PSA: Follow me to a giveaway!

Wow!  This blogger just keeps having the best giveaways for families!  Build A Bear is a favorite of ours though we don't get to go too often....and during the Christmas season I've got to say we haven't been there so I didn't even realize they had classic Christmas characters!

Which brings us to today's PSA:

Piece Of Me is hosting a giveaway for the Rudolph and Clarice pair from Build a Bear!  YAY!!  Now go forth and enter!

UPDATE:  This giveaway ends 12/14/2012 just for some FYI.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Thirty!

The final day in November and we are still in our month by month apartment.  With a close date finally settled and contracted we have an end in sight to the expensive apartment contract!  We will be done and out of the apartment by the end of January (actually we are aiming for mid January so we are settled into the house before Baby Brother joins us but we have to pay through January).  I am so thankful for all the things that have allowed us to do this monthly apartment and be together.  Chris' job, pet sitters (!!), (sadly) our savings, friends who let Chris couch-surf for months, the sale of our other house, family that gave Alyssa and I a space for a little more than a week to live, and so many other things that eventually fell into place.  Of course we didn't escape completely unscathed (see savings....) but we were able to live together for the last 3 months (and the next month and half that we wouldn't have if we didn't have the apartment).  It has been a blessing for our family albeit an expensive one.  I guess it isn't officially over but the light is visible and we are excited!

(On a completely side note:  I never thought I'd actually make it through the month without missing at least one Thankfulness post!  Yay me!!)

Coin Chart Experience Update: Two Months

Well we started the Coins back in early October and we have had an interesting run with it.  It really has been a nice addition to our parenting style though some days it simply doesn't work.  Obviously you can't expect a pure miracle to take the TWO out of a two-year-old so I take those days as my "thank you for working all those other days!" reaction while I curl up in a ball and wonder how other parents survive the two+ years of nonstop toddler crazies.

In case you don't recall, each row has 10 spaces for stickers and when that row is full she earns her goal/prize.  This requires 10 days of good behaviors and listening skills that kept or earned back her 6 coins before the end of the night.  (Find the whole system here.)  That really isn't easy for a toddler many days because the closer you are to bedtime, the more tired they are, the more likely they are to misbehave and lose a coin rather than earn one...Of course being the age she is we also stack the deck in her favor a bit by loading the end of the day with opportunities to help us with 'chores' that will give her ample chances to earn any lost coins before bedtime.  Eventually these things will simply become expected (cleaning up toys will not be a red light/green light game anymore, going to her room for storytime before bed without being carried in there will not be praised quite so vehemently, etc.) and her coin earning will become more difficult but for now, this is helping reinforce what behaviors we approve and applaud and those that are unacceptable.

That picture shows how good a toddler typically is when motivated by the right system.  Now your toddler's "right system" is likely to be different than ours and it took some trial and error to adapt this chart into our lifestyle to the best of its uses.  Consider:  October 4th (roughly based on Facebook picture dates) we started the Coins.  November 27th she earned that last sticker shown (there is another one now).  In less than two months (55 days), she earned 41 stickers.  The roughest stretch was actually during the 3rd goal because we were pulling some of the extra help that we'd been giving her and she was trying to test our system's strength and boundaries.

The weakest point in this method for us:  bedtime.  The sticker has been given and the day is over.  Bedtime is hard to incorporate into the method for us because she needs that immediate sensation of loss to reinforce the 6 coin loss.  Taking her cartoons away the next day over bedtime fits doesn't work because she doesn't seem to put the two actions together.  For now, at least until she starts to grasp the delayed reward/consequence concepts, bedtime is its own entity outside the realm of Coins.  Naptime has improved quite a bit though with the use of Coins because the afternoon without shows is just torture!

The biggest pro to this method thus far is honestly that Momma has a visual reminder during the rough moments of just how amazingly good her stubborn toddler really is (in that overall sense) and it gives me that mental step-back-and-breathe moment to grasp my remaining bits of patience and sew them together until Papa gets home.  Some days you just need to have that reminder that "she is a good kid, she is a good kid, she is a GOOD KID" and this chart with all of its successes displayed so prominently has given me that in a very concrete way.

