tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34995258102175751702024-02-19T22:37:54.814-06:00I Used To Have A Brainnow I have small children...
and I love it!Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.comBlogger386125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-7368806112522248262012-10-24T19:04:00.003-05:002012-10-24T19:04:39.041-05:00Happy Birthday Izzy BizzyHappy 6th Birthday Izzy! We love you so much!!<br />
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6 years old!!</div>
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And some Oldies!<br />
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<br />Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-25324353767531954082012-10-17T14:07:00.000-05:002012-10-17T14:15:53.961-05:00Volleyball May Be My Sport<br />
... To Watch.<br />
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This fall Mikayla wanted to give volleyball a try. Spencer and I agreed that volleyball would be a really good sport for her because she's tall for her age and crazy strong, so if she could get the coordination part in there she'd be a pretty awesome player!<br />
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This past Tuesday night was Youth Night for the High School Volleyball teams. This meant that all the youth volleyball players got a free ticket to the varsity game. Mikayla and I went to the game while Spencer finagled Izzy and Connor for the night driving them around for Izzy's gymnastics class. The game was awesome! We didn't win, but it was really exciting to watch! The pep band was there, lots of people in the stands cheering, and although it was a little chilly in the gym - I loved that it was indoors and the seats were fairly comfortable. I thought, "This is a sport I could really get into sitting in the stands to watch!" I couldn't play it, but I really liked watching! :o) She played soccer years ago and that was fine, but being outdoors made it less than comfortable quite often. I love being outside when it's nice out, but I don't like being stuck outside for extended time when it's too hot/cold/windy/rainy.<br />
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Mikayla loved the game too, she was doing lots of shouting and cheering her hometown team on. It was the first volleyball game she'd ever seen, so it was good for her to see what a real game (wait... match? I don't know) looks like.<br />
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Then last night she had her first games, and I finally got a chance to really see her play! She is a great server! It was funny how excited everyone in the gym got any time there was more than one volley over the net! Ha! For first year players these girls were great! Mikayla's team won both of their games against the neighboring town. To be fair, the ages are different. Our town groups 3rd and 4th grade together and the other town groups 2nd and 3rd together, so the teams we played against had some 2nd graders, and we have some really tall 4th graders. But it was still so fun and such an encouragement to the girls to get a couple wins in them right away!<br />
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They only played games last night and then will play a couple next week and then they are done with games. It is so fun! Even Izzy and Connor got into it. Izzy was anxious to catch anything that came her way in the side lines and throw the ball back in, and Connor was all about the cheering and fist pumping! :o)<br />
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After watching a varsity game, and now Mikayla's game, I can definitely say that once I figure out how the scoring and rules work I will definitely enjoy going to volleyball games in the future!Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-47854672304791213742012-10-11T12:37:00.000-05:002012-10-11T20:36:33.957-05:00Nap Time WoesNaptime.<br />
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It's the only shot I get at a break in my 10.5 hour day, and when it goes badly, I get crabby. Crabby Abby is not nearly as pleasant to be around as Happy Abby.<br />
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Lately naptime has been, shall we say... rough. Connor has outgrown his naps, but I still make him because<b> I </b>haven't outgrown<b> his</b> naps :o) . So that's rough spot number one.<br />
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Then there's the crazy running around that ensues as I'm trying to lay each child down in their nap spots and helping kids to the bathroom, changing diapers, swaddling babies. They think it's a free-for-all lately, and it only amps them up. It's only been like this in the last month or so, but I'm tired of it.<br />
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So today we did something different...<br />
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After lunch was over and sort of cleaned up, I corralled everyone into the living room where we watched about 10 minutes of Signing Time while I changed the toddlers' diapers and helped them try the potty chair, all in the living room so nobody can escape the pre-nap <strike>confinement</strike> calm-down area.<br />
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Then once everyone was changed/pottied, I brought them one by one to bed, starting with the baby. Once they were in bed (would have done this before laying them down but had to find it) I started a lullaby cd for some background white noise and to act as a sound cue that it is time to sleep. Now that our noisy air conditioner isn't being used, it's too dang quiet for them to sleep!<br />
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So while it still took some time to get a couple of them to fall asleep, it was calm and peacefull and felt much better for all of us. They are now, all 4 of them, sound asleep, and I'm going to get some birthday invitations done and some things ready to be mailed. And drink more coffee! :o)<br />
<br />Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-31472971901972796102012-09-19T06:19:00.000-05:002012-09-19T06:19:32.227-05:00Mikayla Week Part 3Pretty much 2009, starting with being a super-big sister holding Connor<br />
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<br />Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-72730216652412677982012-09-18T11:50:00.001-05:002012-09-18T11:50:34.567-05:00Mikayla Week Part 2Today's her birthday, and I didn't expect to be sad about it! I really was thrown for a loop when I started crying this morning that my little angel is a 10 year old now. Wow. Here's some photos from October 2006 when Izzy was born through 2008. <br />
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<br /><br />Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-35212343373427714102012-09-17T22:08:00.004-05:002012-09-17T22:16:16.859-05:00The BIG 1 - OSeptember 18th marks the day my first child was born. This girl is nearly perfect and I'm always so proud to call her mine. Here's some pictures of pictures of Mikayla when she was just born through age 4. They are pictures of pictures because it would take much too long to scan them all and this was before I had a digital camera. Mikayla was practically born in the stone age people.<br />
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First Birthday</div>
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5 Generation picture. </div>
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I love the way Granny Ruth is adoring Mikayla</div>
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Mikayla would hug this big Santa at Nana and Papa's house every time she came over</div>
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Master of the Nuk</div>
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More pictures to come!Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-38176019267540207932012-09-13T13:12:00.000-05:002012-09-13T13:12:02.869-05:00The Very Hungry CaterpillarThis was our first week of preschool for the year, and this month I ignored my Funshine Express curriculum book and went with something with more flexibility since I also started a 12 week old baby last thursday.<br />
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This month we are reading various Eric Carle books and doing extension projects related to the books we read. <br />
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This week we focused on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Eric-Carle/dp/1852691263/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347559123&sr=1-5&keywords=the+very+hungry+caterpillar" target="_blank">The Very Hungry Caterpillar</a> among other books. We are also working on the literary concepts of "Cover", "Title", and "Author".<br />
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Our first project was simple and adorable!<br />
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fingerprint caterpillars</div>
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The second project (different day) was to make Hungry Caterpillar hats! This one was mostly a gluing project for these guys, we're not ready for cutting circles yet, they found it enough of a challenge to work the glue stick, and manage to line up and stick the eye parts down that were also sticking to their fingers! <br />
