tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63575327563254044992024-03-21T21:21:10.374-05:00she follows the sunBlogging about life as an army wife and hippie mama to two boys, two and under... and preparing to shake things up by moving to a foreign country!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.comBlogger547125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-34629674517786286782014-05-06T21:53:00.000-05:002014-05-06T22:09:13.615-05:00Happy SECOND birthday, Emmett!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Exactly two years ago, on May 6th, 2012 at 10:52 pm, Emmett Sullivan was born. He came into this world the same way he does everything else- the way he wanted... which happened to be five weeks early. My OB and nurses kept telling me to expect a five pound baby, so imagine my surprise when I held my six pound nine ounce baby boy for the first time- and I realized that he was about the same size as his brother was at birth, even though he was born two weeks earlier (he was actually six ounces heavier than Elliot).
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Despite the fact that he was huge (for a baby born at exactly 35 weeks), Emmett had some struggles in the beginning and ended up staying in the hospital for a week after he was born (which meant I was stuck in a tiny postpartum room devoid of any color or personality for 6 long nights and 7 long days, too) but it was worth every minute. To be honest, if I could, I'd go back to the times of sleepless nights, when I felt like I had a tiny human leech attached to my boobs 24/7. I miss that tiny newborn <3.
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At the same time, I love the toddler Emmett has become. Emmett has grown into a wild, sweet, adorable little boy. He talks up a storm, loves to play in the dirt yet hates being dirty, needs to cuddle for no less than 10 minutes when he first wakes up, insists on kissing his baby goodnight every night before he goes to bed, accidentally pushes his metal dumptruck into your shins (over and over), trips over his own feet (or thin air), often himself onto the floor in a pathetic mess of tears if you tell him no, and will eat practically anything you give him. I can't imagine life without my littlest love <3.
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We didn't do anything too crazy tonight- we had Emmett's favorite food (pizza) for dinner, and I baked him a cake. His big party is Saturday, but I felt like we had to do <i>something</i> to acknowledge his birthday today, too.<br />
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And now I leave you with the many BIRTHDAY faces of Emmett.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Birthday
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Emmett Sullivan ♥ !! </span><!--3--><!--3-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-45417064956871665992014-05-04T14:25:00.002-05:002014-05-04T14:55:34.576-05:00clean menu plan, week 4 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Monday</b>: chicken parmesan<br />
<b>Tuesday</b>: tuna noodle casserole<br />
<b>Wednesday</b>: chicken stir fry over jasmine rice<br />
<b>Thursday</b>: spinach artichoke pasta<br />
<b>Friday</b>: roasted chicken, potatoes, and veggies<br />
<b>Saturday</b>: Emmett's birthday party<br />
<b>Sunday</b>: Mother's Day (plans unknown?)<br />
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All of these are my own recipes, and all the meals are clean with the exception of the tuna noodle casserole, because that uses cream of celery soup. If anyone has any suggestions/recipes for clean tuna casserole, feel free to share!<br />
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<b>Goal & Focus this week:</b> I have recently taken on another three year old in addition to my boys, so Monday-Thursday, I wanted to make dinners that were pretty easy/familiar and not too labor intensive. We are still eating clean with great success about 90% of the time. We've completely switched over to whole wheat bread crumbs, pasta, and flour, which makes it easy to turn some of our old standby dinners into clean meals. Occasionally,we make exceptions (like with the tuna casserole) but overall, we are filling our bodies with REAL food and that makes me feel great. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-86900394887631598072014-04-29T16:54:00.001-05:002014-04-29T16:54:47.021-05:00a certain little someone's birthday is coming up...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">This sweet little boy turns <b>TWO</b> in only one week! </span><br />
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I know, I'm having a hard time believing it myself. It seems like just yesterday, we were in Texas celebrating him turning one at his rainbow birthday party. And now, he's about to turn <i>two</i>? How is that even possible? Excuse me while I go cry in the corner.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At his first birthday party last year. </td></tr>
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I'll take this perfect newborn baby boy back now, please. ♥Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-58752959837544945522014-04-20T21:00:00.001-05:002014-04-20T21:00:17.987-05:00Happy Easter!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Easter from Elliot & Emmett! ♥</span><br />
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I hope you had a wonderful day- we sure did! Despite the rainy forecast, it ended up being the warmest day we've experienced so far in Michigan (61 degrees!). We were lucky enough to open our home to three sets of the boys' grandparents this Easter for a little feast and an egg hunt outside. The only person missing was their Grandma Karen (Aaron's mom), who lives in Florida, but she was here in thought. The boys were showered in love, candy, and gifts. It was wonderful to see everyone get together and get along for the boys' sake. I know it wouldn't be possible in some families but our parents have just gone above and beyond since we've moved back home.<br />
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After everyone parted ways and I got the kitchen all cleaned up, I spent the majority of the afternoon working out in the garden, getting it ready to hopefully plant fruits and vegetables soon! Elliot and Emmett worked alongside me using their new pint-sized garden tools (an Easter gift from Poppy & Mimi). If there was a competition for the most rocks in a garden, I think ours would receive a gold medal. The weeds and dead crops seemed to be competing for some sort of award, too. There's nothing that makes me happier than getting my hands and feet dirty in some nice, rich soil... something we missed in the last several years while we lived in Texas and Arizona. I never thought I would say this, but I missed the smell of real dirt! It was even warm enough to finally open up the windows and fill our home with fresh air today. It sprinkled a little in the evening so the house now smells like a mixture of fresh rain and burning cedar- simply lovely.<br />
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Tonight, I am not regretting our decision to move back to Michigan one bit. Of course, finally being able to play and work outside helps a little! Next winter, I may be singing another tune ;)<br />
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A few pictures from today:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMs0sMfuHNt5REgryKqOF-hXH9-zvRWhlZDEZ6dh6XuG1veYLNw9iRmorPeBSVAillpqP70WyzwmdhhOc_979Rks_HAnO9_0G_kE_W8RgASAzGLZoinepJ0RBhdLagcnfzbMCECQUhH0-P/s1600/fb5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMs0sMfuHNt5REgryKqOF-hXH9-zvRWhlZDEZ6dh6XuG1veYLNw9iRmorPeBSVAillpqP70WyzwmdhhOc_979Rks_HAnO9_0G_kE_W8RgASAzGLZoinepJ0RBhdLagcnfzbMCECQUhH0-P/s1600/fb5.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blowing bubbles with Mimi.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7NxIyDtnlyBS4GiyJyNtxgYLG3x_y4ygOVf_q8tBtHdTJdPpgoV1udHK4NlSGryxedxuCj2cIcDdNzbjZuYJCr_Wppzpx4RzOwpE09J4XTu2f8kbsNN6ZDHjQlf-Xx8iVR5xSWberS_0/s1600/fb3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7NxIyDtnlyBS4GiyJyNtxgYLG3x_y4ygOVf_q8tBtHdTJdPpgoV1udHK4NlSGryxedxuCj2cIcDdNzbjZuYJCr_Wppzpx4RzOwpE09J4XTu2f8kbsNN6ZDHjQlf-Xx8iVR5xSWberS_0/s1600/fb3.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emmett (cheeks stuffed with candy) opening presents :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG82Ni7QfgOpvvtiWgkoQtv6yjJv9Om6OaAucUpK5HNIH9Lz5vQjJxkrgC8lg-re6fYO2-o01dQc_zBNOfUgWaKvHjIWYcSjQ4A3WzlMrxYeZGY3XKjonDXDIcnyVcFFUXaEYBiAQO0G5i/s1600/fb2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG82Ni7QfgOpvvtiWgkoQtv6yjJv9Om6OaAucUpK5HNIH9Lz5vQjJxkrgC8lg-re6fYO2-o01dQc_zBNOfUgWaKvHjIWYcSjQ4A3WzlMrxYeZGY3XKjonDXDIcnyVcFFUXaEYBiAQO0G5i/s1600/fb2.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lulu found & ran away with this egg. :) She turned 9 weeks old a couple days ago.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-11628370333640979202014-04-18T19:03:00.000-05:002014-04-18T19:03:40.431-05:00Hello, Spring! <div>
Since we moved to Michigan in the middle of February, we were lucky enough to miss half of the worst winter northern Michigan has had in years. I'm thankful for that, but even still, as April rolled around, we were more than ready for the sun to shine, the snow to melt, and warm spring weather. At first, I was skeptical, but I feel fairly confident in announcing that Spring has finally arrived in northern Michigan! Granted, we will probably still get hit with the occasional cold spell and snowfall, but for the most part, it's warming up. The snow is almost completely gone now! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took these pictures last week- the snow in this picture has completely melted now!</td></tr>
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As soon as the snow in the woods was thin enough for the boys to tromp through, we went off exploring our very own 100 acre woods. We didn't meet any bouncing tigers or honey-filled bears, but we did discover that the trails are lined with blackberry and raspberry bushes, and growing between the red pines, maple. and oak tress are some pretty gnarly thorn apple trees. The boys had a blast, of course. They arrived back home red-cheeked and covered in mud and burrs, but they couldn't be happier. They love exploring outside, and that in turn makes ME very happy as well. We are raising little outdoorsmen. This spring and summer are sure to be filled with adventures. I can't wait!<br />
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As you may have noticed, last week we welcomed the newest member into our family. We decided not to take our chances with another baby bunny (none of us wanted to go through that heartache again!) and instead decided to get a puppy. After all, as our landlord Wally said, <i>"Every boy needs to grow up with a puppy!"</i> I was perusing craigslist last Wednesday morning when I stumbled upon her ad. I knew almost instantly we were getting her (my husband was still asleep- but she is partially his favorite breed, so I knew he wouldn't argue). Plus, she was FREE! Craigslist is plastered with free puppies/dogs in Texas, but everyone up here wants to make a buck.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0P_l9ZR3j_VcPgX7VYHn5Octcee8N8-z56cRXNHe0hU9Fb-KsIgk85xttZCwdkisl-wBbLYlEe2Ols0inPfiN_ELYuOA6i2nlMQE5b-EAGVm6f_FdAb3H86izXJV3yi9ft4aeNwnY8UWp/s1600/fb1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0P_l9ZR3j_VcPgX7VYHn5Octcee8N8-z56cRXNHe0hU9Fb-KsIgk85xttZCwdkisl-wBbLYlEe2Ols0inPfiN_ELYuOA6i2nlMQE5b-EAGVm6f_FdAb3H86izXJV3yi9ft4aeNwnY8UWp/s1600/fb1.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Her name is Lulu and she is a shepherd/lab mix. She just turned nine weeks old today. So far, she is fitting right into the family- she follows the boys pretty much everywhere. She sleeps at the foot of our bed and has only had a couple accidents in the last 9 days- which is pretty amazing for a puppy her age. We just love her :)<br />