I highly recommend this system to anyone who thinks it might help even a little!  If you have older children, consider the monetary version (find all the versions laid out here) and use it as a math and money teaching tool too!  And if you come up with any little tricks or changes that work better for you--AWESOME, please share them with me and with the original blogger!  We can always use some more ideas on how to fine tune the Coins in our homes too.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty-nine

Can I just say that I am ridiculously excited for December??  Of course you have seen my tree.  Alyssa last night decided the tree was "missing something" and hung one pink bracelet on it to make the "Christmas tree all done!"  So we have our tree up, decorated (well, to the extent that it will be this year anyways), and now we are just waiting for the right month...

Right month??  Yes...While some are okay with going nuts for the Christmas season moments after putting the turkey leftovers in the fridge, my husband curbed my Polar Express excitement by requesting that I at least put the movies on hold until December actually arrives.  (Guess what we are watching this Saturday??)

So in my childish amounts of excitement and impatience, I am thankful that Saturday movie night is only a couple more nights away!!  Now...if only I had a cd player and my Christmas music this year.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty-eight

Some days you just have to be happy even if you feel like crap.  Quotes from a toddler never seem to fail to cheer me up.  So I am thankful for comic relief that my toddler provides!  A simple reason for all future generations (starting with anyone age 7 and down right now I'd say) to hate Social Medias like Facebook where I've got quite the cataloging of things Alyssa says:

Alyssa with her drum: "Where my stick?"

Momma: "You put it in your diaper and we had to throw it away a long time ago."

Alyssa: ".....new stick?"

Lesson: Momma doesn't replace gross drum sticks.

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Alyssa: Momma! Me need my blue nuk.

Momma: No. .....why?

Alyssa: Blue matchey my cup.

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*thud*

Alyssa in her bed: The wall hit me!

Momma from livingroom: Well don't hit the wall....

*All dialogues displayed above were within an hour of each other on Tuesday morning.

The Woman with the "Man Cold"

I have entered 'man cold' territory since this morning.  I am totally that whiny sick person right now who doesn't have enough sleep and while I love that my toddler is feeling better (even though she still has her cold) I am having some serious energy issues dealing with her.

I love that my husband has so much patience for both of us.  I did send him a fair-warning text after lunch though.  One of those, 'feel free to come home early because Alyssa and I are butting heads like crazy' texts followed by a text with better advice: "Or find a place to hide from both of us".  He truly is a saint and I'm not sure how I got so lucky because the poor man never has man colds...he does the typical get up and get over it like I should.

On the plus side, after nap battle was conquered (read ignored), I got to take a decent nap as well!  Almost two hours of sleep for Momma today!!!  Yes, it did help with that energy issue for me to some extent and at the very least has given me an extra dose of patience for my toddler to get us through today.

While we are waiting for this bug to leave our home...feel free to mock my stuffed up head by making and sending these.  (Seriously...aren't these cute??)  I don't have an original source as it was pinned from a blogger's site who doesn't claim ownership of the idea either.  Simply put, it is adorable and whoever thought it up is a freaking genius.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty-seven

My cold is getting worse...which means my toddler is starting to feel a LOT better.  I am thankful for our Hyland's Cold and Cough medicine that has helped Alyssa feel better so quickly!  I just need to catch up to her in energy levels now...I'm so joining naptime today!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty-six

I am super excited for the Christmas season but today, I am simply thankful that I have a bag of Halls for me and a stack of movies for Alyssa.  We were struck by the lovely cold germs over the weekend (Saturday) and my throat is having all sorts of fun with every kind of beverage out there.  Here is hoping that she and I can kick this thing out of our systems before Papa comes down with it!!  Have a healthy rest of November (and 2012) people!

O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree...

With most of our belongings in storage awaiting the official move into a house again, we were missing a crucial piece of the festive feeling of Christmas season....the TREE!  There is always a debate over real vs fake and I'll just nip that in the bud by saying as much as I LOVE the real trees and going to a farm and cutting our own as a family like I did growing up most years, I cannot stand the bumps and itches that I get all over my arms as I put the lights on or the ornaments getting hung.  Plus I've seen enough dog vomit in my family history with pine needles in it to want to avoid that in the future too.

