Cloud Dough

What did we all do before Pinterest?!

Cloud Dough

8 cups flour

1 cup baby oil 

(I used mineral oil)

This was a hit! I halved the recipe because 8 cups would have been way too much.

It is a lot like wet sand because it easily falls apart. It feels really cool though.

I even added some spearmint essential oil to make it smell yummy and a little more oil than it called for so it would stay together better. Jay had fun burying toys, cutting out shapes, and just making a mess in general. The nice thing about this stuff is that it doesn't get sticky or dry out like playdough so it cleans up easily! (Don't let your kids eat it though.)

Epiphanies

In the past few days I have had two very important realizations. Both happened to occur while I was watching TV.

The first struck me while I was checking for GOP updates on CNN. Instead, I found Suze Orman on Piers Morgan Tonight. I don't like Piers Morgan, so I was about to change the channel but then I realized that they were talking about the economy.

Basically, they were talking about what they thought could fix our economy and put people back to work. Suze's answer hit me right between the eyes. Here's what she said:

(In case you can't get the video she says, "I think the answer is people are going to have to become entrepreneurial. They are going to have to become their own bosses. The day of working for a corporation, you get a pension after thirty years, and health benefits--gone! So if you really want to be secure, you are going to have to be your own boss.")

Now, you may be thinking, "But, Stacy, that's exactly what your family is doing." Yes it is. But I have always looked at it wrong. Up until this moment, I thought Joe and I were behind everyone else. I thought our struggles were a sign that we should go back to school, look for another job, etc. But then I always remember that we have looked for work. We have added Joe's resume to a stack of 5,000 other hopefuls'. Usually this is hours and hours wasted with no results. Once he did get a job that treated him terribly, made him work nights, and promised him hours that they didn't deliver so they wouldn't have to give us health insurance. Once he spent months studying and taking tests to qualify for a job that ended up making nothing.

So my point: I now realize that I can name a dozen people off the top of my head who are unemployed, underemployed or working in an unrelated field to their degree and are unhappy. According to Suze, most of these people are going to have to make their own jobs. So this whole time I thought we were behind and we were actually ahead. Joe loves his job. He loves building a business with his own two hands, getting to be involved in every aspect, and watching it grow each month. Sure there are ups and downs. Sure we struggle some months. But I can honestly say that I am proud of what Joe does. He is good at what he does. I love that he wants to grow a business and give other people jobs. I love that we get to do this together. And I especially love moments like these when Heavenly Father lets me know that we are exactly where we are supposed to be, doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing.

On to Epiphany #2:

(Image from eonline.com)
This one will be shorter, I promise. I was watching 19 Kids and Counting and I heard Michelle Duggar say that gall bladder pain/surgery was worse than any of her 19 labor and deliveries and even worse than kidney stones. She said (and I quote), "It was the worst pain I have EVER felt!" (emphasis added).

Now growing up, I was known as the wuss in my family. Anytime I was in pain I was reminded that what I was going through wasn't actually that hard, it was just that I was not very tough. And sure, I passed out a few times getting shots, starting a lawn mower, and once in Clairs getting my ears pierced when I was 19. But according to Michelle Duggar I am a superhero. (She didn't actually say that but I'm assuming she would think so.) According to Michelle Duggar, I have been through the most painful thing a human can endure. (Again, assuming but not far off the actual quote.) So I think I deserve an apology from my family. That's all.

4 Months

I cannot believe this little boy is 4 months old. It's that weird feeling of "How did it go by so fast?" and "Really? He's only been around for four months?" all mixed together. But it's true. Four. Months. Old.

Here's the stats:

Weight: 16.05 lbs (65%)

Length: 26.97 in (95%)

Head: 17.1 in (76%)

Basically his length and head size are going up in percentile and his weight is going down. Pretty soon he might look more like a blow pop than a baby but he sure is cute!

Since turning 4 months old Ty has tasted carrots, green beans, and sweet potatoes... all a few days apart to test for allergies of course. I started him on solids earlier than Jay in hopes of helping his reflux... and because he was acting really hungry! So far so good. I actually feed him through a medicine syringe though because he's so used to taking medicine and it's way less messy. We'll get to the spoon maybe in a few weeks. He's also addicted to his binky, can't sleep unless he's swaddled like a straight jacket, and rarely laughs unless you're changing his diaper. But he's full of smiles and he can't get enough of his big brother Jay. They are adorable together. 

I love this kid!

In Other News

This week at the Brady house:

Ty learned to roll over! 

(4 months 1 week old)

Jay and I made cookie cutter french toast.

 

For the record, naming your child a letter makes things like this SOOO much more exciting.

And so does eating it with "Fork-ceratops"! (Thanks again Traci!)

