Day 27: My wish list

Oooooo this is gonna be a doozy.

• Unlimited funds to buy cute new clothes for Andrew
• Nightstands
• King size bed
• Sectional
• Pull out sofa or new air mattress
• Table and Chairs
• Double dresser
• New TV
• Blu Ray player for bedroom
• Kitchen set for Andrew
• Huntress Rainboots

You know, simple things. Definitely not materialistic at all HA ;-P

My major wish list though is for us to find a good apartment that will be safe and functional, for Jesse to find a balance between work and school, to find a way to make money myself, for us all to be healthy, for the world to be at peace, and for everyone to adopt the "Live and let live" ideal. And for Andrew to have a happy, lovely life. Those would be preferred over all the crap above :)

What's on your materialistic (or otherwise) wishlist?

TTFN! <3

Day 26: The past year

Well, have I been good about this blogging challenge or WHAT, hahahahaha. Sorry for my being MIA for pretty much the entire month. It has been so crazy over here! BUT I am back and determined to be better about blogging and Instagramming. So, here goes.

This time last year we were renewing our lease here at our community, Andrew was 8 months old and Jesse had not yet entered Graduate school. The fall and winter were pretty unremarkable, just lots of family time, struggles with insurance, etc.

In January we had my In-Laws down for Andrew and Jesse's birthday month which was a lot of fun. Also our besties came down for a week a month later and we did SO much. It was exhausting but such a blast.

In March we went to the Oscars show at the Tampa Theater which was soooo cool! Hoping to do it again this coming year.

April brought my brother-in-law's wedding and a trip up to Minnesota for Jesse to perform the ceremony and a quick trip up north to the Twin Ports.

This summer has been pretty uneventful, and then September brought my cousin's wedding and a roadtrip down to the keys (details to come!)

Well, the munchkin has pulled down my purse so I better go before my ID disappears forever ;)

TTFN! <3

Day Three: When I grow up.....

5 Year Old me:

"...I wanna be a ballerina!"

26 Year old me:

"I want to be a mama for a while, then maybe work for a museum, and finally, become an archaeologist."

I am in love with History. European mainly, the Holocaust and Ancient Egypt being my two biggest passions to study. 

I wrote before not too long ago that I dropped out of college in what would probably be my Junior year. I switched majors so many times from Biology to History to Theater to History again. Credits didn't transfer well from University of Wisconsin-Superior to University of Minnesota-Duluth so I ended up having to kind of repeat a few classes.

Anyways, I believe I only need around 18 credits for History and then I need to finally nail down a minor. I have changed that a billion times as well. I'm thinking of doing either Education or Art History, whatever the online school I use will let me do.

So obviously I am applying to online Universities in the Spring and hoping to take one or two classes each semester until hubby graduates with his Masters (Fall of 2016) and then go full time until I'm done. 

I am writing a novel right now, fictional based on facts from Ancient Egypt. I'd also be interested in writing one about the Holocaust but I should probably wait to finish and have no one publish my first haha ;-P

Ballerina to sitting in the dirt cleaning bones and stuff with a toothbrush. What a change of mind, aye?

Hahaha

TTFN! <3

Blog-tember project

This looks fun! A month of preplanned blog posts! So here we go, I'm going to do the 1st and 2nd today.

Day One....... About the Author:

Megan Schmitt is the author of "Wee Baby Schmitt". She is 26 years old, living with her husband, Jesse, and their son, Andrew, in Tampa, Florida. 

She has a pretty extensive background in dance and theater but since moving across the country from Minnesota to Florida she has been focusing on blogging to keep family and friends in the loop. She hopes one day to get back into the arts community.

She actually is working on a novel, a fictional book based on historical facts set in ancient Egypt. She has been working on it for a few years now so who knows if it'll get done anytime soon....

