Homeschool Family

A hilarious homeschool spoof with some poking-fun funny and some too-true funny lines. Enjoy!

We are infectious

The family has gotten pink eye-so stay back. I have never had so much laundry to do in my life. Mine is pretty much gone with two days of antibiotics, but Adam and Aggie are still pretty severe. Gwyn has been spared thus far. We have missed preschool, will miss dance, missed work and even can't help friends redo their hardwood floors for fear of spreading it to others. I am beginning to go stir-and Lysol-crazy. And poor Adam...he wants to go to work, he has stuff to do at work, he is annoyed he can't go to work...it is making him a bit sad. He works on the couch all day with his laptop and headset phone in. It is kinda funny-at least today he is in regular clothes. Yesterday he wore athletic pants and Crocs...and this morning I caught him in PJ pants, no shirt and his headset phone taking a work call. I sparred him the picture post.

I love my Peanut Shell Sling

I have a new favorite baby carrier. I have used an Over the Shoulder Baby Holder (a good starter sling), maya wrap (a good adjustable ring sling), sloomb UV beach sling, baby Bjorn around the house (but too many buckles for out), a moby wrap (great for GERD and nursing with an infant-so secure but a bear to learn to wrap) and now a Peanut Shell pouch sling. Now, I have used others, but I have not liked them (New Native Pouch, other two sided adjustable ring slings, ergo backpack carrier...how much have I spent on baby carriers?-I must believe in it). This Peanut shell is my new favorite. It is so easy now that my little girl is old enough to sit on my hip. She just slips in, no adjustments needed. She slept in there, nursed in there, rode in there. She was comfy and so was I-for 6 hours. No back pain-really (cause I went to a boutique and got fitted). Good job Peanut Shell. If you want to find a good carrier in So Cal, go try them on with weighted baby dolls at Kissui in Redlands. It is my favorite baby boutique-I have one of everything in there and they are so helpful. Tell me what you like and I may just buy it for your baby shower gift. I really like baby carrying and think it is so good for baby...

What to do in the rain...

We in Riverside quickly run out of ideas for rainy day activities because we usually have only three or so (not really, but close). We have been trying to get to Disneyland for a week and it keeps raining, so for our Monday Family Day (or Sabbath) we went to the mostly indoor Santa Ana Discovery Science Center today. It was Awesome! I have been, but not for years and not with my family. It was "homeschool days" so the place was crawing with big families and baby carriers. We explored the great exhibits for about 6 hours and learned about gravity, fossils, geodes, hurricanes, clouds, waves, earthquakes, tooth care, green screens (we found a green chair and green legos that made our heads disapear on the TV screen-it was cool), air pressure and pulleys. Aggie and Adam layed on a bed of nails, Gwyn let a beach ball go on a air balance and she even crawled through a tunnel for the first time. It was a wonderful day! We became members so if you want to visit in the next year, give us a call. I love it when we have to get creative with the outings-we always find new, fun things. And my favorite is when Adam says, "Thanks Mom for bringing us here." I feel loved and appreciated. Homeschooling can be so fun-I am so glad that is what my kid does on a school day...

A weekend of Gwyn

Agatha went off to my in-law's cabin in Running Springs for the weekend to play in the snow with Grandma and Grandpa (and do four homeschool assignments-homeschoolers never stop, do they?) So, we got Gwynie all weekend. Now, we missed Agatha, don't get me wrong, but it was so nice to concentrate on soft, cuddly Gwyn. I layed on the floor with her for hours, we ran errands and I was able to stop and nurse whenever she needed, we went on outdoor walks at the drop of a hat, life revolved around her naps, things had a nice, peaceful rhythm. She has been battling teething and possibly a cold (hard to tell the difference sometimes) so we have had humidifiers and peppermint/eucalyptus oil going, nose suckers and saline nose washes. Good times-but it has been nice to have only one to concentrate on. She broke through the top two teeth, so now she has four. And her GERD is getting better! We have been on every other day meds for two weeks and plan to go off completely in a week or two if all stays peaceful. Ahh-peaceful. It has been so quiet! I even had time to organize and load up our new garage with Adam. Never with two-never!

Prop AB 755 - Prohibition of Spanking...

