tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2272635639319218102024-02-19T21:50:30.232-08:003 Little Angell's Mommy3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-51915095202719344552014-08-11T14:38:00.000-07:002014-08-11T14:43:58.783-07:00A New Perspective<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">I’m
sure this topic has been blogged about a number of times. I’ve seen many video’s
about the habit of smart phone usage. How many of us like and share those
video’s on Facebook but don’t live it? You know, the ones were one person is
quietly sitting while her friends are sitting around the lunch table checking
their phones, ignoring her. Very sad. Very sad and yet very true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">My
dad hates it. He’ll walk in the room and one of my sisters is on the computer,
the other on her phone and mom is on her tablet. He, like many others, misses
the face-to-face interaction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Over
the years there have been a few time I have thrown a party and close to no one
(or no one at all) shows up. I “sent out” Facebook invites and would invite 40
plus friends and only about 8 or less would show up. I do my best to make the
best of things but there has been a couple occasions I felt like no one cared
enough to come over. Some may consider me easily offended, and they would be
right. I am. But I’m also kind-hearted and sensitive… In today’s day sensitivity is a sign of
weakness and viewed in a negative way. But I don’t look at it like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">When
I was planning my son’s 2<sup>nd</sup> birthday party I made everything! The
cupcakes, the decorations, I even sent out invitations in the mail. Our little
house was so full of family and friends we had to start telling people to step
outside. It was so much fun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Now,
when I was planning 3 and 4 year old coming up birthday I didn’t go as elaborated
but I still had fun planning it. This time I did NOT send out invitations in
the mail. I just invited friends and family through Facebook and text
messaging. Other than a handful of people, no one came. Don’t get me wrong. It
was nice to talk to everyone… My parents and my sister-in-law and her family…
But I tried so hard to get people to come. Almost 30 people came to Sam’s 2<sup>nd</sup>
birthday party but only 7 came to Michael and Emily’s birthday. At that moment
of feeling like no one liked my family, I realized that people like the “face-to-face”
of getting an invitation in the mail. Makes sense, I like it too. So many
people, so many of our friends are involved in some form of social networking
but we would rather get in invitation in the mail then online. Why? It’s more convenient
to just click the mouse a few times and ta-da! You just invited 200 of your
closest friends. Whereas mailing invites takes time, energy and money. Could
that be why more people would come if they reserved an invite in the mail VS a
Facebook invite? Because we take the time to “say” you are important enough to
me, come to my party?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Sometimes
I think people don’t come to events they’ve been invited to because they see
your life online. Maybe they think that conversation would be boring or repetitive?
We are taking the “mystery” out of life with posting everything about our life
online. People know everything about us yet we want them to come over to talk.
Talk about what exactly? That sexy selfie you took that got 100 likes? Your
cute new kitty that’s been filling up your timeline? That embarrassing thing
your kid said at the store that you just had to share on Facebook? We share all
the highlights (and sometime the garbage) of our lives with friends, family and
even complete strangers online. Maybe it’s time to take a step (or two) back
and look at what you’re doing from a different perspective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">My
17 year old sister is like me in the way I want to be loved. We care about our friends
and family and want to spent time with them. Like me, she also gets hurt when
no one shows up to a planned party. The other night she planned a fun clothing
exchange. She made dinner and everything. No one came. Not even the friends who
RSVP’d yes. It saddened my heart to see her hurt by her friends. I’m sure some quickly
said yes without thinking or asking mom and dad who ended up saying “no”. Maybe
some who said yes, forgot or something “better” came up. I was 17 once and I
remember saying yes to things before asking my parents. But I always let my
friends know I couldn’t come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">We
all get so wrapped up in Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest we didn't even realized 2
hours (or 1 hour or 30 minutes) have gone by. Now my question is; what did you
accomplish within those 2 hours? Your butt was on the couch or in a computer
chair for 2 hours. Let that sink in. I’m sure you spoke your mind to a complete
stranger with a different opinion then yours. I’m sure you now have the perfect
wedding planned or the perfect way to decorate or organize your home. I’m sure
you laughed at all the funny memes from your favorite TV shows or movies. What about
all those fitness pins? Tried any yet? Or do you just keep adding to the board?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Just
so you know I am NOT pointing fingers. I do it to. But I’m tired of it. Aren’t
you? Sitting around wasting your summer by sitting on your butt pinning pins or
watching funny videos… Will this social networking craze calm down? I understand
doing it occasionally but all day? No one needs to be on their phone for hours and
hours just because their bored. Do something! Try that recipe that made your
mouth water when you saw the picture of it. Do a Pinterest craft. How about
some organizing? Or a new workout routine! It’s time to get some blood flowing
in your body and get that brain a thinkin’! Maybe then we would be more willing
to talk to our friends face-to-face. Once we start making an effort perhaps our
friends will start to do the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">I’d
say it’s worth a shot! How about you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Blessings,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large;">Tiffany</span></div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-92131957134193181592014-02-13T11:37:00.000-08:002014-02-13T11:37:05.093-08:00Our Snow-Pocolypes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4K_5KPUL9DE9UHhcm9DsFnJOibVTQfRtN6Ixwr8c9_zX1C3t0kdWEtC7JXwVbPgIxNpqoSNMAUrG9mItTZghWWm73hxt27cdzZ3sIQSo03e9eSN7b_1LvNHVoJUvilJPF46XI5Jh_K4I/s1600/1622174_10151994612706297_426410868_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4K_5KPUL9DE9UHhcm9DsFnJOibVTQfRtN6Ixwr8c9_zX1C3t0kdWEtC7JXwVbPgIxNpqoSNMAUrG9mItTZghWWm73hxt27cdzZ3sIQSo03e9eSN7b_1LvNHVoJUvilJPF46XI5Jh_K4I/s1600/1622174_10151994612706297_426410868_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This has been a crazy winter for us north westerns. Not crazy like the east coast crazy... Like not normal for north west Oregon crazy. It normally rains non-stop. Yuck! We always hope for snow but that wish only comes true once every 3 or 4 years. About every other year we might get a light dusting of snow that melts once it hits the ground. But for the most part it rains, A LOT! This year was different. The rain hardly showed up. When it did come it was nothing like we normally see this time of year. This winter has been very dry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And cold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very dry and very cold.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As February came along our hopes of snow seemed to fade away. The air seemed warmer and no rain was falling. Until a very quick drop in temperature and clouds swiftly came to our rescue. Snow began to fall! My kids jumped for joy!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZfipNx5MSyMJGF1o0_r5e0iF_fanpc4j0lBVwCXBKhv7PlOyK5m3bcxOA493ZFImn1Dyvq_zELUvomred-pap1oKcC3U8coUylT2BQOwuJeSP3SvvEClh-2ZGrPV2rAkUt77hnmXREI/s1600/1560759_573969262687482_540659963_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZfipNx5MSyMJGF1o0_r5e0iF_fanpc4j0lBVwCXBKhv7PlOyK5m3bcxOA493ZFImn1Dyvq_zELUvomred-pap1oKcC3U8coUylT2BQOwuJeSP3SvvEClh-2ZGrPV2rAkUt77hnmXREI/s1600/1560759_573969262687482_540659963_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday morning (Feb, 7th)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"SNOOOWWWW!!! Mommy! Snow is coming!" said Michael.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Snow is falling! Snow is falling!" sang Emily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sam just sat in wonder, staring out the window. Even our dog was watching.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGYH76nrTwoFWd7tpUzJ-en_CwRjcutpFeP3x7IH_INoqM2o4rzyFHbymjR59NpwuiH_zmHLbevNhUhLb-DKl6wORzuX798i7PRvAITrwJzd7bRPpMuEh_nOio_vFMtA7A55PmpgM5Tc/s1600/1613789_10151991458171297_1848960274_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGYH76nrTwoFWd7tpUzJ-en_CwRjcutpFeP3x7IH_INoqM2o4rzyFHbymjR59NpwuiH_zmHLbevNhUhLb-DKl6wORzuX798i7PRvAITrwJzd7bRPpMuEh_nOio_vFMtA7A55PmpgM5Tc/s1600/1613789_10151991458171297_1848960274_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thursday, Feb. 6th</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The snow started falling on a Thursday and was all gone by Tuesday. We had 4 great days of snow. It reached over 10 inches at our house!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7tjG0Ehzj8uXOPMvfy-FvXhft61aqwpemLmtmk87uHJx9Ri-BL9lqKd5vWSGmoLo-Qwh6ybkIZALT11yFYxG7ZM_vp9v55pSeYp50kb-SL_lTeYJLvBj9zAZ-Ny-OGHLb0ohdBhw7co/s1600/IMG_0751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7tjG0Ehzj8uXOPMvfy-FvXhft61aqwpemLmtmk87uHJx9Ri-BL9lqKd5vWSGmoLo-Qwh6ybkIZALT11yFYxG7ZM_vp9v55pSeYp50kb-SL_lTeYJLvBj9zAZ-Ny-OGHLb0ohdBhw7co/s1600/IMG_0751.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Here it comes!"</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The kids couldn't wait to play in it!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX8LQn85dQoAZgWeLA-v6Jz1wUuziVHWQvMi7xxS3mdYIb8NA-SbCoYyAlwDuYhXfA5IZ-OcsSPhfpuj1W2RESz70t62RTH3wKVXqWmu957z1akUJ2UPEp_Fy2S73XIPlb_sBf0A8FJA/s1600/IMG_0537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnX8LQn85dQoAZgWeLA-v6Jz1wUuziVHWQvMi7xxS3mdYIb8NA-SbCoYyAlwDuYhXfA5IZ-OcsSPhfpuj1W2RESz70t62RTH3wKVXqWmu957z1akUJ2UPEp_Fy2S73XIPlb_sBf0A8FJA/s1600/IMG_0537.