I have another parenting book for this week's Reading Review! Here's "On Becoming Babywise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep" by Gary Ezzo, M.A. and Robert Bucknam, M.D.
While I can't fully recommend it (yet), I can't WAIT to put the material presented in this book to use! The "parent directed feeding" (PDF) method seems to be a very logical 'best of both worlds' approach to feeding an infant that also has the benefit of getting the family on a schedule that allows plenty of sleep for all. You know Mr. Poe and I are all about our sleep.
The book is an easy read, full of tips, tricks, doable goals, and answers to questions and issues that frequently come up. As you can imagine, there is a LOT of material in this work; I would definitely recommend purchasing the book to keep as a reference (I found several copies at a local thrift store). A sample schedule outline and baby nourishment tracking charts are included.
I'm also looking forward to reading the second and third installments of the series, and I hope you are too!
Since I've been spending all my time trying to finish my school work and doing baby things, I haven't had nearly the time I would like to blog faithfully...especially on Thesis Tuesdays! But I had a special request for today's post- (simply) addressing the question of why there's dew on the ground in the morning.
The answer lies in saturation- a concept that every southerner knows about, even if you don't think you do:
When Mr. Poe and I make sweet tea, we mix in a heaping two cups of sugar. If we stir in the sugar while the tea is still warm, all of the sugar dissolves in the liquid. If we wait until after we put ice in the tea to stir in the sugar, we end up with undissolved sugar at the bottom of the pitcher because the tea is saturated- it's full of sugar and won't hold any more at this cooler temperature.
The same is true with the air. Also as every southerner knows, the air contains water (in gas form); the amount of water in the air at any given time is what we know as humidity.
As the temperature of the air drops at night, the air becomes saturated (just like the tea at a cooler temp), and can't hold the same amount of water as it could before. This extra water condenses, returning to it's liquid form on the ground as dew. The next day, when the temperature of the air increases again, the dew evaporates back into the air.
And THAT is why we have dew.
For the next Reading Review, I present to you "Sign with Your Baby: How to Communicate with Infants Before They Can Speak" by Joseph Garcia:
This book is relatively short and easy to read. The text portion of the book discusses the immediate and potential future benefits of teaching babies to sign, as well as providing helpful information on timing and techniques of instructing babies. There's also a very large index of sign vocabulary.
I liked this book so much that I put it on our registry. While Mr. Poe and I are trying not to get too worked up about the future development benefits of teaching our Poe-tte to sign (we really just want to try to help her communicate her needs/wants earlier), it was very interesting to see all the ways in which this technique has helped children.
Mr. Garcia is obviously very passionate about the subject and has written this book in such a way that seems like teaching babies to sign is very doable, even for people unfamiliar with the language. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject, and I'll definitely be posting about our baby signing adventures during the next few years!
Hello all, and happy Foto Friday! This week Mr. Poe and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. Since we were also at 26 weeks with our Poe-ette, I took a special baby bump picture:
yes...I can still fit in my wedding dress. Yay for empire waists! We also found a great deal on a small table to finish off our entryway decor:
I can't wait to see what the end of the week will bring!
The most recent book club book I've had the pleasure of reading is "The Fleet Street Murders" by Charles Finch:
I love a good mystery, and since I haven't read a new one in years, this one took me right back to my childhood days of curling up in bed with a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys adventure.
"The Fleet Street Murders" did not disappoint; in fact, I couldn't put it down. While it's the third installment in Finch's series about the amateur sleuth, Charles Lenox, the book is very capable of standing alone. The late 1800's English setting was an interesting and enjoyable backdrop for the story; I appreciated that a few of the restaurants mentioned actually exist. The plot keeps you guessing, and at the end everything is resolved quickly.
There is a very small bit of language in the book (if I remember correctly), which it could've done without. Also not having read the previous two works in the series, I can't tell you if any of the information present in them would add more to the development of the characters in this book. Even so, I would definitely recommend "The Fleet Street Murders," and I am looking forward to being able to read more of the adventures of Charles Lenox.