"AB 755 would, in its practical effect, make a non-injurious spanking with an object such as a ruler, small paddle, etc. illegal. After being arrested, charged, and tried in a criminal court, parents could receive up to one year in jail and could lose custody of their children."

Info on this proposition is now on the Christian email curcuit and the email forward proposes we take action AGAINST it. My response is not to forward it on, but to think why do we as religious people hit our kids at all-especially with an implement? I don't agree with hitting kids in any way to get them to behave. It seems we should lead by example and I think we all agree we don't want them hitting other kids at play-dates. I interpret (after biblical research) the rod referenced in Proverbs as a shepherds rod. This rod is used to guide and redirect or even to protect the sheep from predators. I feel I can shepherd my children with other gentle, yet firm discipline techniques. I do have friends who choose to spank and though I do not agree I respect their decision to do so...with their hand. I do not accept use of an implement as this law proposes because that is too much force to use on a child. Children should be protected from this avenue of abuse. If it hurts a parent too much to hit with a hand then they are hitting too hard. There are other faith and biblically based ways to parent that don't involve hitting and they can be read about at Dr. Sears site (who is a christian man), and in his book The Discipline Book where he makes a point that it is not necessarily biblical to hit our kids. More info can be found on websites such as Graceful Mothering and Gentle Christian Mothers and Parenting in Jesus' Footsteps . I know this is such a hot topic and there have been tons of my friends that have gone through "Growing Kids God's Way" and read Dobson pamphlets, but this makes my blood race when I hear that it is somehow our right as Americans to hit our kids with sticks and belts and rulers and whatnot. I don't think this is leading to a no spanking law (though I wouldn't oppose one), it is just protecting kids-go read it. What would you as an adult do if someone hit you with a belt or a shoe? Maybe your pastor would take you aside and whip your legs with a stick "lovingly" to teach you not to go into credit card debt? I am thinking that would not go over to well in a counseling session...

Ugliness turned beautiful

I was out with my best bud Em Foor today. We ventured into old Corona to Little Bitty Prints to get our baby girls' handprints immortalized in pottery wall hangings-a fun and overpriced tradition that we carry on because their hands are that tiny only for a little while. Anyway we drove around a fairly sketchy part of town that kinda looked run down in the rainy gloom to find it. We went in and shopped the gently used merchandise of the second hand store and when we walked out this is the beautiful rainbow that greeted us. All the sudden the ugliness of the run down neighborhood was shining beauty in the sun after rain. The weeds looked bright green and the mud a vibrant dark brown. The street was littered with beautiful old churches with steeples that I had missed before because I was distracted by the mismatched storefronts. As we slowly walked to our car the world seemed breathtakingly beautiful. Isn't it funny how that happens. Some days all I see is bad fashion choices and awkwardness in people and things and other days I see such beauty in the world and people's faces around me. It is probably all in my perspective. Life is what you make it.

I love being outside...

Saturday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, we played outside, we had nowhere to go, I hung the clothes on the line, watered my compost, Gwyn ate leaves on the grass, Aggie played in the sandbox and I got to wear my fun little pink garden shoes from my little sister instead of my big black UGG knock off boots (that I usually have to wear to keep my toes warm). What a beautiful day. Wish I could have shared it with my hubby. Ministry calls.

False Eyelashes and Organic Makeup

Yesterday I got completely ready in my four year old's bathroom. Is it crazy that she has enough product to support her 30 year old mommy? There was deodorant, makeup, a hair dryer, moisturizer and mousse...I did have to use a Little Einstein bandaid and went for the gusto with her face glitter. Which, by the way what is up with the fact that every single mascara ad features a model or celebrity who is most obviously using fake eyelashes?

Nobody wears those things daily and it is totally false advertising. I even read there are controversies about it. Why not just show what your product really does? I want to start using Nvey Eco. It is organic and paraben free-any users? Does it work?

Family update...life keeps of rolling by

I have been caught up with life and work, so here is a family update for all the fam out there...

Gwyn is eating fingerfood now...she never wants our help anymore. She crawls all over the house and is the cutest thing ever. We have even left her with my Mom at our house for a couple two hour dates. It is amazing how fast you can get in and out of the car with no baby!

We started homeschooling after the holiday break and whenever we do piano Gwyn crawls under the bench and puts her head against the piano...another musician on our hands? She loves rhythm.

