Update on Weaning issue!

Well, I am one very proud to announce that Aiden is fully off the bottle and off of formula!!  After a while, he started to notice that I wasn't going to give him the bottle, so he drank from his cup!  That was the easy part! Now, when it came to the formula what I did was I would give him 4 ounces in the morning and evening before bed, and then in between the day I gave him juice and milk!  Now he is not drinking regular milk at all, it is 2% Organic Milk, and it came from a local dairy farm here in Slocomb!  It is delicious!  I love how clean and smooth organic taste!  Well, yesterday we were out at the Farmer's Market, and we bought a half gallon to try on him.  He got thirsty while we were out and Steven filled his sippey all the way to the top!  By the time we had gotten home he had downed half of it!!  Finished it up by supper, and then drank half of another!  I was so proud, not only that, but he completely pulled himself up last night!  It was a beautiful moment for me!

"Love Dare" first week!

So, Steven and I recently wanted to start a devotional with each other!  We didn't know where to start!  I had the movie Fireproof, and I thought that would be a good movie for us to watch together.  After we watched it, the next day we went to Barnes & Nobles looking for some books for Aiden.  We ended up browsing the Christian section, and came across "The Love Dare".  They were two sets of books, a forty day journey, and a year journey.  We decided to devote our self to the year journey!  I thought that it would be great to blog about it also, so I can go back and see what I have learned from it, and maybe a young couple would want to try and do the same thing! 

So far, we are only a week into it!  We started a new week yesterday.  The first week came with a weekly prayer, it was to ask GOD to teach you how to love and be a loving person.  I felt like my heart was tested this week.  Almost a year ago, I lost one of my friends over some things here and there, not going into details!  Anyways, I recently talked to Steven about her, and he said that I needed to forgive her in my heart, and not have hatred towards her.  That night when I said my prayer, I prayed for her and her son.  Hours later, I received an email from her.  It stated that she wanted me to forgive her and not hate her.  I thought that was so crazy, the fact that Steven and I talked about how I don't need any hatred on my heart.  It was a test from GOD, at least it was for me!  If you knew the background behind things.  So, I slept on it, reread it in the morning and replied back.  A year ago, I would of ignored or deleted the email, but I responded, in a kind, loving way.  I feel like the first week was a success!  Hopefully lol!

We are on week two, so I will see what the next week brings!

Weening the bottle and the formula!

Weening the bottle:

I feel horrible sometimes because between 7 and 8 months, Aiden was fully on the sippey cup and off the bottle, then when he started cutting all of his teeth at once, we gave in and gave the bottle back.  Now, we are starting to have a hard time just with weening the bottle, but I took a cold turkey approach.  I washed and sterilized all of his bottles and put them up high in the cabinets so we can't get to them!  I am just giving him his sippey, and showing him, that's the only option he has!  At first, he threw it, cried, and just gave an "Alleluia Fit" as I call it lol!  For instance, this morning he woke up at 5:00 A.M., so I gave him a sippey with his formula in it.  He sucked about an once and then through it, grabbed his paci, turned on his side, and went back to sleep.  I figured if he really his thirsty he will drink it.  We have gotten to the point where Aiden is eating three regular meals, no baby food, a day.  For breakfast he usually has oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, or fruit.  He usually gets two out of those every morning.  Then for a light snack he gets his baked Cheetos, or fruit.  He really loves fruit!!  Then for lunch, I generally give him pasta, mash potatoes or rice, and then some peas and carrots, or just whatever I can whip up!  Supper, he eats what we eat, for instance last night he had, baked chicken, green beans, and rice!  He loved it, and then was followed by some yummy fruit!  He has his bottles in between his meal times, but it is enough to hydrate him, and feel him with the right nutrients!  I found an awesome food guide in my Pediatrician book, that I really want to start following!

