I'm thinking about getting a hair-cut...back to the days when I kept it pretty short. I've really been trying not to be one of those pregnant women who cut off all their hair near the end. I never understood why people do that, but now that I’m here I'm thinking it's some sort of chemical imbalance that brings us to want to cut our hair. The truth of the matter is that my hair isn't that great long; I keep thinking (hoping) it will be different this time around but it's always a bit yucky. The thing is that my hair takes so freakin' long to grow back; I mean we're talking years here. We'll see......................
Saturday, January 31, 2009
flashbacks: time for a change?
i'm thinking about getting rid of my myspace because i really don't use it much anymore. but i was recently reading thru all the blogs i posted on there before i started this one. i blogged more than i thought i did so i want to keep them, they are memories after all. i'll start posting them little by little under the title of flashbacks and i'll just cut & paste it on over here including pictures and everything. without delay i give you post #1...
May 03, 2005
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
a blog you should know about
warning, this blog will without a doubt make you cry. i read about the blog in my bosses People magazine last week and i'm totally hooked on this guys story. here's the abbreviated version:
last year...
guy has lovely wife with a baby on the way
guy starts blog to keep family updated about baby on the way
wife has baby via c-section
baby has minor complications and stays in NICU
27 hours after birth wife unexpectedly dies (w/o even holding her baby first)
guy is left to pick up the pieces of new baby and dead wife
guy keeps blogging
soooo as you can see this is a tough one. the baby is now like 9 months old so i need to go back and read the older posts but that's going to take awhile. this is a particularly emotional read for me because i had a blood clot in my leg after Cameron's birth and the guy's wife died from a dislodged blood clot. i can't even think about it!
Monday, January 26, 2009
language
in the book i am currently reading : Learning All the Time by John Holt, he says
"The trouble with telling children what words mean, or asking them to ask the dictionary to tell them, is that they don't get a chance to figure out the meaning of the word. Figuring out what you don't know or aren't sure of is the greatest intellectual skill of all."
this is brilliant and very interesting to me because Mayden is on a "what does ____ mean?" kick. even simple words that i know she knows, she wants a more detailed definition of the meaning. i've noticed her progression of language throughout the years. first was the "what's that?" phase which was really easy to answer with words like "bird" and "light" but then we moved onto the "why?" where the answers needed to be much more wordy and thoughtful such as "well, the sun is going down because the earth is rotating and we need to share the sun with the other side of the earth" my favorite is when there is a "why?" after i answered the first "why?". i thought those "why?" questions would be the hardest but now like i said we're onto "what does because mean?" questions. what does because mean? "what does except mean?" i really have to stop and think about these things. BUT this book is giving me the freedom to say "what do you think because means?" to her and I LOVE IT!
i try not to compare the kids, as they are individuals however it's obvious that Camo is not as verbally advanced as his sister was at his age. she recognized many colors and some letters of the alphabet at 18 months. Cameron has a few select words he loves such as "no", "whoo da" (what's that) & "maamaa" (May-May... nope not, mama). he also has a word "nahh nahh" that he uses for at least 3 things. for weeks it meant "water" as in he wanted his drink. now it means "water" "food" and "all done". he does his "all done... nahh nahh" with a variation of the sign (ASL) which is raising both hands in the air so that one is easy to spot. but we're back to guessing what he wants with food & water. i think he thought that "nahh nahh" gets me water so it must be able to get me other things too. his frustration w/ communication is growing and i can see where the 'terrible two tantrums' could come into play. we never had to deal with that with Mayden because she could speak so well very early on. this kid needs to learn to speak ASAP!
"The trouble with telling children what words mean, or asking them to ask the dictionary to tell them, is that they don't get a chance to figure out the meaning of the word. Figuring out what you don't know or aren't sure of is the greatest intellectual skill of all."
this is brilliant and very interesting to me because Mayden is on a "what does ____ mean?" kick. even simple words that i know she knows, she wants a more detailed definition of the meaning. i've noticed her progression of language throughout the years. first was the "what's that?" phase which was really easy to answer with words like "bird" and "light" but then we moved onto the "why?" where the answers needed to be much more wordy and thoughtful such as "well, the sun is going down because the earth is rotating and we need to share the sun with the other side of the earth" my favorite is when there is a "why?" after i answered the first "why?". i thought those "why?" questions would be the hardest but now like i said we're onto "what does because mean?" questions. what does because mean? "what does except mean?" i really have to stop and think about these things. BUT this book is giving me the freedom to say "what do you think because means?" to her and I LOVE IT!