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And of course we've been doing the calendar every day, figuring out the pattern and predicting the picture on that day's piece, watching the weather and recording it, and have been working on the letter A, number 1, and color Red though those haven't made it onto the board because -well - I have a 6 month old and a brand new 12 week old also in the house. :o)<br />
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This is only some of what we've been doing this week, and it's been fun!Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-37585152311297125952012-09-09T20:56:00.000-05:002012-09-09T20:56:21.016-05:00Summer of the ChickenOne of our projects this past summer was getting set up with Silver Laced Wyandotte chickens! Back in June we bought four 1-day-old baby fluffy butts!<br />
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They quickly (very quickly) grew and when they were fully feathered out they moved from their brooder box out to the coop. The picture below is them in their coop outside of their box for the first time. The bedding hasn't looked that neat and beautiful since then, but it's not as stinky as I would have thought.</div>
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We will be getting some super delicious and healthier than store bought eggs starting in about 2 - 3 months from now! We don't have a rooster because they are annoyingly loud and from what I've been reading can be aggressive... which doesn't fly well with this lady, especially considering I want our kids to feel comfortable doing the chicken chores and don't want them getting harassed by a cocky rooster.<br />
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Our 4 chickens are very gentle except when they get super excited about treats (worms, raisens, fruit scraps) and can get carried away. <br />
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Though our chickens are not free-ranged because I have a business that requires they not roam around and poop on whatever they want, and their eggs won't be quite as magical as a free-ranged pasture-raised chicken egg, I expect some difference to occur. They get greens, they get fruit and veggie scraps, bugs, worms, and decent feed, so they and their eggs will be healthier than the chickens living in egg-factories.<br />
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Supposedly, these are the differences between a free-range chicken's egg and a store bought egg:<br />
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<strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">• 1/3 less cholesterol</strong><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">• 1/4 less saturated fat</strong><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">• 2/3 more vitamin A</strong><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids</strong><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">• 3 times more vitamin E</strong><strong style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">• 7 times more beta carotene</strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Plus, chickens are fun. And funny. And soft. And quieter than I expected (our kids are a bajillion times louder when outside than the chickens). </span></div>
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The kids have really enjoyed getting to raise animals that are a little different than your usual house pet. They help let them out of their coop by opening the door to their run in the morning, they can feed them, they can switch out the water jugs, and they can scoop poop as well! <br />
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If the winter goes well we might get a couple more chicks to up our egg supply, because we eat a lot of eggs around here, and we're already getting lots of requests from friends and families for eggs! But for now we're learning as we go, and taking it one season at a time!<br />
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Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-5050831495218375872012-08-15T21:19:00.000-05:002012-08-15T21:19:06.652-05:00Hello?Hi.<br />
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I'm still alive and kickin, just not writing.<br />
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I miss this blog. I like to write, always have, and this has been a great way for me to share my thoughts, my boring every day events, big events, funny stories, and tragic stories. The thing is I've struggled over the last many months with what to share and where my line in the sand is. <br />
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It's easy to sit here at the computer and type out the things that are going on in my head and pretend nobody will really read it (all the while hoping with fingers crossed that SOMEONE actually does read it.... weird huh?), but the thing is that not everything that goes on in life, or in my head or heart, should be read by anyone else. Internal struggles, family stuff, friend stuff... there's plenty of things not ok to share with the internet, and plenty of things I really can't talk about here. (if you know me in real life, just leave it at that).<br />
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So when I have sat down to write up a post for this blog of mine, the real meaningful stuff comes to mind first, and when I decide that it's not something I care to share at the moment, then do I just tell you about the boring parts of my life? About how I woke up this morning much too tired because my sleep schedules have been out of whack all week and how I could easily drink 2 pots of coffee a day if I let myself make that second pot at noon? See? I can already hear you falling asleep! :) It can feel weird sometimes when someone talks to me in real life about something I blogged about, as if that imaginary curtain has been pulled (imagine the Wizard of Oz). I can completely see why a blogger could be more content with a completely anonymous blog - you can pour it all out there and not a soul would know it's you talking. But I will not be going that route. Then of course there's the "fluff" posts where I could care less who talks to me about it in real life... it's Fluff after all - no further explanation required! :o)<br />
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So maybe I'll get back into this soon. Maybe I'll talk about the deeper stuff going on my head, maybe I'll just tell you about the chickens we've been raising for 2 months, or maybe I'll just write another poem about boogers! Who knows, but I'll be dang shocked if anyone is still reading this drastically absent blog when/if I do start blogging regularly again!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
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<br />Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-41510010382933160742012-07-02T00:15:00.000-05:002012-07-02T00:15:31.747-05:00Keeping It Real<br />
Parenthood, and life in general, can be exhausting, but keeping things in perspective certainly helps.<br />
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Sometimes my kids (especially my middle child) talk my ear off. It can be enough to drive a person crazy when all you want is to not hear any voices for a few minutes. But then I think about parents who's children don't or can't talk at all. Those parents would give their left arm to hear their child start speaking and I'm complaining because mine talk too much.<br />
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When we are going through a vicious cycle of illness and I hear myself complaining about how someone's been throwing up for 2 days and I have to close down daycare while they recover, I think about the parents who've got it worse. Parents who's child is going through chronic illness or cancer and miss weeks or months of work while they pray their child will survive. It makes cleaning up vomity sheets seem like not such a bad deal.<br />
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When I find myself whining about an itchy case of eczema I think about my dad being hooked up to a colostomy bag, dealing with gout, while fighting cancer at the same time. And I never heard him complain once.<br />
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When I'm feeling pulled in a million directions because I am over-run with children, I remember when we only had one and all the tears we shed trying to have a second little one. And I think of the would-be parents who have struggled for years to have a child and how much they long for a child to need them.<br />
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On a similar note, when I'm rundown because the kids only want me so often, I'll think down the line when they are teenagers and just want to be independent and how I'll be their annoying mom. I'll look back when they are 14 to when they were little and wanted me all the time and I'll wish I could go back to having tiny little arms around my leg.<br />
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When I'm stressed about money or feeling broke, I need to just be thankful that we have a roof over our head and food on the table. <br />
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And finally, when life gets to be too much and I want to run away, I'll remember to count my blessings and be thankful for what I have.Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-82801049127602669072012-05-22T21:43:00.000-05:002012-05-22T22:46:44.976-05:00Preschool Graduation Cap TutorialIzzy graduated from preschool, and that meant a pretty summer dress, cupcakes, a diploma, and of course a graduation cap!<br />
