Ahhhh! For just a bit this afternoon, I had silence. The roofing crew took off around 2 - not sure why - and a little after 5 both Accalia and Cole fell asleep for late naps. Cole's nursing to wake right now, and Accalia's still asleep. Of course this means late nights for them tonight, but it was so nice just having myself to think about for a short time.

The Funkalicious sling I won through a contest at Punkymoms arrived today! If one could ever feel decadent wearing a sling, then this would be it! The fabric is beautiful and a bit heavier than either my Maya Wrap or Kissaluv, but not too heavy. It's not padded, which is my preference. It's also made to cup your shoulder for the perfect fit, which is something neither of my other slings does. And it's got a cool little zippered pocket to store stuff!

Cory, Accalia, Cole and I go to the chiropractor every three weeks to be adjusted. We're very strong believers in using chiropractic care for wellness maintenance as well as if we are sick. Ever since we started going to the chiropractic regularly - for me it was after Accalia was born - we've rarely been sick. We have the occasional cold or mystery bug, but even that is rare. I have some back and nerve issues, and I can see that they are improving, too. When we first moved back to Yankton when Cole was about a month old, I could barely even bend with my knees because it was so painful. That's all improved now.

Where I am having problems is all along my left side. I can usually feel it start either at a certain point on the left side of my neck or in my left knee (I still have problems with my knee, but it's not painful to bend anymore). Then I can feel it travel all up and down the left side from my toes on up. The small of my back gets involved there, too. It's awful because I can feel how uneven I am, and I can even see that my left side is shorter than my right if I stretch out my legs. And that's why I'm going to see Dr. Plath this afternoon. I think I knocked something out when I was helping Cory haul everything around upstairs when he was pulling carpet.

Roofers were here before 7 a.m. today. They have the house surrounded, too, and Lucy is not happy about it. So she's spending more time in her kennel where she is so calm and happy. I think when she's in her kennel that she understands that she doesn't have to protect us from all of the strange noises she hears.

We made a run to Wal-Mart where I picked up three summer tops for Accalia for $1 each. Depending on how much she grows, she may even be able to wear them next summer. I also loaded up on some inexpensive school supplies such as glue, crayons, markers, etc., etc. Accalia's in heaven right now. Pure joy with all of these new markers and crayons.

Today's been a good day so far - much better than yesterday in terms of my mood. The roofing crew is still banging and sawing away. This roof is going to look soooo good. Of course it wouldn't take much to do that considering the old shingles were probably older than me and there were a few layers of shingles underneath. They also removed a huge antennae that's been on our roof as long as we've lived here. Not sure what purpose it served, but it feels good knowing we're less of a lightning strike target and an eye sore.

The kids and I took off to Vermillion on an impromptu trip. Their library was having a book sale - $5 for a bag or box - and I just couldn't resist. Came home with a box full - Cory should be very pleased (said sarcastically). Accalia was a bit disappointed because a family was there before us and basically cleared out the kids' selection. We found a few of those pocketsize guide books about trees, sea life and insects, so she had fun looking through those. I found everything from Anne Tyler to Louise Erdrich, so I'm good to go.

We had lunch at Burger King - Accalia's choice - and I was planning to take them downtown to check out the shops, but Accalia said she wanted to go home. So here we are. Cole is nursing down for a nap, and I think Accalia may be falling asleep on the couch.

I was so pleased to see a big article about the benefits of breastfeeding in today's paper. It was written by the lactation consultant at the hospital. I had forgotten there was one, even though a local Leader had talked about her before. I called and left a message with her, and hopefully she'll contact me soon. It'll be really nice to have a breastfeeding ally in town since I've decided I'm going to start up a LLL group of my own. Just waiting to hear back from my District Adviser to find out if she things it's a smart idea when I already have my CLA responsibilities, although considering she has a group and is the Area Coordinator of Leaders, I'm not sure she'll be too concerned.

Okay, going to put Cole in bed. Sounds as if Accalia's awake and moving around.