So with my lovely pre-lit fake being in storage along with all of our ornaments and my personal favorite tree topper, well, we had to figure out something else for the apartment life this season.  The plus side to the timing of figuring this out--WE HAVE A CLOSE DATE on our house!!!  We know which house we are buying and we have gone through all the hassle of the short sale and we now have a date of which we will be owners of said house.  This means I was able to make plans for next year's holiday season decorating with the apartment solution for this season!  Meet the beginnings of my upstairs tree (read color coordinated):

The lights are red and white twined together (yes, I made my husband tangle lights rather than untangle them) so that nearly every white is paired with a red.  The santa hat topper and the tote bottom were inspired--okay, taken-- straight from a Pin which will lead you to here.  For this year I have red bells, silver icicles and a few Poinsettas on the tree.  I'll wait for some good sales to collect some other red, white and silver ornaments (minus any glitter) to fill it in for next year.

When do you put up the tree?

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty-five

A long four-day weekend over this holiday for us.  It was so nice to go see some family for it but I am thankful for two things now that we are home.  One:  I am thankful that I get to stay home until after baby and recovery now (meaning no more 4 hour drives on a very painful hip or pregnant bladder!).  Two:  I am thankful that we get to have one full day at home this weekend (today)!

Normally we come home from a weekend away and it is Sunday but we came home Saturday afternoon which means Papa has one whole day to play with us and you can bet tea party/picnics will be going crazy during the morning hours.  More exciting to Momma is the chance to do some crafts!  I'm thinking we might just break out some painting supplies for the afternoon.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty-four

Honestly, this 30 days thing is hard!  Not the part about BEING thankful...more the part of remembering what you've already posted about (I've been seeing some repeats on Facebook and I'd be willing to bet if we all scroll back through my blog that I've done one or two or missed some obvious ones because I figured I've already done them!).

On Monday night we went to the grocery store where the local high school's hockey team moms were bagging for a fundraiser.  We have no issue with donating to a school sport or other community events so I pulled out something for Alyssa to drop in their bucket as a 'thank you' for bagging our groceries.  We pushed the cart up to the woman and Alyssa, without prompting, said quite nicely and clearly, "Thank you!"  We still had to remind her to put the money in the bucket but the display of manners was a proud moment for her Papa and I.  I am thankful for a child who is learning and using her manners so well!  Too many kids learn them too late to make a habit of using them.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty-three

Well, we go from a day that is meant to be dedicated to being grateful to the American epitome of gluttony.  Of course that doesn't stop me one bit from participating in the epic sales that can be found today, Black Friday.

Today, I am thankful for the leftover turkey and buns to keep us going (or waddling for me).  Oh who am I kidding?  I'd be thankful for leftover turkey sandwiches any day!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty-two

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. and across the nation families are gathering around shared meals, football games, or other traditions that they cherish.  We are doing the same and are also prepping for the shopping madness that is Black Friday (now starting on Thanksgiving night).

But as we all settle into our various family activities I'd like to remember with y'all that not everyone is able to 'come home' for the holidays.  There are those who don't have traditional homes to go back to (hurricane victims, homeless, orphans, etc).  There are those who are out there protecting the rest of us as we celebrate (cops, firefighters, ER staff, soldiers, and more).  Can we take at least a minute to be thankful to all those who try to make these holidays special for all of these people?  I am thankful for the volunteers, the coworkers, the adopt-a-soldier families and classrooms, and anyone else who takes the time to do something to recognize these people during the holidays.

I don't have any Thanksgiving pictures from any of the deployments but the Christmas and New Years ones give you a pretty good idea of what our group did to keep the happy times going.  I also happen to not have pictures of those volunteers who sent packages full of holiday goodies to soldiers, or of soup kitchen workers, but I'm sure y'all can find someone you know who has been that heart of kindness previously.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty-one

I am so thankful for supportive family and friends.  I've learned that as much as you can love someone, if they don't support you in both good and bad times then you need to love them from a little further away.  Surround yourself with a support system and you can find your strength and happiness in the toughest times.  Honestly, I can't say much more than this without sounding like a Hallmark movie (instead of just a simple card).