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thursday evening</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> U<span style="line-height: 115%;">nfortunately, due to lack of snow around here we had to make due with lack of snow clothes. Sam was lucky we kept Michael's old snow pants and boots! All the gloves we had were too small for Michael and Emily and poor Sam had no gloves... So we improvised by putting warm socks on his hands. Sam also hates hats... So it was </span><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;">impossible</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> to keep a hat on him. We were blessed with warm coats for all three kids at Christmas time! Thank the Lord! As for Michael and Emily, they had two layers of pants on and wore their rain boots with two pairs of socks on.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yuygdnl2nY_SQ96BaSpuIsAcSNkq5o5yLpwaMtoSxnX_ud1FTJYxqF9WbrgejtQEGmv4LzKwaKIDR2LM6XvNPlKigVTlZIgtPE4cWT8wP3XwY2Ru2qWtURW2GqG_RVm-MN_PMAffR_k/s1600/IMG_0540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yuygdnl2nY_SQ96BaSpuIsAcSNkq5o5yLpwaMtoSxnX_ud1FTJYxqF9WbrgejtQEGmv4LzKwaKIDR2LM6XvNPlKigVTlZIgtPE4cWT8wP3XwY2Ru2qWtURW2GqG_RVm-MN_PMAffR_k/s1600/IMG_0540.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little pond Thursday night</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday late morning was the perfect time to make a snowman!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjsUCF1xPFIRExxlqg1HZPKCXbeHLsPlmO3AbMJCpvxDbd822OQ5IWw2ECbu0OIVdzUgc8-OMWvV8Q8QGLMZNOcuBXBO1vXH5HbW-T374FZLn_bKBicHr3iQvrrk09DD52VVmZJDycQ0/s1600/1904245_10151994612766297_1896498605_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjsUCF1xPFIRExxlqg1HZPKCXbeHLsPlmO3AbMJCpvxDbd822OQ5IWw2ECbu0OIVdzUgc8-OMWvV8Q8QGLMZNOcuBXBO1vXH5HbW-T374FZLn_bKBicHr3iQvrrk09DD52VVmZJDycQ0/s1600/1904245_10151994612766297_1896498605_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And play in the snow.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26cDT3dBeIAOEsGXgcfq0IwHxxr3m1c_-mnU8Ohv5y6yqzfNuOLTgjaY8IdtJ5yP-BUCqUqRTGiGmIBnwVdjtPNc0oBmUH9fJmP3bn6ynWpS46Pck4syWzULitYx5XJ7O4B-cIi80OjM/s1600/1505300_10151994591026297_1227960811_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26cDT3dBeIAOEsGXgcfq0IwHxxr3m1c_-mnU8Ohv5y6yqzfNuOLTgjaY8IdtJ5yP-BUCqUqRTGiGmIBnwVdjtPNc0oBmUH9fJmP3bn6ynWpS46Pck4syWzULitYx5XJ7O4B-cIi80OjM/s1600/1505300_10151994591026297_1227960811_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Daddy even pulled them on a sled!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And they pulled Daddy!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAkJiA6cx72DuflNcXC1MRzp49KDUwBzZv8jeSWgEGTbUxkZz1fzBVkdJRwyvZnY1uYH_GBuVs2us9BlorVX9nYZJqL9xUBYQMWjsiHkzuhH2Yhe90IlUbr7saLxDzW5hG2FTS7r-5oo/s1600/1619359_10151994590746297_2062754790_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAkJiA6cx72DuflNcXC1MRzp49KDUwBzZv8jeSWgEGTbUxkZz1fzBVkdJRwyvZnY1uYH_GBuVs2us9BlorVX9nYZJqL9xUBYQMWjsiHkzuhH2Yhe90IlUbr7saLxDzW5hG2FTS7r-5oo/s1600/1619359_10151994590746297_2062754790_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My princess insisted on wearing her tutu skirt.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY3TP80u9lCg6CdJ9uGRyBWs0Dr2fmZxciaOLu2HkxoWfe3g2FC7NJUa6tv5G1IzncvbTQdPxXQ5JcYbfqzOTaHttP0L5hHirI72l0xORg2RPVETy-OeBmVEGBRy6lp77wxHpit9s2z8/s1600/1656185_10151994591141297_1609294517_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCY3TP80u9lCg6CdJ9uGRyBWs0Dr2fmZxciaOLu2HkxoWfe3g2FC7NJUa6tv5G1IzncvbTQdPxXQ5JcYbfqzOTaHttP0L5hHirI72l0xORg2RPVETy-OeBmVEGBRy6lp77wxHpit9s2z8/s1600/1656185_10151994591141297_1609294517_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday we braved the snow and went to my parents house to play.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-El2SsNO_FG-MxKKihh90aywEg_9PlSqVTNVZoT93aOSSzwiWW0y4v6TnWMqjkICthmWonwnj67ErGjujxXvHO0Fdbv7PD5SveFsYRT-KRgqiwEfJxIEpEwTIy6L8ITE32BhIgejOpUA/s1600/1902026_10203276506496472_2128157267_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-El2SsNO_FG-MxKKihh90aywEg_9PlSqVTNVZoT93aOSSzwiWW0y4v6TnWMqjkICthmWonwnj67ErGjujxXvHO0Fdbv7PD5SveFsYRT-KRgqiwEfJxIEpEwTIy6L8ITE32BhIgejOpUA/s1600/1902026_10203276506496472_2128157267_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The snow melted quicker then it fell. Once the temperature went from 30 degrees to above 40 degrees it took a short 18 hours for the snow to go from 10 inches to 2 inches. And 48 hours for all the snow to disappear</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As fun as the snow was for my kids, hubby and our dog, I on the other hand don't really like snow. The way I like it, is watching it from the window inside my warm house. But I did enjoy seeing the joy on my kids faces when they woke up to winter wonderland. Watching them watch the snow fall was amazing to me. They loved the snow but did not cry when they woke up to it melting. I think they might have be tired of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our snow-pocolypes lasted less then a week. But the joy and memories will last a lifetime! Thank you for reading and God bless!</span>3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-77290069059390217302014-02-03T11:13:00.001-08:002014-02-03T11:13:04.882-08:00How a family of 5 can live in a 2 bedroom home: Part Two<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I said in <a href="http://threelittleangells.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-family-of-5-can-live-in-2-bedroom.html" target="_blank">Part One</a>, we have 5 people, plus a dog, living in 800 square feet... And again I'll say, I guess home builders in the 1940's didn't think of master bedrooms or spacious bathrooms. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPunmfGN6TDl2Z4o_r-su_sq61TP3tWcGbGzLqCr6bzJ_trgT852l98f9v1DFwDoNkz_bnfDI9XaxaIiZkCnWrcdWv16nQ3_fnaFjUSDWe3UUBrSOYAK9Fi0PiCi16j10Ft9CewOXmMOo/s1600/1555516_10151984729001297_1571288174_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPunmfGN6TDl2Z4o_r-su_sq61TP3tWcGbGzLqCr6bzJ_trgT852l98f9v1DFwDoNkz_bnfDI9XaxaIiZkCnWrcdWv16nQ3_fnaFjUSDWe3UUBrSOYAK9Fi0PiCi16j10Ft9CewOXmMOo/s1600/1555516_10151984729001297_1571288174_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of bathrooms, that is what part two is about... bathrooms!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHWBrlVpvqzllYBYNCbhA5YEQw9gAR1xDHIlXJVy_maS8YiX1VXZDi0YfpHarwYLz-EbIm76xU0gDD6ZNuaHkd_N0kTJomrPCI2cD01tuvT548pX70nolxwuXdel2DRSoCOGfJ_RYXM0/s1600/1888688_10151984728646297_1273797357_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHWBrlVpvqzllYBYNCbhA5YEQw9gAR1xDHIlXJVy_maS8YiX1VXZDi0YfpHarwYLz-EbIm76xU0gDD6ZNuaHkd_N0kTJomrPCI2cD01tuvT548pX70nolxwuXdel2DRSoCOGfJ_RYXM0/s1600/1888688_10151984728646297_1273797357_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I actually had a few requests for my bathroom space saving ideas. Yay! It's so nice to know people are reading and liking my posts! THANKS READERS!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here we go!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part Two: the bathroom!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bath tub & shower:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZbsTuuGJYZJFMt4oyxRfIif26mDcBsxRcz4bav5it1FzPvS272f6n6IwSTPO1FaQYHUdAXwK_DKjl0UcDr4rxy38crCyYjklBKtB7xIJIXymKqH52Ss1vUylZVRND8vi8QZmiS4qSi4/s1600/1545899_10151984648831297_114161608_n.jpg" 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/AVvXsEiOZbsTuuGJYZJFMt4oyxRfIif26mDcBsxRcz4bav5it1FzPvS272f6n6IwSTPO1FaQYHUdAXwK_DKjl0UcDr4rxy38crCyYjklBKtB7xIJIXymKqH52Ss1vUylZVRND8vi8QZmiS4qSi4/s1600/1545899_10151984648831297_114161608_n.jpg" height="200" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> We got the frog at Target</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have plenty of storage in the shower! A corner shelf, a shower catty and a cute FROG for the kids toys.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8njQLlVeEBePqcy8G8Mnyd7R4iz1vApfwsJfMDc_EUrH_Xh8CvQbR_ZIrfbSf61cbdX7NCp4ZJmu4pqxqPZf48H4qs7vOLZxsSHhSRTNnGfXFd4LHsSaXo37C9xIgRC1y2OXjkX7zNw/s1600/1795713_10151984648881297_2080164197_n.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/AVvXsEjX8njQLlVeEBePqcy8G8Mnyd7R4iz1vApfwsJfMDc_EUrH_Xh8CvQbR_ZIrfbSf61cbdX7NCp4ZJmu4pqxqPZf48H4qs7vOLZxsSHhSRTNnGfXFd4LHsSaXo37C9xIgRC1y2OXjkX7zNw/s1600/1795713_10151984648881297_2080164197_n.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54eh5TzVLfI5Er8kAQ91hiLbt5gDbh79zj7-KrBbAyQkRK6eR1gWjP5NIv9LQ6cA1C3-XTfrGMfP3bl2g11k6m2JLGnLkPBGr4HEA0H5VB0WxLv9rH6E_u3YIhqTOBDQGcYdfXeq7uIs/s1600/1609974_10151984648951297_472011554_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54eh5TzVLfI5Er8kAQ91hiLbt5gDbh79zj7-KrBbAyQkRK6eR1gWjP5NIv9LQ6cA1C3-XTfrGMfP3bl2g11k6m2JLGnLkPBGr4HEA0H5VB0WxLv9rH6E_u3YIhqTOBDQGcYdfXeq7uIs/s1600/1609974_10151984648951297_472011554_n.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The corner self has shaving creams, body wash, kids shampoos and soaps, hubbies shampoo and dog shampoo (on the highest shelf so kids cant reach it). The catty has my shampoo and conditioner, soap bar and razors. The frog holds the kids bath toys.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Storage:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before moving into this house I had a nice shelf set. Because we down-sized I had to get rid of it... So I had to replace it with something. Being a <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> lover I found a few ways to help with our lack of bathroom storage situation.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4-m8Evz6juLzpGD-b-hgZGiCO85oLn5EmjcTorg-BS5fvEquHfiIvwC4JelG1qremb_ba2hqotaVMdZWWTSwEYAS6SwoNkKFyEX25aAEs9cnEkrEc2zoIVIb3s_6wcRBUZZZJk2iPU8/s1600/1604386_10151984696801297_249334404_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4-m8Evz6juLzpGD-b-hgZGiCO85oLn5EmjcTorg-BS5fvEquHfiIvwC4JelG1qremb_ba2hqotaVMdZWWTSwEYAS6SwoNkKFyEX25aAEs9cnEkrEc2zoIVIb3s_6wcRBUZZZJk2iPU8/s1600/1604386_10151984696801297_249334404_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With my husbands help, we made this easy (and cheap) mason jar wall decor/storage. Sense the bathroom is so small and has no counter space this was perfect for daily use items.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-0RUKb43ZsZD2puCHfcYvFscRxnvStWU2XGM-1Kk70eNFyjMtd68PdAs1AMSKRJD4A2Phcr0WRL8YzZLgOGC32xZayDbXk5SvNLUmk49hVYizykK0QpjsV65qHvrsMzbAVaXZdNJFJM/s1600/1506739_10151984649226297_449628631_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-0RUKb43ZsZD2puCHfcYvFscRxnvStWU2XGM-1Kk70eNFyjMtd68PdAs1AMSKRJD4A2Phcr0WRL8YzZLgOGC32xZayDbXk5SvNLUmk49hVYizykK0QpjsV65qHvrsMzbAVaXZdNJFJM/s1600/1506739_10151984649226297_449628631_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We also bought a cheap wine rack from a secondhand store to keep bath towels that were not in use. Also, hooks on the back of the door to hang the kids hooded towels. And of course a towel rack for handing damp towels in use.