We have banging on the roof! Our roofer showed up this morning with his crew, and they've been working steadily ever since. Can I even begin to express how nice it is to have progress made on our roof after waiting nearly a year for him to show up? Nope, probably can't. Hopefully this will only take 2 or 3 more days. The noise isn't that bad today, although I did put Cole down in the guest room for his nap because they're working directly over our bedroom right now. It is rather inconvenient having the front door blocked off with large pieces of plywood, but I'm assuming that's not permanent.

This morning we went to story time. Accalia never seems especially thrilled to sit through the reading of three stories. I think it just doesn't capture her attention the way the intimacy of her and I snuggled up on the couch does. For her weekly prize for completing her reading minutes for the summer reading program, she was able to pick out a book. Well, I should say that's what she picked out of the basket of prizes. That's definitely what I would have picked, too :) The activity/craft today was using a bedsheet to throw up a bunch of water balloons. The kids had a blast, but Accalia never did get hit by a water balloon. Not sure if she was happy or disappointed by that.

This afternoon we stopped at the pet store to see the puppies and kitties. I don't know that we'll be getting a kitten any time in the near future since Accalia latches on to my leg and won't let go if any kitties start heading in our direction. Then we went to the childrens' consignment store, where Accalia picked out a toy and I picked out some winter outfits for Cole from the 70% off rack. Woo hoo!

Accalia was thrilled to get a package in the mail from her auntie Heather - a few warm weather outfits that she absolutely loves. She's been wearing each outfit for a while and then changing to another one every since they arrived.

And one of Cole's birthday presents arrived today (yes, I know his birthday is still over a month away) - Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton. It's such a cute song from her Philadelphia Chickens cd, and I started singing it to Cole whenever he's nursing or being slung to sleep. And sometimes he'll look royally ticked off if I don't start singing it. Once I do, though, his whole body just relaxes.

Today three of my friends and their kids came to visit. Amy, Sara, Karen and I (along with 8 kids total - 2 each) try to get together once a month. Usually Amy, Sara and Karen manage to get together more often because they are all involved with the same LLL group and this group. But it's for sure this once a month deal. Today was fun. The kids had fun, too, I think - at least mine did :)

After they left, I had to go to the dentist to take care of those cavities and chipped tooth. It only took about 15 minutes and I didn't even need novocaine. Wow, I was impressed! Then we went out to supper (although probably not the best idea with overtired kids) to celebrate two things - getting our $800 child tax credit check in the mail and Cory finding out his presentation proposal has been accepted for next year's ACA national conference in Kansas City.

I'm going to try to get a little boy to sleep now. Wish me luck!

Right now Cory is tearing up the carpet on our upstairs landing. All of the carpet in our house is absolutely disgusting and probably older than me. Thankfully we only have carpeting in the living room, upstairs landing and one of the upstairs rooms. Underneath so far - except for a spot at the top of the stairs that is plywood - is beautiful hard wood just like the floors in the other two bedrooms. Of course there's still all of the work of sanding and whatnot, and Cory has said he'll probably send me and the kids away when he does that. Anyone want some guests?

I'll put Cole down for a nap as soon as I finish this. Accalia had a MAJOR meltdown a little bit ago. Not sure what brought it on. She's probably tired and then she hurt herself. She really wants to help Cory right now, but since there are sharp carpet staples and dirt all over and she's stark naked, it's probably not a good idea. Maybe we'll just cuddle up and read some stories instead.

A while ago I posted about an article in Real Simple Magazine called "20 Rules To Break Now" where one of the rules was to save time and not breastfeed. Obviously the wrong thing to print if you don't want to outrage breastfeeding advocates. I just found out about this website, so now you have a place to go where you can email the magazine, the doctor quoted in the article, and find other resources to let your outrage be hear.

Since I'm on the subject of breastfeeding, I'm going to encourage everyone to attend a World Walk for Breastfeeding if there's one near you this summer. Many La Leche League groups hold theirs to coincide with World Breastfeeding Week Aug. 1-7. The nearest one to me is in Sioux Falls, so we'll be going to that in September. If attending a walk isn't going to happen, then please consider giving a donation to La Leche League. This is an organization that is almost completely run by mothers who volunteer their time and basically exists thanks to donations and funds raised by local groups. If a financial donation isn't doable, then please give yourself a gift and educate yourself about breastfeeding and it's benefits. A great place to start is here. I think the good doctor quoted in that Real Simple article may want to check out that website to learn that mothers who don't breastfeed are going to miss out on a whole lot more than just "some of the bonding".

