Bread

Because we didn't feel as though we had enough to do (sense the sarcasm?), we took on a new project. Well, I don't think I can actually call it a project because we're intending for it to be a permanent change in our lifestyle. But it certainly requires more work on our part.

We have stopped buying bread and we are now making our own. I've always been interested in getting a bread machine, but I don't really like the way it bakes the bread. So we bought one at Goodwill (and amazingly, it works GREAT!) and are using it for the mixing and kneading cycles only. This does take a lot of the work out of making our own bread, as we can just throw all the ingredients in and let it go until it's done rising and it comes time to stick it in the oven. So far, we have done French, white and rye bread. We are looking for reasonably priced wheat flour, so if you know where I could get some, I'm open to suggestions.

Why are we doing this? Well, as a family we go through at least two loaves a week. And if we want decent tasting bread, it's costing us $4-$5 per loaf. I was a little surprised to realize that we were spending around $40 a month on bread alone. So we decided we'd make the initial investment of the bread machine ($8 at Goodwill) and then with the cost of ingredients for each loaf....well, we're saving about $25 a month. Which doesn't seem like ALL that much to begin with, but it's $300 a year that we can use on other things. Plus, homemade bread is just really yummy! I did have a little bit of fun and took a trip to Target to purchase some more baking items (a few loaf pans, pyrex measuring cups instead of my plastic ones that are just about to crack all the way through, things like that).

So that's our new thing and it feels really great to find unique ways to save a little money. And who knows? The homemade stuff just might be a little healthier than store bought!

I'm falling apart

I'm not sure how it happened, but I injured my left shoulder 2-3 weeks ago. It began as feeling slightly bruised around my shoulder blade, so I figured I would try to limit my use of my left arm (try taking care of two little boys with one arm!) and give it time. I've given it plenty of time and it's turned into feeling more like a torn muscle, taking away a lot of my range of motion, even into my hand. So that stinks.
The worst part has been sleeping through the pain though. Nathan is sleeping through the night consistently, but I am not. I can't get comfortable and then the pain is waking me up numerous times throughout the night. I finally took some Tylenol PM, but then I couldn't wake up in the morning! Good thing it was a Saturday and John was home. I'm still hoping I can encourage healing with some old fashioned heat and ice, but I should probably think about heading to the doctor soon.

Maybe it's from the shoulder pain or the lack of good sleep (or hey, both!), but I've completely lost control of the apartment. I know that's totally unrealistic to think that a home with two very young boys is going to be sparkling clean, but I would love to not have to step over small piles of things as I walk across the room. Our office is really bad and I even bought another small bookcase to give us more storage, but it doesn't work if I can't get around to putting stuff ON the bookcase. The problem is all this preschool stuff that gets sent home with Aiden. I knew there was going to be more paperwork and art involved, but my goodness! Clutter is definitely a source of stress, even more so for us organizational types.

I have slowly started to get rid of things that we just aren't using and I've rearranged Aiden's closet to accommodate more things, especially as we are packing away more baby items. I refuse to get rid of anything yet.....just in case. I do believe that as soon as you get rid of everything baby-related, a surprise will happen. I'm not in a great place for a surprise right now, so we'll just take the safe route and keep everything for now. :^)

Another load of dishes is calling my name. I have plenty of pictures from our family trip to the pumpkin patch, but I'll probably just wait and combine those with Halloween pictures after Friday. If I don't post until then, have a safe Halloween!

Recalls

I was browsing the news headlines on Yahoo! last night and came across a news story about a crib recall. The name of the company sounded familiar, so I checked it out. It's our crib. The crib that my baby was sleeping soundly in at that moment. Now, Aiden slept in that crib until he was 2 1/2 without incident and we've had no problems with it, but there's something about a recall (especially when it has caused deaths) that sends a bit of panic through a mom. I filled out the recall form for replacement parts and they should arrive in the mail very soon. Until then, I'll be propping the side so that it can't be lowered. Even though it feels extremely sturdy at this time, I want to be sure it stays that way until we can replace the spring pegs.
In case any of you with babies want to check out the recall page to see if your crib is affected, here's the link:
http://www.cribrecallcenter.com/

My poor baby

Aiden has ended up with the flu from his flu shot. His nose stuffed up Thursday evening, he started running a fever yesterday afternoon, and when he hadn't woken up by 11am this morning, I went in to find him bright red from the fever and laying in his bed exactly where he had thrown up. Poor kid. He hadn't made a sound or else I would have checked on him much earlier.
So, after a warm bath, we set him up on the couch with a pillow and blanket, lots of crackers and Sprite, and some Thomas videos. I'm almost out of Children's Tylenol, so I'll be taking a trip to the store later. It's been almost 24 hours since the fever started and while it didn't get super high until this morning, I'm hoping that I won't have to medicate him to keep it down much longer. Having a sick little kid is stressful, but mostly because I can't do anything to make it go away and he doesn't understand why he feels so bad. All I can do is try my best to make him comfortable and know that he'll be feeling back to his normal self in a few days.

For a small sleep update, Nathan is now going to bed like a pro and sleeping all night. I think he might be a little angry, as he greets me every morning with a very stinky diaper. :^)
I'm very much enjoying getting a full night of sleep, although I am still getting used to falling asleep without him cuddled up next to me. I also still REALLY have to nurse him by the time he wakes up in the morning. It's quite painful, but my body will adjust eventually. I feel much more awake every day and John hasn't been a bad mood all week!

Well, my little sicky has gotten up and is attempting to play with his train tracks, so I should check on him. We've had a few fun things that have happened over the past week or so and I would love to catch you all up on them, but it will have to wait. More later!