Month: March 2010

A Dash of Color

I love to update my hair.

Over the last few years, it’s been a bit more difficult to actually get out and “get” my hair done.

The last time I got it done……..June of 2009. Yah! Almost a year ago. Fortunately, my cousin…..who does my hair……is an AMAZING stylist and her cut still looked fabulous. The biggest issues that I had were that the ends needed to be trimmed (wicked split ends) and I had the MOST amazing roots. Last time I got it colored, we did a reddish color for the main part of the hair and threw in some chunks of vibrant blue that was mixed with some purple so it was a really rich looking color.

I LOVED it. What I didn’t love, was that the blue color washed out too quickly and I was just too busy (read that as lazy) to go and get it touched up.

Here is what it roughly looked like in a recent picture earlier in March…..pardon the yellow glow, but I took this pic in my bathroom and try as I might, I can’t figure out how to kill the yellow glow from my stupid bathroom lights. It’s a beautiful Oompa Loompa look, don’t you agree? You can get an idea of what the cut and length looked like and then just imagine that my hair is not quite so red……reddish, but not quite so intense.

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We went darker and shorter, and then chunk-ed in some blond pieces and then added a vibrant turquoise streak.

Here is the side view…….

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I know that we are getting closer to summer (okay, it only just became spring, but still…it’s closer than it was a month ago) and that people usually go lighter for their “spring/summer” looks, but here’s the deal…….

I am still exercising 3 times a week and so this means that I’m washing my hair 3 times a week…..I used to wash it once or twice a week. We didn’t use shampoo (just baking soda( and my hair was not greasy so I didn’t need to wash it more than that. But, I sweat like crazy and have to wash it more often now. So, knowing this I’ve done a couple o’things.

1. I went a darker color….knowing that it would wash out and fade as the sun actually started to come out more and more.

2. The turquoise color supposedly lasts longer than the pretty purple/blue color that I had last time and when it washes out it turns a prettier color as it fades. The purple/blue ended up looking quite grey at one point….NOT COOL!

3. I am going to go back in early June just before I have this baby to get the turquoise touched up.

I was thrilled to find out that I don’t have any grey hair, yet. I didn’t think I did, but my cousin confirmed it. Although it’s really not that big of a deal….it’s one of those things that I can tell myself when I’m having a “bad day”.

There are a few things that I typically do to extend the time in between hair appointments.

I don’t get streaks or highlights on the top of my head.

I find that either the stylist doesn’t usually get all the way down to the roots which means that your roots show sooner resulting in the need to get your hair done sooner or even if they do get all the way…..it grows out pretty quick and then you need to go back fairly soon and get it done again. I like to get highlights or chunks of hair that start under a top patch of hair. Yes, I realize that this is not a “normal, grows like that” look, but none of my looks are usually “normal”. It’s not that they are totally off the wall….just slightly off of normal.

I try (sometimes) to get a main color that is just slightly darker or redder than my natural color.

This way, as I wash it and as the sun bleaches it….it basically fades to something very similar to my own hair color and I can usually get away with stretching the time in between appts. (Almost a year in between appts. – well, that’s just insane).

If you use regular shampoo (we don’t, we buy some hippie shampoo which totally flies against the the fact that I use chemicals to color my hair like this…I know, I know….just call me a hypocrite!)….to buy shampoo for color treated hair TOTALLY works if you’re wanting to prolong the color.

Also…..Find some one who can really REALLY give you a good hair cut.

A good hair cut will make world of difference between hair appts. A bad hair cut won’t hold it’s shape well, but you’ll know if you get a GREAT hair cut because you can definitely stretch it out further in between appointments….you know, unless you have a short hair cut…in which case, there is no way you could stretch it out for a very long time…..but then again, you probably wouldn’t want to or need to. BUT…even with a short hair cut…if it’s a GREAT CUT, you’ll be able to stretch it out – if it’s completely necessary!

So, what are your favorite hair tips? Any favorite products or tools?

Do you like to color your hair? How often do you go and get your hair done? And, if you do get your hair colored, WHY do you get your hair colored? For fun….out of necessity? Or, if you don’t color your hair – why have you chosen not to?

Inquiring minds want to know…..okay, just me, but still – I’d love to know the answers to my questions! ‘MmmmKay?

Getting the Kids Involved

I have a 2 week meal plan.

I posted a while ago about wanting to try planning a month of meals and have never gotten around to actually making it happen.

I still believe that it’s a good idea and would like to test it out soon.

