tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84398315169395072222024-02-18T21:09:18.151-08:00The Happy BeansUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-80634242030107065382012-07-20T19:01:00.001-07:002012-07-20T19:01:25.589-07:00Ulcerative Colitis News So I saw the new dr this week. She is a DO which is totally new to me but i really like her. Almost all of my bloodwork was perfect. The few things she saw that weren't where she wanted them, she has me taking supplements for ( MCT liquid, colostrum, vit d, vit a, probiotic, homocysteine, and GI revive). Most of those were inflammation markers and such. She also started me on the low dose naltrexone. Tonight will be my 3rd dose. I really don't feel any different. I stopped taking the lialda (again) so I'm kind of waiting to see if things get bad again. I have multiple ulcers and my tongue is still white so obviously there are issues but it's only been 3 days. Plus I just got the supplements in the mail and started them today. On a very interesting note, my total cholesterol was 150 and she said she'd actually like that higher. Totally random but I think it being low is affecting my hormones. I plan to have roast beef and a steak this weekend. Yum! Except I can't have a baked potato with it...oh yeah b/c she also wants me doing the SCD diet. I follow it mostly anyway with the exception of the sugar in my coffee (haven't cut that out quite yet). <br/><br/>Another interesting thing she said was I have hyposis (sp? or it might have been a different word) of my eyes. Basically, my eyes constrict with light but quickly try to dilate b/c I'm in adrenal fatigue. She wants to do another blood test and start me on a supplement for that as well but it will have to wait until our bank account has recovered from this last testing and buying all the stuff.<br><br/><br/>She also mentioned I have a scalloped tongue and said it was probably due to TMJ. That has grossed me out/bothered me more than anything. Seriously...rectal bleeding-no big deal; scalloped/swollen tongue-ew! <br/><br/>I see her back in 3 months. Hopefully things will continue on a good path and we can get this junk under control!<br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-53654899855304268652012-07-20T18:47:00.001-07:002012-07-20T18:47:30.101-07:00Tomahawk chop I love that we live in an area where we have access to a lot of different activities...one of them being Braves baseball. We were given tickets by my husbands' sales team and enjoyed a nice afternoon of the Braves and the Mets (Braves won but we left early). Little Monsters' funny sayings of the day:<br/><br/>*can we get some food when the Mats go back to bat? (I said "the who?") The Ats. <br/><br/>*there was a guy walking around selling "ice cold beer" and another guy selling icees. Little Monster heard the beer guy and saw the icees, turned to me and said "I want an ice cold!"<br/><br/>Little Bit and him were also talking about shapes the other day and she said that her cup was a circle. He looked at her and said "well mine's a cylinder". He never ceases to amaze me!<br/><br/> <br/><br/><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-65774883583042845722012-06-25T20:39:00.001-07:002012-06-25T20:39:30.500-07:00Do you hear what's hear?Hmmm...closing in on 2 months without an update. Geez!!<br/><br/>Mostly updating now to list the things I hear regularly at my house:<br/><br/>*Peach/Mario/Bowser- the kids are obsessed with Mario Bros and also pretend. What better thing to do than pretend to be the Mario Bros characters? Today Mario and Peach got married (little monster and little bit) and then Mario and Peach got married again (this time I was lucky enough to be Peach). Then I heard Mario and Luigi get married which opened up a whole new can of worms. Oh and we had to have the "don't kiss each other on the lips she you're pretending to get married" talk which neither of them understood, I didn't go into huge detail about, but made me feel better.<br/><br/>*ayuh-greese: little monster's oh so sweet term of endearment for his sister when he isn't getting his way<br/><br/>*"mommy can I make a craft?" little bit loves to cut/paste. She just makes up stuff to do. And when it is her idea, she really puts all of her heart and soul into it. She was looking at an oriental trading magazine a few weeks ago, saw a craft kit for a butterfly, and decided she needed to make that. She just looked at the pic and made it work (we didn't have the kit). She's going to be an innovative person.<br/><br/>*prayers at bedtime: little monster's are still pretty basic. He thanks God for mommy, mommy (yes, I get 2x the thanks), daddy, ag, mamaw, and papaw and then whoever we chose to pray for that night. Every once in awhile he will throw in a "...amen. And Lord please let us have a good night, and be with mommy, mommy..." and start all over. It's cute! Now, little bit has become a little billy graham. Her prayers have become very heartfelt and passionate. They consist of some of the following "I know you are the one true God...thank you for everything you are...thank you for your world and your beautiful creations..." and she will go on for 2 or 3 min like that. During some pretend time at a friends' house the other day I heard her say "you can't hurt me! My one true God is stronger than you and he will save me!" (can you tell the last 2 weeks have been VBS filled?)<br/><br/> *last but not least: screaming! Little Monster thinks he just needs to scream out loud for no reason. It gets old fast.<br/><br/>Oh and one more thing: we started a reward chart for chores and one thing they have to do is help clean the bathroom. LM knows his job is the potty so today (after I told him the bathroom didn't need cleaning) he peed on the toilet seat so he could clean it and get a star on the chart. (no star, big discussion)<br/><br/>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-25767345373551529882012-05-08T20:19:00.001-07:002012-05-08T20:19:23.357-07:00Do You Like Bananas?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-h7tY8NXzltg/T6ng9xBdWRI/AAAAAAAAAOY/7ZilqVxckb4/s720/Photo%252520May%2525208%25252C%2525202012%2525208%25253A55%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-h7tY8NXzltg/T6ng9xBdWRI/AAAAAAAAAOY/7ZilqVxckb4/s319/Photo%252520May%2525208%25252C%2525202012%2525208%25253A55%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1336533458892.0957" class="alignright" alt="" width="319" height="426"></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4RPqLgC-CRY/T6nhBTOCAhI/AAAAAAAAAOg/pmHXo2luefg/s720/Photo%252520May%2525208%25252C%2525202012%2525208%25253A58%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; display: inline !important; ">I really wanted to post my favorite Chicken/Egg/Tuna salad recipe but I ate half the bowl before I could take a picture. So instead I'm going to talk ice cream. My favorite thing. I haven't quite figured out the best alternative but this is a pretty good one. And better yet, it only has 1 ingredient...bananas. Frozen ones. Take those ripe bananas off of your counter and throw them in the freezer now. When they are frozen solid, put them in your food processor for about 5 minutes. You'll have to scrape the sides down every once in a while but all of a sudden the sound of the machine changes and those bananas will be fluffy and soft serve-esque. If you want to bump up the flavor a little more, add some chocolate syrup and/or a scoop of peanut butter...or almond butter....or chocolate chips...endless possibilities. Heck, you could even do a little bit of all of them.