Valpo Brewfest

So much beer, so little time.

The new park downtown Valpo

Andy and Howard

A bored me...

And a very happy buzzed Andy.

There were in total over 125 different brews from all of the different brewers,

both local and a few national "microbrews", hence no big boys of beer here.

(Although Goose Island was bought out by a gigantic brewery they still got to come.)

I did not get a single drop. Not one, not any at all.

For I played the DD. Yes the designated driver.

I did receive unlimited root beer (that was VERY tasty and from WI for the record).

And a commemorative pint glass, to drink said root beer, and a free shirt.

I also ran into a few of my brothers friends and my friend Emily's little brother who I have not seen in almost 15 years. He was 10 when we graduated from high school.

I would have rather received a coupon for a few dollars of free food instead of the shirt.

Towards the end of the 4 hours of beer drinking by everyone else,

except a handful of other DD that I saw,

I was quite bored.

And it was really funny to hear a large crowd "ohhhh" when

someone dropped a glass and broke it.

The four food vendors were all on one side of the event,

which made it fun trying to find your group while I went to get a piece of pizza.

Stay right here. Do not move. I will be right back.

At least there was plenty of port a potties.

Although the park is a "Smoke Free Park" it did not stay that way for very long at all.

My suggestion even though I am positive no one cares:

To put those smokers pole station things (or something similar) around the outside of the park just for the event. Have signs pointing to them AND mark them on the map of the event.

Then maybe there would be less clean up of butts from cigarettes and cigars....

In conclusion~

Will I attend next year? : Hopefully

Do they need more food? : Definitely

Will we get more people to go with us? : YES! My van can hold 6 other people!

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan- Porter Beach

Max's first beach experience.

Totally scared at first, loved it in the end.

I love all of the off hours info available these days.

Listen To Your Mother

The show was amazing. I can not wait to share the wonderful stories from the show as told by the presenters. Hopefully a online version of the show will appear soon. My mom and I sat in the audience and soaked everything in, it was so nice to have her sitting next to me. I know a presenter and the show producer and we both knew other people that some of the presenters are related to. Small world. You could watch this show anywhere, started in Madison, WI, and probably get the same laughs and tears. This year there are five different locations hosting a Listen To Your Mother event: Austin, TX, Los Angles, CA, Madison, WI, Spokane, WA, and Northwest Indiana (Valpo to be specific). I am so glad we have such wonderful bloggers, writers, and just plan creative people in our area. Here is the cast photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/laundry/5705794798/in/pool-1648350@N24/

Each presenter had a tale to tell. A story of motherhood, struggles, tossing out your child out of the nest, and tales of their mother.

I am glad each and everyone shared their story.

I am a baby wearing junkie.

I love IKEA. And I am quite the baby wearing junkie. IKEA usually has a higher than normal amount of baby wearing parents. Both moms and dads. There are still plenty of times I see parents using strollers, or buckets seats in strollers (ugh), and bucket seats perched on shopping carts (AHHHH NOT SAFE!!!!). If you don't use the stroller in the store, or baby wear, at least put your baby in the big part of the cart. Especially when the bucket seat does not fit onto the seat at all. I do not want to hear of any baby being injured falling off a shopping cart when they should not have been there in the first place. What part of your baby car seat instruction manual said it was okay to do this?

I feel for moms who don't want to even attempt to wear their little ones. Or at least keep them safe. There are hundreds of fall accidents in the US each year. Be a parent who keeps you baby safe. Don't put a baby seat in a unsafe place. Please do not use a bouncer on a table, or use a bumbo seat on a counter.

Try baby wearing, you will more than likely like it!

Natural birthing win.

Two weeks ago Andy and I had a nice conversation about if we have another baby how we are going to handle labor.

I am happy I have a healthy baby boy who just turned 2.

I did not like my labor or the manner of his birth. Drugs stink. Having medically enhanced contractions suck. My water broke on its own but that is about all my body did during labor. I tried to be on as little pain medications as possible and tried to move as much as I could. Had horrible back pain before any pain medications. Ended up on PIT, only getting to 5cm, having 2 epidurals, and having a c section. Also had a groggy baby who took forever to get the hang of nursing. Battled slow weight gain and a short time of supplementing with formula.

I told him of all the struggles I went through because of having medical interventions.

We agreed to, as long as my doctor says okay, have a more natural labor if we have another baby.

I will be getting a doula for birth.

Breast feeding should be easier having the practice.

If I still end up having to have a c section, it will be okay.

But I am going to try my hardest to get the labor I want.

almost to 2...

Max will be 2 on Tuesday. It is truly amazing how fast time flies. It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant waiting for my baby to be born.

We had some early struggles but we made it through. Breastfeeding was not quite as easy as I thought it might be but we made it work. I was not about to stop for any reason. Baby wearing has become a passion of mine.

Traveling long distance when he was almost 6 months old was definitely easier in some regards than at 20 months. I am hoping that when we travel in May he will be good. This will be his first big trip in our new van with a chance to watch movies.

And a big trip is always fun when Grandma is sitting next to you. :-)

I am...

a total slacker when it comes to this blog thing. I am not the best at writing full papers (unlike my wonderful husband who can have pages of information flow out of his fingertips) and still make sense! I sometimes lie in bed waiting to sleep and think about things to write. Yet when morning comes and other things happen, I forget all about it.

I love reading amazing stories concerning families, mommies, breastfeeding, toddlers, kids, and daily life.

I read posts that make me laugh, or cry, or get angry, right along with the author.

I guess it goes to prove that I am like my mom who is a reader with just about every fiber of her being. She keeps a book log so she knows what she read and how many books she reads in a year. It is awesome. I think she read 200+ books last year? I might be wrong but the woman is a super reader. I like to read but with a toddler I am lucky to read a magazine cover to cover.

As a mom of an almost two year old, the internet is my connection to the outside world.

Not all day but most of the time. Who is going to want to be called when your child is still awake at midnight?

I have made it a priority to attend La Leche League meetings regularly, even if it is just to get out of the house. We try to attend play groups and baby wearing meetings that I have spear headed for our area and I am part of a great group of moms/parents who are starting up a new natural family living group in Chesterton.

I may not be a part of the "workforce" but I am definitely part of my community.