Noah Month 6

Leave a comment March 28, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

This month has been the movement month!! It’s so fun, watching Noah accomplish milestones. This month he has gone from rolling around the living room, to army crawling, to crawling on his hands and knees, and now he’s even pulling himself up onto furniture. I’m excited to see how long it takes him to walk!

Even though I love the movement, I also am very tired! Chasing around a little one can be exhausting! I used to be able to workout with him on the floor playing with toys, but now I can’t accomplish this since he doesn’t stay in one place for long.

-Sleep: ah sleep…yep still not happening! I wrote a post on my experience with sleep training fails! He is waking up quite a few times throughout the night and doesn’t like to sleep in his crib (day or night). I’m not too sure what our next game plan is for tackling sleep issues, but I’m exhausted. It’s hard not being able to get any time with him in his crib. He used to sleep in his crib for naps throughout the day more often but recently it’s not at all. When I put him in there, he’ll some times wake up right away, or he’ll sleep for 5-10 minutes then wake up. We also had to lower his mattress since he can pull himself up. We didn’t want him falling out!

-Eating: this boy loves to eat! He will eat pretty much anything we give him! I cut up some bananas slices and put it on his tray but he couldn’t pick them up. So I put them into the mesh feeder and he loved it! This allows him to feed himself without making a gigantic mess.

-Talking: I love sweet little baby noises! Noah is constantly making noise and talking to us! I keep telling him that I’m his mama when he says “mama”. While he can say “mama” it is not any relation to me, yet.

-Laughing: Oh how I love his little baby laugh! He used to laugh a little bit if we tickled his tummy but now he’s laughing much more. Malakhai and I were playing with a toy while Noah was in his jumper, and he loved watching us play! He got a huge belly laugh!

-In the last week of month 6 for Noah he started bopping to music. It is adorable!!!! At first I thought it was just a fluke, but he did it the next time we played music! I love seeing his little personality come through (can you tell I love him, just a little bit).

Things he is loving this month:

• Eating
• Crawling
• Malakahi (Even though Malakhai doesn’t feel the same way)
• Musical instruments (We have bongo drums and a music chair that he’s been loving this month.)
• Feeling different textures (He scratches at everything. He has to check out the feel and then he decides if he likes the item)
• Standing up

Dislikes:

• Putting on clothes
• Changing his diaper
• His crib
• Waiting for his food to heat up

Sorry, I slacked on his monthly posts lately! Noah is currently 8 months old! I’ll be sure to post his 7 month update soon!

Love,
Savanna

DIY Easter Egg Maraca’s

Leave a comment March 16, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

Today, I have an easy DIY project for you! I used to make these for my students when I taught preschool. They are so much fun and the best part is they can be used any time of the year.

You’ll need to purchase one bag of plastic Easter eggs (any color and size). Then look around your house for small objects to put inside the eggs.

Ideas of what to put into eggs:

-Beans

-Seeds

-Rice

-Popcorn kernels

-Buttons

-Bells

-Coins

-Any small non-pershishable item

After you’ve filled the eggs, make sure to tape the eggs shut. This is very important because if your child gets into the egg, the items inside could be choking hazards.

Once you’ve taped them shut, you’re ready to rock out! You can use the maracas when dancing to music or make your own music! I love that they are easily customizable because you can put little items of what you have around the house.

Have fun!!

Savanna

*Never leave your child alone with these maracas. The items inside could be choking hazards.

Sleep Training Fails!

1 Comment March 16, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

As I have mentioned before Noah has decided he doesn’t like to sleep, EVER. He’s especially not sleeping in his crib. We can set him down in his crib ever so gently and BAM! just like that he wakes himself up. I don’t know how he does it! Why is getting a baby to sleep so hard?!

 (This is proof he can sleep in his crib, just chooses not to!)