I am also aware that soon I shall have a newborn and all the fun and sleeplessness that brings.

As a general rule, I expect my children to help out around the house. I like to think that I have a pretty good balance or at the very least that I’m attempting to have a pretty good balance when it comes to allowing my kids to just be kids, but at the same time learning valuable life lessons.

All 3 of the older kids know how to do laundry from picking up the dirty clothes all the way through to putting the clean clothes back into their drawers. This does not mean that they always do their own laundry, nor do they always put their dirty clothes into the dirty clothes hamper, nor do they always put their clean folded clothes into their drawers, BUT….that is the goal and we manage to accomplish this a decent portion of the time.

All three of the kids also know how to cook and while Angelica and Alexandra obviously know more than Jeremy does, I am confident that all three of them could put together a decent meal with very little prompting using both the stove and the oven and having a balance of veggies, carbs and protein in the meal. This is not to say that if we had a box of sugar cereal in the cupboard that they would bypass the sugar cereal to have a well balanced meal….no, they are actually normal kids, BUT, they do know HOW to prepare a balanced, nutritious and delicious meal AND…..they regularly get the opportunity to grow these skills.

Each kid helps out with making meals and with cleaning up after them about twice a week. Even Siah gets in on the action in whatever small ways he can. That kid can help to make a mean batch of pancakes, let me tell you.

I know that with the new baby coming that I will need the kids to pitch in and help out, maybe even more than they are right now…

I don’t want it to feel like I’m “dumping” anything on them when the baby comes and so I’d rather start preparing them now so that when the baby does come….it’s just a normal part of their lives and responsibilities.

I had the three older kids sit down with me on Sunday night and we planned out the next 2 weeks of meals. They each got to pick their favorites and which nights we would make them on and I think that also helps for them to feel invested in this concept of meal planning.

They are constantly asking what’s for dinner anyway and so now we have the next two weeks planned out and listed on our big fridge calendar and the kids are excited to help out on their nights to be able to make their favorite meals.

Here is what we had/have planned for this week

Monday: Homemade Chili and Rice

Tuesday: Chicken and Bean Fajita’s

Wednesday: Beef and Broccoli

Thursday: Almond Chicken and Veggies over Rice

Friday: Roast Chicken with Potatoes & Veggies

Saturday: Nacho’s

Sunday: Bar-B-Que Chicken and Potatoes and Salad

I love that the kids are excited about helping out. It makes such a HUGE difference that they have “buy-in”. I’m looking forward to seeing how this idea plays out.

Again, it’s not that my kids are perfect, and they have their days when nothing seems to go right for them and they melt down regardless of how excited they were at one point, but when they are looking forward to something and it was their choice…..there are a lot less break downs, melt downs and flip outs. And that makes for a much less stressed and a much more peace filled environment.

Do you have a meal plan? Do you involve your kids and if so, how? What seems to work best for you?

Beginnings and Endings

I’ve been thinking a lot recently.

I’ve processed through the shock that we are going to be the parents of 5 children and am waiting expectantly for the day when we finally get to meet this little one.

I’m also aware that barring some miracle this will be our last baby…the last time that I’m pregnant…the last labour and delivery…..there are so many lasts…..and yet in the middle of all of those “lasts” or “endings”…..I’ve come to realize that every time one stage passes, another one starts.

I’m currently at the stage where I’m finishing the second trimester and entering the third one.

First Trimester

I was so much in shock and not really sure what to think. I was dealing with a lot of stress and concerns that others would think that we were crazy – when really what does it matter what others think. I thought that I had dealt fairly well with that issue and BLAM! Apparently it’s something that I needed and still need to process a bit more. I was SO sick, and not just with pregnancy related nausea and vomiting, but literally sick, first with the H1N1 and then with every cough, cold and virus imaginable. It made October, November and December very VERY crappy months. I was also SO TERRIFIED that I might lose this baby. I really didn’t want to deal with another loss and at times the fear and accompanying stress were overwhelming. Honestly, I was so glad to be out of the first trimester. I really didn’t spend a lot of time enjoying that time. Which, in hindsight, I regret, BUT….honestly, I was just trying to survive and I recognize that and can have grace for myself.

Second Trimester

I was still sick (pregnancy related) for most of this time, but I was able to process through to a place that the excitement and expectancy of waiting to meet our sweet baby overshadows the possibility of loss. I do still struggle with the possibility of losing this baby and the fear that loss inspires, but for the most part I’m okay. I have felt more energetic during these past couple of months and was finally able to accomplish more than I had been able to at the end of last year.

