Mundane in the Miraculous

Recently I was in a financial seminar and the speaker led off his talk with a practical example.  He said this short phrase that caught my attention: Mundane in the Miraculous. He then went on to give the example of the miracle of life - children. Our babies ARE our little miracles. And with our miracles come the mundane of changing poopy diapers, washing bottles, clothes, towels, sheets, diapers daily.  The mundane that can often seem larger than life. All we can see through our gritty sleep deprived eyes. There are days/moments that we can lose sight of the miraculous.

Sitting here with my precious boy now as he giggles hysterically at his baby praise video - I can see clearly what a miracle I have been given.

My prayer today for myself and all of you my friends, is that we can see clearly our own miracles in our lives, whether it be our children, our jobs (because in this economy it is a miracle that anyone has a job!), our homes, our dilapidated vehicles, our health... Let our eyes be open to the miraculous despite the mundane.  Let our thoughts and words reflect our thankfulness ... Instead of saying "I just did a wack load of dishes! How is this kitchen dirty yet again!"  how about we say "Thank you Father, that we have enough food to dirty these dishes three/four/five times a day."

Rejoice in the mundane tasks that speak of the miracles in our lives.

Tips on diapering

WARNING for the weak of stomach... and the men!: - this blog IS about diapering fiascos! 

Although my son is only 81/2 months old I have been having diapering fiascos for over 7 yrs. Why? Because I have nieces and nephews .. :)  AND I am a super fabulous Auntie who is willing to change diapers.  Case in point - one day when my three yr old nephew was a baby, my sister and I were in the states shopping - he needed a diaper change and she was busy trying on new clothes. SO I graciously brought him out to the car to change him and allow her a few moments longer to shop.  To create a more vivid picture; It was a beautiful summer day and I was wearing a white sundress (ahh my affinity for white strikes again).  So there we are in the Walmart plaza parking lot. Z is on the seat  - I lean over and open his diaper... Z looks at and projectile poops ALL over my white dress!!!!!!  While I'm freaking out and trying to wipe off the mess (or at least the majority of it) that precious boy decides to help me wash off the mess by peeing all over me!  There I stand, laughing (because at this point what else can I do) covered in total nastiness while my nephew lays on the seat smiling at me.  (Please note to this day he remains a ripster!!!)

So you would think after such incidences that I would have developed amazing diapering skills .. no?  That's right .. NO! 

Remember how I told you that my son is a world class poopster? Well I think that I am a world class messter of diapering. (Yes I do enjoy making up words. One day you will see a new dictionary on the market written by yours truly).

So here's my current story of the day. AND my tip.

Tip #1 - ALWAYS expect the worst when changing a diaper. Don't think to yourself, 'Self, there's no odor and no oozing, this clearly is just a wet one and it will be fast and easy."  By doing this you set yourself up for the following:

I went upstairs to change my son. No odor, no oozing.. so I figured this change would be a snap! (Mistake #1)  I laid him on the change table and whipped open that diaper (Mistake #2). I was greeted by foulness!  Gagging I reached for the wipes... ONLY to discover that I hadn't restocked my cloth wipes! 

Tip #2 - Make sure you have WIPES nearby before you open the diaper.

OH NO... groaning and still trying to hold a squirming infant down with a half open poopy diaper, I reach under the change table to locate my stash of disposable wipes.... I come up empty... RATS NO this cannot be happening.. THEN the unbelievable happens. I sneeze. NOW some of you know me and the volatile potential of an Erin sneeze.  When I sneeze I do it right.. ...... there I am eyes watering from the both the smell and the powerful sneeze I just emitted, one hand holding the diaper closed (don't ask me why i didn't just re snap it.. in the moment I wasn't thinking) the other hand trying desperately to reach the closet for some wash cloths to at the very least wipe the mess all over my own face! (how's this for a nasty picture)  J is laughing at me the whole time (wonderful son that he is).  I managed to grab a few wash cloths (dry mind you) I sop up some of my mess, then proceed to wipe up my son.  Just as I finishing up, thinking "phew got through that one" I go to move the dirty diaper without looking properly (Mistake # 3) AND in goes my finger directly into the mess... ARRRHGHHGHGHG.... (that's me screaming)  What a fiasco.

Tip #3 - Watch where you reach.

All to bring me to the following conclusion - I HATE poop!

So what have we learned today?

• NEVER assume its just a wet one
• ALWAYS make sure you have wipes BEFORE you open the diaper
• LOOK before reaching! - you never know where your finger will land
• and finally in honour of my Wado who is forever trying to teach me how to sneeze - OPEN your mouth while sneezing - it releases the pressure so everything isn't forced from your nose!