</a></div> <br/><br/>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-81200748145956497532012-05-07T19:34:00.001-07:002012-05-07T19:34:53.171-07:00Beautiful Bella and her New Do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EQ-iWCtiMGc/T6iGENFxJCI/AAAAAAAAAN4/RrKoSbP8Uu0/s720/Photo%252520May%2525207%25252C%2525202012%2525203%25253A00%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EQ-iWCtiMGc/T6iGENFxJCI/AAAAAAAAAN4/RrKoSbP8Uu0/s500/Photo%252520May%2525207%25252C%2525202012%2525203%25253A00%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1336444474011.6733" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6xm3h1gsa7k/T6iGAXIAi6I/AAAAAAAAANw/Y97xE-mqlpY/s720/Photo%252520May%2525207%25252C%2525202012%2525203%25253A07%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6xm3h1gsa7k/T6iGAXIAi6I/AAAAAAAAANw/Y97xE-mqlpY/s500/Photo%252520May%2525207%25252C%2525202012%2525203%25253A07%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1336444473982.5005" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="500"></a></div> <br/><br/>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-2262432094387283252012-05-07T19:16:00.001-07:002012-05-07T19:16:13.937-07:00Vegan Nachos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZStgGCR4eVk/T6h8JwK6B5I/AAAAAAAAANc/BrzUcACxyL8/s960/Photo%252520May%2525207%25252C%2525202012%2525206%25253A20%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZStgGCR4eVk/T6h8JwK6B5I/AAAAAAAAANc/BrzUcACxyL8/s500/Photo%252520May%2525207%25252C%2525202012%2525206%25253A20%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1336443308018.461" class="alignleft" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div> Oh the goodness. This recipe was inspired by <a href="http://www.namelymarly.com/2011/02/vegan-chick-nachos/" target="_self" title="">Namely Marly</a>. I edited it slightly and it did not disappoint! Forgive the lacking presentation. The last thing I'm interested in when it is time to eat is finding my camera and making my food pretty. So i take the photo with my iPad and eat it up immediately! I am excited to start trying recipes from my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cooking-Carnivores-Recipes-Tasty/dp/1609412427" target="_self" title="">Vegan Cooking</a> book but I need to use what I bought for recipes from my <a href="http://pinterest.com/atkinsba/vegan/" target="_self" title="">Pinterest board</a> first. <br/><br/>Onto the good stuff...<br/><br/><u>Ingredients</u><br/><br/><ul><li>Tortilla chips (your choice of flavor/brand but I used a spicy bean variety)</li><li>Vegetarian refried beans (I personally don't think this added much but if it "ain't broke don't fix it" and since the recipe was amazing,I will use it next time)</li><li>Chopped sweet onion (I used about 1/3 of the onion)</li><li>1 tbsp EVOO</li><li>Fire roasted red bell pepper </li><li>Vegan chick'n strips</li><li>Vegan cheese (I use Daiya and really like it)</li><li>Salsa</li></ul><u>Method</u><br/><br/>Preheat the oven to 350. In small pan, sautée onions in EVOO. After they have carmelized, take them out and put a few of the Chick'n strips in the pan and let them heat thoroughly (I used 3). This will only take a few minutes. Place the tortilla chips on a baking pan and spread each one with refried beans (no magic amount...whatever looks good to your taste buds). I layered the rest in this order: onion, Chick'n, bell pepper, cheese, and salsa (lots and lots of salsa). Put it in the oven until the cheese is melted. The chips under all the yumminess will be soft but I think it makes it better that way. And when you're finished devouring it, feel free to lick the plate. No one will judge you (unless they see you).<br/><br/>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-28922724510544506812012-05-05T08:19:00.000-07:002012-05-06T09:22:32.162-07:00My First Green Smoothie Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lT5SbqvijsM/T6akh2eEhlI/AAAAAAAAANI/LjFv0A7gn_s/s720/Photo%252520May%2525205%25252C%2525202012%2525209%25253A07%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lT5SbqvijsM/T6akh2eEhlI/AAAAAAAAANI/LjFv0A7gn_s/s316/Photo%252520May%2525205%25252C%2525202012%2525209%25253A07%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1336321276006.0652" class="alignleft" alt="" width="316" height="421"></a></div>So this is where I started. It was (originally) just a little bit of lettuce juice (actually it was so little that the smoothie would be a little bit brown from the apples oxidizing) with 2 apples and a handful of grapes. It has evolved to a lot of lettuce and spinach juice (now my smoothie is a nice bright green) with 2 apples and a handful of grapes. My mom gave me a <a href="http://www.championjuicer.com/">Champion</a> Juicer a few years ago. Up until recently it had only seen carrots at my house (which I'm not a huge fan of). But now...that's all changed. I juice my lettuce and spinach first to remove the fiber and rough stuff my stomach doesn't love. Then, I change the screen and use my guard to purée the apples and grapes. Mix that all together, throw it in the freezer for a little while to get it nice and chilled and enjoy. It is really really good!! And now, if I don't have enough lettuce/spinach juice, it is too sweet. I'm branching out to other "favors" this week. Not sure what yet but I'm excited!!<br><br/><br/> <br/><br/>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-48104218212077685842012-05-03T12:58:00.001-07:002012-05-03T12:58:38.493-07:00I've Lost Track of the Days<div id="dE_H" style=";width:100%; height:100%; ;"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Courier New'">So here we are at day...ummm...I lost count but 5 or 6 weeks out from the elim diet start. So much has happened since I started that I do not know where to start. Long story short my naturopath gave a good bit of misinformation that cost me a flare and (almost) $400. I ended up telling the clinic that I thought it was best I go somewhere else. Since then (2 weeks ago) I have read The Makers Diet, Self-healing Colitis and Crohns, and also the Hallelujah Diet. I have read numerous blogs and articles and have basically decided vegan is going to be my best option. I slowly started by only eating a small bit of chicken at night and now I'm on no meat whatsoever. I can't say if we go out to eat I won't have some but for now I think my gut needs a rest. the high protein is hard to digest and exacerbates my issues. I have also been juicing/blending a lot. I juice lettuce and spinach 2x a day and add to puréed apples and a handful of grapes to it. Then I let it chill in the freezer an hour or so. It is so so so good!</font><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Courier New'"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Courier New'">In school news, Little Bit is finished with science and math and only has 2 weeks of reading left. Crazy! She has learned so much! We ended math after an intro to multiplication! I know technically she's in kindergarten but it is first grade material. She needed that though. She was so far beyond learning numbers and letters. If I had set her to school, I would be happy with whatever but being home with me and "learning" letters would have frustrated us both. </font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Courier New'"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Courier New'">Little Monster is almost finished with preschool. His birthday is in a few weeks and he is super excited that he will be having a Mario birthday party! I kind of am too :) I enjoy planning their parties. We invited the whole preschool class plus others so there will be about 20 kids. God bless us!</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Courier New'"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Courier New'">More later. I want to start writing in my "tried and true" recipes. I don't want to be a "paid" blogger but if I even help one person, it's worth it!</font></div><p/><p/><a href="http://www.bewriteapp.com"><img src="http://bewriteapp.com/iblogwithbewrite.gif" alt="I blog with BE Write"/></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-42263218334565135432012-04-17T14:51:00.001-07:002012-04-17T14:51:13.749-07:00Phase 2<div><p>So I made it. 3 weeks officially ends tomorrow. And phase 2 officially begins tomorrow. I start adding foods back in. I think dairy is a trigger so we are starting with that since my body will be most sensitive. The last few days have been iffy anyway so to be honest, I'm not sure I should start tomorrow. I think I am intolerant to pistachios and possibly white wine vinegar (or maybe regular vinegar). Hard to tell, though, bc I am also in the middle of my cycle and that screws me up anyway. I definitely have a hard time processing lettuce (or when I eat 2-3x a day I do). </p>