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l7eiufxCldXY2LV1GZi3zd0AWF6qVvMlZpIWRtB-xSP0HClajILmxbilxrm2p2SFQUbfrdkp8a0rLf7TD0M6oNOA7mUOZSzxojht5Nt49ESwmHyIGYk7sWkwC90fGhg9qCYuJMGNwfg/s1600/1505208_10151984649031297_1560780459_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l7eiufxCldXY2LV1GZi3zd0AWF6qVvMlZpIWRtB-xSP0HClajILmxbilxrm2p2SFQUbfrdkp8a0rLf7TD0M6oNOA7mUOZSzxojht5Nt49ESwmHyIGYk7sWkwC90fGhg9qCYuJMGNwfg/s1600/1505208_10151984649031297_1560780459_n.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Under the sink:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is where I keep extra toilet paper, feminine products, a few bathroom only cleaners, mouth wash, my hair drier and curling iron and a basket of my hair/face products. Pretty much the norm for under the sink... If its big, it goes under the sink.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hI5pNEmaoUnDs-aoQYXa1hz-F-tKHdbT1qXVLkqLBiVUIim1bMuSAxc6ujKk7nYxRUnWXp8odlmKOwBoPfEF-NedqzWYkNgUwvIbnMJhwZ1_l-J2MtckkQxDH0N03MO9O5y-_4MQ-P4/s1600/261761_10151984649131297_856594212_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hI5pNEmaoUnDs-aoQYXa1hz-F-tKHdbT1qXVLkqLBiVUIim1bMuSAxc6ujKk7nYxRUnWXp8odlmKOwBoPfEF-NedqzWYkNgUwvIbnMJhwZ1_l-J2MtckkQxDH0N03MO9O5y-_4MQ-P4/s1600/261761_10151984649131297_856594212_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The mirror:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luckily the bathroom mirror opens for more storage. This is the place for pain relievers, allergy pills, tooth brushes and paste and daily pills and medications.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tip: Buy tooth paste that can stand up. It takes up less space. We use Crest Pro Health. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few other tips:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep only what you use in the bathroom. If its seasonal like cold or allergy medicine (my husband has year around allergies, that's why we keep it in the mirror) keep it elsewhere, in a safe place. Same with bathroom cleaners. The only cleaner that needs to be under the sink is toilet cleaner and disinfecting wipes. I clean the toilet at least once a week (I have a 4 year old boy who likes to wait until the last minute to pee...), and the disinfecting wipes for a quick wipe down. As for shower cleaner, that's up to the individual. If you clean your shower once a week or more then you might want to keep the cleaner under the bathroom sink. I do clean ours about every 10 days (or as needed) but I keep the cleaner under the kitchen sink (we have more space under the kitchen sink). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, I'd say that's about it for the bathroom. I hope this was helpful! And be keeping an eye out for part three: the kitchen!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have a blessed day and thank you for reading!</span>3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-39334043462700642242014-01-27T15:26:00.001-08:002014-01-28T12:55:00.458-08:00How a family of 5 can live in a 2 bedroom home: Part One<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think there are too many posts out there with pictures of large, beautiful kids rooms. Magazine, quality clean with expensive decor of the parents choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, here in the real world it's not like that...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My husband and I bought this house a couple months after our daughter was born. Our son was just over a year old and the house was "perfect" for our pocket book. A small, 800 square foot (living space), 2 bedroom and 1 bathroom home with a nice, fenced back yard; perfect for the kids to play and the dogs bathroom breaks. The house was built in the 1940's and apparently back then there was no such thing as a master bedroom or a spacious bathroom. We had to get rid of a lot because there was no room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is how I have adjusted for our tight living conditions through the years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sense we've moved in we had an addition to our family, my baby Sam (he'll be 2 soon...*screams*). So that is a family of 5, plus a dog, living in 800 square feet. How do I do it.... Most of the time, I don't even know. But over time I have developed some tips and tricks to my living in such tight surroundings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><b>Part One</b></u>: Kids room</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll start with the <b>dresser</b>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0697Q6DmS8J6RHveNA7JpfDSHsFcL2ZGZHkF1e8lPV776V94go5ALcAxGvxvNhgiKWSkkFbJAPtAasgX6gcm168DU3f-Jb1pvJqzOTrMN_B-nFhzJlIomMr54jcONWnukvFjKX0HjqIg/s640/blogger-image-1179528962.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0697Q6DmS8J6RHveNA7JpfDSHsFcL2ZGZHkF1e8lPV776V94go5ALcAxGvxvNhgiKWSkkFbJAPtAasgX6gcm168DU3f-Jb1pvJqzOTrMN_B-nFhzJlIomMr54jcONWnukvFjKX0HjqIg/s320/blogger-image-1179528962.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Their dresser has 6 drawers! So each kid gets 3 drawers: one for socks and underwear, one for bottoms (pants and skirts) and one for pajamas. This was a great find for my family! If your kids share a room and they each have a dresser, save some space and donate (or sell) the multiple dressers and buy a big one they can share! Keep an eye out at secondhand stores for older, larger dressers! That is a great place to start or online yard sales!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, we do not have a <b>toy chest</b>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgPql36RhxZQMXA7J_PC8gGiHVV0UQ1hzA5jha889zsqFsW_uHD-xPzcHz2lU7hOQUAaLvsUNTAM33mIPIFaI0gxG8KqWQ7AusMhSkK3Hbod9RE2gy9m2VSw8zwSNUOOZ4wttLWvH1-Q/s640/blogger-image--594602701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgPql36RhxZQMXA7J_PC8gGiHVV0UQ1hzA5jha889zsqFsW_uHD-xPzcHz2lU7hOQUAaLvsUNTAM33mIPIFaI0gxG8KqWQ7AusMhSkK3Hbod9RE2gy9m2VSw8zwSNUOOZ4wttLWvH1-Q/s320/blogger-image--594602701.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The main reason we don't have one is because we've never bought one. Instead we have a small "dresser" and storage bins. If you notice the books in bins on top of the dresser, so we have no need for a book shelf. All the favorite, smaller and go-to toys are in the bins. Where as the bigger, "in the way" toys are in the dresser.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1vv7HyrVo-SIcF-uJoX_KP1J_9HwOKkNC4TIq4l07e0YDnSogZyFMZzvVRV9A1XTRKepsx2fB5c7Z6Vjc44w9ZVUIqJqKGTjQeJuJZUhvLpAwKuOPchIyWWWlbRyuwu5X24Q1YUDzwA/s640/blogger-image--576830718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1vv7HyrVo-SIcF-uJoX_KP1J_9HwOKkNC4TIq4l07e0YDnSogZyFMZzvVRV9A1XTRKepsx2fB5c7Z6Vjc44w9ZVUIqJqKGTjQeJuJZUhvLpAwKuOPchIyWWWlbRyuwu5X24Q1YUDzwA/s200/blogger-image--576830718.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lv5qwvD11hcOPdHrEptQKkrCJkm0w6KvGktmxgEqcBqixew7oxBuyCjDr1mFrEqpW4R9Id_Q3G_Sg0Tmbqm6tJzyS6-gp-DOCjBeFjwkXixmsiB38jbBM7k71dGBthXhyphenhyphenDlLgijrJZY/s640/blogger-image-150119364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lv5qwvD11hcOPdHrEptQKkrCJkm0w6KvGktmxgEqcBqixew7oxBuyCjDr1mFrEqpW4R9Id_Q3G_Sg0Tmbqm6tJzyS6-gp-DOCjBeFjwkXixmsiB38jbBM7k71dGBthXhyphenhyphenDlLgijrJZY/s200/blogger-image-150119364.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love <b>hooks</b>!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAmclmgzl6V9xoMR5QgI82_c_P0am77D-9OwaxjE0NBQW-qG5IQBAhNFoHYg4Ba2k9kAGFlARAYhADFIz0P0GhWa0UY0t7YyxuCtQbLII36WK3_IBVDDnmU6Tzxl9W0sCT6oewA-IAbs/s640/blogger-image-1108411661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtAmclmgzl6V9xoMR5QgI82_c_P0am77D-9OwaxjE0NBQW-qG5IQBAhNFoHYg4Ba2k9kAGFlARAYhADFIz0P0GhWa0UY0t7YyxuCtQbLII36WK3_IBVDDnmU6Tzxl9W0sCT6oewA-IAbs/s320/blogger-image-1108411661.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">H</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ooks are a great way for things to have a
"place". I put a hook up just for my daughters dress-up dresses and
another coat rack for jackets and backpacks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another great place for storing "in the way" items are on the clothes dresser. This last Christmas we got the kids foam chairs, the dresser is the perfect place for storing them sense they can grab them when they want them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Beds</b>!</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GBaeC5vGgJVUUaFt0uu1vWzSRUuv8nHNZcf_OZrn_m1JJovHOuiQdHvAUrjyriC6XG7yeikAXQdLbSm7T4dtPKGWgwbnToSAhXfQk3uUqEm6L3d49i7AeMEF8AYyEe46wRKrcRTnCYI/s640/blogger-image--2137270783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_GBaeC5vGgJVUUaFt0uu1vWzSRUuv8nHNZcf_OZrn_m1JJovHOuiQdHvAUrjyriC6XG7yeikAXQdLbSm7T4dtPKGWgwbnToSAhXfQk3uUqEm6L3d49i7AeMEF8AYyEe46wRKrcRTnCYI/s320/blogger-image--2137270783.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sam is still young and using a crib. The other 2 are sleeping in the bottom 2 beds of a triple bunk bed. We found the bunk bed on Craigslist. GREAT FIND! And something we needed!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One more tip I've done is when they get a new toy, old ones go in the donate box. That is the that fastest way to loose your space! Having too many toys! So get rid of toys! Some say have your kid help you but in my opinion that's not very wise... Your kid will just fight to keep everything. And that is not the point of down sizing. So to avoid a fight with your kids, when they are gone, go through their toys! You know their favorites and the ones they haven't played with in months, or the ones that are no longer age appropriate. Donate!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So that's it! That's how I have survived 3 kids sharing the same room. When the time does come to selling our home and buying a bigger one I'm not sure how easy it will be to separate them...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Until then, this is what works for us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Blessings and thanks for reading!</span><br />
