7 Quick Takes Friday-A Miracle In My House

1. Something so incredible, so momentous, so unreal has happened in my household. "It" actually happened about two weeks ago, but I was afraid to mention it, thinking it was just a fluke and as soon as I got too confident, we would be back to square one. However, I can now say with confidence and gratitude that Alessandra is sleeping through the night. I seriously thought this day (night?) would never come. We had a few great nights when I started our essential oils routine, and then she kind of faltered and went back to her old ways for a few weeks. Just as I was about to (once again!) lose my mind from sleep deprivation, Sister gave me a reprieve and slept a glorious 8 hours in a row. So now, I no longer look like death every morning.

Alessandra was 3 months old...and I got a whole 2 hours of sleep that night.

2. My 10-year college reunion is coming up in a few weeks, and I'm happy to report I'll be attending. I already feel brain fried just thinking about stepping foot on the campus where I studied until all hours in the library, practiced until all hours in the conservatory, and talked on the phone until all hours in my dorm room with my then-boyfriend, now-husband. Has it really been that long? Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to seeing all of my old college friends and sorority sisters.

3. However, in order to attend the reunion, I have to travel back to Wisconsin. In a moment that can only be described as cantankerous, I thought, "well, here we are in the year 2014, and no one has invented a transportation pad that will instantly send you anywhere in the world in under 10 seconds." Tragically, I had to face reality and determine which mode of transportation would cause the least amount of permanent damage to my mind and body...driving or flying? Did I mention I'll be traveling solo with two small children? Unfortunately Will is unable to accompany me; he has school and can't take a random 3-week vacation. Ultimately, I decided driving was the way to go. I am at peace with my decision. My mother is displeased, and has come up with every possible catastrophic scenery on the face of the Earth that could occur with me road-tripping it with Tony and Alessandra. What sayeth my readers? Am I brave, or flat-out insane?

4. While preparing for our upcoming move to Colorado (even though, you know, we just moved 3 1/2 months ago from Louisiana to Georgia), I was thrilled to discover that Colorado Springs has a Costco. Buh bye, Sam's Club membership, hello Costco goodness. I feel like I've been waiting for you my whole life.

5. Last pay period, I began an experiment with budgeting. Specifically, the Dave Ramsey cash envelope system for groceries. I decided not to use the envelopes for everything, mainly because I'm uncomfortable carrying around too much cash. (You can blame our time in Germany for that). I don't see the need to take out cash to pay for gas, when I can stop at the exact amount at the pump, and obviously I pay our bills online. But I started thinking that maybe if I restrict myself to cash at the grocery store, I could really see a difference in amount of money I spend on groceries every week. You know what...it's working. When the cash is gone, it's gone, and I can't just add the extra amount on to my debit card. It's cut out a lot of needless spending, and I've found that it's made me plan our meals in a more efficient manner as well. Also, making a monthly meal plan (I'll post an example in a new post) has not only saved us money, but it's saved my sanity on weeknights when the kids are going nuts and Will is working late.

6. We have some big decisions to make in the upcoming year, regarding Tony and preschool. (I never thought I would use the words "preschool" and "big decisions" in the same sentence). We'll be moving to Colorado at an awkward time-in the middle of the school year-and I'm not convinced it would be a good idea to put him in preschool for the winter to late spring months. Plus, his birthday is in January, and many preschools won't accept children who aren't at least 4 years old at the beginning of the school year. Plus, we want to begin our journey into Catholic schools, and HOLY TUITION BATMAN. Perhaps if we could take an extra eight months to save...who knows. Clearly we have some thinking (and saving, and planning) to do, but man. Who would have thought that sending a kid to preschool would be so insanely expensive?

7. Totally random, but surely someone reading this can help me out. Cloth diapering mamas, I need your wisdom. How do I get diaper cream stains out of cloth diapers? A certain husband forgot to use a liner when using a cream-based diaper rash cream on Alessandra, and I've got a few stains on her diapers that aren't coming out in the wash. I've tried adding a tablespoon of blue Dawn dish soap to the washer, but it hasn't worked so far. Any suggestions?

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at Conversion Diary.