Voting

We went to vote early, yesterday. Who knew you could do such a thing?

Anyway, I was talking to Link about it and told him we were probably going to go vote that afternoon. The conversation followed something like this:

Link: Can I vote for someone?

Me: Not until you're 18?

Link: Not 19? (As if that were too late.)

Me: 18 or older.

Link: And you're older than 18?

Me: I'm 30.

Link: So, WAY older?

Me: Um, yeah!

Tinker Bell

We just watched the new Tinker Bell movie. It is adorable! It is beautifully made! It tells the story of Tinker Bell's birth and shows how she learns to be herself and fit in where she belongs. It is a great story that tells kids (and adults) that they don't have to be anyone else to be happy. You only have to do the best that you can and be the you that you were meant to be.

So many times, people are told that they can do anything they want to if they just try hard enough. I have a big problem with that! First, we can't all do everything. There are limitations even on those among us who are smart and healthy. It can be so hard for people to learn that they just aren't capable of everything. Second, we wouldn't all be happy doing the things that other people are good at. We each need to find the things that we are good at and that will make us happy while we do them.

I think that kids should be taught that they are special just because they are them, not because of what they can or cannot do.

I also love the books that Disney has put out telling the tales of the fairies of Pixie Hollow. They are fun little stories to read with your kids again and again.

Anyway, I loved the movie and I'm glad that I bought it for myself and my daughters!

Picky Eaters Breakthrough

Link has been a really picky eater since he could choose. It has been a huge battle and we didn't know what to do. He was starting to influence Princess, who has been a wonderful eater. I didn't want that and I didn't want the example for Doodle, either. Now, with three kids, I am really tired of even having to make a sandwich for someone (or two) doesn't want to eat what I made. What's worse is that usually, he wouldn't even taste, or look at what I had made before he rejected the meal. Now, I am a pretty good cook, so it is really frustrating when he won't try things that I know he would like.

Finally, Captain Marvelous came up with a brilliant idea. He suggested that we take away video game time depending on how well he eats. If he eats a portion that we give him, he gets all of his time. (One hour) If he at least tries the food without complaining, he could still have half of his video game time. (We didn't want him to have to eat it if he truly didn't like it, but we didn't want that to be an excuse either.)

It has been amazing! For almost a week, now, he has tried and eaten at least a little of every meal I've made for them. He hasn't been complaining and he has been eating so much better. He has also become more patient in general, but I don't know if it is related at all.

Link even got some extra game time since he has been doing so well! We love this!

Pure Joy

One thing that really amazes me about Doodle, and most babies, is the pure joy that radiates from her. She is just bursting with it. She wiggles and grins and laughs with this amazing happiness! I wish I could have her stay this way forever!!

But life is about learning and growing. I just wish I could keep some of the pain away from her...

Bribery

We've offered a swing set if Princess will get potty trained. Although she really wants it, she is still completely unmotivated to stop wearing diapers. We printed a picture of the one she'll get, too. Since she has a three year old's attention span, we thought it would be good for her to be able to see it often. (A friend suggested we get her a toy she really wants and put it on a shelf in the bathroom. We thought that would be hard with a swing set.)

We don't know what to do. I have mostly left her alone and let her take her time in deciding she is ready, but she's almost 3 1/2. We are ready! We bought a new potty. She loves it and will sit on if for a long time. She's even gone in it a couple of times. She still doesn't care at all whether she's wearing a diaper or not.

I wish I had a magic wand!

Cute

I love taking pictures of "tummy time"!!

Headache

I've been struggling with a headache for almost a week. I was starting to get concerned! It also hurt on the outside, which is something I've never experienced before. So, I've been taking Ibuprofen around the clock just to have a mild headache.

Last night, I asked Captain Marvelous to massage my back and neck. He rubbed a sore spot that was all knotted up. As he was working that out, it hurt up into my neck and head. That was the culprit! After the massage, I felt a lot better. I woke up this morning (not refreshed due to someone little to be left unnamed) without a headache for the first time in days!

Aaaaahhhhh!!!!!!

Healthy

I amazingly lost 5 lbs in the past 6 weeks!! (that's how long it's been since I weighed myself) I've been feeling frumpy and eating badly, so I am glad I have done okay.

Well, I'm out of my frumpy mood and ready to be healthy, again. I wish I could go outside to walk or something, but it is way too cold for my girls. I need to call my SIL and go with her in the evenings. For now, I'm using Wii Fit. Hey what great inspiration to be able to run with Ned Flanders, Chuck Norris, and Miss Piggy!

So, wish me luck! So far, I am pre-Doodle weight. I just need to get pre-Link and Princess and we'll be good. I'd really like to get to where I was when I got married. I liked that size!

Oh, and if any of you have ideas of ways I can exercise for free and in the winter, I'd love to hear them! We do have a exercise machine in the basement...

It's Snowing!

I love the first snow of the season! I usually take a camera out and take a picture and my husband thinks I'm cute or crazy. I didn't see snow until I was 21, so it is still a thrill for me. I get to be a kid again, since I didn't get to be a kid with snow.

It is really coming down, too...and sideways. I love it!

I'm just glad we finally got the plants in the ground before the weather got icky! Now my pretties can root in and be gorgeous in the spring. We'll see how things turn out! (I'm going for a cottage look, and I hope it doesn't end up looking like a three year old just threw them in....we did have one of those helping, so I blame her!) I'm sure I'll be glad for the work we did this fall, when I am sick of the snow in the spring and want some color!

Playing With My Head

So, I was sitting at the computer the other day and the mouse started acting really weird. It's fairly new, so I was annoyed that the scroll function on it had broken so soon. (That's what went wrong with the last one.) Then, I was trying to do other things and I couldn't. I didn't know what was going on.

