Almost one!

Before I had my little boy, I was astounded at how sentimental moms seemed when their daughters and sons were approaching their first birthdays. Now I am standing in their cute mommy shoes and I know exactly what they mean.

The other night Jack fell asleep in my arms and I just sat and stared at him for a long time, watching his tiny eyelashes and perfectly round cheeks and listening to his soft breathing. I want to hold on to moments like that and tuck them away forever. I never want to forget Jack's first-year baby months as he goes through potty training and preschool plays and spelling words and school sports and (gasp!) college. It's hard to believe that here they are, drawing to a close.

Jack, however, is not waxing sentimental. He's giggly and fun and crawling and cruising like crazy. He still loves to put most things in his mouth but he's learning more and more how to actually play with toys and keep himself amused for a time. It would be his dream come true to crawl into the dishwasher, but we don't let him.

He likes to eat still, but some days he's pickier than others. However, he has rarely turned down cheese, applesauce, apple juice, or yogurt. Veggies are a whole different matter.

So here's to one more month of official babyhood before the barnyard birthday and a dive into his own piece of cake signal that toddlerhood has officially arrived.

Snip, snip, snip

The sentimental mommy within me procrastinated this haircut forever, but Jack's hair was growing over his ears and collar and getting rather unruly on top, and his first-year photo shoot is fast approaching.

I worried that he would wiggle like crazy or maybe even cry, but he kept reasonably still and took it all in for a time, and then got a little squirmy near the end. And my patient hairdresser took it all in stride.

Before

After

Money-Saving Monday: Indoor Dates

Since Jack was born, it has become more of an ordeal to go on a date with my husband. No more hopping in the car and heading out to do something fun and romantic at the last minute. And less planned-ahead, more-elaborate dates. We have entered the world of babysitters, working around a baby's schedule, and making our little guy a priority as we do things as a family. 

We waited two years before becoming pregnant so we could enjoy just the two of us for a time, and then fully enjoy our children together, never needing to wish we could go back in time. Devoting time to diapers and cooing and crawling races full of giggles is truly a joy (except maybe a few particularly potent diapers!).

But at the same time, keeping our marriage relationship strong is important. So we have found time for indoor dates instead.

This type of dating comes with a perk: It's a money-saver. As it turns out, we can cook up a fancy dinner with appetizers and a quality cut of steak and a tasty dessert and still save over dining out. I tried a few tips from this The Motherload post and found them helpful and delectable.

We also do simpler indoor dates, such as renting a movie and making brownies together to munch during the film, or playing Scrabble and eating favorite snacks (have you noticed we love eating?).

I think this concept can apply whether you're single or married; before tying the knot I had fabulous times with my friends having potluck dinners and playing board games (and still do!).

What are your fun indoor/cheap date or entertainment ideas?

Money-Saving Monday: Stockpiling

Stockpiling is the art of finding free (or practically free) stuff and acquiring lots of it so that by the time you need more of that particular thing, you can find an excellent deal on it again. This works especially well for toiletries and for food items, such as cereal or pasta, that have a long shelf-life.

Recently, I've been stockpiling more things. Last week, for example, dental floss and shampoo were free at Walgreen's, so I got several of each. Cake mixes were on a great sale at my local grocery store, so I stocked up on those, too. I'm looking forward to using this strategy to really cut down on our grocery spending. (I've done this for a while with toiletries such as toothpaste and shaving cream.)     

The one little wrinkle in the stockpiling plan is storage. My husband cleaned out some cupboards in his office so we could keep some of our extras there. We also use cupboards in the laundry room and the linen closet for some items. It's amazing how motivating it is to create room for free stuff!

Do you have any stock-piling tips or creative storage solutions? Please share them!      

A very happy little Easter

Everything—especially Easter—becomes a bit more delightful with a little one in tow. Something about the beauty of the Resurrection and of new beginnings and of spring winds and blooming flowers makes the heart a little lighter.

Conveniently, Jack recently learned how to put items into a container, so that will be helpful when we have our own little Easter egg hunt tomorrow. He got some practice (below) at a playgroup Easter party.

Oh, the wonder of spring!