Cole is nursing to sleep, so I'm sneaking in a little computer time as I usually do. Extremely hot and humid today, so we're staying inside where it's cool. We rented a coupld DVDS - the Barbie Rapunzel one for Accalia (turns out she wanted the Barbie Nutcracker one, but oh well) and Phonebooth for Cory and me (hopefully tonight).

I've been listening to Ani DiFranco lately. Cory burned a bunch of her cds for me when Napster was alive and well. I like her music because she usually sounds so fierce and angry, but it leaves me feeling very mellow. Is that strange? Maybe I have a ton of anger built up inside of me and I'm unknowingly releasing it whenever I listen to her.

On another musical note...Elton's John's "Rocketman" was playing on the radio when we were driving to pick up movies, so Accalia talked about him going into space :)

La Leche League is coming out with a new book about nursing during pregnancy and tandem nursing called Adventures in Tandem Nursing. I'm definitely ordering a copy. The author, Hilary Flower, actually interviewed me when she was writing the book, but I don't know if I made it into the book or not. This was when I was pregnant with Cole, so I just had experience nursing through pregnancy at that point. I really hope a lot of women and a lot of health care providers read this book because there are way too many people out there who have the misconception that nursing during pregnancy is dangerous for the unborn baby and the mother. And really, the only time you may have to wean is if you're at risk for pre-term labor.

It's been a pretty good day. This morning the kids and I went to the Gavins Point Fish Hatchery and Aquarium. We just went to the aquarium part. Accalia and Cole had been there with Cory a few weeks ago, and Accalia really wanted me to go. Her favorite fish was by far the catfish. I think she likes the "whiskers". They have a 40 lb. catfish named George. I think I would freak out if I was swimming in the lake and ran into George :)

Then we went to Burger King for lunch because Accalia has wanted a specific Sinbad toy for a long time. Alas, that was not the one she got today, and a mild meltdown ensued. She recovered quickly enough when I showed her the cool things her new toy could do.

After that it was home again home again jiggity jig, and the kids spent some time playing in their pool. After that, Cole took a fairly long nap and Accalia and I played together.

We took Lucy out for a walk a little bit ago (Cory won't be home until 9 p.m. and can't do his usual dog walking responsibilities), and Accalia fell a couple times and skinned her hands and knees a little. About a block after falling the first time, she stopped and said in a really quiet voice, "Something's happening to me, Mommy". She was looking at the palm of her hand, which was a little red and had some skin flaking off. I explained what was happening and she felt much better.

Accalia's really tired but is thankfully keeping herself awake by dancing to this Barbie tape her cousin Mariah sent her. Cole is happily watching her.

As I was slinging/nursing Cole to sleep a few minutes ago, I caught a glimpse of Accalia in him that brought me back to when she was this age. Oh, it's hard to remember those times even though it was just a few years ago. And looking at pictures of Accalia around the year mark, it's hard to believe she was ever that age. Sometimes I wish I could make time stand still. And then there are other times when I want to fast forward a few years or so :)

We went to the park this afternoon to feed the ducks and geese and play. We need to bring more bread next time because we disappointed a great many water fowl. Accalia had the most fun watching all of the gophers and finding their holes. She played on the playground equipment some but was more interested in rolling down the shady, grassy hill and chasing butterflies.

I think all I need to do to keep Accalia entertained is buy her a new pack of underwear :) Yesterday she picked out a seven pair pack of Disney Princess underwear. Since then, she's been trying them all on, lining them up on the living room floor, and so on. The girl is nuts about her undergarments.

The underwear buying trip to Kmart was a very good one for Accalia. They're having a big clearance sale right now, and we picked up a new leotard a size too big and a pair of sneakers for the fall. The sneakers fit her just perfectly now, so it'll be a bust if her feet grow in the next few months. I just couldn't pass up shoes for $3, though. Too bad they didn't have them a size bigger.