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3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-73357636896578081552014-01-08T11:00:00.000-08:002014-01-08T18:06:34.195-08:00Counting Beans! <div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a great activity for preschool age kids! It introduces a new, fun, hands-on way to count. It gets the brain going and helps with fine motor skills!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Sqchb5rDeBAB8ojo7B90FeEVJ_vSk9FFB8l_ZyUYfgUoK4vUCJrZA5TwGvBs-MhZK_mZLslwN9pzCbwYzabiYC4DNQLjHcOZ8EktkyXl7ZStl0jPavcrlp53kYWNiYIuDJiVPlQXvzo/s1600/CAM02108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Sqchb5rDeBAB8ojo7B90FeEVJ_vSk9FFB8l_ZyUYfgUoK4vUCJrZA5TwGvBs-MhZK_mZLslwN9pzCbwYzabiYC4DNQLjHcOZ8EktkyXl7ZStl0jPavcrlp53kYWNiYIuDJiVPlQXvzo/s200/CAM02108.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What you'll need:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Empty, clean egg carton</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dry Beans</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scissors</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, cut off the lid and side of the egg carton.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWfe3KXiETW6H-cEx7lm-oYG7MYL8hAbCqrQ_TXzZfM6DPlVwEz92o3GNq2382sNeDUVYVvqC5UVefJynLEtB_EUxWevSzwaavRKUxpkUER-1v5qSmUZQrqpFY02a9Vn10DZ-n1Wv1C8/s1600/CAM02109.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/AVvXsEgSWfe3KXiETW6H-cEx7lm-oYG7MYL8hAbCqrQ_TXzZfM6DPlVwEz92o3GNq2382sNeDUVYVvqC5UVefJynLEtB_EUxWevSzwaavRKUxpkUER-1v5qSmUZQrqpFY02a9Vn10DZ-n1Wv1C8/s200/CAM02109.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, write numbers 1-12 so your child can easily read it</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpih8ImPVqp6nx3AQuHjc25SKTGTcl97tNoMBpSaj0a8q9u7li15eDiJVpkawUqhNab7ONdVoAu3IVOHppw884JmRw_lfVIYt9RlNGy2OuLNa7WR5UeI95wz2DKkn9rjuoBS6BEYKbdU/s1600/CAM02110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpih8ImPVqp6nx3AQuHjc25SKTGTcl97tNoMBpSaj0a8q9u7li15eDiJVpkawUqhNab7ONdVoAu3IVOHppw884JmRw_lfVIYt9RlNGy2OuLNa7WR5UeI95wz2DKkn9rjuoBS6BEYKbdU/s200/CAM02110.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next, put about 2 handfuls of </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">beans into a bowl.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKx2_ooKmSYBFxoplnxGrhb63Xkn6tQSvm6XatYlgdu3oY1d_ZODP7Ls9j4ZvUEdEJlaD-CXA0Osarrr8ljWRFNqginJ5hDedcpM4VA1p2IeRkRlICGpxQbxHC0tcQhj-m5MtQYeE44fQ/s1600/1461797_10151831384096297_1941371714_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKx2_ooKmSYBFxoplnxGrhb63Xkn6tQSvm6XatYlgdu3oY1d_ZODP7Ls9j4ZvUEdEJlaD-CXA0Osarrr8ljWRFNqginJ5hDedcpM4VA1p2IeRkRlICGpxQbxHC0tcQhj-m5MtQYeE44fQ/s200/1461797_10151831384096297_1941371714_n.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last, show your curious preschooler the numbers, the beans and how to put one bean in the carton at a time, counting them, and to do their best to put the correct amount of beans under the number.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Then let them have fun!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6NImeOi2cLftbpMqzP_f6caxVWcUgZAO5JvNSZfI_FUHXD0LGrJLrufeh4qw3IyHCZDUEQEQglSihqkP91cH2KYq164-HWdMWKCmi5AOpUABuHJsQls0xuIio1hUMIFgZKVNM4AJLf0/s1600/1513875_10151928108326297_314416787_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6NImeOi2cLftbpMqzP_f6caxVWcUgZAO5JvNSZfI_FUHXD0LGrJLrufeh4qw3IyHCZDUEQEQglSihqkP91cH2KYq164-HWdMWKCmi5AOpUABuHJsQls0xuIio1hUMIFgZKVNM4AJLf0/s1600/1513875_10151928108326297_314416787_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael very carefully counts out every bean.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfb8J5XqdlODDlFFxk0mLz7WEZK_CqY-8FblsT61NwnQHbUiWk__x8VXLbNdpPy3q44qJJgq4Jc9q8h15tXiA2vjWMGum6NtPY5oSHPysCJZRV3TVZnJG6Bayqb29sKcIHKX-4QcxAHI/s1600/1528750_10151928108336297_999918431_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfb8J5XqdlODDlFFxk0mLz7WEZK_CqY-8FblsT61NwnQHbUiWk__x8VXLbNdpPy3q44qJJgq4Jc9q8h15tXiA2vjWMGum6NtPY5oSHPysCJZRV3TVZnJG6Bayqb29sKcIHKX-4QcxAHI/s1600/1528750_10151928108336297_999918431_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily has fun using every last bean to fill up the carton to the top</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If your child is anything like my kids, be prepared for a bean mess. Beans all over the floor?! NNNNOOOOOO!!! Don't let that frighten you. Have them help with the clean up, make a game out of it. My kids love to help and also love to have a bean fight while picking them up. When it's all said and done the beans are back in the bag safe from the baby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you enjoy this fun, learning activity! My kids sure do!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until next time,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blessings!</span></div>
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3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-40445013462789301722014-01-07T14:10:00.000-08:002014-01-07T14:10:25.627-08:00Don't Say Nothing...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>Every mother has had that
moment in the grocery store when your toddler melts down in a pile of tears and
fit throwing.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>Oh how quickly some of us forget…<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>We get rude looks and mean
comments from complete strangers. Most of which are women… More than likely a
mother herself. Like I said, how quickly some of us forget. (Parents with a “perfect”
kid(s) are almost the meanest)<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>In this post are a few real
stories that happened to me with my kids, or should I say with my Emily. (If
you have not read my post about Emily, click <a href="http://threelittleangells.blogspot.com/2013/07/my-princess-in-middle.html" target="_blank">here</a> to get to know her better)<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>If you know Emily you know she
is dramatic, passionate, loud and a little on the wild side. To clarify – This
is her personality and I love it! She will do great things. She is just young
and needs guidance. My husband and I are doing our best to guide and raise her
to be the best she can be. People don’t understand this. All they see is an
“out of control” child. They don’t stop to think ‘maybe they are having a bad
day’ or ‘maybe they have a disability’ or even ‘kids will be kids’… Instead
they make rude side comments like “man, she’s difficult” or “Glad she’s not my
kid” or “You sure do have your hands full” or “I can’t believe you let your kid
scream like that” Yes someone confronted me in the store about my daughter
screaming. Emily was crying because I wouldn’t give her what she wanted
(crackers), so she threw a fit. That women who said to my face that I was a bad
mother for letting my kid scream like that, made me cry. I know what I was
doing was right (not giving in) but I didn’t understand how someone could be so
mean to a complete stranger. As I was checking out the cashier saw my tears and
asked what was wrong. I said a lady just yelled at me because my daughter was
crying. She was shocked and gave me a tissue. She told me I was a good mom.
This girl couldn’t have been more than 18 years old and more than likely not a
mother, but she was my savior that day.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>Another time we were checking
out and a cashier rudely raised her voice at Emily to get off the cart. Emily
was hanging on the side of the cart. This shocked me. My jaw dropped and I had
no words. Luckily I did not have to check out. My husband did not hear her over
the craziness of the store. I should have complained to a manager but I was
still in shock and didn’t think of it until the next day.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>Unfortunately I have even had
family make rude comments about my daughter. Even they don’t fully understand
her... That is the hardest on me. When people I love and care about say
something not only about my mothering ability but my daughter as well, it
hurts. I am not made of stone. I have emotions and I know how to use them and I
use them well (too well sometimes). Most of the time I bite my tongue but my
face will tell you everything you need to know. I don’t believe in hiding my
emotions but on the other hand I don’t like to be mean, so I keep silent. This has
causes others to walk on me.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>I can honestly say I am doing the
best I can at being a mom. I love my kids, I don’t spoil them, I play with
them, I teach them things, I sacrifice extra money (and my sanity) and stay
home to be with them, I let them be kids (before I know it they will be grown
up), I encourage imagination, I let them help in the kitchen and I read to
them. I do lose my temper at times and raise my voice, but I don’t let my anger
control me or my actions. I don’t party, I don’t beg for a babysitter to go
have drinks with friends, I don’t give them soda or coffee, I don’t spend hours
on my phone/computer ignoring them, the TV is not on all day and I set a timer
for video games. So when my parenting style gets looked down upon, it hurts. It
hurts a lot. And I’m sure I’m not the only mom out there that feels this way.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>I know very well that I am not
(nor are my children) perfect. In fact I am far from it. Sometimes the TV gets
left on for hours… I am not a healthy eating mom and I occasionally feel like
locking myself the bathroom just to escape from the madness. My house is NEVER
clean and most of the time the clean clothes stay in baskets for over a week… My
kids are loud and do a lot of running around. I can’t even tell you how many people
(even other moms) hate this about my kids. Forgive me for letting my kids be
kids! At least I’m teaching them when it’s ok to be loud and when we need to be
quiet. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>Sorry… I had a mom-rage moment…
Ha!<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>Ok, where was I.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>Oh yeah! I’m not perfect.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>I’ll end with this:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>It’s hard being a mom. We have
enough guilt with feeding them greasy fish sticks for lunch, scrabbling out the
door and forgetting one kids coat and another kids shoes and the other kid just
ate an old chicken nugget they found under the car seat, and you realize you
forgot to put a bra on once you pull into the parking spot… The last thing we
need is a stranger giving us a hard time. So before you send off judgmental
looks or rude ‘keep it to yourself’ comments maybe you could instead shoot a
smile their way or give a look of empathy. Words can hurt. Even words with good
intentions, like “she sure is a little firecracker” can come across as hurtful.