<p>In the past week I feel like I have finally figured our stuff I can eat and be happy. Like, olives on a bison "burger". I used brown rice flower, water, and flax to make a flat bread bun, threw a bison patty on it, covered it in olives and devoured. Brown rice pasta salad is also good but I'm thinking the dressing I am using is causing issues. Or maybe it was just the lettuce and the dressing is getting a bad wrap. </p>
<p>We are also wrapping up homeschooling ALREADY! It's crazy to me that we have come this far so fast. We started multiplaction today. I am sure that we are going to do it again next year. I just wish I had someone to set up crafts/activities for me for major holidays each month. I know there are some "craft in a box" mail order places but they are all so expensive! One I was looking at the other day talked about going online and downloading something. Well, I don't need to pay $40 per month to download. I can search and download myself. </p>
<p>Little Monster is winding down in preschool. This is the first year I haven't like school at all for him but it feels like we are putting more time and energy into it than we are getting out of it. His birthday party is in about 4 weeks and I'm SUPER pumped about it! Since they are about 6 months apart, I don't get too frustrated or burnt out on parties. <br>
</p>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-91190482100961566472012-04-06T20:46:00.001-07:002012-04-06T20:57:27.250-07:00The days go on...<div><p>In 10 days in. In 8 days I lost 8.5lbs. Crazy!! I tasted more new foods in 8 days than I did in 29 years...for example: buckwheat pancakes, cashew butter, cauliflower, quinoa, sweet potatoes, papaya...I'm sure I'm missing some. I have definitely expanded what I eat but it still isn't easy.</p>
<p>It seems like I am fine one day and the next I'm falling apart. The worst part is I can't keep up w/ the rest of my life b/c I'm too busy cooking and cleaning the kitchen. The laundry falls behind, school for Little Bit, my rest. I'm getting tired of that. </p>
<p>I am also having a hard time being around food. Little Monsters' Easter egg hunt was yesterday and it bothered me to be around the choc chip cookies, popcorn, m and ms...but I was ok today w/ the kids having pizza. Hmmm...wonder where my weakness is. </p>
<p>And it isn't helping that I'm coming off of my effexor. I think that has multiplied my issues by a million. I took my last dose last night. I hope the last little bit of withdrawals go by fast.<br>
</p>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-38187101869225946342012-04-03T17:09:00.001-07:002012-04-03T17:09:46.747-07:00Its been awhile...(from march 31st)<div><p>We are still clicking on with school but it has gotten to be so routine that there aren't a lot of things to update. Little Bit has come so far, though! She is reading chapter books and loving it. I think it really clicked with her last week. All of a sudden I noticed her wanting to take books to bed with her or taking them in the car. I'm so excited for her. I can't imagine not loving to read. I hope Little Monster is the same way.</p>
<p>I started an elimination diet on Wednesday. I am going to try to keep track of the changes in my body as I go but we'll see how far I get :) Wednesday was hard. It was really hard not to get a frappuccino after working out, not being able to take a sip of anything (orange juice, milk, gatorade, etc) except water, not being able to grab a jelly bean or piece of chocolate, no potatoes, no bread...you can figure out the rest. Thursday was a little easier in that aspect but then yesterday was BAD. I think the hardest part is making food for the kids. I can't even lick the peanut butter off the knife. I completely lost it this morning. It gets to me that I don't have a choice in this. This isn't a fad or just for fun. Its for my life. I know it will get easier as I start introducing things back in but these 3 weeks are going to suck. The most I have learned so far is not to try something new when I'm hungry. If I don't like it, I just get angry that I can't grab anything else easily and I can't fill myself up. </p>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-88693739135638095262012-02-27T08:49:00.001-08:002012-03-31T20:16:07.299-07:00What a weekend (this is from Feb 22nd)<div><div><p>We have had a great weekend together. Our kids had fun riding bikes, playing outside, having a puppy playdate, and getting to go to church. We are in a series called Running with the Giants and it is amazing! I am enjoying it so much and am getting so much out of it. </p>
<p>Little Monster is officially a bike rider. He can make laps around the culdesac and also the driveway. </p>
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-2285679638763075072012-02-22T20:07:00.000-08:002012-02-22T20:07:09.667-08:00My kids never cease to amaze meTime is flying by. I mean FLYING. I just realized the other day that I am almost with my first year as a homeschool teacher. AND I SURVIVED!! WOOO!! There should be a national "I survived Homeschooling" day and we should get free babysitters and unlimited funds to help "stimulate the economy."<br />
<br />
*Little Bit has progressed so far! I definitely consider her a reader now. There is very little that she can't read. And she's getting so fast at it! I hope she loves reading in the same way I do. I can't even explain how much I love to read and the way it takes me to another place. I hope both of my kids get to experience that. Her handwriting is GREAT. It took a good bit of work but I have to admit that it was worth it. She is adding and subtracting 2 digit numbers, measuring things, reading temperatures...the list goes on and on. She is such a smart girl and I'm very proud of how hard she is working!<br />
<br />
*Little Monster learned to ride his bike today. He can go across our cul de sac without falling/stopping. His legs are still a little short so he needs help getting going but he's mastered the rest. And speaking of being smart, he has decided that he is going to read. He pretty much started on his own (trying to sound letters in words out) and now asks me for help. Yesterday he asked me if "rose" was pronounced "rosy." I've been telling B that he is reading 3 letter words but I don't think he got a good glimpse of it until last night.<br />
<br />
*Little Bit and Daddy went to the Daddy Daughter Dance Saturday night. There is nothing we could've given her to make her so happy. You would've thought she won the lottery! Since they were gone, Little Monster took me on a date. He said "no, you're taking me on a date." I explained to him that normally boys take girls out but he couldn't drive yet so I was just driving for him. Then we put the money in the folder together but he paid for it b/c he handed the folder to the waiter. I heard him telling a friend the other day that he paid for it b/c "that's what boys do for girls when they take them on a date." He also told me that he had been on "zero dates...well, except now I took you on one." He's so funny!!<br />
<br />