Weening Formula:
This is beginning to be really hard.  I decided to start now, because I see how difficult it really is!  Now, I am not going cold turkey on his formula, he still gets it, I just give him milk in his sippey at meal times.  Aiden is still not on any juice at all, and it will remain that way for a few more months.  I don't want him to get use to drinking sweet stuff all of the time.  Now when we go to a restaurant, we do give him dabs of sweet tea, but it's not enough to harm anything!  We are all on an all organic/natural diet around our home, so the milk he is getting is organic, and I figured he wouldn't have any trouble because the taste is so much better, but he doesn't care too much for the white milk!  Yesterday I fixed him two ounces of white milk, and he took a drink and threw the cup at me lol!  All I could say is "Aiden Joseph King"!  This morning, I gave him an once of chocolate milk, he did drink it a lot better, but still am having issues.  Now, I know some of you might think chocolate milk isn't the way to go.  It is premixed already and sold by Horizon Organic Milk!  Absolutely love it and it is actually healthy for you!!  So far that is my journey in my weening issues, hopefully I can do an update with a great success!

Hormones....

I am in my seventh month of pregnancy!  11 more weeks to go!  Yay!  Aiden has grown like a weed, and I have been so busy I didn't even have time to blog!  Well, my bunny died today, now generally I would have not cried of an animal I've owned for less than a month, but in this case, my pregnancy has got me being a real big tear jerker!  I squalled towards Steven, I was so upset!  I don't know if it was the fact that if an animal dies under my watch, then what about my children.  It hurts me to even think like that!  Poor thing, she was panting so hard, almost like she was having a stroke or something, and then her red eyes just turned grey.  I put her in my tub, I was hoping she was still alive, just playing tricks on me.  That has to do a lot with my kind heart also, I know animals don't go to heaven, and I feel like a little 4 year old, but it's sad to think that they have no soul.  They are sweet little innocent things, but God put them here for us to enjoy.  I'm glad Aiden wasn't here for it, which it is great that he wouldn't of understood, so I got through my first explanation of "Mama, where is Flopsey going"?  What do you even answer to that?  How do you?  That is one thing I am not good at at all is lieing, I can't sit there and tell my child, "Well dear, she is in heaven, and one day we will be with her,"  I mean, if I was that kid, and when I got to heaven, I would be so mad that my rabbit wasn't there!  I would of felt betrayed!  I guess that is just my weak point.  A mockingbird got to her though, I do believe I will shoot her when I see that bird again, then she will see where I'm coming from.  Then again, that is the hormonal me speaking!  Shooting a bird, over a rabbit???  That bird killed my $20 rabbit plus, it adds up with food, cage, and carrots!  Seriously that is a crazy thought though! 

Photography
My side job business has been booming!  I am so thrilled of all of the wonderful people that I have met, and especially because they gave ME a chance!  I am going to continue to further my education on it, and in about five years, I will open a studio up in Daleville!  I believe that will be a perfect location!  I have so much business lined up between now and next week!  This is fun though, and I love it!  It's nice to do something you love!  I hope you got a tickle, or a tear out of my rabbit story, but most of all, I hope it didn't make anyone think that I was sincerely crazier than what was thought of!  Goodnight and God Bless!

Busy Bee!

First, I would like to say Happy 10 Months to my precious baby boy Aiden!  He is so smart and is the love of my life!  I can't believe in two more months he will be 1!  Sophia will be here in thirteen weeks!!!  How crazy is that??  He can do so much and he just impresses me with something new every day!  I love him so much:) 

I have started my own business Charlotte King Photography, and so far it is going good!  I have done two photo shoots, and I have three more booked!  I enjoy doing this, and it is a great extra income, because I'm not ashamed at all by saying, we need it!  I will continue to have my children at home, but photography allows me to work also!  I have mainly been doing it on the weekends, going to Botanical Gardens and Landmark Park!  I just recently ordered my backdrop and lamp set to conduct indoor sessions!  I have some baby sessions here soon that I am super excited about!  I'm so glad that Steven supports my decisions on wanting to do this!  I have a photographer's workshop this Saturday, and I look very foward to that also!

I am so glad that I actually found someone, that is a Christian that I have tons in common with!  It is so hard to find common ground sometimes! 

As for me and the Army, I will hopefully be getting a Hardship, and getting out!  I am thankful for that!  I served my time, I have been to War, and now it is time for me to be a wife and a mom before others! 

The bunnies:  are a mess, and I am now starting to think "What was I thinking???!??"  They are cute and cuddely, but that is as far as it goes!  They will be moving outside very quickly!

