A broken dryer, a week with no iPhone and sun = my bliss!

A few weeks ago our dryer started making this awful squealing sound. Come to find out it's the belt that needs to be replaced. Babe tried to fix it and I got a couple of loads washed and dried but for the most part I've been relying on the good old clothesline to do the job! I have to admit that I absolutely love it. Each morning I wash a load and hang one on the line to dry. The morning sun beaming down as I clip each article of clothing to the line and the sound of the kids playing in the background makes me smile. I love the smell as I hang the freshly washed clothes. So for now, our dryer has yet to be replaced and as long as the sun keeps shining I could get used to this!

It's been a whole week with no iPhone. Yes, I have survived! It's been a tough week but also a very refreshing week. I made the switch last Tuesday and I walked out feeling a sense of freedom. That followed by a feeling of panic; what if I miss an email or miss a good "deal" because I didn't get the alert or what if I need the map to help direct me. It's been a week of mixed emotions but I am starting to really enjoy this new found freedom. I don't feel as though I need to have it with me at all moments of the day, attached to me like another limb. I have now put down my basic phone and have begun to enjoy the simple pleasures that surround me. The sound of my children laughing, the smell of clothes drying on the line, birds chirping and the beautiful glowing sun. I have started running and am training for a half marathon in August (with my sister and a good friend!) and I look forward to my runs each day. I used to look forward to Instagram or Pinterest or Facebook but now I'm finding other things that make me happy. Perhaps it's the season and all the sun or perhaps it's the fact that I've been running more or maybe it really is because I've given up something that I was once so reliant on. Whatever it is, I'm feeling happy and have more energy. The bored moments within the day, because yes being with children all day solo can get a bit boring at times, I'm not reaching for a device. Instead, I'm sitting back being bored watching them play or puttering around planting my gardens, washing dishes, cooking, or reading a few pages in a magazine or book.


It's amazing what a broken dryer and a disconnect from the smartphone world can do for a mama! I am happy and I think I really am on to something by putting the do it all phone away and going back to the basics. I am enjoying my kids and I am certain that they are enjoying having me fully present. They are relishing in reading books with mama or playing hockey/baseball in the driveway with me or cooking. My hubby too is enjoying me not having my nose in a phone when he's home!{For the record, there are times that I make calls when my kids are awake and there are times that I check something on the internet; I am not completely disconnected, just disconnected from a carry with me all the time iPhone!!} It's a change, a huge change when you get used to having one, but in the end I've learned that nothing is as important as watching my kids grow and creating memories with them.

So here's to another three weeks sans iPhone and hopefully longer after that.. I think I've realized now that I can do it!

-Megs

The First Last Day of School

Hello Friends,  it has been a while.  It's amazing how fast time slips by, isn't it?

Today was our last day at Waldorf School and it was bitter sweet saying goodbye.  We've made some amazing friends along the way and it was hard saying goodbye.  But summer is upon us and that means sunshine, travel, spending lots of time outside and hopefully a lot of camping.  

What we've learned at the Waldorf School will certainly follow us this summer.  It's taught me to slow down and enjoy life but especially my daughter.  I've learned that the things I thought were a big deal really aren't and the little things that didn't seem to matter really do.  Like looking for bugs, and how beautiful flowers really truly are, but mostly to slow down and enjoy the adventure, that it's about the journey not the destination.

Bug doesn't do well with goodbye's so she pretty much hung back and hugged Bia (her blanket).  We all promised we'd keep in touch and have plans to get together already.  There is also going to be an informal gathering at a local park each week for the kids to play and the parents to talk, which I'm looking forward to (anyone who's in the Madison area who's interested, contact me here and I can send you the information).  The idea is to build community so everyone is invited, Waldorf or not.

I'm grateful for all I've learned and for the friends I've made.  Bug and I will miss our Monday Waldorf days, but we've come away with something beautiful.  New friends.

Each class we end with circle time.  There's one song that the kids love to sing and I think it's perfect to end with it. 

"Make new friends, but keep the old.

 One is silver and the others gold.

 The circle grows, it has not end.

 That's how long I want to be your friend." 

~Jess

These are the felt projects we've been working on each week. 

The names we trust...

When J was a baby I was showered with all sorts of "name brand" products. Johnson and Johnson lotion and soap, Desitin, Pampers and Huggies, Dreft laundry soap, Banana Boat sunscreen for kids... The list goes on. My decision to cloth diaper him at five months jump started a transformation in me that has since become a bit of an obsession! The big kicker for me came when J was a year and a half and we were told to watch the movie 'Food Inc'. Wow, I think that's all I can muster. It was a life changing movie for both Z and me and we have since completely changed the way we live.

I research anything and everything I put on or in my kids bodies. I was amazed to find that many of these "name brand" products are actually filled with soo many chemicals. Some of which are cancer causing agents. What a scary thought to think I am putting these things on my brand new little baby.

