July 5th, 2013 
Jessica 
Two weeks ago I mentioned that our neighbors had decided to replace the fence between our yards. They have been working on the project whenever they can, so it’s been fun to see their progress!
You can see that the new fence should be a lot stronger than the old fence, and the planks are narrower and lighter in color. In the photo below you can see where the two fences join at the back corner of our lot.
What fun and/or free developments have been taking place around your yard?
July 4th, 2013 Jessica 
Dear Evelyn,
Despite having the most difficult pregnancy to date, you are by far our easiest baby. You are mellow and happy and sleep well. Your smiles, giggles, and coos make the tougher moments with the older kids easier to bear. You’re ticklish and love to be snuggled and cuddled. You smile at everyone, and your deep dimples delight all. Your hair is so fluffy, with crazy curls and tufts in all directions, that we compare you to “Doc Brown” from Back to the Future. Unlike Oliver and Naomi, you burp easily each time you nurse and spit-up very little. This means I don’t have to carry burp clothes everywhere, and you wear the same clothes all day long. It’s nice have such a neat and clean baby!
You are so mellow, that we often remark that it would be easy to forget you’re around. By two weeks you were sleeping ten hours a night, and were only up once. By five weeks you were sleeping seven hours straight! When you wake up you lay in the bassinet or pack-and-play looking around and smiling. Your face lights up when someone peeks in at you. You rarely cry unless you are desperately hungry, tired, or in need of a diaper change. You usually stop crying as soon as someone picks you up. You sleep anywhere, even the living room floor. You also love to lay on your belly, propped up on your elbows. You are content to watch the world go by, which is easy with two busy siblings zooming around! They both adore you, and rush to your side whenever you cry. Now that you can reach for things, they love to hand you things or let you grab their fingers or faces.
Last week you not only turned five months old, but you started scooting across the floor in an almost-crawl! Where does the time go? At three and a half months (14 weeks) you started rolling everywhere. Now there’s no stopping you from reaching what you want if it’s anywhere on the floor near you. I think you will be our little monkey. Neither one of our older children has reached these milestones this early. I predict you’ll be climbing out of the crib and over baby gates in no time at all! Speaking of which, we packed up your bassinet last week, and moved your pack-and-play into the bedroom with the older kids. It’s been an adjustment, but I think you’re handling the switch better than they are. They just can’t get enough of their favorite baby sister!
Evelyn, I often joke that if every baby was as easy as you, the planet would be overpopulated! You make this whole parenting thing look easy. Even though your pregnancy and my postpartum surgery have made your arrival the most stressful, you are worth it all. We are completely in love with you!
Love,
Mommy
July 3rd, 2013 Jessica 
I’ve been reading Simple Mom lately, and experimenting with some of the natural methods she recommends for facial cleanser, shampoo, and conditioner. I noticed that she recommends Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap
July 2nd, 2013 Jessica 
Any mother of little ones will tell you that 1) it doesn’t take much to amuse them, and 2) they like your things better than their things. Case in point: my kids love to wash dishes. They rush to grab rags, play with bubbles, scoop, pour, scrub, sort, and rinse whatever is in the sink. They think most chores are for their enjoyment, and washing dishes is no exception. This is a nice activity to keep them busy while I prepare a meal or work in the kitchen on other things. After they are “done” I just go back and wash the dishes myself.
What chores do your kids enjoy doing?
July 1st, 2013 Jessica I recently finished 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
One thing that Laura emphasizes throughout the book is focusing as much of your time as possible on your “core competencies.” To be effective, she suggests you “outsource, ignore, or minimize everything else.” As a stay-at-home mom on a limited income, this isn’t always possible for me. However, there is a lot of truth in focusing on your strengths and eliminating distractions. For example, she says that if you stop watching TV for 20 hours a week, you’ll free up enough time (1,000 hours) to write a book in a year! She feels that work that isn’t spent advancing you toward your goals is just wasted time. She quotes Trista Harris who says, “Just because I can do something doesn’t mean I should be doing something…[it] leads to death by a thousand opportunities.”
Another benefit of focusing on your strengths and doing what you love, is you will be happier, and thus more successful at what you do. She recommends carving out “time to daydream,” and to ponder “what you’ll do if things go right.” She says to “think about your time as being worth the billable rate you would like to achieve.” Laura explains the need for authentic stories, and shares quite a few in her book. When discussing happiness, she describes one couple who loves what they do, so that makes their frugal lifestyle a lot easier to bear than if they were miserable for 8 hours a day. She also points out that “a good marriage will give you great energy for achieving success in all parts of your life.”
Laura recommends some great resources to like the “Help A Reporter Out” service which helps reporters to locate people for their pieces (free publicity!). She recommends FlyLady.net for practical guidance for cleaning your home, and mentions that Salary.com posts calculations on what you’d have to pay a mom for her domestic services. There is a lot more to Laura’s book than what I’ve mentioned here, so if your life could use some time management, this is a great resource!
What books have you enjoyed reading recently?
June 29th, 2013 Jessica Every blogger needs her blogging friends, and I would like to tell you a little bit about mine! These girls are all at various stages in their blogging journey–some are just starting out and others have been blogging for a long time.
I’d love to get to know you and your blog a little better! If you are a blogger, please share a little bit about yourself and your blog in the comments section below!
June 28th, 2013 Jessica 
We have all kinds of “free” things growing around our house these days! Our compost pile has exploded into a gigantic pumpkin patch that gets bigger every day. Our grape arbor (which only produced two bunches of grapes last year) is covered in grapes. We’re already harvesting bright red tomatoes from our two tomato plants. Our plastic tub of carrots is thriving. The new lemon, lime, and orange trees Brad planted this spring look like they will produce a small harvest this year, and our peach tree is doing well too. Even our roses, sunflowers, geraniums, and other flowering plants are doing well!
I have to give all the credit for any work around our yard to my husband. He has a green thumb, and everything he touches seems to grow!
Do you have any “free” things growing around your home?
June 27th, 2013 Jessica 
I have to be honest with you, one year ago when I wrote my six goals, I really did not believe that there was enough time in my day for reading. I especially did not believe that there would be enough time in my day for reading after delivering my third child.
Yet, as of today, I have read 4 e-books, 13 books, and I am halfway finished 3 more books…in 2013. This just boggles my mind–that I have read almost 20 books in almost 5 months. Here is how I found the time to read:
Do you love to read? How do you find time in your day for reading?
June 26th, 2013 Jessica I’ve been enjoying the book “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think” by Laura Vanderkam. One of Laura’s suggestions in Chapter 2, is to create a list of 100 dreams. I enjoyed the exercise, and thought you might enjoy a sneak-peek at some of the items on my list:
What would you include on your “List of 100 Dreams”?
June 25th, 2013 Jessica 
When my husband was cleaning out his office this past winter, he stumbled on a box marked “Kids Toys.” He opened it up to find hundreds of Legos inside. He brought them home, and our kids have loved playing with them ever since. We keep them in the garage, and then when we want to get a lot of work done, we bring them out again. They keep the kids busy for hours. After a few days of cleaning up Legos, they go back in the garage for a few more weeks. I was really surprised that my kids liked the Legos so much, since I figured they would be more appropriate for older children. My kids love them though!
What toys will keep your kids preoccupied for hours?
