Baby reveal

A jedi, Anna, and Elsa walked into a garage on Halloween Eve, anxious to see what kind of baby will be joining the Nycz ranks.

The majority of guesses, including mine and Eric's, were boy.  We were hoping for something a little cuter than this...

Still, about thirty percent of the group was counting on a baby girl...

Cuter.  But I think we've got some work to do.

We haven't had time to go through the photos from the big event, but inquiring minds want to know, what kind of baby are we having?

2. For our resident almost 2 years old.  And 2, for 2 little girls. 2 sisters.  

We're waiting on another little girl! 

Many of you know we have a rich tradition of beautiful women in my family, and I'm soo happy to be doing my part to keep this legacy alive. I am beyond excited to watch my girls, these two new sisters, grow up together. 

Eric was really shocked because he was sure it was a boy, just like knew, unequivically, that Grace was a girl. He also asked that I please paste this here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0399534539/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1446326724&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=why+beautiful+people+have+more+daughters&dpPl=1&dpID=41I%2Bt39i7jL&ref=plSrch

Of course we would have have enjoyed experiencing the world of baby boys, for those of you who are wondering. But not  right now! Besides, I think God has a way of giving us exactly what we need.

More to come from the Mother of Daughters, but for now, Happy Halloween!!

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A quick revelation

Today, for the second time ever, I got to do one of my favorite things -- I got to see my tiny unborn child inside of me.  Science, man.  Science!  Thank you science people!  I got to see a perfectly formed, tiny human swirling and twirling around inside of my body.  Perfect hands, feet, four chambers of a perfect heart, a spine, a brain, the amazing place where the umbilical cord connects us...I got to see it all.  And marvel.  And guess at the gender.  I was in awe of the whole experience, and I remarked to the kind ultrasound tech how astounded I was, being able to see this, again.  She said, "I've been doing this for thirty years, and each time I think it's a miracle."  Indeed.

Which got me thinking...are we any less miraculous now, because we are no longer unborn?  I don't think so.  You, reader, are a MIRACLE.  You and I both started out just like this little person inside of me, we defied insurmountable odds to be here, and yet...here we are.  Here.  Alive.  Doing things.  Sometimes miraculous things. Like making other people. And crafting ginormous televisions.

And so, I've got all these big feelings, big thoughts, big BIG stuff rolling around in my brain while I go about the rest of my day preparing for our gender reveal party and Grace's birthday party.  Tonight's Thursday-- CHOIR NIGHT BABY -- and marveled at the pink and purple sunset as I got into my car.  Feelings, guys.  Lots of them. Sunsets, babies, songs....we're singing "Lullabye" by James Taylor and EVERY TIME it makes me cry.  Including tonight.  Tonight there were actual tears.  I tried to be discreet.  It was embarrassing.  And then, it was time for the Gershwin medley, and lo and behold, I start the whole piece off with a little jazzy a-capella-y solo.  Now, this is not really my normal MO, I'm more of a sit-in-silent-judgment-of-the-other-brave-singers type of gal.  But, I'm the soloist on this one, so I wiped my tears, and for the first time in front of people, I sang my few little bars of Gershwin.  And. I. Sucked. Oh man, I thought when it was over. How did I suck so much?  Everyone's silence was so... judgmental. My nose was runny. That was stupid and I sucked.  Shit.  I sucked! Am I going to ruin the whole concert?  I hate sucking.

And then I checked my phone and had a message from Eric that I took the wrong car, the one with the car seat, to choir so he and Grace weren't able to run the errands for the party like they had planned.  FOR REAL?  Get your head out of the sunset pregs, and pay attention!  I suck. I suck. I suck. I suck.

And then, Jr gave me a swift kick in the navel and I was reminded -- I'm doing something miraculous here.  I'm still a miracle.  I have two spines in me right now.  And two hearts.  Maybe that's why I'm such a hot mess of emotions. Do you suck right now too?  Who cares!  Let's suck together and then stand up and try again because we defy the odds, all day every day.  All the odds.  Defied. Just by existing. Gershwin will be there to tackle another day. We should not, we cannot be afraid to fall on our faces and make big, huge, stupid mistakes because we have nothing to lose. Our very existence is miraculous.

People were kind to me after my attempt at singing and said things like, "nice solo!" and I got to look them in the eye and say, "No it wasn't," and we got to laugh together, and that helped me to stand up and remember it's good to try again.  Do you suck right now?  Did you fail today? That's okay, because at the core of everything, you, reader, are a miracle.  You have limitless potential.  Limitless second chances to learn the real lessons. Take it from me.  Today I got to see how we all start out.  Tiny, swirly, connected.  Miraculous.

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The pause

I've had so much on my mind lately friends, so much I want to say and share.  I just...I just haven't been able to get the words down.


Probably because two weeks ago I SPILLED AN ENTIRE GLASS OF WATER ON MY LAPTOP AND IT HASN'T WORKED SINCE.

