We got to see fireworks twice this year! The second night, on the 4th, we went to go see Rockford’s Sky Concert. This fireworks display is big by anyone’s standard. It is set to music, which you can listen to by tuning in with a radio. We brought our boom box, but ended up leaving it in the stroller because someone else already had their radio blasting. The best part about the show this year was the view. We watched it from the roof of the building where Eric works, …

When I first found out about Micah’s food allergies, I thought I had to buy special mixes for baked goods and other foods like pancakes. We tried a pancake mix from Cherrybrook Kitchen, and to be honest, it was really gross. The problem for us is that Micah is allergic to three common allergens (eggs, milk & soy), but not the fourth typically associated with these allergies: gluten. As a result, any mixes that are egg-free, dairy-free and soy-free are also gluten-free. I feel bad for those who are allergic …

My husband and his friend Sam love blowing things up. They love it so much that they went through all the trouble of getting a license so they could play with the really big toys. Very expensive, very dangerous, very much illegal (if you don’t have a license) EXPLOSIVES. Also known as FIREWORKS! And every year, the night before the fourth, they light these suckers and put on a big show for friends and family out in the country at Sam’s childhood home. It is awesome…
I think more people turned …

…to start explaining the toilet. He is just about 15 months, but it’s not his age I’ve noticed, it’s this brand new skill he’s picked up lately. He likes to copy every thing I do. This morning I was picking up clothes off the floor and putting them in the hamper, which sits in Eric’s closet. I closed the doors to his closet and opened mine to look for something to wear. Little Micah found a pair of pajama pants in the basket of clean clothes, picked them up, walked …

I think sometimes bloggers, including myself, have a tendency to show only their shining moments. I don’t think that’s always a bad thing, because the blogs highlighting the best ideas and cutest photos do capture my interest. Sometimes I like to see the human side of an author, though. A while back I declared that I would share some of my more humbling moments in an effort to embrace the ordinary.  Because behind every bright and shiny blog, is a  person who spills ketchup on their new jeans and forgets …

I never set out to become thrifty, I simply evolved over time, out of necessity, as a result of having no discretionary income.  Now that things appear to be coming together in such a way that we will have discretionary income, I am not sure I want to change. I have discovered the thrill of thrift. The fun of frugality. The… well you get the picture.
I recently thought of another use for my saved baby food jars: small food storage. (Many of these I am holding onto for a future …

Friends on Freecycle
Recently I joined my city’s Freecycle. Most cities have one: it’s a great place to trade things you don’t need anymore rather than throwing them away and filling landfills with perfectly good stuff. I filter all the e-mails to a folder in my inbox and glance through the subjects when I have time. Last night I spied an offer for a booster seat, something I have been talking about getting for weeks now. Recently Micah’s legs beefed up and I noticed they were looking a little squeezed when …

Taken at 9:40pm with a ten second exposure, no flash, ISO 100.
I sat on my porch last night for about ten minutes, playing with different shutter speeds and listening to the neighbor’s dog bark to the other neighbor’s dog, who was probably barking at me and the tiny white light on the front of my camera that lit up every time I focused. A huge toad sat next to me on the front walk the entire time. He was the size of a golf ball. Maybe he was interested in …

Sometimes you have to be a pain in the butt to get the pictures you want. You have to interrupt the party and say, “hey, let’s all stand over here and smile while I take a photo.” But, when you have four generations of males all in one place on one day…

Here is Micah with his dad, his grandpa and his great-grandpa (Eric’s maternal grandfather). Micah’s shirt says “Dad is my Hero.”

And this is the whole clan, my mother-in-law’s extended family. I set the timer and jumped in.

Father’s day was …