tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21447169528437455482024-02-18T18:12:50.711-08:00Adventures in MommylandTales of a military wife and her two little girls.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.comBlogger187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-14421901780693037442014-05-23T09:54:00.000-07:002014-05-23T09:54:07.336-07:00Moving my BlogI'm going to start blogging again (can I get a *whoop whoop*? Just kidding.). But, I'm going to be doing it over at WordPress. I prefer their website, their layout and just the general feel of them.<br />
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My new blog will still be called <a href="http://adventuresinmommyland01.wordpress.com/">Adventure in Mommyland</a>. I hope to see you all there!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-21046104213943504642014-05-23T09:09:00.000-07:002014-05-23T09:09:03.083-07:00Why I Don't BelieveThis is a post I wrote over a year ago and never published, because I wasn't quite ready to "out" myself. Now, a year later, I'm still not sure if I'm ready, but, here goes...<br />
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So, I’ve been doing a lot of studying and thinking lately. The main thought I’ve had was this: “Had I been born in to any other time or culture, my beliefs would have been completely different, and I’d have been completely convinced that religion was the only true one, the only way to god(s/esses)” When that thought formed fully, I was left with a few choices – change my beliefs, decide to blindly follow what I’d always been taught, or start questioning everything. Being who I am, naturally I chose the questioning.<br />
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I realized that if I was going to scoff at the miracle claims of all the other religions, I’d have to subject Christianity to the same scoffing. There’s absolutely no way to claim that any of them are true, and if you insist one of them is true, then you have no basis for saying a different one is false. You’ve opened Pandora’s Box, so to speak. <br />
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Then, as I was studying, I saw that nearly every miracle in the bible was in other religions, and usually the other religions miracle claim predated the claims in the bible. Nearly every great prophet was virgin born, most of them were crucified or otherwise killed for the sins or good of all, a lot of them descended in to hell, and all of them rose again, most of the then ascended in to heaven, where they sit at the right hand of the head god (who was also their father) and judge humans. Oh, and all these other stories? They predate the Jesus story by a few centuries. And one other interesting tidbit, most of the virgins’ names were some form of Mary.<br />
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That left me with one option – non-belief. It also meant I needed to study real science – you know, the Big Bang and evolution. Growing up, I was only taught the straw man arguments against both theories. Now that I have rejected all myths and superstitions, all creation myths and any help from a supernatural being, I get to see how strong, overwhelming, really, the evidence for the big bang and evolution really are. <br />
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After that, I decided I was going to read the bible from beginning to end. I have to say, God is a particularly nasty character. Everyone (including god himself) say’s god is just and merciful. But was it just or merciful to like Abel’s sacrifice better than Cain’s? Cain brought the firstfruits, just like god said. So basically, god caused the jealousy between Cain and Abel, ultimately leading the Abel’s murder (supposing that any of the account is factual). Also, that whole Eve and the forbidden fruit story? Besides having parallels in every other religion (myths that predate the Hebrew myth), why would god give a human free will, curiosity, and a rational brain, tell them that this tree will make then know good and evil and then forbid them to eat it? It’s like he wanted little robots instead of people who are curious about the world around them, people who want to know, to understand. If we were created in god’s image, why are we being punished for being like him? For questioning, for wanting to know. Supposing god to be like us, he wants to know, he wants to understand. And supposing us to be created like him, we’re just being like him in questioning. Therefore, it follows that we shouldn’t be punished for it. Also, how is it JUST for people who didn’t commit that first “sin” to be punished for it? If one of your kids breaks something, you don’t punish the other kid. Or that kids kid. But god claims he does (punishing down to the third and fourth generation)…how, I ask you, is that merciful? Or even just??? <br />
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Then, as you get further in to the bible, god killed EVERY.SINGLE.PERSON. simply because they were exercising their free will - WHICH HE GAVE THEM. Well, everyone but Noah and his family. Oh, and the animals. There’s nothing loving, kind or merciful about that. It’s horrific. Babies, children, pregnant women, men, women, everyone. Drowned. <br />
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Later, god says “Jacob I loved and Esau I hated.” Why? Definitely not because of anything either one did. Just because, arbitrarily. It’s like he rolled a dice and went with whatever came up. And then the plagues in Egypt – does no one else see the gross injustice in punishing pharaoh and all his people because god hardened pharaohs heart just so he (god) could show off? Because that’s what it boils down to. God even said “I will harden pharaohs heart” and then he said “I will kill you livestock/firstborn sons because you have hardened your heart” According to this story, pharaoh didn’t even have a choice about hardening his heart or not! And then he was punished for doing exactly what god wanted!!! <br />
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Then, the genocide. OH, the genocide. It’s truly horrific, barbaric. Everyone in the circles I grew up in seemed to blame the natives of the land for fighting against the Israelites, when in reality, the Israelites (according to and supposing the biblical accounts to be true) came in and just invaded and started killing literally everyone. Another thing that has always bugged me, and I’m finally allowing myself to think and say, is that whole thing with Acsah and taking some plunder. God had told the Israelites not to take anything for themselves, but to give it all to god and the tabernacle. But Acsah took some for himself and hid it in his tent. God got mad so started killing random Israelites, even though they hadn’t done anything wrong. Moses pleaded with god to stop and god did and exposed who had taken the spoils. Then, he told everyone to step away from Acsah and his tents, then the earth opened up and swallowed the WHOLE family. Even though the women and children hadn’t gone to war, and none of Acsah’s people had stolen anything, the entire family got punished. That story has always bothered me. So did the one with the golden calf and the Levites rushing over to help kill their fellow Israelites. Then they got rewarded with the priesthood and working in the temple for their eagerness to kill. <br />
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I guess what I’m trying to say with this little post, is that I don’t understand how anyone can say god is loving. I know, I know, the New Testament does away with the Old Testament. Only it doesn’t. Jesus himself is purported to have said that he “did not come to do away with the Law, but to fulfill it. As long as heaven and earth remain, not one jot or tittle shall pass away”. Which is basically saying Christians are still supposed to be following Old Testament Law. So those crazy people you scoff at? The ones calling for the death penalty for rebellious teenagers? Yeah, they’re just following the bible literally. Also, Jesus was the one who brought up the whole hell issue. And that is one place where the punishment definitely does NOT fit the crime. Is gods ego so fragile and tiny that he has to punish people by burning them for all eternity just because they used their intellect and followed the evidence wherever it led, and they didn’t grovel at his feet and worship him? .<br />
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And now to touch briefly on the morality issue. Biblical morals aren’t that great. Genocide. Polygamy. Rape. Murder. Sure, there are a few good things (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you), but for the most part, in our day to day lives, we’re not following biblical laws so much as cultural morals. All of us, whether we want to admit it or not. Humanist morals are more relative, sure. But that’s because we look at the situation and try to figure out what the best thing for the most people is. What’s best for humanity in general? What causes the least amount of suffering? What causes the greatest happiness and ease? And we try to go from there. We don’t think there’s only one way to live, only one way to be right. Because there isn’t. Everyone, and every situation, is different. Different actions are called for in different situations. There’s no “one size fits all” solution to anything. Life is far too complicated for that. But that’s part of what makes life so beautiful. So incredibly precious. There didn’t have to be any life at all, but there is. The odds of you being here were pretty slim. Yet here you are. Living, breathing, reading, thinking, reveling in the beauty around you. Life is so fleeting, blink and you’ll miss it. Knowing that this life is all there is, that I’m around for such a short time, makes life so much more precious, each moment is to be cherished. Every second is so important. Knowing that this is all I have, it makes me want to be a better mom; a better, kinder person; take better care of our precious, life-giving earth; take good care of our animal cousins; and leave this world a better place for me having been in it. <br />