So be careful.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>Like a cute little bunny once
said “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.”<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Fan Heiti Std B";"><b>Blessings to you and thanks
for reading!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-57115791334695229562013-11-02T14:00:00.003-07:002013-11-02T14:00:57.633-07:00Tube Play #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">This first tube play we did is GREAT for toddlers and preschool aged kids!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3Vd2U6VH3hgQ8FR7O-ngSDwpetXf1ZfSzj5arviAnKbwO3nBBY4OEDpxxycgojcJAcp2dHEenx2MjrkwRp_YBXkppFeLapo6KdFyIAEd3yoYBwJmp0M1rjBjP6n7j_R55-B6krkbzqM/s1600/CAM01495+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu3Vd2U6VH3hgQ8FR7O-ngSDwpetXf1ZfSzj5arviAnKbwO3nBBY4OEDpxxycgojcJAcp2dHEenx2MjrkwRp_YBXkppFeLapo6KdFyIAEd3yoYBwJmp0M1rjBjP6n7j_R55-B6krkbzqM/s320/CAM01495+(2).jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What you need:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Empty toilet paper rolls and/or paper towel rolls</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tape (blue painters tape or masking tape)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scissors</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A basket or bucket</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pom-poms, marbles, KIX cereal or other round objects that can roll easily</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ENp8o0s0aPZd-p3adbKuUVRF_D2kv6vUpLnzxPfI-Hpt7pFBWq1_lerM72zedMJqROkfW4rGnB50w659rpabQsVuTTCdZxK8kP0nugvXkUuZY8dnnIXmslb7WPcLjANAKn2hB9qJT8c/s1600/CAM01502+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ENp8o0s0aPZd-p3adbKuUVRF_D2kv6vUpLnzxPfI-Hpt7pFBWq1_lerM72zedMJqROkfW4rGnB50w659rpabQsVuTTCdZxK8kP0nugvXkUuZY8dnnIXmslb7WPcLjANAKn2hB9qJT8c/s200/CAM01502+(2).jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Start by taping one tube, on a wall or door, straight up (at THEIR eye level) for your kid to drop the marble in. Now tape other tubes diagonal (you may need to trim the rolls with scissors), zig-zag, however you want the marble to roll (I cut one tube in half so they could see the object rolling). Once you've made the tube maze place the basket at the end (where the marble will drop out). Then show your little one what to do by dropping the marble into the tube. Have them use their eyes to watch and their ears to listen.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0WX4zbmNkNbsxX2q3RHTX1VbeArGa1CYEBMD3i7ZnuBSZrvNxlGru1feckGHDE3KKW9MFAQGQdRTo-4y4iOlvF7Jp4ssYsvEHDpva1LD2wMZoGeXtq7kpE25iLKIm92nK87JdZRiL00/s1600/CAM01513+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd0WX4zbmNkNbsxX2q3RHTX1VbeArGa1CYEBMD3i7ZnuBSZrvNxlGru1feckGHDE3KKW9MFAQGQdRTo-4y4iOlvF7Jp4ssYsvEHDpva1LD2wMZoGeXtq7kpE25iLKIm92nK87JdZRiL00/s200/CAM01513+(2).jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My 18 month old played with this for over an hour! My 2 preschoolers loved it as well. I hope you (and your little one) enjoy this fun learning time! </span></div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-44110134534001341722013-10-22T19:12:00.001-07:002013-10-22T19:15:34.494-07:00Homeschooling Preschool<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAISu6lwSHFgsME7YntqprHDhiWKTNGRu5tzOYk0qEbFmpJhq5Kg3wyNRATX_Eky00idMGWc0R8XtNG1_Zq5cE7zuv2dKjJ6k43jTbfKevIpGsA-qDxDUSUIb4sWosnrkATjFdcw5-C0Y/s1600/1239438_10151694037786297_2062716898_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAISu6lwSHFgsME7YntqprHDhiWKTNGRu5tzOYk0qEbFmpJhq5Kg3wyNRATX_Eky00idMGWc0R8XtNG1_Zq5cE7zuv2dKjJ6k43jTbfKevIpGsA-qDxDUSUIb4sWosnrkATjFdcw5-C0Y/s320/1239438_10151694037786297_2062716898_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As I was searching for the right preschool for my 4 and 3 year old this summer I thought I
finally got lucky. When I was filling out the paper work I saw a BIG number
that would be due every month. Being a one income family with mortgage,
utilities, bills, and a car payment we couldn’t see how we could afford
preschool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaAVNkMNIbprCIVED4psK0lan8yjK2Cs3HH2W7KxPFSMCXDMpXjPA9keh8qS7ohCRYMk5rmADATFGaN3U5JmFm69KySMa1tgr3wkii0U8Wkk5dnCZUPb-OETFM2g3rmP9-DDzYcnLN00/s1600/557502_10151675110631297_1262885019_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhaAVNkMNIbprCIVED4psK0lan8yjK2Cs3HH2W7KxPFSMCXDMpXjPA9keh8qS7ohCRYMk5rmADATFGaN3U5JmFm69KySMa1tgr3wkii0U8Wkk5dnCZUPb-OETFM2g3rmP9-DDzYcnLN00/s200/557502_10151675110631297_1262885019_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"MOM! I can see the ocean!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">About 8
months ago I started thinking about homeschooling my kids. When I would
mentioned the word homeschool to others I would instantly get a lot of weird looks
and questions like “don’t you need a break?” and “Why?!” I even got a very
negative “You’re brave…” from someone. Of course none of this altered my
thinking. If I wanted to homeschool, I was going to homeschool darn it! With
major support from my husband, I felt I was on the road to success and no one
could stop me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So when I
did the math and weighed the pros and cons of sending my kids to preschool vs.
homeschooling, the answer was clear as crystal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let me lay
it out for you…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Preschool:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Money~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: small;">Tuition $75 </span><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;">per</span><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: small;"> kid<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: small;">Monthly fee $125 </span><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;">per</span><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: small;"> kid<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gas, driving to and from<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Other fees; field trips, school t-shirt, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pros~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A schooled teacher, who knows what she’s doing and how to
teach kids<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I would get a small break from 2 out of my 3 kids<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cons~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cost<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s over 20 minutes away<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s only 2 and a half hours (a lot of money, little time)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> ~</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Homeschooling:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Money~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Supplies (paper, crayons, markers, pencils, paint, printer
ink, etc.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Field trip fees<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Curriculum (work books, etc.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pros~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We don’t have to spend $250 a month of preschool<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don’t have to go shopping for school clothes, shoes or
backpacks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One-on-one learning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My kids won’t learn bad habits from other kids<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I know 100% what is being taught<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I can teach values, manners, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I can teach them how to cook and do chores<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Cons~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I don’t get a break<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I only have a high school education<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s a lot of work!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Personally
these are my reasons. Others may have different reasons. As I said before the
answer is clear as crystal. Homeschooling came out on top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzlrvYXNmoKKw2aEvPk4f-TivJvZ4FjZo8c71-cOwoiiZMB_2SEsb75LovNGGovibPUYcfsbkiC-GQFlrQAqS9pUjbSqFWJduPLGdjz-1E3rVNqCRUsv51cZvobvR823jxU3En5UEQWY/s1600/1264769_10151662445196297_1905320371_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzlrvYXNmoKKw2aEvPk4f-TivJvZ4FjZo8c71-cOwoiiZMB_2SEsb75LovNGGovibPUYcfsbkiC-GQFlrQAqS9pUjbSqFWJduPLGdjz-1E3rVNqCRUsv51cZvobvR823jxU3En5UEQWY/s320/1264769_10151662445196297_1905320371_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made our decorations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So I began
to prepare. I bought supplies, read a lot of positive (yet realistic) blogs,
sot out and asked questions from homeschooling mothers and did a lot of
googling. I’m very lucky to have a mother-in-law who owned her own preschool
for years. I also had to mentally prepare myself. I knew the first week or so
of school would be fun but the excitement would wear off eventually. I had to
find different motivations that worked for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I spent a
lot of time (and probably too much money) at my local craft store (I would buy
the whole store if I could). I did my best to shop around to get the best deals
on things. I ended up doing a lot of returning and exchanging. I also found my
local teacher supply store. And I found out I could not only spend all day in
that store but I could spend a lot of money there as well (I really had to
watch myself).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Google
became my new best friend. I found a ton of FREE pintables! Flashcards,
learning coloring sheets, etc. I also became a HUGE fan of Pinterest. I found most
of my crafts, tools and ideas on there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here are a
few of the many helpful sites I found with FREE printables:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="http://www.quality-kids-crafts.com/"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.quality-kids-crafts.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="http://www.mrprintable.com/"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.mrprintable.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My printer
has been working overtime. I've printed pages I've found online, worksheets I
created using Word, numerous ABC and 123 pages, plus I copy pages from
workbooks (so I didn't have to buy 2). If you are even thinking of
homeschooling then invest in a good printer. Having ours has saved us more
money then I think we realize... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">So far my
kids love school. It did take some getting use to, but now they look forward to
learning time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<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/AVvXsEhto9mneUQfsjjeqdZ2QRgGqlBZ_3dPphY2wHvWgxLO7Z1iFQqw2ucU8caw5DO8v4DeeobGkyhk4JcWEcspIrZ1O7lF-lFTw8x6fDo4UayfMNYXhwY1o9ZDzZU7oT3JxZm-QBq87CGiZ6U/s1600/1385139_10151720925736297_1166155115_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhto9mneUQfsjjeqdZ2QRgGqlBZ_3dPphY2wHvWgxLO7Z1iFQqw2ucU8caw5DO8v4DeeobGkyhk4JcWEcspIrZ1O7lF-lFTw8x6fDo4UayfMNYXhwY1o9ZDzZU7oT3JxZm-QBq87CGiZ6U/s200/1385139_10151720925736297_1166155115_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Counting with beans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Michael’s favorite things are~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">the calendar and weather wheel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">writing and numbers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Emily’s favorite things are~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqbYokX4CuJ0zblpnxXjWOHV9aV0iUGSpXKOZGwhT8DnSY4NZLqYM28Q9xlKa0iwHACZaRLEZCsE15kf4z8xvaLAy-_QoLsgPc0pQcmMJ1c7bJYu-fQCqLgX6UrK6kvSfb-lzMcUpMT4/s1600/1175640_10151684282236297_891858736_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqbYokX4CuJ0zblpnxXjWOHV9aV0iUGSpXKOZGwhT8DnSY4NZLqYM28Q9xlKa0iwHACZaRLEZCsE15kf4z8xvaLAy-_QoLsgPc0pQcmMJ1c7bJYu-fQCqLgX6UrK6kvSfb-lzMcUpMT4/s200/1175640_10151684282236297_891858736_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coloring</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">coloring and crafts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">snacks, story time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We do school
Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and try to do it during Sam’s nap time on those
days. Here is a summary of our week:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Monday:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Calendar and
weather wheel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Letter of
the week coloring page<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Letter of
the week worksheet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Seek and
find the letter of the week (find things that start with the letter of the
week)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Snack and
story<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Number
worksheet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJDsAMcKjIkf_OUOtaXlw_qvPOmHyIgQR9lwaY7GZEM3xY4igTdCPIdUkhp9ggJQeKFPDGOlw-KbZoFKfDecEOF0WPdCI1MYEZOmhOlsIfPc1p6jQFA29W00Dvez6fHTJOweh2rVBk8I/s1600/1231652_10151699934186297_282334626_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJDsAMcKjIkf_OUOtaXlw_qvPOmHyIgQR9lwaY7GZEM3xY4igTdCPIdUkhp9ggJQeKFPDGOlw-KbZoFKfDecEOF0WPdCI1MYEZOmhOlsIfPc1p6jQFA29W00Dvez6fHTJOweh2rVBk8I/s320/1231652_10151699934186297_282334626_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seek and find letter of the week game</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Game/craft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wednesday:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Calendar and
weather wheel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Activity worksheet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sciences<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Snack and
story<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Number game<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Craft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Friday:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Calendar and
weather wheel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Letter of
the week worksheet<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Math<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Writing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Snack and
story<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Letter of
the week craft<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Game<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">OR field
trip (once a month)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <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/AVvXsEiXY9xTJ52w-Zka8dEqe_kSNlDxDbKvQuR1Rs7b-7Be0kZFlRAo_lEXoT-1rKCFYw7bZqq3xl4BLGRMbMfCYhV1CjTC9wDNdNGJTb2wizYVNvPd8Cry5vqXRLGD0TSBnoNE26V_4IOsXYo/s1600/1374178_10151751157051297_1804553927_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXY9xTJ52w-Zka8dEqe_kSNlDxDbKvQuR1Rs7b-7Be0kZFlRAo_lEXoT-1rKCFYw7bZqq3xl4BLGRMbMfCYhV1CjTC9wDNdNGJTb2wizYVNvPd8Cry5vqXRLGD0TSBnoNE26V_4IOsXYo/s320/1374178_10151751157051297_1804553927_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first field trip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is
really just a guide. Plans change and you go with it. Some days it flows
smoothly while other days do not. The kids (or myself) are in a bad mood and
listening is a challenge so we take a 10 minute break. But then we get back to
work. I’ve been doing this for over a month now and only a few days we ended
still in bad moods. Mostly it’s a happy and fun filled learning experience for
both myself and the kids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I love being
able to spend one-on-one time with my kids. I love watching them get excited
about learning. I love how happy they are to tell others about their day and
show them their crafts and worksheets. Sometimes they surprise me with their skills
and knowledge. Soon they will be passing me up and I’ll be learning with them.
Until that day we are enjoying the fun of learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcavciP2NGQ1XpfCSj1pVNdgLtjn2gC0PJOpAutXCWvtqNr83Gy1JOrwfK26lF67EOyv-Z_5OaAYqDrX308Fi_sNXOdBo9JqBNDQnik9F9U_-P6ocMqzddgXVjCRyWYpMLbUApIa_YRy8/s1600/1379886_10151754654021297_1426730300_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcavciP2NGQ1XpfCSj1pVNdgLtjn2gC0PJOpAutXCWvtqNr83Gy1JOrwfK26lF67EOyv-Z_5OaAYqDrX308Fi_sNXOdBo9JqBNDQnik9F9U_-P6ocMqzddgXVjCRyWYpMLbUApIa_YRy8/s320/1379886_10151754654021297_1426730300_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching two colors come together to make a new color</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thanks to my
husband, my parents and my in-laws, I have the never ending support to keep me headed
on this amazing new chapter in my family’s life! Chad, without you my life
would not only be lonely but I wouldn’t even have the willingness to get out of
bed each morning. You have made me the strong, independent women I am today. If
it wasn’t for your unfailing support and love this would not have become a reality
in my life. Thank you!</span></div>
</div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-84764876280238007952013-08-28T14:01:00.003-07:002013-08-28T14:01:42.647-07:00Make time!<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">Time. It’s so hard to find time these days. Or is it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";"></span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">I think we come up with the “too busy” excuse more and more often. Sometimes
we even push our kids and other things aside, as if they are not important
enough at that time. We dive like we are in a hurry and rush around, not taking
time for anything off our list or schedule. We hear the term “make time” and
just laugh. There aren’t enough hours in the day to begin with, how can I make
time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">Between work, kids, sleeping, shopping, eating, me time, exercise, checking
facebook and church what else do we have time for, right? We surround ourselves
with things that we have to do. Let me ask you something… Are the things you
have to do really that important? </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">To some, yes. And to others, they don’t stop to think how important,
or unimportant, it is.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">A few weeks back my family and I went for a walk to the park. My husband
pushed our 1 year old in the umbrella stroller while I took care of our 3 and 4
year old making sure they stayed out of the street. Michael did a good job of
listening but Emily turned a deaf ear to my voice. More than once I had to grab
her shirt or arm before she ran into on-coming traffic. I'm sure you can imagine my frustration with her. On the way home she
would stop every few minutes to pick flowers, watch an ant on the sidewalk or
look at a leaf floating by. After her 12<sup>th</sup> time stopping I could hear
the tension in my husband’s voice, “Emily, come one!” We were on the same block
for 5 minutes… I turned to aide my husband and help Emily move a little faster
as I was getting tired of waiting as well. This is when I saw her doing
something that made me stop. She gently laid a flower down she had picked a few
feet down the block, talking to it as she adjusted it, then waved goodbye. I
could help but smile. We went on and again had to stop for her. </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">I told my husband to keep going and we’ll catch up. I watched again
as Emily placed another flower just right and waved goodbye. As much as I
wanted to get home, I couldn’t stop her from leaving flowers behind. This sweet
and simple gesture touched me. I couldn’t help but think, what if someone
walked by and saw this flower and it brought a smile to their face? My little
girl was blessing others! I just stood there a watched my 3 year old daughter
leaving little blessings down the sidewalk. The walk home should have taken no
longer than 15 minutes, but in that 30 minutes of stop and go, my little Emily
left 6 blessings on the sidewalk. I took that moment to thank God for my daughter, who willingly left her beautiful flowers behind that they might bring a smile to someone's face and even spread Gods light in this dim world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4Uvfb0TQjH01MGUu043EYN8TIe19pwKLE9gBkeP48VAC-LRgy4PZxm68KPo5xg2ym7uqqMPpkraf0FwqA0eDaIf02fWJLmLldSLD7XHpwS-Fh_iOyhL8m-hbDF9XtRRkmVPNIV984I4/s1600/1146664_550666598331356_263931042_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4Uvfb0TQjH01MGUu043EYN8TIe19pwKLE9gBkeP48VAC-LRgy4PZxm68KPo5xg2ym7uqqMPpkraf0FwqA0eDaIf02fWJLmLldSLD7XHpwS-Fh_iOyhL8m-hbDF9XtRRkmVPNIV984I4/s320/1146664_550666598331356_263931042_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the flowers she left</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-60333708417977793622013-08-22T11:06:00.000-07:002013-08-22T11:06:18.009-07:00Activity Jar
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">My kids and
I did a fun craft I found on Pinterest. They called it a “bored jar” but I prefer
“activity jar”.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw5Tz1tcHGbqHSL1gLaT93tuAUxOSoSee2zEi8YMD8f8SjxyuAXWaSpyWRycY4h-dLhgWOFOQe1AY0t-JeKdPQXCluvQKPippgdiippnO1u9EeTnek8iENNBre4H3f6ZqNnjUDVZCXGc/s1600/206_10151634466851297_941180999_n+777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw5Tz1tcHGbqHSL1gLaT93tuAUxOSoSee2zEi8YMD8f8SjxyuAXWaSpyWRycY4h-dLhgWOFOQe1AY0t-JeKdPQXCluvQKPippgdiippnO1u9EeTnek8iENNBre4H3f6ZqNnjUDVZCXGc/s320/206_10151634466851297_941180999_n+777.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Things you’ll
need:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~A mason jar
(I used smaller ones)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Elmer’s
glue<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Glitter<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Acrylic paint<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Paint brushes<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Popsicle
sticks<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Fine point
sharpie<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Newspaper or
other paper (to protect your table)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">For jar~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Cover table
with paper. In clean mason jar squeeze about a tablespoon of glue, let child
brush the glue all around the inside of jar. Dump child’s choice of color glitter
in and have you kid shake the jar to spread glitter all over. Let dry. Once
glue is dry, squeeze child’s choice of paint color into jar. Depending on age
they can use a paint brush or turn the jar until the inside is covered. Pour out
extra paint. Let dry.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">For “activity”
sticks~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Have child
paint the Popsicle sticks in their choice of color(s). Let dry. With sharpie write
on each stick a task, chore, activity, etc. I wrote something fun on one side
