t know it was me). The stinch emanating from her trailer was so horrible I wanted to run in and save all the animals that I could hear crying. What stopped me, you wonder? A) Lexie was in my arms and B) I pictured all those episodes of Hoarders where the old people take in the stray dogs and cats and they multiply so quickly they don’t even know there are like 1000 dead ones buried under everything. I imagine that is what her home looked like; it is certainly what it smelled like. Granted, she was old and kind… but that’s not healthy for anyone.

So, is there a catch to freecycle? There can be, yes. Do I know what “good condition” means to someone else? No… hence the free-ness. But you can always say “no thank you, that’s not what I had imagined or what I am looking for.” But I do know that people offer really great, like new items all the time. So I am hoping that these items we pick up tomorrow will be in great condition. I want the treadmill for obvious reasons and also for JTom to walk on so he can get exercise for his back. The sippy cups I’d like because those suckers are anywhere from 5-10 dollars and now that Lexie likes hers we need a few more. The filing cabinet has been on my wish list since my nesting days while pregnant with Lou. We need a secure place for my family filing system. And the diaper pail- “But Meg, you mostly cloth diaper.. why do you need a diaper pail?” Because I can get a diaper pail liner like this one: http://planetwiseinc.com/Planet_Wise_Diaper_Pail_Liner_38_cat.html and have a place to put stinky diapers until it is time to wash. I have a hanging wet bag, but when it is in the wash with the diapers, I have no smell-locking place to put the other dirty diapers. I have friends that use plastic bags, which I could do.. but this is just as easy, maybe easier and the pail part is free! Can’t beat that. I can prob find the liner for nearly free on my diaperswappers. Frugal doesn’t have to mean doing without. =) It just means doing with less using less.

I will post pics on the items after I pick them up. Let’s hope the treadmill is at least in good condition; those are hard to come by on the group and even harder to get first dibs on! I almost got a stair stepper a while back but wasn’t fast enough. Dog-nabbit.

So you see how this amazing FreeCycle could make de-cluttering, simple living harder? Like all things, it is to be used in moderation. If you are going to buy something regardless, it’s a good place to get it for free if you can wait a while for it to be posted. But it is NOT a good thing if you’re someone who can “always use one of those..” haha Fortunately, I’m not of that personality. I don’t think.. well, not yet anyways. =)