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twenty

Monday night my hubby made up 5lbs of BBQ's.  (mmmmm.....)

They do a monthly celebration of birthdays at the office and this month he brought in my family's recipe of that delicious messy meat.  The making of said BBQ's reminded me of something that I frequently am grateful to have: the Crockpot!  Yes, I am thankful for my Crockpot.

C'mon...so many amazing foods can come out of this baby and if you recall my Pinterest thankfulness post, well, you would be thankful for anything that does ALL the work but the cutting and serving too.  I have a few recipes that are Crockpot faves and they can be found in my dedicated Pinterest Crockpot folder.  The one that can't be found there though is the BBQ recipe.  In case you need a delicious and still simple option for semi-sweet BBQ's, here ya go:

--------------------------------

BBQ's

1 lbs lean hamburger

1 C Ketchup  (we use Heinz)

2 TBSP Mustard

2 TBSP Worchestershire Sauce

2 TBSP Brown Sugar

Brown and drain hamburger
Mix all sauce ingredients (everything but the hamburger).
Mix and simmer (or crockpot) sauce and meat til heated through or as long as you want the flavors to marinate for.

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Our Crockpot only holds 5lbs at a time so we take this recipe and multiply it (shockingly by 5).  We then vacuum seal about 1-1 1/2lb portions to freeze.  It makes a great last minute meal during the week considering we can pull the bag out of the freezer, defrost in the microwave and then heat in the microwave and serve!  Play with the amounts for the sauce to get your taste preferences.  My family hates exact measurements (and they wonder why I can't cook....) so this is my mother's "all approximates" recipe that we actually like as-is.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Nineteen

...and today, I am thankful for insurance!  Seriously....if you've never looked at a hospital bill for delivering a baby, well, don't.  Those things are SCARY (I can't imagine bills for things that are much more serious in healthcare).  I am dreading seeing the bills for all the extra ultrasounds on top of the delivery and postpartum stay too.  However, thanks to our insurance options available to us this time around we are sitting on a much less nerve-wracking ground waiting for that final bill.

Proud Momma Moment

I was asked first thing this morning for the crayons and a KaiLan picture to color.  Of course this sounds like the perfect solution to a Momma who is super tired even if she got some extra sleep according to the clock.  Little did I know that I'd be whipping out a camera (tablet) the next time Alyssa opened her mouth!  C'mon, the 'growing up' thing isn't supposed to be so in-your-face I thought...

"Coloring Tolee's ear, Momma!  Ooo!  Color Rintoo's ears too!"
"Me did it!!"

Seriously folks, this is progress in leaps and bounds in the coloring department!  We have dozens of pages of scribbled coloring pages (or should I say we have had* dozens?) around here and this is the first one where there are so many obvious attempts at coloring IN the lines.  And the first one where she declared it as such!  Alright, enjoy the rest of your day...I'm going to go frame this beauty!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Eighteen

I am thankful for modern medicine.  There was some minor concern over a measurement (well, lack of a measurement) at our original 20wk ultrasound for this baby boy.  So when I had my first appointment with my new OB she ordered a quick redo at their office here.  The measurement was a little large but they struggled a bit in getting it too.  For those who are wondering, it was the left ventricle of the brain they were watching.  My OB sent me off for a level 2 ultrasound because we didn't have a number to compare to from the original biophysical.  There wasn't too much concern and after one more level 2 ultrasound it was determined that the measurement is progressing normal though on the large end of normal.  They declared this to go hand in hand with the BIG baby that I've got growing very healthy inside me.

Due to his size though I am now having weekly BPP (biophysical ultrasounds) and a couple spare growth ultrasounds to keep an eye on some things that can go hand in hand with extra big babies but all of these were suggested with smiles and relaxed attitudes now at least.  Of course I still don't have a camera-cooperative baby so no awesome ultrasound pics out of this boy either...