Day Two.......What makes me happy: God, my husband and son, a great relationship with my mother, awesome in-laws, art of any kind, football and baseball especially in person, coffee, guacamole, decorating our home, travel, music, dancing salsa with hubby, being productive, a clean house, and cool spring days down here in eternal summer, haha. 

                    The Blog-tember Daily Prompts:

Sept 1st: Imagine the front sleeve of a hard cover novel. Give us your "About the Author" so we can get to know one another, and for fun tell us what your imaginary novel would be about.
Sept 2nd: Write about what makes you happy, from the little joys to the huge game-changers.
Sept 3rd: "When I grow up I want to be...." Feel free to answer as your 5-year-old self or as of now.
Sept 4th: Pick a fashion trend you love and a fashion trend you hate. Win us over!
Sept 5th: "I am passionate about ______________. "
Sept 6th: A "currently..." post. Tell us what you're loving, hating, reading, eating, etc. If you want to borrow a list, mine is here.
Sept 7th: What's on your current reading list? Or what have you read that you recommend?
Sept 8th: Music that moves you. Are you a Spotify addict or a Pandora guru? Tell us your favorite artists/stations!
Sept 9th: Let's talk personality types. Introverted? Extroverted? Unsure-troverted? ;) If you know your Myers-Briggs type, tell us about it! If not, you can take this similar test and share your results.
Sept 10th: List 10 things that you love about yourself! Let's kick that negative self-talk outta here!
Sept 11th: How do you stay inspired? Who inspires you the most?
Sept 12th: Tell us about a favorite tradition. It could be a family tradition or from a holiday, university, you-name-it. What makes it so special?
Sept 13th: Your current relationship status. If dating/married, give us a glimpse of your story! If single, share about this special season.
Sept 14th: When did you start blogging and why?
Sept 15th: Make a mood board. Are you brainstorming a room re-do, or are you dreaming of glamping with gal-pals? Share a collage of any kind! (Examples here and here).
Sept 16th: "Most people don't know this but..."
Sept 17th: Be brave: make a vlog!
Sept 18th: Tell a tale of traveling, a city or country you've been to or a favorite vacation.
Sept 19th: If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?
Sept 20th: Share a day in the life. Pictures, timelines, stats, however you like.
Sept 21st: Fall Favorites. What do you love most about this season?
Sept 22nd: Introduce us to 5 blogs you read on the regular, and tell us why!
Sept 23rd: A guide to your city! Share some of the hot-spots and hidden gems of where you live.
Sept 24th: Your fall bucket list. What do you want to do before winter rolls around?
Sept 25th: Grab a guest post! Swap blogs with someone, and share about anything. :)
Sept 26th: How have you changed in the past year?
Sept 27th: What's on your wish list? Be sure to include links so we can shop, too ;)
Sept 28th: What were your highs and lows for this month?
Sept 29th: What are your go-to blogging resources? What would you recommend to a beginner?
Sept 30th: A farewell coffee date. Take some time to breath, sip a warm drink, and share with your new blogging buddies. If you'd like a prompt: how did the Blog-tember challenge go for you? Any surprises? What was your favorite prompt, or what would you like to see included next time?

College and Grad School

So, I dropped out of college in Spring Semester 2012. I was an officer for a student organization called "Attitudes" (a dance org) and was choreographing and dancing in the end of year performance, but I was working a ton, we were planning a move to Florida and I've never particularly liked going to classroom classes, I prefer online. I spoke to my department head about trying to make it work from a different state, but it really seemed unlikely.

SO, I have been looking into online classes at Ashford University and SNHU and they both have European History classes which is what I want to do. I am hoping to apply early in 2015 and maybe start in the fall of that year doing one class a semester, and then hopefully once Jesse graduates I can move to full-time.

Jesse just had his first week of grad classes and even though it's great he only has to go 2 days a week, we can already tell it's gonna mix things up quite a bit.