*We are taking them to the Ringling Brothers Circus tomorrow. They don't know it yet but they are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I'm so excited for them!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-10412741643108000272012-01-31T17:19:00.001-08:002012-01-31T17:19:34.820-08:00<div><p>Just a few noteworthy Little Monster conversations heard in my household lately <br>
*about a month ago I lost my voice. Little Monster cried and cried, concerned that I would never get it back.<br>
*last night Little Monster had a bedtime breakdown b/c daddy and him had donuts w/ dad today and he was sad I couldn't go. <br>
*Little Monster asked me tons of questions about dying the other day (he is extremely sensitive about that, which works as a pretty good inspiration to NOT run in the parking lot). After our talk he went to daddy and told him that he's going to die one day. Then he said "daddy, you can't die. You have to pay the bills"</p>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-62209972592172218412012-01-21T19:47:00.001-08:002012-01-21T19:47:21.506-08:00Seriously<div><p>Has it really been over a month since I posted? My how time flies. So the brief overview of the last month, followed soon by pictures (assuming I can ever get the energy to get to my computer and post them):</p>
<p>*we finished homeschooling for the year before the public school and had an entire month to be lazy. Around our house that means going non-stop without trying to fit homeschooling in as well. It was awesome and although everyone said I would come back in January refreshed and ready to go, I didn't. I even contemplated keeping Little Monster out of preschool bc I don't love his teacher and taking him on the 2 days I don't have to be at the gym drives me crazy.</p>
<p>*Christmas was definitely a full-swing event this year. Both kids were really into the Santa gig. Little Bit asked for a little bit of everything but mostly wanted an American Girl doll. I was fortunate to get one for FREE from my aunt and it was a huge hit!!  Little Monster asked for a helicopter hat and a real Yoshi. He didn't get anything on his list but was excited about what he did get. The funny (not really) part is he doesn't play with anything he got except a $10 pack of Mario trading cards. </p>
<p>*New Years was just like any other "I'm a parent now" new year. Kids went to bed, we rang in the new year with the eastern time zone, and climbed in the bed about 11:05. Woopee.</p>
<p>*Despite my lack of drive, school has gotten off to a good start. Little Bit had a math assessment the other day and only missed  writing her numbers. For example: she wanted to write 247 as '2047'. She can now add 2 digit numbers (if you don't have to carry anything) and we just started subtraction which she immediately picked up. </p>
<p>*We got a puppy 2 weeks ago. If you had asked me a month ago If we would get a dog, it would've been a big NO! But she is a great little dog. She is a shih-tzu poodle mix (shih-poo) and we named her Bella. She is mostly housetrained, crate trained (she definitely was NOT when we got her), and sleeps through the night. We have already taught her sit, stay, down, paw, and settle. This week we are dog-sitting my parents' dog so we have 2 kids, 2 cats, 2 dogs, and us. It is bound to be interesting.  </p>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-57190983189086317892011-12-17T18:35:00.000-08:002011-12-17T18:35:02.171-08:00I am getting so bad about posting. It doesn't help that our schedule has been all over the place. Plus we have gotten into such a routine with school that I don't have to sit with her as much anymore (which is when most of my blogging took place). Either way... things are still ticking along. Little Bit has really done amazing! She can read most any Level 1 book and does really well on Level 2. I am continually amazed! She has also done fantastic in Math. I think it is still her favorite. I understand that, though. She doesn't like to be wrong and Math typically has a black and white answer with no opinions or guessing. She still struggles with just trying to get finished and not trying her best but I'm 28 and still do that, soooo...<br />
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Little Monster is enjoying preschool. He hasn't surprised us a bit with his ability to fall over his own feet. It is really a miracle the boy hasn't been more seriously injured. He fell last weekend and hit the toy box and ended up with a black eye. A kid hit him on the nose with an ice pack a month or so ago and he has 2 probably permanent scars down his nose. And that's not to mention all the bumps and bruises we endure daily. He handles it pretty well, though. I think I am going to start working with him on reading after the first of the year. I am not going to push him or anything but he's trying. He is continually looking at words and sounding out the letters. I know he is only 3 and it isn't "time" for him to learn to read but I'm going to have to teach him eventually anyway. I guess I might as well work on it while he is interested.<br />
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Christmas is DONE...well, the shopping part anyway. And it doesn't appear that anyone is coming over so there's not much cooking to be done. I know I have to do a few desserts and there's still one that I am waiting to find out but I'm happy that the bulk of the "work" is behind me.<br />
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I got a new computer (this has also been an excuse not to blog). My old computer decided that every time I turn it on it needs to give me a blue screen and "dump" my physical memory. So I broke down and bought an iMac. So far I love it. It is taking some getting used to and Photoshop is going to be the hardest part but I will eventually get it. Thankfully, the old computer didn't call it quits until I had almost all of my Christmas photo shoots finished. I can't imagine being in a huge time crunch and having to learn this computer at the same time. I hope to get to post some new pictures on here soon but that requires a little more time than I have right now. I will get to it, soon, though.<br />
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For now and until next time, Merry CHRISTmas!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-68478521332775970982011-12-02T18:39:00.000-08:002011-12-02T18:39:03.758-08:00Thanksgiving fun<div>*This week has flown by. Actually this whole year has flown by! I was so excited about having a week off from school and it went so fast I couldn't enjoy it. I did enjoy thanksgiving though. Little Monster had his t'giving program the tuesday before t'giving which was great. He does such a good job "performing". Other kids were crying and getting down but he just sang and did his hand motions with no problem. They wanted him to be the pumpkin in one song but he wanted nothing to do with that.<br />
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*Little Bit and I got a lot of pictures edited and food cooked. We made some yummy pioneer woman mac and cheese (although I've ruined my poor children with kraft mac and cheese so they wouldn't eat it) and some SUPER yummy Jacques torres chocolate chip cookies. They did eat those :)<br />
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*Our friends from Ohio came down to visit family this week so we got to hang out with them one night. The funny part about our friendship is my husband and her husband grew up together but her and I are closer than they are. I know women are generally closer than guys anyway but the only common ground we had to start with were those 2 who only talk about once a quarter. Her and I have a standing phone date every weekend to discuss the past week's events. I don't know what I would do without her sometimes.<br />