We had dinner at Taco Station with Mark, Angie and Nolan Lamberth. It was so nice to catch up with such sincere friends. And only Nolan could entice Agatha into a cowgirl dress up instead of a princess-but it is still pink!

We went to the snow in Running Springs with the Foors. I love Emily. No one else would pay admission with me just to be a part of the fun when really we each went down the slope only 3 times and spent the rest of the time nursing, rocking and appeasing our infants who where not excited about the cold, wet snow that reflected bright light in their eyes. Ahhh, infancy!

Aggie had a blast riding with Haley and Noah. I miss the five families-with out of town moves and starting school our old tradition of Snow Day has been reduced to two instead of five.

Adam taking his turn with Gwyn so I could hit the slopes. We took her down twice. She was not impressed.

I threw Holly Rodrigo a baby shower. She is due on Feb 22 and looks amazing. She has gained the perfect amount-of course- and is glowing. We "went green" and played games like "change the cloth diaper" and "think of 10 ways to go green with baby". We even ate off our compostable "paper" products made from corn and sugar cane. It was fun and I got to catch up with old friends like Keri Quesada who came with her 3 week old baby and wore zip up jeans...at three weeks. Can we say WEIGHT LOSS ENVY?

We had dinner with the Reids...who we love and whose daughters are clones of ours. Can you even find Aggie in this picture? Bryan and Cristi are so laid back-the girls made a sleeping bag clubhouse in their master bedroom walk in closet all night. I love them!

Aggie had her ballet/tap/gymnastics show day at The Little Gym. She is doing so well. But, more than anything I noticed her empathy. She was so concerned about any kids who got hurt or were too shy and ran to their parents. So much so that when I caught her eye I had to redirect her to do the steps again. I love how much she cares.

Katie and Hannah came with a flower for Aggie. They made her day. She adores the Boone girls, so do I. Thanks Stacey. We got you on email, when is the blog coming?

Lots of friends and family playdates and visits in the last couple weeks. I got my hair cut...I had work meetings on my own (Adam took Gwyn)...the garage still has no door or window...the christmas lights are down this year (thanks Scott Ellis)...I finished the old set of Learning Records and now have another set to write...life keeps on rolling by...

Pretty Pink Feminists

I have always raised my four year old to believe in herself. I never forced girly-ness on her, but as you can see by her blog she has definitely chosen it. She is one of the fanciest, pinkest girls I know. But she still is going to "change the world and make it so lots of girls can be pastors" (something that still needs to change in our evangelical Christian circles). She tells this freely to everyone and recently told me she wants someone to write a book about her life because she is going to change the world like Fa Mulan did for China (she impersonated a man and was in the Chinese army in 380 AD). I am glad my feeble attempts to keep the feminism alive by reading books like The Paper Bag Princess mixed in with the Cinderella and Fancy Nancy has worked. I suppose it is not really feminism, but personism as my friend Bill Catling says. I am the first one to stand up for my wonderful parenting partner and husband when people so rudely say "Is Adam babysitting the girls for you?", no he is just parenting them, Dads don't babysit. Women and Men have their special talents and roles, but we all should partner in life with parenting, finances, decisions, leadership, you get the drift...off my soapbox.

All I need is armpit hair

So we have always been environmentally conscious, but lately we have been going greener than ever. We just think we should be good steward's of God's Earth. Anyway we found these compostable cups at San Diego Zoo and ordered some for ourselves along with sugar cane plates, bowls and utensils. (cause who really wants to do dishes after a big party with friends or bible study or something?) Compostable! Crazy, ey? Adam and I had to try them just to see if they started breaking down while we ate or leaked or something...nope, our organic granola with organic milk stayed safely in the bowl. They are cool. I am putting them in the compost bin tomorrow-so we will see. I think I will go take a short shower with my organic shampoo and face wash (that smell like composting fruit and grass) and change my baby's compostable diaper while I am at it, oh and clean with my earth friendly products and ward off ants with cinnamon. I'm telling you, all I need is the armpit hair. Am I getting too crazy? I even am thinking about a mooncup (don't follow this link unless you are a girl and ok with menstrual stuff :)

Here comes Gwyn

My little Gwyneth is on the move. She officially started crawling on New Year's Day when Adam enticed her across our 8 foot rug with baby cheetos every foot and a half, but today she really broke through. She crawls from room to room, goes from crawl to sit and back again, chases my mom's dog (who is fabulous with her), has found the outlets and pulled the cords out, and has started to gain real speed. It is a whole new world. Yey for Gwynie.