and a chore on the other (they have to do the chore first).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmoqXs1AhlpCMZikDtq8ZpW0K0s85eYbJ7PRKySJBN4y7HFwt-j6yugeoS63cmD_NQMBmoiLrcmQYlZLIM6_Ov0rhTAy0kGOU2P49A2LXZ1taIsWMyvzbTH6udP0FZHJAZRMIABjw9UQ/s1600/206_10151634466851297_941180999_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmoqXs1AhlpCMZikDtq8ZpW0K0s85eYbJ7PRKySJBN4y7HFwt-j6yugeoS63cmD_NQMBmoiLrcmQYlZLIM6_Ov0rhTAy0kGOU2P49A2LXZ1taIsWMyvzbTH6udP0FZHJAZRMIABjw9UQ/s320/206_10151634466851297_941180999_n.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Activity
suggestions~<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">I know how
hard it can be to think of things to write so here are a few ideas: (My kids
are 3 and 4, make sure the activity/chore is age appropriate for your kids)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9GS9wNBYPb7SU4Vg9XuPNVnDGaox9ElAJiAPHpCnVv-t3RALUc2cQli4o7eAzCVa2CJ54klP1_1DY6pqiSzHS29EdOY8SYM0Qan15wkpziSK9rKz-tHLGic_T83UyuuU9Ua0s0l5Tb8/s1600/1003520_10151634466456297_1621723271_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9GS9wNBYPb7SU4Vg9XuPNVnDGaox9ElAJiAPHpCnVv-t3RALUc2cQli4o7eAzCVa2CJ54klP1_1DY6pqiSzHS29EdOY8SYM0Qan15wkpziSK9rKz-tHLGic_T83UyuuU9Ua0s0l5Tb8/s320/1003520_10151634466456297_1621723271_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Chores:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Help pick
up living room<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Wipe table<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Help unload
the dishwasher<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Clean room<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Make bed<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Help vacuum<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Pick up
toys and clothes<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Help put
clothes in washer and dryer<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Fun:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Make fort<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Play
outside<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Paint or
color<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Read 2
books<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Play with
toys (that they don’t play with very often)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Play
pretend (dinosaurs, house, etc.)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Play with
the dog<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Sing and
dance<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Make
cookies<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Every day I
have the kids blindly pick a stick and do the chore and activity. I keep the finished
stick in a “done jar” until they do them all. Then we start over again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">I also made
myself one. With things like:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Do yoga<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Paint nails<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Organize
computer desk<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Clean
toilet<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Do craft on
Pinterest<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Dust<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Lift
weights<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Wash
windows (inside)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">~Organize
junk drawer<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">I hope you
get to enjoy doing this with your kiddos (and/or for yourself)! Have fun and
God bless!</span></div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-9700341950826513802013-08-07T22:01:00.000-07:002013-08-27T10:25:11.461-07:00A Life With Joy!<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Joy - noun<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">1. Intense
and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">2. The
expression or manifestation of such feeling.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">3. A source
or an object of pleasure or satisfaction: their only child, their pride and
joy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">4. To take
great pleasure; rejoice.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">5. To fill
with ecstatic happiness, pleasure, or satisfaction.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">6. To enjoy<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">(info from </span><a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">www.thefreedictionary.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4fshnIwJ7fXM3MrNNfNLc8uEsBN4Cnd7I4D7A0E20xbHkkwzNzWyJZzrgh2QjuCETY-zDDoQPWBh8TYSxWIWSDoZ92k-QZSqi9MAOzHYfIGWrIcbPn46sWhsTcV7E7UK3nj3f42RRn4/s1600/39463_138775509513561_4747508_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG4fshnIwJ7fXM3MrNNfNLc8uEsBN4Cnd7I4D7A0E20xbHkkwzNzWyJZzrgh2QjuCETY-zDDoQPWBh8TYSxWIWSDoZ92k-QZSqi9MAOzHYfIGWrIcbPn46sWhsTcV7E7UK3nj3f42RRn4/s200/39463_138775509513561_4747508_n.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">A few short
weeks after my first birthday we welcomed a new addition to the family. Her
name was Joy. Born like other babies, she cried, she slept and messed her
diaper. Little did my parents know that her brain was not like other babies. At
age 2, Joy was still not walking or talking. After a lot of testing, doctors
said she may never walk or talk, she would be a burden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">At age 5 Joy
walked just fine and did what she could to communicate. We all learned basic
sign language, which helped but only a little bit. She did a lot of grunting,
pointing and crying. We all got frustrated trying to communicate. But I think
it was hardest on Joy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Doctors told
my parents that Joy will not have the mental capability beyond a toddler. This,
of course, was hard for my parents to absorb. And my mom fell into a
depression. She slept a lot and “hid” in books.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Joy has Mental
Retardation, Tourette Syndrome (TS) and is slightly autistic. She can read
simple children books, write her name and other small words, and talks like a 3
year old. It took her longer to do simple things us parents take for granted.
Like walking (2 ½ years old), potty training (9 years old), talking full
sentences (7 years old)… How hard would that be as a parent?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m5Q2hmKg4qF79DXPk1B0jp7hcScd_EkjbcS9X3eSMup5sFYIUxORhkMUtbbHDeroFSaLy8INdt1fVV3IBy3oVWLdW6qcOzSLhVFdOIIPgGFAULBopjeRBX61LmaCQOV8J68i9HYuqow/s1600/P6230037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3m5Q2hmKg4qF79DXPk1B0jp7hcScd_EkjbcS9X3eSMup5sFYIUxORhkMUtbbHDeroFSaLy8INdt1fVV3IBy3oVWLdW6qcOzSLhVFdOIIPgGFAULBopjeRBX61LmaCQOV8J68i9HYuqow/s320/P6230037.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disneyland 2004</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Things that
we long for and cherish, she will never get to enjoy. Joy watched me learn to
drive and get my license, she watched me fall in love and get married, and she
intensely watched my belly grow all 3 times I was pregnant. When I was learning
how to drive I remember her always asking “My turn?” and “Can I drive next?”
When I was planning my wedding she asked “I get married too?” And when we told
her I was pregnant her eyes went from my belly to hers and back to mine again.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jp0NcD78zFekzGlCCauLN950Dvnuxtb1P3H0R7B9gBCgDNC8nWbfbLIkZ1wZaZ2X9SIuEtbbTDhDubu7qlGi-SdWOpJs_Atm0uDU23e-a-I_pUgq8-bPUllp0mAhyphenhyphenEc2mSNQwQIAiJE/s1600/S4020011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jp0NcD78zFekzGlCCauLN950Dvnuxtb1P3H0R7B9gBCgDNC8nWbfbLIkZ1wZaZ2X9SIuEtbbTDhDubu7qlGi-SdWOpJs_Atm0uDU23e-a-I_pUgq8-bPUllp0mAhyphenhyphenEc2mSNQwQIAiJE/s200/S4020011.JPG" width="200" /></a> <span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Growing up
with a mentally disabled sister was hard. Most of the attention went to her. My
parents spent a lot of time helping and teaching her things that I grasped very
easily. My parents did not neglect me, although it felt like that at times. My
parents went to all my school plays, dance concerts and ceremony’s I was
involved in. There were times I didn’t understand why I was in trouble and
wondered why I was always “second” at home when I was first born. Looking back,
I believe my parents did their best to give me the attention I craved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8SajUeASVoaupeQ7Zx5M67Skas5_RIvGeSOtEizkTxDBnZkYzeY6rBxD_yih4kePIc0X_aOd5buwh90ESiFQ43eF2TWdl9Bjx3MR_C0TaELYuC28qplK_loWO42v2ESAWkeTbacG6O8/s1600/163227_138777722846673_5078250_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8SajUeASVoaupeQ7Zx5M67Skas5_RIvGeSOtEizkTxDBnZkYzeY6rBxD_yih4kePIc0X_aOd5buwh90ESiFQ43eF2TWdl9Bjx3MR_C0TaELYuC28qplK_loWO42v2ESAWkeTbacG6O8/s200/163227_138777722846673_5078250_n.jpg" width="136" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joy and I at Grandmas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Joy and I
were very close growing up. We were born 12 months and 2 weeks apart, how could
we not be close. I had friends that would have sleep overs and it was hard on
Joy watching me go places she could not. But when I had sleep overs Joy was
welcome to get her sleeping bag and join… until middle school came along. I
think we can all agree that middle school was not the best years of our lives. Sadly,
Joy was no longer welcome. We wanted to talk about “grown up” things, like
boys, make up, clothes and hair, and I knew Joy would not only be bored but she
would rather watch her favorite Disney movie anyway. It never had anything to
do with her being “different”, it had to do with different interests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;">A<span style="font-size: 12pt;">s time went on, high school came and went. I got engaged at age 22 and was married 6 months later. 2 months after that I found out I was pregnant. When Michael arrived I was surprisingly not nervous about Joy holding him. She did better than I expected! When she held him for the first time I remember her saying “Hi Michael. It’s me, your auntie Joy. I love you.” It brought tears to my eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2BQTpOfIwKPe62WDhkTmYHK2g4uvS6MyJtO6PjdhSDxVzoB2-zF_TddTT_buQboq8rNDE1NL07aipL3aUobRvLfUmXsBYuL9ZRe_dPfns_M4naLBGYFugJPcg9o9oru5HEBxJ6R418I/s1600/michael.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2BQTpOfIwKPe62WDhkTmYHK2g4uvS6MyJtO6PjdhSDxVzoB2-zF_TddTT_buQboq8rNDE1NL07aipL3aUobRvLfUmXsBYuL9ZRe_dPfns_M4naLBGYFugJPcg9o9oru5HEBxJ6R418I/s200/michael.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding Michael</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslJhmmuYVfhxPv4ScBYcP8qUDrCALNAdWAGCRhwP9r7mr6j-1uKjdQpFY5CBogs_5YRGm6L8z8J8trJW8Y4-LeybPb6umSwnAC-zETWuqfcpPeiknQc-K-9qDcJo4wy-PprzqwI2NZ5Y/s1600/emily.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslJhmmuYVfhxPv4ScBYcP8qUDrCALNAdWAGCRhwP9r7mr6j-1uKjdQpFY5CBogs_5YRGm6L8z8J8trJW8Y4-LeybPb6umSwnAC-zETWuqfcpPeiknQc-K-9qDcJo4wy-PprzqwI2NZ5Y/s200/emily.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding Emily</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAemad9bYlAzY_mV7Bes3RaHLOwu0-kFYaHY4xjovM-TckS6ukjUimpgrKm7Ha0KCvX1MS9zMSq9KsxrjDvUIaFkojg6fcJW4eaCnuQxz-pDLqv30FCsJZ9Ba9-5XsLXaHRTtSi6ipr8/s1600/sam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYAemad9bYlAzY_mV7Bes3RaHLOwu0-kFYaHY4xjovM-TckS6ukjUimpgrKm7Ha0KCvX1MS9zMSq9KsxrjDvUIaFkojg6fcJW4eaCnuQxz-pDLqv30FCsJZ9Ba9-5XsLXaHRTtSi6ipr8/s200/sam.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding Sam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">A little
over a year now Joy has been having problems with her medication. A switch in
the medication landed her in the hospital. It was a VERY hard time for my