Our usual bedtime routine is giving Noah a bath around 6:30. Afterwards we either play downstairs for a while or if he’s tired we go into our bedroom (his crib is in our room for now) and read a few stories while playing soft music. We dim the lights and read in a low voice to let him know it’s time for sleep. Then I usually nurse him to sleep. Which had been working for us, but as of lately Noah has been needing me to get him back to sleep throughout the night. I think it’s because I’ve been nursing him to sleep and he associates nursing with falling asleep. So after many sleepless nights Anthony and I decided we had to sleep train. But, I was really nervous about it. I feel like nursing him to sleep is such a special time for just him and I. Plus that’s the only time I can get some cuddles in J. I researched different methods online and found that I really did not want to try the cry it out method. It seems so cruel and as my friend put it: if we can make them happy why not, we know what they need and crying it out seems so mean.

I found a method called the Pick –Up (PU) /Put-Down (PD) Method. Where you place the baby in the crib while they are drowsy but not asleep. When they start to cry you pick them up for 30 seconds max to reassure them. Then when the stop crying you put them down. That seemed logical to me. This way there was minimal crying and he could learn to fall asleep on his own. Perfect—I thought!

Finally, I decided to try it after weeks of putting it off and not really wanting my cuddle time to end. Noah and I started our system of PU and PD, but he figured it out! As SOON as I would pick him up off of his mattress he would stop crying. Then when I’d put him down again he’d start crying once more. He knew if he cried that I would pick him up. I tried for an hour and a half of this method. NO GOOD. He cried and cried and was at that point not going to fall asleep on his own. I stopped for the day and decided to try again the next. I did and the same thing happened. He would not fall asleep by himself. FAIL!

I decided to take a break from sleep training and research different methods. Finally I found an in-between the PU and PD Method and crying it out. The Book is called Sleep Easy. The routine is to put baby in the crib awake and you tell them goodnight and give them a kiss and then you leave the room for 5 minutes. When you return you do not touch baby you just reassure them. You only stay for 30 minutes at max and then leave. But this time you leave for 10 minutes. Then repeat the routine. Next for 15 minutes and then 20 minutes thereafter until baby falls asleep. Okay, I thought I can do this, right?! We had the plan for about two or three weeks before I finally said okay lets try. But when the time came I just couldn’t do it! I don’t want to make my baby cry! So my mom suggested a system that she did with me when I was Noah’s age. You sit next the crib and reassure baby while they try to fall asleep. It is a cry it out method but at least your next to the baby and reassure them that everything is okay. I tried it first thing in the morning. My heart broke hearing him cry. I felt like an awful mother. Who lets their baby cry like this?? It took him 40 minutes to fall asleep and he slept for an hour! Then the next nap came around and he cried for 45 minutes and slept for 50 minutes. Then the last nap, he cried for an hour and would not fall asleep. I couldn’t take it anymore and I picked him up and nursed him to sleep.

Then bedtime rolled around. I was giving myself pep-talks to prepare for more crying. So we do our normal bedtime routine except when he was done nursing I put him in the crib. I closed my eyes as I placed him in there bracing myself for the crying to begin. But to my surprise he rolled over and went right to sleep! Could this really be? Did he just fall asleep on his own?! He slept for an hour and then woke up. I took that as a small victory. I nursed him and again set him in the crib. He cried for 20 minutes and fell asleep. This time he only slept for 15 minutes before waking again. Once again I nursed him and then put him in his crib but this time his crying was different. It was an upset cry. It was a whole body shaking, lungs fully screaming bloody murder kind of cry. I tried to reassure him over his loud shrieks. My own eyes tearing up from guilt. You can do this, I kept saying to myself. He cried for an hour and half like this. I cried right along with him. It. Was. Awful.

Anthony had slept down on the couch because he had to go to work the next day. After the hour and a half I came down to him crying. I couldn’t take it anymore. I asked him what I should do. He said it was okay to take him out. He HAD fallen asleep by himself a few times throughout the day. That in itself was great! But I felt like an awful human being. Who lets their precious little six-month-old baby cry like that? I tossed and turned the rest of the night. Noah slept with us for the rest of the night. I couldn’t let him go…I was a bad mom.

The next day, I got up (sleep deprived) and almost cried at the thought of trying again to get him to sleep on his own. But I knew I had to. Right? This was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?? Yes, yes, I thought. The first nap came around and I almost cried putting him in his crib. What a mean mom I am. He started crying right away. The same cry as the night before (Whole body cries). Again, I cried with him. I only last 45 minutes. I couldn’t take it any more. The next nap I only let him cry for 15 minutes before I took him out and nursed him to sleep. I felt deep down in my core that this was not the right thing to do. This was not how I should be doing this. When Anthony got home that night I burst into tears. I know that he needs to sleep more at night and I know that Noah should be sleeping more in his crib. But this just wasn’t working. Luckily, I’m married to the greatest guy in the world. He told me it’s okay that we can try again later and that if it’s not right, it’s not right. So there you have it- yet another sleep training FAIL!