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I have made them before, but this time I did it better, thanks to a link on Pinterest and some tweeking! <a href="http://www.spottedcanary.com/Kindergarten_Graduation_Cap.htm" target="_blank"> Here's the link</a> to the directions I went off of, but I wanted to show you how I did it in case you find yourself needing to make graduating caps for little ones.<br />
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Here's my little preschool graduate in her cap</div>
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I bought black tagboard, and following the instructions I cut the following pieces: 1 10x10inch, 1 2x4, and 1 4x22. Unless you know your graduate has a small head, you may want to make the long one longer than 22 inches so you can make the band bigger if needed.<br />
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Measure around the child's head, leave some overlap, and trim if needed. Fold along the length of the band a flap about one inch wide, and cut 8-10 triangle notches.<br />
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Take yarn, or whatever you want to use for your tassel, and cut strips 36 in, 24 in, and 4 in. Don't worry if your measurements aren't exact, it wont matter.<br />
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Wrap the 36 inch piece around the small rectangle, this will become the tassel part.<br />
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Use the 24 inch piece to loop through the top of the tassel and tie a knot.<br />
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Then just cut the bottom of the tassel loops (that are wrapped around the little rectangle) and trim to make them even lengths<br />
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Use the 4 inch piece of yarn to wrap around the tassel about 3/4 inch down, tie a knot, and cut off the ends if they don't lie down nicely with the rest of the tassel.<br />
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Pop a hole in the middle of the square with a scissors or whatever you have handy.<br />
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I had to use some spit to get the ends of the tassel to stay together enough to get into that tiny hole in the hat. Some type of threader would be recommended if you think you're about to chuck it across the room in frustration. Don't chuck it! I did it, you can too! Then put a piece of tape over the underside of the hole to secure the tassel.<br />
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Fold the band around, measured to fit your child's head, and staple closed. I only did the 8 notches that the directions called for, I think it would have been nicer if I added a couple more. Put glue on the rim of the band...<br />
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And glue the band onto the square top! Let dry, and you're done! <br />
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<br />Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-18551182552446644432012-05-19T22:37:00.000-05:002012-05-19T22:37:14.137-05:00Connor: The Good StuffI've been complaining a lot about Connor lately, on Facebook and in my last blog post. When I realized that too much negatives were coming out of my mouth and onto the computer screen, I wanted to write up a quick post describing some of the good things about Connor these days. Because I love him, and he's not that little hellion I may have been making you think he is.<br />
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He is generous with compliments. He regularly tells me and other people that he "loves" various things about them. He tells me things like, "I love your shoes!" or "I love your eyes" or even "I love your ears". Makes me smile! :o)<br />
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When we have living room picnics for dinner we always sit on a sheet to protect the carpet. When we had quesadillas I was going to let the kids just sit on the carpet (not much risk of spills), but Connor insisted on a sheet. "We need a blanket!" he told us. A toddler's need for consistency can be a beautiful thing some times!<br />
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He likes to jump over things lately, especially bumps or cracks. Big jumps!<br />
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He held hands with Izzy in their theater seats when we all went to see The Avengers on the big screen.<br />
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He wants to hug and kiss pretty much everyone.<br />
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When he smiles, it lights up my world.<br />
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He's my baby boy, and there is no one else quite like him.Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-34047446710485476972012-05-15T13:47:00.001-05:002012-05-15T13:47:52.829-05:00I Might Just Move OutI'm having kind of a bad day.<br />
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It's one of those days where I feel like I'm failing at life, which I realize is ridiculous because I can name off plenty of things I'm doing right, but I'm having a moment of self-pity I suppose. <br />
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I feel like I'm not living up to anyone's expectations, particularly my own expectations. I'm feeling helpless, clueless, and as a result - a little hopeless. I'm sure that in reality this isn't true, but the feelings are there from time to time and it makes me want to bury my head in the sand until I'm magically feeling better about it all.<br />
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Thing is, if I'm waiting for a magical cure-all, I'm going to be waiting a LONG time, so I should really just take care of things myself. <br />
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High up on my list is parenting Connor. He is really well behaved for the most part when I am not around, which honestly makes me want to just move out from time to time, but when we're together he's all whining and naughtiness. Mikayla had temper tantrums, Izzy hasn't always been a gem either, and perhaps it's because I'm just stretched thinner as a mother of 3 than I was before, but I'm pretty sure Connor secretly wants me to move out. Ugh.<br />
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A week and a half ago during the Wizard of Oz cast/crew potluck, Spencer and Connor were eating their food while I was getting myself ready to go to a call-back for another play. As soon as I sat back down with them Connor starting whining/complaining about his food and wanting to get down and being just plain ugly about it. Spencer says, "he was fine until you got here." Double UGH! <br />
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We've made some progress though. I pulled out my good ol' behavior chart and added a reward at the end of the day for everyone age 3 and up who get's to the star at the end of the chart. They get a hershey kiss if they get all the way there (every hour or so of good behavior gets them a step toward their star, bad behavior moves them back). I give my daycare boy's treat to his mom for her to give him when she deems it appropriate, Connor and Izzy get theirs as soon as daycare is over (Mikayla too actually, but she doesn't need the chart). Out of sheer desperation for not wanting to put Connor on craigslist, I also bought a cheap 5-pack of matchbox cars. Until the cars are gone, if he is really good all day he can have one at the end of the day. I don't think it's appropriate to keep that kind of reward going, but for the 5 times he gets one it will hopefully drive the point home that good behavior is rewarded while bad behavior gets nothing but punishment. <br />
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He's also spending more time in time out, which he hates, and he didn't like how mad I got at him yesterday when he was being particularly horrendous. I know he's a three-year-old and it's a totally different kind of difficult than age 2 is, but sheesh! <br />
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Also, until I can get him to behave himself around me, the potty training thing just won't go well, because he doesn't seem at all apt to please me. <br />
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I'm sure I'll pull out of this funk eventually, I'm just hoping that it's sooner rather than later. <br />
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Thanks for listening!!<br />
<br />Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-83702757276532747032012-05-02T09:49:00.003-05:002012-05-02T09:49:51.390-05:00Lights OUTConnor's new thing has been turning on his light, since he can now reach it without standing on anything, when he's supposed to be sleeping.<br />
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On and off it goes during nap time, which doesn't bother me much, and at night, which bothers me more. A few nights ago it was a real problem. He turned it on, and instead of playing the on/off game with him all night I just let him keep it on and when he fell asleep I turned it off for him and went to bed. When I woke up to use the bathroom 5 hours later his light was back on and he was asleep again. I turned it off and went back to bed. When I woke up in the morning it was on again. Clearly he wasn't getting much sleep if he was turning his light on constantly - which made him <i>horrendously</i> crabby the next day!<br />