Our Progress

Here is my new art studio...I mean our new garage. We still need to install the doors and window, run electrical and plumbing, nail up wood siding and paint it, but we have a building. I can't wait to have permanent space for printmaking! Woohoo!

I love this quote I found on my favorite new friend's site.

No sorrowful tears, no beating of the breast
For a safe repose has taken me.
I dance ring dances with the blessed saints
In the beautiful fields of the righteous.
- Ancient Christian tomb inscription

Beautiful, isn't it?

Yay, for Le Leche League!

Gwyneth recently staged a nursing strike-Adam said he could imagine her with a little picket sign crawling around with a grouchy little look... She is getting some teeth on the top (I figured out after lots of parenting detective work) and refused to nurse from 10am yesterday until we had success at about 8pm! I was bursting to say the least-since she is only 7 months and nursing is still her primary nutrition every 2-3 hours. It was horrible...I would lay her back into position and she would wail this horrible yell I have never heard from her, or she would just put her mouth on and look at me sideways with no latch-on and then sit up crying, or she would bite me and cry immediately from guilt...nursing has always been a beautiful bond between me and my babies and a way I bring comfort and intimacy as well as nourishment to my girls, so this was heartbreaking for me. I worried (since she is eating solids twice a day now and moving on to finger food) that she didn't want it or was weaning. I had to wean Agatha at almost 2 years old-because I wanted to stop-not because she did-so I was not ready for these thoughts. It was hard, and I realize I may need to prepare myself for Gwyn to move on before I am ready. But, I knew it was too early to move on now. I pumped, I gave her some in a bottle (should have used a cup and no artificial nipples I realize now) and she sucked it down. AHHH! What was wrong? SO, finally I called my LLL Leader, Rebecca Konegen, and she is my lifesaver. She has saved me from three nursing catastophies with Gwyn and I owe her some crazy big attachment parenting points! She told me to take a bath with Gwyn and try to nurse in there with the skin to skin, comfy atmosphere. I have to admit it seems wierd to those who have never birthed or nursed-but it worked! (As did the admittedly wierd suggestion of boob soaking in a sink of hot water for mastitis/clogged milk duct, among other helpful things she has told me) Yay for LLL! Yay for Becky! Yay for Gwyn who is now nursing again, gently and with a little pain, but nursing!!! Double Yay for Gwyn who is also crawling now. She started on New Year Day and has now started to really get around. SO many big things happening in her little life-it is no wonder a nursing strike was staged!

Fall colors in January

This is for all you northern CA/Oregon people that complain that we have no Fall in Riverside. Just come over to my house in January and I'll have plenty of fall raking and jumping for you to frolick in. I know it is late, but beautiful just the same! The girls had so much fun jumping (Agatha) and eating (Gwyneth) in the leaves. My real motivation was to finally have some dry stuff for my compost mix!!!

Her laugh is so pure enjoyment! She said, "Mom, this is just like in a book!"

I have had to swipe many leaves from her throat! They can't taste good!

PS. I know I have missing from blogdom for like a month-I'll post some of the things when I am lacking in material later-but things have been crazy with my CLAD classes and every waking moment that hasn't been mommy duty, social outings or Christmas stuff has been my 12 units. But, I finish today!!! Hooray!

I love christmas traditions...

I have so many traditions for Christmas sometimes I overwhelm myself trying to squeeze them all in. Luckily as I have gotten more mature I have realized it can still be a tradition if you miss a year now and then-but they are all so fun and festive. I love holidays-birthdays, anniversaries, valentine's, st Patrick's, you name it...but Christmas takes the cake. Here are some of my favorite traditions we have been doing around the McIntyre household:

Attending a performance of The Nutcracker Ballet. Last year we went to Riverside Ballet, this year to one for kids at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. We went with the Foors, which is always fun since they are our best friends. The girls were all fancy and so well behaved. My favorite is the Sugar Plum Fairy because of her skirt and the fact that I wish I were a ballerina or at least a dancer. I am kinda dance challenged-though I try, and I took ballet as a girl. When I was four that was what I was going to be when I grew up. I just found out that Adam does not enjoy this tradition of mine-maybe I need to save my pennies and take him to a real fancy performance. My Grandma Jo always took me to those swanky ones so I guess I can see the magic that he can't.