The house is going up on the market this time for sure!  We have decided, with the riseing of gas prices, it is too costly for us to drive from home to Fort Rucker every day!  We found a great home in the Country with some land, and a very southern country home, just the way I want!  It has 3 1/2 acres, and a creek on it!  Perfect for my simple family:)  I have been praying very hard, and just asking GOD to guide us in making the right decision.  It will save us in gas, and it will be our "forever and ever home!"  I really hope our house sells quick!  We have completly redone the inside, and it is just beautiful for a small family or retired couple!  It will be listed beginning Monday with Remax!

I have been thinking on ways of improvement for me!  There is always room for improvement!  I have learned to be a little patient, and just listen before I speak (and also think before I speak!).  It is always something that is very challenging for me to do!  I have become a better house keeper and cook!  I am still learning though.  I just wake up in the morning, and I come up with what I'm going to cook for the day.  I'm not a big meal planner, I just cook what sounds good:) 

I hope everyone has a blessed day!  Hope all enjoyed!

Memories

Aiden's first Easter was so great!  We spent our morning at our Church, and then went to my Mom's and had Easter dinner!  We hid eggs for Aiden and he just had the best time looking for them!  He would pick them up and put them in his basket!  My baby boy sure is turning into a big boy:)

I think to myself from time to time about little side things I like to do!  I have tried to sell my crafts, but people rather pay top dollar for something I do, the same, half price!  I am surprised how shocked they are when I tell them my prices, I wonder if I sell them so low, if that is the reason they don't sell?  I do a great job at vinyl designs.  I just want business, so I believe in selling just enough to make a little profit!  Over the past week, I decided hey, I think I could do Photography!  I bought me a DSLR camera, just like the pros and I'm going to start school soon!  I'm also doing sessions here and there.  I've had one person book, we are just waiting to actually set a date because we are waiting on my camera!  I have started working with my Photoshop, just learning and getting familiar with it.  I think I could be great at this!  I created a Facebook business page and you can like my Page:)  I would love for others to know about it, but hey then again, I dont' know who really reads my blog!  I have realized even though I am a SAHM (stay at home mom) I would like to make some extra income!  Things are just way too expensive now days!  I also would like to build a career at it if I am any good!  Which I think I could be, but it will take time!  I think of myself as an entrepreneur.  I will just pray, and ask GOD for guidance, and see what he has for me! 

Above is a photo I took and edited!

Well, we started studying with our neighbor who is a Jehovah Witness.  She is really nice, and has good intentions, I just would love to know where they get things from.  Like today, she said Jesus name was the Arc Angel Michael...hmmm...well I looked in my Bible, I just don't see it!  I will ask my preacher, because I am very interested in this.  I hope she learns from us as well we do for her! 

Aiden has two teeth, and two more are coming in at the same time and our house has been a mess!  He has cried for "Mama" or "Dada" all day!  Sometimes, he just has to cry!  I gave him some Tylenol, and it didn't help, but I'm not double dosing!  He is now watching Dora, and being calm!  Thank goodness! 

My husband has taught me so much!  He has opened my eyes to things outside of the box!  Last night we watched a movie, cuddled in the bed, and he just whispered so softly, "Charlotte, I really love you" now that melted my heart so much!  We have our bumps, and we should be experiencing being "newly weds" but things are different when you do them backwards!  I just pray that my children will do what is right and take their time with things.  I want them to be able to enjoy the first years of marriage.  Our anniversary is June and our some will be 11 months old!  We have been married for a year!  We sinned, but we fixed it, and I hope others can learn from our mistakes.  That is why I named my Blog Learning and Giving.  I would love to share what I have learned over the years, months, or even days!  I feel, someone can always need a little advice, and yes others do things differently!  I also believe that someone shouldn't put someone down for the way they do things either!  I learn from others and I love to share the info! 

Motherhood and being a wife, are both difficult positions, but with some prayer, a smile, and a great day, you can stand out in the crowd!  This life is ours and what we make out of it, so I say, make the best out of it!  Live, love, and laugh often! 

Goodnight and God bless!

Mini Vaca!

