School

So we decided that the best schooling option for us was to put Leilani in school. Three days in and I'm already seeing a difference! She's happier, arguing less, enjoying doing school (a first!) and we're fighting less. Now that I don't have to wear the "teacher" hat, I feel like I can be a better mommy - which is what I've been wanting all along.

Plus, then, Natalia and I are having one-on-one time, which is nice. We've been able to read stories, play with toys, and cuddle.

I've been able to do a few craft projects, read, just have some "me" time, which I think helps make me a better mommy, too.

Moved In

We traveled across country and survived. We also stayed vegan on the road, since there aren't too many good options out there, that meant we ate bean burritoes with no cheese from Taco Bell, but....we had no animal products! :)

We found a house, and our stuff is all going to be delivered tomorrow, so we'll be getting all settled in this week.

The house we chose was Leilani's favorite. Actually, it was all our favorite. Five bedrooms, and a nice open floorplan with a gourmet kitchen. I'm going to use one of the bedrooms as a library/school room, another as a playroom, another as a workout/guest room, and the last "regular" bedroom as the girls' room. Then, there's the Master Suite....a nice large soaking tub, seperate shower and seperate water closet, and two seperate sinks. The walk-in closet is nearly as large as Leilani's bedroom at our last place!

We'll be starting school back up on Monday, so we'll have only lost one month of time, but we're still on a good schedule for getting done at a good time!

Consequences

Last night, Leilani threw a fit because we weren't going to rent a movie from Blockbuster. I told her she had lots of movies at home and would be watching one once we got home. That wasn't good enough for her and she let us know by throwing a fit. I told her, that if she stopped, she'd still get to watch the movie, but if she didn't, she'd lose that privilege. She didn't stop. After I told her she couldn't watch a movie that night, she went crazier. I told her I understood her disappointment, but she needed to understand and listen to what I was saying. She just kept arguing, so I told her that if she didn't stop, she wouldn't be able to watch movies the next day (today). Once again, she didn't stop. I think she thought I'd either forget or relent this morning, but I didn't. I put the movies up last night so she couldn't just pop one in. And when she asked me about it this morning, I told her why she couldn't watch one, and to play quietly instead. So basically, this post is a big pat on the back to myself that I followed through calmly and lovingly, and also, a brag on Leilani for how well she took it. Watching her play imaginatively was so much fun, and hearing her "read" stories to her baby doll was awesome. Once we get moved and settled and all the upheaval is gone (because the movers are going to be here all next week) we're going to be limiting technology a LOT. It's going to be so much better for the whole family. And that's my positive moment from the past week.

Week in Review

-I've been going through our fod. The pantry really looks bare. The freezer did too, until my hubby went on a smoothie making kick :). Now there's a big bag of ice in there.

- I made a bunch of seitan the other day, using up all my soy sauce, second to last can of beans, vegetable boullion, and lots of my vital wheat gluten. So far it's provided two meals, and I think I have enuogh for two more. Major score!

- We got all our school done, even though there were some fights over it. Every day, when we're done,I think "how did I survive this?" and wonder how we're going to make it through the next day. So, I'm going to mentally pat myself on the back for continuing. And sticking to my guns and making Leilani do her school. Mostly, it's not fun, but it is what's best for this year.

- Natalia's sitting up, but showing no interest in rolling over. However, she wants to crawl, so it's all good. I am trying to help her roll over, though.

- In a moment of geekdom, I joined Pottermore. Despite trying two times, I got sorted into Slytherin. Twice. I think it had something to do with choosing the sword out of a box and being willing to trick a troll in order to cross a bridge. If you play, you can friend me SandWolf24665


My hubby’s going to be out of town for a few days, so I may not have internet for the next few days. I’ll probably just finish watching the Harry Potter films. It’s my first time, since I wasn’t allowed as a child and only just recently broke free from my mom’s controlling and manipulating. My girls are going to grow up incredibly differently than I did. And that’s the biggest positive in the world! Part of the reason for this blog. Reminding myself that, despite what my mom ingrained in me, I am a good, strong person who’s capable of making my own decisions, carrying on conversations without her help, and thinking my own thoughts. It’s amazingly freeing and at the same time, since I’ve only been free a little over a year, terrifying. But, the best thing I could have ever done!

Week in Review

All in all, I think it's been a fairly positive week. Tuesday was terrible but we survived! I discovered the increased workload isn't going to work, not if I want Leilani to love school and us to not have headaches. So I've made the decision to just let it flow.

I got new running shoes, so hopefully I'll be able to start running soon.

We rearranged our bedrooms, so we're all in one room and Leilani's old room is now the playroom, keeping all the toys out of the living room, cutting down on chaos, and bringing peace!

Natalia will be four months tomorrow! Where has the time gone????

I got a new diaper bag on Friday, I must say, the new one makes me feel hawt...it has a designer look and feel to it. And it isn't fraying at the edges. I'm actually rather proud of myself, instead of hoarding the old one for "memories" (which is what I've been known to do) we threw it away! I'm growing in this area! Yay!

My freezer's nearly empty, my pantry's running low, and most of the stuff in the fridge are perishables...so we're going through everything quite nicely! Also, I'm operating from the "if I don't have it, use a substitute or do without" mentality for now. It feels pretty good!

I'm finally doing laundry, I think I'm starting to break free from the lethargy and depression that's had me in its grasp.

I've been challenging all of my beliefs to see what I really believe, but that'll be a whole different post. Suffice it to say that I am making progress and feel much more peace :)

Yummy Day

We did art today. Took chocolate icing, smeared it all over some paper and she made designs on it. Leilanis fave part though, was eating it :).

Used up some more leftovers - always a good thing, especially since we'll be moving in the next month, and I really don't relish the thought of moving food with us! Also, I made dressing for our salad! No more buying it (hopefully)

Natalia had her first food. Pears. Not too keen on them, but she loved the eating part. She's been trying to filch bites of my food for the past week now, so I figured it was time to start her on solids. Gonna try different flavors and see how she likes them. Once we move I'll start making my own, but for now I'm making the best decisions I can, I don't feel like adding one more thing to my to-do list at the moment would be wise.

Now I'm just waiting for Natalia to go to sleep so I can too. I think we're all tired.

Fish Oil

I've already done several positives, and it's only one in the afternoon!

I've been taking my fish oil (blech) and it actually seems to be working! My mood seems to be happier and I feel lighter. I also feel like I have a bit more energy for my girls! And yes, I know it's not vegan (!), but I figured it's far more important to be here for my girls, and I do NOT want to take medications if I can avoid them. At least I know fish oil is a naturally occuring thing, so I'm putting natural, organic stuff into my and Natalia's bodies. I'm never a fan of meds, but especially not while I'm nursing.

We got all our school done pretty quickly today. I think maybe Leilani needs more challenge, so we're going to increase our workload next week and see how it goes. We may finish our K year early and move on to the next year. We'll have to see.

I came up with a yummy, nutritional lunch using all leftovers - veg baked beans, non-dairy cheese and tortillas for quesadillas; cherry tomatoes, slices cukes, olive oil, basil, oregano and salt for a salad; and chocolate soy milk for more calcium. Leilani ate all her salad, ate some of her quesadilla, and drank a bit of her milk, which is actually more than she noramlly does, so one for the win!

I cleaned the kitchen pretty thoroughly, and I'm coming up with a cleaning schedule to get us ready to move out. It's not the most fun, but it's gotta be done.