We still have not told everyone that we know that we are expecting and although I feel that it’s more noticeable that I’m pregnant – I still get the odd sideways glances that let me know that someone is unsure and just too polite to ask. Seriously, who wants to be the person who asks if you’re pregnant only to find out that you’ve just gained a few pounds (AHEM – 9 pounds so far, to be exact – AHEM!!).

27 weeks

We took this picture yesterday morning.

Here is a shot from a side view…..sorta……I need to get a better side shot, I know.

27 weeks side-ish

There are so many beginnings and endings happening around me or maybe I’m just more aware of this concept right now.

My baby will no longer be my baby…..but he will always be my miracle.

I’ll never be pregnant again and will never get to feel the amazing feeling of my baby moving inside of me BUT…….I will never have to deal with the constant nausea that pregnancy seems to bring to me.

My first baby is going to be a teenager in just a few days and I’ll get to deal with the challenges of walking her through the transition times from being a child to becoming an adult. For the record, I’m looking forward to it, not fearing it. She’s a great kid and will become a great adult.

I’ll have a teenager and a newborn…..how interesting will that be?!?

My oldest son who was my baby for the longest time will now be firmly entrenched in his position as the middle child of the family.

I will go all the way back to parenting a newborn, when we are currently walking through the toddler phase and into the child phase….regardless of the fact that I’m headed back to the baby phase, Siah is still barreling towards the child stage of his life.

Beginnings and Endings…..they are everywhere.

Jon and I will no longer be parents of 4 kids and the challenges and blessings that brings, but now we will be navigating through life as parents of 5 kids while still finding time to invest in ourselves and in our relationship…..should be interesting.

I love that I can let go of the stage or phase or age that is passing by me and grasp firmly a hold of the one presenting itself to me. I don’t have to rush or strive to get there. I can just enjoy every stage as it comes and the ones that I find that I struggle more with….well, I know that it will pass and that each new stage will bring it’s own set of challenges and blessings.

I get to take the good with the bad and just relax and breath and enjoy every moment. These moments pass by all too fast and you rarely get the opportunity to give it a second chance in exactly the same way.

Knowing this has really helped me when I am feeling stressed or pressured. I can repeat to myself, “This too shall pass!” and just knowing that I won’t be “stuck” in any particular phase or stage forever has helped me to be able to “chill out”……most of the time!!! I’m still human, eh?!?

I’m just trying to enjoy each day and what that day brings whether it be good or bad…it’s all a part of the journey and what makes life special and unique for me.

Keeping Records or Creating Memories

I spent a good portion of yesterday creating pages in a scrapbook.

I bought a small scrapbook for this baby because I really wanted to be able to keep a record of this pregnancy and to be able to “hopefully” capture the memories after.

I figured that if I went with one of the small scrapbooks that takes pages that are 8″ x 8″ that maybe…just maybe the smaller sized page wouldn’t seem so intimidating.

I also told myself that I wasn’t looking to create “the most gorgeous scrapbook” out there. I wanted this to be a cross between keeping records and documenting the memories. I was looking to create the feeling of an old spiral bound paper covered scrapbook.

I have some old scrapbooks from when I was a teenager and I love the informality that my old paper covered spiral bound scrapbooks have. It’s like they hold all my secrets.

Years ago, when my girls were little, I started a scrapbook for each of them. The big 12 x 12 pages….

I’ve realized a few things that really got me bogged down in regards to those scrapbooks.

1. I was trying to create the most gorgeous, elaborate pages ever known to man.

2. I tried to document EVERY. SINGLE. PHOTO that we took

3. I was trying to “copy” other people’s ideas of a scrapbook

I managed to work through a few things (in my head) yesterday and that leads me to a plan that I believe will really work for me.

1. I’m creating a more laid back feeling scrapbook.

Yes, I’m still using pretty paper and the odd sticker or ribbon or embellishment, BUT….these books “look” way more like me. A little laid back, but neatly laid out with special memento’s of certain days and events tied in with the pictures.

2. I’m highlighting only key moments or ages or events.

I actually worked on both this baby’s scrapbook and on Siah’s scrapbook. While working on Siah’s book, I’ve decided that I’m going to scrapbook ahead with this baby’s book and create pages for 1 month, 2 months, 3 months and so on…up to 12 months. I’m going to create first visit pages for the grandparents and for other key visitor’s. I’m currently working on Siah’s book even though I have no photo’s printed out. I managed to create about 12 pages for him yesterday and have a list of pictures that I know that we have on the computer that I need to just print out. I’ll just load them onto a USB and run down to the closest Shopper’s Drug Mart and print them out with the instant photo center and then slap them in and VOILA! A ton of pages completed.