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He has a night light, and I don't think at this point that it's a fear of the dark thing... I think it's more of a Connor's-being-a-booger thing. After a Monday from hell with him, Spence and I agreed that since he can't keep his light off when he's supposed to, he will lose his lights for a while. So I loosened his light bulbs so no matter how many times he flicks the light switch, he will get no reward.<br />
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Monday night he got a bit more sleep and was considerably less possessed-like on Tuesday. Tuesday night he fell right asleep and got a good 12 hours of sleep. And the verdict? He was still just as cranky as ever this morning. Maybe he needs more than just one good night sleep to cure him of his nastiness, we can only hope.<br />
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He wasn't happy about his "broken" lights, but I told him since he was being naughty and turning his lights on at bedtime, we took away his lights. He doesn't like it but he doesn't seem scared of the darkness, and I know that our solution is far more to his liking then returning him to the hospital. Plus they won't take him back... I asked.Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-281103128667606792012-04-30T23:06:00.000-05:002012-04-30T23:06:22.963-05:00We're Off to See the Wizard!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last weekend was opening weekend of The Wizard of Oz which both my girls were in! Mikayla plays the roles of Crow, Poppy, and a Candy Shop Girl in Oz; and Izzy plays Toto during the Kansas scenes.</div>
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Mikayla continues to show no fear on stage, while Izzy has been riddled with anxiety since the beginning, but both girls are doing an awesome job! The hours have been long, not getting home and in bed until about 11:00 this past week (which explains why at 10:30 on a non-play night they are both in their beds still awake and reciting lines from the play) but it has been worth it! </div>
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The entire show has surpased my expectations, and those of most of our audience members. We have sold out two of our 4 shows so far before even opening the doors, and are looking forward to another busy weekend of performances. I'm not going to go into it too much tonight, but wanted to show you a few pictures for those of you haven't seen them on facebook already (my facebook friends are getting tired of hearing about the Wizard of Oz by now I'm sure)</div>
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Mikayla in stage makeup before dress rehearsal. Mikayla loves being in plays and has no stage fear. I wish I was more like that! She is enthusiastic and a pretty awesome singer!</div>
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Izzy as Toto holding the Toto that sits with the narrator Dorothy. Lots of things throughout the process of rehearsals and performances have worried Izzy to tears, and the late nights have made her pretty tired, but she is having a lot of fun making new friends and playing in the dressing rooms with the other kids. She is such a cute Toto and gets lots of laughs and "Awww"s from the audience! She is having fun and once she gets past each of the little details that worries her she enjoys herself quite a bit!</div>
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We have 6 Dorothys, 2 Totos, 2 Wicked witches, 2 Glindas, and some double-casted munchkins as well. Partly to accommodate a very large cast of 115 kids!</div>
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Toto scoping out Professor Marvel's roasting marshmallow.</div>
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Mikayla in her crow costume for the scene where Dorothy meets the Scarecrow. She likes being a crow, they get to sing and dance with the Scarecrow and tease him throughout the scene.</div>
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So you put makeup on her and she becomes a 13 year old?</div>
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Opening night was one of their sold out shows, and was a huge success! </div>
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We are so proud of our kids!</div>
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If you are interested in coming to see the show, you should order online before it sells out! youththeatreworkshop.org<br />
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<br /></div>Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-6023972374100459152012-04-14T22:14:00.000-05:002012-04-14T22:14:47.260-05:00The Day I Killed SantaWhat do Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy have in common?<br />
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Less than a week ago, they all died.<br />
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At least to Mikayla they did. A couple years ago Mikayla asked me, "Mom, are you the tooth fairy?" and since she was almost eight years old I gave it to her straight. "Yes, I am." and she instantly felt part of a big secret. But she didn't ask about any of the others, and we had planned on waiting until she asked before we told her the real deal about Santa and the Easter Bunny... but she didn't ask. Ever.<br />
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I even tried to coax it out of her last fall, knowing that Christmas would be coming up. Asking her leading questions about if she had any questions or wanted to talk about the fact that the Tooth Fairy isn't real. She didn't bite.<br />
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As we neared Easter we decided we'd wait until after Easter and tell her the truth, not wanting to break it to her 2 days before the holiday. It had gotten to the point where we worried she'd start getting teased about it at school, but she takes being lied to <i>really</i> hard. One of her close friends lied to her at school a few months ago and she came home sobbing like someone had chopped off her foot. Needless to say I was a little nervous about telling her that it had all been a "lie". <br />
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The first chance we got after Easter was Monday evening on the way to Wizard of Oz rehearsal (both the girls are in the Wizard of Oz which opens in less than 2 weeks!) when it was just Mikayla in the car. <br />
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Me: Do you remember when I told you about how the Tooth Fairy isn't real and that it's really me and dad?<br />
Mikayla: yeah?<br />
Me: You know Santa and the Easter Bunny?<br />
Mikayla: Are you saying they're not real too? (looking shocked and bummed)<br />
Me: me and Dad are Santa and the Easter Bunny.<br />
Mikayla: Does that mean nothing is real?<br />
Me: like what things do you mean?<br />
Mikayla: (a little bit frantic) So Leprechauns aren't real!!?<br />
Me: (stifling a giggle) No leprechauns are not real. These things are just fun to imagine and think about. They're all just magical make-believe fun for kids. <br />
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She took it pretty well. I told her that now that she was in on the secret she needed to keep the secret, and not tell anyone and ruin the fun for them. She said it would be easy to not tell the little kids but she'd have a hard time keeping it to herself with her friends... and we were 3 minutes away from play rehearsal where there are over 100 kids of all ages.<br />
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As we pull in to the parking lot she's got her hand on her mouth saying, "Oh I'm going to tell someone! I'm going to tell someone!" Luckily she didn't. And since getting through that first time around friends I think she has it under control. I'm just happy she wasn't furious with us for "lying" to her all these years, but she understood that it was for fun.<br />
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But now, as far as my oldest child goes, Santa and the Easter Bunny are gone. But she'll still get all the goodies! :o)Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-61432457605550455422012-04-07T21:58:00.000-05:002012-04-07T23:35:36.380-05:00After my Dad's DeathObviously I haven't blogged in a long time, my mind just hasn't been on that. On March 8th my dad lost his battle with cancer. He fought hard and for about 3.5 years, doing extremely well until the last few months. He will be <u>greatly</u> missed! I'm not going to get mushy and sentimental here, that's for real-life for now, but I wanted to share some of the things I've learned through his death. While my experience and feelings are just my own, and some people will have very different experiences, I'm sharing my own perspective.<br />
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Knowing people are praying for you is comforting. No matter how many seemingly generic "Our thoughts and prayers are with you" I got, I knew they were from the heart and it was comforting to see and hear those words. Often times people just don't know what else to say, and that's fine, because there aren't any words that will make the pain go away. But seeing and hearing that people care for you and cared for the person who has passed is soothing.<br />