As you can tell, he's pretty stoked.

 

And if you're wondering where he gets his creepy happy face...

Um...

 I have no idea.

Jay still adores his little brother.

 Which is because he is adorable of course...

 And Ty is developing a strange spot on his cheek that makes me think his face is going to fall off.

That's all folks.

Dear Alli

I have a friend that recently wrote a blog post about feeling overwhelmed as a new Mommy. With home responsibilities crowding out work and church responsibilities, she wonders if she's alone in feeling like doing one thing right (taking care of her baby) shouldn't make up for neglecting all other areas of her life. Well here is my response to that:

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!

I'm sure that every Mom that reads your blog or mine can relate to that feeling. I am at this moment sitting in the messiest my house has ever been, I am tired from a middle of the night feeding, and I stopped looking at my to-do list because it's just depressing... BUT Jay is fed and (half) dressed, and Ty is peacefully sleeping in the next room. Sometimes it's hard for me to look at these things as accomplishments. Scratch that... 99% of the time I don't. But there are moments.. usually in sacrament meeting, the temple, or evening prayers... where the Lord allows me to see myself as He does. In those moments I am renewed. I can do this one more day, one more diaper change, one more tantrum. You know the expression "living paycheck to paycheck"? Well, most days I feel like I'm living prayer to prayer.

Maybe I'm glamorizing the life I had before kids, but I don't remember struggling to feel accomplished, talented, or appreciated. Any self-esteem issues were usually related to stupid boys... obviously before kids for me also means before marriage since Jay came so quickly. But I'm slowly learning that the words "Thank you" don't feel as good as, "I love you, Mommy." Feeling beautiful doesn't feel as good as the way my baby looks at me. Memories are vastly more important than a clean house. And I would rather snuggle up with a sleeping toddler, listening to his tiny breath than hear how awesome the world thinks I am.

Also, in my opinion, the internet is single handedly the most destructive force in tearing down a Mother's self-worth. No longer does Satan have to wait until church or social events for us to compare ourselves to our seemingly perfect colleagues and whisper in our ears that we will never measure up. Now, each and every day, at any given moment, we can peek into the filtered lives of our friends as a constant reminder of our shortcomings. My new mantra: People only post things on the internet that are out of the ordinary. So when Suzy Homemaker posts a picture of a dazzling Christmas wreath that she crafted from recycled toilet paper tubes and thumb tacks, I can appreciate her accomplishment knowing that she is probably blogging in her bath robe while her toddler is eating glue.

So Allison, yes I feel this way daily. I struggle to feel happy in the chaos of Mommyhood on days when all I've done is keep my kids alive. But the worst thing we do is then feel GUILTY that we feel that way. Not only are you under accomplished and under appreciated but now you are also ungrateful. That's two points for the devil. (Now do you feel guilty for feeling guilty?)

I hope this helps you feel a little less alone, my friend. Love you.

Cell Phone Gallery

I was going through Joe's phone last night and realized how many cute pictures he had. So I thought I'd share:

The Many Faces of Jay

(Go Broncos!)

(This next picture cracks me up)
Cute Ty

...and His Binky

Bedtime
(Jay wants to be just like baby Ty)
Brothers
(Jay giving Ty a blessing)
Jay's Style Inspirations
(Jay wearing Ty's 3 month old pants)
(Jay loves Joe's work shirt, so for Christmas he got one of his own)

And this list would not be complete without...

Joe
(no explanation here)

I am so lucky.

THE Bed

Over Christmas, I was in Boise for nearly a month! And do you know what I missed most from home?... (I should say Joe huh?) Okay do you know what I missed SECOND to Joe?

Our bed. Now, this is not any ordinary bed. This is a very special bed. Before you can appreciate the awesomeness of this bed though, you must know something about me. I have what is called a hiatal hernia and reflux that forces me to spend a lot of time sleeping in a recliner. That is until a Christmas miracle occurred and Joe and I happened to be at the right place at the right time. By chance we found out about a neighbor of ours that needed to sell his bed with only a few days until he had to move. We heard that it was a king size bed that could raise up and down and immediately I jumped in to ask how much. So get this: Our neighbor bought the bed for $4,000 a year ago but he was in such a hurry that he was selling it for $350! And it was still in the plastic until a week before!

Well now it's ours. Here's Joe's family trying it out.
(And loving it.) This bed is AWESOME! It is remote controlled, pillow top, and can massage you in 3 different modes. It's basically the best part of my day. Sometimes it makes me feel old though because it's technically two separate twin beds. Yes, Joe and I now sleep in two separate beds! Go ahead and make fun. I never get to think about that too long because I'm usually drifting peacefully to sleep with 30 minutes of massage mode #1.