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I can't believe Easter weekend is TOMORROW! This will be our first Easter at home for the boys- and three sets of grandparents are coming over for a little Easter feast. It's supposed to be really warm, but it's also supposed to rain... fingers crossed that it waits until the afternoon because the Easter Bunny has plans for the boys ;)<br />
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Enjoy your weekend, and I hope you get to spend this blessed holiday with your family. ♥ </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-34656100723132326492014-04-07T09:00:00.000-05:002014-04-07T09:23:15.968-05:00Baby Scout: a lesson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Baby Scout passed away, suddenly, last Thursday morning. Aaron had an interview Wednesday (and by the way he got the job!) so we ended up spending most of the day/evening at my in-law's house. When we got home, we found that Scout had a case of pretty severe diarrhea. It was late, and our vet wasn't open. Neither was the local feed store (where we hoped to find some meds). Throughout the rest of that night, I syringed him water every few hours and gently cleaned up his bum and feet as best I could with a warm washcloth. He was still drinking and eating (a little) so we were really hoping that he would pull through.<br />
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When Aaron woke up the next morning, Scout had passed away. I had checked on him at 5am, so he apparently died sometime between then and 7:30. Elliot didn't notice right away, not until Aaron went to take him outside to bury him. When he did, Aaron told him that he was just sleeping and that he was taking him outside so that the wild bunnies could make him better. Now, I know some of you might chastise me for not taking this opportunity to teach my son about life and death and the ways of the world. Well, call me crazy but I just can't fathom a way of describing such a sad, terrible thing to a little boy who turned three only a few months ago. There will be other opportunities, I'm sure he'll learn eventually... but for now, it comforts me knowing that although he misses his "baby bunny" terribly, Elliot is confident that the wild bunnies have brought him into their home (he says they have a house in the woods) and that they're taking great care of him. He talks about this often, and it makes me smile. Oh, to be that innocent!<br />
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You might be wondering why I'm writing about this. Well, there are a few <u>lessons</u> to be learned here.<br />
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<ol>
<li>Scout was only nine weeks old when he died. He was about six weeks old when he came home with us, which leads me to believe he was probably weaned at only 5 weeks old. The sad part is, he probably wouldn't have died if the breeder had left him with his mother for only a week or so longer. So many rabbit breeders yank baby bunnies away from their mothers and force them to wean before they are truly ready, and it can wreak havoc on a tiny baby bunny's digestive system. Rabbits have sensitive digestive systems to begin with, and when you add weaning too early to the stress of moving to a new home full of strange smells and sounds and you basically have a recipe for disaster. <b>PLEASE do not buy a baby bunny under eight weeks old!</b> </li>
<li>While diarrhea sometimes goes away on its own for dogs and cats, it is often FATAL for rabbits. Rabbits dehydrate quickly, and they need to have food in their stomachs constantly in order to prevent their digestive system from completely shutting down. If your rabbit develops diarrhea, please take him to the vet <i>as soon as possible.</i> We planned to wait until the morning for take Scout to our vet... and by the morning, it was too late. </li>
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<b>Easter</b> is coming, which means parents all over the world are rushing out and buying their children baby bunnies on impulse without knowing a single thing about their proper care or diet. Please if you're thinking about bringing a rabbit into your household, <b>do some research</b>!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbits can be WONDERFUL pets, but:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>they require as much care as a dog or a cat</li>
<li>they need very large cages and ample time outside of the cage every day</li>
<li>they do NOT do well kept in outdoor hutches, where they are susceptible to predators, weather extremes, and receive very little socialization or exercise</li>
<li>they have very specific diets </li>
<li>in order to live long and healthy lives and to prevent behavioral problems, they need to be spayed or neutered</li>
<li>they (generally) do not enjoy being picked up or carried around (especially not by small children)</li>
<li>and above all else, they are prey animals who hide illness very well. Diarrhea or any others signs of illness should be considered an emergency and unless you are a rabbit expert, you should take your rabbit to a vet immediately or else they might not survive the next 24 hours.</li>
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The best rabbit resource out there (in my opinion) is <a href="http://rabbit.org/" target="_blank">The House Rabbit Society</a>. They always have the most up to date, correct information about practically any subject of rabbit care that you could think of. Check their website out :)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-13226338841756567952014-04-06T21:46:00.001-05:002014-04-08T16:40:41.495-05:00clean menu plan, week 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EBxbXbL5hgpCsZbN_yCi3zuo2MlAp71osRhqXXgcE57BxUABnRz0ggpqSD2LZpljXmxe4e1ubD5HN63jLW4QjP5l0JO7YZEHrC_HaAnEzXW-9JU2WsHjsJykABGiW-G3UcEZXpH_iRIC/s1600/mealplan.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0EBxbXbL5hgpCsZbN_yCi3zuo2MlAp71osRhqXXgcE57BxUABnRz0ggpqSD2LZpljXmxe4e1ubD5HN63jLW4QjP5l0JO7YZEHrC_HaAnEzXW-9JU2WsHjsJykABGiW-G3UcEZXpH_iRIC/s1600/mealplan.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Monday:</b> dinner at Poppy & Mimi's house (my dad's)</div>
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<b>Tuesday:</b> beast meatloaf</div>
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<b>Wednesday: </b>crockpot orange chicken</div>
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<b>Thursday: </b>clean crockpot chili*</div>
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<b>Friday: </b>parmesan crusted tilapia with sauteed broccoli and carrots</div>
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<b>Saturday:</b> roasted summer vegetable pasta</div>
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<b>Sunday:</b> baked chicken & veggies*</div>
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{this week's recipes can be found at <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/" target="_blank">100 Days of Real Food</a>, <a href="http://mummydeals.org/clean-eating-crock-pot-orange-chicken/" target="_blank">Mummy Deals</a>, & <a href="http://melaniemitro.blogspot.com/2014/01/beast-meatloaf-recipe.html?m=1" target="_blank">Committed to Getting Fit</a>}</div>
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meals marked with * = my own recipe</div>
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<b>Goal & Focus this week: </b>Still sticking to eating clean! I also want to try to master whole wheat pancakes one morning this week- my husband has tried twice and failed both times so far. I'm determined to make some fluffy, clean pancakes! </div>
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<b>Favorite recipe from last week</b>: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmMC2wlIVO-kHoeosH74JTd_bzHo86O351Nh4cH_IfzP5TFKSK98m88hmIFeDoQZmaz6_7LZU5Afa2fRHyv9-f4nOKlmsbNp7f543zCRsC2dqzod7UVliYKuULj5MKJkng-3VjxqHE5-W/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmMC2wlIVO-kHoeosH74JTd_bzHo86O351Nh4cH_IfzP5TFKSK98m88hmIFeDoQZmaz6_7LZU5Afa2fRHyv9-f4nOKlmsbNp7f543zCRsC2dqzod7UVliYKuULj5MKJkng-3VjxqHE5-W/s1600/1.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_DDgfPPINXfepao4l58aJSar6sxnozky822WGWgAg7GdW4nBrO61EBQb7DHSBX2HVq3eMwLNCjsVkvneR5KTdrsT4VJfotudjgfvl3a0jD_JHAxML2U3KxGbQg1l9mPfJl6es8W2Uvrt/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_DDgfPPINXfepao4l58aJSar6sxnozky822WGWgAg7GdW4nBrO61EBQb7DHSBX2HVq3eMwLNCjsVkvneR5KTdrsT4VJfotudjgfvl3a0jD_JHAxML2U3KxGbQg1l9mPfJl6es8W2Uvrt/s1600/2.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Whole Wheat Pizza Pockets: </div>
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This was my <i>very first</i> time making dough from scratch... and guys, they turned out absolutely delicious. Everyone in the family devoured them, my husband was raving, and I will <u>definitely</u> be making these again. Next time I'll add veggies... we were all out of peppers and spinach that night. One downside to living out in the country is not being able to run to the store whenever you need something. Find the original recipe over at <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/07/12/recipe-whole-wheat-pizza-pockets/" target="_blank">100 Days of Real Food</a>. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-62359430943503723662014-04-05T15:01:00.000-05:002014-04-05T15:17:48.295-05:00that time I baked a breakfast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B5DO1S_Zr6BxJqDmmOfASI7AeJ9OCIXXIaYIPIYCVHX_IELPnSES5PouvpTWdQ_7j-BWLN9-BdPy0SwQWzp-AmhWDr0PcYhYLGD0x_8_uPo__zmVJ78k_6sfek6lV7py34bO2H45WGYB/s1600/fb2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7B5DO1S_Zr6BxJqDmmOfASI7AeJ9OCIXXIaYIPIYCVHX_IELPnSES5PouvpTWdQ_7j-BWLN9-BdPy0SwQWzp-AmhWDr0PcYhYLGD0x_8_uPo__zmVJ78k_6sfek6lV7py34bO2H45WGYB/s1600/fb2.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a baker. In fact, I had never in my life baked a single muffin or loaf of bread... until today. Don't ask me why, but when I woke up this morning, I felt like baking. So I pulled out my never-been-used muffin pan and starting baking up some muffins for breakfast. With my boys' help, of course ;) Nothing goes into the oven in this household without a little toddler knowing about it.<br />
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<b>INGREDIENTS: </b><br />
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<li>1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour</li>
<li>1 1/4 cups oats</li>
<li>1 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>1/4 tsp salt</li>
<li>1/2 tsp cinnamon</li>
<li>1 cup applesauce (all natural & unsweetened)</li>
<li>1/2 cup greek yogurt (I think they probably meant plain, but I just used what I had on hand which was Stonyfield Organic superfruit. I'm pretty sure any flavor would work)</li>
<li>1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar</li>
<li>2 tbsp canola oil (I used EVOO)</li>
<li>1 large egg, lightly beaten</li>
<li>3/4 cup blueberries</li>
</ul>
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<b>DIRECTIONS:</b><br />
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<ol start="1" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px 0px 15px;">
<li>Preheat oven to 375 F</li>
<li>Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray (or use paper liners)</li>
<li>In a large bowl combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, yogurt, brown sugar, canola oil and egg.</li>
<li>Mix dry ingredients well and then add the applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups, filling to about full. (note: the original recipe said to fill them 2/3 full... but I had leftover batter and my muffins ended up pretty flat. I recommend just filling them up all the way if you can)</li>
<li>Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.</li>