Making Cookies and Fudge. This is an old photo-but it tells you how good my fudge is. (Not to brag-but I will). I make butter horns which are equally as fabulous and an secret family recipe from the McIntyre side-seriously I couldn't have the recipe until we were married and then I had to go over and actually make them with my mother in law (so don't even ask for the recipe). I am looking for my own famous cookie as these are both hand me downs, but haven't found the perfect one, so I make a different one each year.

Watching the Balboa Boat Parade. This one is something I grew up in as I am from Orange County as a kid. We love it! We bundle up, go down for dinner at the Fun Zone, ride the ferry over to the island, walk the row of fancy houses all decorated with parties going on (it always seems funny that we common folk are staring in the open sliders at older white rich people in black slacks and red sweaters having foofy holiday parties...). Then we find a spot on the concrete edge of the sidewalk and watch the decorated boats go by with their sound systems blaring holiday music. We bring coco and a blanket and have a blast. Other people have not always seen the magic, but this year we brought the Reids. And they saw the magic. We love them!

Seeing Christmas Lights on Houses...esp. the Chino Lights. Adam is a fiend for Christmas lights. He is very opinionated, and likes white on our house-all facing the same direction. Aaron Foor thought it was me that made him do lights with such passion-but no it is ALL him. We have a great metallurgy Nativity that was custom made for us by Carl Wolnisty on the lawn. It is very nice, but we are thinking of going to LED next year now that they are less expensive and easier to find. I just love the twinkly lights. It is so festive and fun. Some years we drive around Riverside with coco in the car and others we get out to Chino to walk the streets of the neighborhood. Not this year, but some years.

Decorating the house with our tree and collection of Nativities. We started out buying one a year, but we have had 10 Christmases and have about 30 nativities, so I think we buy more than the quota. We have them from all genres now and even have a few from other countries, I love them. I don't decorate with any other symbols of the season really, but that with some garland on the doorways make the house look so festive. We put it all up the day after Thanksgiving so we can enjoy it for the entire month.

Attending the Mission Inn Festival of Lights. We love downtown Riverside so this is a given. It is crazy crowed, but it is fun to be a part of it all. It just kicks off the season. They even have fireworks and Santa counts down to the lighting. There was a slight delay this year and the producer in me was fretting the transition and downtime-but it was perfect as always.

Going caroling. We don't always get to this one-but I grew up with it. Jon and Kathy are throwing a party and I am so excited. My family would always carol at a convalescent home and give care packages or go to shut ins. We did this at a family reunion a few years ago and it was such a beautiful thing to sing and see their faces light up. I should start that here.

Celebrating Advent and Counting Down to Christmas. I grew up in a Presbyterian church and my grandparents are Methodist so the advent wreath was big growing up. It is so nice to snuggle up and read a Christmas story and talk about the ways we can love Jesus more and help people more at Christmas time. And I LOVE the whole countdown thing-the anticipation is one of the best parts of the holiday for me. We have a candy filled advent cupboard that has a daily devotional with it, a felt scene nativity and (my favorite) and stocking line with little stocking stuffers each day for the kids. It has been good this year for Agatha with her number recognition 1-30 that we have been working on in homeschool.

Sending out Christmas cards. I love to get them and read about the year and see pictures. It is such a nice way to keep in touch with people throughout life that have stayed dear to my heart if not in my daily life. I sent 160 this year and could have send 200 if it wasn't so expensive! In a time of email and Internet it almost seems so novel and quaint to send something through the mail and get them in the mailbox. Adam thinks it is fun and participates, but really doesn't care...whenever I am laboring over the list of sendees he always says "Cut them-it's fine-it doesn't matter...boys!