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I've never been very good at sending cards, for anything really, so I was surprised how good those sympathy cards made me feel. The ones with personal messages were particularly touching, especially when they contained specific memories of my dad. I'll need to remember that sympathy cards are comforting to many people and I plan to make an effort to send them when I can.<br />
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A good funeral home director is incredibly helpful. When my mom, my sister and I went to meet with him I was really impressed at how smooth he seemed to make everything that needed to be done in a short amount of time. They literally walk you through the whole planning process and give you advice on what to do. Of course my mom had a lot of extra things to take care of, but the funeral director, and our church's funeral planners made things as easy as could be expected. <br />
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There's a lot of hugging involved. I hugged nearly every person who attended the funeral, and I was happy to do it.<br />
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And related to all the hugging - family. Death brings family together, if only for a day for some. Family members that live several hours away or whom we hadn't heard from in several years, showed up to pay their respects. And even though it was for a brief time, it was good to come together to remember my dad.<br />
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I was incredibly moved to see a sanctuary full of people who took time off on a Wednesday morning to pay their respects, share their memories and our own, and celebrate the life of a wonderful man. Just taking the time to show up to a visitation or funeral is meaningful to the family.<br />
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Military people are efficient (not that I didn't realize that already). When we arrived at Fort Snelling National Cemetary at our appointed time, we were given a run through of the timing of the next half an hour. The whole service is precisely timed, yet still meaningful.<br />
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My dad's Fort Snelling Service was beautiful and moving. Other than the first woman we met who took us to the location and was a bit cold, I got a real sense of appreciation for my dad's service for our country. Whether or not you agree that the U.S. should have been involved in any particular war, we should appreciate the people who risked their life to serve our nation. Politics aside, the men and women in the military do what most of us can't or won't do, and they work hard to do it, and often die for it. They should be thanked. And a 21 rifle solute and gifting the family with an American flag is a beautiful way to do that. I could have cried when the rifles went off, but I was worried about my kids reaction since it was very loud (they were fine, barely flinched). I did cry though when the tall, dignified old vet presented my mom with the flag, and this tiny old woman gave the most sincere thanks to my mom for my dad's service for our country. And when Taps was played, chills. It was beautiful.<br />
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After the funeral, the family went out for drinks. I think that going out afterward to lift ourselves out of the sadness of the funeral, and celebrate his life with happy memories and laughter is entirely helpful. It kind of gave us permission to smile again while still grieving and remembering the good times.<br />
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I've been doing well for the most part, although I still very much miss him. Tomorrow, Easter, will be one month since he passed away, and our first holiday without him. I am sure he'll be looking down on us with his dad and smiling as the kids hunt for eggs, and we enjoy a big Easter meal together. Because the biggest lesson to be learned, is how important it is to spend time with family while we still can.Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-6131550097806019602012-02-22T13:57:00.002-06:002012-02-22T13:57:53.873-06:00Worst Cooks in AmericaHave you seen the Food Network show <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/worst-cooks-in-america/index.html">Worst Cooks in America </a>yet? Spence and I became hooked this week! He's always been a sucker for food network competition shows like Chopped and Cupcake Wars, actually we all get into Cupcake Wars, and now we have a new favorite! It's a show about a dozen or so self proclaimed (or spouse proclaimed) worst cooks in America. They are split into two teams lead by Food Network chefs. This season the head chefs are Anne Burell and Bobby Flay. The chefs take them through cooking challenges and mini competitions to teach them how to cook and narrow them down to the best of the worst on each team. Then the final two cook for food critics and the winner gets $25,000.<br />
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Our current favorite on the show is Erica Weidner, she's hilarious! She is such a total wreck in the kitchen, yet still manages to hold onto enough goodness to stay in the show (though it's very early in the season still) because she shows promise. They're all wrecks in the kitchen but she is a <i>hilarious</i> wreck! On the Food Network website this is her description:<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">Erica enjoys cooking with unusual kitchen tools, such as razorblades and pliers, and considers food expiration dates to be mere suggestions. She nee</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">ds considerable assistance in order to avoid harming herself in the kitchen and to keep her family safe from her meals.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Love it! When I watch cooking shows everyone is SO much better at cooking than I am, which is a bit discouraging when you think about attempting the dishes they make. So it's nice watching a show where the cooks are more lost in a kitchen than I am! Gives a girl hope! I mean, there's one guy who only knew how to cook things in the dishwasher! The DISHWASHER! The man was freaking out a bit when there wasn't one in the show kitchen!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Once we discovered the current season we found seasons 1 and 2 On Demand and are nearly done with season one. Comparing the seasons so far, the Chefs are a lot harsher in season 1 where in season 2 (one of the chefs is different each season) they seem a little more relaxed - like they're teaching real people and all and not real chefs who should know better. Maybe it's the difference in chefs that has inspired a more pleasant environment, perhaps Bobby Flay brings out the best in Anne Burell, where Beau Somethingorother brought out the mean in her? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">On a related note (I promise) have you seen the show The New Girl? One of the contestants in season one (Rachel Coleman) reminds me SO much of Jess on The New Girl! They look nothing alike but sound and act similar enough to give us a good laugh every time! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Anyway, I recommend it for a good laugh, cooking inspiration, and hope for the hopeless!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><br /></span></span>Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-88067914727057627862012-02-20T21:26:00.000-06:002012-02-21T00:16:11.383-06:00Connor & Mommy NightSunday evening ended up being a Connor/Mommy night. Spence and Mikayla went to some friends of ours's house to watch wrestling (the grown-ups) and the kids played video games. Izzy was sleeping over at Nana and Papa's house because she was bummed that Mikayla was going somewhere and she couldn't (Izzy doesn't handle staying up till 10:30 at night very well the next day). So by around 6:00 it was just me and Connor left at home. <br />
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When a family of 5 suddenly becomes 2, it is SO much quieter! First Connor and I cuddled on the couch eating Thin Mints and watching Gold Rush. He loves all that machinery! We've been meaning to take him down to the John Deere place nearby one of these nice days to get a close up look at front-end loaders, backhoes, and all sorts of bucket/blade wielding heavy machinery. After watching Gold Rush for a little bit we got down on the floor and built car/block castles. Then Connor would knock it down, look all apologetic and say, "Sorry", and we'd build another one.<br />
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He was really hamming it up that night, even wanting me to forever capture the image of his foot.<br />
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And his other foot.<br />
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Then there was more building,<br />
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More hamming it up,<br />
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And then we sang songs. This first video demonstrates how he doesn't like to let me sing with him (which may be why he gets most of the words wrong ;) oh well!), and how he has a flair for the dramatic. </div>
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And one more, even BETTER ONE, in case you think he's as cute as I do. Even MORE dramatic and mixed up!!</div>
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Clearly, we had a great time! It is rare that he and I get one on one time, so that made it extra special. And to top it off, once I put him to bed at 7:00 I had the house to myself for 3.5 hours!! WOO!<br />
