To take three kids ages 5, 3, and 18 months out on an adventure using public transportation can be quite different than a trip in the car. There isn’t all that extra storage space to bring and store snacks, cups, and diapers. I’m generally a minimalist anyway but I did find a new trick with water for the kids. I use a timbuk2 bag as my ‘diaper’ bag or even more fitting ‘family bag.’ Toting 3 klean kanteens plus a water bottle for me can take up a lot of space and it’s quite heavy and sort of sloshy to carry so recently I started carrying two larger reusable water bottles and 3 small plastic cups. this actually frees up a lot of space, getting the water into a more compact space. Our snacks were the usual for this time of year, mandarins, nuts, berries, seeds and jerky; all in one container and we share. I took three diapers with me but only ended up using one. You know if I had only taken one I would have needed more.

Once we got to the main station we had to switch buses then we did some walking and thrift store shopping. Annie was in the ergo and pulling on everything in reach including my hair….we had to get out of there.  I returned an item that I had been meaning to take back for awhile (some Aveda exfoliant that made my face breakout) then we went to a local toy store where we could get a dragon that Nathanael had been asking for but he ended up choosing a cowboy on a horse instead (you know, those cool Schleich figurines). Jaden acquired a playmobil mermaid set. My children don’t have many toys and rarely get a new toy when it isn’t their birthday or Christmas and even then we are conservative so this was quite the treat. Lunch at the local Noli Cafe by choice of Jaden where we played the spelling game (Jaden asks me how to spell a word and I spell it…now Nathanael is into asking too). Annie slept on my back while I ate my lunch and finally woke up just in time to eat her own lunch before we headed out for a long stroll back to the main station to return home.

Nathanael dozed off before we got on the bus home and I had to take him out of the stroller and fold the stroller up as well, safety regulations. He actually stayed asleep sitting up for a bit but eventually woke up. Annie wanted to be a big girl and sit in her own seat on the way home. Jaden loves to look out the window and name all the places she recognizes. Using the bus sort makes for a long day, we were gone for 3.5 hours but with proper planning it gives a nice slot of time of outdoor activity that kids love without having to spend a lot. The next time we go we won’t even be stopping at any stores…I’m thinking about just picking a random bus and getting on it at the station. They all come back to the same place and I’ve never seen my kids be happier sitting down yet there is so much to take in with all the people who come through and things to see out the window.

The children and I both agree that we really want to ride the big, long green bus that has one of those slinky connectors in the middle. I think we may just take that bus out of the station next time as we prepare for our trip to Portland using the Amtrak and public transportation as our only method of travel.

In February 2010 my friend Robin started her Paleo Challenge and has seen noticeable results in regards to her body weight and body fat percentage. I wasn’t looking to lose any weight but I did want to lose the ball and chain that cravings are so I jumped back on the wagon with Robin and took the Paleo Challenge.

I will post some of the recipes and meal ideas that we come up with and will keep you all posted on when I stop or if I keep going. Chances are as we enter the summer I will continue to eat Paleo since we will have a lot of our own veggies from the garden which helps cut down on the grocery bill.

My meager attempt at sustaining a blog is bothering me and so I intend to put forth a valid effort in practicing my writing skills here. My children are transitioning to new stages and phases and so am I.  Sharing our fun adventures and attempts at being sustainable is important to us so I am going to commit to updating this blog more frequently so that maybe our readers will be able to refine their own ideas and reap grand rewards.

… Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Remember when about a year Gore was running his mouth about how we need to act now and save the planet? Kind of ironic, huh?

The real sad part is that after he got caught the first time, he greened his house with new light bulbs, solar panels and more… only to end up using more energy resources after the “green overhaul”.

We’re so glad to see Mr. Gore pitching into the green effort… he’s definitely showing the American people and the rest of the world his true colors… and it isn’t red, white and blue… and it definitely ain’t green.

Well, my 18 month old nephew came and stayed with us for two days and I think we have determined that three children just doesn’t feel right. When I looked at three children and then look up at my husband with that eye, he shook his head and said “I’m not feeling it.” That’s okay…I wasn’t feeling it either.

The part where I put “think” in here though is because I still feel like I do want another but not for about 3 years. This would add quite a bit of time between the youngest and middle child. Adoption is always an option if I feel like I don’t want to do the baby years again.

I took the advice of my sister who only has one child…(why I’m not sure) and took our 3 suitcases as carry-ons as well as a laptop, a diaper bag, a stroller, my daughters backpack and our two children. I will never again take more than one carry-on total while traveling with children. It is far too much baggage to deal with while having an infant to carry and a three year old to push in a stroller.

Although the 14 hour travel time was long and draining, we had a great time and our children were very good. I think this mostly had to do with mine and my husbands good attitude toward the situation we faced. So take it from me, one who has experienced the flight…don’t take carry-ons. It’s worth the wait at baggage claim.

