tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17482515536010252932024-02-18T17:39:34.168-08:00Our Life....Simple and Full.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-62647840638333160552013-08-12T21:00:00.001-07:002013-08-12T21:01:59.202-07:00Mamavation Monday! Goal #2 MET!!!! Yes! I have hit my second milestone/goal!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJw0Wmfx_3OJgdj9vT5_PSYuszYvII7yxXG4bg_tiqph0Qn0XJG-JOFK9VxegXUyg2aKm-vGA8QNtcIRTllD8aPnG7JdCnaAB_b2BCOaRF7Jakg2lo2W6-jfiLN6TSSf4nG4gypeYxr2Yi/s1600/mamavation_badge_greenwhite_10lbs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJw0Wmfx_3OJgdj9vT5_PSYuszYvII7yxXG4bg_tiqph0Qn0XJG-JOFK9VxegXUyg2aKm-vGA8QNtcIRTllD8aPnG7JdCnaAB_b2BCOaRF7Jakg2lo2W6-jfiLN6TSSf4nG4gypeYxr2Yi/s200/mamavation_badge_greenwhite_10lbs.png" width="199" /></a></div>
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I'm down 10.5lbs since applying to be a <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/" target="_blank">Mamavation </a>Mom! I feel SO INCREDIBLY blessed to be a part of an AWESOME support group of women who work towards disease prevention...including obesity. I feel like some days I am fighting an uphill battle with my thyroid issues and stress...but I am just thrilled to see the scale slowly creeping downward. Determination, coupled with an awesome support team, has helped me through some seriously difficult days lately.<br />
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We learned a ton about indoor air quality this week, and I'd encourage you to read my <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/2013/08/just-breathe-clean-air-that-is.html" target="_blank">Mamavation blog</a> post, then check out this week's <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/2013/08/detoxifying-indoor-air-dr-lavin.html" target="_blank">Mamavation TV show</a>. AWESOME info on how to rid your home of toxic air!<br />
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Thank you for following me, I am honored to be a part of this adventure!<br />
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XOXO<br />
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~LoriLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-86418602068720057332013-08-05T20:55:00.000-07:002013-08-05T20:55:05.822-07:00Mamavation Mom Week 4. BLAH. I'm gonna whine for a second then move on. So just be warned. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcifY5To224__rTOVPznX8jFa9gqtiqeA-o1u07HOz6ixkJmSM3b_FAy243oTecz_m8RCitr9Mp7gtvXKtDdGLaeyCT8NZ46r-uBoyZsly72AOOP77mEscRN8gDZKVOSIu1nL6CaCyukqE/s1600/whine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcifY5To224__rTOVPznX8jFa9gqtiqeA-o1u07HOz6ixkJmSM3b_FAy243oTecz_m8RCitr9Mp7gtvXKtDdGLaeyCT8NZ46r-uBoyZsly72AOOP77mEscRN8gDZKVOSIu1nL6CaCyukqE/s1600/whine.jpg" /></a></div>
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I thought I was doing so well this week. Then I shot a wedding Saturday. I was up at 6:30am and didn't go to bed until 2:30am. And I didn't drink enough water. Sunday AM I woke up so bloated, it was like I was 9 months pregnant again. Lesson learned. Being dehydrated makes you take on water like the Titanic.<br />
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Yep. I was up four pounds. I was ticked. Discouraged. Could have gone into a downward spiral. But I didn't. <br />
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Thankfully, I talked to <a href="http://bookieboo.com/" target="_blank">Leah, </a>with <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/" target="_blank">Mamavation</a> and she encouraged me to drink a ton of water and keep moving. And I have...and I'm back down 3 lbs. since I weighed yesterday morning. So I am back on track headed in the right direction.<br />
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I've also learned a TON about detoxing my (and my family's) personal care. Read about what I learned this week <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/2013/08/gonna-wash-those-chemicals-right-out-of-my-hair.html" target="_blank">in this post</a>. <br />
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I am so blessed to be on this journey. I realize it's not just about weight loss, but about total health in every area of our lives.<br />
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Blessings to you and yours!<br />
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~LoriLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-70875558847325349302013-07-29T23:59:00.000-07:002013-08-05T20:55:19.643-07:00Mamavation Monday - Week 3 Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Guys, this week has been amazing. I am THRILLED to announce I have lost 8lbs and 7.5 inches off of my body! </div>
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Now, this may not sound like a lot to you, but I've been on a gaining streak for the past few years, so to FINALLY be heading in the opposite direction is HUGE for me. I am SO proud of the changes taking place not only in my body, but in my mind and emotions as well. I'm learning to control my emotional eating. It is not easy...quite the contrary, it's SO incredibly hard. But SO worth it. I'm seeing a huge spike in my energy, my mental clarity, and my ability to cope with major stresses in my life.</div>
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So I am PROUD to be able to post this sticker to my blog: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBdD_ImhsOlA9Bb3LYrf8JSYxekx_VcDO_1TRAZAoxl1oNmrnZZ2XFHMlfNwzS_Zff6pPGLY4pK-EfAv3IGbhi3AURJLsg58GKyfs_1OQyDBICUcPaw3xwH4-Ie71e372Wik_ZaaIMPGE/s1600/mamavation_badge_greenwhite_5lbs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBdD_ImhsOlA9Bb3LYrf8JSYxekx_VcDO_1TRAZAoxl1oNmrnZZ2XFHMlfNwzS_Zff6pPGLY4pK-EfAv3IGbhi3AURJLsg58GKyfs_1OQyDBICUcPaw3xwH4-Ie71e372Wik_ZaaIMPGE/s200/mamavation_badge_greenwhite_5lbs.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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This week we learned about detoxing the cleaners in our home and I would love if you checked back later in the week for some reviews on these products that make our home a MUCH safer environment. Here's my weekly <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/2013/07/buh-bye-horrific-chemicals.html" target="_blank">Mamavation Mom Blog Post</a> where you can read even more about my transformation this week.<br />
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And if you missed Mamavation TV last night, you can find more information <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/2013/07/clean-your-cleaners.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I'm excited to have you following my progress! Please keep checking back for more exciting changes!<br />
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~LoriLorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-1266828637606555002013-07-22T18:13:00.000-07:002013-07-24T18:13:12.892-07:00Mamavation Mom Campaign 17 - Week Two WOOHOO!<br />
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Week two as a Mamavation Mom was crazy with my food planning! I am down 4 lbs, but boy was that a hard 2 lb loss!</div>
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Visit this <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/2013/07/food-im-not-in-the-mood-but-i-will-be.html" target="_blank">link on the Mamavation</a> site to hear all about my week including a video and what my nutrition plan looks like!</div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">This week: Detoxing our cleaning products...this is gonna be a GOOD week! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">Thank you for your support! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">XOXO</span></div>
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Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-64099057339949256532013-07-15T08:07:00.000-07:002013-07-20T20:11:42.383-07:00Mamavation Mom Week One - Yo! Week one as a Mamavation Mom was quite the challenge! My normally somewhat sedentary self was completely overwhelmed with workouts, and the meal planning was a HUGE challenge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1O0VxrPH-ZSpPoNCis3ZQa1yonBoe96ekcGwKTyXZFQCP1vKjujgcmX2iuR9HoOD15eAyWpLGmVPa9AHg08M9SzhloocyHzonH5vC-IYwnGR_8kQ8zxJPWTXK1_tVjbU1_Und637q1zrZ/s1600/msistahood_125.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1O0VxrPH-ZSpPoNCis3ZQa1yonBoe96ekcGwKTyXZFQCP1vKjujgcmX2iuR9HoOD15eAyWpLGmVPa9AHg08M9SzhloocyHzonH5vC-IYwnGR_8kQ8zxJPWTXK1_tVjbU1_Und637q1zrZ/s1600/msistahood_125.png" /></a></div>