That's all today on my tips for successful diapering.  :)

Here's wishing you all a Happy Poopfree day (hopefully!)

Cloth diapering

have i mentioned that we are a cloth diapering home?  well we are.. most days.  I think that I should provide for you an honest review of cloth diapering. Have you ever noticed how cloth diapering mama's go on and on about how AMAZING it is.. about how much healthier their baby's skin is.. how much money they save.. how they're doing their amazing part to save the environment... and most importantly how it's soo easy! lol.. WELL here is my review on cloth diapering.  IT'S Freaking hard work!  It stinks.. its messy ... it costs a lot because a) cute diapers are addictive b) you keep thinking to yourself "Self if you buy more diapers you'll have to do laundry less often" and c) sorry I don't think there was a c... i was just on a roll!

Bottom line... some days I'm just not sure what the heck I got myself into. And on those days that I just can't wash out one more poopy diaper I have what I call 'Disposable' days.  Those are the days that I, without guilt or shame, use disposable diapers all day long. The trouble lately is that I am going on day #4 of Disposable days.. yikes... Do I like cloth diapering? Absolutely.. I think! lol...

Can I tell you about this magical tool that cloth diapering Mama's are told will make their lives better?  A diaper sprayer. It's this nifty cord thingy with a sprayer that attaches to your toilet so you can spray the poop vs. rubbing in the toilet bowl.  Doesn't that sound fanfreakintastic?  I thought so. And so a diaper sprayer was installed in my bathroom.  Guess what?  it sprays.. it sprays EVERYWHERE!!!! ughhh... I have tried to lower the spray's power thinking that would help but nope... it sprays.. all over my feet and since my shower curtain hangs conveniently right beside the toilet I am forever washing it out because I am convinced it isn't just water that's spraying but also particles of poop..... sigh....

This is what I'm convinced of. Disposable diapers were invented because cloth diapers are a lot of work, and slightly disgusting. UNFORTUNATELY they were not created in such a way that the environment wouldn't be destroyed, babies skin wouldn't become rashy, and yes I have read all the research on how babies who wear disposables have been found to have some cancer gene or something in their skin.... sigh....

Bottom line: I will continue to be a cloth diapering Mama because I do see the benefits.. but I will not lie and say it's sooo easy!

I will say this - the only times my son has "pooped up his back" has been when he's been wearing a disposable! Yeah one for the cloth diapering team! :)

K - here is my memory lane poop story....

So one day not too long ago my son and I were sitting on my bed playing. He was clad in one of his over the top adorable cloth diapers (for all their cons nothing can beat the adorability of cloth diapers).  To set the stage - I have a white bedroom. Pristine white duvet, shams etc.  and purple accents. Very fresh, pretty bedroom (my husband LOVES me for it!)  so there we are laughing and tickling and have a wonderful time. I went to stand up my son and noticed oozing green stuff pouring from the side of his diaper... NOOOO!!!!   I yelled and leaped from the bed (baby in arms)  Please note that in leaping from the bed with him in my arms meant that that oozing mess was now all over me as well... At the time all I cared about was my bed... That child managed to saturate my duvet cover, duvet, sheets AND MATTRESS!!!!!!!  I did tell you earlier that he is a world class poopster right?  oh man... I have never been sooo grossed out in my entire life. I'm pretty sure Wado got a call that day saying "We need a new duvet, duvet cover and sheets NOW.. possibly a mattress too because I cannot deal with this."

Needless to say both myself and the little peanut went straight to the shower to rid ourselves of the nastiness...

I was successful (if that word can even be used here) to clean my bed... To a casual observer my bed is still white. But I can see where the stain is. Pristine white is a colour of the past :(  My sister in law has always told me to enjoy my white (its my favourite colour) because one day I would have kids and would never be able to keep it white.... I think she cursed me!

The next few days were most definitely Disposable days! Can you blame me?

Well - I hope you weren't reading this while eating.. if so you have my sincerest of apologies.

That's all the poop stories for today!  :)  I'll tell you about all the mishaps of diapering and winding up covered tomorrow.

For now my bed is calling my name :) My less then pristine white bed that is....

Here's to the hopes that we all will have a messless day tomorrow :)

And if you're a cloth diapering Mama.. forgive me for my brutal honesty today.. I shall not give up no matter how hard it becomes. :)

a little bit of this and that

So in keeping with my first post in which I promised you I'd go back a little and start from the beginning.. here it is!

