Doing Things For the Last Time

When I woke up this morning, I was thinking about how much Scarlett can do on her own these days.  It's scary when you realize that time is fleeting and five years has gone by in the blink of an eye.

We're at a stage in life where Scarlett is teetering between being able to do so much for herself, yet still needing help in some areas.  I think about how far she's come from when she was a tiny baby and couldn't do anything on her own to now being able to do so many things without help and it's sad.  Obviously, I am very proud of all of her accomplishments but I know it's just more to add to the list of things I'll help her with for the last time.

Scarlett helps me make dinner, helps pack her lunch for school, gets dressed by herself, and helps me with Jack among many other big girl things.  It's hard to stop and find the exact moment when it happens that you do something for your child for the last time, but it happens.  I can't remember exactly when I got Scarlett dressed for the last time or when she walked into her classroom with my help because now she doesn't, but she's doing both of those things.  Obviously if you know you're doing these things for the last time they become even more special.  

Each day Scarlett surprises me with new things she can do that sometimes I don't even realize she can do! I'm trying to step back and give her the freedom and independence that she is showing me she needs.  While it is sad to know that each week she may need me less in some areas than others, it's also a testament to how much she's growing and changing as a person which is fantastic! 

I'm trying to enjoy this stage of life with her as much as possible because who knows what the future holds for her.  I just wish time would slow down a little!

Make Laundry Not Only Clean But Eco-Friendly Too!

Life as a family of four certainly does produce a lot of laundry.  Between making sure Scarlett's paint stained clothes from preschool come out in the wash or constantly washing Jack's bibs and burp cloths, you can see my washing machine is always in use!  I believe I average about 7 loads a week, sometimes more.  I don't like to let laundry pile-up by any means, so I try to get it done as soon as possible.  It's important to me to use quality products that leave my family's clothes looking their best.

Smol is the most effective concentrated laundry capsules that are available through mail delivery and fit in a mailbox!  They launched 20 months ago in the UK and are already at one million washes per week there.  Smol made the jump across the pond and launched in the US a little over a month ago.  The laundry capsules are lab-proven to be as effective as Tide, but eco-friendly as well.  Families everywhere will be delighted to know that fewer chemicals are used, the packaging is 90% made from recycled packaging, and sustainably sourced while also-child safe.  The cruelty free capsules offer a big performance for a "smol" price!

If you're not sure if Smol is for you, it's easy to receive a trial package.  You can start with 9 washes that are available for just $1 to cover the postage.  Feel the love for Smol? Regular delivery is easy to sign up for.  The capsules cost as little as .20 a wash.  You just tell them how often you do your laundry and you'll have regular delivery whenever you need it.  Smol lets you stay in control of your deliveries.  You're able to cancel or pause at anytime, or even modify your order at any time. It's very convenient to always have laundry capsules on hand or know that an order is coming, especially when you're running low.  You'll never run out of capsules again and clean clothes will always be possible.

The great thing about these convenient capsules is that you just throw one in your washing machine and you're good to go.  There's no measuring or wondering if you used too much or too little, one capsule will always be the perfect amount. 

I was eager to try Smol's capsules and was happy that my delivery came on the day I was planning on washing my family's bedding. It was very interesting receiving such a flat package, but the capsules fit well inside.

The trial capsules come in a handy storage case that's sealed to prevent any leaking or damage.  Each capsule fits perfectly in its space and the entire package can easily be stored on a laundry room shelf or in a cabinet.  If you have an elderly friend or family member, the almost weightless capsules would be ideal for them to use instead of having to lift a heavy detergent bottle.

Once I had all of the sheets in the washing machine, I put one capsule in the washing machine and set the laundry to start.  The capsule dissolves in the wash ensuring clean clothing or bedding each and every time.

Once the bedding finished drying, I instantly noticed how fresh and fantastic all the sheets smelled.  I took a few big whiffs and knew that Smol was definitely a keeper on my list of laundry products.  My sheets not only smelled fantastic but looked great too.  There's nothing better than laying in a freshly washed bed, it's the best!

If you're looking for a "smol" capsule to do a big job and make your laundry look its best, it's time to turn to Smol.  It's reassuring to have found a dependable and reliable product to count on each and every time.

*DISCLOSURE* Thank you to Smol for providing a product sample in order to facilitate this post.  All thoughts are strictly my own. 

Jack's 4 Month Update!

Now that Jack is 4 months old, there's a lot to share! I don't think I've done an update on him in many weeks now.

Jack is 18 weeks old today and doing excellently.  He went to his 4 month check-up last week and the doctor said he's healthy and perfect at almost 14 lbs.  He received his shots and is all up to date on vaccines.  She did have some slight concerns with some flatness on the back of his head.  We're keeping an eye on it and if it's worse at his 6 month appointment, then we know he'll need a helmet to correct it.  Scarlett had a helmet when she was a similar age, so I have previous experience with it.