After Cory got home from his one client appointment last night, we went to buy ice cream cones at a new restaurant in Yankton - Scoops. It's a little family-owned restaurant that sells sandwiches, pizza and ice cream (Schwans and Ashby). Accalia has very simple tastes. All she wanted was chocolate (she alternates between chocolate and vanilla). Cory had strawberry cheesecake, and I had Eskimo Kisses (chunks of chocolate and bits of coconut - very yummy). Cole fell asleep on the way home and was out for the night. Accalia was up late since she napped.

Today if we manage to get ready we're heading to the grocery store to pick up a few things. That's about all of our excitement, though.

Storytime at the library this morning. Rather a boisterous bunch and not just the children. There are a couple moms who keep bringing their kids who just have no interest in sitting and listening to stories. I just wish they wouldn't try to force them to sit there when they would be having more fun running around at the park or something. And I'm not just saying that because one of those kids fell over Cole and upset him greatly...

It's apparently Crazy Hat week at the library, and there was a notice in the paper inviting kids to wear crazy hats to storytime this week. So Accalia picked out her Mickey Mouse Sorcerer's Apprentice hat she got at DisneyWorld. There were a few other kids wearing hats, too, but the really odd thing is that storytime had nothing to do with hats! I was expecting that the kids were be read stories about hats. Maybe Mem Fox's The Magic Hat or Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat. There were no stories about hats. No movies about hats. No hat activities. No hat crafts. We must have a rather dysfunctional storytime here in Yankton.

Oh, I felt bad for Accalia when the activity started - leapfrog. Some of the kids found partners to play leapfrog while others didn't want to do it. Accalia wanted to do it, but she was too shy to ask anyone. Just as I was going to ask the little boy standing near her if he wanted to play leapfrog with Accalia, the librarian had everyone sit down again. I just hated seeing Accalia standing there alone and looking so sad. I think I must have issues from childhood about not being included in things or something. Or maybe every parent just doesn't want their child to feel left out. I don't know. I was exactly the same as Accalia growing up. I would have just stood there, too, not knowing what to do if someone didn't come up to me and ask to play leapfrog.

There was a mom at storytime with two kids - one probably younger than Accalia and one a little younger than Cole. I've seen her the last couple times actually and she's always nursing her youngest. Just sits there and nurses away. I think she saw me trying to nurse Cole one time, but Cole doesn't usually nurse in public and he wasn't interested at that time. I was going to talk with her today, but we just never got the chance. I sat down by her and said hi and she said hi back, but then her baby was fussy and she was walking around with her, and Cole was crawling all over, and then I was sitting by Accalia, and so on. Hopefully next week!

Cole and I are just waiting for Accalia to wake up. She fell asleep at 12:30! So strange. She must really be exhausted. Our big excitement this afternoon is buying Accalia new underwear. She wants to get the Disney princess underwear, and it just happens to be on sale this week.

This-or-That
1) DVD or VHS? DVD is most definitely nice since there's no fast forwarding necessary and there are often very cool extras. I'm fine with VHS, too, and I'd better be since we only own two or three DVDS at this point!
2) Best Literary/Movie Villan: Voldemort (Harry Potter) or Sauron (LoTR)? I'm almost embarrassed to say I haven't read either of these. They're on my long To Read list, of course, but not a priority right now.
3) Meat: rare or well-done? Welld-done
4) High Speed Internet-Cable or DSL? Haven't experienced DSL yet, so I'll have to stick with high speed.
5) Women: 1-piece bathing suit or Bikini? One-piece. Once upon a time I did have a bikini, but I'm much more comfortable sticking with my one-piece.
7) Beer or Liquor/Wine? Hmm. I don't drink much and I don't really have a strong preference. Probably my last choice would be a glass of wine.
8) Coke or Mountain Dew? Coke
9) In honor of my 10/18/03 nuptials: Morning or Afternoon/Night Wedding? I've only experienced an afternoon wedding, and I was perfectly happy with that. Don't think I'd want a night wedding, but a morning one would be just fine.
10) Carpet or Hardwood Floors Hardwood floors
11) American cars or foreign? I've always wanted a Volvo.
12) Cutest TV Twin: Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen? I have no idea who is who.
13) Coffee: Caffeinated or Decaf? Not really a coffee drinker. Truthfully, I probably wouldn't even know if I had caffeinated or decaf.
14) Thought-Provoking Question of the Week: Computers: Do they make life better or worse? Why? Overall, better. There are always negatives to almost everything, and it's very much a pain when the computer isn't working properly or you find yourself sucking away too many minutes of the day online when you really should be doing other things. But without our computer - specifically the Internet - I wouldn't have met nearly all of the amazing people I have and I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much of the support I have for decisions Cory and I are making as parents. And it would make my CLA work much more time consuming since I do almost all of it by email.