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Visit this <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/2013/07/week-one-woah-nelly.html" target="_blank">link on the Mamavation site</a> to hear all about my week including a video!<br />
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">Thank you for your support! </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">XOXO</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap;">Lori</span></span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-90668772922041857662013-07-09T19:03:00.000-07:002013-07-09T19:07:54.123-07:00I'm a Mamavation Mom!Mamavation...you'll hear me talk about it a LOT the next 7 weeks. If you haven't heard, I was chosen to be a Mamavation Mom last night at the Detox Twitter Party. I am super excited and blessed to be able to experience this process!<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div><br>
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In my previous post, I tell you what a Mamavation Mom is. But several friends have asked what does it mean for me? Here are a few things that I get to experience:<br>
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<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nutritional overhaul with a Dietitian with a focus on clean, preservative free, artificial free, GMO free food. Recipes, diet plan, and a kitchen overhaul which will be done before the end of the campaign. Our professional Dietitian is able to handle any form of allergy, special needs or breastfeeding diet.</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Virtual fitness plans and support by a licensed personal trainer.</span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Education and personal coaching from members of <a href="http://www.healthychild.org/" target="_blank">Healthy Child Healthy World</a></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Products from the following brands to help make the transition:</span></li>
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<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.naturepedic.com/index.php">Naturepedic</a>–2 mattresses and mattress covers for their children</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.bioray.com/" target="_blank">BioRay</a> –Liver Life (4oz), NDF (10oz), CytoFlora (4oz), Before the Flow (4oz), & Loving Energy (2oz)</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.bioraykids.com/" target="_blank">BioRayKids</a>–NDF shine (2oz), NDF happy (2oz), NDF focus (2oz), & NDF calm (2oz)</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.arnicare.com/" target="_blank">Arnicare</a>–Summer Essentials & First Aid Kit w/ various products valued at over $100</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.bona.com/en-US/" target="_blank">Bona</a>–Free & Simple Hardwood Floor Cleaner, Hardwood Floor Mop, Cabinet Cleaner, & Stone, Tile & Laminate Cleaner</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.ecos.com/" target="_blank">Earth Friendly Products</a>–Safeguard kit, Wave Pods New, Carpet Shampoo, Wave Jet, Eco Pods, Oxo Brite, Shower Cleaner, & Furniture Polish</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.ninenaturals.com/" target="_blank">Nine Naturals</a>–Nourishing Shampoo, Nourishing Conditioner, Soothing Bodywash, & Regenerative Body Butter</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.walgreens.com/q/ology" target="_blank">Walgreens Ology</a>–All Purpose Cleaner, Lav & Cham Baby Lotion, Fragrance Free Dish Detergent, Hand Soap Lemon Scent, Wht Pear & Cucumber Conditioner, Wht Pear & Cucumber Shampoo, Cube Facial Tissue, & 23W/100W t2 CFL Light Bulb.</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.soybu.com/" target="_blank">Soybu</a>–(specific products to be determined)</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.newbalance.com/" target="_blank">New Balance</a>–pair of tennis shoes</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.goddessgarden.com/" target="_blank">Goddess Gardens</a>–Natural Sunscreen Spray for Kids & Adults</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.logocos.us/sante/index.aspx?f=dom">Sante Cosmetics</a>–Set of Makeup</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://kellyteegardenorganics.com/" target="_blank">Kelly Tee Garden Organics</a>–Radiant anti-aging facial cream, Secret facial cleanser, lip gloss w/light & mirror</span></span></li>
<li style="list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="http://www.kleankanteen.com/" target="_blank">Klean Kanteen</a>–one set of products</span></span></li>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">What is expected of me? </span><span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Daily food journals, appearance on Mamavation TV every Monday night of the campaign, Wednesday night mentoring Google chat, One post and video per week on Mamavation, weekly Facebook updates, a certain amount of tweets per week, active membership in the Mamavation community, accountability to mentors and leadership, weekly scale picture to leadership, contract and liability release, AND MY BEST effort.</span><br>
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<div style="padding: 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm super excited about the swag, but even more than the goodies, I am STOKED about the support I will receive both for nutrition and fitness, but also the detox coaching. And I am SUPER excited to share my adventure with you! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> Make sure to check out the Mamavation Forums <a href="http://www.mamavation.com/" target="_blank">here</a> and join the fun!</span><br>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-29978783704457750332013-06-29T14:37:00.001-07:002013-06-29T14:39:30.054-07:00Mamavation Campaign 17 Application Post and Blog ResurrectionHeard of Lazarus? We should rename this blog Lazarus. I am raising it from the dead. Why? The best reason I can think of: accountability to truly live.<br />
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<b>My blog has suffered from a lack of attention for a very long time.</b> I guess it could be blamed on four babies in five years. Or it could be blamed on remodeling and moving. Or possibly just chasing after five children or running a travel planning business. Or I could blame it on the same reason I have not been successful at losing weight: myself. Blogging means transparency. Blogging means admitting my faults. Blogging means putting myself out there and if change isn't happening, then blogging exposes that. Time for change. Time to blog.</div>
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More than blogging, it's time I start taking full responsibility for not losing weight, not being healthy, not exercising, and for not setting a good example for my kids in these things. Something has to change. I have to have some accountability. </div>
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Insert my friend Leah and an awesome group of super supportive women at Mamavation.com. </div>