Dancing Santa 2012

Wow!  Alyssa, like many other toddlers, gets really excited about seeing new people or things.  Along with those experiences comes her nerves though.  She was so excited to go see the Santa Parade (a parade that welcomes Santa to the local mall) last night so we got ready and made our way to see everything.  The parade was a bit unexciting as it was made up of one group of tap dancer ladies making their way from one end of the mall to the other (Santa was at the end of the mall that the parade ended at and wasn't actually a part of the parade itself we found out).  There were workers passing out jingle bracelets and Alyssa's nerves kicked in as soon as someone offered her one.  She loves the bracelet now of course (starting a whole 5 seconds after the lady walked away).

She was still really excited to go see Santa though so we walked around while the line was long and waited for Papa to make it back from his drill.  We had supper at the food court with Papa and then saw the line was gone for Santa so we headed his way.  Alyssa was very excited, until she rounded the corner and actually saw Santa sitting there.  She turned tail and ran back to the room behind Santa (part of the path that the line winds through normally).  From there she could hear the music from the celebration still and was dancing away.  We were trying to convince her to go talk to Santa but there was no love for the idea anymore.  Thankfully we had waited until the bitter end of the line and no one else was held up by our fickle toddler.

The cameraman was wondering where she had gone so I went back towards the front/Santa and told him she was dancing in the back instead.  Santa stood up from his chair and hopped the little fence and when I got back to the room, he was dancing next to Alyssa (well, until she noticed him anyways!).  Can you say BEST SANTA EVER?!  Over the next 10 minutes with no other kids trying to see Santa, Alyssa was slowly coaxed into being friends with Santa which included a toddler-led tour of Santa's area and I believe two more dance parties.  She never sat on his lap though they shared the chair for a little bit (not long enough or still enough for the pictures).  We did get her to be held by him while standing right at the end and got three pictures during that--one "huh?", one straight faced, and one "Cheese!" with the cheesy smile.

So thrilled to have had that fun night to hopefully make future Santa trips easier.  I only wish I had snapped a cellphone video of them dancing together!

**Note: With my purchase of last night, copyright was transferred to me as the buyer.  So no, I am not violating professional copyright laws by posting this picture.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Seventeen

Today I am thankful for my husband.  Most days I am thankful for him in different ways--being my friend, my cheerleader, my partner, the Papa for our girl, the worker, the soldier, the spider-killer, the handyman, etc.  Today is just for Husband though.  Five years ago today was the first time he got to use that title and it seems to fit him as naturally as any of those others have.  Happy Anniversary to my Husband.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Sixteen

Being thankful is tough some days.  Some days you simply want to wallow in the low points of your life (whether those are large health issues or something as simple as a burned meal right after stubbing toes, stepping on legos, getting a metal can "paper cut" and everything else that can go wrong that day).  Those are the days that you really have to try your hardest to remember what things you can be thankful for.

Today I will be thankful for big things like the health of me and my family along with small things like the sleepy smile I see on my daughter's face after naptime or excited hugs of pride after earning a sticker at the end of a good Coin day.

Note:  Examples of simple low points do not reflect my today (though they may have happened in a single day in a previous month to this blogger).

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Fifteen

I am thankful for family-friendly companies!  I could be thankful for such companies as a consumer but specifically I am thinking of my husband's workplace.  Over the last six months they have repeatedly given him time off for house hunting during our relocation.  Since Alyssa and I have made it down here and I have found an OB for this pregnancy, they have welcomed Alyssa into the workplace during one appointment and allowed time off for Papa to join us for others.  They let dogs come to work with their employees frequently and children when the needs arise.  They have an amazing paternity leave program (though we won't technically qualify because it will be less than a year of working there at the time this baby comes along) but they still are giving Papa time off to help during my recovery and for him to bond with our little boy and help transition Alyssa from 'only child' to 'big sister'.  So many different things that set them apart from other employers and each one warrants a new reason to be thankful that we found them and that they loved Chris enough to grab him up as their IT person.

