Tradition & Applesauce

For a solid six years now, my family has been going apple picking back in our hometown every Fall. The beautiful thing is that our group keeps growing and with that new memories are made each year.

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Since each of our families pick at least two large bags full, we have found that making applesauce makes the most sense. Plus, homemade applesauce is way better than the stuff you buy at the store! To make it really easy, you'll need this. Here's how I make mine:

12-14 whole apples (Jonathan and Macintosh recommended)
1 cup apple juice
Cook this in a large pot for 15-20 minutes, or until the apples have popped open and are tender.

In a separate {large and heat safe} bowl, add 1 cup of sugar and a dash of cinnamon.
I put the strainer over the bowl and then carefully pour the cooked apples and apple juice into the strainer. Begin mashing the apples until all that is left is the skins, seeds, and stems.

Allow to cool before placing in a container and store in the fridge or freezer.

Tantrums & Housework

My oldest has always been a great napper. As in, he'd sleep at least 2 hours and if I let him he'd sleep 3 hours. It was awesome and a ton of housework got done in that time. My second was born and it magically worked out that they both napped at the same time. This was so important for the first few weeks to allow me to rest and recover. It was honestly such a God thing!

However, after a few weeks, J started waking up at 2:00am, 3:00am, or 4:00am. We would attempt to put him back in bed or have him sleep in a sleeping bag on our floor, but he was WIDE awake. He was wide awake and upset that we weren't getting him breakfast, playing with him, or allowing him to run around the house. This caused tantrums...hour long ones at the wee hours of the morning. Overly tired parents, a screaming toddler, and early morning hours are not a good mix. Not only this, but during the day it was a constant battle. Nap time was even becoming a battle with him and I started feeling like all I was doing was discipline. I hated it and was feeling overwhelmed...

We reached out to people that we trusted and got a lot of good advice and opinions. My {wise} sister suggested that he might be ready to give up his nap. I think I literally winced at that idea. How would my housework get done? 

After another week or so of tantrums and super early mornings, I decided to try it. To be honest, I thought it would turn into a complete mess by 3:00pm because he'd be so overly tired from not having a nap. I was SO wrong! What became clear is that did he not need his nap, but he needed me. Once G was born, J went from having my full attention most of the day to having my full attention maybe 15% of the day and he was trying to express that through his tantrums. How oblivious am I? 

Since G is sleeping during the early afternoon and J isn't napping anymore, we are able to have one-on-one time for at least two hours. This has been beneficial for him AND me. I truly enjoy this time, even more than I did before when I was resting or doing housework. I'm able to laugh and play with my sunshine without any distractions or other responsibilities. I was seriously missing him as much as he was missing me, but I was too invested in my housework/rest time to notice it. I screwed up, and am so glad it didn't go on longer. Yes, our house is a little messier than I would like. But we have a happy kid again and that's worth it!