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*B had his last rickshaw gig for the year. I am very thankful for that job but equally thankful when it is over. I hate it when he is gone on the weekends.<br />
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*My photo shoots are still holding steady. I have had several clients move over the last year so I am a little slower than normal but I guess I could go out and try to drum up some business. I am so busy, though, that I am happy with what I have. <br />
*I went black Friday shopping Thanksgiving night. I was gone and back home exactly 15 minutes. I saw the line and turned around. I enjoy a good deal but I enjoy my sanity more. I am basically finished Christmas shopping. That makes me happy.<br />
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*My mom, my husband, me, and Little Bit got sick this week. I don't know who has had it worse. Little Bit's was almost just a bump in the road. The rest of us didn't fare so well. B seems to have felt the worse. My voice has been gone for 3 days now. The weirdest part is that the virus was basically just a fever and achy yucky feeling for about 24 hours. The after effects have been the worst!! I have to say, I love my Zumba classes, though (and TurboKick). I whispered to them all that I had lost my voice and they told me not to worry about it, they could just follow me...and follow me they did!! And not only did they follow me, they were even calling for me. My front row divas (who I love) would randomly yell out "Keep your arms up" or "Don't stop moving". It was awesome and makes me smile inside and out.<br />
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*Last but not least...I ordered an iMac. It has been on my list for a few years but the prices have always put me off. Well, I have seen the "dumping physical memory" blue screen on my PC more times than I can count this week and I broke down and ordered it. It should be here Wednesday. Thankfully, all of my stuff is backed up. I finished editing my last shoot today (which was a slow process b/c the computer kept blue-screening me) so now I just have to wait...and then learn b/c I have NEVER owned a Mac. The only apple product I have is an ipod that is probably 5 years old and only cost me $10.<br />
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A few kid funnies:<br />
*Little Bit told me she is getting Papaw grocery money for Christmas b/c everytime they go spend the night he asks if she brought some.<br />
*Little Monster had the following shopping list today: A noodle for Mrs. Jean, Super Mario Bros for the gym, and a Christmas tree for Skylar's birthday. Little Bit asked him "Who is going to play with a Christmas tree??" his response..."Skylar" <br />
*You all will be happy to know that Bowser was at Kroger today and ripped it down but "the people" fixed it (their pretend world is so funny to listen to)<br />
*In the car the other day Little Bit was saying something with a sad voice and Little Monster responded by saying (with a big sigh) "Yeah, no one ever picks a pepper." Not sure how Peter Piper fit into that story but I love the randomness of it.<br />
I know I am missing one but I will have to think on it and post it later. Until next time...</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-74288915638531613082011-11-15T10:46:00.001-08:002011-11-19T16:41:41.093-08:00<div><div><p>Our last 2 weeks have been slow. It is just the calm before the storm, though. Last week involved testing for reading. Little Bit did ok I guess. Her actual scores weren't that great (about a 78) but she knew everything that she missed so I think she's just not thinking. I remember having problems on tests when I was little. I guess it is a developed skill. One example of her not thinking: yesterday I planned a fun activity for what we are thankful for. We don't have to do this extra stuff but it is a fun break. Or it should be anyway. The questions were similar to "what are you thankful for that is round, green, yellow, etc" I wanted to slam my head against the wall. Her answer for round: "thanksgiving." followed by "I don't know what round is." Soft: "a scarecrow."  green: "the leaves changing colors." I finally gave up. I know she's 6 but I just wish she would use some common sense. And unfortunately I can't teach that. </p>
<p>Little Monster is sick today. He runs the highest fevers! It is really crazy. And scary. Tonight daddy and him (he?) were playing the wii and when I went to check on everybody I could tell his fever was up. I checked it and it was 103.8!! CRAZY! It took a good hour and a half to get it down. It still isn't normal but it is better. He kept telling me this morning "I just want you to watch over me." It was rally sweet and mildly creepy.</p>
<p>Christmas shopping is going good/almost done! I think I have 2 more things to buy for the kids plus make a hooded towel for Little Monster and a quilt for Little Bit. Oh and I guess I need to shop for B. A lot of people are getting homemade gifts from us this year. And they are neat homemade gifts too!</p>
<p>My cat Quincy has been sick. He vomited 5+ times Saturday morning and we ended up at the vet with him. He has some majorly bad ear stuff going on but they can't tell what b/c his ear canal is swollen to the point they can't see his ear drum. I have no idea what we are going to do about that. Maybe Obama should pass pet insurance law. For all the good the new healthcare law is doing our family other might as well have been a pet insurance law. </p>
<p>My cat Gracee is licking her fur off. She's on meds for that. </p>
<p>Little Bit is currently using an eneuresis monitor. She had her first dry night last night. We have been getting up with her 2x every night when it goes off. But it seems to be helping. I will be glad to get a full night's sleep again. </p>
<p>All in all, it sounds like we are falling apart over here (and trays not mentioning my issues) but it could always be worse!</p>
<p>Leaving you with picture of the rottenness I live with. This is what my cat Gracee begs to do ALL THE LIVE LONG DAY!! It looks so sweet right? Well after about 4 minutes of it, not so cute and sweet. Much hissing ensues (and that's not to mention all the noise she makes)</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittbZq_Jfm3ONebDyybzRPnVWqA7JQcOVxfOkp53Ukd1boRB3a2lig50ZcNr_J21N_YhEAY32tFMVs-51IVW-YIIlI1Aj1QXjVFQkawzvSo2pzk9BwiCYgdCaR28aITbsmHZ4hlAWSaIP2/' /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-85486504937920667732011-11-07T19:47:00.001-08:002011-11-07T19:48:45.305-08:00October 7th-ish<div><p>My son never ceases to amaze me. Yesterday, I randomly wrote a row of capital letters and a row lower case letters and he drew the lines to match them. I didn't have to help him once. We also talked about the words "cat" and "dog." I wrote them out yesterday and then tonight he asked me how to spell them. I sounded out each letter, he told me what it was, and then wrote it by himself. My favorite part was when he told me he didn't know how to write a "g" and then wrote it with no problem and no instruction. </p>
<p>I gave both of them octopus pictures today and asked him to put the correct number of dots on each leg. He never asked a question and got them all right. He also told me he was going to color something and everyone would "be so impressed."</p>
<p>Little Bit drew pictures of Peach, Luigi, and Yoshi. I love them. She also had to take a math test today and did a great job. She only missed writing the number 200 (she wrote 220) and reading one of the clock faces. I was impressed. It amazes ne how far she has come in 2 months. Hard to imagine where she will be at Christmas. Little Monster will probably be graduating from college by his next birthday. </p>