I have no idea what our next step will be. But I do know that this wasn’t the right way for our family. Sleep training is hard. There is no good way to do it. It seems like babies should sleep more, but the fact is maybe they need us during the night. I mean, he is only 6 months old! So for now I take the sleepless nights and hold my baby a little tighter knowing that I’m a good mom.

Foodie Friday: Pisto

2 Comments February 23, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

Hello! Today’s Foodie Friday is a bit labor intense, but I promise the effort is well worth it! This is a recipe my husband makes, it’s a vegetarian meal that can easily be made into a vegan meal.

Ingredients:

2-3 Peppers (varied colors), chopped finely

1 Onion, chopped finely

2 Zucchini, chopped finely

2 Tomatoes, chopped finely

2 Potatoes, finely cubed

2 TBSP Olive oil, more if needed

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Over easy egg (Optional)

(Please note: The pictures show a double batch. We always double to recipe so we have leftovers!)

Start by finely chopping the onions. The size should be about the size of your fingernail. We’ve tried chopping the vegetables bigger but the end results were not the same.

Put the olive oil into a pot and heat to a medium temperature. Add onions, cook 5-8 minutes.

Finely chop (fingernail size) peppers and add to the pot with onions. Cook for another 5 minutes.

While onions and peppers are cooking, finely chop the zucchini (fingernail size). Add zucchini and cook for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes of the onions, peppers and zucchini cooking, finely chop and add tomatoes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for 25 minutes. The consistency will be similar to ratatouille, not quite soupy but there will be some liquid in the mixture.

While the vegetables simmer. Wash and peel potatoes and then finely chop (fingernail size). In a frying pan add olive oil and fry potatoes until golden brown.

While the vegetables simmer and the potatoes are frying you can cook your egg. Anthony loves his over-easy with the yoke runny, I like mine the be fully cooked. This is up to each person and can be eliminated if you’re going for the vegan option.

After potatoes are done, get out your plate, your ready to eat!

Put a layer of potatoes on the plate. Next put the egg on top of the potatoes and then add a large amount of the vegetable mixture.

Next, EAT!

This is one of the best dinners we eat. It is so yummy. Like I said it does take time to prepare but trust me it is so, so worth it. You’ll love every bite. We only made the recipe once without doubling it. We were sorry as soon as the last bite was gone. Pisto the next day is just as good, if not better. All the vegetables have time to join together for true deliciousness! Make sure the store the potatoes separately or they will become soggy. Heat up in a frying pan!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my husband and I do!

Love, Savanna

Top Mommy Blogs Update

Leave a comment February 16, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

Thanks for everyone who has been voting for me on the Top Mommy Blogs! I truly appreciate it!

BUT, I’ve been informed that WordPress is changing their format (from https to http) and the Top Mommy Blogs cannot track how many votes we’re getting right now. Once WordPress has finished changing formats, the Top Mommy Blogs are going to work on a new version for WordPress blogs that can track how many votes we receive.

I’m going to leave the button on my page but it will not count for anything at the moment.

Thanks again to all those who have voted! I will let you know when you can start voting again!!

Love,
Savanna

At Home Survey

Leave a comment February 15, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

Hello! How was your Valentines Day? I hope it was filled with lots of love and chocolate, of course! Anthony took me to Whole Foods to buy a treat! I bought some vegan chocolate cupcakes and a vanilla (almond milk) steamer, Yummmmm!

Anyways, I read a ton of other blogs and I love it when they do survey’s. You’re able to get to know your virtual friends and followers in a more personal way. So today I’m going to do a survey about things around my house!