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I have followed Mamavation for a few years now and the time has not been right for me to apply to be a Mamavation Mom. In fact, I had stepped away from the gals after my last child was born...not intentionally...life just kind of took over. However, a<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">fter chatting with Leah about some of my frustrations with my health, she encouraged me to get back involved with the group and apply to become a Mamavation Mom this campaign. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><b>What is a Mamavation Mom, you ask?</b> Leah describes it best: "Mamavation Moms are 2-3 moms who </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">go through a 7-week online boot camp and their lives are put on an a public stage. They share their struggles learning healthy living as a mom as the world watches via computer. The goal is to inspire and demonstrate how challenges can be overcome. But ultimately the goal is to save their family from obesity by passing on the values they learn." </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Campaign 17 is a bit different, too...."<strong>Mamavation is proud to announce a partnership with <a href="http://www.healthychild.org/" target="_blank">Healthy Child Healthy World</a></strong> for the 17th Mamavation Mom Boot Camp. Not only will the Mamavation moms lose weight, but they will also learn how to <strong>de-toxify</strong> their own homes. And there are <strong>NO</strong> weight requirements for this campaign because the main focus will be on minimizing the impact chemicals can have on the health of families. But don’t worry, this is still a boot camp. The Mamavation Moms will be VERY likely to lose a significant amount of weight as well. They will still receive professional nutritional and fitness support. So in essence, they will be sweating out toxins."</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Now, why am I applying?</b> Well, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm sick and tired of my kids being sick. I'm afraid my life will be cut short because of my health. I need something strict and drastic. I need to be a Mamavation Mom. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It's time. It's time mama changes. It's time mom takes care of herself, first, so that the kids will have a mom. It's time to get off my can and do something to drastically change my family tree. It's time for me to shine. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So here is my video entry. It isn't pretty. I forgot to mention my Twitter name, @CBelleConcierge, and I am a nervous wreck to post my FIRST ever video of myself online. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Y'all. It's serious if I am doing this. LOL Wish me luck!! XOXO</span><br />
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Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-90967332796254958142013-06-20T15:19:00.001-07:002013-06-20T15:19:42.334-07:00Awaken the DeadI'm finding I need an outlet for my thoughts, catalog of kid's lives, food diary, weight loss/health posts, etc. so here I am. At my seriously neglected site and am going to resurrect the dead blog.<div><br></div><div>Poor thing.</div><div><br></div><div>Anyways, add us to your RSS feed, mama's gonna give blogging another shot!</div><div><br></div><div>Xoxo</div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-33291571558509888542011-12-09T09:46:00.001-08:002011-12-09T09:46:55.560-08:00Wordless Wednesday-But a little LATE!!Our Magical Day at Magic Kingdom on Tuesday. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KPB3aq5W3AStS8AnPqGJseOESUsUFv_KPNkjBB0Ql0vRET6GcFl70SbZsvpa1VJ_EAUo6EKnKeKmcRqfoyeKQSzzTNfTroDXGyqAHoBc_GnBm6M5R4XkuNkJs_B-Znz4wTVjZwwnRsCR/s1600/P1030929ww.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KPB3aq5W3AStS8AnPqGJseOESUsUFv_KPNkjBB0Ql0vRET6GcFl70SbZsvpa1VJ_EAUo6EKnKeKmcRqfoyeKQSzzTNfTroDXGyqAHoBc_GnBm6M5R4XkuNkJs_B-Znz4wTVjZwwnRsCR/s400/P1030929ww.jpg" /></a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-5284449647986142912011-12-01T18:12:00.000-08:002011-12-01T18:16:00.152-08:001000 Gifts...can I have the book, please?So after my finding <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com">this</a> blog and doing some reading on her blog, I discovered her book <a href="http://onethousandgifts.com/">1000 Gifts</a>.<br />
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Yeah, I'm a sap. I cried after reading the Letter from Ann about the book. So, <strike>could someone out there please buy me the book?</strike> I'm saving up for the book. <br />
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I struggle with keeping up with life sometimes. People have a misconception about me, that I'm "always on Facebook" or "always on my phone". But that's not true. I may pop online for 2 minutes to post something cute about the kids or a question or a picture. But no. My online time is limited. If I blog, it's at night after kids are in bed while 'M' watches a gun show or showers. <br />
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But I digress.<br />
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The point is, I have a hard time finding the little blessings everyday like a lot of busy moms do. <br />
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So, I downloaded the <a href="http://onethousandgifts.com/get-the-app">#1000gifts app</a> on my iPhone and will try and be more <i>intentional</i> in my gratitude. <br />
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I'll occasionally post one of my gifts on the blog. Otherwise you can find it on Twitter (message me on how to follow me) or on Facebook.<br />
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Here's a snapshot (again, with the iPhone as all of the #1000gifts pics will be):<br />
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<i><b>A little kitchen helper. A4 is always underfoot when I'm cooking. It touches my heart!...shared via the #1000gifts</b></i>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-3473639786034898882011-12-01T17:52:00.000-08:002013-06-29T19:47:34.422-07:00Advent - Our Jesse Tree<i>DISCLAIMER: Yes, I'm a photographer, no I don't always have my pro, or even P&S camera out. All of these images are iPhone images. Sorry. ;)</i><br>
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After so many years of being sick and tired of "commercialized" Christmas and after feeling helplessly handicap with a lack of conceptual creative juices, I think we have finally found our way of proactively keeping Jesus in Christmas.<br>
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Sure, I love the season and the decor in the stores...the music...the Santas everywhere...<br>
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I love the <a href="http://mistletoe-market.com">Mistletoe Market</a> in our town every year. It gets me in the mood right before Thanksgiving... <br>
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I love decorating our home...the smells of the season, etc...<br>
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However, I feel like Christ just gets lost in the hustle and bustle of this season that flies by WAY too fast these days.<br>
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So, this year, we are being intentional in our CHRISTmas season. <br>
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On November 30th, we started working on our Jesse Tree and did day 1. I was very nervous as I wasn't sure if the younger kids would "get" it. A2 got it and A3 liked the ornament! :) A4 just chewed on stuff. But I think just starting the tradition, and continuing it year after year, will help our family keep Christ in the season.<br>
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So, my friend Sara sent me to <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com">www.aholyexperience.com</a>. If you subscribe to her blog, you can get her free Jesse Tree book and templates. For me this worked the best for now. I'd love to make some felt or homemade ornaments in years to come. But for ease this Christmas and wanting to get started ASAP, print and laminate worked great. I did write the date of the month it was to be used, the scripture and what day of the Jesse Tree it is on the back. Then we punched some holes and ran some raffia and tah-DAH! We have ornaments. <br>
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We are using the Thankful Tree we made in November and are just turning it into our Jesse Tree. It's in our entryway and (if I can find it) our Manger Scene will be put up underneath it. <br>
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I'll later blog about the other Advent stuff we are doing including <a href="http://truthinthetinsel.com">"Truth in the Tinsel"</a>, an ebook I purchased (thanks for the info Christi!). My plan is to do "Truth in the Tinsel" during our school day and in the mornings and doing our Jesse Tree in the evening as a family.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-54220506539856469842011-11-29T11:47:00.000-08:002013-06-20T15:22:17.780-07:00Taste-tastic Tuesdays! Pecan Pie-Grandma's Recipe!I am from the south...where we have comfort food. And one of my favorite holiday comfort foods in my childhood memory is my Grandma Griffin's Pecan Pie. The age old question remains...how does one say Pecan? Since Pecan Pie is a southern food, we get dibs on pronunciation! No, it's not peh-cahn. It's PEE-CAN. Get it right people!<br>