<p>Speaking of birthdays- Little Bit is supposed to have a party in 2 weeks and I can't get motivated. I think I might have too much going on in life. Just maybe. </p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yQF7l-cOzRzVnme5b6bBWbaPQfnZobwlr25hQWzKUAuRbUWBLQinNHueQ-TSaw_CsGySJM3A_mhhMAf5I_HW4EDx0sM92k2PyuBJbI_CviHFWPhyxVSljUVhrOAq6mkXT7xCPUeASbXi/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTsp1axZgNr76w_EzTO1OXO8UMpO0zvGc4wvsyRz9Di9q5ogjD5CTrslkYMW7KztJm6dYc0BINEZphiLVPFvK6qZdffqh6AXHXjVXUNeYlURFDWA43t69Gw4N6ml6Ml8uDsFhS_sruk8-/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg0GvIs_yxzXrGhdcU0MkflV6KO06jtFJAcfQj98Oi6g9wpUtGjpNoMQrC2tU6zUIBtyRi4md587vJaeu9B_k00mJgxRay1Dggc21DzXbdgCE2sNQmgcjXexyOaZ1YHJvblxN3hNFK8Ah/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBvmB5NYuZWkl9ZJhLGDD40xUbA7t8ng4X2KhYGjmJ17N-1FJ63fOzpxXOmyUrdz3dfqi48BIskj6kTjvxrNTUHOflEdOgt-ABseOVgeCtO5MhDuyVxeHI-1Qr8oPblhiNfGdrn7cFgkZE/' /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-16262087890342192542011-11-05T14:00:00.000-07:002011-11-05T14:00:55.020-07:00The big 0-6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJv46scJ946N8uVv-CP8ps-nc8Wz-Kyq4dcvrAeHZTzd-FZFl5Xl6HWfCKfhTycRce_n0rlpyvsvbDsyIMxSLsGl7OuZC_L-VSgxdwVOZh334wIu3Pk8MtxYlJxVaI0jSukmfM1qOAXHD/s1600/DSC_2546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJv46scJ946N8uVv-CP8ps-nc8Wz-Kyq4dcvrAeHZTzd-FZFl5Xl6HWfCKfhTycRce_n0rlpyvsvbDsyIMxSLsGl7OuZC_L-VSgxdwVOZh334wIu3Pk8MtxYlJxVaI0jSukmfM1qOAXHD/s320/DSC_2546.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgT0iTvpLA5nodxrWMv0vkZrRdkj9i_NMgHh5FavBUj-yZ2w8lI7TtgL2Rm_mrT6uNiUoML0xO97cZaiohYoFaggCTNluqjO4G1PwwMWdSvlNJTsHBxg01AsyoMWO6J0vutIrshtky4Zmo/s1600/DSC_2544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgT0iTvpLA5nodxrWMv0vkZrRdkj9i_NMgHh5FavBUj-yZ2w8lI7TtgL2Rm_mrT6uNiUoML0xO97cZaiohYoFaggCTNluqjO4G1PwwMWdSvlNJTsHBxg01AsyoMWO6J0vutIrshtky4Zmo/s320/DSC_2544.JPG" width="212" /></a>My daughter turned 6 last weekend and we celebrated the weekend before with a big shindig. It is crazy how you invite a "few" people and there ends up being 16 kids and a bunch of adults (didn't count those). I guess all those friends and their siblings add up. They had a blast, though. Like every other little girl in America, my daughter loves Tangled so we had a Tangled themed party. A week before the party I wasn't motivated to even have one but thankfully I pulled it together in the end and put together a few cool things. Flynn Rider's wanted poster was posted on the front door. A friend's child got a Rapunzel toy a few months ago and I saved the small print on the back of the box. I used that as a guide and drew a bigger copy on posterboard. For her Fairy party last year I bought a TON of paper lanterns with the battery operated tea lights and never used them (didn't even remember that I had them until the party was over and they were the one thing that spurred the Fairy/Garden party idea). But I did use lanterns this year. Not all of the ones I had but a few. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1zwRFNMMHctfws0hQ2ecpUg3zXIoBU26QX79xAWMyk-gIebW8bNffVFs8Tt7RsLb__RKx5-1CaNIZ_CAEvGawiR1EpnjH0Myu10UzG-WKN3KTa0CNDnGdlttNUI3MjAyVByDJ-uAHVTg/s1600/DSC_2568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1zwRFNMMHctfws0hQ2ecpUg3zXIoBU26QX79xAWMyk-gIebW8bNffVFs8Tt7RsLb__RKx5-1CaNIZ_CAEvGawiR1EpnjH0Myu10UzG-WKN3KTa0CNDnGdlttNUI3MjAyVByDJ-uAHVTg/s320/DSC_2568.JPG" width="320" /></a>We hung posterboard on the fence and let the kids go to town with washable markers. I think this should be a staple at all parties and I plan (assuming I don't forget) to do this at every party from now on. If there's not an activity going on, just send them the fence to draw. We do have some marker on our fence now but it should clean off with a clorox solution. And if not, it adds character. Another option would be to use sidewalk chalk straight on the fence. I think I might go to our local newspaper and buy some unprinted paper. They sell the ends of the rolls for about $5 (and it is a ton of paper). Ok, back on track now--I am going to punch holes in all of the poster drawings and make a "book" for her. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: right;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WCaZCX5I22Lrce1fLTcnBZJ7ogB3ZRzFqNlTQfonzv2vPgIOuWg4baWK3Yy4tb_mlpQ2MgVQlXCeHtADdN1kEVrB9llxB7421gDQ1kaeSKMmfeMYVJhJPjXg4IcT3tjbv7RiGK_UZVwm/s1600/DSC_2580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WCaZCX5I22Lrce1fLTcnBZJ7ogB3ZRzFqNlTQfonzv2vPgIOuWg4baWK3Yy4tb_mlpQ2MgVQlXCeHtADdN1kEVrB9llxB7421gDQ1kaeSKMmfeMYVJhJPjXg4IcT3tjbv7RiGK_UZVwm/s320/DSC_2580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Us_8O3IXq9YzbGW9EqaasDaSopKZzw3jJK1XvFXdPr5kzR95r0916s0wLLevZ09BqvzPVpJLFnJAhAqbk2uOvXFrxecH06aGHXr0oeFMo89CBSY0hgGbo8VhT45FGZVaouXsZNz9P_gA/s1600/DSC_2591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><div style="text-align: right;">Trampoline, balloons, and children under the age of 6. Nothing more even has to be said. And I'm not sure if Little Monster is thieving the balloons here or taking back escaped balloons. I have a feeling he was thieving. Maybe we should have dressed him up as Flynn Rider. </div><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Us_8O3IXq9YzbGW9EqaasDaSopKZzw3jJK1XvFXdPr5kzR95r0916s0wLLevZ09BqvzPVpJLFnJAhAqbk2uOvXFrxecH06aGHXr0oeFMo89CBSY0hgGbo8VhT45FGZVaouXsZNz9P_gA/s1600/DSC_2591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Us_8O3IXq9YzbGW9EqaasDaSopKZzw3jJK1XvFXdPr5kzR95r0916s0wLLevZ09BqvzPVpJLFnJAhAqbk2uOvXFrxecH06aGHXr0oeFMo89CBSY0hgGbo8VhT45FGZVaouXsZNz9P_gA/s320/DSC_2591.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yX6AMWOVsHYdS-HpAzrKY5NCy1-Ai6jYe93HrGpmZYW7FUNcRHSWIGn_YVpTTZsGOyAQn9IbvyOym1GSQql5PfFBTUaoy2jTYDh4hH5EMp4IBftOd1vPx8zZ8ZVph5w2LxYK6xrMKu76/s1600/DSC_2606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yX6AMWOVsHYdS-HpAzrKY5NCy1-Ai6jYe93HrGpmZYW7FUNcRHSWIGn_YVpTTZsGOyAQn9IbvyOym1GSQql5PfFBTUaoy2jTYDh4hH5EMp4IBftOd1vPx8zZ8ZVph5w2LxYK6xrMKu76/s320/DSC_2606.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">The cake was fun to make. Two weeks before the party I had decided to just buy cupcakes or a cake from somewhere. A week before the party I decided to ask my mom to help me with it. And 6 days before the party I decided I just needed help with flowers. Those are not my specialty but my mom is amazing at it! Hints on decorating a tower cake: use a dense cake (ex...I used <a href="http://nancycreative.wordpress.com/2010/08/28/triple-chocolate-pound-cake/">THIS TRIPLE CHOCOLATE POUND CAKE</a>...oh so amazing!! Double the recipe though...maybe even triple it), use the the inner tube of a roll of aluminum foil to stack the doughnuts on (it is a great size and really strong cardboard. I wouldn't recommend a paper towel roll since the cardboard is kind of flimsy), use <a href="http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Candy-Clay-1">moldable chocolate</a> for any other figures that need to be created (I didn't even do a Rapunzel...just had her hair flowing out the window. Of course, every child wanted to know where Rapunzel was but I just told them she was hiding inside), and use dense doughnuts for the tower. </div><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xmJDF7YztgvDzrWMWWAovZy-mXk_cT_-iNd2ju4_LuZKOGL-HmZrnPW7Nvd1kr3cfXE1mp8yaVh0vcYeSap_l8QP0BIDRZa6TkCuk1pIJQnZVE-JFySQT-CtCq2EBISQqRESUnGUPzcK/s1600/DSC_2673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xmJDF7YztgvDzrWMWWAovZy-mXk_cT_-iNd2ju4_LuZKOGL-HmZrnPW7Nvd1kr3cfXE1mp8yaVh0vcYeSap_l8QP0BIDRZa6TkCuk1pIJQnZVE-JFySQT-CtCq2EBISQqRESUnGUPzcK/s320/DSC_2673.JPG" width="212" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><div style="text-align: right;">I'm not sure where this tradition started but I always get something for the sibling of the birthday child (my parents and one of my friends do as well). Little Monster has been having fits wanting the Mario/Sonic Winter Olympics Wii game. I found it cheap on ebay so that was his present and I don't think anything else could've made him happier. I wish I had his reaction on video. We probably could've won money off of it. But here he is examining the game with Papaw </div><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3W0d-oqZoWZSMAnifvH9zFQQuJUv9yADDZLrTqMI5PBPiZROlS4NxcxfBopubr0lzfMPzg8H-AfV6FCVMmYHr3id9MfLBn-f4vX3-XY44TCHPavONsm_PzIaVhTYNarB7CuUbqXLVjOCi/s1600/DSC_2687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3W0d-oqZoWZSMAnifvH9zFQQuJUv9yADDZLrTqMI5PBPiZROlS4NxcxfBopubr0lzfMPzg8H-AfV6FCVMmYHr3id9MfLBn-f4vX3-XY44TCHPavONsm_PzIaVhTYNarB7CuUbqXLVjOCi/s320/DSC_2687.