We did alright at our Garage sale Saturday.  We made a little over $300 and barely put a dent in all of our stuff.  I have been putting things on eBay and craigslist for the past few days!  This stuff has got to sale and go to a good home, and then we we are down to a few things, I will just donate the rest:)  I have two bags that I need to drop off at the Salvation Army already this week.  I don't give money to people on the street, because I'm afraid of them.  I feel like there are places for them to go to, so we donate to charities, or give to the Salvation Army.  I don't want to support someones drug habit or alcoholism.  I watched a great segment the other night on Fox News.  It was about the "beggars" on the street doing it because its easier, and quicker than working a regular job, just like everyone else.  Now, I do know not everyone is doing it because they are too lazy to get a job, but still, it makes the ones that truly need it look bad.  When I was at Steven's grandparents this weekend, we attended their Church on Front Rd. Beach.  At night, there was this couple walk in and well, I don't know what they talked to the preacher about, but my thing is they should of came for the sermon, not waited for Church to get out.  They needed to hear the word of GOD and maybe just maybe, things would get better for them.  They just wanted money though.  I think that is so sad, but I am not to judge! 

Anyways, after the Garage sale, I went for a little pampering (just a hair cut) and then as we were driving around, we decided to take a mini vaca!  I was so excited, not only to go to the beach, but to see Nana and Papa.  We try to go down there as much as we can, especially so Steven can help them out around the house some, and Aiden loves seeing them!  He loves him some Nana:)  We ate, talked, and spent some quality time with one another!  Hopefully we can make it back soon:)

1.2.3......WE LOVE YOU:)

As we left that Monday, we went down to the beach for some lunch, a little shopping, and some BEACH!!!  We went to Guy Harvey's at Pier Park, and please don't ever go there!  Now, it was that awful, but there wasn't much to chose from, I ended up ordering off of the kids menu, and they were very over priced!  They best part of my meal there were the coke and fries!  But we did go to this ice cream shop there Kiwanis, and it was divine!  Please try the Silk and the Kiwanis Track ice cream!  It is to die for!!!  So yummy:)  We went to the crock store, bought Aiden the cutest shoes ever!!!  We had to go somewhere and buy some beach towels and Aiden a new shovel because Puddles had chewed his up!  That dog!

Aiden was so thrilled at all of the new adventures that day!  We were so in awe:)  Steven and him are my everything, and soon will be a little girl named Sophia Annaliese!  I can't wait!  Our family will be so complete them!  We got on the beach, found us a good spot and then Dad decided to lotion up Aiden so good that he wouldn't burn!

I tried to show Aiden how to shovel sand into his bucket...he wasn't interested!  At all!  I put my feet in the water just to check and make sure it wasn't super cold!  It was cool, but not that bad!

We had a great trip!  Every now and then, if you get even just a day, go for it, take a mini vaca!  You will truly be glad you did! 

Hope everyone has a blessed day!  I have house chores to attend to now:)

Sometimes, all you need is a little laughter!

It has been crazy around the King's house these past few weeks!  We have been running around doing Consignment sales, preparing for garage sale, and worrying about getting everything we need for Sophia!  Hopefully after this weekend, things will "calm" down some!  Hopefully! 

Today, while I have been running around like a chicken with my head chopped off, I walked into the house from the garage to check on Aiden.  He was on his tummy BUTT NAKED!  I looked, and his diaper was off, and the dog had eaten the poop!  While some may be saying "Ewww" all I could do was laugh!  It just tickled me, because Aiden was so content, diaper less, and watching his shows!  That is just what I needed!

Today I ran into an old friend of mine, and it made me realize how horrible of a friend I was to her.  I should of been there years ago when she needed me.  I'm glad I am who I am today, I'm much happier that I have found GOD and I wish I could share it with other, I try but it is very hard to convert people in the 21st century.

I have also, been very pleased with myself lately.  I have managed to cook a meal for my husband every day for the past week!  Even if it is burnt, or not cooked all the way, I realize now how much he appreciates the effort I make.  I wish we could of done everything different, but we didn't.  We are still newly weds, only been married for 10 months with a 9 month old.  I am experiencing the burning of the meals, or how hard it is to handle the household.  I always try to strive to keep up with the "Joneses" because I feel like I have people watching me, expecting me to fail.  Boy do I have anxiety problems or what!  I am starting to let go of that though.  I am doing the best I know how, I am "Learning and Giving".  Have a blessed night everyone!

Yummy Yum Puree Carrots!