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(Original recipe <a href="http://www.everydayfamily.com/blog/recipes-for-toddlers-oatmeal-blueberry-applesauce-muffins/" target="_blank">here</a>) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FOi_sg3L8H4v2XxKfXe9-R6PDUiP_VSer2xL26gOKsw_3ClPVBmJdmMVPxfynWRE6YZkzjNqPfN-mo3twb13BPDL9vlTzXkC2NV7N90TgcUnoGO8rRpURL-KJDGQdyaxEkC00FNppeHH/s1600/fb1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FOi_sg3L8H4v2XxKfXe9-R6PDUiP_VSer2xL26gOKsw_3ClPVBmJdmMVPxfynWRE6YZkzjNqPfN-mo3twb13BPDL9vlTzXkC2NV7N90TgcUnoGO8rRpURL-KJDGQdyaxEkC00FNppeHH/s1600/fb1.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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The boys were extraordinary little bakers. They were happy to help me stir, and they probably would've dumped all the ingredients into the bowl for me if I didn't feel like measuring. They both insisted on waited patiently for the muffins to be finished (with their oven mitts on, even though they know I would never let them touch the oven). They didn't step foot out of the kitchen until the muffins were all stacked on a plate and ready to eat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VcqQBqQsFffaQJseMM-IQSxvzE2lkFQzQIXvRhQC7jK4ApvkhKUT-_2_XHqraORZvvuy6BFGv3nOQcn62WCmMlcXtkweiIr1NTwqqMeLMBaHosiU6F_Bvx1QQd6spYBNxbPscNZ2qcOV/s1600/fb3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VcqQBqQsFffaQJseMM-IQSxvzE2lkFQzQIXvRhQC7jK4ApvkhKUT-_2_XHqraORZvvuy6BFGv3nOQcn62WCmMlcXtkweiIr1NTwqqMeLMBaHosiU6F_Bvx1QQd6spYBNxbPscNZ2qcOV/s1600/fb3.png" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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These muffins were a HIT in our house. If you're craving something slightly sweet and feeling like falling off the clean eating bandwagon, these just might do the trick. They may not have been the prettiest muffins in the world (hey, it was my first try!) but Elliot and Emmett each ate two, and I lost count of how many Aaron munched on throughout the day. I liked them, too! Next time I think I will try making them with strawberries instead. Strawberries are my boys' favorite fruit so I'm pretty sure their minds would be blown by some delicious strawberry muffins.<br />
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<i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">What are your thoughts on brown sugar?</span> </i><br />
It seems that the clean-eating world can't agree on whether or not they consider it clean. To be honest, it doesn't really matter to me... if the rest of a recipe is clean, I won't feel guilty about adding in a little sugar. I'd love to know what YOU think, though!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-4692119107997690862014-04-03T15:48:00.003-05:002014-04-03T15:48:46.417-05:00toddlers can eat clean, too! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBRXvG2aMOUxldLmq4yJ9Nx246geroP8XrEVfIWuTU5-erp9Q5ExHKyRB10DMzoC6UVpwR-U4iHjWNadF1JKnwVlkyKFs7YrZ0piOqDJIWPHozYhLXWULfz2x2-H79MP9THWF-0_JRLs-/s1600/fb9.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBRXvG2aMOUxldLmq4yJ9Nx246geroP8XrEVfIWuTU5-erp9Q5ExHKyRB10DMzoC6UVpwR-U4iHjWNadF1JKnwVlkyKFs7YrZ0piOqDJIWPHozYhLXWULfz2x2-H79MP9THWF-0_JRLs-/s1600/fb9.png" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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The boys have been eating clean this whole week. Well, mostly... we're still using up the last of their crackers when we're out. I just couldn't bring myself to toss them in the garbage. For the most part, though, everything they've been eating is clean. Honestly? I haven't heard even one complaint out of them yet! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some things we've learned: </span></div>
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<ul>
<li>Making perfect whole wheat pancakes must be an acquired skill, because Aaron's first attempt resulted in very dense, cardboard-ish pancakes that neither of my boys would eat. It could have been the recipe, though.</li>
<li>Contrary to what they had me believe, both of my boys really like grapes- <i>a lot</i>... and they haven't eaten them in months. You know what made them realize this? Our bunny Noah is always begging for them. Nope, mama doesn't know what she's talking about, but hey, if a BUNNY loves grapes, then they <i>must </i>be good! Toddler logic...</li>
<li>Sometimes it can seem like your choices are limited, when they really aren't. I found myself struggling to come up with options when listing off lunch choices for my boys, so I went ahead, looked at everything we had in the fridge & pantry, and typed up a list. Said list (shown above) is now hanging on the fridge. I love it because it's so much easier to put together meals and snacks for the boys now.</li>
<li>My boys don't like nuts... or at least, not yet. I had high hopes that almonds, cashews, or peanuts would become their new favorite high-protein snack, but they spit them right out. Of course, I can't be too surprised because I actually don't like nuts either (shhh!). I'll continue to offer them, though. One day they might change their minds!</li>
<li>Not all yogurts are created equal. READ THE LABELS when buying yogurt. The majority of the yogurt sold in supermarkets is not clean.</li>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few of our favorite (toddler-approved!) snacks:</span></div>
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My boys are always hungry... they are pretty much <i>always</i> snacking. One of my main concerns when we were thinking about trying out a clean eating lifestyle this month was... what if I can't come up with enough snack ideas? With some thought, googling, and helpful suggestions from facebook friends, I'm happy to say that the boys have more than enough different clean snacks to eat. Here's a list of the tried-and-tried favorites around here :) </div>
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<li>apples, celery, or banana with peanut butter</li>
<li>all kinds of fruit (strawberries, apples, raspberries, and mandarin oranges have been recent favorites)</li>
<li>cooked veggies (all kinds, but especially sauteed broccoli or steamed carrots)</li>
<li>carrot sticks, cucumber slices, and cherry tomatoes with organic, preservative-free (or homemade) ranch dressing</li>
<li>apple sandwiches (two slices of apple with peanut butter, granola, yogurt, and/or chocolate chips inside. Yum!</li>
<li>applesauce (homemade or get the unsweetened all natural kind)</li>
<li>half peanut butter sandwiches (on whole wheat bread) </li>
<li>turkey roll-ups (be sure to get nitrate free deli meat)</li>
<li>dried fruit- especially raisins and craisins </li>
<li>yogurt with granola</li>
<li>granola with almond milk</li>
<li>homemade whole wheat muffins</li>
<li>fruit salad (mix up your own!)</li>
<li>sliced/cubed cheese</li>
<li>smoothies </li>
</ul>
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Things I haven't tried yet but plan to make this week/weekend: homemade <a href="http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-oatmeal-granola-bars/" target="_blank">oatmeal granola bars</a>, homemade <a href="http://www.anorganicwife.com/2013/01/recipe-homemade-fruit-snacks.html" target="_blank">fruit snacks</a>, frozen greek yogurt dipped strawberries, homemade yogurt drops. I'll be sure to let you know how those go over with the littles!</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKv-xlD7Kn7QRIfCNnqyXLAsp0-U_gc_NAJ-vlyE7WM86ILI4e0PGBUxt8NvBbzbVR7i8sqwUgmfZABil4qW6Pq-w76397gRwS43VviCOcHay6HyDv86AJ-T3i2xjKWiTfWZKvLspC1V3/s1600/7.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKv-xlD7Kn7QRIfCNnqyXLAsp0-U_gc_NAJ-vlyE7WM86ILI4e0PGBUxt8NvBbzbVR7i8sqwUgmfZABil4qW6Pq-w76397gRwS43VviCOcHay6HyDv86AJ-T3i2xjKWiTfWZKvLspC1V3/s1600/7.png" height="640" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elliot enjoying his clean lunch: a whole wheat tomato, cheese, and turkey sandwich,<br /> steamed carrots, & strawberries</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-23935465785219012822014-03-31T14:54:00.001-05:002014-03-31T14:54:39.096-05:00eating clean: you have to start somewhere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAfiA0VtIgzkvUx1_2KjIr54zM3IYN6aYh4_fJgqASuNpQY132P8kwXHCr8GKu6ZgkRhl-VtDRQjR8GWhHpWikrK7sai9sj9PmiEEK8RGXQCWnHV1MEl9nKyL753jqOIl2vluy8prFjT4/s1600/eat-real-food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAfiA0VtIgzkvUx1_2KjIr54zM3IYN6aYh4_fJgqASuNpQY132P8kwXHCr8GKu6ZgkRhl-VtDRQjR8GWhHpWikrK7sai9sj9PmiEEK8RGXQCWnHV1MEl9nKyL753jqOIl2vluy8prFjT4/s1600/eat-real-food.jpg" height="624" width="640" /></a></div>
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Yes, you read correctly yesterday, this little family is going to be <i>eating clean </i>from here on out. Honestly, we've been working on eliminating processed foods and eating healthier for months and months now, and I think we were doing okay, especially during main meals. My boys are far more adventurous with food than most toddlers, and they have always absolutely LOVED their fruits and veggies. But when it comes to snack time... well, they love goldfish, graham crackers, and pretzels as much as every other kid. And don't even get me started on the fruit snacks... they would probably eat an entire box in one sitting, if I let them.<br />
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Have you ever actually looked at the ingredients that go into most of the most popular toddler snacks? Sometimes I've never even of the ingredients before and I'm not even sure how to pronounce them, and that's <i>never </i>a good sign. Trans fats, refined grains, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and colors, waxes, MSG in all kinds of tricky disguises... the list just goes on and on. I used to kind of overlook those minor details and fill my cart with processed snacks because "I always cooked a healthy dinner." Well, while a healthy dinner is better than nothing, what about all those brain-cell killing, metabolism slowing, cholesterol rising ingredients in the foods that they munch on all day long?</div>
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I'm finally putting my foot down. Spring is here, a new month starts tomorrow... I figured it was as good a time as any to finally ditch all the gross processed foods and replace them with only clean food. So, what exactly <i>is </i>clean food? </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Clean food is essentially real food free of preservatives, white refined flour/sugar, trans fat, or saturated fat. It is not processed or chemically modified.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Chances are, if it's pre-packaged, contains more than five ingredients or any ingredients you can't spell or pronounce, it's not clean. </div>
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Yesterday, I planned out all my clean meals for the week. Then, armed with my shopping list, I went to the grocery store. You'd be AMAZED at the sheer amount of <i>fake food</i> at the big box stores. You're generally pretty safe in the produce section, but the rest of the aisles are just <b>full </b>of processed foods. Unfortunately, we don't have any large local natural grocers. We do have one small natural market, but it was closed yesterday. I managed to find everything on my list at our local Meijer store, though. It just took some serious hunting (and help from friendly sales associates). </div>
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When it comes to clean eating, Michael Pollan is a revolutionary. He has written numerous books and makes a compelling argument for eating clean- and he even simplifies the process! He is full of all sorts of witty but true quotations such as:</div>
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<li>"don't eat cereal that changes the color of the milk"</li>
<li>"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." </li>
<li>"Whenever you see the words low fat, reduced fat, or fat free, think chemical crap fest." </li>