i try not to compare the kids, as they are individuals however it's obvious that Camo is not as verbally advanced as his sister was at his age. she recognized many colors and some letters of the alphabet at 18 months. Cameron has a few select words he loves such as "no", "whoo da" (what's that) & "maamaa" (May-May... nope not, mama). he also has a word "nahh nahh" that he uses for at least 3 things. for weeks it meant "water" as in he wanted his drink. now it means "water" "food" and "all done". he does his "all done... nahh nahh" with a variation of the sign (ASL) which is raising both hands in the air so that one is easy to spot. but we're back to guessing what he wants with food & water. i think he thought that "nahh nahh" gets me water so it must be able to get me other things too. his frustration w/ communication is growing and i can see where the 'terrible two tantrums' could come into play. we never had to deal with that with Mayden because she could speak so well very early on. this kid needs to learn to speak ASAP!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
at last!
so yesterday was what our family called "Obama day" and it was wonderful! I could feel the excitement of the nation & world thru the TV... what a vibe! i was at work but Chris was home with the kids watching the history unfold. here is a little video of how brainwashed Mayden is :o) her hand on her forehead is her saluting, which Chris claims that she picked up on her own. [NOTE: nevermind the random act of violence Cameron dishes out at the end... he's a bit of a bully, but we're working on him]
my favorite part of the whole day was when the Obamas' got out of their armored car and proudly walked up Pennsylvania Avenue to their new home. it was awe-inspiring to see them out among the people. unafraid. i think it made a strong statement... but my 2nd favorite part was when he got back in that car safely!
while i do think 10 Inaugural Balls is very excessive (especially in this economic climate) this was the perfect way to end the night..... beautiful!
my favorite part of the whole day was when the Obamas' got out of their armored car and proudly walked up Pennsylvania Avenue to their new home. it was awe-inspiring to see them out among the people. unafraid. i think it made a strong statement... but my 2nd favorite part was when he got back in that car safely!
while i do think 10 Inaugural Balls is very excessive (especially in this economic climate) this was the perfect way to end the night..... beautiful!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
book #1 (of 2009)
Chris bought me this book on a whim for Christmas last year. it looked interesting enough so i made it my first pick for this years "a-book-a-month" resolution. this was such a good and fast read, i loved it! a sincerely funny, honest and genuine look into both the generally accepted and the quirky Biblical commands. at first glance i thought this book was a Christians only book but once you read the subtitle & notice the Starbucks in his hand you realize this is something so much more. both agnostics & religious people (as i feel i am both... don't ask me how that works) will really enjoy this book. i learned a lot about the Bible, religion and myself. one part of the book was disturbing to me... the justification of his sons circumcisions was intense and hard to read (our son is uncut... tmi??) at least he had the balls (pun intended) to be with them and watch if he was going to have this done to them... but other than that blip it was a mostly pleasant read that was hard to put down. i do believe i will be adding his other book to my reading list for this year.
Monday, January 19, 2009
bowling day
our first "family outing" as per my new years resolution was a trip to the bowling ally. we all had a great time however i will remember not to bring a certain curious 18 month old with us next time. he spent most of the time trying to wiggle out of our arms so he could run down the isle after the balls. the temptation just wasn't fair for the poor little guy... so next time he'll spend a nice afternoon at Grandma's house!Mayden had never been bowling before so she was pretty wide eyed the whole time. each time she rolled the ball down the lane she patiently waited the 7 minutes it took for her ball to reach the pins. only once did we need to get a staff member to rescue our ball :o)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Etsy & me
i have exciting news... i just opened a little shop on Etsy.com! it's just a start but you should check it out.
http://www.fleecefirst.etsy.com/
Etsy is like Ebay but strictly for handmade items. it's a great way to buy on the local (as opposed to the corporate) level and help starving artist/crafters!
i do plan on putting non-fleece stuff up there eventually but for now it's fleece world. the kids have done their part in being my gracious models (mostly Camo). i'm just hoping he'll forgive me for having him model the pink hat!!
p.s my friend Beth also has a store on Etsy. she is making incredible bags (& other stuff), you should check them out too. http://www.elisabethdavis.etsy.com/
http://www.fleecefirst.etsy.com/
Etsy is like Ebay but strictly for handmade items. it's a great way to buy on the local (as opposed to the corporate) level and help starving artist/crafters!
i do plan on putting non-fleece stuff up there eventually but for now it's fleece world. the kids have done their part in being my gracious models (mostly Camo). i'm just hoping he'll forgive me for having him model the pink hat!!
p.s my friend Beth also has a store on Etsy. she is making incredible bags (& other stuff), you should check them out too. http://www.elisabethdavis.etsy.com/
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Mayden says
an out of the blue conversation tonight at dinner:
Mayden: "this food is crap"
Me (and Chris): stunned & trying unsuccessfully not to laugh
Mayden: "what's crap?"