I am so, so proud of him. He has been talking a bit with one of his professors about a research opportunity, is doing a pretty good job so far keeping up with things/ finding time for readings and such between work and family stuff. And he also just nabbed an ideal shadowing opportunity he needed for class. Psychology is what he is passionate about and it shows. He is going to thrive in this atmosphere, surrounded by great professors, academic opportunities and surrounded by others passionate about the same things. So happy for him :)

Anyhoo, this is why I've been MIA this past month. It's been a struggle finding last minute finances for things he needs, getting everything together, etc. Also I feel like I am being so lazy! It's like I'm in a standstill waiting to move to a new place. We're hoping to leave mid November and I'm so ready to change things up. For one, I don't feel comfortable in our current surroundings. Our porch is disgusting, there has been crap floating in the pools here and they has to install cameras at the local park due to car break-ins and criminals running from the cops. No joke. So, I'm not about to head out to any near-by locations with my little guy so he and I are both stir crazy and I just can't stop daydreaming about all that extra space for him to run around in. 

We are taking a big road trip in less than 3 weeks now though so hopefully that will help :)

Well that's all my blabbing for today, I'll post more fun stuff next haha

TTFN <3

19 months...

I had to bribe him with a Graham Cracker....

"Catch me if you can, Mom! Your toddler may be on the go from morning ’til night as her energy level and desire to explore collide in a whirlwind of perpetual motion. Your mission is to provide lots of opportunities for safe physical activity, both indoors and out. Some little ones like a slower, quieter pace and that’s fine; a mellow toddler may tend toward drawing, puzzles, or listening to stories, so give her what she wants, Mom, and embrace her individuality. And speaking of individuality, keep in mind that some kids may be chattering away by now while others have fewer words in their verbal repertoire. Try not to worry or compare, as some late talkers don’t bloom linguistically until age two (check with your pediatrician if you’re truly concerned). At this stage, it’s wise to update your childproofing efforts every month or two to keep up with your child’s new abilities, (like opening cabinets and climbing stairs). Plus, lots of toddlers this age are prone to daytime wandering (it’s time for a “streets smarts 101” lesson) as well as night wandering (try a gate across her doorway). Other toddler sleep problems include night waking and snoring (generally harmless, but check with your doc to be sure there’s no medical cause). And even though your tot is still focused on “me, me, me!” you can start to lay the groundwork for how to be a friend. First lessons include sharing and cooperating and using words instead of physical aggression to work out disagreements. There’s a lot to learn, but you’re a great teacher!"

--Whattoexpect.com

I just can't get over how smart this kid is, he amazes me every day. His mischievousness is ridiculously frustrating but totally endearing all at the same time.

He is learning to use a fork, has mastered regular straws, is using the railing and going down stairs well, he is starting to do things like balance on one leg and go up on his tippy toes, still following instructions really well and saying words here and there. He babbles a ton in multisyllable bursts so it's clear he's pretty close to just talking non-stop all day long ;) 

My aunt sent Andrew a shirt from the local store back home :)

The GMO Revolution

This whole GMO thing has been fairly new knowledge for me. A friend of mine had her little boy early on during my pregnancy and posted a lot about organic food, products, etc. I had found the Babyganics product line, and was using their products, along with Seventh Generation for cleaning with Andrew and she and I discussed how great it was that products like that were available for our little ones. Later on, I noticed she had RSVPed to a "March against Monsanto" event. After looking at what they were about and what they were doing, I signed us up for the Tampa rally.

So, one Saturday morning, we packed up Andrew and headed out. All I can say is that it was the coolest thing I have ever been a part of. Upon arriving we were a little confused and unsure what was going on, but everyone was super friendly and welcoming. We were given 2 T-Shirts for about $5 (They were made by one person and he was giving them away for whatever you had to spare). People had brought extra signs, so we were given a few. Water was being passed around, people offering sunscreen, face painting, etc.