At first I felt angry. How can these companies willingly put these chemicals in to our children's soap, detergents, sunblocks, our food. We trust these companies to supply us with safe products for our families. My anger quickly turned to "how can I change this in my house". I slowly started to integrate different products in to our homes. I weeded out the bad, fairly quickly, and brought in some safer alternatives. I admit, it was very overwhelming at first. Food was the slowest change. We started with meat. We had always trusted Gold 'n' Plump as our source of chicken; they're "all natural" right? What a crock! I learned so much about these mass produced companies and I'm fairly certain neither Z nor I will ever buy it again. Beef has been out of our diet (with an occasional grass fed splurge here and there) for the past two years; mostly because neither of us really care too much for it. It was definitely a hard change for both of us, Z especially though. We went from eating meat with almost every dinner meal to eating organic meat a couple of times a week. Our palates have changed drastically over the past two years and we are exploring many other foods.

After we made the meat change we started to buy our fruits and vegetables organic off of the "dirty dozen" list. J loves apples and they were one of the highest in pesticides so we always buy them organic. Peppers are also one of the top in pesticides so we either buy organic (which is super expensive) or from the farmers market or we just don't buy them very often!

Our most recent change came when we joined a co-op this past fall. We try and buy all of our food either organic or locally from the co-op. Cheese is really expensive organic but if you buy it locally from a co-op it's really not too bad. Instead of buying all organic meat we buy a lot of it from local farms around here and same goes with eggs. I trust the co-op and I trust that they research/visit the farms where the food is produced from. We have started buying fruits and vegetables in season and we love the farmers markets!!

The same goes for our products. We buy our Castile soap in bulk from the co-op, for all of us. We use a laundry soap called Ecos that is sold for a really good price at Costco! The sunblocks we choose to use are Badger, CA Baby, and Alba. These have very few chemicals in them- you can research all sunblocks and what is in them on the EWG sunblock guide page. My sister and I both make our own homemade deodorant (it's crazy cheap and you'll find it works amazingly well!). I use Booty Balm on my kids bottoms or coconut oil if I am out. We try and use essential oils, vitamins and homeopaths to fight off infections and keep our immune systems up.

What I have learned over the past three years since starting this transformation is that name brand isn't always best. My intentions behind writing this blog are not to preach or to scare you but to inform you on what is out there. I wish I had known more prior to having children. I felt very frustrated that I thought I was doing right for my baby but really the products I was using weren't safe for his little skin. The foods that we were feeding him, while they were mostly "healthy" (fruits, meats, vegetables, cheese, etc), were filled with additives, pesticides, hormones, dyes, etc.

I feel as though our job as parents is to be each others support system. To not judge but to inform each other because a lot of times we just didn't know. At the end of the day we are all trying to do best for our little ones and we want to provide them with a healthy life. I am still learning. This transformation is still brewing and I think I will forever be making modifications. After all that old saying "knowledge is power" might actually hold true in this case!

Are there any changes you have made to your life since having kids? Anything you read on here that you were surprised about?

Happy Monday to you all, hope your week is starting off with sun and smiles!

-Megs

Unplugged...for a month.

I read this blog post today and it almost brought me to tears. What has happened to us. 10 years ago we all had a cool flip phone and texting was a new phenomenon. Now, we have everything we need right at our fingertips. We are connected at all moments of the day. Our children watch us tap the keys on our smart phones, send emails at all hours of the day, do our social media check ins, and shop with a device in our hand.

I am guilty. I have the iPhone 4s. I desperately needed an iPhone, clearly, I am a stay at home mom! I started off with the 3GS and as soon as the 4s came out I knew I needed to have it for the wonderful camera capabilities. It's true, it takes some wonderful photos and I have captured great moments with my children. I love the iPhone, but that's the problem, I have begun to love it too much. I spend far too much time on instagram sharing pictures of my kids, pinning things on pinterest, and facebook stalking what my friends are doing (when really I should just call to check in). If I have a free moment of silence I grab my phone and retreat to my own mommy iPhone world.

After reading this blog today I've decided to go "unplugged" for a month. I need to put down this wonderfully horrible, addictive device that I have become so dependent on and go back to the basics. After all isn't that what I have been striving for, simplicity?! I want to enjoy my kids and I want them to know that when I am with them, I am there with them., listening to them and not just half listening as I send a quick email out. Jabes is going to be 4 this fall and I seriously can not for the life of me grasp where the time has gone. Eme is no longer a baby and she has quickly morphed in to this energetic, independent, vibrant almost 1.5 year old. I don't want to miss things with them. I am so lucky to stay at home with my kids, what a blessing to be with them every step of the way. The memories I want them to have are of us laughing and playing, exploring, being silly, arts and crafts, reading books, and sitting around together enjoying each others company. We are losing sight of these moments within our days. Quiet moments are spent making a quick call or perusing the internet. I need to pull myself back in and enjoy the quiet moments.

I figure I can do this for a month and who knows, maybe after the month has passed I'll feel liberated and happier, more simplified and connected to my children rather than the outside world. Some of you may be reading this thinking that you like being connected at all times and some of you may be reading this finding inspiration in my words. To each their own and I have no judgments. For those of you interested here is the link to the blog I read today.. click here.

Happy weekend to you all and I hope you all have a bit of sunshine this weekend!
xo,
Meghan