Me: "crap is like poop. when someone says crap they mean it's bad. for example when someone says a certain kind of food tastes like crap that means they don't like the way it tastes. it's not a really nice word to say.... especially for a 3 year old to say."
Mayden: after a long pause... "this table is crap."
Me: "ummm, Mayden that's not a nice thing to say please stop using that word!"
Mayden: "but it doesn't taste good."
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Camo the boogieman
poor Camo is suffering from a mega cold. i'm trying my best not to let it spread to the rest of us but i'm afraid the odds are against us.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
do yourself a favor and go see it! it is amazing.... UH MAY ZING!!! well worth the $11 and 3 hour investment.
resolutions
i'm not usually one to make resolutions for the new year. i think last year my resolutions went something like this: "to become a more healthy person, physically, mentally & spiritually" i suppose i was successful with some of that resolution but it really is hard to measure. for some reason this year i've been a bit preoccupied with making resolutions. i have a theory that if you make them much more specific they can really change your life for the better. the way i see it resolutions are meant to be improvements. so i came up with a short list of 4 things i can intentionally do that will improve myself, my environment and my family.
1. lose 10 pounds - i plan to do this sometime within the next few months and keep it off for the rest of the year. a crash diet in November is not what i have in mind with this resolution. last year i managed to take off 25 pounds and keep it off for the rest of the year so i don't see 10 pounds as being a big deal. but it will need to be intentional.
2. use only cold water to do laundry (unless we're dealing with poop or vomit) - recently there have been reports released that suggest there aren't many benefits to using hot water when washing clothes. heating the water uses upwards to 90% of the total energy used to wash your clothing. 90% is a lot! so i'm going to give it a try for a year and see how i like it. i'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe and i've always told myself that the hot water kills the germs (but i don't really know if that's true) so this will be a little challenging.
3. read (at least) one book a month - i'm really excited about this resolution as i have a huge backlog of books i'd like to read. i use the excuse that i don't have any time to read ( i do read but it takes me forever to read a book entirely through) but truth be told if i exchanged reading for mindless TV watching or internet surfing i could easily fly thru a book in a months time. i'm not giving up TV or internet entirely but it will hopefully be much more purposeful in order for me to meet my book reading quota. i'll probably review each book at the end of the month.
4. enjoy a family outing once a month - this will probably be the hardest yet most rewarding one for me to follow thru with. you should know that i get very caught up in our families day to day schedule. it's hard for me to allow Cameron to miss his nap, or to have the kids eat dinner anytime other than 5pm sharp. i run a tight ship and most days it works well. however i have come to discover recently (i'm a slow learner) that life is more fulfilling when enjoyed thru experiencing things outside of the day-to-day norm. those are the times our kids will remember most... not so much the teeth brushing routine. we do go out as a family to places like Walmart, the grandparents houses and our absolute favorite place... the bookstore! but with this resolution im talking more about intentional family building activities, sorta like team building. for example this month our plan is to go ice-skating... yea! we want to do camping once it warms up but if anyone has any more ideas for us, we need 12 so suggestions are welcome! on a side note: we are considering homeschooling May & Cam (and whoever else should join our family)-- actually i prefer the term unschooling because we won't be recreating the school at home. i think the fundamental elements of learning in a school environment are not right for every child therefore we would be experimenting with unconventional ways of learning-- BUT ANYWAY with this sort of learning taking place daily in and around our home i really need to start practicing living a little more on the fly. this is a good start.
1. lose 10 pounds - i plan to do this sometime within the next few months and keep it off for the rest of the year. a crash diet in November is not what i have in mind with this resolution. last year i managed to take off 25 pounds and keep it off for the rest of the year so i don't see 10 pounds as being a big deal. but it will need to be intentional.
2. use only cold water to do laundry (unless we're dealing with poop or vomit) - recently there have been reports released that suggest there aren't many benefits to using hot water when washing clothes. heating the water uses upwards to 90% of the total energy used to wash your clothing. 90% is a lot! so i'm going to give it a try for a year and see how i like it. i'm a bit of a germ-a-phobe and i've always told myself that the hot water kills the germs (but i don't really know if that's true) so this will be a little challenging.