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I posted on Facebook that I was going to make some for our family's Thanksgiving celebrations, but instead, I let A1 do it! He's been cooking some here and there and is a huge help in the kitchen. The week before he had stayed with my mom and baked poor man's blueberry pie all on his own. SO I set him to work!<br>
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(Pecans were picked up out of our yard by Matt's papa, A2 and A1!)<br>
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Here is the recipe for ONE pie:<br>
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3 eggs<br>
1/2 stick melted butter<br>
1/2 cup Karo syrup<br>
1 cup sugar<br>
1 cup chopped pecans<br>
pie crust (we use the Pillsbury roll out kind)<br>
Preheat your oven to 350º<br>
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FIRST: Beat your eggs well.<br>
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Melt Yo' Budda, er Butter...and beat it into your eggs.<br>
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Add your Karo Syrup and sugar...mix well.<br>
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Chop your PEEcans (mom did this and we chop them fine since the picky one, daddy, doesn't like the texture of nuts)<br>
And mix them well, but not before sampling them, of course! <br>
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Roll your pie crusts out into your pie plates!<br>
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Spoon in your sweet smelling concoction! (almost done!)<br>
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Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350º until when you shake them they barely jiggle in the middle. (yes, that is a proper culinary term....) If your crust starts browning too quickly, place some tinfoil strips around the edges to cover the crust only.<br>
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Wait'll they cool completely before you slice or it'll be runny!<br>
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ENJOY!!<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-IYS_aez_RTYIlTQ1LKH-P0ucYc72wqNoeoXZPM07Be-Kack_yu7zIuasx5XZrZD3JNP4lgcHPQyUF5XcAqRELnIvt9SZBdPd7d-pUxFIhFqCh9k8lKmBnP9OvT5SLQgR3HD0fGbakJ4/s1600/P1030587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-IYS_aez_RTYIlTQ1LKH-P0ucYc72wqNoeoXZPM07Be-Kack_yu7zIuasx5XZrZD3JNP4lgcHPQyUF5XcAqRELnIvt9SZBdPd7d-pUxFIhFqCh9k8lKmBnP9OvT5SLQgR3HD0fGbakJ4/s400/P1030587.jpg"></a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-730175767255814772011-06-19T13:50:00.000-07:002013-06-20T15:24:14.009-07:00The 'ALMOST' cake pop disaster. A.K.A The blockhead cake pops!My parents always told me I could do anything I put my mind to. Well, they never told me about cake pops. <br>
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DISCLAIMER: All pics were made with the iPhone.<br>
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After stewing over what to give my husband (he is, after all, the most thoughful gift giver I have ever met), I decided that the normal father's day gifts would not do. He didn't need another tie, or a coffee mug (he loathes coffee), or custom labeled beer, or an engraved plaque or something. So I started thinking about what he loves. Mysteriously, BOTH pairs of his good leather sandals have disappeared since we married...so we gave him a nice pair of leather slide on sandals. He Loves them. (Thank God)<br>
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He also loves red velvet cake. <br>
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Now, understand, this man HATES chocolate cake. I mean HATES it. But red velvet cake IS chocolate cake. But dyed red. Yes. This is true. I didn't know this til I was <strike>an adult</strike> about 18. (eh, ok...I was about 32). I KNOW it has to be the chocolate mixed with cream cheese icing. I mean, who doesn't like cream cheese icing. It's amazing. Yum.<br>
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But I digress.<br>
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Since we are doing bootcamp, I decided having an entire red velvet cake around this house would NOT be a good thing for our diets/workouts. So. I got ambitious. I decided to make...du-da-du....CAKE POPS! <br>
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Yeah...cake pops. One, MAYBE two bites of yummy goodness. AND I could take some to his dad and my dad and his papa. Yeah, CAKE pops. <br>
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So I did like any other do-it-herself crafter extraordinaire and went to <a href="http://www.bakerella.com">Bakerella's</a> website. She is, after all, THE expert on the subject. I found these UBER cute Superman Cake Pops! They look easy enough, RIGHT??? <br>
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Well, let me just tell you. I almost lost my religion making these suckers. I'm pretty crafty AND I am a good cook. But I STINK at making these. Start to finish it took about 8 hours and 3 days to make these. He better appreciate them! (I'll report back later on my findings!)<br>
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I was going to make a homemade red velvet, but after reading her blog decided that it was too moist. (I wanted the blue velvet cake instead of red.) I decided I'd rather have cake that stays on the stick and not just pretty cake. <br>
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So I baked a boxed red velvet cake, and made homemade cream cheese icing ::swoon:: <br>
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I crumbled the cake into a fine mess...then added enough icing to make balls. <br>
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I then rolled them and placed them on a tin-foiled cookie sheet and placed them in the freezer to harden a bit, and let a handsome young man <strike>devour</strike> lick the bowl.<br>
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Meanwhile, my friend Gina (aka a baking diva) came over to help me make marshmallow fondant (or Fawn-dahnt as the Cake Boss calls it.) Boy that stuff is an icky-sticky-ooey-gooey mess. But it tastes SO. MUCH. BETTER. than traditional fondant. (I hear Buddy saying it in his Hoboken, NJ accent every time I type that word.)<br>
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I made the mistake (well, multiple ones, really...but I digress...again...) of having her help me make it two days before I needed it, which made it REALLY hard to roll out later. She was gracious enough to come back over yesterday to help me roll them out and after HER day at bootcamp, her arms were like jelly and rolling them out simply exhausted her. So, <strike>when</strike> if I ever do these again, I'll make the fondant the day OF the ball assembly. We stored it in an airtight container:<br>
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So here's where things get <strike>stupid</strike> complicated. Yesterday (remember, Father's Day is the next day) Gina and I got to work...she rolled out the fondant and after realizing I had NOTHING to cut cute little shield shaped pieces, we decided on rectangles:<br>
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And while she did that I got to work on melting Almond Bark (since I couldn't get candy melts in the city of Perry and running to Warner Robins with four children for only candy melts was NOT an option.) My theory was I'd melt the bark then add the gel blue food coloring (since following instructions is NOT my strong point). Well. Let me tell you. THAT doesn't work. It turns into a globby mess because it cools the bark too quickly. So <strike>failure</strike> theory number two was to melt the bark WITH the food coloring IN it. It LOOKED like it was going to work. For about 2 seconds:<br>
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Then it globbed up again in a nasty mess. I called Lacy, our ever available sitter extraordinaire, and she ran over while I ran to Wal-Mart for MORE Almond Bark. After discussing the bark plight with Gina, we decided since we couldn't have lovely blue candy melts...I'd just do Almond Bark (which is white) and blue sugar crystals (can you say diabetic COMA????).<br>
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Off to Wal-Mart I go...and in my ADD stupor (which happens daily) I get everything BUT almond bark including rotisserie chicken and broccoli and cheese and croissants for a lovely chicken wreath for dinner. I got home with no almond bark so my cake pop assembly comes to a screeching halt the day BEFORE father's day. ::sigh::<br>