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He also has a pretty easy to follow list of rules for grocery shopping: </div>
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I mean, that's not too difficult, right? I managed to do it all by myself yesterday (cue clapping). I could probably even do it with two hungry, hyper toddlers in tow, too ;) I want to order a bunch of Michael Pollan's books to read. I mean, he's basically a genius... a honest, real, hilarious genius. To get the whole list, visit <a href="http://michaelpollan.com/books/" target="_blank">his website</a>.<br />
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Some other resources I've found to be really helpful are:<br />
<a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/" target="_blank">100 Days of Real Food</a><br />
<a href="http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/" target="_blank">The Gracious Pantry</a><br />
<a href="http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/" target="_blank">Clean Eating Magazine</a><br />
<a href="http://cleaneatingchelsey.com/" target="_blank">Clean Eating Chelsey</a><br />
<a href="http://www.heandsheeatclean.com/" target="_blank">He and She Eat Clean</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We're eating clean for April (and beyond!) Care to join me? </span><br />
Tomorrow I'll be posting lists of clean toddler breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-53260056941865777472014-03-30T07:54:00.000-05:002014-03-31T14:58:55.704-05:00CLEAN weekly menu plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Monday</b>: crockpot whole chicken<br />
<b>Tuesday</b>: homemade chicken noodle soup<br />
<b>Wednesday</b>: slow cooker apricot salsa chicken<br />
<b>Thursday</b>: baked turkey burgers<br />
<b>Friday</b>: baked tilapia with homemade mashed potatoes & veggies*<br />
<b>Saturday</b>: whole wheat pizza pockets<br />
<b>Sunday</b>: chicken & veggie bake<br />
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{this week's recipes can be found at <a href="http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/" target="_blank">The Gracious Pantry</a> & <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/" target="_blank">100 Days of Real Food</a>}<br />
meals marked with * = my own recipe<br />
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<b>Goal & Focus this week</b>: eating CLEAN... which really just means eating nothing but <i>real</i> food. I'll blog more about it tomorrow- but yes, even the toddlers are going to be eating clean. :)<br />
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<b>Healthy Tips: </b>one key to staying on track (and under budget!) at the grocery store is having a well organized list that you stick to. I've been using this free printable grocery shopping list for months now, and I love it! Get it <a href="http://hellocuteness.com/2012/12/free-printable-lets-go-shopping-grocery-list/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-81838793025492263352014-03-29T13:34:00.000-05:002014-03-30T09:04:23.702-05:00meet the bunniesWhen your family is full of animal lovers, a year and a half in a pet-free apartment complex feels like an eternity! I'm sure it came as no surprise that we brought home the first fluffy member of our new family only a few days after receiving the keys to our new home- and before our furniture was even delivered! We were exploring a feed store in town when we fell in love with a 3.5 month old checkered giant rabbit, who Elliot named Noah.<br />
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Rabbits are highly social animals and do better in pairs than on their own. So we knew we should probably get him a friend. We had an adorable english lop for a few days, but she was <i>not</i> a male, as the breeder said, but a female. She was also four months old (so possibly able to get pregnant!) and Noah wouldn't leave her alone. In fact, she even had little scabs on her shoulder blades from all his *ahem* loving. We ended up giving her back and making an appointment to have Noah neutered. </div>
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A week after Noah's surgery, we were back in the same feed store, picking up more hay, when I stumbled upon a big cage full of TEN of the tiniest, fluffiest little baby bunnies you've ever seen. I squealed like a little girl- literally. They were all so sweet and cuddly, Aaron knew before I did that we would be bringing one home. An hour later (they were all so cute and colorful!) I finally picked out "the one".</div>
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Scout is just about nine weeks old now, and a lionhead-rex mix. He is a typical baby bunny- so a little nervous, particularly of crazy Emmett, but he's also very sweet. It will probably take him awhile to warm up as much as Noah has. After all, EVERYTHING is huge to him. But that's okay with us because Noah is super friendly- he follows us all around the house like a dog and just LOVES being petted.<br />
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Noah and Scout get along fabulously- I think the combination of Noah's neuter (and therefore less hormones) and the fact that Scout was such a young baby made the introduction a breeze. They took to each other instantly. Usually, they sleep right next to each other in their cage and follow one another around the house. Believe it or not, Noah actually has gotten even <i>more</i> outgoing now that he has a little roommate!</div>
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You can expect to see more of the bunnies around the blog from now on ;) and I will probably do some bunny care and FAQ posts, too. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-41471295875737483342014-03-26T19:08:00.000-05:002014-03-30T09:02:57.661-05:00life is good.As I type, I can hear my husband chopping and sawing away in the garage, turning gigantic trees into firewood to heat our home. And it occurs to me, just now, how <i>amazing</i> this life we're living really is. Sure, we're buried under snow, but we are finally doing it! Living our dream! We have our house out in the woods, far away from the hustle and bustle of town. We are heating our house solely on wood- and currently, my husband is taking it a step further by harvesting dead/fallen trees on the land surrounding us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some of the fruits of Aaron's labor today.</td></tr>
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We are moving closer and closer to the quiet country life that we've always dreamed of. This spring, we will plant seeds into our very first garden, seeds which will grow into fresh, healthy, homegrown food for my family. Also, as soon as it warms up we will be building a chicken coop and run and raising chickens! Those cute baby chicks will eventually grow up and provide us eggs and (possibly, if I can wrap my head around it) meat for our family. They will be raised the natural, healthy way. Allowed to live full, happy lives and just BE CHICKENS. That makes my heart so happy!<br />
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As much as I love modern society and science, and all that it has done for humanity... we really just want to get back to our roots. Isn't that funny? I know there are plenty of people in this world who LOVE their busy, nonstop lives in the city, but it's not for me. If you need me... I'll be in my house in the woods. As soon as it warms up, we will be outside running, playing, exploring, and learning... and I might have my camera in hand ;)<br />
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When you stop to think about it, life is amazing. It really is. Even if you aren't living the life you imagined yet, the fact that every little thing you do is just another step of your journey... it's mind blowing.<br />
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ps: a special shoutout to my husband. Without him, none of this would be possible. He has given me everything I've ever asked for and more. I have the best husband I ever could have asked for. Truly blessed!<span style="font-size: large;"> I love you Aaron Patrick! ♥ </span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-8716259446096006042014-03-24T15:10:00.001-05:002014-03-30T09:03:30.660-05:00a new adventure beginsI'm happy to say we made it to Michigan safe and sound! Emmett and I arrived at the local airport in Texas before dawn, which I was less than thrilled about, but we were lucky enough to watch the sunrise from over 20,000 feet up in the sky, which was a new and exhilarating experience for me. It was a long day- three flights and two layovers followed by over an hour drive. The perfect recipe for a toddler meltdown, right? Well, luckily, despite it all, Emmett was a picture of perfection! I could hardly believe it.<br />
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Aaron and Elliot braved the 14,000 mile drive a couple days after Emmett and I landed in Michigan. It was Elliot's first long car drive, so I was nervous that Aaron would be facing some potential accidents and tantrums, but surprisingly, Elliot did just as well as Emmett! No accidents and no tears. I'm telling you, my boys must have been super excited to finally play with all of their grandparents in the snow, or something.<br />
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Speaking of snow, Elliot had been talking about all the things he wanted to do in the snow for months and months before moving. Neither he or his brother had EVER set foot in snow before! Building a snowman, having a snowball fight, and sledding were at the top of his list. Well, he has now gotten to do ALL of those things, and it was just as fun as he'd imagined. He asks to go outside pretty much every day, which is easier said than done. I had no idea how LONG it takes to get two toddlers fully suited up and ready to play in the snow! And then it takes just as long to peel all the wet layers off afterwards!<br />
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Emmett, on the other hand, is a little less excited about the snow. He clomped around a little bit in the few fresh inches in the driveway (the snow in the yard would go over his head!), threw some snowballs, did some shoveling... but sledding? No no no! You would've thought we were trying to torture him. He still enjoys himself outside- but he's ready to go back inside long before Elliot is. He's definitely my summer baby. I hope he has more fun next winter when he's a little bigger.<br />
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So far we are LOVING it up here- <i>especially </i>our house. I'll blog more about that later. One other thing that is making our move that much more enjoyable? We're finally allowed to have pets again!! Meet Noah & Scout, our two new bunnies. I'll be blogging more about <i>them</i> later, too.<br />
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That's all for now! If you're up north/east, stay warm! And if you're in Texas/down south... enjoy that warmth and sunshine! ;)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-61612206060746812002014-01-30T10:11:00.000-06:002014-03-30T09:04:00.351-05:00advantages to having your children close in age<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Everyone seems to have their own arguments for what they believe is the "best" spacing to have between children- whether that be 1, 2, 3, or 5+ years. I'm well aware that we aren't all going to agree on this subject anymore than we will all agree on whether cosleeping or crib sleeping is safer, on cloth versus disposable diapers, homemade versus jarred baby food, breast versus bottle, etc. But this is my little corner of the internet and I feel like I should write about what has worked for my family, because someone, somewhere might find it helpful. So here we go! I'm diving right in. Plus even if you don't agree with me, this post is filled with adorable pictures of my boys together- so it's a win-win ;)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">10 reasons why we enjoy have our children less than two years apart</span><br />