Household chore I actually enjoy 

This is a tough one. There is not a particular household chore I enjoy 100% of the time. Sometimes I enjoy the effects of the chore after their done (For example, a clean house)! :). I love the feeling of a clean house. Usually this lasts about an hour, especially since Noah’s been around, but I do enjoy cooking 75% of the time. I find it relaxing to prepare a healthy meal for myself, and my family. However, Friday and Saturday nights I do not enjoy them. I’d rather enjoy eating takeout or going to our favorite restaurant.

Biggest house disaster

I am an organized control-freak. I love to have everything in a specific space. That being said, when we moved into our house we put all of our extra things into our office closet. So, over the next year and half things kept piling up in there. We could hard slide the door shut and it DROVE ME CRAZY! I couldn’t even look at it. It gave me nightmares, haha! About two weeks ago I decided I had enough. I pulled everything out of the closet and sorted through it. This took a few days to get through! Then I went to Walmart and bought bins upon bins to organize our items. Last weekend, I finally finished! It looks amazing! I feel so much better that it’s clean and that we were able to donate the items that we hadn’t used in a long, long time. That was really the last area that was not organized in our house. Again, organized control-freak here! Not that it’s organized I’m no longer having closet over-flow nightmares. 🙂

Before company arrives, I hide…

Noah and Malakhai toys! We have toys upon toys around here! Malakhai has so many toys that I decided to go through and donate the toys he no longer plays with. He tends to stick with the same few toys and carries them around with him. It was pretty easy to decide which toys to donate. We were doing really well with baby toys until Christmas. Noah is so lucky to have so many people care about him. However, this also means that he got so many toys and gifts for Christmas that we have them in every room in the house. So when company comes over I try to put the toys either in our room or shove them against walls or under chairs- HA!

Most recent music download

The last music I downloaded to my computer was music for Noah. I typically get music from the library and put it onto my computer. I got a bunch of CD’s for Noah to listen to. I love getting music from the library because it’s free!!

The last thing I bought online

The last thing bought online was a telescope for Anthony for Valentines day! Typically, we don’t spend much money on Valentines Day but this year he has been working so hard that I wanted to get him something really special. He’s been talking about getting a telescope for years but it’s one of those things that it’s hard to spend the money on. He loved it! I bought him this one.

I hate to shop for

I hate to shop for groceries. I love eating healthy and nutritious meals, however, I hate seeing all that money week after week go to groceries. I do think it is worth it to spend the money on organic foods, though!

Favorite Family Ritual

My favorite family ritual would be Noah’s nighttime routine. I love reading books to him each night and seeing him get excited about reading. I especially love seeing Anthony read to Noah, I can’t tell you what it does to my heart when I see those two reading!

I have a style crush on

Dutchess Kate. I mean she is just so perfectly put together. She’s never overdone but has each outfit just cute and classy. Also, I love her hair! I’m sure she has people blow-out her hair and curl it perfectly for her but I still would love to have my hair look half as nice as hers does.

How did I ever live without

I don’t know how I ever lived without Anthony, Noah, and Malakhai. I am so thankful for each of them! Lately, I’ve been thinking how comfortable with who I am. Growing up it’s always hard to find yourself and to be comfortable with who you truly are. But I love the person I’ve become and there is no doubt in my mind that my three guys have helped to shape the person I have become!

Love,
Savanna

Nursing Must Haves

Leave a comment February 7, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

There are so many products out there that can be used while nursing. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I started looking into nursing essential since I wanted to breastfeed my son. However, once I started looking into the products, I quickly became overwhelmed with options and a lack of knowledge about all the products. It’s hard to know what you’ll really need for breastfeeding! So, now that I’m almost 6 months into breastfeeding, I thought I’d share some of my “must-have’s” for breastfeeding.

Boppy: I’ve posted about my Boppy before; it really has been a life-saver. Babies can start to become heavily quickly as they feed. The Boppy allows for the baby to rest mostly on it and you are just supporting your baby while he/she is feeding. GET THIS! You will not regret it, I promise!

Nursing Pads: These are a must! I’ve used a mixture of throwaway pads and re-usable. The re-usable ones are hard to find good ones. I have tried a couple brands that did not work at all. I did find these and they work really well! Although, I do always have some throwaway pads just in case!

Water Bottle: I’m always, always, always thirsty when I’m nursing. So I make sure to water next to at all times.

