What I Do All Day

Right now the fact that I have quit my job has not made it through the grapevine. I've told a few people in real life, but they aren't the type to go and blab it to everyone like it's big news. Eventually, though, I know it will get around, people will start talking and I will start getting comments about it. What do you do all day? Aren't you bored at home? How can you afford it? Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Other than the fact that taking care of a baby is a full time job (my memory must be shady because I can't remember it being like this when I worked in daycare...of course I was normally in the 3 and 4 year old room, but I did have my turn in the baby room). Chloe demands a lot of attention. Between feedings, diaper changes, play time, cudde time and bath time, there really isn't a lot of down time during the day (again, how did I take care of six babies at once during daycare...). Since I don't work outside the home, it is my responsibility to keep the house picked up and organized which does take a bit of time every day. It still amazes me how the baby things just take over every single day. Between blankets, pacifiers and clothes, it doesn't seem to take long to have a mess going. I also do laundry almost every day and as you all are well aware, that can keep you occupied on and off throughout the day. How does one baby generate so much laundry? Why by spitting up on everything of course! Chloe and I also take a walk every day to (1) get the mail and (2) so I don't become completely lazy and devoid of exercise. Then there is always grocery shopping that needs to be done and church functions that have to be attended and other odds and ends things that always come up. So, with all of that being said, I also have hobbies that I enjoy during the day. When all the housework is done and Chloe is down for a nap, I have many other things to do. Blogging is one of them. I love to keep up with the blog. It is a way for me to journal and write down my life story. I do need to start printing my blogs and putting them in a binder for safe keeping in case there is ever a day that I have to delete my blog. I also enjoy scrapbooking, painting, cross-stitching among other things. So that is the day-to-day life of this stay at home mother.

And since I haven't posted pictures of my scrapbook in a while....

I found this book at Hobby Lobby and I love it! It's so girly and perfect for Chloe's scrapbook!
Icky! This is one of those things I have had to eat my words about after I gave birth. I have always thought that pictures of babies fresh out of the womb and not cleaned off were just gross. Still do, in fact. I even told Russ not to take pictures of her like that. Well, that changed the second she was born. Russ was standing with me watching the nurses with her and I quickly told him to "Take pictures! Take pictures!" And then I even scrapbooked them. There have been many things since then that I have had to take back!
If you follow my blog on a regular basis, you may remember me talking about my "Baby Box". This is the box that my mother kept of some of my baby things. She wouldn't let us look through the boxes and she would give the boxes to us (my siblings and I) whenever we had our first child. Through the process of conceiving Chloe, I often times wondered if I was ever going to get my box. This is something that I have wanted for a long time and was one of the things that I most looked forward to during my pregnancy. I decided to go ahead and add this spread to Chloe's scrapbook for that reason.
I think you can tell what most of it is, but there are a few things I am going to clarify. On the first page: bottom row, middle picture is a stack of blankets that people made for me. I can't remember who made which, but it is written down somewhere and Mom knows. On the bottom row, third picture of the same page is my baby book and a stack of cards that Mom kept for me. I had no idea that those were in there and I loved looking through them. There are cards from my Gramsie and my Grandma who have both passed on so they are extremely special to me. Now, on the second page: Top row, third picture is a handmade blanket that was embroidered. The bottom row, first picture is another group of blankets. I couldn't fit all of the blankets in one picture since I cut them down. The bottom row, middle picture is a doll carrier that was made for me. It has a blanket and a pillow that goes with it. Then the bottom row, third picture is a doll sleeping bag that I played with when I was little.

Okay, that's it for now. Thanks for reading, blogger friends!