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I know most people won’t agree with me on anything I’ve written, and that’s OK. All I want, is for you to accept my story, accept me for who I am and what I (don’t) believe, and please, no proselytizing. Remember, I grew up in all that, I know most of the tricks and jargon, and you’re not going to change my mind. Believe me, I’ve read and studied BOTH sides. I’m not the type of person to make any decision lightly. I study everything thoroughly before deciding what to do. It’s just how I’m wired, so I’ve definitely done my homework on these issues. And, thank you for reading this incredibly long post and sticking with me to the end <br />
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-85872641575733283802013-07-24T11:04:00.000-07:002013-07-24T11:04:05.324-07:00SchoolLeilani has been wanting to do school since before Kindergarten was out, so we've been doing a light load over the summer. This week, we've started a regular work load. So far in our school, we've made a model of the Nile (the grass is growing, now!), made the Pharaoh's crowns and scepter, and written our names in Cuneiform on clay and Hieroglyphs on paper. We've read about the first nomads, wandering around and how they became farmers, how Egypt became united, and, of course, the first writing. We've learned a little bit about Egyptian myths. Leilani was quite fascinated by Set killing Osiris and Osiris coming back to life, by Isis getting pregnant off her dead husband (Osiris) and having Horus, who was born on Christmas. Actually, it's quite fascinating, because all the solar gods are born at the Winter Solstice. I find all the religious myths incredibly fascinating. (We're using <i>The Story of the World Level 1</i> and the activity book that goes with it)<br />
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In science we're learning about all kinds of different animals - we started off by learning about habitat, migration, defense, camouflage, communication and conservation. From there, we briefly talked about how to know what a mammal is - if it's warm-blooded, has hair/fur, gives birth to live young (excepting the platypus) and has milk to feed it's young, it's a mammal. Leilani has been going around naming all the mammals. She, very wisely, deduced that we're mammals, since we have hair all over our bodies, are warm-blooded, give birth to live young (she has first-hand experience with this, having seen Natalia born last year) and have milk to feed our young-as she made that statement, she looked quite pointedly at me, since I was nursing Natalia at the time. I tell ya, I have one smart little girl :) We've also learned about Cheetahs, Elephants, Rhinos, Hippos and Horses. <br />
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Leilani loves her math. She'd do the entire book to the exclusion of all else if I let her. <br />
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In English, she's doing phonics, spelling, writing and language. I started off using <i>Spelling Power</i>, but it was a bit too advanced for her, so I found a list online. After I wrote out the list, I lost the link. But it's much better, more her level, and I think it will advance her to be abe to use <i>Spelling Power </i>next year. I got <i>Hooked on Phonics</i>, which she's loving - mainly because it's partly on the computer. We're using <i>First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind</i>, we've learned the poem "<i>The Caterpillar</i>" and we're learning about nouns - common and proper. For writing we're using "<i>The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease Level 1</i>"...it's quite simple, days 1 and 3 are copying out sentences in her best handwriting, and days 2 and 4 are narration and I write it out. This is to help her learn to write well and learn to put her own thoughts into words, that way she'll be able to put her thoughts into words, then onto paper. <br />
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We're going to be reading a good number of chapter books out loud - we finished <i>Little House in the Big Woods </i>on Monday and started <i>Charlotte's Web </i>yesterday. The girls love me reading out loud. <br />
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So far, we're loving it, having lots of fun, and most importantly - learning lots of stuff. <br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-14750975664252098142013-05-19T12:47:00.000-07:002013-05-19T12:47:13.438-07:00School ChoicesWhen I put Leilani in school, I knew that we'd keep evaluating how it was working for us. Each year, I plan on seeing how our choices are working and adjusting so we can keep growing, learning, and making the best choices we can.<br />
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With that in mind, I'm not sure if public school is our best choice anymore. With Leilani being, well, Leilani, I think she'll learn better with one-on-one teaching, lots of hands-on learning, and being able to do her seatwork at her own pace. She also needs lots of breaks and snacks throughout the day. She eats a very little bit at a time, so gets hungry really often. She also likes - needs - to move a lot so she can concentrate to get her work done. She can't just sit down and do it.<br />
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What I'm trying to say is, the reason I'm planning on homeschooling her for first grade is for academic reasons, to help her learn at her own pace, help her be the best she can be. There's also the issue that every state has different standards, so if she were to stay in the school system, by the time she graduated she could have many gaps because of being in different states.<br />
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I've spent months researching, reading, and studying on the subject. Picking peoples' minds to get ideas, help, and advice.<br />
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After all that time and research, I've decided to use the Classical Education model. It's very hands-on in the younger grades, incredibly comprehensive, uses real books, and by the time Leilani graduates from high school, she'll have gone through the history of the world three times. She'll also do two research papers and two thesis papers in high school. I'm going to be doing lots of lesson planning, but fortunately I find that rather fun. I got most of my books already and I've started the planning. It's probably going to be a month long process. By the time the girls graduate, they'll have a far better grasp of grammar than I do, and a better grasp of science and history. Of course, I'll be learning right along with them *smile*. I'm also going to be keeping meticulous records. <br />
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It took me a <i>long</i> time to come to this decision. <br />
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I looked at the Charlotte Mason method - I love that it uses real books and art studies, but I don't have the inclination to put that much time into creating a curriculum. <br />
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I looked at Sonlight, too. After the Classical Education, this was my next choice. It is, however, very cost prohibitive. What I loved about it was that it came with everything - all the books, the stuff for experiments, etc - that we would need for the entire year. And it looked like a lot of fun. <br />
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I looked at textbooks and lifepacs, but I don't like how they don't have real books, but only excerpts for the reading. It's a bit more cost-effective, true, but not as much fun. And I believe that learning ought to be fun, to foster a lifelong love of learning. It's also no where near as academically focused. <br />
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And that's my goal - I want Leilani well-educated, but I also want her to LOVE learning. To want to keep learning all her life, because it's impossible to learn everything there is to know in 12 years of school. Well, actually, it's impossible to ever learn everything there is to learn, but if you don't love learning, you won't want to keep learning, growing your mind, expanding your knowledge. And that is my goal for my girls.<br />
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And that is why I've decided on the Classical Education model - it's comprehensive, systematic and looks like it will foster a love of learning. Leilani has been begging me to homeschool her, and with all our moving - and at the most random times of the year - it seems like the best option for us right now. We'll definitely be anything but cloistered. I plan on us being involved in whatever homeschool group is near us, being involved with Girl Scouts and whatever else catches our fancy. It's going to be a fun and interesting journey, and I can't wait to see where we are at the time next year! <br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-61685130395471973032013-03-31T16:57:00.002-07:002013-03-31T16:58:34.291-07:00Monthly Check-In: MarchSo I slipped a bit on the raw foods this month, but we did have color every day. Leilani had raw fruits and vegetables in every school lunch, so I was pretty good on that front. I made an outline for my book, I decided that would be a better way for me to write - keep me on track and all that. I started working out more seriously towards the middle/end of the month, trying to work out a bit more often. It helps that the weather is finally getting nice again. Hopefully I'll notice a difference in the way I look and feel soon *smiles*<br />
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Writing:15<br />
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Workouts:20<br />