They even welcomed Alyssa in costume on Halloween while I had an OB appointment (and the office manager gave a bunch of the employees candy for her to Trick or Treat for...not that she did.)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Fourteen

This might seem a little ridiculous but bear with me.  I am thankful for Pinterest.  Yes, I am talking about that weird but amazing little website that works much like a corkboard/file cabinet for anything that can be found online.  Why would ANYONE be thankful for a time-sucking addiction like Pinterest??  Well, lets be a little honest here--I have not only found ideas that have made some strides in child behavior for us (see Coin Chart) but crafting ideas that have been entertaining to say the least.  These are great in their own rights but the biggest reason I have to actually be THANKFUL for this site?  Completely and totally my reason falls at the feet of the recipe pinners out there!

You see, I can't cook.  I started a stove top fire making pork chops one night...on an electric, ceramic top stove.  (Everyone was fine and I know enough fire safety to have put it out quickly and without extra incident.)

If I have a step-by-step recipe with amounts (rather than estimates) and temps and times, then I can usually muddle through to an edible meal.  I really don't know how there can be a recipe without a temp for the oven or how long to cook it for though and yet, I find them all too often in the old notecard recipes.  So far, all the Pinterest recipes that I've looked into have everything I need to have produced some yummy results.  I'd bet that if my hubby hadn't sampled meals pre-Pinterest, that he'd never believe my incapabilities when it comes to cooking.  We are all lucky that he cooks and does it so well or there wouldn't have been a home cooked meal without the brands Stouffers or Bertolli.

Hopefully, with the help of all those nice pinners on Pinterest and those wonderful bloggers or recipe sites that they frequent, I will at least have my kids fooled into thinking that I have a few recipes that I can outdo their Papa on!  HA!  I'm never going to convince myself of that one...

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Thirteen

I am thankful for the ability to grow a human.  There is nothing I've enjoyed more than being a Momma.  As painful or frustrating as it can get in every stage, it is rewarding.  I get to feel the bizarreness of a moving fetus for months.  I get to complain about my hip nearly constantly hurting and hindering my ability to walk around the grocery.  I get to talk to my baby about how rude it is to jump on my bladder, round ligament or ribs and only look minorly psychotic.  I get to do these things and feel these things and that is a blessing that many women desperately want too, so I am grateful to be so lucky.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Twelve

I am thankful for my online connections to my friends.

Being in a new city without a job outside the house leads to a more isolated Momma than normal.  I am more introverted than extroverted though I have taught myself to be more balanced between the two over the years.  [Note:  by introverted, I mean more that it takes me a while to warm up and open up--once I do you can't shut me up without walking away.]  Luckily through those same online connections I actually met another mom back in the months that we were both pregnant with our daughters.  She just so happens to live in this city we moved to.  Seriously small world, right?  Our daughters now get to play and we get to have some adult time while watching them interact at the parks or other get-together's.

Alyssa (in purple) and her local friend

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Eleven

I am thankful for the sacrifices made by our Soldiers.  What they go through is hard and deserves the respect that Veteran's Day is meant to symbolize.  So Thank You Veteran's of every age for your service to our country, for the time you spent away from your loved ones to train or to fight, and for coming home.  To those who didn't make it home, you are missed and you are appreciated from the bottom of many, many hearts.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Ten

I am thankful for used and abused toys who have been loved too much.  The toys that witness every stage of development that our children go through and comfort them through every bump, bruise, change and every night of good and bad dreams.  The love for a toy that can protect a child from the dark or from being overwhelmed by sad feelings.  The toys like this one:

Elephant Lovey

Great for Travel

Perfect Baby Size

Or this one:

Horsey is a very big lovey.

He is a toddler favorite.

Poor Horsey has had many paw surgeries but gets snuggled every night (and most of every day).

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Nine

I love the cool, crisp air of Autumn.  What I don't love is the clouds that come rolling in with it.  A person without any history of depression can feel the relief of a sunny day after a long stint of clouds.  I love a day of rainy weather but having day after day after day of clouds (rain or not) really starts to make me feel crowded and closed in.  I have a history of depression that is also mildly impacted by the seasonal darkness of winter or just gloomy days, so I am especially thankful for sunny Autumn days.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Eight

On days that are trying with a strong-willed toddler, I am very thankful for our Coin Chart and the blogger who shared it with us!