<br>
I was broken-hearted. Publix (2 miles away) doesn't carry it except during the holidays (jerks) and I was not about to run back to WM since we had to leave for bootcamp in less than an hour...SO I decided to stop BACK at WM on Sunday after I drop Matt to work AFTER church. Sheesh. DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA....I have to do EVERYTHING the hard way, it seems!<br>
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SO. I get something different called candy something or another right next to the Almond Bark thinking that the candy melt gods would smile better upon me with that and Alex and I start assembling. <br>
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I must say that when I pulled the balls out of the freezer, they had flat tops. SO...I just went with it. It was stressful enough trying to finish these things, so I wasn't ABOUT to add an extra step. <br>
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Pure and simple, they are an ugly mess. I used a red food coloring marker to write dad on the FAWN daunt.....and, in all their blockhead glory, stayed on the stick like good little cake pops should. <br>
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I never said I focus on perfection in baking...but I am SUCH a perfectionist in my other crafts. Go figure: <br>
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They took forever and I MAY try them again but with real candy melts and a not so moist cake. We'll see. But ugly or not, they were made with a lot of love. I hope they taste good...<br>
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Happy Father's Day!!<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvO5rMoPw7dMG0qt421AYFmNnZ55fqKX7BvA-lbdT9NlWdQG1B2WZhitK2bR1p5kT6Qd5jAz5e2izQhzAp9Y-J7doim_Yf7h3nAOeUIFXrC7iDpVsSRPXxQuC3ihQmeXN2rajvHuyVDnM/s1600/photo+%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjvO5rMoPw7dMG0qt421AYFmNnZ55fqKX7BvA-lbdT9NlWdQG1B2WZhitK2bR1p5kT6Qd5jAz5e2izQhzAp9Y-J7doim_Yf7h3nAOeUIFXrC7iDpVsSRPXxQuC3ihQmeXN2rajvHuyVDnM/s400/photo+%25289%2529.JPG"></a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-70984502600066363912011-03-23T09:22:00.000-07:002013-06-29T19:51:27.405-07:00Oh my stars....HE IS FOUR!!!! And he's MINE!!!Where does time go? I am so far behind blogging that it isn't funny. Add to it that I was in the hospital on A2's birthday and that I have yet to do his 4 year portraits and I feel like a total loser of a mom! But I have to remind myself that my days are full of loving on these babies and extra stuff isn't always top on the list. <br>
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SO.<br>
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My sweet boy, we fondly call A2 on chore charts, etc; turned 4 on March 2! WHEN did he change from this:<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAu80VwiW8dU5d5foAqdPxe6N3gWBSr3QnsXzmJmkWdCtzfWOPUzC_jydaPUwlFBHf20eGv6bcGkLaa16aYvJ4k8CH_9hSpwKRYkLtB1cUP5fAR2J5eu2dpxRmYoMg4Dh0KWoT_rXk_wv/s1600/aslan12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAu80VwiW8dU5d5foAqdPxe6N3gWBSr3QnsXzmJmkWdCtzfWOPUzC_jydaPUwlFBHf20eGv6bcGkLaa16aYvJ4k8CH_9hSpwKRYkLtB1cUP5fAR2J5eu2dpxRmYoMg4Dh0KWoT_rXk_wv/s400/aslan12.jpg"></a></div><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDb6TIRJJjsp8eyVI04qGonkL7xMdyGD__dKJaT5Hp1jEJOn0Q079me1DLdaohFOUPZsndOmt8J9XjNasX5t_Eo5SPkg7XhgX4bbuQ1XBrCxXwNQ-taYd4T-xzVw3zNJtZLhb-TBuz8dTO/s1600/aslan11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="212" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDb6TIRJJjsp8eyVI04qGonkL7xMdyGD__dKJaT5Hp1jEJOn0Q079me1DLdaohFOUPZsndOmt8J9XjNasX5t_Eo5SPkg7XhgX4bbuQ1XBrCxXwNQ-taYd4T-xzVw3zNJtZLhb-TBuz8dTO/s400/aslan11.jpg"></a></div><br>
to this:<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJox-M8H1vkoyoJ6q-_J0TfLLHVcxkZ5htL3t9xfPBvY8MiUSOIRUbkXFNGyYeXC5EioQZx7dLV8ETR1eflnKk0Z0PtJjSsDZuLcA4JRB_f9kBE3Izu5r1EM2sqUQP_GWzo1xMWQK3h4z/s1600/aslan13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="312" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJox-M8H1vkoyoJ6q-_J0TfLLHVcxkZ5htL3t9xfPBvY8MiUSOIRUbkXFNGyYeXC5EioQZx7dLV8ETR1eflnKk0Z0PtJjSsDZuLcA4JRB_f9kBE3Izu5r1EM2sqUQP_GWzo1xMWQK3h4z/s400/aslan13.jpg"></a></div><br>
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and from this:<br>
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to this last year:<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY6hLRzzHw7vjVcf7tOcZBrYKYhKI_f9HQAWtIV1meM6P1g-HteMY9h1VEgrHs6T1XyIrL_Ncm9AvS0Wjnpl5OWjvtJW5ZXnJUBipN__0oeKASII9dG_TCwXmS85WZ8aUZ9i2do3j0oG0/s1600/aslan7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="268" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY6hLRzzHw7vjVcf7tOcZBrYKYhKI_f9HQAWtIV1meM6P1g-HteMY9h1VEgrHs6T1XyIrL_Ncm9AvS0Wjnpl5OWjvtJW5ZXnJUBipN__0oeKASII9dG_TCwXmS85WZ8aUZ9i2do3j0oG0/s400/aslan7.jpg"></a></div><br>
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to these recent snapshots:<br>
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???????<br>
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My sweet boy is into everything. We are learning Bible verses in our morning homeschool quiet time. He is really good with "Love is Patient and Love is kind" 1 Corinfians tirteen four (spelled like he says it). He is learning his letters and numbers and talks up a blue streak around here. He is a loud little booger...after I asked the ENT today about his hearing, he said "it's fine...it's just the Y chromosome talking!" to which I had to laugh. He is all boy and is rough and tumble. Except with his sisters. He turns into pure mush and just wants to love on, kiss on, and protect his girls, as he calls them. <br>
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A2 has an amazing ability to retain lyrics to songs. He can hear a song once or twice and can sing it back to you. My favorite one was when I caught him singing "Our God is greater, Our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other. Our God is healer, awesome in power....our God....Our God..." Yes. Word. FOR. WORD. I am amazed. I can't wait to get my piano up here and start him playing. He has skills.<br>
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Talking about skills, the boy can flip. Like, literally. My dad gave the boys a trampoline for Christmas and when I first put him on it, he freaked OUT because he couldn't get his legs under him. We made him work through his fear, now it's his favorite place to be in the yard. The boy can do handless cartwheels and flips where he ALMOST lands on his feet again. Dude blows me away. It's so cute that Alex (A4) teaches him all the moves and Aslan gives credit to A4 saying "mom, Alex taught me how to flip!! I CAN DO IT!!!". <br>
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A2 is turning into a little man around the house as well. He does his chores MOSTLY without complaint and with a good attitude. He helps keep his room clean, moves the laundry from the dryer to my bed, keeps the living room picked up and collects the small trash bags throughout the house. All of this he does daily. I love how diligent he is becoming with his work. <br>
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He LOVES Garfield the cat, much to the joy of Aunt Gay (Matt's aunt). She works for Garfield the Cat's creator in marketing and always has goodies for the boys. He gets his words crossed up when talking about Garfield's movie "Pet Force". He crosses the sounds in "Fun Fest" (another Garfield movie) and so when he asks to watch "Pet Force" it comes out "Fart Force". He doesn't realize what he is saying and it is so funny (considering fart isn't a word we allow them to use in conversations).<br>
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He also loves his extended family. He ADORES going to DH's grandparents to visit and spend the night and LOVES when he sees Grandma W. He adores my parents (nana and papa) and DH's parents (DD and JJ) and he talks about Memaw (J's mom) all the time! He loves for his dad to visit and always looks forward to time with family.<br>
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A2 is never short on hugs and kisses for mom and LOVES to get in the floor to play with daddy. He is all about doing what A1 does and loves to teach A3 how to play pretend in her kitchen. Every single morning when I get A3 up, A2 runs to her and wants to cover her in kisses. It's a must.<br>