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Raw Foods:25<br />
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Color in Foods:31<br />
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Both girls had doctors appointments, and we got a referral to get Leilani tested for SPD, ADHD etc, I can't wait to get help so I can help Leilani. I got mastitis around the middle of the month - hot flashes followed by chills, achiness like I had the flu, (thank goodness it wasn't the flu!) - I had a nice bacterial infection, which meant antibiotics. The first day was brutal - I was so sick from the meds, it was terrible. Natalia got diarrhea thanks to the meds. Basically, there were pros and cons - it got me all better, but it left both Natalia and me a bit nauseous. <br />
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We went to the Museum of Aviation for the Women <i>Fly!</i> event, celebrating women in flight. They were taking girls up for flights, so Leilani got to go up (I went with her). Leilani had a blast. As we were taking off, Leilani declared that she "wasn't afraid of heights" and as soon as we leveled off, she changed her mind. I think it was more the straight, level flying that bored her, because as soon as we did some banking and a teeny "dive" she was loving it! <br />
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The next weekend was the Daddy-Daughter Candyland Ball, Leilani had a Cinderella-type dress and Jeremy wore his dress blues. Leilani had a blast and wanted to "go back there everyday!"<br />
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I got Natalia a little walker so she could start walking forward instead of sideways using the couch. She's been pretty unstoppable since.<br />
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Leilani's gotten in to Star Wars (this is one happy momma!). We've started reading the young Boba Fett series out loud and we're watching the Saga in order (minus episode one, since mine's all scratched up and won't work). Leilani's super excited about that. <br />
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Next month is Leilani's sixth birthday, and she has decided she wants her own birthday party, so on her birhtday we're going to use some Strawberry Shortcake plates and all that I found at Goodwill for $2.50 (fantastic price, right?) Then the Saturday following (which is the weekend between the girls' birthdays) I'm planning on us going to the mall and Build-a-Bear, going out to eat and just having fun. <br />
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I started my spring cleaning Easter weekend. Pulled out all the spring/summer clothes and put away (most) of the winter clothes. I had the girls try on their swimsuits - I had gotten Leilani a green, white and pink tankini last year, but she was too small for it so I wanted to see if it *finally* fit. It did! She wore it most of Easter afternoon. Natalia has a teal and pink-purple Dora one we were given. The girls LOVED being in their suits, so I filled up my big tub and let them "swim" for a bit. <br />
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We had a good Easter. Started off the day with an egg hunt (pictures to come later after I get them downloaded on to the computer) and cinnamon rolls. Then we watched Veggie Tales: An Easter Carol. For dinner I made baked sweet potatoes, green beans, a Field Roast (which is vegan) and crescent rolls. Now I have to figure out what to do with the leftovers tomorrow :). Something April Fools-y, of course :).<br />
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Happy Easter, everyone!<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-22284658752891262122013-03-28T11:10:00.000-07:002013-03-28T11:10:23.239-07:00Getting Leilani ScreenedThis process of getting Leilani screened is really difficult. I got a referral from our doctor, called the therapist to get an appointment, and they told me we need an IEP to get an appointment. The school counselor told me they need an official diagnosis before they can do anything. It's almost like a catch-22. Fortunately, the therapists receptionist gave me the number for the district special education office to start trying to get this rolling. Unfortunately, with it being so close to the end of the school year, I'm not sure how much is going to be able to be done. And then, to top it off, we're moving in around six months, so by the time anything gets started, we'll be moving.<br />
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All in all, it's getting really frustrating, but I'm going to keep plugging forward, because anything I can do to help get this moving in the right direction, I'll do. <br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-6585553766147514212013-03-24T12:34:00.000-07:002013-03-24T12:34:52.900-07:00Post-Partum DepressionI've been suffering from Post-Partum Depression (PPD) since Natalia was born. Actually, looking back, I think it started <i>before</i> Natalia was born, making it Peri-Natal Depression, but that's far less known than PPD. <br />
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Every day is a struggle. Most days, if I've made dinner, done dishes, and kept the girls emotionally fulfilled (for the most part) I count it as a success. <br />
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Some days I can't even do that. <br />
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I've started using paper plates because I just can't keep up with the dishes. <br />
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I do keep the living room vacuumed because Natalia eats in the living room and is constantly dropping food on the floor, picking it up and eating it. So naturally, I want the floor to be clean.<br />
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I try to workout (and the other day had a great one!), but most of the time it's of the ten minute variety (better than nothing though, right?)<br />
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I make sure we have lots of variety in our diet, so I'm getting the nutrients I need. I add flax seed to my smoothies so I'm getting essential Omega-3's, which are supposed to help with depression.<br />
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But it just doesn't seem to be enough. I can't keep up with the housework. I can't keep up with dishes. <br />
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Then on top of it all, I have to make doctor's appointments (have you ever tried that with ZERO motivation?), get Leilani tested for Sensory Processing Disorder, make decisions about vaccinations, get Leilani to school, make her lunch, go grocery shopping - really, not that much to do, I just have ZERO motivation to do it. <br />
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But, and I count this as a success every day, I do it. I get Leilani to school. I make her lunch. I make appointments and decisions. I go grocery shopping. I make dinner (most nights). And some days, I don't do dishes because I only have so much energy and the energy I do have I decide would be better spent on my girls. <br />
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Sometimes, it feels like I'm at the bottom of a huge hole, so deep I can't see the top. I am trying. I'm going to talk to my doctor about medication, because exercise and diet aren't pulling me out. Just haveing a positive attitude just doesn't work, I can't shake this on my own. I think I have to get medication. I, as you've probably figured out, am not crazy about meds, but I know they have their place and can be very important and helpful. <br />
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I will continue, and I will defeat this. Whatever I need to do for my kids, so I can be here fully, I will do. If that means medication to give me the help I need to start up out of the hole, then that's what I'll do. Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-62369588452653048592013-03-13T16:08:00.000-07:002013-03-13T16:14:58.796-07:0010 Month Photos and a Trip to the MallThis post is a bit late, a week and a half, actually. But a couple Saturdays (the 2nd) we went to the mall, walked around a bit and Leilani found this blue dress she absolutely fell in love with. Since she has a Daddy-Daughter Candyland Dance this Saturday, she go the dress :). She's super excited. I also took Natalia's ten month photos. Oh, and we got *real* pizza, with *real* cheese. I wanted to see if Natalia was finally over the lactose-intolerance, and guess what??? She is! So we're *only* vegetarian now :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGp4zCh-p-8Z4dl2R3p60zBw1cQVQ8eiw_qaJVdIzVR62lmOAUfeS6bDBpe2qsh7Z91Vip2w_lTnRoZ59YgU9Dz7E0hKtsdCKlT3sfdcuPctOecuGjyvB6dcpZHV2YE6qrlTHFHItDX4t/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGp4zCh-p-8Z4dl2R3p60zBw1cQVQ8eiw_qaJVdIzVR62lmOAUfeS6bDBpe2qsh7Z91Vip2w_lTnRoZ59YgU9Dz7E0hKtsdCKlT3sfdcuPctOecuGjyvB6dcpZHV2YE6qrlTHFHItDX4t/s320/7.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhJPBrA87WEm1dhnz9LDF00gpNpFD59_sbw2powAwboiCLThBpkfNYwWx5pg1giqP_CxdMKxYBljqbfYyzDbh71V3farkqdJ8jcYkhcXBn6plKgwuzN2bbCesTSXA81DkhJhmX5odp9Pr/s1600/9_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhJPBrA87WEm1dhnz9LDF00gpNpFD59_sbw2powAwboiCLThBpkfNYwWx5pg1giqP_CxdMKxYBljqbfYyzDbh71V3farkqdJ8jcYkhcXBn6plKgwuzN2bbCesTSXA81DkhJhmX5odp9Pr/s320/9_1.jpg" /></a><br />
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-84976875578358715132013-03-03T14:50:00.000-08:002013-03-03T14:50:15.677-08:00Behavioral HelpsI've been finding different ways to help with behavior and cleaning around the house. Here are a couple things I made this past week:<br />
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I found this on Pinterest (which is where all good ideas are found these days) and one day last week, when Natalia was *actually* playing by herself, I saved and printed the sheet, found the closest thing that looked like it would hold toys and taped it on. Then I printed up a chore sheet, cut them in to strips, made a little pocket to put them in and I think it turned out pretty great. We've only had to use it once so far. Hopefully it will help keep the house clean :).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahEQ9s6H69aq9F_05evtgurgDWg_ENcbYxJPOHZA8j4q3XV0_E0m5DOXbm_7SYpf7rsPEA10hP21yR5B6WFmcSB_Q03TRWBMoGcG8BwoY7VGlqh7dTs4LGsCbNbgsU5rTLlb9pFfqxrqE/s1600/025.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahEQ9s6H69aq9F_05evtgurgDWg_ENcbYxJPOHZA8j4q3XV0_E0m5DOXbm_7SYpf7rsPEA10hP21yR5B6WFmcSB_Q03TRWBMoGcG8BwoY7VGlqh7dTs4LGsCbNbgsU5rTLlb9pFfqxrqE/s320/025.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNi6H0hVKaefxCi-kxDmS7DYw9r3cogNgF-9oWQ3RmG7h8Y44XypDElUTMUnzEP16iusBg6aSTEM7kNAJZmpgm_TvN_TjZPRfJ1uDaMnmV5qw_QBidOYv3YTGH_8IK3bF3-vocudUg_SG/s1600/027.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKNi6H0hVKaefxCi-kxDmS7DYw9r3cogNgF-9oWQ3RmG7h8Y44XypDElUTMUnzEP16iusBg6aSTEM7kNAJZmpgm_TvN_TjZPRfJ1uDaMnmV5qw_QBidOYv3YTGH_8IK3bF3-vocudUg_SG/s320/027.jpg" /></a><br />
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I made this chart after seeing my SILs on her blog. She had a link to another blog with almost this exact chart. I threw it together in like 10 minutes. I've been getting a bit desperate for a visual to help Leilani see how she's behaving. She loves doing nice things now because she wants to make it up to the top "outstanding" block. Everytime she makes it to the top, she gets a "good behavior" card and after she collects ten, she gets to pick a prize. So far, she has three and we've only been doing this for three days. So, that's good. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWedeqRMh6RrIRHEkbuuy09yjrWmWpRtkZe4Usi27AZzSSyNvDRVJ2PPwftsmHnZ3IH6zz_sffwKXtEmr2WSPmzm17efyk2sSIX-GzWm_ac6Wn4-CKHliqIHwPzu_5tq7MUKxr0sf2CW-e/s1600/029.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWedeqRMh6RrIRHEkbuuy09yjrWmWpRtkZe4Usi27AZzSSyNvDRVJ2PPwftsmHnZ3IH6zz_sffwKXtEmr2WSPmzm17efyk2sSIX-GzWm_ac6Wn4-CKHliqIHwPzu_5tq7MUKxr0sf2CW-e/s320/029.jpg" /></a><br />
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I have a pocket folder on its way from amazon, along with some strips to write the house rules on, and I'm going to post it next to the behavior chart so Leilani has a visual reminder of the rules. Hopefully, that will help her remember and improve her behavior. I got that idea from my SIL, too. I'm stealing one last idea from her (for now, I'm sure in the future I'll steal more) and when Leilani breaks a rule, I'll have her write it as many times as she is old. Hopefully that will help her remember the rules, too. I also got a time-out rug. It's pink, has a princess crown and says "Even a Princess Needs a Time-Out". Leilani thinks it's super cute. So far, we've had to use it once. <br />
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Hopefully, all of these measures together will help. And, I'm still not yelling (yay!). We're doing lots of stuff together, cuddling, and reading. Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-40927425981968698102013-02-27T16:49:00.000-08:002013-03-01T09:15:08.660-08:00Monthly Check-In: FebruaryMy February check-in of my new years resolutions - I barely got any writing done, everytime I picked up something to write, Natalia interfered - she'd grab my pen or delete everything off the computer. And when she napped, I did too. She's been nursing all night and I've been exhausted. Writing has NOT been on the top of my list, consequently. Everything else I've been doing A-OK on! So, on to how I did:<br />
<br />
Workouts:20<br />
<br />
Writing: 10<br />
<br />
Color in food:28<br />
<br />
Raw foods: 28<br />
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So, overall, not terrible, just not great on the writing. I'm slowly - ever so slowly - getting bits and pieces done here and there. The working out has been going pretty well, but I just haven't lost any weight,I've been doing lots of smoothies, which is getting me my raw foods, and making sure we have color in our food so we're getting lots of nutrients. Hopfully Natalia will start sleeping better so I can focus on writing. I've literally been so tired I can't focus, not even to read, and if you know me, you know that's saying something! I'm the one who can read, and read, and read, and that I'm not, that's just crazy!<br />
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My one-month no-yell challange went pretty well. I only yelled maybe 10 times the whole month. When I did, I caught myself, apologized, and figured out what my trigger was so I could work on eliminating it to (hopefully) prevent it in the future. One of my biggest triggers is bedtime. Leilani fights bedtime every. single. night. So, we've been working on a smoother bedtime routine, calm voices, staying in bed, and getting good sleep. I know that when I'm tired, I have more of a tendency to yell. So, it's been a good month on that front. <br />
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Now, on to March and keeping going!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-71285122083116096882013-02-22T12:54:00.003-08:002013-02-22T12:54:53.748-08:00Picture PostI haven't blogged much lately - everytime I get on the computer or anything, Natalia decides to "help" by deleting everything I've written. So I'm just doing pictures here, so enjoy!<br />
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Natalia with a balloon<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgea0y9uilPDegRiNb0t7zPwDGKc0UzMxyl_JmB_SJfirCUGfbIPQMcoMZ9G95U7Lv3Swcs3Z3nwY93CoxqLaEW2PZvFK2ji9Oe4QcK7R6zkR04mt5-d7aHrVQHGin0uTQ9Hk7SGeMPewJN/s1600/a2d075131f1b907c719c0928eeb7cc84_zps2460bc0d.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgea0y9uilPDegRiNb0t7zPwDGKc0UzMxyl_JmB_SJfirCUGfbIPQMcoMZ9G95U7Lv3Swcs3Z3nwY93CoxqLaEW2PZvFK2ji9Oe4QcK7R6zkR04mt5-d7aHrVQHGin0uTQ9Hk7SGeMPewJN/s320/a2d075131f1b907c719c0928eeb7cc84_zps2460bc0d.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We made vegan rice krispie treats.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIObKwua_pSHCYllz29cC0lxLXFgZO8PzcAR4_OD9pFpL30SElEWBxcZtiydobK9GLOc1WVsMTW_C2u73D_AumoJg6fBRVEDhx6R2bRUP-KcICxrGKQ6QbUhA6-eaKficy6-dtcl_tdHwo/s1600/015.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIObKwua_pSHCYllz29cC0lxLXFgZO8PzcAR4_OD9pFpL30SElEWBxcZtiydobK9GLOc1WVsMTW_C2u73D_AumoJg6fBRVEDhx6R2bRUP-KcICxrGKQ6QbUhA6-eaKficy6-dtcl_tdHwo/s320/015.jpg" /></a><br />
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100th Day of School lunch :).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXK6nErfAdEmmUgx6Mzwyw_YgCcsmSLPVUZ-xKElhm0yCT_HzzvEXE55hj-AsfIpwlAZjFoINJ2Y_s9m1rt9x3FPyel_RJ071v3b2knjjRBH9XUipkm56mjRLRsA9IFue_RxaLTCaTmbO/s1600/022.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXK6nErfAdEmmUgx6Mzwyw_YgCcsmSLPVUZ-xKElhm0yCT_HzzvEXE55hj-AsfIpwlAZjFoINJ2Y_s9m1rt9x3FPyel_RJ071v3b2knjjRBH9XUipkm56mjRLRsA9IFue_RxaLTCaTmbO/s320/022.jpg" /></a><br />
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Leilani icing I <heart> you cookies<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkep9cA1QU-8r4vvJFuz-kcEaTA83xKFJzdcE03UFv48fVL2KnKinIeFqKpoE-2mp3QURS_lfBMM0Wnma36r9y-LULEQAY7lriYq3roUhIB8oAOcp7Y1m3YpoaLJGkrmNcAtzI9kkcelI/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkep9cA1QU-8r4vvJFuz-kcEaTA83xKFJzdcE03UFv48fVL2KnKinIeFqKpoE-2mp3QURS_lfBMM0Wnma36r9y-LULEQAY7lriYq3roUhIB8oAOcp7Y1m3YpoaLJGkrmNcAtzI9kkcelI/s320/007.jpg" /></a><br />
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finger painting!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYgIQqrJtvAuuXjaTOV0XcB5fegHKptYLU6J0OKPFbS3AEheRmK2J5M5M-n1O2gv2nlooBdQ0PnauJluZBiXIZS_xjxC9oF39mKx-QY7Ml5BUCCKQy1nQjQZzdhnynet8kP4-WC2h7GrY/s1600/015.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNYgIQqrJtvAuuXjaTOV0XcB5fegHKptYLU6J0OKPFbS3AEheRmK2J5M5M-n1O2gv2nlooBdQ0PnauJluZBiXIZS_xjxC9oF39mKx-QY7Ml5BUCCKQy1nQjQZzdhnynet8kP4-WC2h7GrY/s320/015.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcYZNr9wY_2V2GWlWGevz1uF_poBiTyKMdu6Mjn61LXhS5YXSiNXDriP0KTvLmoG0can3REJbJsZv_lBjYueYKqB4VjotvGLDvh8ZX_3CK41dM8LG2OpWfjmG48XaLX4ZGsucnFYSnf_X/s1600/013.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcYZNr9wY_2V2GWlWGevz1uF_poBiTyKMdu6Mjn61LXhS5YXSiNXDriP0KTvLmoG0can3REJbJsZv_lBjYueYKqB4VjotvGLDvh8ZX_3CK41dM8LG2OpWfjmG48XaLX4ZGsucnFYSnf_X/s320/013.jpg" /></a><br />
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I helped Natalia because she just mostly wanted to try to eat the paint<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71OnoYYg4oEV7iGDFa7murDaNIMYe3ZdaJnMlc_aVg7y8zVE84TeENx1xp5FfzwvrIaOXIOfIKmZigyCQP-Q6G_45D4mC9Z7Q_RMhDsssTE7dgHRHzGkMr_hGpTUUOxpAz1560C0LiDCI/s1600/014.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj71OnoYYg4oEV7iGDFa7murDaNIMYe3ZdaJnMlc_aVg7y8zVE84TeENx1xp5FfzwvrIaOXIOfIKmZigyCQP-Q6G_45D4mC9Z7Q_RMhDsssTE7dgHRHzGkMr_hGpTUUOxpAz1560C0LiDCI/s320/014.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Natalia mostly just covered herself in paint :)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirODtDSKry52fGuuGAKDN3nNKt8NDPOmFNLHpSSQKjZVU113nz8kFZaaHZB7ETPaLYuE5AC2n2Wb_GOCcYwO_G5ja-9GNDlNhRckPBCciwbwZ-zMtCAokNQem_uNjpuKR4Fxj9ET0nngB/s1600/018.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirODtDSKry52fGuuGAKDN3nNKt8NDPOmFNLHpSSQKjZVU113nz8kFZaaHZB7ETPaLYuE5AC2n2Wb_GOCcYwO_G5ja-9GNDlNhRckPBCciwbwZ-zMtCAokNQem_uNjpuKR4Fxj9ET0nngB/s320/018.jpg" /></a><br />
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She chose her outfit the other day.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgT_S-9TfqdNVyPq97pbxOv-tswDnItYsO4RN-mmp9cgLqOOSCBq2nrdk5-gqGW_nZiJ_s2ORs0kaEUCAV07Y6hLPfXUoNMuz2GSgKTZTgDycm4Q8AA9yNsCagWGxvPAC5wtS5oQBOXwm/s1600/042.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgT_S-9TfqdNVyPq97pbxOv-tswDnItYsO4RN-mmp9cgLqOOSCBq2nrdk5-gqGW_nZiJ_s2ORs0kaEUCAV07Y6hLPfXUoNMuz2GSgKTZTgDycm4Q8AA9yNsCagWGxvPAC5wtS5oQBOXwm/s320/042.jpg" /></a>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-16082874080053143682013-02-06T13:00:00.001-08:002013-02-06T13:00:39.953-08:00Yoga, Veganized Comfort Food, and Short WalksThese new yoga books are fantastic. Leilani has done two pages (a is for airplane and b is for butterfly). She does <i>not</i> want to do one pose a week, she wants to do a new one every day! And Natalia's been having a blast with Itsy Bitsy Yoga - yoga for newborn-24 months. She's loving the fun playtime it brings and the stretches make her feel good. I can tell, because she keeps doing them and has the happiest, most content little look on her face *smiles*. Those books were some of the best things I could have bought.<br />
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Now, on to comfort foods. I've been wanting chocolate (twix, thin mints, reese's, mac 'n cheese, cheesy potato soup, etc). So, I've been veganizing them. I found a homemade twix recipe that I'm going to work on veganizing either later this week or next week. I discovered how to make the most amazing baked mac 'n cheese, I made thin mints today (and they're amazing) and I'm going to be making the potato soup for dinner today. The bread is in the oven and the pot is in the dishwasher. I'm beyond excited. Tomorrow I'll let you know how it turned out :)<br />
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Natalia and I have been taking short (20 minute) walks around the neighborhood. Natalia LOVES sitting in the stroller (we're to the point that the Moby isn't really working anymore, she's kind of outgrown it, so I'm going to have to get the Onya carrier). Meanwhile, she's enjoying the stroller, being outdoors, seeing the trees and birds, feeling the sunlight. I'm enjoying walking around and getting some exercise, even if it's just a few minutes here and there.<br />
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So, basically, we've been having a pretty good week, and I'm looking forward to the rest of it - more walks, yoga and yummy foods.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-67114010400487877472013-02-01T16:56:00.000-08:002013-02-01T16:57:20.232-08:00The First of FebruarySo today, to help me along in my no-yell challenge, I made this: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu6ULx3nVvKc9geErVMSQlKbIEnn-iZYh6-muTYbhrVOa093-1vz2h6th8UVGOC9i4IkZur-B_XUp5sclCdZno7hVO882JpvZAYXWqvRDRk2fZjQGMpLjVinbL1QjXTFGColaVspthXJB/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu6ULx3nVvKc9geErVMSQlKbIEnn-iZYh6-muTYbhrVOa093-1vz2h6th8UVGOC9i4IkZur-B_XUp5sclCdZno7hVO882JpvZAYXWqvRDRk2fZjQGMpLjVinbL1QjXTFGColaVspthXJB/s320/002.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I went to Wal-Mart and found a frame on clearance, got some orange paint, glitter and ribbon. I painted the frame, glittered it up, made a bow and glued it on. Then I put some pink colored scrapbook paper and used the glass as a dry erase board and wrote "Raise your words, not voice. - It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder." <br />
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After Natalia woke up, I put her in the stroller and we went for a little walk around the neighborhood. Only about twenty minutes, but it felt great and Natalia LOVED it. My new mantra is "even a small workout is better than no workout." Sometimes I feel kind of like "why should I work out, I can only do it for a few minutes" so now, I'm just gonna do those few minutes. I also bought a baby yoga book for Natalia and a Yoga ABC coloring book for Leilani - we'll do a new move each week and she'll get to color it in, too. I'm really excited. I've been wanting to teach Leilani yoga for a while and now I think I've found a good way to do it. <br />
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I had to go get a few things for Super Bowl Sunday...we'll be going over to some friends' house and obviously we'll need some vegan options. I got some vegan burger crumbles, daiya cheddar, salsa and tofu (to make my own vegan sour cream), and I'm going to try to make a dip my brother used to make all the time. It was fantastic and I can't wait to vegan-ize it. I'm also going to try veganizing one of my favorite soups sometime next week - cheesy bacon potato soup. I made a soft cashew cheese I'm going to use in place of the cream cheese, I have smoky tempeh crumbles (in place of the bacon), and soy milk powder to make the heavy cream. Anyway, back to Super Bowl Sunday - I'm also going to make chocolate chip cookie doozers. I'm pretty excited. Tomorrow, Leilani and I will be baking up a storm :).<br />
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Tonight we made one of Leilani's favorites - tacos! I use TVP (instead of buying veggie crumbles, it's so much cheaper!) and we used crunchy shells since Leilani specifically requested them. Also, Leilani's school is doing a Read-A-Thon and Leilani needs sponsors! We're going to read 20 minutes a day for the whole month of February (since, ya know, we don't ALREADY do that - averaged out, anyway) for a total of 560 minutes for the month. She's going to read at least five of those minutes, then I'll read the remaining 15 or less. Hopefully, by the end of the month, she'll be reading most of it. That's my personal goal, anyway. <br />
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Tomorrow, it's on to baking!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-65241403198081777962013-02-01T07:33:00.000-08:002013-02-01T07:33:19.198-08:00The One-Month No Yell ChallangeI don't know when, or even how, but somewhere along the line I turned in to a yeller. Leilani does NOT like bedtime, so puts up a huge fit. I yell. Leilani doesn't want to brush her teeth. I yell. Leilani takes toys away from Natalia. I yell. Leilani plays instead of eating. I yell. <br />
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I think you've got the picture. I yell. A lot. I'm not proud of it and I want to change. So I'm issuing myself a month long challenge. For the whole month of February, I'm going to try not to yell. And if I do, I'll apologize and move forward. I'm also going to reward myself if - no, when - I make it. I'm going to buy myself this <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yJ-TVxIoSqBAe1dmI7UN-qmNkG6nVZ-KUBlXWnyV8D0z-_sKntyNI3tQ6pVIiUNu5997urMaKaKstEKAi5BtDDt78CaZ_IoladCBXX8I1BRfpPwBpxu5yZAeQEu31bFJsRnzKOwm-vBE/s1600/YA7A33_grande.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="209" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yJ-TVxIoSqBAe1dmI7UN-qmNkG6nVZ-KUBlXWnyV8D0z-_sKntyNI3tQ6pVIiUNu5997urMaKaKstEKAi5BtDDt78CaZ_IoladCBXX8I1BRfpPwBpxu5yZAeQEu31bFJsRnzKOwm-vBE/s320/YA7A33_grande.png" /></a></div>from <a href="http://www.babycakesnycshop.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-complete-baking-kit">babycakes NYC</a> to make the Fat Pants Cake - brownie, covered with vanilla frosting, then crumbled cookies. Oh yeah...that ought to keep me on track, if nothing else will. <br />
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Although, really, I think the improvement in our relationship will be good. I'm tired of yelling. I'm tired of arguing. I'm tired of it all. I need a change and I'm hopeful that this will help. It's hard putting this out online, but I'm hoping that the transparency and accountability will help me. I'm hoping that all of you, my readers, will help me. Just knowing that you're reading this is making me feel more accountable already. <br />
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I'm also going to buy the materials to make this today, so I can use it as a bit of inspiration:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NZJej5X2qtH1ouDBQMau_z_8cuHpAcNKdQyCcPJVkT6i2E7aH32ByU55d1OncGsJLQYoYv7vuauBPYq27E2qH7SrhpJFw8rQzqmVYPqGfGTGA19NjTDRyk4e3l2Z6-K70zZK_kfHRy62/s1600/598706_473561649359779_286578992_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4NZJej5X2qtH1ouDBQMau_z_8cuHpAcNKdQyCcPJVkT6i2E7aH32ByU55d1OncGsJLQYoYv7vuauBPYq27E2qH7SrhpJFw8rQzqmVYPqGfGTGA19NjTDRyk4e3l2Z6-K70zZK_kfHRy62/s320/598706_473561649359779_286578992_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I got the idea for both the no-yell challenge and the framed saying above from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/TheOrangeRhino">The Orange Rhino</a>.<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-86774410451242135002013-01-31T12:21:00.000-08:002013-01-31T12:21:02.218-08:00Monthly Check-In: JanuaryNumber of days I did each resolution:<br />
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Workouts: 15<br />
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Writing: 21<br />
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Color in Food: 31<br />
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Raw Foods: 31<br />
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I know I missed quite a few days of writing, but we had some major computer problems and I couldn't get the computer to do anything but turn on. The mouse pad didn't work, it took a good half hour for everything on the desktop to pull up, then after you clicked on whatever you wanted, it took another half hour for that to pull up, too. Then it didn't even work. So I printed off the pages I had and now I'm writing long hand in a notebook. We've been having lots of color in all our foods, and usually a smoothie every day (hence the raw foods *grin*). <br />
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I know I haven't blogged much, well, at all, this month, so a quick re-cap is in order - Natalia can now climb up all the stairs, she's standing for a good 10+ seconds, loves to eat, has two teeth, crawls like it's going out of style and keeps us on our toes. Leilani is reading amazingly well, is spelling lots of things phonetically (I like mome [mommy]), drawing amazing pictures (my personal favorite is of Rapunzel locked in the tower with the bad guy who locked her there, and Leilani's there with a ladder to do the rescuing instead of waiting around for a prince to come do it for her - I LOVE that!), and constantly beggin for hot lunch at school. Obviously, hot lunch isn't an option, not only does it cost about two and a half dollars a day (!), but it uses animal products. Fortunately, the school sends home the months menu at the beginning of the month, so I've started trying to make her lunch be something similar to what is being served. So far, she's loving it.<br />
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Jeremy's mom came in for a week. Leilani loved having grandma around. I have to admit, she kind of tried to use grandma - having grandma do things for her she's been doing forever. But isn't that what grandparents are for, spoiling the kids? Rachael and I did some shopping and lots of talking. Fortunately, we have the same views on diet and we both knew things the other didn't, so we expanded our knowledge :). <br />
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I'm going to finish off this post with pictures from the past month. They're all out of order, but they're there :) Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXM1RLoV0B96BhDdOpPglb_z8H_VZPUSaeEh_zAKNFcGi88KZyw9lpn0GIAIomr32AttHwmbwFxkKWjqHdr1AWVeGbIGQVxjB9nlCPaKsnwz4WKYtzxbgODUU2loPNOmPQMeJ5xPvIubg/s1600/136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXM1RLoV0B96BhDdOpPglb_z8H_VZPUSaeEh_zAKNFcGi88KZyw9lpn0GIAIomr32AttHwmbwFxkKWjqHdr1AWVeGbIGQVxjB9nlCPaKsnwz4WKYtzxbgODUU2loPNOmPQMeJ5xPvIubg/s320/136.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiKo2xIzCsaE-mqIZqoyuF1KauvBIFmBleEmZQW7NAgmacIDcvEa_ssWmOTWeQ-LM0u7giNumET8iRE-fqhJg2OQ0Op6AjVSIvH4Dfy-xzQpzpxy5xZ8YdKxW1UIayxzccDrXzQpgv7rW/s1600/147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiKo2xIzCsaE-mqIZqoyuF1KauvBIFmBleEmZQW7NAgmacIDcvEa_ssWmOTWeQ-LM0u7giNumET8iRE-fqhJg2OQ0Op6AjVSIvH4Dfy-xzQpzpxy5xZ8YdKxW1UIayxzccDrXzQpgv7rW/s320/147.JPG" /></a></div>helping Leilani do her homework while nursing Natalia<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNQQsl8m2ynUmp7dmFNjsGWQSmVwCjsLYiZi27D0eA3evPD_L_U45E0QYPM-XVUVagywWcwE6kfbgYRGNWnypFBuXA5nWiQmfzJihlFwAZHpdgwfe5bT0WPOurkAon2F5E1vkcAjYCawD/s1600/165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNQQsl8m2ynUmp7dmFNjsGWQSmVwCjsLYiZi27D0eA3evPD_L_U45E0QYPM-XVUVagywWcwE6kfbgYRGNWnypFBuXA5nWiQmfzJihlFwAZHpdgwfe5bT0WPOurkAon2F5E1vkcAjYCawD/s320/165.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUXCjFEFqfqWW2_pYOEVwzlB-k47oOmUqdkBl-23ejWT-uuyJ93qZ07mc9QI6wkIAjiXWQZMXZmDN_qWdRQNrqNIJxpiVEO9XnmyFejKSPzcSNH6_woaYOKWSYdQDC_Tju5oTlO5A7R1x/s1600/203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUXCjFEFqfqWW2_pYOEVwzlB-k47oOmUqdkBl-23ejWT-uuyJ93qZ07mc9QI6wkIAjiXWQZMXZmDN_qWdRQNrqNIJxpiVEO9XnmyFejKSPzcSNH6_woaYOKWSYdQDC_Tju5oTlO5A7R1x/s320/203.JPG" /></a></div>Leilani got the sharing bag again!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijM_zL69Zov3qIFmWCW9aWjVyfPJZerNFaFsh3eSnGH5XVpfYSFvWgl0F2oCVrF4YEQVIryVoXTeQupkPb7XAbnPYDMhcnPgGIDA1zdTs9oGo9HXt0gB6ZheHlMU2kisMhQ7rJ1wWBP9Ay/s1600/217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijM_zL69Zov3qIFmWCW9aWjVyfPJZerNFaFsh3eSnGH5XVpfYSFvWgl0F2oCVrF4YEQVIryVoXTeQupkPb7XAbnPYDMhcnPgGIDA1zdTs9oGo9HXt0gB6ZheHlMU2kisMhQ7rJ1wWBP9Ay/s320/217.JPG" /></a></div>Leilani made dinner<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDonxAU1NRhcPia_orfxVh4vls9i2q8gKl-v-N6W9Z9M4xa5Gx5KrB7Alx_AJN1yNoTnIO76_WPUopJbF2Y6WV_OR_cJ0ye24DKX-Q5Xr209Jzfsref4lWw8A-x4DszFLF82a65AUpVUT/s1600/246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDonxAU1NRhcPia_orfxVh4vls9i2q8gKl-v-N6W9Z9M4xa5Gx5KrB7Alx_AJN1yNoTnIO76_WPUopJbF2Y6WV_OR_cJ0ye24DKX-Q5Xr209Jzfsref4lWw8A-x4DszFLF82a65AUpVUT/s320/246.JPG" /></a></div>in the matching aprons Rachael and Rosey made for us all.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKGtgRG2oTBLimnqPnQqSG6jJVMKYG1EGR66gYdfE8_gBX5lEsxwQcFwXu2DmDjsH4q175QiYkgtqsXVrjzCfLzA8GEKePhl01lAKHYw4TG8amgKFpVKNrmb1TUhQmvNGp8nxtvxRhBWT/s1600/262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKGtgRG2oTBLimnqPnQqSG6jJVMKYG1EGR66gYdfE8_gBX5lEsxwQcFwXu2DmDjsH4q175QiYkgtqsXVrjzCfLzA8GEKePhl01lAKHYw4TG8amgKFpVKNrmb1TUhQmvNGp8nxtvxRhBWT/s320/262.JPG" /></a></div>crazy hair day at school - Leilani wanted blue hair :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7VcKjG04_K8SDIxCL8uwh9lTy8boC0A4BeXEdZ1kDLR-NOd_Tzan486BUZVdzsSdyB__KC9we1YslJzEpFeiDZGZ9I38GmBpwBRTXJ0Y3V6cp8L685rOO_aSl99gJn4oKa6UzlC_T3p8/s1600/607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7VcKjG04_K8SDIxCL8uwh9lTy8boC0A4BeXEdZ1kDLR-NOd_Tzan486BUZVdzsSdyB__KC9we1YslJzEpFeiDZGZ9I38GmBpwBRTXJ0Y3V6cp8L685rOO_aSl99gJn4oKa6UzlC_T3p8/s320/607.JPG" /></a></div>the dolls my auntie Lee got the girls for Christmas<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheT7JbSOGmjmcfAet6-KTKOgREICIngCTLlM_c_yPmPaaTjA0mZWHs-TkzwaxPlYjJ5HIL_ZNAAHSPWvWAyHjS-B7lQxh7czrM21DC-K9LhR-C7pmNNyAb2ud8pKCQCzHfu8AyKNjX-Jh0/s1600/258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheT7JbSOGmjmcfAet6-KTKOgREICIngCTLlM_c_yPmPaaTjA0mZWHs-TkzwaxPlYjJ5HIL_ZNAAHSPWvWAyHjS-B7lQxh7czrM21DC-K9LhR-C7pmNNyAb2ud8pKCQCzHfu8AyKNjX-Jh0/s320/258.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoHD1RQTwb3qwJqDylYlzTglEPXmzAfPJbGSpfob6oNr6NP3Fk2Eq6xjUTGhB4fJRBSbFfUBFFJgkwktF5iMyTZwvUhRlToG3aFyEFQ6JZ2exJo5sgYCs9gxgqL-nGgkET9x3KT-BubyB/s1600/266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoHD1RQTwb3qwJqDylYlzTglEPXmzAfPJbGSpfob6oNr6NP3Fk2Eq6xjUTGhB4fJRBSbFfUBFFJgkwktF5iMyTZwvUhRlToG3aFyEFQ6JZ2exJo5sgYCs9gxgqL-nGgkET9x3KT-BubyB/s320/266.jpg" /></a></div>tea party!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNeLKjhUcqGcWKpZbPlk3Spkn-DFUpl4nj_AcibyYhzboQi-I6dFL6qnEm5DNQBicZHy6hwFE1V3X1DQdqIjV6rShp-9d5pyret7eWhaUKlLVry2MTT9GaZhKcvM_gjlfeyqf__IoRFVb/s1600/284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNeLKjhUcqGcWKpZbPlk3Spkn-DFUpl4nj_AcibyYhzboQi-I6dFL6qnEm5DNQBicZHy6hwFE1V3X1DQdqIjV6rShp-9d5pyret7eWhaUKlLVry2MTT9GaZhKcvM_gjlfeyqf__IoRFVb/s320/284.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSJc78S5Gt0oidai5VEPCbHVzDf3ZqTTWvlZjxAgJMcujHmaTeV9hUqMHUbyCOEudcjpYs_a8eYutf5On9gW1I7-S8xkUJecN_UwRIJuiiT19VXBqrI9UrWFQITzjXRlI7KskRYKAPVAt/s1600/286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuSJc78S5Gt0oidai5VEPCbHVzDf3ZqTTWvlZjxAgJMcujHmaTeV9hUqMHUbyCOEudcjpYs_a8eYutf5On9gW1I7-S8xkUJecN_UwRIJuiiT19VXBqrI9UrWFQITzjXRlI7KskRYKAPVAt/s320/286.jpg" /></a></div>Leilani fell asleep on the way to the airport, so grandma kissed her while she was asleep :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxiurGEfTmsAyIgLBsOHu2PNPTjTHGUiMjP969Xgd5jjl7YEDKyQemJTQ_0MzQzVV8UdvzjQULNbcdOcKZTTktHjIL7SPFEdH93k_JsNQb3WPbMKzkvHv0phJcBe91phxpbDBnGk8sVBP/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxiurGEfTmsAyIgLBsOHu2PNPTjTHGUiMjP969Xgd5jjl7YEDKyQemJTQ_0MzQzVV8UdvzjQULNbcdOcKZTTktHjIL7SPFEdH93k_JsNQb3WPbMKzkvHv0phJcBe91phxpbDBnGk8sVBP/s320/001.jpg" /></a></div>I put Natalia down for the night and went to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. When I came back, I found her like this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEdI7_BDQ9F9tEvw0q2Ui86iF0Xh2Hjff0sL-OmpkMf-DduDdy4Pz22z5lfcgi2M6Ac-89jO-7-Ezfq5o0Ni2LOCjL1DeAZRkdC23wfOfM8JeTOgwziq4NuA_AuaYNbqEgfyE6FCmBg5_/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEdI7_BDQ9F9tEvw0q2Ui86iF0Xh2Hjff0sL-OmpkMf-DduDdy4Pz22z5lfcgi2M6Ac-89jO-7-Ezfq5o0Ni2LOCjL1DeAZRkdC23wfOfM8JeTOgwziq4NuA_AuaYNbqEgfyE6FCmBg5_/s320/004.jpg" /></a></div>eating breakfast "together" this morning<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Y9WbhemSE-qTRA75CotAV2VVSuJF7rb9t92o5xKkUIS7g1SKhDWBH-0NX9W_xfycwFvNox7s8HM-KWXR4VIxTf8rzgpKf1Ka5ZfNaC18YjJTr7YQbXTfdhagfi4pMViSrj8HZcpU9QZM/s1600/008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Y9WbhemSE-qTRA75CotAV2VVSuJF7rb9t92o5xKkUIS7g1SKhDWBH-0NX9W_xfycwFvNox7s8HM-KWXR4VIxTf8rzgpKf1Ka5ZfNaC18YjJTr7YQbXTfdhagfi4pMViSrj8HZcpU9QZM/s320/008.jpg" /></a></div>Natalia's sensory play - a ziploc bag inside another ziploc bag, filled with shaving cream and some food coloring. Natalia's been loving it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-ecLoRjBl4X1dMooNzLl-6O3tqP91huyQENy56zK7O8_-fsr3gMPjVn9v18Sq2rUpQ2tazQANXHgwV-6DrEbn964-HbLyJdAv6ukHc1a1ePBMvReGHtD7btPiA-NTJjHS2Lbx4GTYMRZ/s1600/009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-ecLoRjBl4X1dMooNzLl-6O3tqP91huyQENy56zK7O8_-fsr3gMPjVn9v18Sq2rUpQ2tazQANXHgwV-6DrEbn964-HbLyJdAv6ukHc1a1ePBMvReGHtD7btPiA-NTJjHS2Lbx4GTYMRZ/s320/009.jpg" /></a></div>a bit fuzzy, but you can sort of see her two bottom teeth<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-23905848691653941932013-01-06T12:25:00.002-08:002013-01-06T14:53:00.308-08:00Winter BreakWe didn't do too much over Winter Break, I bought stuff to do crafts, but we never got the time. Leilani and Jeremy did a lot of working on the bed, I did a bit of cross-stitching, and Natalia became a fantastic crawler. There's NO stopping her now. She goes anywhere and everywhere. Watching her is a full time job!<br />
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Leilani's favorite thing is going out with Jeremy and working on the bed. Jeremy's had to work a few times the past few weeks, and as soon as he gets home, she's begging to go out and "chomp wood". The other day they were working on the hearts in the shutters. Nearly all the cutting is done, then Jeremy will assemble to make sure it all goes together as it should, disassemble, paint, then reassemble. <br />
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We've discovered a few new shows, so we're *finally* off Dora, Diego and Wonder Pets. Thank goodness. I don't think I could have stomached another episode of those. Now she watches Super Why!, My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, and her newest find - Horseland. <br />
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Natalia has stood for a few seconds at a time, and taken a few steps while holding onto the couch. I can't believe she's eight months old already! She's crawling all over the place non-stop, anything she sees that she wants, she makes it over there in seconds flat. She's also not distractable anymore - if you try to switch out something she shouldn't have for a toy, she gets awfully mad and lets you know it. <br />
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New Years Eve, I was the only one who stayed up, not by my choice, I assure you. Leilani made it to 11:45, and Natalia made it to 11:59 (that's why I was awake, she was nursing). Jeremy conked out before any of us *grin*. We had homemade vegan pizza rolls, white pizza dip, whoopie pies and fudge<br />
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I made some nuggets and hot "wings"....I made cutlets, then cubed them, breaded them, then on some of them I brushed hot sauce. I made some vegan ranch dressing to dip them in, too. It was super delish, if I do say so myself. <br />
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Jeremy flew out to go to his grandmas funeral, and the girls and I stayed home. We went to the store to get groceries, then spent the weekend hanging out at home. Movies, dishes, playing together, cuddles, it was nice and relaxing. On Friday I did laundry and Natalia throrougly enjoyed watching the clothes tumble round and round. I think it was a bit over-stimulating, but it was so adorable, her amazement at the colors whirling around, unable to touch the water she saw. She stood there for a good 5 minutes, just watching, until she got tired and plopped down onto the floor. <br />
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Leilani has a new favorite hobby - vacuuming. Since I told her no vacuuming could be donw until the living room was cleaned, she now randomly picks all of Natalia's toys up so she can vacuum. <br />
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Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, we cuddled a LOT. As we sat on the couch, all together under a blanket, Leilani leaned over and kissed Natalia on the cheek. So Natalia leaned over with an open mouth and touched Leilani on the cheek. So the girls had this adorable little "kissing game" going. Leilani would kiss Natalia on the cheek, so Natalia would "kiss" Leilani on the cheek. Then this morning we all cuddled in bed for a good twenty minutes, playing and talking, when Natalia leaned over me to Leilani and kissed her. It was so sweet. Leilani's been pretty spectacular this weekend - we've had much less yelling and toy pulling than usual. Instead of disciplining Leilani (timeout or consequence) I just started loving on her, so she started loving on Natalia. We had a bump this afternoon, when Leilani got mad at Natalia so took away a toy and I had to explain that Natalia's only 8 months and doesn't understand, now she's just sad you took away her toy. Leilani gave the toy back and we all moved back to our happy place. We're all much happier when we just be nice to each other, obviously.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-21017375146445279112013-01-01T19:29:00.001-08:002013-01-01T19:29:38.885-08:00ResolutionsI'm doing something I've never done before - making some New Years Resolutions. I'm keeping it fairly simple, so I don't overload myself, and I'm putting them up here to keep myself accountable.<br />
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-I'm going to write every day, so that by the end of the year, I'll have a novel finished. <br />
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-I'm going to put more color into out diet and move towards a high-raw diet (50% or more food consumed is raw)<br />
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-I'm going to exercise three times a week (at least)<br />
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And that's it. Every month I'll let you know how I'm doing, and at the end of the year, we'll see how well I did :)Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-29768543068938164722012-12-25T15:38:00.002-08:002012-12-25T15:49:19.991-08:00Merry Christmas!Leilani woke us all bright 'n early. Well, not too incredibly early, really, but she was unwrapping presents at 7 o'clock. Natalia slept through Leilani's unwrapping. Leilani loved her gifts, but her favorite was the snowglobe. She's been asking for one for a few months now, so when I saw a plastic, unbreakable snowglobe, I knew I had to get it for her. Of course, she thinks Santa brought it :). Leilani also got a LeapPad, it has a camera and everything, just like an iPad, so she's pretty excited about that! <br />
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Both girls got train sets: Leilani's is a battery operated My Little Pony one, and Natalia's is the Disney Baby train. The trains have gotten more play time than all the other toys combines. Natalia got a toy laptop instead of a LeapPad. They each got puzzles and books, lots of little things in their stockings and got each other some fantastic gifts - Leilani got Natalia a talking lunch basket and Natalia got Leilani a Backpack kit with Map, a bracelet and fake phone. Natalia got a shape sorter and Leialni got a Minnie Mouse dress-up doll. I got Jeremy a book on General Custer (his current obsession) and he got me the Harry Potter Complete 8-film Collection. <br />
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After gifts, I popped breakfast in the oven. I was so excited - sticky pecan rolls. But not everything that I make can be a homerun - it wasn't very sweet. I made the recipe exactly as it was written, but I think if I make it again, I'm going to tweak it. Dinner was a much better success - vegan roast with veggies, and garlic mashed potatoes. After dinner, Natalia took a nap and Leilani watched some movies. I steamed the Christmas Pudding. Once it was done steaming, we poured some brandy over it and lit it on fire. Leilani was so excited and Natalia was mesmerized by the flames. I pulled out the reindeer rootbeer I made last week. Just IBC rootbeer decorated to look like reindeer. Brown pipe cleaners twisted around the top for antlers, googly eyes and a poofy red ball for eyes and nose. Leilani was super excited, both to have soda and at the decoration :). <br />
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Last night, between movies and bed, we tracked Santa's progress and Leilani got a phone call from the big man himself. She was so excited! We also did every single action rhyme I know. Leilani and Natalia had a blast with it and we had to do most of them twice. <br />
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Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-55981185856827282852012-12-24T14:35:00.001-08:002012-12-24T14:37:05.270-08:00Christmas EveHappy Christmas Eve!<br />
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Today we've had lots of fun - Leilani and Jeremy did some more cutting on the bed project, I did some cooking (yummy dinner, but more on that later)and we -hopefully - started some new Christmas Eve traditions. <br />
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Our dinner was one of our pre-vegan favorites, remade to be vegan, obviously. Scrambled tofu, biscuits and vegan sausage gravy and hashbrowns. I made the potatoes in the oven since I don't have enough frying pans and I needed my one for the tofu. I found the MOST amazing scrambled tofu recipe ever - everyone ate it up! Finally, a tofu recipe the whole family loves! Even Natalia chowed down on her plate full of food. I made the sausage this morning, then used the drippings for the base of the gravy. For the biscuits I used the "bisquick" I made a month or so ago. Leilani ate her entire plate, plus more potatoes. When I find a meal that the whole family will eat, I know I've found a winner. <br />
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After dinner, we watched some Super Why!, well, Leilani watched, I played on the computer and started dreaming about a vegetable garden. Then we went upstairs and I gave the girls a "Christmas Eve bath"....I put green food coloring in the water and some Johnson and Johnsons cold bath stuff in there so it gave it a sort of woodsy smell. Then I tossed all the characters from the Veggie Tales nativity play set and let the girls play in there for a while. Natalia screamed at first, but after I got in and held her, she calmed down and played for a good 15 minutes before I figured it was time for her to get out. Leilani stayed in for a bit longer.<br />
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We put out the magic reindeer dust Leilani made at school after they were done bathing and we were all dressed in our Christmas PJs. We also put the key and poem on the door so Santa can get in. We're going to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening watching Christmas movies and later we're going to make popcorn and hot chocolate and have some cookies, too. <br />
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Everyone, have a Happy Christmas!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-56614671465681238702012-12-23T15:07:00.000-08:002012-12-23T15:08:21.465-08:00Advent: Day 23We pretty much just chilled all day. Jeremy did some more work on the bunk beds, I did some stitching on one of the stockings (I haven't forgotten about Natalia's birth record, I'm just taking a break and working on another project for the time being). Leilani started her needle craft today, she had enough fake money saved up for it, and I gave her a "Christmas discount" too. It took her almost all morning, but she got a whole row and a half done. She kept saying "I'm not good at this mommy" and I kept reminding her that I wasn't fast when I stated either, that we get better the more we do something.<br />
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Natalia "helped" me do my cooking and baking today - we made chickpea tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch and a pecan pie for Christmas. Mostly, she just tried to grab everything and eat it or knock it over. Leilani "helped" Jeremy with the bed, which really means, climbed all over the wood, used the pencil to draw on the wood and ask questions. I think the way kids help is really kinda cute. And they're little for so short a time, I really am just trying to enjoy each minute.<br />
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Our gingerbread cookies from yesterday were a huge hit - we ate quite a few of them yesterday, so I hid them so we'll have enough for Christmas Eve. Natalia LOVES them, she ate an entire leg. More like gummed it, then it came drooling out of her mouth and kinda looked gross. <br />
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Leilani drew a lovely picture - a smiley face with ginormous eyes and the words "I see" printed above it. The only problem I have with this picture is its location - the bathroom wall is NOT the place for masterpieces to be drawn. Oh, and it's directly across from the toilet, so the picture WATCHES you.<br />
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Today's activity was reading the story of Jesus' birth. Yes, I know this is no where near His birthday, and originally not even close to a Christian holiday, but it is nice to remember His birth. <br />
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Tomorrow we're going to do our Christmas Eve box - new PJs all around, little stuffed animals for the girls, then we're gonna have popcorn, cookies, eggnog or hot chocolate and watch a movie together. Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-71535265283220003392012-12-22T13:22:00.000-08:002012-12-22T13:22:28.854-08:00Advent: Day 22Today, for our Advent project, we made gingerbread men. Our vegan recipe is super yummy and we went all traditional and used raisins for the decorations. I think Santa's going to be getting gingerbread cookies under the tree this year. Leilani had so much fun pouring the ingredients, sifting the dry ingredients and mixing them all together. <br />
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While we were mixing and measuring, Natalia was playing with Jeremy - she was in a serious daddy-mood this morning. He had to hold her constantly or she got M-A-D. It made me giggle - evil, I know - since he got to experience a bit of what I go through every day. I love Natalia, so don't get me wrong, but she just does NOT like to be anywhere but in someones arms. As a baby, she has that prerogative, I know, but that's why the floor doesn't get swept and dinner's not made - no using a knife while holding a baby! She finally settled on the floor and did some zombie-crawling, pulled a couple ornaments off the tree and then grabbed my leg. <br />
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After Natalia released him, Jeremy went out to the garage to get everything ready for his huge DIY project - <a href="http://ana-white.com/2012/09/plans/sweet-pea-garden-bunk-bed-roof-and-pergola">this amazing bed</a>. Leilani is beyond excited. He's going to be the girls' hero for years to come for making this thing. It's incredible. <br />
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Last night, our Christmas light hunting lasted maybe 20 minutes. Natalia fell asleep and Leilani was just done. We had bundled them up in their PJs and went out with high hopes. But alas, this area really doesn't do much in the way of Christmas lights. It was a rather sad showing, but Leilani did enjoy seeing the lights we saw. After we got back, Leilani had some cookies and watched a snowman movie that wound up scaring her, so we switched to Super Why. She finished the snowman movie this morning and wasn't nearly as scared - I think last night had something to do with being tired. Natalia stayed asleep after we got home, and then woke up a little after seven and didn't go back to sleep until 11:30 - used to be that was no problem, staying up that late, but I'm officially a mommy - I was ready for bed hours before she was. We danced, played with some puzzles, watched Elf, had some cookies and read some stories. <br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-23578767312623680882012-12-21T17:46:00.003-08:002012-12-21T17:46:47.388-08:00Advent: Days 20 & 21I'm not much feeling like writing, but I want to put these two days down while they're still fresh, so I don't forget. <br />
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Friday we played Christmas Bingo - Leilani was super excited, she filled her entire card. Natalia mostly just tried to eat the cards. <br />
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Today's is going Christmas light hunting. We'll be heading out to do that in the next half hour or so.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-90624663868955207612012-12-19T15:55:00.004-08:002012-12-19T15:55:52.909-08:00Advent: Days 18 & 19Yesterday our Advent package was paper snowflakes! I found some templates on Pinterest and the idea to use coffee filters. Since we don't drink coffee and my dad left a bunch, we only have a ton of coffee filters. Today's package was another book. Yesterday and today's packages kind of got jumbled into today, as all we did yesterday was open the package. Leilani and I made some snowflakes before she went to school, and while she was at school, I made a bunch more and hung them up above the TV. Leilani was enchanted when she got home from school. <br />
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Leilani's been a bit worried about how Santa's going to get in since we don't have a chimney, so I found a <a href="http://mommyof5kidz.blogspot.com/2011/11/santas-magic-key.html">"Santa Key Poem"</a>, attached a bow and key to the card I wrote it out on, and Christmas Eve we're going to attach it to the door. We're also going to sprinkle the reindeer dust out that Leilani made at school a couple weeks ago. She's very excited about that. <br />
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We all have colds over here, so we have the humidifier going with the VapoSteam stuff in it, meds galore, and sniffles, coughs and watery eyes. Not much fun, but thank goodness for those boogie wipes. I always thought they were a waste of money and just some goofy thing, but they're the only thing Natalia doesn't scream at having wipe her nose. And I don't blame her, they feel at least a bajillion times better than kleenex! Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-88399885994068630932012-12-17T14:39:00.000-08:002012-12-17T14:39:04.351-08:00Advent: Days 16 & 17Yesterday just flew by - Leilani and I made the gingerbread house in the morning, followed by yesterday's advent package - paint-your-own ceramic mugs. Actually, that took up most of the day. We went over to some friends' from works house last night. Leilani and the little girl are now bff's. <br />
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This morning started off like any other school morning - getting lunch packed, getting all of us dressed and ready to go out the door. Until it came time to actually go out the door. Then I couldn't find the diaper bag (which has my keys). It wound up being locked in the car. Natalia was asleep when we got home last night, so I tried very carefully not to wake her (I didn't) so she could get unexhausted and not have an even later night. So it was a win on that front - not so much on the whole getting to school front. Leilani wound up staying home and we did some projects, made sticky pecan rolls and orange rolls (for Christmas and New Years Days respectively). Natalia had a lovely poo blowout - all the way up to her neck. This was the first bath she didn't like. The whole thing lasted 30 seconds - just long enough to get her cleaned up. <br />
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Our advent project today was making snow globes. Leilani made one and I made one for Natalia (since she's a bit young to be messing with glue and glitter and such). It was hard for Leilani to wait for the glue to dry. I can't believe how quickly December's going and that it's almost Christmas!Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144716952843745548.post-49653647127274267322012-12-15T19:02:00.002-08:002012-12-15T19:02:58.402-08:00Advent: Day 15Today we went up to Seattle. Leilani was super excited, Natalia not so much at the prospect of a long car ride. Fortunately, she fell asleep. We stopped at a little road side coffee shop and got coffees (Leilani got a chai tea, which she said upset her tummy. Which is weird because she usually LOVES chai tea!) Our first stop was at Whole Food - I haven't been to one is so incredibly long, it was awesome. We got some tempeh (which I can't find anywhere in our town), almond yogurt, rice cheese and lunch. Natalia ate off my plate - she had some curry paste/sauce off my "chik'n" salad, rice out of my dolmas, and yogurt. Leilani loved eating all her food (and some of mine and Jeremy's)...she had sesame marinated tofu, and some of Jeremy's chickpea salad. I love that my girlies love to eat so many different types of cuisines and flavors. <br />
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From there we went to the Children's Museum....Leilani said she didn't hate it, and didn't love it. She said she liked playing in the theater area, the market area and the rock climbing area. After that, we went up to the food court where a dance academy was doing a performance. It was acrodance, and Leilani said "<i>that's</i> what I want to do!" Fortunately the dance academy here in town specialized in acrodance. <br />
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While we were in the foodcourt, Leilani got some cotton candy and we found a little vegan cafe - they had puff pastry!!! I got a smoked yam tart, Jeremy got a tomato tart and we sort of split a roasted pumpkin dish. The next time we go up to Seattle, we're going to their actual restaurant. <br />
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When we got home, Leilani took a bath, then opened up the Advent package, which we'll have to do tomorrow. So tomorrow we'll be building a gingerbread house and our 16th day...should be nice and busy.Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12669313719125254612noreply@blogger.com0