Otis Spunkmeyer Challenge

Have you ever bought the Otis Spunkmeyer cookies at the grocery store?  They have very specific instructions on cooking: 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes.  And to truly capture the goodness of the cookie, you have to cook them in my oven at 325 degrees for exactly 18 minutes.  So I put my cookies in and set my trusty timer.  This is where my challenge comes in: What can I do in 18 minutes!

Each day at work, it my seem like it takes forever to go by.  Then there is the old quote "Time flies when your having fun", So I have taken the Otis Spunkmeyer Challenge.  What can I accomplish in my house in 18 minutes.  There are some sample items I do that you may can do in your Otis Spunkmeyer time!

• Empty Dish strainer
• Empty All Trash cans in the house
• fold 2 loads of clothes
• clean out Benjamin's clothes
• Clean out 1 drawer in my room
• Take a full 16.5 minute shower
• clean out mail
• update Calendar
• Write blog post and check email

Now there are many other things to do.  Each time I make these cookies I challenge myself to see just what I can get accomplished in this time.  For me its like a reward for my cookies- How fun :) 

So my challenge to you is make the most of your 18 minutes and see what you can get accomplished.  For me its become a game and too a rewarding one!

"Man I feel Like a Woman"

What a great song... Shania Twain's "Man, I feel like a woman".   Tonight some thoughts of this came to mind.  I was talking with my friend earlier this week and in our chat I could tell she was beyond overwhelmed.  She was overwhelmed by finances, money, schedules, calendars, organizing, grocery shopping, weight, dieting, food, children and work.  I could feel the tension in her soul as we spoke.  As women, we go through life like this.  Living in a constant whirlwind of feelings and fiasco's that rule our mind and time.

As I was exercising today I begin to feel this energy that I was doing something good for me!  That I was taking time out of my schedule, in between all of the chaos in my schedule, I took out time that was important.  (Now as a disclaimer, I do understand that some women's schedules are way different, way more, more children, homework, etc.  Mine right now only consists of a 12 week old, husband, dog, house repairs, job, and church.  This can be overwhelming.)

So my question is- What as a women do you do for yourself? To feel like a woman?   Here are some good examples of way to feel like a woman. 

1.  Exercising- gives you energy, increases your confidence
2.  Pedicures - even if you don't buy them, then give them to yourself at home
3. Hot Shower or Bath- relax, burn a candle, spray a room fragrance
4. Go Shopping or Window Shop-  be out into the open with everyone for fresh air.
5.  Fix your hair in a new style :)
6.  Read a Magazine
7.  Chat with a girlfriend
8.  Wear High Heels
9.  Put on Lipstick or Lipgloss - instant shine!
10.  Mark one thing off of your to-do list.  (Even if it is just one thing- don't pressure yourself)

What makes you feel like a woman?  do you have a routine?  It is so important to feel like a woman. You are confidant in yourself and it makes you more confidant in your marriage.   Confidance is like a happiness- it grows, but it grows from you finding it within yourself and your situation. So for my friend "C", take time for yourself and find out who you are -- We can spreadsheet the rest ;)

Learning

Each day with a baby, I find that I learn more and more about him and about life as well. One thought that passes over every parents mind is that, will my child be a "lap baby" have "lap fever" or "lap colic". There are so many names of this, and it makes every parent fear holding their baby for too long. Another concern is those cries that follow after putting him or her down.

I'll admit that we started out with the thoughts of should we let him cry it out? We tried this for one night. That is all we could stand. The sound of hearing him cry in agony was too much for the both of us. We eventually caved in and picked him up. In our new parent ignorance we didn't associate that he was trying to tell us something, (we only saw it as "he has to self soothe. We cannot make him a lap baby dependent on us holding him".) Perhaps he had a wet diaper, he was hot, he was cold, none the less- his needs were not being met. I recently read an article that said that holding a child too much in the first 8-12 months is not a bad idea. During this time babies cannot communicate what they need so crying is the only way they are able to communicate to explain what is wrong. After reading the article I thought 'this is elementary concepts' but it truly is eye-opening for some parents to realize they are not "enabling" their child to be held constantly. [As a side note, there are parents who do hold their children constantly, and the child does be coming dependent. My only thoughts here are for children who have "the cry", not those who just cry because they do not want to go to bed]


I recall a couple of weeks ago a little incident where crying and holding was a factor.
Picture this: (yes, I do love the Golden Girls), my mom and I are in Marshall's shopping with Benjamin. We have him in the stroller and we are navigating through the store. Suddenly Benjamin awakes and decides to cry. Not just any cry though, it was so loud it seemed to echo through the entire store. I picked him up and the crying subsided a bit. I did get him back into a state of "calmness" so I proceeded to put him back into the stroller so I could check out some new picture frames. Then he started again. Same loud, echoing cry as before. I picked him back up only to think "hum maybe his diaper needs changing?" So I go and get my portable diaper changer and change his wet diaper. After that, I assumed we would be in the clear and could finish our treasure hunts in Marshall's. But the crying only grew louder, and louder and louder until almost everyone in the store was looking at me.... (Yes, this was my first and I'm positive not my last embarrassing experience in a store.) Through all this, Benjamin was trying to communicate something to me. I first assumed it was because I wasn't holding him or directing all of my attention to him, but in fact there was something wrong that I couldn't figure out immediately but whatever it was besides the diaper, he needed me to hold him and assure him that I was there.


Babies find that security in their parents. Through their touch, their closeness and their talk. Overall I am learning. Although I sometimes grow frustrated of his crying constantly when I put him down, I understand there is something wrong, whether it be dirty diaper, acid reflux hunger or just wanting to cry, I know that his needs aren't being met and he just wants me to hold him and to assure him, I am here for him.

During these times no frustration, I frequently remind myself of the song...

"You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this"

I then begin to savor every cry, coo, finger grip, and hold I can get...

Changes

Today was my first day back at work after being on maternity leave for a mere 6 weeks.  Yes, I would have like to taken longer, but my circumstance and job did not allow me to take any more time.  It was quite difficult for me to return to work and leave Benjamin, but too I understand change has come about and I must embrace it openly.   With that,the past 6 weeks have brought about so many changes, I cannot begin to ever fathom it.  I have also learned an important part of change, and that is, where there is change there is also patience.  Some examples:

• Change of a new baby, patience needed in getting sleep, feeding schedules, learning his needs and wants
• Changes in family life, patience needed in learning your spouses needs, your families needs, in-laws needs, scheduling visits, vacations, date nights
• Changes in jobs, require patience to accept the changes and await when they are going to take place. 
• Overall change requires patience to accept the inevitable which you cannot change. 

I have not been praying for patience specifically but I have been praying for the specific scenarios in each area of change in my life that God will bring his will and guide and direct my life.  Also for God to bring understanding about change and patience and how they impact my life.

To Babble

According to Dictionary.com to babble means:

"1. to utter sounds or words imperfectly, indistinctly, or without meaning.

2. to talk idly, irrationally, excessively, or foolishly; chatter or prattle.

3. to make a continuous, murmuring sound."

 

Babble is a better verb for "imperfect" words rather than rambling although here in the south, we often refer to someone "rambling about their life."  We most commonly refer to children or babies babble or we say "babbling idiots".  After considering what I wanted my blog to be about a knew it was my daily babble on life, love, family, babies, products and findings. 

 

Enjoy the daily babble and its sometimes irrational, idle chatter and sometimes definatly without meaning.