Nursing Bra: It’s nice that I have a supportive nursing bra when we go out in the public that I can feel comfortable in but will easy to unclip when needed

Nursing Cover: Just as the bra it’s nice when people come to the house or we’re out in public that I can quickly cover up. I like the infinity scarves that turn into covers!

Coconut Oil: I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again…I love coconut oil! It’s so useful for many things. I use it to help the stretch marks from getting to red. Also, when I first began breastfeeding I used it to help sore and cracked nipples.

Camis: I love little camis to wear when we’re around the house. They are comfy and easy access. Especially when Noah was first born, it felt like I was nursing 24/7. Plus, when you’re nursing you tend to get milk dripped on your shirt. These camis are cheap to buy a ton; I probably have at least 10. You can quickly change if you get milk on them. I have a few nursing tops, but I didn’t feel these were essential, plus they are pretty expensive.

So, that’s my list of nursing essentials. I hope that if you’re pregnant or nursing these items will help you too!!

All About Diapers

Leave a comment February 4, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

Today, I wanted to talk a little bit about diapers. There are so many brands of diapers out there that it can be overwhelming to choose from. When I was pregnant we looked into all of our options: cloth and disposable; both biodegradable and the kind you can easily buy in the store. In the end we thought chose not to do cloth diapers, it just wasn’t our “cup of tea”. We decided we’d do a mix of the biodegradable and the regular disposable diapers. We loved the idea of buying the organic biodegradable diapers, but they can get really expensive. So we put on our registry to have our friends and family buy store brand diapers from target. We also bought a box from Costco to stock up. We had heard that it can be nice to have a stock pile before you have the baby, so that way you don’t have to spend so much money on diapers when the baby arrives. Great idea, we thought!

Fast-forward to when we had Noah and were still in the hospital. The nurses had given us Huggies diapers to use. They worked okay. They had a line down the middle that way you could tell if the diaper was wet or had stool in it. But, we were so exhausted that we really didn’t mind what he had on!

When we got home we used up the rest of the Huggies that was left from the hospital. Next, we received a huge box of Pampers at our baby shower. Unfortunately, as soon as we put these diapers on, Noah’s bottom turned bright red. I thought he was having a bad case of diaper rash. I slathered the diaper cream on but it wouldn’t go away. So we went and bought more Huggies diapers. The redness almost immediately went away. We then decided we’d better use the Huggies diapers from now on since Noah might be sensitive to certain brands. But, every night we were having major leaks and blowouts. We were changing his diaper constantly. Soon we realized the Huggies diapers were just not fitting him well enough. We then moved onto the Costco diapers, and same things leaking and blowouts over and over. By this time we were becoming very discouraged thinking we were going to have to constantly having diapers that didn’t fit properly. We also tried the Target brand and Seventh Generation as well, and same thing occurred.

My mom finally suggested trying The Honest Company’s diapers. I was hesitant because I thought they were going to be very pricey. But she insisted and bought us a couple bags of diapers and wipes to try. We tried the same day she brought them to us, and what a difference! From day one he never had a leaky diaper, no blowouts, and they fit nicely. Not to mention, they were bio-degradable…score! I went onto their website thinking I was going to have to spend about $1,000 per month of diapers. I was wrong, they are very affordable. We purchased their bundle through their website and get six bags of diapers and 4 bags of wipes each month for less then $100. I do have to purchase one more wipes each month but it’s still really affordable. And I feel great knowing that we’re buying quality diapers that aren’t going to be sitting in the dump 20 years from now. I love that Noah rarely gets diaper rash and I don’t have to worry about him leaking out every half hour! Another perk of the diapers is that they come in cute patterns that change with the seasons! I would suggest buying the Honest Company Diapers to anyone!

The best part is I can feel great using the Honest Company because they never use harsh chemicals. It’s a great feeling knowing I’m not allowing my baby to have harsh chemicals that could affect his growth and development.

I have also tried many of their other products, most which I’d recommend! I’ve tried and continue to use: the body lotion, shampoo and body wash, hand soap and nipple butter. I tried their laundry detergent and it worked however, I prefer Seventh Generation laundry detergent. The clothes seem to come out less stretchy. I also used the diaper rash cream and while it worked on very mild diaper rashes, it did not help when Noah would get a big rash. But I’d suggest giving it a try, just because it didn’t work for us doesn’t mean it won’t work for you!

