Moving!!

Team Dobbertin is moving... Well, moving our blog anyway. I am finally giving up blogger and heading over to wordpress. Sorry, blogger. you've served me well, but it's time to move on.

I will be consolidating my two blogs into one - you can read more about it on my "About" page over at the new blog:

thefrugalrock.wordpress.com

Thanks for following us on over!

So fickle

Yesterday I was up to my eye balls in messes and crabby kids. I was very content with my three little ones. And even considering giving one or more away.

Today, I look around at all the messes and craft stations we have going and I am quite sure I need several more little ones around calling me mama and hanging on my legs.

It's such a wonder what a good nights sleep will do for your spirit. A loud and joyful "Thank You!" to the baby who finally slept through the night. It's been a long nine and half months...

The Creative Family

I picked up this book at the library last week and haven't been able to put it down - well, I put it down long enough to start crafting away! Then it's right back in my hands. I only have a few pages left but it has been such a fun read. It is full of creative inspiration for me and the kids. Gavin has even been looking at all of the tutorials saying, "Let's do that!" It has been so much fun! It is a book that has landed a permanent place on my "recommended reading" list. I must warn you though, be ready to ignore your household chores to break out the sewing machine, paints, yarn, colored pencils and so much more!

Turning 30, Ten years together and a Tattoo

I can't believe it's been a month since I turned 30 and I haven't even blogged about it. I've been waiting for this since I was 16 years old. I love 30. It's where I've always wanted to be. Now that I am here, it feels just like I thought it should. I feel settled, secure, and truly love my life.







In a few short weeks Ryan and I will be celebrating 10 years together as man and wife. Ryan truly has been my greatest gift in life. When I think about what my life would have been like if I hadn't married him ... well, I really can't even consider it. I'm thankful for every day, every minute with him.






A few years ago, in anticipation of these two big events, I decided that I was going to get a tattoo this summer. I've always wanted one - the same thing, in the same place. My determination never wavered. A few weeks ago, I went ahead and did it! I love it and am so glad I waited for this momentous occasion - it's makes it that much more meaningful. One of the best parts about the tattoo, is that my best friend from high school helped to design it. I love that.

Text messages and Beach Days!

I frequently receive text messages from Ryan around 3:00 that read: "on my way home, wanna go to the beach?"

I LOVE getting this message. I always have our beach bags packed and ready to go. All I have to do is pack up some food and we can hit the road. It is so refreshing going in the evening when there are less people there and it isn't quite so hot. Here are some pictures from our recent beach outings. It's fun living so close to Lake Michigan!

Wake up Call!

Confession - I didn't actually start waking up at 6:00 until today. Let me tell you, I thought I was going to die. This is going to be an adjustment for me. You bet I hit that snooze button as soon as the alarm went off. Less than two minutes later, Charlotte was up crying dramatically. I went into her room and rubbed her back for a few minutes and she settled back down. As I was staggering out of her room, I thought "Okay, okay. I'm up!" and I stayed up. It was rough, though and I accomplished very little. I should have prepped my coffee the night before. I didn't want to wake everyone up while grinding my beans. I think a hot cuppa would have helped me wake up a bit more. I sure hope tomorrow is better. I'm sure it will get easier and easier every day, right? RIGHT? (in need of some encouragement here!)

Preparing for Fall

I know that summer is only half over, but I have already started prepping our Fall schedule. I've always been a "get up when the kids get up" kind of mom. It's worked for me up until this point. I've gone through short (very short) spurts where I would climb out of bed before them. Now that I have three kids, quiet moments are extremely few and very far between. Getting up before the kids will be a must once our Fall schedule starts. Instead of waiting until Fall, I am going to implement this aspect of our schedule now. This week, I will be getting up at 6:00 a.m. That gives me one hour all to myself before my munchkins start their day.

Do you think I can do it?

Soccer Star

I haven't been doing a great job of documenting my kids lives, which is what this blog originated as.

Gavin played indoor soccer for the park district this spring. He didn't love it, but he did well. They don't keep score, which drives me crazy, but Gavin's team did really well. They won the majority of the time (I kept score!) and Gavin even scored a few goals. At one point I was giving him some advice and Gavin told me, "Mom, I don't care about winning. I just want to have fun." Well said, buddy, well said.

But, to all of my T-ball buddies from way back when, I have to say, "Don't go fishin', just poke it, and the Bunny Hut RULES!!!"

Anyway, here are some pic's of my little champ getting his medal:

The Star with his favorite cheerleader!

Getting his medal from Coach Gill

Sweet Boy

When I hopped out of the shower this morning Gavin told me:
(pretty much all in one breath, the way he usually talks)
"Mom, when you were in the shower, this is what I did. First, I played by myself for a minute, then I went and spent time with Chasey, and then, I went and did a puzzle with Charlotte. Then, I went back and played with Chasey, and then went back to Charlotte. I think I'll do that EVERY time you are in the shower."

He has his moments where he isn't so fond of his siblings. But for the most part, he puts them first.
This makes mama happy!

My three

I feel like this picture is a good representation of each of my children.


Gavin: I'm smiling because you told me to and that's what I do. I'm the perfect child.
Charlotte: Don't look at me or talk to me, I will not do what you want me to do only because you want me to do it.
Chase: What's going on? This isn't about me? Then I'm not that interested... Ooh, look! Something shiny!

I love these kids!

Charts

To read about this chart I made, head on over to my other blog Frugal Rock, to read my post about it!

By the way . . .

I am still in the process of compiling my list of 30 meals. I haven't forgotten. Projects just run slow around here these days! I've got about 17 meals on the list but only five of them are typed out with the ingredients and recipes. I am still working on the formatting, too. I want it to be easy access when I'm headed to the market. Okay, grocery store. I wanted to sound cooler than I really am.

I still need a few more recipes or ideas, so if you didn't chime in before - THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!

Do you ever want to . . .

Do you even want to tell someone they are being an idiot?

I do. But I don't.

Reading, Reading, Reading

Gavin and I picked up Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Library for our read a loud. We. Loved. It.! We seriously could not put it down. After every chapter Gavin would say, Can we read another one? I couldn't resist, so we did. We'd put the babies down for a nap and read, read, read! It was so fun. I think we read it in just under a week. It usually takes us several weeks to get through a chapter book together.

Next on our list is The Trumpet of the Swan. I've never read this one, but I know it's a children's favorite. And really, how can you go wrong with E.B. White? Hello! Charlotte's Web? I hope we love it just as much!

What have you been reading with your kids lately?

What I'm missing most

I'm not even sure it's been 24 hours since my last post. You know, where I resolved to continue nursing. I am already wavering. Mostly because I am missing my coffee. Chase baby has a SUPER sensitive tummy and caffeine does not agree with him. It was hard at first, but then I got used to it. Well, Starbucks just came out with their tribute blend AND 100% Kona. I've tasted both and they are TO. DIE. FOR. Okay, maybe a little dramatic. But they are delicious. Ryan has been brewing a pot every evening after dinner. It has taken some SERIOUS restraint on my part not to guzzle a cup (or two or three!) I don't drink decaf either. Why bother?

Nursing

I loved nursing my first two. I nursed Gavin for about 13 months and Charlotte weaned herself around 10 months. This time, things are different! I SO want to be done nursing Chase baby. I am so jealous of my friends that have stopped nursing their babies. Most days, I am just so over it. Most days, that is. On those days I am tired, over extended, under nourished, and being pulled in three different directions (literally).
Then, there's those days when things are calm and I feel rested. On those days, I feel like I could nurse him for several more months. These are the rational days. The days when I know I am doing whats best for him, when I am not thinking of only myself and my comfort. These days are so short and I need to remember that. So, this is my resolve to keep at it. Whew, I feel better.

The fact that breast milk is FREE helps out a lot, too. I hate paying for formula!

Minial living

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, the Dobbertin's are slowly getting into minimalist living. I feel like it's been coming on for some time but it's recently taken off at a whole new level! I feel that I have so much to say about it that Ryan (yes, he's getting involved too!) and I are starting a separate blog in case you all want to join us in our journey or at the very least, read about it! I was thinking of just doing one post, but my mind immediately went nuts with all of the things I'd like to say about it. So, please follow me on over to here, add us to your google reader and help us on our path to owning and consuming less.

Phases

I often go in and out of different phases. I sort of have an excessive personality. When I like or do something, I really DO it! I look back on some of these with fond memories and some I look back and shake my head. What was I thinking?
Some of the phases I've been through are:

Scrapbooking - I made Gavin THREE huge books in his first year of life

Blogging - I used to blog about every little thing, now I'm lucky if I blog at all

Photography - I can't tell you how many times I've dressed up my kids to take shots of them at home. Glad that's over. Although, I do wish I took more pics these days.

Animal Crossing - Gavin got the game Animal Crossing for the wii last year. Slightly addicting, okay REALLY addicting. We played a lot. Again, glad that's over with.

American Idol - used to watch this show every single week, twice a week. I gave it up a few years ago. It was just too much with the kids. I was always shushing everyone and frustrated if I couldn't hear every last word. Can you say "Pathetic?"

Good Will Shopping - I still like to thrift, but I don't do it as often. Probably has something to do with our two story shop with no elevators. Not very stroller friendly if you ask me. While I love a great bargain, I really just brought home a ton of junk that I didn't need.

Some phases (obsessions?) that I am going through right now are - crocheting, making bread in the bread machine (yummo), washing all my clothes in Downy(the pink cap!) and my newest addition is minimalist living (more to come on this).

What phases have you gone through?

Reading

Gavin is doing really well with reading. We finally finished the book "teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons." I quickly whipped up this cake to celebrate! I know it looks terrible, but I don't care, Gavin loved it!

He does not, however, love to read. He dreads it. It is such a chore for him. He gets discouraged because he thinks he should be reading as well as I do. Ryan gave him some BIG motivation by telling him that if he reads 100 books he will buy him a DS. We are at number 41, but it is kind of miserable. It's getting better, the more he reads the better he gets. I just don't know why he hates it so much . . .
Any tips, homeschool moms?

Back to life, back to reality!

Ever since Chase was born, (okay, ever since I was about six months preggo with Chase) my wonderful and selfless husband has been doing the grocery shopping for our family. I know, I know. I hang my head in shame. He also does a lot of the laundry and always helps me cook dinner.

Anyway, now that you know I am a terrible wife/housekeeper, here is what this post is really about . . .
Ryan is doing another interim role for Starbucks. He no longer has one store, he has 13 stores (13 STORES!!!) to run for the next 10 weeks. If he does well, the job could be his. So, I figured it's about time I take the grocery shopping back and relieve him of this chore. I do have to say, he never once complained about it and didn't even ask me to start doing it. I'm pretty sure he would have happily continued to do it for me. But, I want him to be able to relax when he gets home and not have to go on the weekends. So, I am in the process of coming up with a list of 30 meals, complete with all ingredients listed. That way, I can pick out the meals I want for the week and head to the grocery. Sounds easy enough, right?

Not so fast!

I am having trouble coming up with 30 meals. Truth be told I think we rotate through the same 7-10 meals each week. Ewww. I'm in a huge rut.

This is the part where you all come in! Please post your favorite (easy-ish) meal for me so I can add it to my list. Once the list is completed, I'll post it for ya'll and you can copy it for your own enjoyment! You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

Thanks blogger bud's. I KNOW you'll come through for me. If not, I'll just have to hunt you down on facebook. :)

Charlotte

One Crazy Girl

Our late talker has now become our excessive talker. She talkes all the time. Possibly, she talks more than her brother - who also never stops talking. It's not very quiet at our house!

Charlotte does not love going to bed. She puts up a little fight every once in awhile with the hopes of staying up. Sometimes, I am just so tired that I just give her what she wants. The other night as I put her to bed and this is what the scene looked like:
She wanted to wear undies to bed but I insisted she wear a diaper (she hasn't woken up dry once). So we compromised a bit. She had on her diaper, her way too small Elmo jams and some undies over top of them. It was SO funny. Gavin was cracking up when he saw it in the morning.
Also in her bed were her standard items - her blankie, a tissue, her small pillow, her pillow pet, Pooh Bear, Minnie Mouse, her baby doll and a Curious George book. She never goes to bed without these items. This night however, we were adding things to the list - another C.G. book, another baby doll, several outfit changes for the baby dolls (complete with accessories) and a regular sized pillow. All that in a tiny little toddler bed. It was worth it though. Ryan and I got a good laugh out of it all, especially the undies!

Another great thing about Charlotte is that she will only wear 100% cotton. This girl loves to be comfortable. I have yet to wrangle her into a dress for church. She loves the way they look on the hanger, and will often choose a dress. Once it's on however, she HATES the way it feels and looks. She's a pants kind of a girl! Which is okay with me. I can't even tell you the last time I wore a skirt/dress - maybe last Easter?

She is one crazy kid and I love her more than words can say!!!

Up the nose

So, if we're friends on Facebook, you probably already know this, but here's the story anyway.

I was in the shower the other morning and when I got out, Charlotte was playing with the game Operation. She loves this game. Some of the pieces are rubber and green. Charlotte loves these pieces and sometimes she walks around with them in her hands for hours. I think she just likes the way they feel. Well, I guess she wanted to know what they felt like up her nose, because that is where she stuck one.

As soon as I got out of the shower she came over and showed me one piece said, "Nose" and then sniffed a few times. She actually pretends to stick things up her nose a lot. I think she likes the reaction she gets from me (It's a middle child thing - you know, negative attention is still attention). Well, I thought that was what she was doing. So I said, "No no Charlotte. We don't stick things up our nose. It's dangerous." Well, she kept following me and saying, "Up nose, up nose." Then I started looking for all of the pieces to the game. I enlisted the help of Gavin and we were searching for all three green pieces. We found two. I put her up on my bed and sure enough, I saw it up there. I couldn't get it out with tweezers and she wouldn't blow it out. I was a little panicky. I called the doctor and they said I needed to come in right away. I rushed around and got all three kids ready and headed out the door.

On my way there, she seemed fine so I started to chuckle to myself about it. I called my mom and we had a good laugh. I did this with a sticker when I was little. An hour later (thank you Chicago traffic) we pulled up to the dr.'s office and before I could get the kids out of the car, Charlotte puked all down the front of her. I started to panic again. I ran them all inside, got us checked in and then took her to the bathroom, stripped her down and tried to clean her up.

Once they called us back into our room, the nurse was taking her time. She was taking her temp, weighing her, and just chatting with us. It was nuts. Then she came back in with these long, sharp tweezers. She pulled that thing out w/i three seconds. It was awesome. Charlotte must have thought so to, because she was bouncing off the walls after ward.

Not fun to stick things in your nose, little girl. Not fun!

Busy

Remember all the way back when you just had one child?

I do. I think I scrapbooked all day. I look back on those days and think, Why oh why did I not take advantage of all that time? It's funny, but I thought I was SO busy.

Then came baby number two. Life got for real busy. I was running AWANA at our church and I thought I had NO time for anything else.

Now I have three. I am homeschooling, nursing an infant and potty training a toddler all at the same time. Oh, and did I mention I help head up the children's ministry at church? I read at least one book per month, if not more. I attend play groups, have lots of play dates and I go on dates with my husband (which we've really done before - I know, I can hear you gasping as you read this) at least once a month.

I can't imagine how much I will be able to do if/when baby number four comes along! It's as if with each child you gain some super power to do more and more and more!

I forgot!

A normal day for Chase looks a little something like this . . .
wake up
get fed
sit in the exasaucer until he cries
move him to the bouncy seat till he cries
nap
wake up
get fed
sit in the exasaucer until he cries
and so on . . .
I do love on him and coo with him while feeding him and carting him around, but that's about it.

This past Sunday Charlotte and Chase had boogies and were feeling a little down, so I stayed home with them. Gavin and Ryan went to church.
Even though they were sick, I had the best morning. I bathed and pampered my two little ones! Chase got the works after his bath - ears cleaned out, lotion over his whole body, and even a little powder.
Charlotte and I had some quiet snuggle time and read some books together.
I have to say, I forgot what it was like to care exclusively for little ones. I am so busy during the day trying to homeschool Gavin and make sure I take advantage of all of the teachable moments. Sometimes I overlook the moments to just be with the babies. Sunday morning was just what I needed to slow me down and not forget that they grow so fast! Even though I hate missing church, I am grateful for the reminder.

Snuggle your babies today!

Update on Chase

Well, after my last post and talking with a few friends I decided to let Chase cry it out one night. He cried for maybe 15 minutes and then went back to sleep for a few more hours. The next time he woke up, I fed it because it had been about 6 hours. Then he went back to sleep for three more hours.

That next day, he started himself on the perfect four hour schedule. He ate, stayed awake for two hours, slept for two hours and then ate again. He did this ALL DAY. He followed that up with a six hour sleep stretch that night. This has been our routine for the last few days. It has been WONDERFUL. I feel energized and ready to tackle whatever comes my way!

Charlotte even walked into the room last night holding her poop. I calmly took her to the bathroom and took care of it. Sleep deprived, I would have FREAKED!

Thanks for all of the advice, encouragement and especially prayers! I know that they worked!

Advice

I don't usually do this, but I am desperate at this point. Chase is not a good sleeper. He WAS a good sleeper. At 6 weeks he was sleeping 5 and 6 hour stretches. It was awesome. Then we went to MI for Christmas and everything has been going downhill since then. I am having THE HARDEST TIME getting this kid on a schedule. I came to the point where I decided that he just maybe would function better not being on a schedule (not everyone is like me, after all!). Well, I started letting him do his own thing, but it is just maddening to me and he IS NOT a happy baby. I never know if he wants to eat, sleep or just hang out. When he cries I have no idea what he needs. My older two were the perfect baby wise babies, esp. Charlotte. She was sleeping nine hours by seven weeks.
Chase is waking up 2-4 times every night. Here are some things I've tried so far with him.
I put a heater in his room and socks over his hands to keep him warm - worked for one or two nights.
I finally let him sleep on his tummy (he seems more comfortable that way BUT, when he cries really hard it makes me nervous.)
I've given him gas drops b/c sometimes I go in there when he is crying in the night and I hear him tooting, then he'll go back to sleep.
I've cut dairy out of my diet (for the most part)as that seems to upset his tummy just like it did with Charlotte
I've give up caffeine, but he seems crazier since I did that
I haven't let him cry it out yet. I didn't have to do that with Charlotte and it makes me sad.

To be honest, the night feedings aren't really bothering me as much as his daily routine (or lack thereof). His feedings are fine, eating every three or four hours, but his naps are just all over the place. I know that if I can get him on a good daily schedule, the night sleep will fall into place. I've read lots of sleep training books and I'm too tired to read more. Please, just tell me what to do!

One of THOSE days

Today has been a hard day! One of those, grin and bear it kind of days. My first mistake was trying to bake cookies at 9:00 this morning while all 3 were awake and lively. I resorted to letting the olders eat about 3 or 4 mini reece cups. This of course made things worse. They were so hyper they woke up baby from his nap.

We've hardly done ANY school today. I don't really feel that badly about it, though. I'm learning to be flexible and I know we are ahead.

The baby has been crying all day. I resorted to putting him in the sling for part of the morning. You know, one of those things I said I'd NEVER do. I've stopped saying "I will never..." because I so often find myself doing those very things!

Chase also puked in the huge bin of legos (at least he stopped crying after that) . Gavin was SO grossed out. He plays with legos for hours a day. I mean HOURS. So, this interrupted his play. He was really great about it, though. We were able to salvage some that didn't have spit up on it for him to play with while I cleaned up the rest, which took forever.

To top everything off, it's Valentines Day. A day we never celebrate. Until this year. The hubbs surprised me with a card. and flowers. and a gift! I was floored. It was so nice, yet left me feeling like a schmuck b/c I didn't get him a thing! Hence the baking of his favorite cookies at 9 a.m. Gavin and I also whipped together a scavenger hunt for him to find the cookies. The last clue reads - "Is this the last clue? Hmmm, I wonder. You may find your gift hiding with your clean unders!" Yep, we hid them in his underwear drawer. Gavin's idea, of course.

Well, it's only nap time (although I feel like it's bedtime). It looks like my house has exploded and I am hoping that Ryan is game for pizza tonight!

I do have to say, (amidst all of the chaos) I love my life, my kids and I can't wait to smooch Ryan when he gets home!
Hope your V day has gone smoother than mine!

Wonder where we've been?

If you've been wondering where the Dobbertin's have been, I'll tell you.

I've been nursing Chase, bouncing Charlotte on my leg and reading with Gavin all at the same time. Don't worry, I take sips of coffee here and there in between all of that.

Life is moving at an incredibly fast pace. I miss blogging. I miss READING blogs. I checked my google reader last night and I had over 100 blog posts to catch up on. I skimmed and trimmed, or course, but I got caught up with you all.

Homeschooling has been fun, challenging and incredibly rewarding. I am furiously researching curriculum for next year. what are you all doing next year? I may do a post on what I've figured out so far. You know, with all my spare time . . .

Miss you all!