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<b>1. If you already have one in diapers, why not have two? </b>Elliot is potty trained now, but up until a few months ago, we had two in diapers. I know people who literally <i>cringe</i> at that thought... but really, it wasn't bad at all. We used cloth diapers for the majority of that time, which saved us a ton of money over having to buy sposies in two different sizes. And eventually, they wore the same size disposables. Once you've gotten used to constantly changing and wiping little bums, the <i>number</i> of bums that need changing doesn't really matter. Your second child is also more likely to potty train sooner as he/she watches their older sibling go through the process. Emmett regularly accompanies Elliot to the bathroom, and he asks to "potty" often. I have no grand plans of attempting to potty train him anytime soon, but I'm confident that he will be ready much sooner than his brother was. He is already showing a lot of interest.<br />
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<b>2. One year olds generally adjust to new siblings with far less jealousy than two-three-four year olds. </b>I'm not just basing this on my own experience, either. I can't even begin to tell you the number of pediatricians and fellow parents who told me that children under 2 have a much easier time adjusting than older children when I was pregnant. Elliot was the center of our universe before Emmett arrived- and I was worried that he would resent his new brother. It was the complete opposite though. He was so young that he adapted effortlessly, he seemed to love his brother almost immediately. His universe was not turned upside down when his brother was born. And now, it's hard to even remember what life was like before we had two. Elliot definitely doesn't remember life before he had a sibling. To him, it's just always been this way.<br />
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<b>3. One year olds are excellent helpers.</b> Elliot was amazingly helpful right from the start when it came to his baby brother- he delighted in bringing me diapers, wipes or nursing pads, giving his brother toys, tucking his blankets back around him if he kicked them off, and he would often try to pat or otherwise calm his baby brother if he started fussing without any prompting. You see, one year olds typically don't have the "attitude" to refuse. They want to please you, they want to be involved, they want to help in any way they can. I know Elliot sure did! Now that my boys are older, Elliot is great at keeping Emmett out of trouble. He will scold him if he pulls all the books off the bookshelf (and then help him clean them all up), or if he's doing something dangerous, like getting into the cleaning products, he will come running to tell me.<br />
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<b>4. They always have a playmate.</b> As soon as Emmett was old enough to play, they played together. This was not only adorable to watch, but it also worked in my favor because if I needed to get something done, I could count on the boys to entertain eachother. I like knowing that neither Elliot nor Emmett are ever lonely. They play together constantly. I was an only child until I was 8, and I begged my parents for a baby brother/sister. It makes me happy knowing that my boys will never experience that kind of loneliness and longing. They always have someone to build block towers with, to figure out the missing piece to the puzzle, to laugh and just be silly with, to get into trouble with- even if mama or daddy are cooking, cleaning, shoveling snow, gardening, at work, etc. Plus, playing with two small children is infinitely more exciting and interesting than with just one.<br />
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<b>5. Hand me downs rock! </b>Emmett has been able to wear almost all of the clothes that Elliot outgrew. I know this wouldn't be true for brother/sister pairs, but that crib, exersaucer, stroller, carseat... all of it can be used again before it even gathers dust in the attic. Toys get twice the love. First child wasn't a fan of pacifiers, or blue bowls, or that expensive toy that everyone said you had to buy? Never fear! There's a good chance that your second child may be able to use at least one of those things, making it not a complete waste of your money.<br />
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<b>6. Your children learn how to interact with other children. </b>I know many parents will say "but I spend all my time playing with my child. Why does he need a playmate?" Well... there are certain things that toddlers can only learn by playing with other children. They learn how to share, how to communicate their feelings to one another, to play cooperatively, to help one another. Sure, they could also learn these things in daycare or play groups, but when they spend 100% of their time with a sibling, toddlers are generally much better at all of this. They learn simply because they <i>have </i>to in order to coexist happily.<br />
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<b>7. You'll lose less sleep. </b>It's no secret that we lose a lot of sleep during the first few years of our children's lives. The way I look at it, if you're already used to waking up early and/or waking up throughout the night with one child, it isn't a difficult adjustment when the second comes along. You haven't yet gotten to remember what it feels like to sleep in again, or get twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. It feels natural and normal. Both of my boys have been sleeping through the night for over a year now. If we had waited until Elliot was older to have our second child, I would still be waking up to nurse an infant now. It would double the amount of hours we spent waking to care for small children.<br />
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8. <b>Your younger child learns more, and they'll be school aged at the same time. </b>Emmett reached almost all of his developmental milestones before his brother did, mostly because he learns from example and is always striving to catch up to his brother. He talked sooner because he heard Elliot talking, he walked sooner because he wanted to be able to follow his big brother around, he learned to copy Elliot's animal sounds, he started eating with utensils earlier because he wanted to be like his brother. I could go on and on.<br />
The fact that they'll be school aged about the same time is also a big one to me, because I do plan to finish my education and stat my career once my children are in school. Imagine, however, how much more difficult that would be if by the time Elliot was entering kindergarden, we had another baby? The whole cycle would start all over again, and unless we wanted to put a child in daycare, I wouldn't be able to return to work for quite some time. Also, it's likely that the majority of the time your children will be in the same school. This cuts driving time in half, and it's also sort of comforting to know that Emmett would have a big brother to stick up for him in school if he were to be picked on/etc.<br />
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9. <b>You're still in the habit of all things baby. </b>You haven't yet forgotten what it is like to change a dirty diaper, the ins/outs of introducing solids, the sleepless nights, to clean up toddler messes... you're already devoting a giant amount of your time and energy to another small human being. Bringing another baby into the mix doesn't change your world very much- it just makes you an even better multitasker. ;)<br />
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<b>10. The memories- everything is just more fun!</b> Seriously? I don't know what is much cuter than a toddler cradling or loving on a new baby... or two toddlers close in size going everywhere and doing everything together. Holidays and birthdays are more fun. One thing is for certain- there will be great memories. Things won't always be easy, it may be a bit challenging at first as you adjust to having two tiny tots to care for. There will be times where you want to pull all of your hair out. But when you see them snuggling next to each other, sharing a snack, watching their favorite movie together, your heart will melt. When you walk in on them having a little conversation in tiny voices, or you watch the older sibling take the younger by the hand to show them something, it makes it all worth it.<br />
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I realize not everyone thinks this way. Some people purposely wait five years before having another child, and some people choose to have only one child. And that's completely fine. There is no equation to make the perfect family. Elliot and Emmett are 16 months apart. Having children less than two years apart isn't for everyone, but it's definitely for me.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-23570434347849131222014-01-28T18:43:00.001-06:002014-03-30T09:04:56.772-05:00toddler bedtime routines<i>Routines are important for babies/toddlers</i>. I think that's something that every new parent hears a thousand times from the moment they find out they are pregnant. I couldn't agree more! To me, routine and regularity are as important to a toddler as good nutrition and a good night's sleep- and these things seem to work together. Now, I'm not a firm believer that every single part of the day needs to be scheduled- in fact, we purposely take our boys new places and introduce them to new things as much as possible. Spontaneity can be a good thing! When it comes to bedtime, though, my boys have had pretty set routines since they were very young.<br />
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Up until very recently, our evenings looked something like this: </div>
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<li>We all eat dinner at the table around 6:30.</li>
<li>Once we are finished, the boys retreat to our bedroom for some roughhousing with Daddy. Elliot has dubbed this special Daddy-son playtime ritual "beat up time"- lol.</li>
<li>At 7:15, it was bath time for Emmett and Elliot would go shower with Daddy or occasionally tubbie with his brother. </li>
<li>Emmett would be dressed in his PJs, with teeth and hair brushed, and tucked into bed right around 7:30. Usually he's asleep within minutes. He's never been difficult to put to sleep- even when he was younger, he would just nurse himself to sleep for a few minutes after his bath, but he stopped doing that when he was fifteen months and has been quick to get into bed ever since. </li>
<li>Elliot usually emerged from his shower with Daddy sometime around 8, and then he would be allowed to watch a episode of one of his favorite shows while he ate his nighttime snack. Then we'd read him a book and tuck him into bed.</li>
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Since the boys are going to be sharing a room when we move into our new house in three weeks, we decided now was as good a time as ever to get them onto the same bedtime schedule/routine. After we talked about it we settled on a target bedtime of 8:30, which is an hour later than usual for Emmett and a half hour-hour earlier than usual for Elliot. We decided they would bathe together around 7:30, then once they were in their PJs, they would sit on the couch and eat a bedtime snack together (for Elliot's sake- poor child has my super fast metabolism and wakes up hungry in the middle of the night if he doesn't eat before bed) while we read them two books. Then they would get tucked into bed at the same time.</div>