Giving to others in need. We try to do this over the whole year, but this time of year just seems to stand out. There are so may opportunities from Operation Christmas Child through Aggie's preschool, Angel Tree (kids of people in jail) at church, toy drives, etc. But my favorite are the years we have had a family in our lives or people that we have given to specifically. One year when I was a preteen my parents gave everything from dishes, a dining room table, a tree, presents, Christmas dinner, to a bed to a family new to the country. We went over to deliver it and played with the kids all night. It was an amazing Christmas memory. We also spend a portion of our Christmas budget on something like goats in Haiti as our present to extended family and friends. We like to go through World Vision-kinda like Heifer International. My extended family started that one and we don't buy for each other-just for charity. It is such a better use of money and who really needs more stuff or another candle?

Christmas Shopping. On that note I do love to give gifts...it is my love language. I shop all online though. I did one jaunt at Target this year and I was bushed! I love shopping in my PJs during nap and having the box delivered. I have 6 boxes in my front room right now...waiting for wrapping. We wanted to buy Chicco bags (mini canvas bags that fit in a purse or diaper bag) for all the wrapping of presents this year to reduce waste-but that is added cost and we just couldn't do it. Green is expensive sometimes! You do what you can.

Santa's lap. My kids know that Santa is not real (and hopefully I have coached them well enough to not spoil the secret for yours), but we do teach on the magic of Christmas. We talk about the gift of Jesus and the legend around the real St Nicholas. We talk about how Santa is a symbol and a fun way to use our imaginations to celebrate all that. Aggie puts on the Santa hat and we all stuff each other's stockings and eat the cookies and carrots. We pretend Santa things for fun and wink afterward. It is fun. Everywhere we go there have been Santas and she has sat on three laps with minimal line waiting. Though, her first Santa this year was a Nordstrom Santa and after that all other's pale in comparison. The second one got "Is that beard real?" He said "Ho, ho, it itches like it is..."

Christmas at Disneyland. Oh the lights-nobody does lights like Disney. And the castle is amazing. I love the fake snow. The parade could use a reboot, but it is still magical. We went with the Reids this year and saw the reindeer in Sants's village, took Gwyn on Dumbo for the first time and had a wonderful day with the girls.

New Christmas Dresses. My mom used to make them for us at Christmas and Easter, but I waited in Black Friday lines for 45 minutes for these matching Mandarian beauties-does that count? Aren't they cute? Aggie sang a spontaneous Silent Night at our Staff Christmas party this night. She loves to perform!

Happy Birthday Jesus Party. We always got the kids together to celebrate Jesus' birthday with cupcakes, crafts, games and a story time. We didn't this year. I miss my friends!

SO I am sure there are others, but these are what stand out. I LOVE Christmas traditions...got any good ones?

delay in BLOG due to SAD

Have you ever heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder-it stinks, and after many many years of unexplainable depression when I have a seemingly okay life, I have found that this is the pattern of my life. I look back over the years and this is the only common factor to my depression periods-FALL and WINTER-every year like clockwork. I have driven boyfriends away, had lower grades in school, wear clothes out of the unfolded heap that mounts, gotten behind at work, not called back friends, and slept ALOT in the FALL. I have SAD and I am learning to deal with it. But, it makes it hard to get even the regular stuff in like showering and dusting, let alone Christmas trees, cards, college courses, learning records (for work), shopping, infant care, four year old care, you get the picture. I can't even get my email checked, let alone blog. So here is my catch up post...a bunch of one liners(or longer...) to catch up my blogger buddies and family on our life.

I finished one of my four CLAD classes that have to be finished by Dec 31-one, but the biggest one at that. Gotta start another one...

Adam had a fun show with his band Quick Before Sinking at Java Bliss. It was mostly family of the band though. They are really good I think so come see them at the Festival of Lights on the Main Street Walking Mall on Dec 17 from 7-10 or Java Bliss on Dec 20 from 7-9 or the Riverside Plaza Main on Dec 27. Aggie will be there and she is always worth the trip :)

We went to Disneyland with the girls. It is always fun to go with a baby-they are in such amazement. When we rode Small World-the Christmas version-she sat straight up and held the bar watching open mouthed in awe.

Adam and Aggie attended MacKenzie's Narnia play at CAT. She came home beaming that you only have to be six to be in their plays-the countdown to my inevitable "theater mom" days has begun. Adam has already begun to teach her the Lucy lines with an English accent.

We took our Christmas picture at the Life Arts building in Riverside. It was a fun morning as we traded photography skills with Adam and Alyssa. After taking both family shots we took some of the four kids on the grass. They are so cute, but I got a little lump in my throat. It kinda felt like we were trying to document their young friendship before they are separated by the move. Sucky.