She is getting sweeter in her age. Last night she crawled into bed with us which I know was a relief to my husband because she used to be in the habit of not getting out of her bed but insisting that we come get her. The patter of her feet on the wood floors was so cute. She got into bed and snuggled up next to me, feeling for my face with her hands and whispering “I’m gonna give you a kiss.” Such a sweet time; especially when I had to bring our little guy in to nurse and she wanted to lay right next to him and hold is hand. Then she fidgeted so much that we finally had to put her back in her own bed.

Yesterday, she turned around from whatever it was she was doing and looked right at me and told me she loved me so much. Although her independence comes strongly even at times that I think it shouldn’t, her expression of love is growing even stronger. I love this age…Remind me to look back at this tomorrow when I want to pull my hair out!

Today I made a trip to the Trader Joe’s that is 45 minutes from my house with my 3 year old daughter and my 8 month old son. I have one of those nifty little shopping cart covers to put the baby in and of course my daughter wants to get in the big part of the basket. Well, the baskets at Trader Joe’s are smaller than usual and the wheels on them make them swerve and sway. So, my daughter takes up the bulk of my grocery space and as we go down the first aisle of the store, my 8 month old decides he is no longer happy in the cart. Of course I left my sling in the car so now I’m carry him around while trying to steer my swervy, swaying cart with one hand down the skinny little aisles.

For as much as I love the food at Trader Joe’s, I feel equally opposite about their choice of shopping carts. I once asked an employee why the carts were like this…I always thought maybe they opted for some cheap version. The employees explained that Trader Joe’s actually did some testing and found that carts with swervy wheels actually manuevered better in narrow aisles. Well, at least it was planned out.

At least I don’t have to go to often. When I do make my trip to Trader Joe’s I stock my cupboard with all the great fixin’s so I don’t have to go back for another month. Hopefully soon we’ll get a Trader Joe’s where I live so I can go with just one child or maybe even alone.

Ways to foster creativity
Lead by example: My daughter loves it when I sing. Sometimes my lines rhyme but sometimes they don’t…whatever I sing she thinks its funny, especially when I do motions or faces too. I couldn’t write my songs here for you to have because they are never the same and I don’t remember them after they are done…So go ahead, sing away because you are a star in your child’s eyes.

When you get the water colors or markers out, make time to sit down and make a couple of paintings or drawings with your child. They will love to see what you come up with and its a great time to talk about colors or how it feels to paint and you will be creating memories. Don’t worry about “finding” something in your child’s drawing or asking them if they know how to draw a particular picture. Just encourage their creativity and tell them they are an artist.

Pretend play: Toddlers and young children also love to pretend. When they are role-playing, go along with the act. My little girl will come up to me with a receipt and ask me what I want on my food. My response is something that I might say to a restaurant server with a few twists for humor. She runs into her kitchen and prepares something for me. I give it a few pretend chomps, tell her how tasty it is and she runs off again. Your little one might be an animal, a chef, a princess, a fairy, a fireman and a superhero all in one day. Once again, children learn while they are playing.

Dress up is a classic past time for kids of all ages…even adults still have costume parties. Help your child’s imagination grow with dress up clothes. You can find old halloween costumes, make some of your own (since they are only for play, sewing skills can be very minimal), look for dress up clothes (dancewear, leotards, tutus, etc.) at yard sales and thrift shops. Dress up clothes are perfect for tea parties, princess or pirate parties and at halloween your kids will have lots of choices.

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Television: Turn it off and open a book. Television robs us of our imagination…while reading a book you have to think up exactly what is going on…reading requires your brain to work instead of sitting idle. Personally, we don’t have cable, just movies on dvd and vhs. It’s so much easier to not plop down on the couch when there isn’t something quick to turn on but you end up there for 2 hours. And a big bonus you get when shutting off the tv is a huge reduction in commercialization…now maybe the kids will go outside and play. For watching TV Shop at ShopPBS.org

Some ways to turn work into playtime
Make cleaning up a race
Create a funny song to along with what you are trying to accomplish
Set up bins to toss toys into – like a basketball game

Enjoy the time with your children, they are blessings and this is a time to cherish.

You can try it right now: Close your eyes, inhale, then when you exhale relax your muscles in your pelvic area and “blow” your breath to that area of your body. Your breath should roll out of your lungs and through your belly like a gentle ocean wave then into your pelvic area. It feels like your relaxing to go pee. If you do this during labor, your labor will probably be shorter because you won’t be “holding” the baby in.

A really great way to practice breathing into the sensations you feel during birth is to do perineal massages beginning at 36 weeks. Learn how to perform a perineal massage.