Things I've Learned

1. During the colder months, it is necessary to tap on the hood of my Explorer prior to starting it.  The cats love to snuggle in underneath the car to stay warm.

2. A cat snuggling underneath the car can cause a belt to fly off.

3. Cats truly have nine lives and can survive such a mishap with only a broken leg.

4. Said cat is likely to be slightly nervous around vehicles and the humans who drive them.

On a happier note, what a great weekend to be a Wisconsin resident or a Wisconsin football fan!  Great win for the Badgers over Iowa and the Packers over the Vikings!  There is nothing better on a rainy fall day than snuggling on the couch cheering on your favorite team.  We also witnessed the cutest occurrence during the Badger game; Ben has recently learned to clap and when Chad or I would cheer for the Badgers, Ben would laugh and clap along with us!  He is such a bright spot in our lives!  It is just amazing to wake up every morning and wait to see what new things he's going to do today!

As far as the cow's milk transition, Ben is loving the milk!  He had six ounces each day over the weekend!  We're still feeding him approximately 18 ounces of formula each day, but we're definitely looking forward to being bottle-free within a few weeks!

Patent Leather Peep Toe Slingbacks

Do you ever have those days when you need a little something to boost your confidence?  I had one of those days today.  I've got a stressful few weeks ahead of me and I knew my black peep toe pumps would give me the extra boost of confidence I needed to face my challenges head on.  I suppose everyone has their own confidence boosters, but for me, if I dress the part, I can act the part.  So I put on my gray shift dress, my pumps and hit the road.  I must admit, it worked.  Day one of the challenging time was not nearly as bad as I expected it to be!

One of my stressers traces back to my motherhood apprehension.  Ben is approaching his first birthday and we have begun to introduce cow's milk in a sippy cup.  It never ceases to amaze me how much advice can be found on all things baby.  So, now my mind is home to another battle:  No bottle after one year?  Introduce cow's milk as a beverage with meals?  Serve the milk in his bottle?  Am I hindering his development?  Am I taking away his security?  I know deep down that whatever decision we make, Ben will adjust because he is a very resilient kid.  That knowledge doesn't take away my worry, however.  I also vaguely remember hearing something about parenting and worrying going hand in hand, but I could be mistaken...

Fall Festivals and Warm Fuzzies

I just got out of a staff meeting so long I actually watched my fingernails grow while it was going on.  Hidden among the tedious topics that did nothing to shorten my "to do" list, was a report from one of our staff members who attended the fall festival at Vir-Clar Farms in Fond du Lac over the weekend.  Though I had a great time celebrating the Badger football win on Saturday, I really feel my time would have been better spent attending the festival.  It is a great example of a truly inspiring farm family reaching out to their community.  I can't begin to imagine the time it took to organize this event which drew thousands of people and featured farm tours plus face painting, a tricycle obstacle course and tons of other kid-friendly events.  Kudos to the Vir-Clar bunch for creating an event that was fun for the whole family and that was a great chance to teach non-farm folks where their food comes from.  I hope they continue to host this event in the future and I hope more producers follow suit and consider reaching out to their communities!

Aside from spending Saturday with great friends and family, we also crossed things off our household to-do list.  The hubby spent all day Sunday filling our basement with wood, which almost guarantees we'll finally sell the house we've had listed for months and months.  I pitched in during naptime, which got me the appreciation of my husband plus plenty of cuts, scrapes and slivers. 

So, I will go back to work and continue to lick my weekend wounds. 

Fall

Remember the scene from "Arachnophobia" when the spiders are coming in through all of the doors and windows?  Well, that's what is happening in my house right now, except that, instead of poisonous spiders, we have box elder bugs.  I spent all day Wednesday vacuuming the little buggers up.  Yesterday, I realized my efforts were futile and gave up.  I think I'll just give them the house. 

Oh, and, if my husband comes up dead and I am in prison, someone please come to my house and take a photo of the 17 water glasses on his nightstand.  That is all. 

For the Staudinger family, we are looking forward to a beautiful weekend!  Badger football game tomorrow and a little time on the lake on Sunday.

The Apprehensive Blogger

You may be starting to realize that I might just be an apprehensive person!  I struggled with anxiety throughout the nine months of my pregnancy and after our first son, Benjamin, was born I began to wonder if other women shared that pregnancy/motherhood anxiety.  I wish I would have started blogging when I got pregnant, not only to get my feelings out, but also to share with others how my anxiety was mostly unfounded.  Motherhood has turned out to be a complete blessing and the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me!

So, I finally decided to start blogging now that Ben is almost 11 months old...better late than never!  I began by taking a blogging class through the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.  I'm just starting this process but I plan to blog about my daily life, the journey of motherhood, and the coffee and wine that make it an enjoyable journey!