I’m actually going to go and pick up another 3 scrapbooks and recreate books for Geli, Xandra and Jeremy, highlighting the first month, then a monthly pic or two and possibly some Easter or Halloween or special holiday’s. I think that I can get MUCH further with WAY less personal frustration and I’ll feel WAY more productive and good about actually accomplishing something with these “memory” books.

3. I’m being true to myself in what I’m creating.

I want a book that is a combo of pictures and special treasures or notes. For example, one of the pages that I created for Siah was a page with “notes” that I scribbled down in the early days with him. I had saved all the cards that people gave me and I was able to create a pocket with one of the cards and I tucked these “notes” into this created pocket. I love that I can look back one day and pull out a piece of paper that I wrote down little notes about his feeding, sleeping and pooping habits. One note has his weight on one day within the first month scribbled onto it. Another piece of paper has notes to myself with a grocery list, a note to book swimming lessons for the kids and a few different Dr. Appointments listed down. I tucked some ribbon that I had saved from one of his first presents behind the little envelope and the overall look is something casual, but cute and I love it.

I think that this will work for me. I think that I can actually accomplish this.

Seriously, I probably knocked out over 20+ pages yesterday and it was amazing to feel like I could have kept going. I am looking forward to creating more pages for both this new baby and also for Josiah and I’m feeling really good about being able to put something together for the older 3 kids as well.

I do also keep a small “treasure box” for each of my kids. It has their first outfits, the hat they got in the hospital, their first shoes, their first sweaters, hand prints and/or foot prints from different ages……the first tooth, first hair cut. That kind of stuff. The kids LOVE to go through their boxes and look at their stuff. They also suggest that we keep and put stuff in the boxes. So I know that they love and treasure these boxes, just as much as I do.

Do you scrapbook? Why or why not? Are you amazingly creative or do you just throw things in a book and call it done? Did you keep scrapbooks when you were younger? Do you have some other method of keeping memories and treasures?

Let me know what works for you?

27 Weeks

Okay, so I’ve not posted in a while and it’s getting to the point where Jon can no longer be considered a “Guest Poster”.

I’ve decided to just come clean and fess up for anyone who isn’t aware.

I’m 27 weeks pregnant.

This means that if I make it all the way to full term (40 weeks) that I have 13 weeks left. As of today, I have exactly 90 days left.

That’s 3 months. OUCH! I feel like I have SO MUCH to do and so little time!

BUT………We are SO thrilled and can’t wait to meet this little one.

We have found out that we are expecting another little……..BOY!

I am currently seeing both a midwife and a Perinatologist.

I’m seeing a midwife for my regular care and she has referred me (for extra care) to the Perinatologist for some detailed ultrasounds and to determine if there was anything that they could find out that might indicate why we lost Nathaniel or the next three or if there seemed to be anything unusual regarding this pregnancy.

We were so excited to see the baby and to hear that everything looked good.

17-weeks

Click on the picture to see a larger view.

The Dr. told us to come back about 6 weeks later for a follow up appt…..

The baby had grown and was still a boy and everything was still looking amazing. They estimated that he weighed about 1 lb 5 ounces and……. HE WAS PERFECT!

23-weeks

Click on the picture to see a larger view

We are going back for one final scan when I am almost 32 weeks and provided that all looks perfect at that scan – they will sign off on seeing me and I won’t need to go back there any more. While it’s nice to have the extra care, being released from that care also means that I (and this pregnancy and this baby) am considered “normal” and that is such an amazing thing.

I’m hoping to post a bit more frequently over the upcoming weeks as we prepare for the arrival of this sweet boy.

Maybe, you’ll come along for the ride?

More on toilet troubles

*** Guest post by Jon ***

Tonight I removed 2 eye liners, 1 lipstick, a pen, and 14 barbie shoes from the girls’ toilet. It took about 12 seconds to put them there, and about 35 minutes to remove. The first toilet that only had 1 well placed pen took about and hour and a half, but now I am experienced at removing toilets, dumping the excess water out, flushing them out upside-down, resealing and replacing them, and then disinfecting the lavatory. Only 2 more toilets to fix…

Hopefully the 2 yr old will find a new hobby soon.

Good times.