Well, Aiden does not like green beans at all, so in order to get him to eat them, I will puree some carrots (he loves them!) and mix in when I give him his veggies!  Things you will need:

1 lb of peeled carrots

2 cups of water

pot

blender/food processor

ice cube trays

freezer bags

sharpie

Plastic Wrap

First, take out your carrots (I buy a 2 lb bag, half it and reserve the rest for pot roasts and ect!  I also get the baby carrots that are already peeled, just to make things a bit easier) 

Wash them, then put them in a medium sized pot and fill with enough water to cover them.

Make sure you stir and check the water level to make sure to continue to add water too keep them from scortching.  Cook for 30 minutes on high heat covered.

Put just the carrots into a blender/processor, and add water to thin out to desired puree.  I then just let it set and cool for 5-10 minutes.  Puree!  I use a blender, I have an excellent button that purees great!  So just choose which equipment you would like to use!

Then pour into trays,(I use just a regular spoon and spoon it out twice per cube) and freeze for about 5 hours, pop them out and into a freezer bag!  With a sharpie marker, label it with the date and food!  Good for 6 months!

Junk in the drawer!

Well, I saw this on one of my friends blog and I stole her idea because it was so fantastic!  So now I am sharing with you what I learned!  Does your junk drawer look like this?

I am so ashamed that mine looked this horrible!!

Well, I went and bought this!  A plastic shoe holder!  You can get them just about anywhere!

I hung it over my pantry door for easy access when I need to grab something!  I then put everything in it's own pouch, with the others that were just a like of course!  Then my drawer went from looking like above to this!

Wow!  Huge difference!  Now, if I can get Steven from throwing things in there that will be great!  After I got done organizing it though I looked at the shoe rack, and I was amazed!  All I could think is, seriously, how did all of that stuff fit in this little drawer!  Ha!

I am very pleased with my results, and it was a great kick off to Spring cleaning!  (I might be running a little behind!)



How time flies!

This is my son, he was new, brand new!  The best present God ever gifted me!  He was just a few minutes old, and I couldn't imagine him growing any bigger!

Now he is nine months old!  He has grown so much than I can explain.  He can say three words, and he can feed himself his finger snacks.  He holds his own bottle and can patty cake!  He can also sit up on his own and crawl:)  He's the sweetest thing ever!  I am so proud to call him my son, and I look foward to him growing even more, even though I would love for him to stay small!  I am one proud mommy:)

Spit-up, teeth, and headaches!

No one ever told you how the teething deal worked when carrying your child in womb!  They just told you how wonderful being a mother was, this is true but I would of liked the facts not goos and ahhs!  Aiden has been waking up every 2 hours at night and it is driving me insane!  Last night was my husbands last night off and he was super sweet and got up with Aiden for me.  He said that he understands why I am so beat and tired when he gets home in the morning that he enjoyed helping me out, even if he lost some sleep, because I do this every day and night!  It touched my heart that my husband is so understanding, and so helpful!  I love him so dear!  Anyways, Aiden's tooth came through and we have ran out of teething strips.  I decided to call CVS and see if they have teething tablets, but only found out that they don't make them anymore.  We just gave him a Popsicle, fed him a bottle and now he is in his crib and I'm praying we make it through another night!

Past few days, I have found out that life can through you curves!  Or bumps ha!  I have known this, but something really hit me.  Hard!  I see my son as a boy, I want him to be muddy and scraped knees.  I believe that is what signifies his manhood I guess you could say.  I didn't have a father figure growing up not one bit, so to see my husband doing one heck of a job pleases me!  We may not be rich, but we have GOD and each other!  Aiden is learning so much these days, not a day goes by and he has learned something else!  Today for instance I was feeding him his applesauce and he said "Mmmmm" and then smacked his lips!  He can patty cake on his own and is maneuvering around to get stuff his own!  Soon, I feel like he will not need "Mama" anymore.  I know that's not true, but he really is growing up so fast already in front of my own eyes!  He is a good boy, so far.  We want him to do the right things and to have respect for everything and person!

I dropped my stuff off in Enterprise to sell today, and hopefully I will have a good outcome!  I also talked to an education consultant on enrolling back in school.  I enjoy being at SAHM, but when the kids get to a certain age, I do want to work.  We are in a great school distric for elementary, but that is about it, so I have decided to work when Sophia is in the fourth grade so we can pay for them an education that I dreamt I had received.  I feel like a good school can result in the kids going to a great college, and doign something with their life.  Plus Aiden needs to be able to stand on his own and support his family one day.  I just want to stay home long enough to go to the important things like field trips and ect.