<br /></div>Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-85307597708400847362012-02-13T22:26:00.004-06:002012-02-13T22:26:54.959-06:00Valentines For TotsThe Valentines Day art project the toddlers and Izzy did spanned over a few days to make.<br />
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First they painted pink on stiff white paper. All the while we talked about the color pink, and painting, brush, and how paint is for paper - not for eating.<br />
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Then the next day we added red footprints to form a heart-ish shape. There were lots of giggly tots and wiggly toes during that process! <br />
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The next day I helped them paint a heart around their footprints, hand-over-hand. We talked about the color Red and the Heart shape, and how we paint nice and smooth! <br />
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Valentines Day Eve I hung them up on the door to welcome their parents (and us) in the morning! They can give them to their Mom or Dad tomorrow after daycare!<br />
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<br />Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-21181358128858939372012-02-10T20:21:00.001-06:002012-02-10T20:31:40.479-06:00Hiding, Pinning, Zyrtec, and MoreTime for a stream-of-consciousness post of sorts.<br />
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The toddlers in my life are big into hide and seek. They are generally terrible hiders, but that doesn't stop them from squealing with glee every time someone finds them! Connor's found a few spots lately that we wouldn't have found him quickly at all had he been quieter. It cracks me up how every child I've known thinks it's a good idea to hide in the same exact place (or maybe one of three places) every time. Also, I often take my time finding them. I mean, why not enjoy a minute or two of silence right?<br />
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Speaking of games, Connor and my 16 month old daycare boy made a game out of cleaning up these little snap-together beads. Daycare boy stood next to the bucket about 6 feet away from the pile of beads. Connor would pick up a small handfull, or sometimes just 3 or 4 beads, bring them to daycare boy and put them in his hands, and daycare boy would put them in the bucket. This took them a good 5 minutes at least to pick up the pile, but they had fun and were developing their team-work skills!<br />
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We spent a few days working on Valentine pictures for the daycare kids (even the baby!) to give their parents. They are turning out really cute! Here is a picture of the baby's Valentine, I covered up his name. I'll show you the bigger kids' version in a separate post.<br />
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I've started following a few more people's boards on<a href="http://pinterest.com/"> Pinterest,</a> but have been more selective in which boards I'm following in order to keep my main page easier to keep up with. Specifically food boards! It's hard to look at all that yumminess when you're on a diet!<br />
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I've become slightly addicted to wintergreen life savor mints. They help me keep my mouth occupied when I'm hungry so I don't snack all day long. <br />
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I've finally started taking Zyrtec to deal with my many environmental and seasonal allergies. While I'm still often itchy, it doesn't feel as bad as it was. The main difference I've noticed, though, is how much easier it is to breath! I didn't realize what I was missing until I had open sinuses! <br />
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I'm thinking of making the Pioneer Woman's <a href="http://theylendmetheirhearts.blogspot.com/2011/12/our-first-christmas-dinner.html">pot roast </a>again on Sunday because it is Oh So Yummy!Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-23862772937695447842012-02-04T22:34:00.001-06:002012-02-05T22:44:23.750-06:00BulliesBullies.<br />
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<img alt="cm bullying 1" src="http://positivepsychologynews.com/ppnd_wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/cm-bullying-1-255x300.jpg" />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">image taken from google images</span><br />
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Every grade has them. Most classes have them to some extent, even among the Kindergartners (and some preschool class rooms probably I'm sure). <br />
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Mikayla is nine years old and has already dealt with a few different bullies. In Kindergarten and 1st grade it was a couple boys who were mean to everyone and pushing them around, threatening them with nasty looks. In second grade it was more the mean girl kind of bullying. She's in third grade now and has a particular boy in her class that is both obnoxiously distracting and physically aggressive. I'd pick him up by his collar and scream in his face if I didn't think I'd get arrested.<br />
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The bullying this year has just recently started, and her class has been a mess of teacher switching because her main teacher has had a lot of back problems, so when Mikayla told us about this kid last weekend I told her if it happens again to tell her new teacher. We are hoping her new teacher is strict and vigilant about this kind of behavior and will turn it around.<br />
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If the teacher doesn't do anything or it happens again though? We told her this: First get in his face and yell at him in your angriest voice, "Don't hit/kick me again or I'll hit/kick you back harder!!" And if he takes it as a challenge and keeps it up then we gave her full permission to use what she learned in 21 months of karate and knock him on his nasty little butt. She's a really strong girl, she could do it! We told her if she were to get in trouble for it, and only if he got physical first, we would stand up for her.<br />
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I was bullied when I was a kid. First in Kindergarten, then again in 6th grade, with some mean-girl junk somewhere in between. In Kindergarten I had to walk quite a ways (at least it felt like it to my 5 year old self) down the road to my bus stop. There I'd have to wait for the bus with two other Kindergarten girls who lived right next to each other and were good friends, and little b*&#@'s. I'd have to get there about 5 minutes before the bus came to make sure I wasn't late or anything, and then they would torment me. Pushing me around, knocking me to the ground, and when there was snow on the ground they'd throw big hard snow chunks the plows left at me until I cried.<br />
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Once there was enough snow to have created a big mound at the end of a driveway about half the way to the bus stop, I'd crouch next to that, hidden from those girls, and watch for the bus to pull onto our street. Then I'd have to run like hell to get to the bus stop, where the bus driver would very irritably tell me to get to the bus stop sooner so he wouldn't have to wait. I was five.<br />
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My parents had no idea this was going on because I never let on. I don't know why I didn't tell them, I know they would have helped me if I had told them but for some reason I didn't. I really wish I had. They didn't find out until after the school year I think when a neighbor mentioned to them that they had seen me sitting in that other driveway before the bus came. I don't remember what all the story was there, but I wish she had mentioned something to my parents sooner.<br />
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In 6th grade I was sitting in the back of the bus with my little sister and 2 other 6th grade boys. For whatever reason those boys decided I'd be their kicking bag and the object of their constant teasing. I came home crying most days, hiding it well from my parents. I don't know exactly why I didn't tell them about it, whether it was out of embarrassment or fear of it being worse if they did something about it. I wish I had told them about it earlier because when I broke down crying one night and told my parents, my dad got pretty pissed at them. He got in the van with me and I showed them where the boys lived and he drove to each house and went in to talk to their parents. I don't know exactly what was said, but it did get better after that. I'm glad he talked to them, and I'm sure he would have rather kicked <i>them</i> right back for me, but knowing my dad he was probably much more of a calm storm than what was going on in his head.<br />
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I only wish I had been the kind of kid that would have been able to stand up for myself better. I was quiet, shy, and other than some weird game where my friends would call me "Abigail" and I'd punch them in the arm, passive. I guess I was an easy target, which is what I <i>don't</i> want for my kids. <br />