The irony of the situation is I gave Grace a big girl cup to practice with while we enjoyed breakfast, and I was on such high alert because I was going to multitask with my laptop while one of us was strapped down, that in an attempt to make sure she didn't spill, me and my go-go gadget arms took out my own glass of ice water in the process.

So that was fun.

I'm hoping my Apple geek husband can come to my rescue so I can continue to write, because this place has become my therapy.  So thank you, readers, for reading.  You're helping me not go crazy.

These next few weeks are biggies, we are finding out the gender of baby #2 next Friday, and the following Tuesday #1 turns two years old!  We are busy planning parties and making space in our home for another person.  We're going to be adding a life here soon.  Isn't that amazing?  My nesting instincts are in high gear, and I'm so excited to see what kind of space we create for this new, precious person.  This is one of my favorite parts of bringing home a baby.  Creating a space that's just for him or her.  Even if it's more for my sake than theirs.

But that's a subject for another time and another post.  For now, stay tuned for details about Nycz #2, and cast your vote--boy or girl?! Look for a post about my incredible almost two year old who is the undisputed light of my life.  In the meantime, take a sneak peek at some of the pictures from our two year photo shoot.  This came together in  a matter of hours, when on one glorious Indian summer afternoon I drove past this field of flowers next to our favorite ice cream shop.  A vision of purples and golds and flower crowns appeared in my mind's eye, Grace and I high tailed it to Hobby Lobby (I MADE the flower crowns! :)  I told Eric to meet us at 4:30, please, because we're shooting some pictures k babe? and he cautiously consented.  He was not convinced.  He had no control over this, after all, and isn't he usually the artistic director?  (No, but I usually manipulate his ego to think so.)  But a little teamwork, a little scolding, a little pouting, and a little ice cream made these shots some of my favorite, ever.  Thanks Eric.

Enjoy, and thanks friends, for reading.  I'll see you real soon.  (Please pray for my laptop.)

ooh nummy waih-bowh i-weam.  We may be headed to speech therapy, soon...

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Life Hack #2

Do you know what sucks?  Cleaning your house.  Don't get me wrong, when it's done, it's lovely and such a relief, and I think, "I love my house!  I love it here!  This cannot be the same spot where the apocalypse happened just hours ago, can it?" But then, inevitably, you blink your eyes and it all needs to get done again.  It's stupid and bothersome and I have better things to do with my time.  I would love to hire someone who enjoys cleaning to come and work his or her magic in my kingdom, but alas, I cannot spring for such luxury at this point in my life, and so, Eric and I are forced to do it ourselves.  Let me rephrase: I do it myself and sometimes I force Eric to help. I generally make him do all the nasty stuff because I do everything else all while carrying our unborn children, like the oven and shower, and he has special products he has purchased to make his dirty jobs easier.

Please, no, not the oven cleaner!

 After he uses these products, he runs fans and tells us to stay away from those rooms for awhile.  I've never really given this much thought before.  But I am now.  WTF.  Why can't I go in my sparklingly clean shower when it's the only thing in my house that is sparkling right now?  I just wanted it clean, not toxic. So I did a little research to figure out just what is in this stuff, anyway.  It was harder than I thought, because according to the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org): 

Unlike manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products, companies that make cleaning products are not required to list the ingredients they put in their formulations on the package, bottle or box.

Thus,
...there was no way to get a complete list of every ingredient. The industry says that�s because the details of its formulations are proprietary trade secrets, and it insists that the products are safe based on testing data that is not available to the public.

This organization then lists all the cleaning products they were able to get information for -- here's an example of one prodcut I happen to have in my arsenal currently.

Remember the line above, where the industry states that products are safe?  Well here's an ingredient thats in many of these products that maybe you should know a little something about.

BUTOXYDIGLYCOL

Causes: DNA damage, cancer, reproductive toxicity, pulmonary edema, central nervous system impairment, leukemia, skin and respiratory irritation, asthmagen, and the list goes on. And on.

And guys, this is only one ingredient.  Of eight.  All eight I cannot pronounce, which tells me they all are likely similar to this cancer-causer above.

WHY do I have this?  In fairness, I didn't buy it, Eric did.  But I've used it, and I grew up in a household that used it, and I figured if it passed some sort of government safety test and it's on a shelf in a store like Target, it should be safe, right? This is America!

Apparently not.

There's got to be a better way, and thats where Life Hack #2 comes in -- NORWEX. A few weeks ago my friend Stacey reached out to me and said, I like your blog, if I gave you some Norwex products would you use them and blog about it?  And I was like OMG yes! -- and it was a moment where I realized a dream that I didn't even know I had was coming true. So thanks, Stacey.  Stacey is super cute and bubbly, she has a two year old daughter, and works as a physical therapist.  Because of her occupation, she is exposed to harsh cleaners and chemicals all the time, so she wanted to make her home a place that's free from them.  She's been a consultant for over a year, she knows her stuff and she's got an impressive sales pitch, or maybe it's just because the products can really sell themselves.

