The Mommy Chronicles

I was a little skeptical when I first heard about this offer.  Sign up to be a new customer with Schwan’s and get one item up to $9.99 free.  According to the offer you didn’t need to purchase anything else and delivery was free…ok, so what did I have to lose?  Apparently nothing!  I agonized over what to select and finally settled on something that was along our taste and what I thought was the best bargain for the money.  After receiving my confirmation e-mail that the delivery would be on Wednesday I wondered if it was all too good to be true.  I waited around the house Wednesday and had just decided to set out a cooler with ice so I could go run some errands when the Schwan’s delivery guy showed up with my order.  He handed me my package with a smile and the final cost? Totally free with no requirements to ever purchase from them again (they don’t even have my credit card info since it wasn’t required to create an account and there was no charge for the delivery)!

Want to give it a try yourself?  I highly recommend it (although we haven’t actually tasted the food yet but Schwan’s has a pretty good reputation for good food…)  Just head over to the Schwan’s website and see if you qualify.

What? You want to know what we got? I chose the six cheese tortellini and can’t wait for Cedric to get home to try cooking a gourmet meal!

We recently bought Anna a playset set of figurines of Jesus and the boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fishes.  Apart from the fact that we weren’t sure how we felt about Anna playing with a toy Jesus and that the boy with 5 loaves and 2 fishes actuallyhad 2 loaves and 4 fish…we were looking forward to helping teach her some of the Bible stories that Cedric and I enjoy.  A bonus find in the packaging when we opened Anna’s gift were the Spiritual Stepping Stones.  It came at just the time that I was wondering what concepts Anna was able to grasp at her age as far as God, etc. and what to look for as she moves into the next step in her development.  I found the outline extremely helpful and she’s had many great moments playing with the figures as she  can now relate to the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 a bit better.   Check out www.one2believe.com for other Bible-inspired toys along with some great resources for parents.

Okay, so it’s been, well FOREVER since I’ve posted anything here.  In fact, we’ve had Grace for over 7 months now and I’ve yet to even get a photo of her posted her let alone any of the other goings on at our house.  Just know I haven’t forgotten you all and as we’ve gotten through the pretty intense infant months with Grace she’s now starting to sleep more (we’re going on night #3 with 11+ hours of sleep for Grace) so the sluggishness of sleep deprivation is lifting and I’m looking forward to getting back to some of the things I love to do.  Stay tuned for what’s new as I’ve got all sorts of things to share but will keep this brief for now

I was seriously starting to question whether or not a sock monster had  taken up residence in our house…I had at least two pair of socks  that had been torn apart by fate (or so it seemed…)

It wasn’t until after naptime today that Anna thought to inform me where her  socks had been sequestering themselves (with at least a little help  from a certain toddler…). Below is a picture of the stockpile of  socks (which could rightly be called a sockpile…) that I found  between the crib and the wall. Now if only the mouse in my kitchen was  as easy to get rid of as the sock monster…

We’re in the process of moving Cedric’s studio into our bedroom and reclaiming the master bedroom in the house as our room.  In the process we’re managing to organize and find lots to throw away/recycle/donate/sell.  I came across these toddler property laws that I had managed to get a copy of many years ago and kept for the time when I would have my own toddler.  Now that the word “mine” is heard on a daily basis around here I thought it would be appropriate to share with you all.  Enjoy!
(I should mention that I have no idea where the copy I has came from or who initially thought these up but sadly I can’t take the credit..)

Toddler Property Laws

If I like it, it’s mine.
If it is in my hand, it’s mine.
If I can take it from you, it’s mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
If it looks just like mine, it’s mine.
If I saw it first, it’s mine.
If you are doing or building something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
If it is mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
If it is broken, it’s yours.