HOP was a great family movie by the way!  It had no bad language in it or any other sort of bad stuff.  I really enjoyed it!  Aiden paid attention the first 20 mins and then was distracted and eventually passed out in my arms:)  I would love to get it for the kids next year, it would make a great Easter basket present!

I have also decided to pick a work, and work on that personally for a week.  A new word of the week.  This week I believe I'm going with kindness!  I hope everyone enjoys this and has a great night!   

Crafty Saturdays!

Today has been beyond fabulous!  I got to sleep till 10:30, which was beyond amazing!  Aiden cut his first tooth!  It is so great to finally be done with one, now many more to go:)  In the mean time before picking him up I decided to craft some!  I made his sand bucket and Donna's car decal!

After that, I then continued to make his blanket that I am crocheting!  I plan on being done with it by Easter, but we will see!

I really enjoyed having a lazy craft day!  They are very nice, calm, and relaxing!  My goal is to own a boutique one day, that is if we will ever be able to afford it, but as of right now I make things and sell them out of my home.  Which sadly no business has came my way because I don't advertise!  My kids will have cute one of a kind things though!

We got together (the men) for one last class from their bible class, and the women made food!  It was very nice being around the women and children, just for a chat with no guys around!  I just made some sandwiches and picked up a cake!  Which was delicious (I'm addicted to butter cream) ha!

  Now we are off to see HOP!  Will let y'all know how it was:)  Be safe and have a blessed night!

Hectic Fridays? Shouldn't it be hectic Mondays?

Today has been far beyond crazy!!  My sweet little 9 month old was very ill last night due to teething and kept Mommy up all night!  I just put him down in his crib, sat on my couch and prayed to GOD to please get through this night!  Luckily, when Steven got off of work, he took care of Aiden.  Great!  Cooked breakfast and all!  All I could think is I have a great husband!  Now imagine, in 4 more months when Sophia gets here I will be pulling my hair out!  When I woke up, I just said, okay, I'm going to make the best out of today.  That is what I did!  After looking in the pantry for some quick fix baby food for my son, I realized, we are out!  Oh no!  I decided to peel some apples and make him some homemade apple sauce!  It took about 30-45 mins with preparation, and then I got a crazy idea, why don't I just start making him his own food!  Then I would know what is in it, and it would be healthier.  So, I ended making green beans and white potatoes.  It was very simple!  Now, after he rolled off the couch while I was in the process of making him a bottle, he cried so hard, and I just about did too!  He is now napping, and we have made it through Friday (just about!)  Thank goodness for Nonna, she will be keeping him tonight! 

I have a consignment I am getting ready for and the tagging process...well lets just say, I don't have time to put everything in, but I will have a majority of it out of the way!  Now, can't wait to see what Mondays will bring:)

Applesauce recipe:
Peel your apples after washing (use as many, depends on if you are going to freeze or just make enough for the moment).  Then cut them into chunks, avoiding the core, and put them in a large pot!  Put enough water to cover them, and stir on high eat, and watch the water level.
Once, cooked till soft, you may mash them with a masher, or puree them with equipment of choice!
If your child is old enough, you can add other fruit or a pinch of cinnamon! 

I freeze all of my baby food so that I am prepared for the months a head!  Just pick a week to do one of two things a day.  It is quite simple in storing!  I use ice trays, I pour the puree into it, wrap it up with plastic wrap, and let freeze for about 5-6 hours, than I label a freezer bag, and pop the cubes out and in!  Each cube is aprox. 1 oz, this limits waste!  Frozen cubes last about 6 months so label them babies!  If you choose to set in the fridge, only make enough for two days, it goes bad within 48 hours of making.

Potatoes and Green Beans:
Peel potatoes of your choice, and use fresh or frozen green beans.
I soak my potatoes for 30 mins to wash off starch, and then I boil them.  Once they are soft, I add the green beans and cook for about 3-5 more minutes.  I then put them in my blender, and puree, and freeze and store!  They are so yummy, and the good thing is they don't loose their flavor!  They might occur a bit of ice, but that is no biggie:)  Make sure you label!  Label is very important to you and your baby!