Guest Post – recent noteables

*** Guest Post by Jon ***

As Patti is consumed with prego related stuff, I thought I would jump on here and record some of the fun little things that have been going on here that I will want to come back and read one day later. You know the saying “One day you’ll look back and laugh”… That saying means that you are not laughing now and yet you need the presence of mind to record the events, ’cause you know that one day you might just snicker a little.

File these under 2 yr old experiments…
1) Both boys stayed home sick today and I got the short straw and Patti went into the office. I was helping J with some overdue homework (and working at passing another level of his video game) and Siah got into Patti’s makeup. He poured an entire bottle of foundation makeup on his hair and then covered that with a liberal helping of baby powder. Then he applied the same mixture to the new flooring in the bathroom and skated in it. Turns out that the foundation is oil based and took eight wash and rinse cycles with our not-so-cheep-hippie shampoo to get out (and he still had a nice skin-tone hue in his hair for the rest of the day).

2) Tonight, Siah found a tube of antibiotic cream and dosed his hair one more time (in case you are counting, this is the same day as #1). This effectively used up the rest of the shampoo. I will say that he has had a life-long aversion to getting his hair washed. He got soap in the eyes once and since then, he freaks and goes into the fetal position whenever I go to rinse his hair. When he has a good lather on, the fetal position does an effective job of getting more soap in his eye, thus proving again that shampoo is bad. Today we cured that. The last shampoo (I think this is lather and rinse cycle #15) he managed to stay looking up through the whole rinsing cycle. Attaboy!

3) OK, this is the one that I really need to record so that I can look back and laugh… I now own three new wax rings for my toilets. These are nifty little seals that connect your toilet to your floor/plumbing. You see, you need these whenever you have to remove your toilet, because they are not reusable. I have four toilets in my home, and Siah has become fascinated with the flusher knob / spinning water / gurgling sounds / filling up again thing. He has a particular interest in watching his precious movements go round and round and round and down. Because he cannot repeat the movements often enough for his interest level to be satisfied, he has gone through our house in search of poo-sized objects that he can use instead. Right now, I have three toilets that will not flush at all. I own an industrial toilet plumbing snake (He is our forth kid and we have learned a few things), but no dice! The snake does not move the water one bit. I mentioned that we have four kids, and it seems that non-flushing toilets are fine to use for nasty, disgusting colon cleansings, or at least they are fine until you realise that THEY DON’T FLUSH… OMG! ITS FLOODING!!! HEEEELLLLLLPPPPPP! (I’m keeping a good supply of grade 3 towels on hand).

So I have to 1) convince Siah not to flush anything else down the drain, 2) scoop brown water from the bowls into some bucket that will never get used again for ANYTHING! 3) remove toilets and find and remove blockages (this requires grade 3 towels as well) 4) use the nice new wax rings and replace the toilets.

I Kid You Not… My eldest just came in while I am typing this and told me that toilet #4 is blocked.

one day I’ll laugh.

Alive and Kickin’

We were sent for an early scan under the guise of dating the pregnancy, BUT….seeing as we knew the exact date of conception – I knew exactly how old this baby was.

I realize just how much in shock I was because as conflicted as I felt – I really wasn’t processing things on a certain level.

It wasn’t until we walked into the Ultrasound Clinic that I realized just how fragile I was emotionally and it also hit me again so hard that LIFE is so fragile.

When the technician called my name and I walked with her back to the room, we were talking and I thought, “You have no idea what you are in for, lady!”

She closed that door and I turned to her and asked that regardless of the outcome of the scan, could she please bring Jon in to see the baby – even if it was not alive.

And then I cried!

I tried to pull myself together and she looked at me with a very concerned/stressed look and asked if I had any reason to think the worst.

No, there had been no bleeding, but then again, there never was with any of the other 4 babies that we lost.

I figured that she was desperately hoping that I wouldn’t wreck her morning by having things turn out badly.

I climbed up on the table and she put the wand to my stomach and you could feel the tension and then…….she smirked.

I desperately hoped that the smirk was an indicator of a positive outcome, but I was mentally prepared for the worst.

She mentioned that our little one was “Alive and Kickin” and that things looked really, really good.

She took a few measurements, and let me see the baby, then went to go and get Jon.

She brought him in and let us see a little bit more and even let us hear the heart beat. That is such an amazing, AMAZING sound.

We got a few pics……..

10 weeks

You can click on the picture to see a bigger view.

I walked out of that Clinic feeling cautiously optimistic. If only time would speed up and I were holding this precious little one in my arms…….it’ll come soon enough, won’t it?