I was born on Nov 9 ... just joking.. I know that MY beginnings are not quite what we're all hoping for!

SO my little peanut was born Oct 6, 2010.... just 81/2 short months ago.. ALTHOUGH.. those 8 1/2 months when he was inside me didn't feel quite that short! lol.. Perspective really is an amazing thing.  After horrid labour (really though who has had good labour? AND if you HAVE had a great amazing wonderful labour experience.. PLEASE keep it to yourself! :)) my lil gapher entered the world.  In that moment I think I decided only children were the way to go! lol...

In the hospital he uttered not a peep... no crying nothing! And in our new parent naiveté Wado and I declared our boy to be perfect... (he doesn't even cry!)  oh boy... isn't the newness of parenthood wonderful in that you really have no idea WHAT is coming :).... My wonderful son saved all his wails for the privacy of our own home... (perhaps he wanted to continue with that 'perfect' image in front of others.) The next four months were a daily scramble of what is wrong with him! Did you feed him? YES... does he need to be changed? NO I just changed him. Rock him, bounce him, burp him... try rubbing his belly... maybe its gas... oh boy... Am i painting a familiar image for you? I remember a friend of mine saying once " I didn't want to throw my daughter out the window... I wanted to JUMP!" lol... oh  the joys of the early days.
And yet my mother would comfort me with.. it won't last forever. If he just wants to be rocked then rock him. Don't worry about a clean house or food on the table. SHOWERS? A thing of the past. Just snuggle and snuggle and snuggle some more.
At the time... when you're head is ringing with crying it sure does feel like forever doesn't it!  I remember one day my husband came home from work and I met him at the door with our son in his car seat. I wouldn't even let him in the house... i handed him the carseat and our boy and said, "GO! I need at least one hour of not hearing any crying!"  Bless his heart, he did just that! :)

But at some point, that all changed. My sister in law is forever telling me to write things down cuz i'll forget... and I have :(  forgotten that is.... SO this blog is also to help me remember! My way of writing things down.

Now I do believe I DO have the perfect child! lol yeah right.....

Today has been all snuggles b/c he has a fever and is not feeling all too good.  I love it when he's in his snuggly moods because the more active he gets the less he seems to want to snuggle until one day he'll be like my 7 yr old nephew who doesn't want any hugs and kisses... :(  For the time being i'm still his entire world and I surely love those adoring eyes that look at me and say, "Momma. how I love you."

Forgive me for my rambling - not sure if i'm indeed doing the whole blog world properly (are there rules to this?) In any case.  That's it for today. Off to do more Mommying. (yes its a word)

In the blink of an eye

In the short 4 weeks that I have been getting to know my son - I have discovered one thing. The answer for everything is “Honey I think he’s hungry.”  He could have LITERALLY just finished eating and whimper and my beloved will look at me with concern in his eyes “ Do you think he’s hungry?” !!!!  NO no I do not think he’s hungry. That child is so full he’s oozing milk from the sides of his delightful little mouth! I understand though. Its the feeling of helplessness. Oh do I now understand. Holding a crying infant that has been fed, changed, clothed and is warm but who continues to cry.  Helplessness. Not knowing what to do - how to help - what’s even wrong. Nothing soothing him.  My latest attempt at dealing with my own feelings of helplessness have resulting in convincing myself he cries because he likes to hear the sound of his own voice (not completely unlikely with me as his mother! ) The reality is though - there are times and will continue to be times, that I will not be able to meet his every need.  Even as his mother (heaven forbid!) A good lesson I think we all need to remember. That feeling of helplessness. In our weakness HE is made strong. Already in 4 short weeks I have prayed over my son that My Heavenly Father would comfort him, and touch him as I had no clue what to do. And HE IS FAITHFUL. In your own areas of helplessness - when there is a problem and you are simply helpless to know what to do - maybe its a financial crisis - a loved one in pain. you in your own strength can do nothing. Remember then the One who hears our cries and will never leave us or forsake us.  God alone is able to meet every need. Trust that HE is NEVER helpless and lean on His strength.