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With his favorite kiddos in the world:<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPnEXA9HoSdvmxWdpwOK1CDL5xu4aOG0Ln2xd3moQQHKCx8BuA_W2chRaa7cooguYHhPmP2So4nrqSEQFwvyB-AAbOvRV2eDKTVuqu6Bse8mMsWcHLHN45KfYkQjwZORCNZepVq9IQEhG/s1600/P1020114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPnEXA9HoSdvmxWdpwOK1CDL5xu4aOG0Ln2xd3moQQHKCx8BuA_W2chRaa7cooguYHhPmP2So4nrqSEQFwvyB-AAbOvRV2eDKTVuqu6Bse8mMsWcHLHN45KfYkQjwZORCNZepVq9IQEhG/s400/P1020114.jpg"></a></div><br>
He is a child of much compassion and a love for worshipping Jesus. He LOVES going to Waumba Land at church and counts the days until Sunday rolls around again. I love his teachable spirit and every day I get to spend as his mom!<br>
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Oh big boy, you make my heart do cartwheels, I love watching you grow and learn and love. You are my favorite 4 year old and I am so blessed to call you mine!!<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceaVb1Ycl85uN4f8gddYektupRaZ9Lbiuy-Gz1Jk4N-b5Z3XoNulobXrf45YKzMuywNf1iDeYCLMIfIiKf9iIdr0j1oS8HEnkn-IKoJZWc5wKRLCxIvVjDkzQdsoWKI7GkkbDo0FFnzp1/s1600/aslan20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="266" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceaVb1Ycl85uN4f8gddYektupRaZ9Lbiuy-Gz1Jk4N-b5Z3XoNulobXrf45YKzMuywNf1iDeYCLMIfIiKf9iIdr0j1oS8HEnkn-IKoJZWc5wKRLCxIvVjDkzQdsoWKI7GkkbDo0FFnzp1/s400/aslan20.jpg"></a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-1971197488833086402011-01-22T09:44:00.000-08:002011-01-23T13:17:11.819-08:00Bloggity, blog blog....Ok, so blogging daily is out. Sorry folks, my life is way to <strike>boring</strike> <strike>busy</strike> full. It's probably going to be a two-three time a week ordeal. <a href="www.mamavation.com">Mamavation Mondays</a> are essential and maybe one or two more. Ok, so I have modified my New Year's resolution from blogging daily, to blogging weekly. But at least I'll be blogging! <br />
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I am so excited! My new point and shoot camera should be here today. All you prophotogs know what I'm talking about when I say hauling around a DSLR is a big ol' pain in the rear. My friend, Shannon, said she had <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-ZS6-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B003NYRMGA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295716446&sr=8-1">this camera</a>. After searching and remembering my friend Christi had <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-FZ35-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B002IKLJU0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1295716509&sr=1-1">this camera</a> and I opted for the latter. My old P&S had not died when my sweet hubby bought my Christmas present. He got me the cute little Panasonic HD palm video camera, and remember my saying I wanted a digital video camera. It was a cute little thing and I was totally disappointed when my P&S died JUST before Christmas and JUST before he gave me the other one. So he sweetly said I could return it to Amazon and get a P7S that had HD vid. Adding my free Amazon gift cards I earned from <a href="http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/mattswoman">here</a> and my Christmas money from a few sources, I was able to get it. One of the things I love about this camera is it's manual and RAW shooting capabilities since I am a, self proclaimed, camera control freak! It also has manual video camera settings where you can control the Aperture and Shutter Speed of the vid. AND it has 18x zoom you can use DURING video! I am STOKED! I am so excited to have a new "mama" camera! YAY! Of course I'll still use my pro camera for their portraits, etc. But am just THRILLED to have something to carry around for day to day use!<br />
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<i>EDIT: My camera had not arrived when I typed my blog for today, but at 10:45am my doorbell rang and sure enough, it was my camera! YAY! Talking about FAST! I paid for the item yesterday afternoon around 2:30pm and it was here less than 24 hours later! YAY Amazon! </i><br />
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In other news, the new book I have been reading is about home management for homeschooling mothers in a book called <a href="http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1100">"Managers of Their Homes"</a> from <a href="http://www.titus2.com/">Titus 2 </a>ministries. Oh WHAT a blessing it has been to my heart! It deals with managing your time from a Godly perspective and how to be a blessing to your husband, children and home through what you schedule for the day. I am about halfway through the book and have already implemented some of the scheduling techniques with A2, A3 and A4. So far so good! Ava is napping on time, etc...and I am enjoying all three being down at the same time. It's giving me some much needed "me" time to either nap, have some computer time, etc. I HIGHLY recommend this book to ANY mom homeschooling with several children at home!<br />
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Another project on the home front is a little decorating project for my living room. I am super excited about it and found a WHOLE BUNCHA items at Goodwill yesterday I am going to paint/resurface, etc for said project. Watch for some posts coming up to show a little sampling of what I'm doing! <br />
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Also, I am taking recommendations for some recipes that are <strike>diet-ish</strike> <strike>eatable</strike> healthy and can still be fed to my entire family. If you have any suggestions or links, feel free to leave a comment!<br />
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Happy Saturday, everyone!Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-26401200333282793672011-01-11T16:03:00.000-08:002011-01-11T16:08:32.911-08:00Day 11 of 2011! Bi Polar Baby...lol....While trying to get a decent shot of how BLUE Ava's eyes were, this is the series I got before I calmed her enough to take it!<br />
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Here's the final image up close:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRecNg_PvVx3y3aGonwgTrDx7VEyMbPiJZNXpyoNVEKqAkxMBlG95-QP1EefGEvjlrR7nrNeBtUYkPw54nB1ngkfEHRawz54I_Xm8amKvZbutauCn-Axup-Tk8z4kv4Vy7mD0dnuGB-zG/s1600/1.11-3.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="268" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRecNg_PvVx3y3aGonwgTrDx7VEyMbPiJZNXpyoNVEKqAkxMBlG95-QP1EefGEvjlrR7nrNeBtUYkPw54nB1ngkfEHRawz54I_Xm8amKvZbutauCn-Axup-Tk8z4kv4Vy7mD0dnuGB-zG/s400/1.11-3.11.jpg" /></a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-68043673529787814632011-01-11T11:15:00.000-08:002011-01-11T11:38:05.901-08:00Tasty Tuesday!!-Sausage and Artichoke CasseroleHere begins my "Tasty Tuesday" posts by which I share with you successful recipes I have tried, and/or altered to fit our life.<br />
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This week's recipe doesn't sound good at first glance. But, um, yeah...it was super yum.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtsaDgXOt1EG6TBYoUp3skGTnzhyphenhyphenfAbX4MNcPp1ZD_9wbZE9JHpeM_F5qePaq9Mdg7BeZ3TzFP38vorP8Od-pCMpMjCRr9w7ciomNs8Mt30HgWskmoHhAgHvYKhFbLYwDAX3kfxnS_cK8/s1600/Image048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="270" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijtsaDgXOt1EG6TBYoUp3skGTnzhyphenhyphenfAbX4MNcPp1ZD_9wbZE9JHpeM_F5qePaq9Mdg7BeZ3TzFP38vorP8Od-pCMpMjCRr9w7ciomNs8Mt30HgWskmoHhAgHvYKhFbLYwDAX3kfxnS_cK8/s400/Image048.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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We, of course, used Venison sausage because we have tons of deer to eat....but you can use pork or turkey sausage. With pork you may want to drain your meat after your initial baking time.<br />
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<i>Ingredients:</i><br />
1 lb "pan" sausage<br />
1 (12 oz) jar of marinated artichoke hearts<br />
1 1/2 (5oz) bag of butter and garlic croutons<br />
1/2 cup onions, bellpepper and celery chopped fine (We used onions only because of my picky eaters)<br />
1 can of chicken broth (reduced sodium)<br />
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese<br />