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We figured getting them on the same page now would make for a much easier transition come February when in the new house- after all, they are already going to have to adjust to a new home, in a new state, with a much colder climate. Just because it may be an easier transition later, however, does not mean it will be easy now. Emmett seems to have adjusted well enough- although he's been napping earlier the last few days (I assume because he's going to bed later now). Elliot is having a harder time, though. He also seems less than thrilled about sharing a room with baby. I'm hoping that changes once the excitement of seeing the new house and his new bedroom hit, though. They're also getting new matching toddler beds so I'm sure he'll be excited about that. For now, we've been giving him extra cuddles and reassurance. I hope he warms up to the idea soon!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What are your little one's bedtime routines? If you have multiples, how did you prepare your older child to share his/her bedroom?</span></div>
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I didn't take any pictures specifically for this post... so instead here are some fun throwback pictures of Elliot in their crib! Which we sadly just sold, since Emmett is now sleeping like a big boy. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-47314080662499679802014-01-27T09:22:00.001-06:002014-03-30T09:06:00.259-05:00some family pictures (finally)Some of you may remember me complaining a few months back about how we had no decent family pictures of the 4 of us. Feel free to read the post <a href="http://www.shefollowsthesun.com/2013/07/why-we-have-no-family-pictures-hanging.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Well, I'm happy to say that one cloudy day in November, when I was doing a family shoot for a close friend of mine, I set up my camera, handed it to her, and told her to snap away. And you know what? We ended up with some cute pictures! Doing it this way actually worked out pretty well, because I could be picky and delete all the pictures I didn't like. ;)<br />
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I of course took a bunch of Daddy and the photogenic one, Emmett, as well. Don't mind Elliot's painful-looking cheese face or scowls. Pictures are just no fun for three year olds! And his shirt is really big... which we didn't realize until we got him dressed that morning. Tiny boy fits in 24 month or 2t and drowns in 3t.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-69481247939329125032014-01-25T09:15:00.001-06:002014-03-30T09:06:35.022-05:00It's finally, really, happening! <span style="font-size: x-large;">"Nothing really ever <i>happens</i>, you know?"</span> <span style="font-size: large;">-Kipper the Dog</span><br />
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I don't know if any of you are familiar with the show "Kipper the Dog", but it is one of my boys' favorite shows currently. I guess it's glaringly obvious that I spend my life immersed in a toddler world lately, since that was the very first quote I could think of to start off this overdue blog post. I've received more than just one or two emails and facebook messages lately, wondering how I've been and why I haven't been blogging anymore. Well, that quote above, by non other than the animated dog Kipper himself, pretty much explains it all. Up until very recently, we were living our lives in a state of perpetual waiting. We had been enjoying our last months in Texas as best we could, but it's hard to live knowing that you have a looming cross-country move, one that you cannot plan for because so much is out of your hands.<br />
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I'm happy to say that the wait is finally OVER! Aaron received his much deserved disability ratings and then finally, <i>finally</i> his orders! The day we've been waiting for all of this time is growing near- we will soon be parting ways with the US Army, closing that chapter of our lives, and starting a new, exciting adventure 1500 miles across the country in northern Michigan.<br />
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Let me tell you, after literally months of being unable to plan, the minute we received word, I went to work. I had already been scouring the internet for houses to rent, but honestly, there just isn't much available up there. It's a small, snowy town with no real long-term rental draw. The few places that ARE available to rent are either apartments, scungy, small mobile homes or duplexes, or ridiculously overpriced gargantuan houses. We are working with a limited budget, but I was determined to find us a house- a house that allows pets (the last 1 1/2 years in a pet-free apartment have left me sort of miserable), and preferably one with a yard for the boys. The odds were really against me on this one. But guess what? I did it! My writing abilities paid off and I was selected over seventeen other applicants as first in line to what is now our future home.<br />
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I still can't believe our luck. I really can't. Our future home is a newly built, 1500 square foot, 2 bedroom 2 bathroom home nestled on 3.5 acres and then surrounded by an additional 100 acres of a tree farm. It has a 4 car garage. Everything inside is clean and new. The living room boasts a lovely wood burning stove which will save us tons of money over heating with propane over the long Michigan winters, it has the big bright kitchen I've always wanted, more windows and natural light than you could ever dream of, and really? It's perfect. It's just perfect. I've dubbed it "our little house in the woods" and I absolutely cannot wait to move in. We've already signed and mailed the lease and deposit, and we move in February 14th! How's that for a move-in date? Our Realtor joked that it would be our best Valentine's Day yet- and I couldn't agree more. FINALLY we will have a home with SPACE, in the country, with room for my boys to roam and play, and no annoying neighbors or apartment managers. I'm thrilled. Even more thrilled that I managed to pull it all off and secure this home while across the country (with some help from my father and father-in-law who met the owner and Realtor this past Monday to check out the property for us.)<br />
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So... that's it! We will be back in Northern Michigan, after spending five years away, in just three weeks! I can hardly believe it. That's where I will leave you for today. I have more- so much more- to blog about. But I'll save it all for many more posts to come.<br />
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To everyone who has continued to check my blog- thanks for sticking around. I'm sorry to have left you waiting for so long.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-50875507080084996472013-11-18T13:47:00.000-06:002014-03-30T09:05:26.588-05:00fall festivities (catching up on October)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the extreme photobomb I'm about to unleash on the bloggy universe. I realized today, while redesigning a friend's blog, that I haven't blogged since September, and I miss it. The main thing holding me back was the fact that painted all over my blog was the fact that we were supposed to be moving overseas. I guess Michigan just pales in comparison to Costa Rica or Panama... but our decision has been made for awhile now, so it's about time that I moved on, huh?</div>
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We enjoyed our last October in Texas by visiting a local pumpkin farm- and don't let our outfits fool you- it was 80 degrees that day. We all had a blast, though. It was so much fun this year, because Emmett was old enough to play and explore right alongside Elliot. It's hard to believe that last year, he was only five months old, not even sitting up on his own yet, and this year a walking, talking toddler. Emmett was more content to ride in the stroller and climb all over the pumpkins while Elliot rode a barrel train, fed/pet the goats, picked mama flowers, and carefully chose his very own "wittle kunkin!".<br />
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The boys had just as much (if not more) fun on Halloween. Elliot picked out his own costume this year. He was a "bigggg MONSTER!" in his words. Emmett wore the same lion costume that Elliot wore last year. Elliot walked almost the entire time, and he said "trick or treat!" and "thank you" at every single door. Emmett sat in the stroller holding onto his pumpkin bucket full of candy.</div>
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Okay- that's about enough pictures for one post, right? I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween and fall!!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-39319046583282675142013-09-20T15:06:00.001-05:002014-03-30T09:09:29.650-05:00things I don't want to forget #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Elliot, 33 months:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Elliot's favorite new sayings include "I'm too shy", "one last time!", "just right", "I did it!" and "watch this!" His vocabulary has absolutely exploded in the last few months, and although he still has a bad habit of mispronouncing a lot of sounds/words, he likely won't qualify for speech therapy anymore after his evaluation next month.</li>
<li>he will repeat something over and over until you either acknowledge him or repeat what he said back to him. He got into this habit back when people had a hard time understanding him- he would wait to hear you repeat what he said so he knew that you knew what he was saying. </li>
<li>he is REALLY artistic and absolutely loves to color, draw, paint, and play with play dough. </li>
<li>he is obsessed with dinosaurs and (still) trains</li>
<li>he is fond of collecting things- currently, he has rather large collections of rubber duckies, bouncy balls, and dinosaurs.</li>
<li>I'm proud to say that he seems to have grown out of his camera-hating stage. In fact, he will even say "cheese" for pictures without me asking, sometimes</li>
<li>he loves to do flashcards- particularly the ABC and animal ones.</li>
<li>he hasn't been eating very much at mealtimes lately, instead preferring to have small snacks throughout the day. He really loves broccoli (still), pizza, popcorn, Chinese food, cheese, and chocolate milk.</li>
<li>he always has to have a bedtime snack- I think that's because he inherited my super fast metabolism. (I always have a bedtime snack, too).</li>
<li>his favorite animals are parrots, and he loves visiting them at pet stores and the zoo. </li>
<li>his favorite shows include Super Why, Dragon Tales, Godzilla (the 1970's version), and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. </li>
<li>he fights his naps tooth & nail ("I'm not tired! I don't want it!") but the minute he gets comfy in his carseat he's fast asleep. His bedtime is 9pm but if he skips his nap he will fall asleep before that on the couch. He usually wakes up between 8:30-9:00 in the morning which is perfect because it gives me a chance to shower before his brother wakes up.</li>
<li>he wears mostly 24 month & 2t shirts and can wear anything from 12m-24m shorts because of his tiny waist.</li>
<li>he weighs 27 lbs and is 37.5", and was at the 5th percentile for his age until he recently lost weight and fell off the growth scale altogether. </li>
</ul>
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<b>Emmett, 16 months:</b><br />
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<ul>
<li>Emmett is what we call an "aggressive snuggler." He LOVES to cuddle and he will make that known by randomly and enthusiastically diving onto unsuspecting people (which sometimes results in painful headbutting/etc)</li>
<li>He LOVES chocolate milk and will usually gulp his cup down and then proceed to try to steal Elliot's </li>