Then I remembered that Captain Marvelous had a remote mouse. (which is the coolest thing) I didn't even have to ask. I knew it was him. It actually took me a little while to realize the whole problem was him. It was kind of spread out!

I knew I married him for a reason. When I am senile in my old age, (or youth if he keeps this up) I have someone to blame!

You Know it's Going to be a Long Day...

...when you open the door to let the dog out and two wasps let themselves in for breakfast! Between eating, and getting ready for our crazy day, we were able to kill the wasps and cover several surfaces with poison! Good times!

The rest of the day was as follows:

7:30--Mom's and Muffins at Link's school. The goal was to read with our kids. We ended up mostly talking with other moms and the kids played. Oh well. At least I was supportive, right? I was also there to help make sure his class didn't mutiny since the substitute teacher was late.

8:30--Convince Princess that she needed to come home with me rather than be a first-grader. Then, rush home, change Doodle, grab toys, call a friend to offer her some irises and grab a sack of iris rhizomes to take with us.

9:30--Doctor's appointment in our old town. (We really like our old doctor, so we thought it would be worth the drive!) That went well. Doodle is around the 50th percentile for all things measured. She is healthy and the doctor is happy.

10:00-11:30--Drop off rhizomes, visit briefly, go to Hobby Lobby (my new favorite store), and to the grocery store since I can't get this in town!

12:30--Get home, get lunch and try to put a dent in my housework!

2:30--Leave to pick up Link. Then, go home, pick up Captain M and head to the garden center! We found some great plants for really cheap. I even got a few of my favorites!

We spent the rest of the evening cleaning up the front beds, dividing more irises. (If you want some, PLEASE let me know. I hate throwing out perfectly good plants!) We had a late dinner and went to bed exhausted!

Then, it rained all weekend, which is good, but I didn't get the plants in, so I am itching to do that!

Anyway, I hope you are having a great weekend!

Invasion

We are being invaded by one of the most annoying, though non-harmful bug I know of. They really don't do anything other than the fact that they are so numerous and everywhere that you just have to hate them!

I just killed one on my ceiling, I feel a little bad, but I really had to have bugs in my house!

It is the box elder or maple bug!

We also had two wasps in our house, yesterday. I hate that insects can find any little crevice and wreak havoc! Now I have the creepy-crawlies....

Handbag Planet Contest

I love bags, so I just had to enter this contest. To promote themselves, they are giving away free handbags! Go check it out at Handbag Planet!!

Do You Have a Plant Question?

I want to start posting more on Turn Your Thumb Green (my gardening blog) but I don't know what to write about. I want to write about various topics that would actually help people, so I thought I'd ask if any of you have plant questions?? If you ask them, either in a comment on this blog, over there, or in email, I'll answer them!

So, if you have had a problem with something, want to find information on a certain topic or plant, want to know what to plant where or just have a black thumb and need all the help you can get, ask away!! Feel free to ask about indoors, outdoors, fruit, vegetables, ornamental plants or anything you can think of!

I mostly need to keep up my knowledge. I got my degree in horticulture about two years ago and since at the moment, I am a stay-at-home-mom, I haven't kept my information sharp and always in my brain. I want to be able to answer questions better and to know things for my own family garden!

Banned Books Week

I just wanted to make you all aware that we are in Banned Books Week. I am going to make sure to download a banned book at manybooks.net. I can read it on my Palm Pilot, since I try to keep it in my pocket. Here is a list of the frequently banned books. Go read one, just to be rebellious!

I can't believe some of the books that are on the lists! I should be the one to decide what I want to read. If a person or group disapproves of a certain book, fine. Let them skip it, but I should be allowed to decide for myself what I read and what my kids read. I skip books, but there is no reason that I should be allowed to decide for someone else!

Ambrosia

A neighbor offered us peaches if we'd come to pick them. I jumped on the chance! I love peaches! It was a lot of fun, especially for Princess. She loves helping and this was a new experience for her.

I have been eating tons of peaches, since she and I are the only ones who will eat them in our house. I just

I even made freezer jam for the first time! It was so much easier than I thought it would be.

It is the most amazing tasting jam I have ever had. I most just eat it with a spoon. It isn't going to last very long...hate the super fuzz that is on non-store bought peaches.



I learned that the "fuzzy mouth" way!

Straight From the Composer's Mouth

"Normal cats have happy lives!"

Princess was heard singing this made up song as she played with animals and blocks, this morning!

What hope do I have as a non-normal individual??

My Princess and I

I was feeding Doodle, so Princess decided that her baby was crying and needed to be fed. I helped her undo her overalls and pull up her shirt so that she could nurse her baby, too. She wanted a nursing blanket and pillow as well. It was adorable! I got pictures, but they're still on my camera.

Now, our babies are both sleeping so she is watching TV, and even though I should be cleaning my house because a friend is going to drop her son off in about a half an hour...I'm here playing on the internet!

We Both Read

I got to go to the library ALONE! It was so nice to actually get to look at books all by myself, rather than only getting to look at kid's books or chasing Princess around the library, while she laughs and screams!

Anyway, while I was there, I looked our library's easy reader section. I found a great series of books. They're called "We Both Read". In each book, the left page is for the adult and the right side is for the child to read. They also make some words bold on both sides so that the child can see the new word while the parent is reading and then read it for themselves. It is so neat. Link loves them! He can have a more complicated story, but still be able to read the story, too. He stays a lot more engaged in the story. It is a lot easier for me to stay interested in the story as well. He is a great reader, and these help us to keep that going!

There are dozens of titles in various age ranges. I am so excited to buy several!

You can buy them at We Both Read or Amazon.

Where have you been?

visited 25 states (50%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or determine the next president

It looks like I have more traveling to do to make it to the other half!