Soon we got started. It was a HUGE long walk with chanting things like "Hell No Gmo", and passing out flyers. They had water stations every so often and the police kindly showed up to make sure we could cross all the crosswalks safely. They were also very nice and helpful and were thanked by almost everyone as we walked. At the end we stopped in a park where local organic restaurants showed up with plates of GMO free food that was delicious! People gave each other rides back to their cars, played music, etc. It was so peaceful and just a really neat experience in general.

All I can say is that the benefits of eating all organic/ GMO free waaaayyyy outweigh any of the cons. Yes, it's a bit harder to find (though getting easier all the time) and it can be expensive (though I have done cost comparisons and really there are very few items that are more expensive). It is better and safer for you and your children to be eating organic/ GMO free and if we can do it on $100 or less a week for three people and be eating comfortable, most people can afford it. Even WIC will let you use your $10 for veggies and fruits on organic stuff.

IF we can make an effort to be buying more organic food not only are we supporting our local economies more, but organic food will be easier to get and cheaper. With Monsanto holding organic seeds hostage, it's very hard for organic farmers to do what they do, but they do it for us and the planet. So why not support them?

Check out the event page here! -- please commit to buying your groceries for the week/ month, etc all organic/ GMO free on November 30th, 2014. After Black Friday on Friday, Small Business Saturday the day after, we can add 'Save the Food Sunday' on the end.

List of GMO free brands to buy -- not as hard to find as you may think! Even Ben and Jerry's is on the list! :)

http://www.gmofilm.com/

Interview with the GMO OMG director:

"There are two sides to every debate, what would you tell the naysayers who are in support of major companies like Monsanto and GMOs?"

"You may support them, but they couldn't care less about you. Because, at the end of the day, these companies aren’t concerned about you or the earth, about sustainability and farmers, they care about profit. Whatever they can do to secure more profit, they will do. They spend millions convincing us, and the farmers they are bleeding dry, that we need them and that they have our best interest at heart. It’s propaganda, not science. And if the naysayers naysay these facts as my own fiction and the passions of a misinformed dunce, I would point to the hard facts about GMOs turning up every day around the world. No increased yield, no drought tolerance, no flood resistance, no sustainability, not practical or affordable for smallholder farmers in most places in the world. The growing evidence cannot be ignored. Unless, in fact, the naysayers are really blind believers unwilling to face the truth."

Mommy Brain. It's a thing.

Thoughts from a day with the little man:

*Wake up, eyes fly open*

"Oh no, did I oversleep?? Is Andrew awake? How long has he been awake??..... Oh, he's still quiet. Okay."

*Shut eyes.....5 seconds later open eyes*

"Wait, why is he still quiet? Is he okay? I'm sure he is. He's probably just still asleep. But what if he's not?? Oh my gosh, calm down. I'm sure he's fine, just get a few more minutes rest."

*Shut eyes.... 5 seconds later they fly open again*

"Nope, I need to go check."

*After the above, go into munchkin's room and open the door to see his huge smile and excited noises*

"Awww, he's such a cutie! I love when he's so happy in the morning. Maybe he'll be really good today and we can go to the park and play with puzzles together and..."

*...Mid-thought as I am lowering him to the changing pad on the floor he begins flailing, throwing his head back, and upon setting him down begins kicking his legs and throwing his arms all over the place.*

"Oh. It's going to be one of THOSE days. *deep breath* Okay, I can do this."

*During lunch, he's halfway through his food and is starting to fall asleep while chewing*

"Awww, he's so sleepy. That's adorable. He's going to nap so well after this! Oh no... buddy, PLEASE FINISH CHEWING before you pass out!!!"

*Immediately after lunch, wiping off with a warm cloth and a pretty easy/ happy diaper change, I begin his nap routine of turning on the fan, letting him turn on the music, etc. He flings himself into the crib*

"Haha! I knew he'd be happy about this. He's so happy to be tucked in and --"

*Starts trying to flip over and stand up with a new burst of energy*

"-- uh oh, I spoke too soon. Here just let me - No just lay - stay on your back buddy - oh my gosh, fine! I am going to tuck him in tight and RUN."