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<i>Prep:</i><br />
Preheat oven to 450 degrees<br />
Chop artichokes into small pieces<br />
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<i>Cooking Instructions:</i><br />
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1. Crumble sausage and place in a 13"x9" baking dish, bake 8-10 min (you may want to drain after this step)<br />
2. Crumble sausage into fine pieces. Stir in artichokes, croutons, veggie mix, chicken broth and cheese; cover with foil and back 20 min.<br />
3. Remove foil and bake another 10 min or until browned. Serve.<br />
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I served it with green beans, but a salad would be good, too! My family LOVED it! (As you can see) Bon Appetit!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKXdEQIF3sPY7TRBGLo__drnCDRepbj1EHvVKWWULukYVhlfEfQpZ9GFqpgVzaH4nVKwHt4UnpCPkECoGxOB9QyV6e5zV7dyxz2JWowx74vMofwkawAHilHorzgs1HdkYn23R4VMCTD1D/s1600/Image055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="269" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKXdEQIF3sPY7TRBGLo__drnCDRepbj1EHvVKWWULukYVhlfEfQpZ9GFqpgVzaH4nVKwHt4UnpCPkECoGxOB9QyV6e5zV7dyxz2JWowx74vMofwkawAHilHorzgs1HdkYn23R4VMCTD1D/s400/Image055.jpg" /></a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-71707848029940368542011-01-05T12:29:00.000-08:002011-01-11T12:37:42.849-08:00Day 5 of 2011!!At our house, we love to vacuum! And not just mommy, either! (Though I am becoming a habitual vacuum/steam mopping fool as of late because of the new 'to me' addition of a Rainbow Sweeper and my Haan steam mop!)<br />
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Alissa used to have a horrific fear of our vacuum because of the loud noise. Not only was she afraid of it, but she'd scream/run/jump away from me and get as far away from said vacuum and I as possible. One day I decided to "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flooding_(psychology)">Flood</a>" her by letting her play with the purple kitchen sweeper and turning it on mid "vacuum" so it surprised her. She wigged out for about a second and a half and then proceeded to vacuum the ENTIRE kitchen with it. She loves it so much that we gave Alissa her own Dirt Devil Jr in bright pink. She loves it. She hasn't been afraid of any of the vacuums since. I love this especially because I LOVE using my new Rainbow and she just follows me around with hers now instead of screaming and running!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDadJWxtEGtYrVxbyq2VcyukeNM9c82boi3C6N9fl3tHU8mYfZs5K7bUPjmIY60WEFDorQ5MLiwWe7uNOIVOd0mpnRGEKbB6UlqWXqPxqthKCX1WNZdZYQ8BDogRoiZpx-EfZGw8rDQj6e/s1600/1.5-2.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDadJWxtEGtYrVxbyq2VcyukeNM9c82boi3C6N9fl3tHU8mYfZs5K7bUPjmIY60WEFDorQ5MLiwWe7uNOIVOd0mpnRGEKbB6UlqWXqPxqthKCX1WNZdZYQ8BDogRoiZpx-EfZGw8rDQj6e/s400/1.5-2.11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Alissa and I aren't the only ones who love it. Aslan used to be equally afraid of the vacuums til he saw Alissa get over her fear. No flooding was needed for him, as he saw Alissa wasn't going to die or get sucked up by the sweeper. He is now equally infatuated with the vacuums and I love that he loves to "clean" mama's kitchen floors now! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrzi2SXnyopcZuV_ildLKwIEVAxO_25sdGAzxhrQ-_f4M6a2Rpy0icT_XJE38ew2Yj-EvdHQNbjw4IJXtLWjljnbe5wiaCN5h7-8skRwrDMgznC1Zdtr7BqAwj6cWLK2FrG5oV8l7zT_0/s1600/1.5.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="268" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrzi2SXnyopcZuV_ildLKwIEVAxO_25sdGAzxhrQ-_f4M6a2Rpy0icT_XJE38ew2Yj-EvdHQNbjw4IJXtLWjljnbe5wiaCN5h7-8skRwrDMgznC1Zdtr7BqAwj6cWLK2FrG5oV8l7zT_0/s400/1.5.11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
And yes, my children love to live in mismatched jammies, thank you very much! They pick them out themselves and to be honest, most days we LIVE in our jammies if we don't leave the house!Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-4141936010951739092011-01-04T11:48:00.000-08:002011-01-11T12:20:15.820-08:00Day 4 of 2011!!Have I mentioned that Alissa LOVES to spin/swing/jump? Well, she does. She has ALMOST outgrown the weight limit for her jumper, but insists on still getting in it first thing in the morning and right after nap. It's almost like it's become her wake up routine. She typically hollars "MEMEEEEE" for Barney to be turned on and she jumps/spins away through one episode. Sometimes she spins and jumps, other times she just spins. Sometimes she even closes her eyes almost as if to enhance the effect of the spinning. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktvlM9tSZnC2HkMSqh9lW-DLf0uzv-Iw8lrWOMIRyYrGfxV7Zk684ecXOmm7AT38-P5KKQBivb7yAVsRcH-g4byJgzXcqm0dbTvl6t4Hb7GzyZH5asoZa8GbWKJo31Cckr7qsTcBLe-GQ/s1600/1.4.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktvlM9tSZnC2HkMSqh9lW-DLf0uzv-Iw8lrWOMIRyYrGfxV7Zk684ecXOmm7AT38-P5KKQBivb7yAVsRcH-g4byJgzXcqm0dbTvl6t4Hb7GzyZH5asoZa8GbWKJo31Cckr7qsTcBLe-GQ/s400/1.4.11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Yeah, I hear spinning is the equivalent of "CracK" for babies. Who cares...she'll out grow it soon. Here she is in action...note the way she uses her leg to propel herself much like an ice skater does. Too bad we don't live near an ice rink where she could take lessons!<br />
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<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rJ3racU_uds?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rJ3racU_uds?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-66911123747601342402011-01-03T11:20:00.000-08:002011-01-11T11:30:06.580-08:00Day three of 2011!!This is the day I started Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Did I mention it made me SORE?! Well, maybe I have a few times, but my friend, <a href="http://heartshandspotsandpans.blogspot.com/">Kate</a>, says I'll make it through it and survive. <br />
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As we were working out, Aslan decides he wants to come and join us, so I asked Kate to snap these pics of him diligently working out:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h9geUu6A7yHVYBEb_9rvdPZ8-_qDRjUxlltlZGGite1ZuWC0m1vohqxO4bhfMN3L-WFNUviOPwLLJD7wpdSdEHV3r7qcaOYnJ6cu0yVqdPZAbFLyD8zkCi2zIqDl2BI1wC_2pcap2zri/s1600/1.3.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="266" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h9geUu6A7yHVYBEb_9rvdPZ8-_qDRjUxlltlZGGite1ZuWC0m1vohqxO4bhfMN3L-WFNUviOPwLLJD7wpdSdEHV3r7qcaOYnJ6cu0yVqdPZAbFLyD8zkCi2zIqDl2BI1wC_2pcap2zri/s400/1.3.11.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Having a cute lil workout buddy helps. (Not that you aren't cute, Kate) He makes me want to workout again!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivE9b_QFkIUZ_9jsFdBN5YYF8pYM7m_WmYWF4UxPcL-4qamxFI78IrWDXju1EdVDrs8r9hQijQ-ZVxN0LOlTz3aEBugnyacErVDdO6nTeSHj8l0hsk6ztGqnLizxJMchyphenhyphen5iVjIqdLDHnM_/s1600/1.3-2.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="266" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivE9b_QFkIUZ_9jsFdBN5YYF8pYM7m_WmYWF4UxPcL-4qamxFI78IrWDXju1EdVDrs8r9hQijQ-ZVxN0LOlTz3aEBugnyacErVDdO6nTeSHj8l0hsk6ztGqnLizxJMchyphenhyphen5iVjIqdLDHnM_/s400/1.3-2.11.jpg" /></a></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-46835631963468253552011-01-02T19:05:00.000-08:002011-01-06T19:09:11.812-08:00Day two of 2011I'm catching up on the first few days of the year. My feeble brain is so pathetic that I am having a hard time remembering a few days ago!<br />
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Were SUPPOSED to go <a href="http://www.longleafchurch.org/">Longleaf Church</a>, as we do most Sundays. But Matt and I both woke up very tired from the holidays and from him working the "end of the year sale" at work. So, we slept in. After a very late breakfast we decided to "run" to Lowe's. I use the term "run" loosely. You don't "run" anywhere with a 3.5 year old, 15 month old and 3 month old. But much to Matt's chagrin, we went with him and I classified it as "family time". ::insert snicker:: The middles, Aslan: A2 and Alissa: A3 were getting mighty close to naptime so Matt was apprehensive that we'd make it home before one or both fell asleep in the car. And if you have kids that are very schedule driven, you understand what a 5 min catnap in the car will do! So off to Lowe's we went!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPRr9GYmB-tZbZvb2AocCG0vsLWRewuBWs24VB0crYTbFnt3mcqZBHrL1uHMk37mtu3SopPuORRg4fUMO2lTTCiX63o884FaLOOxcgKQhAgQ95YJDBj4gjZxZvm4FljHQRg1OB3wNDskk/s1600/20110102114525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPRr9GYmB-tZbZvb2AocCG0vsLWRewuBWs24VB0crYTbFnt3mcqZBHrL1uHMk37mtu3SopPuORRg4fUMO2lTTCiX63o884FaLOOxcgKQhAgQ95YJDBj4gjZxZvm4FljHQRg1OB3wNDskk/s320/20110102114525.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