Since we painted virtually the entire house immediately after we bought it (and almost every room is a neutral color), we decided that we were tired of painting. Our new girl would have a tan room with a Noah's Ark theme because that would be easy, fun, and based on the Bible. To help decorate the walls, I asked my grandmother to paint some animals two-by-two for the room, and here's what she came up with:
camels, elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, and doves (they're out of the picture). How fun! And they look so real! The room is slowly coming together...yesterday I even put on the lovely Noah's Ark sheets that the Barclays gave us.
What's for dinner this Wednesday is a protein packed, meatless dish that is perfect for using up stuff you have around the house: friend rice.
Ingredients: 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup cashews, 2 carrots, 1/4 cup green beans, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder.
While the rice is cooking in the water (and a splash of soy sauce), chop the veggies and nuts, and saute in a wok or skillet with the seasonings and soy sauce:
After they're slightly tender, push the veggies to the sides of the pan and scramble the eggs in the center:
Add the cooked rice, stir to combine, and serve:
This Foto Friday I'd like to share with you something very special to me. As you may or may not know, I'm a rather sentimental person. I love that our guests sleep in a bed that used to belong to Mr. Poe's grandmother and that our toddler(s) will sleep in a bed my granddad made for my dad that I slept in as a little girl. And now that we know we're having a little girl, I'm especially excited to be giving her:
a Raggedy Ann doll given to me by a very dear aunt, a bear given to me when I was born, the jewelry box I used for twenty-ish years, and the tea set and rocking chair I had as a little girl.
I hope she gets as much enjoyment out of these things as I have; I just can't wait to share them with her!
For the next Reading Review, I present the classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee:
I had read this book before in school, but it was nice to have the opportunity to read it again and get an adult perspective on the book.
"To Kill a Mockingbird" is well written and a great read. It captures the attitude of the time and the spirit of childhood perfectly. The unique plot holds the readers attention, and the grammar school aged narrator provides humor at times and a unique vantage point that makes people of all ages able to identify with various aspects of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was reminded again of why it is a timeless classic.
It's another Money Monday here on the blog! There isn't much exciting going on this week, but here are a couple deals worth making a trip out for:
CVS
Pringles Chips ($1.49) - get $1 back in ECBs WYB4, $1/4 RP 5/20
Wags
Suave Shampoo ($1+) - get $2 back in RR WYB2
...just count your blessings instead of sheep, and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings." - Bing Crosby
Today's Foto Friday post is all about those blessings we've received recently. As you probably know, Mr. Poe and I are having a baby. Yesterday at 20 weeks, we found out we're having a little girl! From the ultrasound, it seems that everything is going well and growing as it should (praise God!):
This week we also got our new fridge and dishwasher installed:
It'll be so nice to not have to wonder about the food we're eating anymore, and I know I'll be extra thankful for a working dishwasher when the baby comes!
These recent blessings have been so wonderful, and we are so thankful!!
For this Theology Thursday, I'd like to share with you a great lesson about Jesus from Mr. Maxson. In honor of Father's Day last Sunday, he presented Jesus in a slightly different light- as a role model for dads- focusing on how He always put Himself second during His time on this earth. Don't feel like there's no point in listening if you're not a dad though; since we're all called to be servants, this a great lesson for everyone. You can find it online here.
Happy Money Monday to you all! It's been a very long last couple of weeks, and I have greatly missed being with you! I'm very excited to be starting my first week back with some wonderful deals and freebies:
CVS:
Tom's of Maine Deodorant ($3.19) - get $1 back in ECBs, $2.50/1 SS 6/17
Electro Nyte Rehydration Shot, 2 pk. ($4.79) - get $4.79 back in ECBs
Wags:
Colgate Total, 4 oz. ($3) - get back $2.50 in RR, $0.50/1 SS 6/17
Suave Hair Products, 5-28 oz. ($1+) - get back $2 in RR WYB2
This Foto Friday is not for the faint of heart. This is Layla's mess that I had to deal with right after breakfast:
This is by far the worst dog mess I've ever had to clean up, but today I was thinking that all these messes are just prepping us for having children. So, although I never imagined I'd say it, thanks for the messes, Layla and Sasch.
What's for dinner this Wednesday is a fantastic dish for this time of year...chunky summer spaghetti.
Ingredients: noodles, 2-3 Roma tomatoes, 1/2 pound sausage, 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder.
Brown sausage in a medium sauce pan over med-high heat. Drain, add remaining ingredients, and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes are warm and softened. Serve over cooked noodles:
