Free Garage Sale, Errands and Friends
We had a busy weekend here.
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Starting on Friday, we hauled a bunch of stuff we weren't using out into the driveway. I put up "Free garage 'sale'" signs, and we put ads online saying that we had a pile of stuff in our driveway, free for the taking.
It was quite a success. Almost everything we put out disappeared, even things I didn't think would be taken (such as opened, partially-used boxes of cornmeal and other food). We were even able to get rid of several larger items that were just creating clutter, such as some extra chairs and strollers. I'm really glad we were able to give the things to someone who could use them.
One lesson we learned, though, was to put anything portable that we didn't want taken completely out of sight, not just well away from the labeled pile on the opposite side of the yard from the driveway.
Saturday morning, a friend came over to help DH move some furniture around, and we worked on organizing and decluttering. Then I took a load of toys and clothes to sell at a local consignment shop.
On Saturday afternoon I went over to JT's house to help her prepare and freeze a number of meals. We made double batches of two kinds of soup, which gave them about 5 meals from each kind. Then I cut a package of steaks into thin slices and JT put them into freezer bags with marinade, ready to pull out and thaw for a beef-and-broccoli stir-fry when needed. I thought that was a great idea, and if I can find a good marinade recipe we like and can eat I'll give it a try with some chicken or beef.
It was especially fun to see JT's son who is just a few months younger than Baby E. I kept laughing, because he did so many things that Baby E does, that I thought were quirks of hers. I guess they're gestures and mannerisms that are common to the age, not just unique to Baby E.
On the way home I went shopping for some things the kids needed. I ended up being away from Baby E longer than I ever have been before, but it went pretty well.
Yesterday at church, BAby E had her first time successfully using a public restroom. She'd been fussing and squirming, so I took her to the bathroom and she used the toilet there! I was so proud of her.
After church, we went out for lunch with some friends from our home group. As we were trying to load everyone into the car to leave church, Baby E suddenly started screaming hysterically and flailing around in pain. Nothing I did seemed to help. She didn't want to nurse, and even spit out the teething tablets I put into her mouth--something she's never refused before. It was so intense that I was keeping a close eye on her to see if she needed the epi-pen. The only thing I could think of was that I'd let her get down on the floor at church, and then she'd put her hands into her mouth.
I felt terrible for letting her get down on the floor and allowing her to be exposed to allergens that way. With all the cookies at church, plus the crumbs from communion that morning, there were sure to be crumbs of corn- and soy-containing foods on the floor. But she's over a year old and walking--how can I keep her from ever being on the floor? I don't know, but watching her suffer because of something I could have prevented had me in tears along with her.
Finally I took off her socks and shoes, which were on a bit too tight, and rubbed her feet. That calmed her down enough that we were able to put her into her car seat. She was kind of floppy and lethargic once she calmed down, but that could have been partly because she was so tired. I sat in the back so I could keep a close eye on her, but she seemed okay.
She was still fussy for most of the rest of the day, though, and I was definitely afraid to put her down anywhere at McDonald's while we visited with our friends and the kids played in the tubes. I had a few snacks for Baby E and myself, so we ate puffed rice and ginger slices while everyone else ate hamburgers.
After that we made a run to get some baby food and a few other necessities from the health food store on that end of town. We do our grocery shopping now in increments, because most things we can have are carried at only one store in the area. We get yogurt and applesauce one place, baby food, crackers and cereal another place, produce another place, meat at a butcher shop, and bread and rice milk at still another store.
We had our first "family meeting" last night, and made plans for the coming few weeks. I think the kids are going to enjoy having more input into our family affairs.
I was really tired, so DH sweetly took care of the kids and put all three of them to bed by himself while I went to bed super early. That was so nice. I slept for about 11 hours.
This morning several of us seem to be coming down with colds, or possibly just suffering from allergies with the weather change.
As soon as the girls finish their morning chores, we'll start our second week of school. I'm really looking forward to it.
###############
Starting on Friday, we hauled a bunch of stuff we weren't using out into the driveway. I put up "Free garage 'sale'" signs, and we put ads online saying that we had a pile of stuff in our driveway, free for the taking.
It was quite a success. Almost everything we put out disappeared, even things I didn't think would be taken (such as opened, partially-used boxes of cornmeal and other food). We were even able to get rid of several larger items that were just creating clutter, such as some extra chairs and strollers. I'm really glad we were able to give the things to someone who could use them.
One lesson we learned, though, was to put anything portable that we didn't want taken completely out of sight, not just well away from the labeled pile on the opposite side of the yard from the driveway.
Saturday morning, a friend came over to help DH move some furniture around, and we worked on organizing and decluttering. Then I took a load of toys and clothes to sell at a local consignment shop.
On Saturday afternoon I went over to JT's house to help her prepare and freeze a number of meals. We made double batches of two kinds of soup, which gave them about 5 meals from each kind. Then I cut a package of steaks into thin slices and JT put them into freezer bags with marinade, ready to pull out and thaw for a beef-and-broccoli stir-fry when needed. I thought that was a great idea, and if I can find a good marinade recipe we like and can eat I'll give it a try with some chicken or beef.
It was especially fun to see JT's son who is just a few months younger than Baby E. I kept laughing, because he did so many things that Baby E does, that I thought were quirks of hers. I guess they're gestures and mannerisms that are common to the age, not just unique to Baby E.
On the way home I went shopping for some things the kids needed. I ended up being away from Baby E longer than I ever have been before, but it went pretty well.
Yesterday at church, BAby E had her first time successfully using a public restroom. She'd been fussing and squirming, so I took her to the bathroom and she used the toilet there! I was so proud of her.
After church, we went out for lunch with some friends from our home group. As we were trying to load everyone into the car to leave church, Baby E suddenly started screaming hysterically and flailing around in pain. Nothing I did seemed to help. She didn't want to nurse, and even spit out the teething tablets I put into her mouth--something she's never refused before. It was so intense that I was keeping a close eye on her to see if she needed the epi-pen. The only thing I could think of was that I'd let her get down on the floor at church, and then she'd put her hands into her mouth.
I felt terrible for letting her get down on the floor and allowing her to be exposed to allergens that way. With all the cookies at church, plus the crumbs from communion that morning, there were sure to be crumbs of corn- and soy-containing foods on the floor. But she's over a year old and walking--how can I keep her from ever being on the floor? I don't know, but watching her suffer because of something I could have prevented had me in tears along with her.
Finally I took off her socks and shoes, which were on a bit too tight, and rubbed her feet. That calmed her down enough that we were able to put her into her car seat. She was kind of floppy and lethargic once she calmed down, but that could have been partly because she was so tired. I sat in the back so I could keep a close eye on her, but she seemed okay.
She was still fussy for most of the rest of the day, though, and I was definitely afraid to put her down anywhere at McDonald's while we visited with our friends and the kids played in the tubes. I had a few snacks for Baby E and myself, so we ate puffed rice and ginger slices while everyone else ate hamburgers.
After that we made a run to get some baby food and a few other necessities from the health food store on that end of town. We do our grocery shopping now in increments, because most things we can have are carried at only one store in the area. We get yogurt and applesauce one place, baby food, crackers and cereal another place, produce another place, meat at a butcher shop, and bread and rice milk at still another store.
We had our first "family meeting" last night, and made plans for the coming few weeks. I think the kids are going to enjoy having more input into our family affairs.
I was really tired, so DH sweetly took care of the kids and put all three of them to bed by himself while I went to bed super early. That was so nice. I slept for about 11 hours.
This morning several of us seem to be coming down with colds, or possibly just suffering from allergies with the weather change.
As soon as the girls finish their morning chores, we'll start our second week of school. I'm really looking forward to it.
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 8:39 AM[Permanent link]
5 Comments:
You can't blame yourself if she picks up something from the floor from someplace like church. You just can't keep her on your lap forever.
But...can you and your pastor work with the congregation to maybe limit food other than the communion wafers and ask people to be extra careful about crumbs while Baby E is so young? Soon she'll be old enough to be careful of herself, but in the meantime, it's up to ALL the church members to help protect her.
Thanks for the thoughts, Liz. The snacks and coffee are provided by the church and are an important part of the day between services. Especially for the people who are there for both services, I think it's important for them to be able to eat a little something since we don't get out until around 12:30 and some people have been there since 8 a.m. or earlier. I don't think it would be reasonable to ask everyone to abstain from food or ask people to try to control their young children dropping crumbs on the floor. I think what we'll have to do is just either keep the baby off the floor or make sure we don't let her put her hands in her mouth before we wash them.
That's what I have to do at any other public place like a mall, grocery store or restaurant, or even if we visit someone else's house, unfortunately. The only place I really feel safe letting her down on the floor is in the areas of our own home we keep allergen-free for her.
But, you're right . . . I can't keep her off the floor forever. Somehow we have to figure out how to balance the benefits and risks. At least she hasn't had any life-threatening reactions so far . . . it's just several hours of misery.
I love the ideas on freezer foods - thanks! We got our upright freezer and I'm making plans to use it! Sorry to hear about Baby E's reaction... that would be really frustrating for me but at least you know what's causing it now! It's great that you're such a good problem solver and jumped on her reactions so soon. The family meetings remind me of Cheaper by the Dozen!! :-) My kids seem sniffly, too, and are coughing... will it ever go away?
Hugs, Colleen
A mom I know whose son has a serious egg allergy keeps anti-bacterial wipes on her at all times. Her two kids have been well-trained to only eat after cleaning their hands, in the sink or with wipes. The wipes are also used to clear eating surfaces, etc. Perhaps you can work with Baby E to learn that she needs to wash her hands before bringing them to her mouth (long-term project of course)? What a difficult thing. I'm so sorry!
Thanks, Colleen. I hope your kids feel better soon, too.
Parodie, thanks for the idea. I do use wipes to clean the kids' hands sometimes, but I haven't found a brand I'm sure are soy- and corn-free yet.
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