Just Me Right Now

Okay, my 2 year old is in LOVE with pooping on the potty.

He especially loves to inspect and flush after each individual piece. AND...mommy (yes I've moved to mommy not momma) is NOT allowed in the bathroom while he's "busy" going. I get "Bye bye" "Bye bye mommy" if I so much as poke my head in to see what kind of damage he's done.

Yesterday I walked into a pee covered bathroom...and he was thoroughly upset that he had gotten it on his foot!! Yeah, don't worry about my floors or rugs, it's your foot that's really important.

Nothing funnier than seeing a 2 year old scamper bottomless out of the bathroom - sooo happy about his poo-poo.

How are the Zavalas beating the heat?

We're...

• Not leaving the house.
• Having "raw" foods for dinner like summer salads which require no cooking
• Closing the curtains and blinds
• Only turning on lights that have "energy-saver" bulbs
• Drinking plenty of water
• Turning the fans on high
• Not running the dryer, stove, or dishwasher during the day.
• Going pantless - and in case of the baby, shirtless too!
• Wearing skirts and tank tops!!
• Eating cold fruits
• Taking cool showers and baths
• Drinking a glass of ice cold milk - yum!

What are you doing?

As anyone in the greater Austin area will tell you - it's HOT!

This is what we did during one of our hot days for relief.

Due to the extreme temperatures, I've been hibernating. But, then again, I kind of like hibernating - it's relaxing. Enjoying home stuff.

More recently I've been working on changing up our diets. I've been reading Nourishing Traditions, as well as a few blogs that support that nutrition philosophy. It's practically a diet makeover, so there is no way I could instantly start eating this way. It's definitely not for the faint of heart, haha. I could see how you could get overwhelmed with the amount of information in this book. I'm just taking it one step at a time.

I decided to jump in at "Beverages", since that seemed like a manageable section of our food that I could "revamp". Even in that spectrum, I'm going slow. I strive to cut out all our soda intake, but haven't let go of an occasional coffee/caffeine as of yet. I have found a dairy in Georgetown to supply us with Grade A raw milk, a staple of the cooking. I picked up two gallons this week, and will schedule another pickup soon! They were $5 a gallon, which from the research I've done is a good price.

At present I'm making our own cream cheese and whey. Tomorrow I will tackle yogurt. It's surprisingly easy. I actually made my first batch of cream cheese last week.

After that I'm looking to making ginger ale. Yesterday I made my own ginger tea - from freshly grated ginger.

It's a slow process, but one I hope to achieve over the next few years. Most of the traditional beverages we drink in our culture are out or recommended only occasionally. So I have to rethink and replace the drinks we rely on. There are lots of recipes, but they take some "new" ingredients and a few are complicated so I'm working on the easy ones and then build up to some of the others (including a beer recipe!!).

I found a great farmer's market right here in our own neighborhood! I checked it out last weekend and got all of our produce (minus bananas and ginger) there for $14. I can't wait to go back this weekend since there should be twice as many vendors (last weekend was fourth of July and only a handful of vendors were there). The market is at the Brushy Creek Community Center every Saturday (9-1pm), and even Tuesday afternoons (4-8pm I think).

Once I have a firm handle on beverages, I'm setting my sights on breads. Most of the recipes use spelt flour, which they don't even sell in our grocery store. So I'll have to track some down, probably at Whole foods, and then buy a grain mill to grind it. So that's a big step. Sounds like a good Xmas gift (hint hint Mark).

But definitely expect more posts about this topic on the horizon as I live and learn with new recipes and changes!

In typical second child fashion, I am a weeks late in Corbin's 1 year post! I hope he forgives me for spending time with him instead of blogging about him. :)

My baby turned one on the 24th of June. I can't believe he's been apart of our lives (outside the womb) for over a year now.

Corbin has developed into quite the charmer. He's known as "the smiling" baby at our pediatricians office and often gets praised on his laid back behavior. Which I know is only to get me comfortable and catch me off guard when the 2s start. Hehe.

He is the family comedian lately, often performing various "shows" for laughs. Playing peek-a-boo with himself or putting random things on his head (anything from puffs to toys), he'll do anything for a laugh. The minute you laugh at something he adds it to his repertoire of hilarious antics and he'll bust it out randomly days later for attention.

I've yet to cut off his long locks like I did with Hayden. I know the minute I do, my baby will be gone and he'll instantly be replaced with a little boy. So he'll have to make do with my "trims" until I'm ready to let go. (When he's 30).

He's not walking or even cruising yet. With Corbin, I've learned he does everything at his own pace. And no amount of rushing him is going to change it. Luckily he came second into this family, so I've learned to chill out a bit in the short two years his older brother has been around.

He LOVES his older brother - you never seem them far apart, Corbin makes sure of that. And whatever Hayden thinks is funny, Corbin is quick to back him up - even if funny means Hayden bonking Corbin with a toy.

He's a tough kid - he has to be with an older brother like Hayden. No amount of shoving or pushing can get him down. He holds his own with the older kids too. We had a 3 year old over last week and when she tried to push him out of the way - he pushed her right back and squawked at her! He banged on her until she got out of his way. That's my boy. ;)

There's not much that can get him down, but he's not all sugar and spice. He doesn't ask for much but what he does ask for, he wants done HIS way. Bottle MUST be ready and waiting when he wakes up. And some days he wakes up and just wants his momma, and that day gets designated as a "Corbin Day" with lots of snuggles and holding.

He hates baby food and getting him to eat it has become a real pain in my day. The kid will eat paper and pennies, but not baby food with any chunks in it. He LOVES puffs, teething biscuits, crackers, slices of apple, bread - basically anything you can chew on.

He's a major couch potato and is in awe of any TV if it is turned on. I've never seen a kid so enthralled with a documentary on PBS. He seriously will watch anything.

He's never slept in a crib, and maybe a year ago I would have been shocked by that. He's strictly a pack-n-play baby and as soon as he's ready he'll be in a real bed. He's been a great sleeper from 3 months on - something I continue to be thankful for.

I can't believe my tiny baby who slept curled up on my chest for 3 weeks is now a year old. He's still a little guy, weighing only 18 lbs 3 oz and 29 1/2 inches. But he has a BIG personality to make up for it.

I can't wait to see how that personality blossoms. I love you Corbin!!

Here is installment #2 of "The Cabin Tour". Enjoy!

This is the first part in my "video series" of the cabin tour. Hehe. That sounds professional. I assure you, it's not.

I would have loved to upload the entire thing, but alas, it's too large. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the next installment - if you're not too bored already.

Our cabin was called "The Laredo", but it was formerly "The Cabana", I think the owners were in the process of remodeling. They still hadn't painted a few walls, and also had a few left over Cabana details. HA! It was 2 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths. We loved it, it was the perfect size.