I was looking through past things I've written and came across this short entry.  wow does that ever feel like a century ago. how much time has changed things - one my son no longer cries incessantly (Praise you Father!)  In remembering this though, it brings to mind something EVERY parent loves to say to new parents... enjoy them now - cuz they grow up soo quickly. And in each moment - well it just feels like its going to last forever. I can remember (my memory isn't THAT far gone) how exhausted, frustrated and tired I was in the beginning.  Feeling like I would never sleep again.... now my son is nearly 9 months old! Such a big boy, naps and sleeps for the night all by himself.... Then tonight, after I put him to bed he simply would not settle down, so I went upstairs, took him from his crib and snuggled with him in the rocking chair. That darling child laid his head on my shoulder and promptly fell asleep. How many books do we as parents read that tell us to never rock our child to sleep..heaven forbid that we and they should enjoy that unique feeling of closeness.... I won't lie I continued to rock my baby boy for a long time this evening. For a while I simply gazed at him and adored every feature upon his lovely face. Then I rested my head, closed my eyes and just rocked with my boy.  To the writers out there that discourage this - shame on you!  Or maybe its pity I feel ... pity that in your desire to maintain schedule and consistency you miss the beauty of rocking your baby.  To all my mama friends... Rock your baby if that's what they need. (ok maybe not every night.... ) but still... in the blink of an eye, i'm looking back to when he was 4 wks old and I felt completely helpless to ease his tears.... and now... ahhh time passes too quickly.  


Goodnight dear friends.  I pray that you and your little ones enjoy sweet bonding.

and so the day begins

Goodmorning my friends;

I have decided that I really need to invent some sort of job in which a person can sleep until whatever hour of the morning he/she so chooses and not be regarded as a sloth.  When that happens I will most definitely pass along my newfound wisdom! Until then, here I, and I imagine all of you, sit rubbing my eyes.  The funny thing about my blog title is that a) I don't know how to make coffee (that is to say, each time I DO make coffee it tastes simply wretched) and b) I really don't actually LIKE coffee. Wado says I like cream and sugar with a little bit of coffee... AND YET, whenever I wake (or don't fully wake) feeling like I've been hit by a mack truck, well I want a coffee. Maybe it's the idea of coffee that I want perhaps on some psychological level just holding a cup of hot coffee does wake me slightly. Regardless of the reason, this morning I REALLY could use a cup of coffee... unfortunately my husband has already left for work and there is no coffee for me... :(  I wonder if holding a cup of hot water would do the same thing!

To my absolute pleasure - my son slept from 11 pm last night until 8 am!  What a good boy... I should be feeling ready to conquer the world.... I think I may be broken, irreparably and no longer able to function on any amount of sleep.  Whoever said that once you become a mother, you get used to functioning on no sleep lied!

Have I mentioned that I take care of twin 3 yr olds?  They are really great kids (thankfully, because twins are a lot of work - especially at 3 yrs old!!!)  they are here, bouncing off the walls - I wonder when it happens that you lose all that energy and become... tired?

Well I think this morning calls for pancakes and hot chocolate. Yes I do believe that if anything will kick me into gear that's what it will be! SO I'm off to whip up a batch of fluffy homemade pancakes. Hopefully this will get my brain back to functioning and then I will begin to dig into my memoirs (of all of 5 months!) and tell you the tale of how my little family came to be!

So - if you too are struggling with morning today - then I hope you have either the opportunity to hold a cup of warm if not disgusting coffee OR to indulge in some pancakes and hot cocoa :)

Until a warmer and fuller belly then my friends.

A little beginning

I can't even begin to count the number of times Wado (my husband) has told me - you really should write a poop blog... all the while laughing hysterically as I recounted the Poop fiasco of the day.  You see my beloved son is a world class poopster! Truly - I have never met such a phenomenal little man.. you would think that such a small little peanut would not be able to produce what he can... this coupled with my incredible genius for fouling up diaper changing and winding up covered... well it produces quite a great deal of laughter from my husband.  You should know that I am usually NOT laughing at the time... :(  all this to say, it got me thinking that maybe someone would like to share a laugh or two at my expense. If anyone can relate to needing a good laugh to release frustrations at the end of the day it is me :) SO while I don't think it would behoove me to write each and every day about poop.. because let's face it that's just a tad disgusting, I will make every effort to regale you with my (and my son's) escapades of the day. And if by chance this helps you laugh and think to yourself.. YES I can do one more day of this tiresome "Motherhood gig" i've got going on - then my day will be fuller for the sharing :)
As I write my precious lil peanut is in slumber land. I really should be joining as tomorrow will arrive all too soon, however I sit here and write because after a long day my brain needs time to unwind.

Possibly I should begin at the beginning, so over the next few posts I will attempt to bring you up to speed and recount of few stories of the past :)  Maybe I will be the only one reading but it will be fun to go back and remember :)

So for now, have a great night. I hope your little ones allow you rest this night and that in the morning you will feel refreshed and not crying out for your cup of coffee!

Until tomorrow then, my new friends.