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9Bs-wCipQ6aYi8AOB6e-ZQONxFp0tWkWfNuIqRUHh0yHShCih_1cLcxXjPRccHuYUNANIy_RIFmt7WQbehnNgKvSCQRMYf4utLM5dIErWsSE-vfU_iB904MD0f7XI0vP7pQsZJRHUkJm/s1600/DSC_2681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9Bs-wCipQ6aYi8AOB6e-ZQONxFp0tWkWfNuIqRUHh0yHShCih_1cLcxXjPRccHuYUNANIy_RIFmt7WQbehnNgKvSCQRMYf4utLM5dIErWsSE-vfU_iB904MD0f7XI0vP7pQsZJRHUkJm/s320/DSC_2681.JPG" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nytRJPzCGeR1JMmRBcuML_c6O1Hh4eBoS_XmNyPiAzhptQ8wcIeQKI_qauZDjv2L9F5kCi-WLZULT7Rjx6ghiTbUTiCbn2eiBRyKub-_-o6P0wCzzzU6X-XcdvCUeM2dpd_nSxhrFlJ5/s1600/DSC_2692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nytRJPzCGeR1JMmRBcuML_c6O1Hh4eBoS_XmNyPiAzhptQ8wcIeQKI_qauZDjv2L9F5kCi-WLZULT7Rjx6ghiTbUTiCbn2eiBRyKub-_-o6P0wCzzzU6X-XcdvCUeM2dpd_nSxhrFlJ5/s320/DSC_2692.JPG" width="320" /></a>After the party was over we drove to a park to release real lanterns (just like the movie). These were so stinking cool! I got them off of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kong-10pc-Lanterns-10-Sky/dp/B001ECA83W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320526809&sr=8-1">Amazon</a> and they were worth every penny. We only released 2 (which means we have 8 more fun flying lanterns). A few people were really afraid of them catching on fire but they work just like a hot air balloon. So if there's a flame, they float up. When the flame goes out, they come down. I wouldn't suggest doing them around trees b/c they could catch a tree on fire but after they are above the trees, there is no worry (well, maybe birds?). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yX6AMWOVsHYdS-HpAzrKY5NCy1-Ai6jYe93HrGpmZYW7FUNcRHSWIGn_YVpTTZsGOyAQn9IbvyOym1GSQql5PfFBTUaoy2jTYDh4hH5EMp4IBftOd1vPx8zZ8ZVph5w2LxYK6xrMKu76/s1600/DSC_2606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-49625089769816092542011-11-03T13:12:00.000-07:002011-11-03T13:12:45.369-07:00Soft pastels<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTUQNnh2gZMn_nc75ezzTSFFOdGOJU3dgGrjseKs5DHlehT2PJURlhuikl4Nwl_bdl1C5_b0S9kZejHeNhdW5R9wPpDvHp6rI7zD9iPkNorrJuoJQ2XxDaZQCzN3wn1MqekySB3ugJfEe/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtTUQNnh2gZMn_nc75ezzTSFFOdGOJU3dgGrjseKs5DHlehT2PJURlhuikl4Nwl_bdl1C5_b0S9kZejHeNhdW5R9wPpDvHp6rI7zD9iPkNorrJuoJQ2XxDaZQCzN3wn1MqekySB3ugJfEe/" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwSLBwrpfRS09kbrG3U9wTYFV794IUkYYoH8Vc4lu-JuR0LFrZOK9ouxzuhUtymTAa1qNo5luSN-oQsy0V5iF_q6uLJXHwEzt8opcElTgitDDEhrEhbVBv8JKbg88na_AkH_0aympStQn/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwSLBwrpfRS09kbrG3U9wTYFV794IUkYYoH8Vc4lu-JuR0LFrZOK9ouxzuhUtymTAa1qNo5luSN-oQsy0V5iF_q6uLJXHwEzt8opcElTgitDDEhrEhbVBv8JKbg88na_AkH_0aympStQn/" width="400" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">I have great memories of soft pastels. I don't have messy memories but whoa! Mess was everywhere when we ventured into the soft pastel world yesterday. Little Bit's assignment was to draw something she enjoys doing. When I came to check on her I saw a picture of a princess going home to her castle (bottom). Now, I love her drawing but seriously?? How do you teach a child to follow directions? So then it was the principle of the matter and she had to do another one. That one ended up being her playing on her swing set (also--soft pastels are hard to do neatly...not just the mess they make but trying to color with a rectangular block of...stuff). Little Monster wandered in and drew a "cominent." A comment? Nope. A cominent. No clue what that is but I asked him again last night and he told me the same thing. I'm not questioning it. It must make sense in his head.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">p/s--can't get the font size to go back to normal. It looks like I'm super excited about this post but in reality I just can't work the computer.</span> <br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-53027566821062016912011-10-31T20:51:00.000-07:002011-10-31T20:51:22.577-07:00the end of one season...<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHEe0hHI6Xc56h8Rw4AdeS5pPmAbzNYQggqJQGtOT8JPG5NqqmdRzGw7ZjDlAW9sbGNrmbetPqblw9GUq_TlwhyFtybdDpBXmKZjMOyuoohmiolG8Ve5Gvx0LhhVut8OQjQ3xpB7TEDsG/s1600/DSC_2860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyHEe0hHI6Xc56h8Rw4AdeS5pPmAbzNYQggqJQGtOT8JPG5NqqmdRzGw7ZjDlAW9sbGNrmbetPqblw9GUq_TlwhyFtybdDpBXmKZjMOyuoohmiolG8Ve5Gvx0LhhVut8OQjQ3xpB7TEDsG/s320/DSC_2860.JPG" width="212" /></a>...brings on the beginning of the next--the "holiday season!" I am semi-excited about Christmas but still not where I need/want to be. I do feel good about the jump start I've gotten on buying/getting/making gifts. And if nothing else, I have a pretty good list of things for the people I haven't already bought for.<br />
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Tonight was trick-or-treat night. The kids had a blast. We went with 2 other families so there were 7 kids total. Little Bit (also known as Princess Peach) had another girl her age (which made her the happiest child on the block) and Little Monster (also known as Mario) just ran with the crowd. He sticks close to his sister, anyway. I only got to see them hit about 4 houses because I had a Zumba class to teach but the great thing about T-or-Ting is that once you see one house, you've pretty much seen them all. I mean, how much different can it get? One difference that I didn't know about until after T-or-Ting had started is that Little Monster decorated his bag with every sticker he could get off of a sheet that he found in one of his workbooks. I didn't even take them off :) <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuO29GixRTyiSSyePUoBz_Wn5M4ftRcL3FfyCz3VJWD_42e7o2pgzj4kgCEypIDEWhOjBzlDFnYiaI02WPXEGOTzslv47Fb5yAHGRHPCnclgCSuCi2hhWgx-KlWPbpMOS8o_T1dQmD6aq/s1600/DSC_2948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuO29GixRTyiSSyePUoBz_Wn5M4ftRcL3FfyCz3VJWD_42e7o2pgzj4kgCEypIDEWhOjBzlDFnYiaI02WPXEGOTzslv47Fb5yAHGRHPCnclgCSuCi2hhWgx-KlWPbpMOS8o_T1dQmD6aq/s320/DSC_2948.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUMquPfboTTEi30C2eEzIO-uIux2i8xdWzO_-ZAAc7uLJYIDVnrT5vOODITYnOZcERioiS0xtH6mMQiYcE6svhBRrcUuxB_2z4qYOdMcg4VVRK388mXqLdug6mZBjHsL3WY6TbFgvx-Rc/s1600/DSC_2532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUMquPfboTTEi30C2eEzIO-uIux2i8xdWzO_-ZAAc7uLJYIDVnrT5vOODITYnOZcERioiS0xtH6mMQiYcE6svhBRrcUuxB_2z4qYOdMcg4VVRK388mXqLdug6mZBjHsL3WY6TbFgvx-Rc/s320/DSC_2532.JPG" width="320" /></a>School was good last week and so far so good this week. This is a big grocery shopping week so I've decided that school is having to be shifted around for that. We are couponers (not the crazy extreme people but one of the normal coupon families just looking for a good deal) and Kroger has a GREAT ad this week.<br />