(please excuse the following pics, as they came from my cell.)<br />
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So what does one do with an almost 4 year old when the cart is full with his baby sisters and he has no where to be contained? You send him running the aisles so that you wear his fanny out so he naps well. He thought it was a game when in actuality it was to keep him distracted so Matt could think without the sweet but constant chatter and list of questions from A2.<br />
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And after 30 min of this, he decided this was the best place for him:<br />
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As for the girls, A3 had a great time watching her bubba run for a while. Then she grew weary of just sitting doing nothing. And other than calling every other man who walked by "JJ" (what she calls Matt's dad) she did this:<br />
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As long as we were in motion she was happy, as was A4:<br />
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All in all it wasn't a horrible trip to Lowe's. We did have some family time and when we got back Matt started building our storage shelves in the garage to help with pantry space. I am so excited! He has tripled my pantry space and it looks good, too! YAY for handy, perfectionistic husbands!<br />
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And randomness....did I mention I have a new haircut?? Yep:<br />
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More randomness...look how cute she is when I dress her like a rocker chick after pulling her hair out of a bow and seeing a fauxhawk!<br />
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And how about my baby girl's blue eyes???<br />
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LOVE them.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1748251553601025293.post-58683849660244660522011-01-02T17:44:00.000-08:002013-06-29T19:53:13.479-07:00Happy 2011!! Welcome to our world!My goal this year is to document our "mundane to some", but exciting to us, life. I am going to just ramble. I have never journaled or blogged before, so I am gonna just "jot" down some thoughts of where my kids are RIGHT now. <br>
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</div><div>Last year, 2010, was quite busy for us. We came to find out in early January, just a few short months after A3 was born, that we were expecting again! Boy, talking about overwhelmed! I was the mother to a 4 month old, almost 3 year old and 9 1/2 year old. HOW in the world could I add another to the mix, much less survive the next 9 months, through the summer, AGAIN, pregnant. But God had amazing plans! A4 was born September 17th, after 33 hours of labor, via c-section. She is a good baby who brings us much joy. She started cooing and smiling around 7 weeks, which is MUCH earlier than my other two babies. We started putting her in her bumbo seat, which she loves first thing in the morning, and she is just a nosey little thing watching all that is going on around her. She watches her big brothers and siss and just smiles and squeals! Her big blue eyes light up when her dad or myself walk into the room and it just makes our hearts sing! She's not sleeping as well as we'd like some nights, but most nights we get enough. <br>
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</div><div>A3, born August 27, 2009; turned 1 and we are absolutely in love with "Priss", "Ange'", "bebe", "sissa". She adds so much joy to our lives. She loves her baby sister, too! Every chance she gets she "wuvs" A4. She snuggles her head down and gives her nuzzles. It's precious. She calls her "Vah" and A4 loves watching A3 play. Siss got a kitchen from her papa for Christmas and she LOVES it. Along with her baby from DD and the kitchen, she has PLENTY to do to imitate mommy. I love watching her walk around with the baby slung over her shoulder. She also puts whatever toy is rectangular to her ear as if it were a cell phone. Priss thinks she can call dada anytime she wants! Some words she uses regularly: Mama, Dada or daaaeeee, DD, JJ (dayday), Bubba, AAAAh for A1 and Aaaln for A2 and of course Vah for A4. She also will say papa, nana, maaana for banana, beeemee for Barney, and of course she sings the I love you song. It comes out "me me meeee, tissess tissess". She started walking at 10 months and hasn't slowed down since. She still loves her jumper, though she has just passed the weight limit. She gets in it and spins. And when I say spin, I mean like an ice skater. SHE FLIES. I will need to post a video soon. She has also taken to the boy's trampoline that papa gave them for Christmas. She loves it. She is pure joy to us!<br>
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</div><div>A2 turns 4 March 2 and I can NOT believe it. I am in complete disbelief that my first baby is leaving his toddler years and headed into "little man"-hood. ::sniff:: He and I have a special relationship that only a mother of a son can understand. DH says I let him slide with too much. I am working on that, but it's hard as he looks at me with those big brown eyes! These days we do "school" work, but mostly we learn through play. He got a "big boy" bike for Christmas and is loving that. He is still young and sweet enough that it's still ok and cool to climb into mom's lap to read a favorite book. From the time he gets up in the morning, he is on "go" all day long and will still collapse, most days, at naptime to rest a bit before going at it again! We're counting almost to 20, know all of our colors, shapes, etc and is learning to build with the Lincoln Logs that Nana W gave him for Christmas. He loves to dig around in bubba's legos and build "star fighters" and "emperial droids". Much to my dislike, A2 LOVES Dora. Ugh. I SWORE I'd never let my kids watch Dora or Barney. I am eating my words. A2 loves his baby sisters and big brother SO much and always has extra kisses for us all. <br>
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</div><div>A1, my big boy, turned 10 in August 2010. He's all boy and loves the typical 10 year old activities. He's great with legos! The boy has skills! He has taught Aslan how to build and in general is quite the engineer! He got a new bike for Christmas and is learning tricks on it. It's one of those fancy BMX trick bikes. He just learned to ride without training wheels a few months ago. Now he's zoom zoom all over the place! We are homeschooling, still, and he is doing wonderfully since being home! Not only has his attitude in general gotten better, but his academics have improved greatly! He started the year almost 2 years behind in Math, but has caught up about a year and a half's worth! That is a MAJOR improvement! We are using a kinetic math curriculum that he actually LIKES. He is reading on a 7th grade level (he's only in 3rd) and loves to consume mystery books like the Hardy Boys, etc. We are studying early American history in our curriculum and are learning about the Native Americans, Christopher Columbus, etc. He is quite obsessed with the Egyptians and mummies, so we took a field trip a couple months ago to the Indian Mounds in Macon. Now he is really into the similarities of the Native Americans and the Egyptians ( mounds vs pyramids, mummification, etc). We really are enjoying it and I am learning a ton about our history, too! He is my joy boy and I love him SO much! We will celebrate 6 years of him being with us in April! I can't believe it!<br>
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I am so blessed, BLESSED beyond measure! I have a wonderful husband and fantastic children and am so thankful where God has me. I am learning more and more of His love for us daily through serving my family. I hope you enjoy my ramblings!<br>
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</div></div>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524960503231040101noreply@blogger.com2