*After a while of crying or babbling, throwing stuff around, etc., he finally makes a few sleepy moans and passes out*
"Oh thank God. Now I can nap, too!"

*During playtime shortly before bed, peacefully watching him play with his trains and bus on the table when he turns slightly and is examining something on his finger. His hand starts moving to his mouth... run full out over to him*

"Oh God, oh God, oh God, WHAT did you put in your mouth?!? Where is it???"

*After pulling him over, holding his arms down and prying open his mouth to search, while he screams and cries in protest, and I can't find anything*

"Okay, okay. He's not choking...."

*Let him up, he runs away and keeps playing. I watch him like a hawk for a while*

"He seems okay. Please let that have just been a stray Puff."

*Putting him in his pajamas right before bed*

"Look at him putting his arms in by himself, and stepping into his pants. What a good boy, he's learning so much. Okay, just brushing his teeth and then it's bedtime."

*Get him into position and bring out the toothbrush. Instant chaos ensues*

"OOOOHHHH MY GOSH. How is he so strong??? Open your mouth, buddy, I'm almost done. Holy moly he can keep his mouth clamped shut. Oh man, am I hurting him? I'm trying so hard to be gentle.... Ugh, I wish I could do this faster. Why does he have to hate this so much?? Okay, done. I'm so sorry buddy, trust me I hate it too. SO MUCH."

*Put him to bed and grab a beer go to bed myself/ retreat to the bedroom for any other work I have left. I'm tired, I'm sore, and I'm mentally exhausted*

Crazy thing? I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow (and maybe even learn things from today to make tomorrow easier!). Ah, motherhood. :)

<3

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Toddlers in Camo

I don't know about y'all, but I am in love with camo toddler clothing. I just think it is the cutest. A doesn't actually have any pieces in camo but I'm hoping to remedy that quickly here, hehe :)

Camo cargo shorts

Camo cargo pants

Cadet Hat

Overalls

Camo PJs!

Belt

Camo vest

Canvas jacket

Short sleeve Henley top

I just can't get enough.

In honor of all the camo goods, I wanted to also share this link: SoldiersAngels.org.

It is this fantastic website where you can donate, help out or "adopt" a soldier. I did this for a few years in college, and am hoping to start up again this fall. You send one care package a month (they send you all the packing materials), and a letter or card each week. You may not get anything back but it is a wonderful way to let the soldiers know we are thinking of them, and a great way to support the men and women serving our country <3

Toddler Fashion part two

A's apartment-hunting outfit, haha! This is something we would put him in for church or music class mostly. It's pretty loose and seems comfortable but I like putting him in shorts and a tee more for playdates, going to the park, etc.

The top is actually a polo onesie we purchased at Kohls, similar here. Overalls are OshKosh. They were a gift so I'm not sure where they were purchased, but you can find similar overalls here.

And ohhhhh my goodness, can we pause a minute to swoon over the adorable overalls OshKosh has?? I know what I'll be buying more of! LOL

Cloth Diapering!

For us, the decision was fairly simple. 

We, like a lot of folks we imagined, didn't exactly look forward to having to wash out diapers or scrape poo off them but the savings way outweighed the gross bits in our minds. My husband was a tad bit more resistant about the extra effort but he is now a believer!

Andrew goes through about 3-5 cloth diapers a day at 18 months. We change him between 2 and 4 hours based on need and use a disposable at night because that kid can create a lake in 12 hours.

While about 5% of the time using cloth diapers can be kind of.... for lack of a better word, 'icky'.... it really is better, in our minds, for the kid as well as our wallets. We only have 10 cloth diapers so I do end up doing laundry about every other day but our water bill is only $30. One package of disposable diapers is $28 and even if that includes 98 diapers, that can be gone in about 2 weeks. So paying $30 for all of our water needs monthly and then buying one package of Luvs every few months is really ideal for our family. It save us close to $60 a month.