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We told Mikayla, and will be talking to Izzy about as well very soon, not to let herself be an easy target, and to always come to us when stuff like that happens because we (like most parents) will always be in her corner. At the age she's at right now, most kids will back down if the victim puts up any kind of believable fight. "Get in their face and make them be afraid of what you will do to them" is what we told her. It's not the kind of thing I had the guts to do in elementary school, but I really wish I had. Lots of things made me stronger as I grew up and learned more about life, and though I'm still pretty quiet much of the time, and the idea of confrontation fills me with anxiety, I'm a lot stronger. <br />
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Bullies are everywhere, and unfortunately we can't always count on teachers and school staff to see or do anything about it. There are lots of teachers, some that I know personally, that are fantastic anti-bullying advocates, but there are too many out there that stand idly by and do nothing, or not enough. And if the bully's parents are told about the behavior and do nothing about it, then there's not much a school can do other than expel the child when it gets to a certain point. We've all seen the articles and news stories about kids getting bullied to the point of suicide in middle and high school, and the teachers and staff can't be everywhere and sometimes just don't know what to do about it. It's worse these days than when I grew up, because it's not just school, parks, neighborhoods that it happens in, it's online. Kids are getting viciously harassed on facebook pages and through text messages. Nasty lies and names can be spread to an entire school in a matter of seconds.<br />
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I don't have the answers to the big stuff, except to raise your children to accept people for their <u>character</u> no matter how different they act/look/believe/are. [[<i>edited to add:</i> I also realize that being a strong kid and them standing up for themselves will not always save them from harassment and violence. I don't for one second mean to imply that a child is being bullied because they aren't standing up for themselves properly, only that it can <i>help</i> when no one else is standing up for them. ]] I don't have the answers, but we're trying our best to raise strong daughters and a strong son that will be compassionate and stand up for themselves and their peers. Because, unfortunately, bullies will never be a thing of the past. <br />
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<br />Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-51554539375663533412012-02-02T19:33:00.000-06:002012-02-02T19:33:18.087-06:00My Kids NamesHello out there!<br />
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If you haven't noticed, I haven't blogged much lately, or at all in the last couple weeks. The longer I took to get back into blogging, the more I felt like I needed to do some massive recap or something which made me want to write even less. So I'm going to skip any kind of massive recap and just pick myself up off my ignored blog's floor and get writing! It won't be every day but hopefully it will be more often than... never. Hopefully.<br />
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A while back I had mentioned that I was thinking about using the kids' real names, and after hearing lots of helpful input, and thinking about it a bunch, and running it by the hubs, I've decided to go ahead and introduce you to my kiddos! I will not be using our last name though. For those of you who don't know my kids' real names, here they are:<br />
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Mikayla</div>
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Isabelle (Izzy)</div>
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And this is Connor</div>
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Sorry! Wrong picture!</div>
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<u>This</u> is Connor</div>
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Aren't they cute!? :o)Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-78502231758448601562012-01-07T17:00:00.000-06:002012-01-07T17:00:26.132-06:00Baby ProductsI've raised 3 babies of my own, almost gotten through raising 3 toddlers of my own, and taken care of lots of other peoples' babies. During this time I've bought many different infant products for our kids and tried out many more that came in the door with my daycare babies. That said, I've formed some opinions. :o)<br />
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Everyone has their personal preferences, and what is perfect for one baby might not be ideal for another. That said, as a starting point, here are some of my favorites.<br />
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<img src="data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAkGBhQSEBQUEBQUFBUVFxQVFBQVFhQVFhUXFhQYFBgVFBcXHCYeGBkkGhQUHy8gIycpLC0sFR4xNTAqNScrLCkBCQoKDgwOGA8PGjUkHyUuLCksLC0tKSkvLyksLCksKiwsKSwpLCwpKSwpLCwpLCkpLCksLCwsLCwsLCwsKSwsLP/AABEIANAA0AMBIgACEQEDEQH/xAAbAAABBQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADAAIEBQYHAf/EAEAQAAEDAgMEBwQHBgcBAAAAAAEAAhEDIQQSMQVBUWEGIjJxgZGhE1Kx0RRCYoKSwfAWIzRyorIVJDNDU+Hx0v/EABoBAQEAAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMFBAb/xAAqEQACAgECBgEEAwEBAAAAAAAAAQIDEQQhBRITMUFRIjNSYXEjQqGBFP/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A7gkkkgEkhYmtlbPMBCbXJQEpKEEE816qAsJQgkJrkBIXkhQKr1CrVVCZLv2g4jzC89q3iPMLN1KhUd9UqDJq/bt95vmEvpLfeb5hY41DxTTVPFMg2X0lnvN/EEvpLPeb+ILGe1PFOFY8UyU2X0hvvN8wvRWbxHmFkGVCpVKoUyDTB44jzXsqnoOUxjQqCakoophOA/Uq4BISQJPErxtcyAbyoCQkkkgEkkkgA4ymXMIFzqJtcKNQa8jVg0tc6+IU8qpOKFJjqh+q1hdqbdw36+iJZZHtuT203b3N/Cf/AKXvsne9/SPzVPT6VMzGQ4MlrWuLSDmMzmnS8Dj4J+C6RirVYxjHw5ryS4QQRlItOhDwfELb0prfBq69ecZLI0Xe+fwt+SG6i7/kP4W/JVOD6UST7Rjh13NsLMbn9mC8k65gRbge9OqdJmwHezqwQ8izdGRmOuglOlP0Tr1+ybUoO98+TfkotTDn3z5N+SEzbzXODcr2kuLYMWhmeTfeCqwdJJLnZTkyUnNbLGkF7i05nOcGxbir0JvwR31ryT34c+8fIfJR3Yc+8fRDbtxrsO+u1riGZpaInqGHReCN8qvd0pplxawOJzNY0jLDszXOzC+gymeYUVFjzhFd9axlk92HPvH0TDQPvH0VG3pHULRDZnDuq5yGtuHESWhxGWwEXKm7H217WGPY5r/ZsqEkABwMAlsEwJO9ZS004rLMYamEnhE8UD7x9E9tA+8fRVA6Q5XOaWvqE1X02Na1oPVaHRd19dbIzekrJMsqBsvaHw3K59MEuYLzNiL2sp/57PRevD2XDKHM+ik06PM+iqNk7cbWdlDHsOQVBny9ZpMSIJ38Vd01qlBweJG2E1NZiGpUz7x8gpTGn3j5N+SBTUlihmPDHe9/SE8U3cR5f9pNKICqUZkdxafAj8yghjs4kAAGZDp8IIClyo2EJz1e9sXn6o3fVUIS0kkkAkkkkAiqr6C2pScwyA9rWmNYAtHmrQqrNHPRy6ktvNplqq7ke6Ijuj9F7yJfIcXHTeQeH2W6KVg9j06bmvYXS2QJOssYyCN9qbT3hMo7NcHyDAzEgCLA6HTURpzTamBfMhjQOALbkOzZpPEGOPgtrk3tk86glvyjjsKlIMu7RdGaziX+0gjeMxlMfsqkQ1l+q17RB3OIzAnjcJjNnPG4Rpq2R2OsTF+zY62HEwbDYctcJaBDMsgiXHNMwN2+95JV5n7JhfaRcRsak6SS4HNmJDiIOQM3aAtsodTo5RgDrCAyCHGRkJLSOdyj0sK4tpnIBlayWyOvo6eRF+17x7zGrbOedwAMvyzo9ri6mJG6SJPJZcz+4jivtPW4SnRpOZfKS9zg45ic562t9/qoVDo/QYWFgM02uaLzZ0kzzudeKJV2e7K4ZWuL/ZkukdUghzhxjNmIj3lHfsx5GUje6TLesDUDiLCTYTfeN6yUsf2I1nblEej1GGgZgGsNMQ43YSTB43JPkjYfZrGODmgyKbaQkyMrYI8bC6lgAWAAG4AQB3BeStDtm9mzeqorfBBZsWmKgeJzB7qgvbM5oabdwCb+z1LMXda+chuY5WueC1zmjcSCfNWAT2qdWfsdKHoDg9lspua5sy2mKQkz1QZHjI1VpTUdqPTKxlJyeWZxio7IlU1JYotNSWLEyDsRAhtRAsinpQcMes/v5cBw/NGKDhR1qn83CPqjzQhJSSSUAkkkkAlWUMQAyTbQeYHzVmQqmjRa5ha4SLW00A4KojD/AOI0/wDkZw7bfnqvX7QpgEl7bAEwZMGIMCSe0NOIUapsOi49Zk6Wkxb9DyTqmyaZBkG7Q3XcIi2k29Ss/iYfML9PpkkB7Z33FpnXyNuSG7HMkNzAkkQAZk3O6yG7YtK1jYz2j72a/G8ryjs6nTktFzlmb9kQInSyYgT+T8A620aYiXtEjNv0iZ0sLjVCdi2EgBwuHEcw0kE+BHomv2PTi4J6pZ1jMNIAtwIAAB70w7PZlLbwc2+4zGSGnUCTp80fIY5nnseVq7QJLhFryN+ijnFszFuYSLEcO9AOwKQ0B8585F96ZX2PTc4udJJIcRPVnu3/ACVxX7GbPQc12zEiTf8AXkU19doIBIkmAOJiYCgv2BSiLgQBY7hPr1j5o+G2eynoJvYkCR3GJ81Gq/DKnZ5QZuIbrmGuX7w1HejtKqB0ep/ai++bkQTpIJibb0VmwacycxNtY3b9NbzPNXlr9/4Tms9Fq6s1olxAFrnS5j42UmhUBEggjcRoqnCbEpscDEwIExHw/wDdTe6t6LQBAsOAsPJYSUfBnHm8kqmpLFFpqSwrA2B2ogQmIoKyKeoODjNUj37/AIWopKDgXgmpE2fBkg/VbpGg70IS0kklAJJJJAJUzXuDJYJMi3EWnerlUQol7C0HKZF77u5Ug92NqiYpF0TFw3NfcTpbeiU8TUMSyJAMawZG+06m0buaEMPWAEVAdZJ1N+47kq1CtmcWvAH1eVt973A8/MD3/EHZQchNpMBw962Uifq+oQ/8QJI6johxvO4tFrb5JjW3kXEvqmcsQRa46pyi5n7RPkEJ7q06NiJn72kd3NQDqVfO3NBE7jqhvQDVrZDIGYFu7tCBm+trM6d3NAfiasH93cCbyMxvYGbbr336wgDvQXID69TKCGz2pEQdRlAE2sTv3aoAxNWLsuSAN0Xg5rnvQEolNUF+LqCSWQARw605hbXfl9UYVH5iC3qyL8ZF47jOqgJAKI1V9PE1LTT1jeeHzslSxVaBNOSYmDEDfP8A0gyWrVIpqtpVqkkFo0BB3XIkcbSTPJEZXq5mdSxnNpbsxz3u8kBb0ypDFGpqQxCh2ooQWooWQHFBwJu+x7e8RPVGnFFJQ8F9f+Y753DyUBKSSSQCSSSQCKqMG63irdUmAPV/XAKkJoK9KYCkShROKG4pzihPKhAT0B5RnlR3lQAnFBciOQnIBpKakSvJQDgntQKldrRLiAOJMIeH2pScYa9pPBVRfcmUixYjsKjsKkUyoUk01IYo1MqQwoUkNRGoLSitKuQOKHgfr/zHdG4eaeULZoH7yIu8zrwGsoCakkkgEkkkgEqTCmxjj+Su1lNp7QNHDVagIlo6s8TAHqZWUYuT5UYykorLLkL2Vxpu2KwJIq1JNyc7rnzUun0oxQ0rP7iQfiF1Xwua/sjlLikPMWdXcUJxXNmdNMUP9wHva35Ig6dYkalh+4B8FqfDbV2wbFxKn8m+eUB5Wa2T03D3hldoZNg8Tl7nA6d60jyvFbTOp4kj21XQtWYMjYrFNYJe4NHNVlXpHQH+4PIn8kukuznVqQDNWmY423c1ihg6jes5jgBN3NIg7oW2mmFi3ZrttlB7I02P6TAWpCftHTwCqK3Sit7wHc0KnfiEEPldCGlgvB5HdN+Qu09qvrvGZxYd0ix8RopnR3Ydao5rmusHXdwHLeTyVfC1PQ7EhraznmGtDSTuFnKX/wAdTcTKlOyaTNjTUimVUYDbNOo/KDDozAEtlw4gAq2plcOMlJZR1Z1yg8SWCUxHYqyltJhqezb1nDtRoz+Y8ZtCsmLNpruYJkhqICgtRQVCjiUPZps/+d2+eHl3J5TNmdl387uH6KoJqSSSASSSSARWB6XCcDUj32HwkLelZWvghVoVKZtnDh3Hce6QFtpkoTjJ+GarouUHFeUcnBW32HjaL2UmZgXw0OY5thkbUk37QuCsni9k1aRIqU3NgxOU5T3HQjxUUFfU2wjfHZny9c5US3RsqpwzxiCH0szmUwCGgAvbTlzqcxGZxItGg7kSlszDPLbUnZ3UAGtcCYNPryAbdYFYqU6jiHMcHMOVwuCNQV53pGl8ZM3R1Sz8oot+lGBZTFItY2m5wfmY12YQ1wDXa7xK1fR3FmphabnGTBaTxymJ8oXN6rySSdSZPjqugdEv4On3v/uK8mur5KEnu8nr0U+a9tLGxauKq9vYcvoPA1Fx4XVm5ArUw4EOAIIgg3BB3HkuLGXK0ztSWVg5PiX3XtKreL2EzBjhqrfpbs9tOt1WkBwzcrm4CpZhfQ1zU4qRzJ18r5e5KDl7Vx7xRfQYB+9LJO8wYyx35VGpYgSAdeAR6VIhznTaYEwTETr4/BcnX6iFmNPB/JtHb4dpZ051VsfjFZX5fg0GzMPSw+IFZzicjA0MFyXRBJ4AAnxU3aXSerWc2lhmlucwYPXM7gR2Rz9VnBVRsJiyx7XtMFpBHgt2m0ENPDC3ZztTr7NTPMjpmwtlihTDRdxu88Ty5BWzComHq5gCN4B8xKlMXOk222z0xSSwg7EUFBaihYmZ6SvNlDqu07b/AI70ivNknqO/nqb5+seQVITkkkkAkkkkAlm8Hoe8rSFZrB6eP6KAdtDaLaFJ1R+jR4k7gOZK5PtDHurVHVH9pxnu4AcgIV705217Sr7Fh6lM9bm/f5ad5KzC+j4fp+nDnfdnznEL+pPkXZDpXhKUrwldFnOQxxXQuiZ/ydP739xXPHFdC6K/wlP739xXK4n9L/p1OG/Vf6LR5QynuQyvnjvgsRh2vEPaHDgRPx+KwXSvZrKbz7MQBFptfh3LoBWL2432ld4Og/8AB6rdXX1cwbaX4C1D08lYkm/yY6jEul2UkQDHE3PwVvTIAhpkCwPEC0+iq9o4EtJbw+CsKUCANwjyXoo4dGvUKce2DbqeKzv0zjLu3/hIaU8FCBTqb12mfPnWNjPmhSP2GfAD8lZMWY6FbQz0Mh1pmPum4/MeC0zF85bHlm0dmt5imSGlEBQWlEBWs2Divdk9gzPbfqQfrctO5NJT9lCKdo7T9BA7SAmpJJKkEkkkgEsTjtoGjhqlQagdWd5MBvxnwW1K5x0qb/kX8nU/KQttKUrIp+zVc3GDaMC5xJk3JuUgvFe9FNgfSKmZ4/dsIzfaO5o+J5L6yyyNUOZ9kfK11ysnyryDZsEjCPxFS3ZFMcZcAXHlwVMSuk9MhGCeBYAsA7swsOS5q4ry6O53Rcn7PRq6VTJRXoa5dC6LfwlP739xXPCuhdF/4Sn3O/uK8/E/pL9no4b9V/os3JhKc5MK+eO8NJWTxgGeqQfrn0WprVcrSToAT5XWJc50TMZiTffJXr00c5Z5dQ8YA7TwOZudpkj1CqaRWx6P4L2rHufxhsaaST6hZ7a2DDXFzOySR3cD3FdLT27ut+DyThspAqbMxiYTn4Zzb6jj8+C8wNfK9rjeCDHGDotztzZzKlIVGACwO4Zmm9/NZ23dOSXhkhXzJso+iGP9niW8H9Q+NwfMeq6Yxcfpk06ltWuBHgZH5LptHapcAREEA+YleDXR+SkvJ7NLLZouGlFao1NgMEjzR2lc89g4lF2R/pnd1n/FBJRtkx7Pq6Zn+eYygJqSSSpBJJJIBLFYvBe1oVKfvtMHnYj1AW1WPNcMaCdJA9EUnFpokkpLDOb4TYdV9b2WUh0w6QYaN7jy+K6bgMC2jTbTpiGtHiTvJ5kr2li2nQkHWCCLHfeyKvXqNXO9JPY8mn0sKW2iu6SYQ1cLUa3WMw5lpmPiuWFdiJWX2v0MZUeX0nezJuWxLSeI4L0aHVRqzGZo12llbiUTBFdH2DhyzDUmu1yyeUmY9VXbN6GNpuDqrs5Fw0CGzumbn9aq6Ln54huTjNxbhvTXamNyUYGOi00qm5TCFMKcShkrlHUIG23H2Do35R5m6y1UEw3foGrZ16Ie0tcJBUOjsSm12YZp4kyvRXcoRweeypzYbZtAUqTWyJGt9+pVdtDZNMh2U6iMouBzlWowbefml/hzTxH65rWrJRlzG1wTWDnAaWkg6ix8Fr9hYsOoQ49mW+Go+Krek+yPZvD23Dte8I/RvBlzTrciB3Tf1XT1M42UKR46YuNmCHtTDw+Rfn8Fr9nSGMA1DW/BMw/RoEy+PiVoMLhWsENAXPsvdkVHHY9VdXI2wuFrvjrNPfZTGOQ2p4K0m8c4ouw2xS+/U9Xk/mgOKk7F/wBL7z/7ihCckkkqBJJJIBlaqGtLnWDQSe4CSsfUoioyJsbg67rGO+612KoZ2OYbBzXNPiIn1XPa1PE4M5ajc9MaOvljk7d3FYsFtToFrCBBIHVubkSRrpeLaIVDDEFuabEwZInqySYNwXyboOG29TdrLDzFvMSp9PENd2XA9xQEKtXd1sj7AmT1CRlDiQ0GYsBrvBKLiqzgRlg2cSIOaG8DPEtGh1R6lMHUA94B+KY+mCCI1kHuOqEI30o5JjrSG5bjrHQGdOKE/FEA5hdsEwZsdC2QJm4i1wjHDCCL3IJJN5HPwUd2DuHZ3TqbNuYgSI3XjvKAc6vESCCRMakQBMxrcgWnVMOIGUO3HLH3tE5zDmB4Ag+MGf6fVCfh+o1oPZy3j3eUjghT2rig2ZBsMxIEgC9z+EpVMQG6zoTYEwBvKDXweYknKZaG6G0FxkX+1pySxWGLhAOrS1xkgwddNd9ra67iISKmIDSAQ68CQCRcwiUa4dMA23kQLGLcdEMUjIJjqzAvvsD5T5rzDYWDNtIsIzX7Thx+ZugHVHMqABzC4G7Zjrb7X4Xuj7Oe2IazJGkZYMGDEHj8VH+iOygB4GUQ05TOmWXda5ymLRe/JS8NRIIJy2blGUZRcgxBJ90b95TIwEONIE5YgxdwjcLETJkwByOikUsZYki0NcIMyHktbwjQefegtwggCTvBv2g4yQfHfqjtwjcpAm8a3gAyAOQM+aGRKw1bM0GCNRB3QS03FtQljCcoiTcTFl5hqQa0NGg/Mk/ElEfVAu4gd5j4oBzJyidd95up+ymRTA5u9TKzmO6RU2Dqy93Kw8SfyVv0YbU9iXVrOe4uDdMrYAAjwlEQuEkklkBJJJIBLwhepICqxfRjD1NaYaeLOr8LKuq9DI/0qpHJ7Q4eYj4LTJKYQMqNi4hlstN45OI+MJjqVQCXYeqObXB3pda1JMAxdaq0CSyu3m5lvyUGttBg7JJ+7HqCV0JNcwHW6YBzR+2WjVrvL/pR3dImDVrx4D5rprtnUzrTYe9jfkhu2PROtKn+ED4KYYObftJS4P8AwpftLR+1+ErobujmHOtFnkm/szhv+Fnr80wy7GAHSOj9r8JRG9Iqf2vJbwdGcMP9lnkiM2HQGlJn4UwwYijtlh4jvB/JTaO0KZ+t/S75LXjZdIaUqf4G/JGZh2jstaO4AfkmGQy9LE0z2XPceApn5qTTdNm065PNoaPULRwkmCmZfh8Q7sUco41KkHwA+a8b0VqPP72o1o4MbJPi6PzWnSVwCs2f0eo0TLW5ne87rHw3DwCs0klSCSSSQH//2Q==" 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<b><u>Formula</u></b>: If you are going to use formula, unless your doctor recommends something specific for your specific baby, I recommend starting with a generic brand. We used Up and Up (Target brand) regular iron-fortified formula for our babies. It is exactly the same as Enfamil and costs about $10 less per can! When you are buying several cans per month that adds up fast! The consistency is a little different, the smell is a little different, but the nutritional content is exactly the same. So with all the expenses babies can bring, do yourself a favor and save some dough!</div>
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<b><u>Bottles:</u></b> Again, if your doctor doesn't advise a specific bottle then here are my thoughts. Babies often don't care what kind of bottle you use, but they often have a preference for nipple shape. Get a couple bottles of the narrow variety and a couple of the wide variety and see what your baby likes better. If your baby likes the narrow kind then I recommend the Gerber bottles pictured above. They are really cheap, easy to clean, and in my opinion just as good as the fancy ones with the vents and the special gizmos that redirect air. If your baby has a bad reflux problem it wouldn't hurt to give a fancy bottle a try, but I wouldn't go out and buy a bunch of them until you know that it will help. The gerber ones are cheap enough that if you are away from home and leave one somewhere, you won't be kicking yourself because you're really only out about a buck or two. The playtex bottles with the drop-in inserts are really nice for clean up, but it's hard to tell exactly how much milk your baby has drank from it unless he or she drinks the whole thing. Might be a good option for a baby that routinely drinks the whole bottle of milk. </div>
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<b><u>Diapers:</u></b> When our babies are newborns I really like the expensive Pampers Swaddlers. They are soft and they have a yellow line down the diaper that turns blue if the baby has peed, which is helpful when they are just born and you are literally counting wet diapers. When they get a little bigger and outgrow the swaddlers we switch to, once again, Up and Up brand. Pampers are nice, but expensive for something that is only going to be worn for a couple hours or less and then pooped in. I don't like Huggies because they seem so rigid to me which appears uncomfortable. Luvs and Up and Up are my favorite diapers to buy. You'll be buying diapers for years so you might as well start saving that money for more important things and give the good-but-inexpensive ones a shot!<br />
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<b><u>Wipes:</u></b> Once again... Up&Up. Nobody from Up&Up is sponsoring this post, they don't know who I am, and I'm not making a dime on this post, I just really like their products! I HATE Huggies brand wipes. When I wipe baby butts with the huggies ones there are often wipe-fibers coming off and giving me more to wipe up, also they can be a pain to get out of the wipes container once they get down a bit. Pampers are ok. I love the Up&Up unscented cloth-like wipes! They are soft, don't fall apart, easy to remove from the container, do a thorough job, and are inexpensive! I was at the dollar store once and saw they had wipes, so I figured I'd give those a shot... they were awful and I ended up throwing them away. They were so strongly scented with this horrid perfume smell that it grossed me out more than the poop I was cleaning up!</div>
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" 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<b><u>Diaper rash cream:</u></b> Now this is a category that I have tried the heck out of! I am constantly recommending Desitin Maximum Strength to all my daycare baby's parents. I've tried various ointments, boudreaux's butt paste, burt's bees diaper cream, Desitin creamy, and a wide variety of others. What I've learned is that Desitin Maximum Strength is hands down the only thing worth spending your diaper rash treatment money on! The maximum strength desitin is the same as Desitin Original. Every other kind of rash cream takes at least 4 times as much to gob onto their little rear-ends, and far more applications to work. With the maximum strength stuff you just need a little bit to coat the rash, apply it at each diaper change and the rash is usually gone in about a day. </div>
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The only negative is that it can sting if the rash is severe. If the rash is severe then skip the desitin until it's healed a little more and then use it. In the mean time try A&D ointment, pictured below. It is a soothing ointment that can be used for not only diaper rashes, but dry-chapped skin in other areas too. It doesn't work very fast to treat a diaper rash, but it can help heal it enough to use the desitin maximum strength. Please do not buy Desitin Creamy... it falls into that category described above that doesn't work... repeat after me... "Creamy is Crap". Desitin Maximum Strength is where it's at!</div>
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<img src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5RlziuxRrt97aswGiMp6anaF9G1EH7T_SdKUgL3ME0ZBkCgpH" />
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So there you have it, take it or leave it. :o) </div>
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<br /></div>Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3499525810217575170.post-58460270905783839732012-01-02T11:44:00.001-06:002012-01-02T11:44:30.244-06:00I Resolve To: the realistic versionI <a href="http://theylendmetheirhearts.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-i-dont-do-resolutions.html">don't do resolutions</a>. But perhaps this year I will? But just one, because I want to be realistic here.<br />
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I resolve, in the year 2012, to get super fat. Not in a baby-in-the-belly kind of way, but an ate-too-many-cookies-and-cheese sort of way. <br />
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That way when I fail my resolution I won't be at all disappointed.Abby @ I Used To Have A Brainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16983169830541375974noreply@blogger.com0