Do you have a Diaper Genie at your house?  Those of you with small children may think I’m referring to this: That is where you might be mistaken.  While the Diaper Genie makes some pretty neat diaper sausages we actually went with a less expensive competitor that lets us use our own bag refills rather than buying the refill packs for the Diaper Genie…but I digress…

Since the arrival of our little bundle of Grace, big sister Anna has found little ways to help out and it makes my heart smile to see her taking ownership of her sister.  One of my favorite discoveries is that Anna has become my own personal diaper genie.  It’s like magic!  During the nights I’ve taken to changing Grace on the coffee table in the living room since the changing table is in Anna’s room and I don’t dare risk waking her.  The result: there are often a few diapers on the table in the morning when Anna wakes up.  Anna has discovered that she can take the little packages and trot back into her room and deposit them in the diaper pail.  Often she needs a little reminding that the diapers could go to her room but the other day as I was feeding Grace I realized that Anna had scooped up the diaper I had just changed and was already trotting back to her room before I had fully figured out what she was up to.  Sure enough, in a blink she was back and back to playing whatever game was holding her fancy.  I decided as I was watching her trot back to her room that I would call her my own diaper genie as the diapers seem to magically disappear.  So far I’m waiting for Anna to figure out that other things can fit in the diaper pail as well (which she hasn’t) and that it might be just as fun to put clean, unused diapers in the diaper pail (which she’s suggested but Mommy has vetoed).

At any rate, for my little Anna who is using “I do self” as her maxim these days, having a task that doesn’t require any direction from Mommy is maybe just what she needs to feel like a big girl.

Many of us may remember the childhood song that goes something like this…

“Have patience, have patience, don’t be in such a hurry.”

As I’ve been going through piles that have collected I’ve come across some nostalgic memories and also some pages I’ve kept because I liked the sentiment.  The following is nothing as sweet and nostalgic as my last post but I think the sentiment it expresses is important to remember.  I should also mention that while the page I have has no author mentioned a quick internet search points to David L. Weatherford as the copyrighted author.  Enjoy!

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,
Or listened to rain slapping the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight,
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,
Time is short, the music won’t last.

Do you run through each day on the fly,
When you ask “How are you”, do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed,
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,
Time is short, the music won’t last.

Ever told your child, “we’ll do it tomorrow”,
And in your hast, not seen his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die,
‘Cause you never had time to call and say “hi”.

You better slow down, don’t dance so fast,
Time is short, the music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift thrown away.
Life is not a race, so take it slower,
Hear the music before the song is over.

While I’ve taken quite a hiatus from my blog I haven’t totally forgotten about it…For those of you who still check it from time to time, here’s a little something sweet for you to enjoy.

The following transcription was written by my grandfather, Louis Hensch, to my grandmother, Esther Luther Hensch in her autograph album before they were married.  I have a scan of the original and treasure it because the poem is in my grandfather’s handwriting and because of the sentiment behind what he wrote.  Maybe someday years from now my grandkids will be enjoying notes Cedric and I have shared with each other.  At any rate, I’m tending toward the nostalgic tonight and thought I’d share some with you.

Sanborn, Minnesota – May 27, 1927

Dearest Friend,

When over these lines your eyes are cast,
Think of the times gone and past,
Think of the friends and friendship dear,
Think of the one who wrote this here.

A place for my name in your album,
A place for my love in your heart,
A place for us both in Heaven,
Where true friends never part.

I hope you the most success that can be had.  As a friend I have appreciated your friendship.

Always,
Louie Hensch

Louis and Esther’s Wedding Photo

Louis and Esther Hensch

Well friends and family, some of you may have heard by now but we’re expecting little Hohnstadt #2 to make their arrival sometime in January of 2009 (most likely around the 20th)! We’re VERY excited about becoming parents again and although I’ve had a little more morning sickness with this pregnancy that with Anna it’s been very manageable and overall I could be feeling MUCH worse. We actually found out we were pregnant on Mother’s Day morning and enjoyed sharing the news with our families as we spent time with them during the day. Anna still has no idea what is going to be coming her way but I think she’ll do just fine as she’s already starting to carry her little baby dolls around the house and give them kisses whenever they seem in need.

I found a widget that will allow me to track how many days until my due date along with give an idea of what the baby looks like. I really do enjoy getting past 9 weeks or so when they take on a more “baby-like” appearance!  (It’ll be fun once I can get it to work!)

Anyway, thought we’d share the news with you all!