I’m really excited they just came out with re-usable swim diapers! I’ve put it on my list to come with our next bundle!

*Note- This post is not sponsored in any way. I just really, really love their products!

Something to talk about: What types of diapers do you/ did you use? Did you try many different types of diapers before finding the right fit?

Noah Month 5

Leave a comment January 27, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

I say this every month, but every month gets better and better! I love watching Noah’s curiosity about the world around him and his personality come through.

-This month Noah has been moving, moving, moving! He can roll over from his back to tummy and tummy to back. He rolls around the living room floor and can get from one side to the other very quickly. He can get up on all fours and rock back and forth, but no crawling just yet. Though he has been doing lots of downward-dogs and planks!

-Food: This kid LOVES food! Anything we give him, he inhales it! I love that he is not picky. (I am a very picky eater) I hope that we can continue to give him more foods that he will love and not be picky about his food. He tends to prefer vegetables to fruit. Cauliflower being his favorite!

-Noah has been talking up a storm this month as well. He is babbling and can put two syllables together. He talks to himself and we have very lengthy conversations together. I love it!

-He has been blowing raspberries like crazy! It’s so cute—Except when he blows raspberries with food in his mouth. Then food goes all over his face, his highchair, and me. That is not so fun, but he’s still so cute. J

-He is taken interest in Malakhai this month. He rolls over to him and tries to touch him. Malakhai on the other hand has no interest in him. When Noah comes over he moves to a different side of the room. But I love that Noah is interested in him and it is the cutest thing to see Noah get a huge gummy smile on his face when Malakhai walks by.

-Lately, Noah has been showing us when he is mad or doesn’t want something. He sticks his arms out straight and has his hands in fists and makes a duck-face and makes a mad noise. I haven’t been able to catch a picture thus far. But he gets upset when you don’t feed him fast enough or when you take away a toy he’s playing with before food. Even though he is mad, I can’t help but smile. He’s just so dang cute. J When he’s excited he puts his arms up and puts his hands into fists and lifts them up and down.

-Sleeping…What sleep?! Noah has decided he doesn’t like to sleep and doesn’t like his crib. We’ve been getting up every couples hours. We are exhausted, I’d like to write a post about sleep later but for now….I’m too tired-HA!

(*Noah is currently 6 months old. I like to write these posts a month later so I can say what he’s done throughout the month.)

5 Ways to Play With Baby Through Month 3 & 4

Leave a comment January 13, 2015 discoveringnaturalmotherhood

Month 3 and 4 have so fun with Noah! So much is happening developmentally through these two months. There are a lot of fun games to play with your baby that don’t cost a thing!

Here are a few games I played with Noah during his 3rd and 4th month:

Peek-a-boo: This is a great game to play! It’s so fun watching their faces light up as you come back into view. You can make it more fun by covering your face with a small blanket. I would also vary the game by placing my hands in front of Noah’s face and saying “Where’s Noah?!” His gummy grins make my heart swell when playing this game!

Whose That in The Mirror?: This is such a fun and simple game to play! I love showing Noah is reflection in the mirror. He gets a shy smile when looking at himself! I would also make funny faces at him through the mirror and he would giggle and smile, so cute!

Talking: I love talking to Noah and he is starting to be a little chatter box! I talk to him about everything I’m doing. Sometimes when he’s playing on the floor and talking I’ll mimic his babble. I let him talk, then I mimic his sounds and give him time to reply. This is the beginnings of conversations for babies! I could play this game with him for hours it’s so fun!

Listening to Music: We listen to all different types of music throughout the day. I love Baby Einstein channel on Pandora, they play a variety of different music. We’ve listened to Disney music, reggae, classical music and nursery rhymes all on this channel.

Reading Books: We read books multiple times per day! Noah loves to gum at the books and will pat at the pictures. Books with real photographs are best at this age! Especially books that don’t have a lot of backgrounds, just a picture is great. This allows baby to focus on one object.

I love that there are ways to play with my baby that have little or no props. Sometimes it’s nice to put away all of the toys and get back to the basics with our babies! All of these activities are helping your child to hit those major milestones in life!