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I'm not sure what is going on with the Android software but I am having issues with photos that I take "disappearing" from my devices (whether it be my phone or my galaxy...which are both Android devices) so I had pictures of the kids doing their school work dressed up but they are MIA. If they return, I'll be sure to post them. Here are our pumpkins. We carved Rapunzel and Perry the Platypus this year. I think pumpkin carving is such a waste. I know it is fun but surely there is a more cost effective activity. I'm such a stick in the mud.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nJrTEhSNvCs9TJ60LVeE-2F5ebpqribGW6SQTmJlW5Cff0wV_Pm4vVq-WgjF1YS43iLXTONAr91uhHrFJ4Y89T5qwAQFU_0yXG8BTvnOPDwaxvgCh6pmTcPzWAg2XLIzUDCzqymwHu5Z/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nJrTEhSNvCs9TJ60LVeE-2F5ebpqribGW6SQTmJlW5Cff0wV_Pm4vVq-WgjF1YS43iLXTONAr91uhHrFJ4Y89T5qwAQFU_0yXG8BTvnOPDwaxvgCh6pmTcPzWAg2XLIzUDCzqymwHu5Z/" width="640" /></a>Here is our watercolor art from 2 weeks ago. The one on the left is Little Bit at her friend's birthday party. It is her on a waterslide. The yellow thing is the deck with a table and the cake on it. The blue is the slide and she's in the pink bathing suit. Little Monster colored the pumpkin I drew and then made his own lines and squiggles. <br />
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One cool thing Little Monster did today was try to write words. Little Bit did her journal entry about going Trick-or-Treating so Little Monster decided to write it too. He wrote "I M G" and to translate--the M is "am" (but you say it more like 'em') and the G is the beginning of "going." He wanted me to help him with the rest but when I asked him what he thought was next, he proceeded to just draw lines. This is the beginning of learning to read. Again...just something else I haven't taught him. I have no idea where he comes up with stuff. One thing is for sure--he is constantly listening and absorbing everything we say!! When Little Bit was in preschool and I asked her if anyone got in timeout and what they did her response was almost ALWAYS "I don't know but at least it didn't happen to me." If I ask Little Monster, his response is "well, I was standing in my chair and Brody was on the floor beside his chair, and Caroline and Chandler were under the table but they had their hands on the table and we were supposed to sit down and so we got our apples flipped (their equivalent of a green/yellow/red system)". It is so funny the details he notices and remembers. <br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-25357641206563278142011-10-24T15:48:00.001-07:002011-10-28T09:26:57.744-07:00Busy busy<div><p>This week is affectionately known as the "week from hell" in my circle of friends. Seriously it is so BUSY! There is a fall festival, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, a pumpkin patch field trip, another fall festival, and my daughter's birthday. Can we fit anything else into this week??? Oh yeah! How about a home game so B will be gone rickshawing all day Saturday. Crazy! But crazy or not, it is part of parenthood (my autocorrect almost put "priesthood." sometimes I feel like I'm training for priesthood). </p>
<p>Little Bit had her birthday party last weekend. She got money that she wanted to buy a Rapunzel doll with. When she asked what Little Monster would get I told her he didn't have money so she wanted to use some of her money for him. She can be so sweet. She can also talk to him like a dog when they are playing games together. That's normal tough I guess. Last week she got points to "spend" at the AWANA store and used half of them to buy something for her brother. </p>
<p>Interesting story from last weekend. Our church service talked about how media can influence children. B kind of scoffed and said he didn't agree. Less than an hour later we were at home and Little Monster was building a "combination" I asked him what that was and he said a gun. I told him we don't pretend to shoot people and he said "Daddy does on his gun game." It was awesome...</p>
<p>We went to the pumpkin patch and picked up 2 more pumpkins. I'm not sure what the point is because we don't eat it and we have already carved them but it is preschool field trip so we go. Daddy is on vacation this week so he got to enjoy the fun as well. I have pictures to upload but they are all on my computer so that will have to come at a later date. </p>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-81601486672735196052011-10-19T08:51:00.001-07:002011-10-19T08:51:02.797-07:00I'm not doing good updating lately<div><p>Little Monster has been out of school this week. I have loved it! It definitely gets frustrating when he interrupts me 10 times during school but I love not having to interrupt my day going to pick him up and drop him off. How lazy is that??</p>
<p>There isn't a lot to update on. We are doing art today so I can update that later. I posted last week's stuff but didn't move the pictures around on my computer. Sorry for the crazy format. I will fix it the next time I'm on my computer. If it wasn't for editing pictures I would never get on my computer. This is so much easier. </p>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439831516939507222.post-85558153216398193302011-10-19T08:46:00.001-07:002011-10-19T08:46:31.238-07:00<div><p>Ok. I hate to admit this but I am in love with the recipes on chocolate covered katie's website. Seriously. All of the 3 people that read this blog know 2 things about me: #1--I am the world's pickiest eater and #2--I love chocolate. I mean LOVE it. This girl uses chocolate and makes amazing desserts that are healthy. Her fudge babies-amazing! I made the brownies tonight. They're also amazing! I will admit they have a slightly different taste than a boxed brownie mix but they are still so so good. I did cut the salt in half and I baked mine for about 13 minutes and should have done about 5 more but the beauty is that there are no raw eggs to worry about :)</p>
<p>Ok, onto the other beans in the family. Little Bit and Little Monster are in desperate desperate need for some time outside. Tropical storm somebody has been parked over us for a few days so they have been stuck inside. Little Bit is silly and wild. Little Monster is whiny and pitiful. He's bored with the wii, she's not focused on school. And on and on. I'm hoping for a sunny day tomorrow. Or at least less rainy. I feel like I've gotten a lot of things done, though. I don't feel like the house has a mind of its own anymore (maybe a little bit but not as bad). </p>
<p>Here are the paintings Little Bit did last week and also the rainbow Little Monster drew. We skipped art today. It is my favorite but after the frustration of my wild children, I had to quit. </p>
<p>We also drew pictures of what they want to be for Halloween. I finally got Little Monster to agree to be Mario! yay! He drew this almost by himself. I just told him where to draw the lines. He did the rest. Little Bit is going to be Princess Peach. She drew hers completely by herself. </p>
<p>Her reading has come a LONG way. I think making her practice reading everyday was a good decision. I've been contemplating some kind of reward program for when she reads a certain number of books and/or having her read to different people and have them sign off on her reading. I need to work on that some more. </p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yQF7l-cOzRzVnme5b6bBWbaPQfnZobwlr25hQWzKUAuRbUWBLQinNHueQ-TSaw_CsGySJM3A_mhhMAf5I_HW4EDx0sM92k2PyuBJbI_CviHFWPhyxVSljUVhrOAq6mkXT7xCPUeASbXi/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTsp1axZgNr76w_EzTO1OXO8UMpO0zvGc4wvsyRz9Di9q5ogjD5CTrslkYMW7KztJm6dYc0BINEZphiLVPFvK6qZdffqh6AXHXjVXUNeYlURFDWA43t69Gw4N6ml6Ml8uDsFhS_sruk8-/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg0GvIs_yxzXrGhdcU0MkflV6KO06jtFJAcfQj98Oi6g9wpUtGjpNoMQrC2tU6zUIBtyRi4md587vJaeu9B_k00mJgxRay1Dggc21DzXbdgCE2sNQmgcjXexyOaZ1YHJvblxN3hNFK8Ah/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJVjoliFKvYgOjhJR-bT-ByEcGlbem0fNrpjk9O-CcrinYdQSxXWZSFYjKzhdZDCjjXFPdxrnIa4MOT-T2cu2OO1P4AWGuE-lekdRAudAbOMTMM3L6rEk3rrTC-vYAg-otWVai5IWzTtj/' /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0