Friday, January 27, 2017

Bonding with Stray Cats, Getting Brave on the Phone, and Spilling Vinegar (7QT)

Happy Friday, everyone! It's been quite a while since I've compiled some random happenings in the form of 7 quick takes, so I figured that today would be a fabulous opportunity. Plus, it's my last day of being 23 years old, so I need to do something random and spontaneous on this blog-so why not join Kelly & the other awesome people of the blogging world?  



1. On Wednesday, my husband invited some of his friends over so that they could play video games together. 
I figured that it would be a prime opportunity to escape to the library. So, Peter and I rushed to the parking lot and...heard a lot of meowing. Several yards away, I saw 3 or 4 stray cats coming towards each other from various outposts, like a team congregating for a meeting. So, I did the only acceptable action: I began loudly meowing back at them. To my complete surprise, one of the cats actually looked at me, began walking towards me and meowed back! When it grew silent, I meowed back, and before you know it, I'm having a back-and-forth conversation with this cat who is staring intently at me. It was intense, guys. As I walked over to my car, I suddenly realized how good it was that no one else was standing in the parking lot to witness this strange event...and then, right as I slipped in the car, one of my husband's friends walked outside. I'm so glad that he hadn't come outside 30 seconds earlier, otherwise things could have gotten really weird.

2. On the topic of my husband's gaming, allow me to share a snippet of what life looks like when video gamers invade our apartment:


This is a screenshot of one of the matches which was on my husband's video game stream. In the foreground of the camera, my husband and his friends sit and chat with the viewers and each other. And in the background, you can see me breastfeeding a baby while reading a book on organic urban farming. This just seems like a "one of these things is not like the others" moment, and I think it's hilarious. 

3. I love talking on the phone with friends, and I've never had a problem calling businesses about different things. However, this week, I was terrified to pick up my phone, but I knew it had to be done. 
Just the other day, I became aware that legislation was introduced in Oklahoma which would harm the practice of midwifery (you can read the bills here and here). I gave birth in a hospital with a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife), not with a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) at home, but I am still very riled up about this issue. I'm a big believer in birth choices, and that if a woman wants to birth at home with a professional midwife, then she should be allowed to do so! I read several articles which stated that calling senators, as opposed to sending them e-mails, does the most good. I had never called a politician's office before, and I was so scared. I have no idea why I was scared, but I was. I did it, though (it only took a couple minutes, too)!

4. The other night, I discovered this glorious muffin cookbook at the library, and my life has been changed.
In preparation for a breakfast-y tea that I'm co-hosting in February, I decided that I needed to expand my muffin vocabulary (since it currently only really consists of chocolate muffins and banana muffins). This cookbook, I was excited to discover, features mainly recipes for savory muffins. I'm eyeing some mustard-and-ham muffins for the tea, and I'm pretty excited. Today, I spontaneously decided to make some carrot muffins, and I'm currently enjoying one (and my baby has been going teething-crazy, so I drenched it in cream cheese frosting and it's the best thing ever).

5. This week marks my first full week of using reusable toilet paper, and I am loving it!
Maybe that's a bit too much information for you. You probably don't care about what kind of toilet paper I use. But I'm still really excited, and just had to share. Not only is this good for the environment and saves me money on toilet paper, but using little cloths instead of paper to wipe feels nicer! Why don't more people do this???

6. Does anyone out there have advice for a frazzled mom whose 7 1/2 month old has decided to stop napping consistently???

Right around his "6 month old" mark, my sweet baby decided that his regular, 2-3 hour daily naps would cease to be a regular occurrence. Add in lots of holiday traveling, and his schedule just got extremely unpredictable and crazy. Now that we're back in "normal life," I'm trying to find our new rhythm so that I'm not trying to force us into a schedule that's not working anymore. And though I have been trying to be fairly consistent with putting him down at the same time, most days he won't sleep and will rage instead, until I finally decide that he's just not going to nap. He's thriving off of short power naps in my lap which is great for him, but not so great for me (I need a chunk of baby-free time to do stuff!!). I taught myself how to wear him on my back, which has been a game-changer and totally awesome...until I need to use the restroom or do something else that's difficult with a sizable baby on one's back. So, I am open to any delightful or weird suggestions that you all have. Please, share your wisdom!

7. I've embarked on the journey of fermenting, so my whole kitchen currently smells like apple cider vinegar.

When we came back from Christmas with my in-laws, my mother-in-law sent an apple cider vinegar scoby along with us. Since I tend to be very good at killing plants and various projects (those poor caterpillars that, despite my efforts, never grew to be monarch butterflies!), I was a little scared that I would manage to make a bunch of mold and/or kill off the scoby. But so far, I think it's going well-except for the fact that when I strained the apples out today, I managed to spill a bunch of liquid on my kitchen counter, so my entire kitchen smells strongly of ACV. While I'm not a huge fan of this smell, I guess it gives me hope that I'm doing something right, because I think I may be successful in this project of making apple cider vinegar! (though it's too soon to say for sure)

There you have it! Seven snippets from my last week of being 23 years old. It's been great, and I'm excited to see what being 24 looks like :) Please join me in offering prayers for those attending the March for Life in Washington D.C.! I hope and pray that all people, regardless of political or religious backgrounds can come together in loving unity to respect the unborn and their families. 

7 comments:

  1. I loooooove muffins!!! Nothing like a muffin and a cup of tea for an afternoon snack!!

    The nap thing. Ugh. Just solidarity. G will at least nap in the carrier if I'm fairly still (like reading or computer work) for an hour or two, but pretty much won't nap anywhere else, so I get zero baby-less time these days. Does Peter sleep with you at night or in his crib? Is it just naps he doesn't like?

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  2. I'm sitting here LOL'ing as I picture the cat scene. So funny! I really got nothing as far as the no-nap goes because my baby has been a terrible napper since he was 3 months old. I think eventually they get back into a groove (well, my older 2 did) so I keep telling myself this is temporary. (But it's so hard, I get it!)

    So about the toilet paper...do you cloth diaper too? Is it basically the same thing where you wash everything in the washing machine? Curious minds and all... and happy early birthday!!

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  3. Hang in there with the non napping baby. I know it's rough. Laura got up four times last night, and did not take a nap today, so I am feeling your pain! Maybe a bath before nap time? That can help sometimes. I'm to the point where she just needs to figure it out. (That involves crying). If her needs are met, she's not hungry, I know she's tired, then I tend to just wait it out. She eventually settles down and then is better for it once she gets up. But that doesn't work I for everyone. Until you both figure it out, the amazing muffin book should help ;)

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  4. #2 is too funny. One of these things is not like the other indeed...

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  5. It seems like the nap struggles never go away! We've recently instituted a "rest time" where my older girl has to sit on her bed and play quietly for a time each afternoon because many days she doesn't nap anymore.
    Anyway, we've found it helpful to use room-darkening curtains and white noise with both of my little ones. I'm not sure if you've tried these or not. :-)

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  6. I've never tried calling, but I know that a written letter is better than an email so I've written (well, printed out) letters to my senator and once to our school superintendent about something I thought was really important.

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  7. #1 On the list IS ME!!! I recently stopped to have a conversation with and pet a cat sitting outside of a boutique located in a house. After it decided to be on it's way, I started to leave the owner came out and called after me. Apparently she thought I'd stolen the cat.

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