We're finally back after our extended weekend visit to both sets of grandparents in Mankato and Lake Wilson. We had a pretty nice trip - nothing too exciting to report. Other than parents and siblings, we saw our friend Heather for a while. She brought Accalia ballerina paper dolls and Spiderman stickers, so Accalia had her little slice of heaven.

I had a dentist appointment this afternoon (it's been a little over a year since my last cleaning, so I was long overdue). Unfortunately I have two cavities :( I'm going back next Monday to take care of that. I'm so very excited.

The highlight of today was definitely opening the package containing my autographed copy of The Unprocessed Child. I started reading it right away - well, as "right away" as is possible with two children, a dog, a husband, a dental appointment and getting back from a trip allows - and I'm just in love with it! I knew I would be, of course :). I just wish everyone who has children or works with children could read this book. It's not just about unschooling but about treating children with respect and allowing them to become who they are, not who we think they should be. Absolutely fabulous. It's one of those reads that inspires me to do better, that reinforces what I've felt and that reassures me that we really are doing what's best for our children even if society doesn't agree.

Looks like it's time to head to bed. Cole has already been there for a couple hours. Accalia is probably plenty ready to sleep. We were just outside a few minutes ago so she could sing a few stirring renditions of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".

We're leaving today for a few days away in Mankato and Lake Wilson. The kids should be in heaven since they'll get to see both sets of grandparents in one trip. Now I have to get busy packing...

The end of another day. It was a late night for both kids since they both had late naps. Accalia, Cole and I were upstairs tonight, and I was sitting on the futon watching the two of them wrestle around on the floor. I love that Cole's reached an age where he is able to play with Accalia. Obviously they can't play together all of the time since Cole will just knock over all of Accalia's elaborate set ups with her farm set or her dolls or whatever it may be. But it's just so nice to watch them be siblings.

And another day tomorrow. The only thing on the schedule is me getting a haircut. Cory won't be home from work yet, so both kids will be coming along. That's usually what happens and it works out okay. Not the most relaxing time for me, but my hair gets cut and that's the most important thing.

Both kids are napping right now. Both definitely needed it. There's nothing less fun than starting off the day knowing the kids need more sleep.

We haven't done much really. Made a trip to Wal-Mart and to the thrift store. I'd say the thrift store was the highlight of the day :) Accalia picked up this very retro toy from Tyco called Magic Copier. I'd never seen it before today, and Accalia loves it. It's a "real copier machine", according to the box. It requires a couple batteries and carbon paper. I haven't used carbon paper since I was in grade school or junior high and that's how we printed the school newspaper that I was editor of at our tiny parochial school. Anyway, you insert a piece of carbon paper and then the copy paper. Then you draw whatever you want on the top, which is similar to a Magna Doodle or Magic Doodle drawing board. Then you press the "copy" button and it whirls out the copy of your drawing! Accalia is just in love with it at this point.

The theme at storytime this morning was the circus. Interestingly enough, the circus is in town this week. Hmm... Accalia was a bit disappointed because they didn't do a craft. Instead, one of the college girls helping out this summer demonstrated juggling, and then all of the kids practiced tossing one ball back and forth in their hands. This was actually quite entertaining for Accalia. I thought it was a rather bad idea to do this in between reading stories and then having the kids sit back down while holding their balls. Let's just say that the kids were a bit more restless after that.