3. read (at least) one book a month - i'm really excited about this resolution as i have a huge backlog of books i'd like to read. i use the excuse that i don't have any time to read ( i do read but it takes me forever to read a book entirely through) but truth be told if i exchanged reading for mindless TV watching or internet surfing i could easily fly thru a book in a months time. i'm not giving up TV or internet entirely but it will hopefully be much more purposeful in order for me to meet my book reading quota. i'll probably review each book at the end of the month.
4. enjoy a family outing once a month - this will probably be the hardest yet most rewarding one for me to follow thru with. you should know that i get very caught up in our families day to day schedule. it's hard for me to allow Cameron to miss his nap, or to have the kids eat dinner anytime other than 5pm sharp. i run a tight ship and most days it works well. however i have come to discover recently (i'm a slow learner) that life is more fulfilling when enjoyed thru experiencing things outside of the day-to-day norm. those are the times our kids will remember most... not so much the teeth brushing routine. we do go out as a family to places like Walmart, the grandparents houses and our absolute favorite place... the bookstore! but with this resolution im talking more about intentional family building activities, sorta like team building. for example this month our plan is to go ice-skating... yea! we want to do camping once it warms up but if anyone has any more ideas for us, we need 12 so suggestions are welcome! on a side note: we are considering homeschooling May & Cam (and whoever else should join our family)-- actually i prefer the term unschooling because we won't be recreating the school at home. i think the fundamental elements of learning in a school environment are not right for every child therefore we would be experimenting with unconventional ways of learning-- BUT ANYWAY with this sort of learning taking place daily in and around our home i really need to start practicing living a little more on the fly. this is a good start.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
top 5 finds of 2008
i did this last year and will continue the tradition
Top 5 "finds" of 2008
1. hotshot - we started using one while on vacation in VA at my grandparent's house. they had an extra and sent us home with one and we haven't stopped using it since. this thing heats up water so fast and it's perfect for making oatmeal, tea or hot coco... really anything you need hot water for. we use it at least once daily for tea & oatmeal.
2. ipod- last year for Christmas Chris got me a cute little purple ipod shuffle and i used the heck out of it... to the point where in October (i thought) it was broken and my heart was crushed. this year Chris got me an upgrade: the 8g ipod Nano, in green! oh it's a beauty, this one even has a screen :o) i also fell in love with podcasts. the music on my pod is wonderful but the real wonders are all the podcasts i have on there.
3. Nada Surf- sometime this last year Chris drug me (kicking and screaming) to a Nada Surf concert and i've been listening to them (with my ipod) non-stop! love 'em love 'em love 'em!!
4. Google Reader- a true time saver. i love reading blogs (even of people i don't know, who are doing cool things) so this little gem tells me when someone has a new blog post. i used to check everyone's blog periodically but now i know instantly whenever anyone updates.
5. Parchment Paper- why i've never used this before last month i'll never know. a non stick surface that actually makes what you're baking come out better AND virtually eliminates the cleaning of that pan! wonderful stuff.... i just worry about the possibility of chemicals leching into food??
honorable mention: Fleece crafts! i've become a full fledged fleece-aholic and i think this might just be the beginning.
2. ipod- last year for Christmas Chris got me a cute little purple ipod shuffle and i used the heck out of it... to the point where in October (i thought) it was broken and my heart was crushed. this year Chris got me an upgrade: the 8g ipod Nano, in green! oh it's a beauty, this one even has a screen :o) i also fell in love with podcasts. the music on my pod is wonderful but the real wonders are all the podcasts i have on there.
3. Nada Surf- sometime this last year Chris drug me (kicking and screaming) to a Nada Surf concert and i've been listening to them (with my ipod) non-stop! love 'em love 'em love 'em!!
4. Google Reader- a true time saver. i love reading blogs (even of people i don't know, who are doing cool things) so this little gem tells me when someone has a new blog post. i used to check everyone's blog periodically but now i know instantly whenever anyone updates.
5. Parchment Paper- why i've never used this before last month i'll never know. a non stick surface that actually makes what you're baking come out better AND virtually eliminates the cleaning of that pan! wonderful stuff.... i just worry about the possibility of chemicals leching into food??
honorable mention: Fleece crafts! i've become a full fledged fleece-aholic and i think this might just be the beginning.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)