Seriously, this thing has made it a much simpler thing to show a 2 (almost 3) year old that her choices are what lead to different results.  Such an abstract concept in general made into something so concrete has helped immensely.  (The picture next to the poster is her current goal being worked towards and I've been a slacker about writing in what she earned in her other two rows.)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Seven

I am thankful for the most wonderful freedom that I am provided.  I can read.  Not only is this ability a privilege not afforded everyone in the world, but it is one that has historically been heavily guarded.  I read for entertainment.  I read for information.  I read to see the joy of storytelling spread to my daughter (and soon my son).  I read because I love it and hope that my children will too.

Photo Credit: Barnes and Noble

Social Media Disrespect

I really didn't want to go there...I REALLY did not think I'd feel the need to go there.  Fine, I'm going there!

I am absolutely horrified by the reactions I have seen not only directed at the winner of the presidential race but almost more so at the insults being hurled at voters from across the aisles.  I have never thought I'd be disappointed in knowing some of my friends and family in this way.  I would never have imagined that people I have known and loved and respected would use sweeping generalizations to insult my and others intelligence or morals based on a single (albeit crucial) vote.

Besides those offending social media posts (which thankfully I had no one in my sphere personally inciting violence or wishing death on voters)  I have seen mentions of moving countries.  I'd never be so disappointed in a single race result that it would make me give up on the REST OF MY VOTES.  We have the three branches of government to give us that balance to protect our interests.  BTW--moving to Canada to avoid the 'socialist USA' is probably not the most logical choice...consider a different option for your happiness.

Lastly--I am not in the military.  The President of the United States is my husband's highest boss in this country, not truly mine.  I may not have voted for Romney but I was prepared to respect him as the President and Commander in Chief.  This is what I feel the spirit of an American should do, EMBRACE the President.  You can't change the election results now.  We need to work TOGETHER to get anything done and it has been a very long time since that has been a common goal on most things in government.  I am shocked at the disrespect I saw last night and today directed at the Commander in Chief by military members specifically.  Not only is that generally frowned upon but some of the comments could easily lead to backlash as behavior unbecoming of a military member.

All of this ranting aside, I recognize the freedom of speech and I respect the obvious fact that their opinions and beliefs were on the 'losing' side last night and that would clearly be disappointing to anyone.  I would not wish for my friends and family to simply "shut up and sit down" as I've seen a few people respond with or any of the other disrespectful responses from this side of the aisle!  I would wish them to be more respectful of others though.  I would wish them to realize that their words, though able to be deleted from the Facebook walls, cannot be unread and CAN be hurtful or impact a relationship offline.

Please, I ask you on ALL SIDES to CALM DOWN and BE RESPECTFUL.  Everyone has their beliefs which led to their vote.  Everyone is entitled to this.  No one is stupid, immoral, or a moron for those reasons.  No one should be shot, deported, blown up, or even simply unfriended on Facebook based simply on how they voted  (though constant mockery and bullying remarks are grounds for social media blocking in my opinion)!

Thank you for allowing me to rant here and bearing with me.  Now let's get our Congress to work together and get some things actually accomplished this term that will be good for our nation as a whole please?  Kumbaya anyone?

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Six

Today is the day of the national election here in the USA.  As we wait for results on the Presidential election the locals wait on topics near and dear to their hearts within different communities as well.  Around here the two big ones are Voter ID's and a state constitutional definition of marriage.  I won't go into any of the debates here.  Simply put, I am thankful that we have the chance to vote and stand up for what we believe in (even if you believe differently than I do).  I can only hope that no matter who wins the Presidency, that we can stand up as a country united behind our leader and make some progress over the next four years to a better place for everyone.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Five

Some days you just have to be thankful for something that makes commercials go away...Thankful for my Tivo at the end of this political season!  (This also applies well to the holiday commercials next month!)

Pinterest PARTY?!?!

Seriously...When will I think of things like this on my own??