We hosted Thanksgiving for my Dad, brother Rick and The Ellis family. Aggie had Mackenzie trapped in her room for hours-though I think he liked it. It was wonderful (Adam makes a mean turkey, my mashed potatoes are great if I do say so, and Leslie makes a mean "pumpkin"-really sweet potato-pie), but my poor Gwyn had horrible GERD problems as I was trying to wean her from the prevacid and we spent the meal and pie time screaming in the bedroom. Good times.

I was a crazy woman trying to be a good friend and try something new and went out Black Friday shopping with Emily. OH MY GRACIOUS. We were cute strolling the mall with our babies strapped to our chests in matching black Moby Wraps, and I got some fancy dresses for my fancy girl, but it was craziness. I waited in line for 45 minutes at H&M and, I must say, pulled off some super mom attachment parenting. I had a diaper bag on my back, $150 worth of fancy dresses on my arm, my bluetooth headset in my ear so I could call Em and Adam with voice activation for various things that came up, and nursed and rocked Gwyn to sleep in the Moby Wrap while standing in line. Though I looked like a dork or freak I am sure (depending on your view of nursing or strollers), I was proud.

We went to the Mission Inn Lighting and it was fabulous..and crowded. I had a broken toe and this point and was petrified that someone would step on it. We decorated the house all day with nativities, a tree and outside light and then went to Taco Station for yummy tamales beforehand to kick off Christmas. The McIntyre and Thornell crowd were there and we got to see the switch on and fireworks with them. Gwyn loved the fireworks except for the grand finale. She looked worried but I just kept smiling and saying YEH! and she caught on. Adam spent $14 on plastic light sabers (one didn't even make it home unbroken). But I got a cool piece of Hispanic Tattoo inspired metallurgy art from a new shop on the walking mall.

My wonderful brother Rick stayed with up for a few days. He help cooked Thanksgiving, put up lights and take care of the girls. He is awesome to have around and my girls love him. We love you Uncle Rick.

We went to a Goodbye Lance lunch at the Grove Grille. Gwyn was having a hard time and I was almost grateful. I could totally avoid the fact that they are leaving. I have been to so many of these things in the last few years, and I don't want another friend to be so far away. I guess I should deal cause it is happening soon.

We went to Gwyn's 6 month check up and she is 16 pounds now. She is growing well even with the GERD. We aren't ready to go off meds and will try again at 7 months. She is rolling over, starting to make jokes (like blowing raspberries on my arm) and sitting up. She rocks on all fours, but doesn't crawl yet. We are hoping it will be by Christmas. We got her vaccinations-which I hate. Adam and I researched it and decided to vaccinate (always asking for the non preservative kind), but I am not comfortable with it. If Adam didn't come to the appointment I know I would decline. I make him hold her and this time Aggie and I even left the room. He said she looked at him this time with anger like Why aren't you protecting me? I just have so may qualms...

I had work meetings this week and even though they are only 2 hours on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning-Gwyn was not down with sitting peacefully like a poster child. Who would be. She wanted to be on the go, or nursing, or sleeping, or anything but sitting. I think I will be starting to leave her with Adam. It is time.

On that note I tried to leave her in Nursery Care for the first time-not quite ready for that one. I don't have Nursery friendly parenting techniques. I use bidegradable gdiaper which they are not willing to try to change, I use a sling which they are frightened of, I don't let my baby cry-ever-which they always let them go for like 10m before getting mom, I hold my baby most of time and they seem to only pick up if they cry, I nurse on cue instead of on a schedule so it is unpredictable and often, and I have a GERD baby who cannot under any circumstance be bounced. Needless to say she was screaming to be nursed, rocked and with heartburn after 25 minutes. Oh, well-just not a good fit for attachment parents. I knew it was a commitment when I chose it. My four year is an independent as can be-so I know it works out in the long run. We'll try again later.

Gwyn took her first bath in the large bath instead of the sink. She was soooo excited that all four arms were flailing. She has so much fun.

Ok, so that is a recap-I will try to not get so far behind. I need to get a lightbox for the SAD thing. Then I have to find time to sit still by a light for 30 minutes. Maybe I could Blog...