Have you guys heard of microfiber?  It's basically what the name implies...tiny, micro sized fibers that are split apart before being woven together to attract particles -- think dust, dirt, germs.  Most microfibers are about 1/5-1/6 the width of a human hair (thanks Wikipedia), so micro means micro. Norwex takes microfiber to another level.  The weave of it's microfiber is like a million times denser than traditional microfiber -- 1/200 of a human hair -- and the cloth itself it can hold 7 times its weight in water.  It's so powerful that these cloths can remove 99% of bacteria from a surface when used properly.  Without any additional cleaning agents.  Just the cloth and water.  No cancer causers here.

Take a look at the Norwex "jack-of-all-trades" EnviroCloth.  This thing can literally clean your entire house all by itself.  You can use it dry to pick up dust and hair, and then wet to get all that bacteria off your bathroom counter and toilets, kitchen sinks and cabinets. You can take it from room to room and avoid cross contamination because those particles get so stuck in the microfiber you can clean your kitchen, then your bathroom, then your other bathroom without cross contamination.  I was skeptical at first, but after using it, everything looked clean.  Really clean. Another bonus?  The cloths are embedded with micro silver which is a natural antibacterial element so you don't have to launder them between uses. Simply rinse, wring, hang to dry and use them a few more times.

Sup Scrubbin' Bubbles and paper towel. Bring it.

You can use this cloth to clean windows and mirrors, too, just follow up with the special polish cloth, and I promise you your mirrors will look cleaner than they ever have. Use it on anything that you want to shine up -- stainless steel, mirrored surfaces, your fine lines and wrinkles, your husbands abs...

I cleaned one of my kitchen windows with the polish cloth and I wish I hadn't because now I can clearly see how much work I have to do in my backyard.

I think it's safe to say you could probably clean your house with just these two cloths alone. But what if you want to do the whole house, your EnviroCloth is already wet, and you need to dust your everything?   Enter the handy dandy dusting mitt.

You slip this little baby on your hand, wipe up your dust, and it all gets trapped right on the mitt. I have allergies and dusting makes them crazy, but not so with this little guy, nary a sneeze or sniffle from me.  I also learned you can get it wet and rub it over your screens to clean them up.  

How much do you suppose you spend on cleaning products in a year?  Two years? The Huffington Post says about $504 per year.  Imagine instead spending only $50 on the Norwex Household Package -- Envirocloth, polish cloth, and dusting mitt -- which will allow you to clean your house under a company guarantee for two years (but will likely last you much longer).  This Household Package is legit, and I think you should order one and let me know how you like it.

The cleaning hack could easily end there, but I feel like bragging.  Also I hate cleaning my shower.

The scrub mitt -- one side is the famed microfiber, the other is a "scrub mesh" to scrub off built up soap scum, grossness -- when used it with the Norwex Descaler, is like the easy button for your shower.  I didn't even make Eric do it like normal. Check out the photos below and don't judge me.

This stuff is amazing.

It's not perfect but I got tired after about 45 seconds.

Last, but certainly not least, Stacey hooked me up with the Norwex body pack. Same idea -- use the cloths to clean your face and body without soap.  It took some getting used to, but I love them.  The make up removal cloth is amazing.  No longer do I wake up looking like I got punched in the eyeballs.  Grace and Eric are so glad.

Readers, this is a long post. It was even longer -- 15 word pages, oops.  Just take that as a testament to how much I like these products, and how many more exciting things Norwex offers (baby towels, food storage, so much good stuff!)  Do you want to get in on this movement?  Getting back to cleaning basics and keeping your household free of cancer causers? Saving a significant amount money over the course of the year?  Actually looking forward to wiping down your shower walls? Trying that polish cloth on your husbands abs? Since I know the answer to those questions are YES and since you read this blog, you get a special treat! Even better than Grace's nummy i-cream.

Stacey is generously allowing people who read this blog to take 15% off of their Norwex order!  Check out the website below to find the online catalog, and if you want to chat with me or her about questions you might have, send either of us a private Facebook message or an email (staceyeck11@gmail.com). 15% off that household package is a steal!

You can use this handy dandy google doc to place your order directly through her to ensure you get 15% off:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bXqRnGFrqdy5wtFdbi_i1329EevET2F7Nw--vqa37TI/viewform

Here's the online catalog for you to peruse:
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/norwex-usa-canada-2015-fall-catalog-us/0093061001437420983

OR

You can attend my Norwex Facebook party!  I may have already invited you, but if I didn't and you'd like an invite, comment below or on my Facebook page and I'll get you the deets.  Here's what you can expect -- log into Facebook on Thursday night at 9 pm wearing your pajamas and toting a large glass of zinfandel (please, for me), Stacey will post five or six times, including one video post that's sure to blow your mind, and then she will offer a shopping special, an album from which you can shop, and a better/different incentive than the 15% off. I'm definitely going to order some kitchen towels and laundry detergent...and who knows what else!? I've heard their floor system is amazing...ok someone cut me off.  See you at the party!

FYI, besides the great products and knowledge I received, I will not profit from this post.  All views are my own!

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