City Fresh in the Ghetto

For all you Clevelanders, there is this pretty nice "program" called City Fresh. Last summer we knew about it because Matt did research with this group. Each week local farmers provide fresh produce at a very low price, anyone can sign up. If you make below a certain level you get half price, so poor students like us get a half share for 5 bucks, which is everything you see in the picture. You can also get a full share of produce which would be double what you see in the picture. If you don't qualify for the low income level you pay 10 bucks (for a half share or 20 for a full share) which is still a great deal, the other day I payed 5 dollars just for a bag of grapes at the store. The only thing is you never know what you'll get, it just depends what's on the season. You don't get fruit very often we've only gotten melons & apples, but we always get plenty of veggies which is great! If anyone in the area is interested click here. There are a few different locations around Cleveland and you have to pick it up at a certain time, in a specific location, during certain hours...but it really is a great deal and it's all organic! It's ends the end of September I belive. Next year I'm going to start it at the beginning of the summer and see if anyone in the ward or neighborhood is interested and try and get a group of people to sign up and I'll pick it up and eveyone can just come and get it from my house if they wanted. Anyway, we really like doing it, it helps us eat a bigger variety of veggies we probably wouldn't normally get, it's a great deal and it's healthy!
While we were there picking up our food yesterday, we went to a location on Buckeye (really pretty ghetto, not the safest place) we went there because that's where the people Matt worked with were (but there are other, safer locations). When we got out of the car across the street a bunch of older teens were yelling, swearing and fighting with each other. No one that was there really noticed too much, then a few minutes later right across the street and around the corner we heard about 7 or 8 gun shots and 3 or 4 kids were running away from around the corner. The ladies that were working where we were getting our food started yelling, "Gun shots! Get under the tables!!" over and over. But right then it stopped and we were watching and nothing else was going on, one lady there called the cops. Me and Matt were both really scared, it was like you see in the movies, it was really scary!

A New Hobby

While I was in Utah Matt found a new hobby, which is find garbage on the side of the road and fix it up. Here in Cleveland pretty much everyone just puts their garbage on the side of the road on garbage night and a lot of the time there is pretty decent stuff, not many people take's their old things to Good Will or Purple Heart or D.I (if we had a D.I.) SO sometimes we find good stuff (gross I know).

Anyway Matt found this chair and stripped it, sanded it down, re-varnished it and reupholstered it. It took him quite a while because he sanded the whole thing almost all by hand. It was a fun project that kept him busy while I was away and it turned out really nice! We just don't have anywhere to put it in our house.

Good job Matt!

Today is a good day

Today is a good day.

Today I fit back into my "pre-pregnancy" swimming suit! Right after we were married I bought a really cute one piece peachy colored swimming suit and wore it maybe twice, because I got pregnant so quickly it didn't fit after that. A few months ago I bought a new "post-pregnancy" swimming suit, cute, but not as cute.

So I decided I'd try this one piece on and...it was a good day.

Thanks for the Advice

Thanks everyone who commented on my blog, it was very helpful! I was able to get a book called "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems," a doctor Matt is working with recommended it. We found what we needed and tried it for the first time last night and it worked great!!!! What a blessing! Luke slept from 8:30pm-8:30am! I still didn't sleep that well because I kept waking up and being surprised that he was still asleep.

What we did was basically wait it out, the book said to take away any sleep associations that he needed to fall asleep, but wouldn't be there if he woke up in the middle of the night like a binki, me, or matt, us rocking him to sleep or holding him. The crib was the last thing he needs to see before he falls asleep. We were supposed to do a bedtime routine, so we gave him a bath, fed him, read him a book, cuddled for a minute and then put him in bed. After 3 minutes of crying we were to go in rub his back for 2 min and leave, come back 5 minutes later, then 10, then 12 and so on. After the 10 minute one he almost had it, we rubbed his back walked out and he rolled onto his side and was out cold! So hopefully it will continue to work and I think it will.

Thanks everyone!!!!

Help...I need some ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, this is a cry for help. Since we went on our trip to Utah Luke has been a big stinker sleeper! Since he was born he's slept through the night great. This past week he's been waking up 6-8 times! He is six months so we know it could be he's hungry, hot, cold, teething, separation anxiety...anything I guess. We've been trying really hard to get him on a schedule where he goes down at like 8pm, and he will go to sleep, but if he's not really drowsy he crys and crys when we leave the room. I'm waiting for a book from the library about getting your kid good sleep on a good schedule...in the mean time does anyone have any good advice???

Updates from Luke

Since we've been traveling a lot the past two months Luke has been growing quickly and getting fast! Here's what's new with our little man.

• He's eating veggies and really doesn't like them, just like his mom.
• He almost has his first two teeth, they're working so hard to breakthrough.
• He's so happy and laughs at everything.
  
• He is starting be scared of people other than mom and dad, but he's still a good sport.
• He is so wiggley and is always on the move.
• He scoots all over the place, and is FAST! He's working so hard to get up on his knees to crawl but once he's upon his knees he gets too excited and falls. It won't be long before he's crawling.
  
• He sits up on his own, but is pretty tipsy turvey.
• He is finally getting more hair!
  
  He's so fun and silly, I can hardly believe he's 6 months old.