<li>he has recently grown attached to his green polka dotted blanket and often brings it along when I lift him out of his crib </li>
<li>he says a wide variety of words, but the ones we hear most frequently are "mama, dada, please, more, up, all done, uh oh, water, love you, bye bye, choo choo, and thank you". He often surprises me by saying a new word out of the blue, like "brother." </li>
<li>he LOVES his big brother and follows him around pretty much everywhere. He also loves destroying block towers that Elliot is working on.</li>
<li>Emmett loves to give kisses :)</li>
<li>he also loves to make toy dinosaurs and lions go "RAWWWRRRR!"</li>
<li>he will stop whatever he's doing and say "choo choo! all aboard!" whenever the train goes by.</li>
<li>he is always hungry, always eating, and will nearly never turn down food that is offered to him. Also, if you made yourself something to eat, you'd better be prepared to share! </li>
<li>he could care less what is on TV but gets mad whenever a show on Netflix ends. He'll point at the TV and say "uh oh!" with increasing urgency until I put something else on. I think he mostly just likes the background noise. </li>
<li>he usually takes one long nap in the afternoon, and occasionally a second. His bedtime is 8pm and he sleeps in until 9:30-10:30 almost every morning. </li>
<li>he nurses only once a day now (before bed). He dropped his nighttime nursing a month or two ago.</li>
<li>he wears 12-18 month shirts and 9 & 12 month shorts. We are about to move up to 24 month pj's for the length, though. </li>
<li>He weighs 24 lbs and is 31" and is at the 68th percentile. He's definitely thicker than his brother and has a little belly. We always joke around that he got my husband's genes and Elliot got mine. </li>
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It's hard to believe how quickly my little boys are growing up :( but at the same time, it's fascinating to watch them grow and develop into individuals- and to watch their relationship grow, too. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-64579563458302120912013-09-09T14:18:00.000-05:002013-09-09T14:21:26.111-05:00our plans have changed again... but at least my kids are still cuteI have decided I am a unpredictable blogger. I blame part of this on the fact that our plans are always changing. I tend to get an idea, get super excited, and run with it. Then the army (or in this case, the VA) throws us a curveball or two and our plans have to change, and I get discouraged and simply stop blogging for awhile.<div>
<br />It's happened again. Our plans changed. Instead of moving to Costa Rica this winter/spring... we will instead be moving to... wait for it... northern Michigan. Womp womp womp. Why? Well, the VA is now teaming up with the good ol' Army and making things really difficult for us. Trying to plan <i>anything</i>, let alone a move overseas, is nearly impossible right now. Deadlines keep getting pushed back, news keeps changing, and nothing about our financial future is set in stone. All of this was making me really uneasy. As a result, the sensible side of me pushed the dreamer to the side and developed a whole new grand plan.</div>
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You see, my little boys are lucky enough to have three sets of grandparents all in one town. The same small, safe town where Aaron and I met and fell in love. Said town also happens to have a community college with a welding degree that my husband is quite interested in. And Aaron has access to a pretty amazing GI Bill, which is probably the only real thing he will have to show for the past six years he spent in the army, other than a few tattoos and a metal plate in his head. Are you seeing where I'm going with this, yet?</div>
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We're going to move back to Aaron's hometown, where Aaron will go to college. As for me? Well, I'll mostly be doing the same thing that I've been doing all along- working on my photography and raising my two rambunctious little boys, except that we will also be starting to homeschool (pre-k), we will be able to spend a lot more time with family, and I might enroll in a college class or two myself- because I really miss it! Oh, and let's not forget the fact that half the year we'll be buried under snow. I'm not looking forward to that part. Hopefully during the winter I'll be able to keep myself busy indoors (because in case you didn't know, I am <i>not </i>a winter-loving girl) and of course I'll be continuing to plan our future move out of the country. Because you can bet your bottom dollar that although we will be spending 1-3 years back in Michigan, my husband and I are both bent on moving out of the country soon after Aaron gets his degree. </div>
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So that's the plan! I can't promise a timeframe or anything like that, because let's face it- we're still waiting. Sitting ducks. In case you're wondering what we've been up to, well- it's been hot. Here we are in the second week of September and it is still in the 100's every day. But the heat doesn't bother my boys one bit, so we've been spending lots of time outside. And inside doing crafts, too. More blog posts about later ;)</div>
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I'll leave you to ponder about our ever-changing life with a few recent pictures of the boys. See? I told you they were still cute ;) At least that will never change. I hope. </div>
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/2642984" title="Follow she follows the sun on Bloglovin"><img alt="Follow on Bloglovin" border="0" src="http://www.bloglovin.com/widget/bilder/en/widget.gif?id=2642984" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-43692305678328606922013-07-11T16:55:00.002-05:002013-07-11T16:55:19.127-05:00currently #6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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go link up with <a href="http://harvestingkale.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Harvesting Kale</a> & <a href="http://www.otandet.com/" target="_blank">Ot & Et</a>!<br />
<br />
<b>THIS WEEK'S THEMES</b>: trying, wearing, choosing, laughing, tasting<br />
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<b>Elliot and Emmett are currently...</b><br />
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<b>Trying </b>Elliot has been trying to evade naps any way possible lately, despite being exhausted every day by 1 or 2pm. My solution? I've been letting him fall asleep on the couch after I put Emmett down for his afternoon nap. While the couch might not be the most conventional or practical place for a toddler to nap, he falls asleep there easily and our afternoons are now much more stress free.<br />
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<b>Wearing </b>some of the same size shorts (12-18 months) & "ship shops" as Elliot calls them (flip flops)<br />
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<b>Choosing </b>to drag mama outside no matter <i>how</i> hot it is outside. I mean, really... 106 degrees? According to Elliot, that's the perfect weather to "go play playground!" You'd think they'd change their minds once they were out in the heat for awhile, but nope... I think if I let them, they'd stay outside all day even if it were like 130 degrees outside. Provided that I bring lots and lots of water to refill their straw cups.<br />
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<b>Laughing </b>at eachother. It is SO cute! Elliot and Emmett have been forming a really close bond over the last month or so. They spend much of the day following each other around, playing together, trying to make each other laugh, etc. And Elliot's new favorite thing to do? Feed Emmett. Emmett prefers to use his own fork or spoon now, but when Elliot comes over? Elliot gets to feed his baby brother- either with a utensil or even just putting bites right into his mouth- and Emmett seems to love being fed this way by his big brother. They are melting my heart lately, guys. And really affirming my decision to have them so close together. I can't even imagine my life with one and not the other anymore.<br />
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<b>I am currently...</b><br />
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<b>Trying </b>to make further plans for our future... but the Army and the VA are making that really hard right now. I'm not going to lie, it was a pretty stressful week. Right now, we have theoretically talked about all of our options, all the places we may end up, and when... now we really just have to wait for the VA to give Aaron his ratings! It's driving me crazy. I've said this before and I'll say it again- I am a serial planner and having a soldier as a husband makes it impossible to plan anything very far in advance.<br />
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<b>Wearing </b>sundresses and lots of new jeans shorts. Despite finally being back to my pre-baby weight (can I get a woot woot?), I'm still not fitting into my pre-baby jeans comfortably. My butt and hips have definitely changed. While my husband sees this as a good thing, I'm on the fence and would love to tone up some more- the trouble is finding the time when you have one & two year old little boys.<br />
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<b>Choosing </b>my battles, when it comes to Elliot. He's a sensitive little boy and his feelings get hurt very easily. Luckily a hug or kiss and "Mama/Daddy's sorry" usually makes it all better. But really! He gets upset so easily sometimes. Like if he asks politely for me to play with him or get him a snack and (god forbid) I need to do something for Emmett first- Oh no- Elliot's little heart will be crushed into a million tiny pieces. That's the nature of being two though, right?<br />
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<b>Laughing </b>at the hilarious things that my boys do. Emmett insists on giving you three, four, or five enthusiastic high-fives in a row, Elliot thinks it's hilarious to sneak up and lick people, Emmett growls like Elliot while Elliot can almost perfectly mimic Emmett's babbling sometimes, Emmett likes to raid my cupboards and walk away with pots and pans, Elliot is obsessed with drawing "cupcake choo choo trains" and "BIIIG sailboats"... I could go on and on. They're too funny!<br />
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<b>Tasting</b> a lot of restaurant food. Somehow we managed to fall almost completely off the diet bandwagon and ate out a LOT last paycheck. I blame it mostly on the long holiday weekend but... wow. Next paycheck? I'll be making a lot cheaper and healthier meals at home again.<br />
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<a href="http://www.harvestingkale.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="HK"><img alt="HK" src="http://i46.tinypic.com/28hzgxy.gif" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/2642984" title="Follow she follows the sun on Bloglovin"><img alt="Follow on Bloglovin" border="0" src="http://www.bloglovin.com/widget/bilder/en/widget.gif?id=2642984" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-62176853162606031662013-07-08T11:10:00.001-05:002014-03-30T09:09:09.628-05:00why we have no family pictures hanging on our wallsWe <i>desperately</i> need family photos taken. Our boys have grown and changed so much in the last year- it makes me really sad to think that we don't have any family pictures at all when Emmett was a tiny baby. There are a lot of reasons for this- for one, I'm normally the one with the camera, which means I rarely make it into a photo. The fact that I was basically a nursing slave to Emmett for the first several months of his life, and wore nothing but stretchy clothes that provided easy access for nursing, is also to blame. Not to mention the fact that I hated my post-baby body so much that I pretty much avoided the camera lens like the plague. Sure, I have plenty of pictures of Elliot and Emmett, or of Daddy and the boys, and (thanks to my cooperative husband) a few recent ones taken with me in them, too. However... we have taken, sadly, exactly ONE family photo since Emmett was born.<br />
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Let's be honest, that one photo is pretty horrible. I'm embarrassed that it ended up on our Christmas cards last year. It was a spur of the moment idea, so our outfits were nothing special- for pete's sake, I'm wearing yoga pants.... and let's not even talk about my hair. Also, I took it with my tripod- do you have any idea how hard it is to run back and forth from the camera to the photo spot and manage to compose yourself (and two babies) in 20 seconds flat? Yeah. It wasn't easy. I know they make these nifty things called remotes that make working with a tripod a lot easier- but I wasn't about to buy one for my old Canon camera when I was planning on upgrading so soon. This was the best shot we got- and it's awful. Just awful.<br />
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So, my new mission in life is to schedule a family photo session- and soon. Hopefully, I'll report back within the next month or two with some great photos to share, okay? If not, feel free to harass me on here, twitter, facebook- wherever. ;)</div>
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Now, I haven't been failing totally at the whole capturing memories via photos with my kids, at least. Lately, I've been handing my camera over to Aaron and <strike>forcing</strike> bribing him to take some pictures of me with with the boys. Surprisingly, he got some really cute shots! Here are a few of my favorite recent pictures with the kids- all taken by my husband, who knows pretty much nothing about my camera. :)</div>
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How often do you guys get family photos taken? Do you ever use a tripod to take your own? Do you just ask your friends to do it, or do you make sure to get professional pictures taken regularly, too? </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-87700525118343435782013-07-06T23:57:00.002-05:002014-03-30T09:08:24.977-05:00Happy 4th of July from my little firecrackers (a little late)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Aaron had the long weekend off, so I've been trying to simply enjoy our time as a family and I've been to busy during the day (and too tired at night) to blog. I really need to learn the fine art of blogging while still spending time with my family, or better yet... blogging <i>about</i> all the great things we've been doing together! I've been a bad blogger :(<br />
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Well, we had a FANTASTIC fourth of July! It was, probably, the last time we will be celebrating America's birthday IN the United States. So we made sure to have the best day possible! First, we all dressed in red, white, and blue- like any good 'Merica family, right?? We drove out to Round Rock, which is only supposed to be a little over an hour away... but somehow we ended up driving all the way to Austin. It was worth the drive. The festival/fair in Round Rock was really fun- Elliot got to ride a "choo choo train" and he got to follow goats and chickens around in the petting zoo (he couldn't understand why they weren't more interested in the feed!). It was hot- even by Texas standards- so we ended up leaving the festival for awhile and checking out a huge mall in Cedarville (more driving). We returned to the festival just in time to watch the sky divers! My boys were totally fascinated watching them twirl and twist in the sky. Emmett couldn't stop pointing and clapping and I don't think Elliot quite knew what to think about "flying" people- I mean, only "airpwanes" and "hewacoppers" can fly, right?<br />
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The fireworks were delayed by over an hour, and didn't start until about 10:15, but they were well worth the wait. The firework show was far more impressive than the one we saw last year at Freedom Fest at Fort Hood. Elliot and Emmett were both totally entranced and Emmett clapped and said "ooooh!" after every. single. firework. :) I was a little nervous how Emmett would handle all the noise and staying up so late, but he was a little champ. In fact, both of my boys were absolute angels the whole day. I sure am glad they loved the fireworks and festival so much, and that they spent most of the day running around. They were so tired that they both fell asleep and slept through what was probably the slowest moving traffic jam I've ever been in (and I've been in some horrible rush hour Chicago and NYC traffic before) along with the rest of the ride home. I'm not kidding guys, our car didn't even move for over an hour, and we didn't make it out of Old Settlers Park until after midnight. During our drive, we nearly hit (but missed) a kitten and a raccoon, and we saw over 25 deer on the side of the road. Someone was looking out for us! My babies didn't end up back in their own beds until after 2AM.<br />
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Aaron and I realized, at about 1AM, that this was our very first time keeping the boys out so late- and after talking about our sweet boys and the day's events for a bit, we both agreed that God blessed us with such well behaved children. We can always take them out in public without worrying about meltdowns, tantrums, or really any trouble at all, and that makes our lives so much easier. I sure do love those little men!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">totally enthralled</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the sky divers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elliot trying to coax the chickens into eating some of his feed- and Emmett feeding them grass through the bars! ha.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elliot walking with his best friend, Trenton- and no, we didn't prompt them to hold hands. :) So sweet.</td></tr>
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Our day could have definitely ended up less-than-thrilling, what with all the extra driving, the extreme heat, etc- but with toddlers, you just have to roll with the punches, right? Thankfully my boys didn't feel like throwing many punches that day ;)</div>
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I hope you all had great 4th of July's too! What did you do?</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6357532756325404499.post-19650215844478973422013-06-25T17:57:00.001-05:002013-06-25T18:22:03.657-05:00stay true to yourself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;">- Dr Seuss </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I have struggled with my self confidence and body image my whole life. First of all, God gifted me with red hair... which I have grown to love now, but I definitely did not appreciate as a child. Children can be cruel, and I can't even tell you how much time I wasted as a child wishing I was born a brunette or blonde like every other kid. I can honestly say that for the first 19 or 20 years of my life, I never felt pretty, or attractive, or good enough... for anyone. In fact, I battled depression and struggled with an eating disorder for the majority of my adolescence. This isn't something I have blogged about, really. I'm not sure why. I guess there is a "stigma" with mental illness, and I was scared of that. But this is MY blog, and I feel like I should talk about it. Who knows, maybe these words will comfort someone struggling with an eating disorder like my blogs about Elliot's birth defect comforted many gastroschisis parents. That would be wonderful!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">When I was 20 years old and a sophomore in college, my depression and anorexia nearly took my life, which led me to spend 2 weeks (unvoluntarily) at a mental hospital in an extensive eating disorder treatment plan. After an additional week and a half of outpatient therapy, I was finally cleared to re-enter society/normal life. But my life took a wild and somewhat crazy turn. I sadly never returned to the college that I loved, instead, I moved back home. Living at home after you've been away for 1.5 years is tough. Things between my family and I were rather tumultuous. The main person who was there for me after I returned home was my highschool sweetheart, Aaron, who had been deployed in Iraq nearly the entire time that I had been in college. Just a few months after we started talking again, I flew out to Colorado Springs to Fort Carson, to see a man I hadn't seen in two years. A week after that, we were married. I think everyone (including myself) thought I was a little crazy. In all honesty, though- Aaron saved me. He really did. And these (almost) four years that we've been married have been the absolute happiest years of my life. ♥</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">"I found you, in my darkest hour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I found you, in the pouring rain</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">I found you, when I was on my knees</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">And your light brought me back again"</span><br />
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-lyrics from "I Found You" by the Wanted (go ahead, laugh. I love them. haha)</div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Of course, having two kids in less than two years can be a little stressful. It also changes your body, which I'm sure is tough for <i>anyone </i>to handle, let alone someone who struggled with an eating disorder for the majority of her life. Somewhere along the way, I kind of lost myself. I spent too much time cooped up in a house without adult company. I was always so busy caring for someone else, trying to make everyone else happy... that I forgot about myself. I think this is common among stay at home mothers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Fast forward to now. Elliot is two and a half (wow is that strange to write!) and Emmett is one, and I have to say that for the first time in my ENTIRE LIFE, I am about 95% happy with the way I look- my hair, my body, everything. I am also happy with who I am! I have been making an effort to make time for myself, to buy myself pretty things, and to remind myself that I am a person too- not just a mother. There comes a time in everyone's life when you suddenly realize that you have to stop trying to make everyone happy- that'll never happen. Just work on making YOURSELF happy. That's what I did. It worked!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">This is the picture of a truly happy, fairly confident, mother of two little boys. ♥<br /> I love my life, I love my boys, I love my husband... and I love who I am today.</span></td></tr>
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<b style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; line-height: 18px;">To all my fellow mama readers: Who are you? Outside of being a mother? </b><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Do you know? Do you take time for yourself every day? Do you have your own hobbies/goals?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">If the answer to any of the above questions was "no," I urge you to take the the time to rediscover yourself. I did, and you know what I realized? I am a lot of things. I am a mother- but that's not all. I am a writer, a runner, a friend, a wife, a sister, a catholic, an animal lover, a cook, a daughter, a photographer, a thrifter, a bohemian, a traveler, a swimmer... I could go on. :) </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Our children can only be truly happy if their parents are happy, too. So go on- find (and keep!) your happiness! :) </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10877597282212673142noreply@blogger.com4