We didn't shop around honestly. I had heard wonderful things about Fuzzibunz diapers and went ahead and ordered a three pack before the little man came along. We loved them right off the bat-- they are 'One Size Elites' so with all the snaps and the extra elastic they provide, they last forever. We have not changed any elastic but Andrew has been using them now for just about 16 months. And even after the close to 240 washings, they are holding up GREAT. Still have their color, are still soft, still function perfectly, absorb well and aren't stained. 

Though we have not tried other brands, I have heard great things about BumGenius, Little Monster, 'G', etc. We have just never felt the need to try anything different. 

We did have some trouble with leakage when Andrew was very small because his thighs were so thin there was a gap between his leg and the fabric, but pretty soon he plumped up a bit and they fit perfectly. Today he wears the legs on the loosest snap but still has a ways to go on the waist snaps. And if the legs get too snug, we have the extra elastics provided! They also come with two pads per diaper, one short one long. We used to just use the long ones but once he got bigger and started drinking more, we doubled up the pads in each diaper (one short, one long). While it seems a little bulky to the eye, it fits perfectly, is great for absorbing and let's face it, what baby doesn't look adorable with some "junk in the trunk"?!? Also, extra padding for all those falls, haha.

Another great aspect is the lack of chemical burns and diaper rashes. We noticed that Andrew gets diaper rashes very easily in disposables. And other than in extreme cases (like long period of time in the same diaper or sickness) he's never had rashes from the cloth diapers. 

All in all, we're very happy about the upsides for both us and our LO, and will definitely be ordering more Fuzzibunz next time around so we can be washing less, too!

Fuzzibunz are about $20 each, which can seem like a lot but it is a wonderful investment. Here is a breakdown of cost from their website.

Here is a link to buy their One Size Elite diapers if you want to check them out!

Well, that's all for now! TTFN! <3

Photo dump from our awesome weekend :)

Whew! What a weekend. We had a blast running around.... Friday we did the usual grocery run and then we headed to the Tampa Bay Yankees "Back-to-School" game. They had the Tampa Kids Market in the concourse, $2 tickets, fireworks after the show and they won by one point at the bottom of the ninth. Slow start but awesome way to end the game!

YAY THEY WON! Andrew was crying because of the loud cheering.....

Saturday we headed to the Lowry Park Zoo's birthday bash for their one-year old Elephant calf, Mavi. We got to see her and her mother be released to their "Birthday Cake", had some actual birthday cake, and played in the splash park. 

A whole splash park, but he had to play with the stroller wheels, lol

Then he needed to ride the train....

Birthday cake!!

The Llama's expression. Priceless.

After lunch and a nap, we headed to an annual family party at USF for the Alumni Center Administration. It was SO much fun! They had a DJ, lots of games, some yummy food and lots of fun things to take home.

Once we arrived, Andrew saw the margarita maker and instantly freaked because blenders=smoothies, of course. Ha...Also, after finishing his hot dog he started a tantrum and no matter what we tried we couldn't figure it out. We tried feeding him multiple other things but other than A bite of my hamburger he would not eat or drink anything. After about 5 minutes Jesse got up and brought back a second hot dog. We cut it up and instant calm. He scarfed that one down too and then finished a good amount of his other food. Oh boy.

He also wet himself really badly part way through and we only had a onesie packed so he ran around in a onesie and sandals for about 90 minutes. We also made the mistake of showing him the fountain so long story short he went home with his whole front soaking wet haha.

Balloon artist made him a Minion :)

Loot!

Some ducks crossed our paths. A is smiling so big, while hubby is like "Keep your distance, ducks."

Sunday my mother watched the little man while hubby and I attended church, and then he surprised me with a movie date! We got a whole bucket of popcorn and hunkered down for "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", which was really good.

Hope y'all had a great weekend full of fun! TTFN <3