Hugs and cuddles are still Jack's favorite thing and he would be the happiest baby ever if he was held all day long.  He really enjoys kisses as well.  Any volunteers to give him cuddles? He's very cuddly.  He also loves being spoken to and focuses really well on whoever's face is speaking to him.  I have to admit he's very alert and attentive! Just like his big sister, he loves anything silly and recently started laughing.  If you bounce him on your knee or tickle his feet, he'll laugh.  Scarlett loves to hear him laugh and it always makes her smile.

Jack is big on eating.  He has a 5 oz bottle during the day and a 6 oz one at night.  During the day sometimes he doesn't even go the full 3 hours in-between feeds before wanting to eat again.  Scarlett loved her bottles too.  I guess my children like to eat! He'll be starting solids next week at 19 weeks old.  It's easy to see that he's a very hungry baby and maybe the fruit and veggies will help him be less hungry during the day and sleep longer at night too.

As for sleeping, he's still doing very well with that.  I have not found a consistent daytime routine yet, and he's still napping at random times.  It bothers me that I haven't been able to put him on a dependable schedule yet, but I hope to be able to do that soon.  Since Scarlett goes to school from 9-1, I'm hoping that he can nap from 9:45 to 11 for a morning nap.  For the afternoon nap, I'm not really sure yet.  Scarlett used to nap 12-3, but that won't really work because he'll have to be woken up to go pick her up from preschool.  Maybe I can have him do 1:30-3 or something along those lines.  It's hard when he's not the only child! I wonder if I can change the nap time when Scarlett goes to Kindergarten next September? That way he won't have to be woken up early to go get her.  I'll have to figure it out.

He goes to sleep for the night at 7:15 and eats once before midnight and then only once more after midnight.  I have to say it's not too terrible.  If you feed him at 11 PM, he'll be up at 4.  So we're only waking up once to feed him, which is really good.  He always goes right back to sleep after too.

Jack is going on his first plane ride to Florida on Tuesday.  I'm hoping that goes ok.  I'm sure he'll enjoy the warm Florida weather and not having to wear a hat and jacket everytime we go outside.  

He's not too into toys yet.  There are a few musical toys that change colors that he likes.  They grab his attention.  When he's ready he has a small container of baby toys that I know he'll like playing with.  

Jack is a very social and smiley baby.  He is not scared of strangers or people he doesn't know well.  Everyone gets a smile! He is especially smiley when I take pictures of him.  He loves the camera and the clicking shutter noise makes him laugh.  Hey, I'm not complaining at all! It takes no effort to get great pictures of him.

Here's to month 5!

Scarlett's 5 Year Old Update!

Scarlett turned 5 on Monday! Here's what's going on with her these days:

She LOVES to talk on the phone and will spend all day talking if you let her.  We enabled Alexa to be able to make phone calls, so she's thrilled that she can just ask Alexa to call her two Grandma's all day long with no phone number needed.  We've had to talk to her about not calling them 27 times in a row if they don't answer.  She's a big fan of FaceTime too.

Unicorns and rainbows are her main interests right now.  Her new room is unicorn themed and she's loving it.  Scarlett enjoys watching My Little Pony on Netflix as well.

She's doing great in her final year of preschool and we're very happy about that.  Scarlett recently learned to write her name and can write a few other names if you ask her.  For Thanksgiving, her teacher gave me a card that Scarlett wrote that said "To Mom, Dad, and Jack, Love Scarlett.  I was shocked and couldn't believe how legible the writing was.  Just a few short months ago she could barely write anything past SCA in her name.  Her teacher said she worked really hard to write it and was very proud of her! I was just as proud. :) I can't believe how quick Kindergarten will be here! 

Scarlett still has some jealousy issues with Jack which we're working on.  Some days she's great with him and other days she says mean things to him and is just generally annoyed by his presence.  It's a hard balance having two kids especially a baby who needs me a lot.  i'm trying my best with spending equal time with both kids, especially one-on-one time with Scarlett.  She also has some behavioral issues that stem from not being an only child.  Let's just say she doesn't always make things easy! A reward chart is helping. 

Since we moved, Scarlett is enjoying the new house and likes all the new space we have.  Once it gets warmer out she'll be able to play in the front and backyard as much as she wants.  We just have to get some outdoor toys.

Scarlett truly understands so much and is able to have long conversations with me about anything and everything! This is a fun age for sure and she surprises me with how much she knows.  I love spending time with her! 

I have to say that her love of fruit and veggies has never faded.  She continues to love grape tomatoes and strawberries and could eat a whole box in one sitting.  I bought a box of grape tomatoes today and she ate the entire box in about 10 minutes while I was giving Jack a bath.  Just nuts! She also has a huge sweet tooth just like me and it's hard to have any kind of sweets around or she'll just constantly ask me for it.

Scarlett loves having playdates and seeing her friends.  I try to have them for her as much as possible.  Some of her other interests include Berenstain Bear books, cooking, dinosaurs, Polly Pocket, Barbies, and anything Frozen.

I love how big her imagination is! Scarlett is always making up creative stories and has so much creativity in how she plays with her toys too. She certainly doesn't get that from me.  Scarlett is still extremely silly and will do anything to make someone laugh. 

Can't wait to see what's in store for her in the coming months!