We dropped Lucy off at the vet for another kenneling session, this being about half a day. She was actually excited to go! That's a great sign. Everyone greeted her at the door with lots of pets and praise, and Lucy just laid down and wiggled all over enjoying the attention.

Cole's sleeping right now, and Accalia's eating a popsicle and watching toons. I'm trying to fight off a migraine. Probably not too smart to be sitting at a computer then, huh?

This-or-that

1. Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck? Bugs Bunny. Did any other rabbit ever look so good in drag?
2. Tom or Jerry? Jerry. We had a lot of hamsters growing up, so I had a soft spot for rodents. Now I just pray that Accalia or Cole never want any sort of rodent for a pet!
3. Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck? Mickey Mouse.
4. Rocky & Bullwinkle or Boris & Natasha? Rocky & Bullwinkle. I never saw much of this cartoon, though.
5. Road Runner or Wile E. Coyote? Road Runner. I have to say I did feel sorry for Wile every once in a while. I'm not sure, though, if it was because he was always getting hurt or because he just seemed so gullible.
6. Sylvester or Tweety? Tweety.
7. Popeye or Bluto? Popeye. I always wanted to eat spinach out of a can after watching him. I prefer fresh spinach from the garden now. And Bluto was such a bully.
8. South Park or The Simpsons? I've never watched South Park. Definitely Simpsons. Cory is a huge fan, and I have friends who could just entertain you for hours quoting from the Simpsons.
9. Jetsons or Flintstones? That's a tough one. I'd have to say the Flintstones by a hair.
10. And finally, the eternal question asked by all good Scooby-Doo fans: Velma or Daphne? Velma. I think I must have related to her more or something. I LOVED Scooby Doo. Seriously. I learned so much about popular culture, too. Sonny and Cher. Mamas and the Papas. Phylis Diller. The Harlem Globetrotters. Those will always be connected to Scooby Doo.

I remember not being allowed to watch He-Man. Not sure why. Perhaps my parents thought it would send me over to the dark side. It's probably why lots of parents don't allow their kids to read Harry Potter.

Our roofer was here bright and early - a little past 8 a.m. - to drop off tools and give me a quick update. He was going to wait to drop off the shingles until it's more clear which direction the weather is headed. It was really dark and cloudy this morning with just a few sprinkles. There's a chance of storms all day, and it's really hot and humid. Hopefully the rest of this week will be excellent roofing weather.

I'm so, so proud of Lucy. We bought a crate for her a month or so ago. I've had my doubts that she'll ever take to it since she's 5 and never crate trained. We've taken the approach that trainers using positive reinforcement and clicker training recommend so that the dog actually likes the crate and doesn't see it as punishment. So we haven't been pushing the crate on Lucy, but whenever she shows any interest - sniffing at it, even just looking inside it - we reward her with treats, praise, whatever is extra special to Lucy. The reasoning behind this is that Lucy will associate the crate with treats or something she likes and will continue to want to do more with it in order to get more treats. So, it's basically a form of conditioning (Pavlov and his dogs, for example).

Well, except for a few times when I've had to put Lucy in the crate because someone was at the door, Lucy hasn't been in the crate or interested in just hanging out in it until today. I led Lucy into the crate this morning when our roofer stopped and heaped tons of praise and treats onto her after he was gone. After that, she started going in and out of the crate and has just been lying in it today. And I've given her treats and praise every time I see her in there. Perhaps it's just clicked finally that the crate is her safe place to be. But what I think has really made a difference is putting something out to keep the door propped open. We've always kept the door to the crate open, but I think Lucy has seen how the door can swing open and closed and that has really scared her.

Well, that news was probably extremely boring for all of you non-dog people - or those who just don't care about Lucy's training - but it's a huge moment for her!

Accalia's had a Winnie-the-Pooh sing-a-long video since her second birthday, I think, and it's always been one of her favorites. Today she wanted to watch it while Cole was napping, and she sang along to it the entire time. Very cute :)