Pinterest Party.  Yes, those two words together are screaming my name right now!  If you're as bad as I am with the site then you have literally THOUSANDS of pins and maybe a handful of ones you have done (or worse, even gone to the actual link to read up on!).  I'm maybe up to a couple hundred links read but as far as actual projects done or recipes tried--well, let's just go with a handful instead of trotting out the toddler to count them for us.

So what could change this lack of motivation on actually attempting the glorious Pins?  Why a party of course!  In other words--get a bunch of people with a similar problem and force yourselves to do something you've wanted/been meaning to do anyways by designating a time and appointing witnesses.  Hmmm...maybe this will double as my house cleaning motivation!

From what I understand of the Pinterest Party concept is that each guest brings a dish (that is currently able to be found on their Pinterest boards) to share and then come and craft!  Another option I think *might* work, if you have different crafting tastes, is each person bring their supplies for one or two projects that they want to do and craft side by side. Then it is simply a group of friends keeping company (and helping out randomly) during the allotted crafting/visiting time....Such a simple and fun way to bring Pinterest out in your home!  Seriously--it's about time for Social Media to become a little more sociable.

Now...I just need a couple gals in my area to come craft with me.....

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Four

Momma--"That is such a cool car!  You are such a good builder!"
Alyssa--" Yup."

I am thankful for the self confidence in young children.  It should always be built upon, never squashed.

No, this is not the car...she loves to build though!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Three

This is one of the few weekends in the last three months of this year that we aren't doing multiple 4 hour drives!  These drives at 6+ months pregnant have made me very thankful for weekends without commitments...

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day Two

Having lived with deployments and even just living apart because of civilian job relocation, I am thankful for having my family under the same roof.

All the simple things you miss (like toddler-chosen suppers on a sick day).

TinyLove Toys (link to giveaway!!!)

Wow!  So I don't normally pay much attention to non-book giveaways but this one caught my eye because I do follow this woman's blog.  The bright colors in the pictures today made me do a small double take followed by a 'where can I find these?!?' thought process.  So I kept reading of course to see where she came across them and how these fun infant toys were working for her girl...I got to the bottom and saw "Giveaway"  (yes, I see now that it was in the title....by "follow" a blog I mean that I read it whether the title grabs me or not and as I typically skim the title and go straight for the snippet in my Blogger Dashboard I totally missed it this time).  I had to share the opportunity with anyone I might be able to reach too.  Even if you don't enter/win the giveaway, their toys seem right on par with the big brands in stores widely available and I must say, a little cuter, brighter and sometimes downright more Momma friendly (see those attaching clips for their things??!).

So clearly y'all want the link direct to the post to see that giveaway so click HERE.

"THOSE" Days...

There are so many good days in parenting.  Honestly, they far outnumber the ones where you contemplate tube tying as a brilliant solution to avoiding too many more horrifyingly difficult toddler days.  It is wonderful being a Momma.  I swear I wouldn't trade it away ever...even on those tube tying thought days.

I never was warned that those good days and those difficult days would be one in the same though, and never did I think it could happen in such record times as to give you whiplash!  A good night's sleep leading to a playful toddler...a lunch and then a fought nap leaving behind an overly tired child not wanting anything to do with any requests made of them.

Or how about those days when you go into the bedroom and see a Waterbaby open and drained all over the bed and pillow in the middle of naptime??  Yeah, those days sure aren't fun ones either.

Hormones wash over me at less than a moment's notice right now being 28 weeks pregnant and crying in frustration is sometimes inevitable.  Those moments that I can't hide quickly bring a remorseful and cuddly two year old who wants nothing more than to make Momma feel better.  Of course that doesn't last the whole rest of the day because there are still missed naps and independence to deal with the rest of the day but those moments of cuddles are what get me through...at least until Papa gets home to take over for a few minutes!  ;)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day One

Welcome to November everyone!  So glad to see you made it past the candy-induced daze (hopefully you continue to win that battle as the hauls begin to dwindle).  I've seen this November project two years now and each year I thought it was so neat and that I'd remember to do it "next year" since it had already started. Thankfully someone else was on top of it this year again and I happened to see it right away or I probably would have missed it again.

So my first Thankful is for timely Facebook posts...okay, so maybe I'm more thankful for friends who have much better memories than myself.  ;)