family. It has taken about 6 months, but we are slowly getting our Joy back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwGKs8X-tSyw2y65VX2o0BUkN7AFvDwN1kTuCeEKBAkIrqZM5Tf08s5xzd7qIJj_MCdVCfbCF-OTOj1QPqc43BumXjMbyflM9FJJr6edUdqI-Y8yF025QrAyq6X8uCK_rNU76F-LRzBM/s1600/100_0156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwGKs8X-tSyw2y65VX2o0BUkN7AFvDwN1kTuCeEKBAkIrqZM5Tf08s5xzd7qIJj_MCdVCfbCF-OTOj1QPqc43BumXjMbyflM9FJJr6edUdqI-Y8yF025QrAyq6X8uCK_rNU76F-LRzBM/s320/100_0156.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She loves to feed the ducks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p>Joy has lived up to her name most of her life. She spreads joy everywhere and brings a smile to faces who’ve never met her before. When she first grabs you and kisses your hand it scares most people, at first, but most of the time they start a conversation with her “Hello, what’s your name?” My family has had moments of frustration, embarrassment, fear, even bitterness, but we have had many more moments of happiness, laughter, love, joy and selflessness. Joy has taught us many things; patience, the true meaning of joy, love, to put our faith in God, and the true meaning of family. Joy is an inspiration. I believe, if I didn’t have her in my life I would not be who I am today.<o:p></o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks Joy!</span> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0ixsE4CdAsi4c_bd0nfxaEFB9_4ATHbhrq3PeYDY9-HvrtdBOPtGTigcrqCGKeejqDSNDvUcBnASGfNW2dcCK0LDOAi2pxBpBdnyfkiS-oIqIaxfot78h6aBG5BBv4KB7SPM66-Ke3I/s1600/164185_138777662846679_2938421_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0ixsE4CdAsi4c_bd0nfxaEFB9_4ATHbhrq3PeYDY9-HvrtdBOPtGTigcrqCGKeejqDSNDvUcBnASGfNW2dcCK0LDOAi2pxBpBdnyfkiS-oIqIaxfot78h6aBG5BBv4KB7SPM66-Ke3I/s320/164185_138777662846679_2938421_n.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-48951253743202344282013-07-31T10:33:00.001-07:002013-07-31T10:47:33.868-07:00Smarty Pants!<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt;">There, their,
they’re. To some, the spellings of these three words are confusing. By 5<sup>th</sup>
grade, if you don’t know the difference you are considered slow, dumb, stupid, and
even special needs. You are automatically a target. You inherit the not-so-nice
nicknames: stupid, dumb a**, retard… To most people reading and spelling is a
breeze, its second nature to them. So naturally, they don’t understand why some
can’t grasp the concept. They don’t understand that maybe some have a learning
disability.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt;">I am dyslexic. I
see letters, numbers and some words mixed up or backwards. To me, b’s look like
d’s as well as p’s. Where I saw the word angel I would say the word angle. Where
most see the number 503, at first glance I see 530. In high school it took me
twice as long to read a sentence and even longer to read a phone number or math
problem. I love words like “together”, to-get-her, this is the only way I can
remember how to spell it. I hate words like “read”, one word with two meanings?
What the heck english language??? Once I hit 3<sup>th</sup> grade I hated math,
reading and spelling. I was put in special classes. I was tested once a year. And
yes, I was bullied… While some kids skip grades. I was held back and had to do
3<sup>rd</sup> grade twice. In 11<sup>th</sup> grade I had the approximant reading
level as a 4<sup>th</sup> grader. Once I got to college I was placed in the
lowest reading level class. I didn’t pass that class. I quit college after one
semester.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt;">Even at age 28 I
have a hard time with the difference of there, their and they’re. Reading is a
challenge and other then simple adding and subtracting, math is near imposable
without a calculator. The first time I read a book all the way through I was 18
and that was for school and I had to ask for extra time. I have only read about
4 books my whole life. Only 2 of them were because I wanted to, and one was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hobbit</i> and it took me over a month
to finish it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQo0n5KPKt_18T3Khj-AXH7YlMM4BtDt0zFUulMUNtEY_8aYYxwuobP0tr7r_ZaMmW73nftyM95L-MZwZJEuJTKXsZQVOxYMn-Fz-rhzwfbXXvQCEkl6pL46vI97zZSOmT-OghaAw9qM/s1600/1350412183962_4194057.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQo0n5KPKt_18T3Khj-AXH7YlMM4BtDt0zFUulMUNtEY_8aYYxwuobP0tr7r_ZaMmW73nftyM95L-MZwZJEuJTKXsZQVOxYMn-Fz-rhzwfbXXvQCEkl6pL46vI97zZSOmT-OghaAw9qM/s320/1350412183962_4194057.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is "rocket science" when you have a learning disability</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "MV Boli"; font-size: 12pt;">As an adult I
still see others (whether they know it or not) giving people with learning
disabilities a hard time. Some might call this bullying. I know most of them
don’t mean anything by what they say (or type) but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t
bother some people. Not everyone gets a 3.5 GPA or higher in school. Not
everyone graduates with honors. Not everyone who goes to college successfully passes
every class. I know all the people I know never mean to hurt feelings and I would
never hold it against them. I didn’t write this to make anyone feel bad. I
wrote this so people might take a second look at why, instead of quickly
judging. I may not be a smarty pants but I have family and friends who love me,
and to me, that’s worth more than spelling correctly.</span></div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-62824943970084678782013-07-23T22:22:00.001-07:002013-07-23T22:22:38.965-07:00Little Girls & Fashion<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">As I was scrolling through Pinterest I typed “little girls fashion”
in the search box. I was shocked at what I saw. Little 6 to 8 year old girls
dressed like models. All I could think of was “Do these girls know the meaning of
life?” I have no issue with child models, it’s the message us parents receive from
these pictures that bothers me. Most of the comments below the pictures were a
lot of “my little girl will dress like this” and “this is how I picture my
little girl to look”. I’m sorry but what happened to letting kids make their own
decisions? I encourage independence with my kids. Call me crazy but I let my
kids dress themselves.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">I have seen comments on facebook pages about not going into public
unless their kids are spotless, hair up and cute and dressed in their cutest
clothes and perfect. Now, I understand not going out if your kids are filthy, but
really? You know you’re only making your kids dress up so YOU look good. And in
my opinion, that is wrong. I understand the feeling of wanting to show off your
cute kids but I believe some parents take it too far. What are you teaching
your kids? That it is only okay to go in public if you’re cute? We need to be
teaching our kids to be independent. We need to teach our kids to love themselves
and love others for who they really are. We need to teach our kids that looks
fade but character doesn’t. If we teach our kids to respect us (their parents)
and themselves they will respect others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">There is so much wrong in the media (TV, facebook, twitter, Pinterest,
magazine covers, etc.) that it’s clouding our minds. We think if our kids don’t
dress or act a certain way they will be an outcast or bullied. As parents we
all want our kids to fit in. If we teach our kids to be confident we won’t have
to worry “will she fit in?” But we need to be careful, being confident and being
prideful are 2 very different things. Pride is thinking you are better than
everyone else, confidence is not caring what others think about you. Teach them
to be confident!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "MV Boli";">The meaning of life is not cute clothes, hair styles, shoes, makeup
or accessories. Life is who we are, not what we wear. Life to a kid is playing
outside without worrying about getting their hands dirty. Life is enjoying the
fun times, working hard for something you want, loving your family and friends and
trying to make the world a better place.</span></div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-61194090032699246192013-07-11T11:20:00.000-07:002013-08-02T09:15:03.336-07:00My Princess In The Middle<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">With hands
on her checks and tears in her eyes, “Mommy! My Pinkie Pie fall down!” As I
tell her it’s ok she picks Pinkie Pie up and cradles the toy as if it was truly
hurt. Kissing it better she went back to playing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">My Emily is
about as dramatic as girls come.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">From my
previous blog entry’s you can tell she’s a bit of a handful. Well here is her
“life” story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">While still
in my first trimester of pregnancy with my daughter, I was holding my 5 month
old son. I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my lower back. It came, then went. I
put my son down to make him a bottle when the pain struck again. This time it shot
down from my lower back, down my left leg. I fell. The pain was almost
unbearable, but then suddenly left. Sitting on the floor of our apartment with
my son safe in his pack-n-play, I was confused. “What the heck was that?” I
said out loud. I was almost afraid to get up. But slowing I made it to my feet
and walked into the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">When I asked
my doctor about it, she said it was my sciatica. It’s a nerve in the pelvis
area that can get pinched during pregnancy, due to the hormone relaxin witch
loosens your joints. Well, little did I know that the “little” pain I felt was
nothing compared to what was to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">As my belly
grew, so did the pain… At times I couldn’t even move. No matter what I did (or
my husband did) nothing would sooth the excruciating pain shooting down my leg.
I would take hot baths, sit on heating pads, take pain relievers, nothing
helped. I remember one night in my third trimester I couldn’t move without pain
and I really had to pee. So in the middle of the night, my husband had to carry
me while I cried to the toilet, helped me pull my pants down, held me up so I
could “sit” on the toilet, pulled up my pants and carried me back and laid me
in bed where I sobbed. Not only because of the pain but I felt humiliated. He
laid next to me not knowing what else to do, he held a heating pad on my lower
back and I remember seeing a tear fall down his check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">I will never
forget that moment.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">D</span>uring the
ultra sound the technician had to get measurements and could only get them from
certain angles. She had to push, hard at times, on my belly to get her to move
to get a better angle. After an hour and a half of tears (on my end) and
“fighting” my baby for clear snap shots, the technician called in her boss and
he “fought” with her for a while. Finally she (Emily) gave up and they got
everything they needed. This was proof that she was going to be a handful. We
just didn’t know it yet.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">The day I
walked (or should I say limped) into the birthing center was, in my mind,
supposed to be a good day. My doctor said my nerve pain may or may not continue
for a few weeks after birth. Hoping I was in the “may not” category, I prepared
for surgery (I was having a C-section). As I lay on the operating table with my
husband holding my hand we hear a squeak, then a gasp for air, then a scream.
Our little girl had arrived! They wiped her down, wrapped her in a blanked and
placed her in daddy’s arms. He brought her to me and I looked at her face.
Those checks! Those chubby checks! I couldn’t be happier. Then, unlike with my
son, only after a few short minutes with her, the nurse took her from Chad and
said “Sorry but </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">her heartbeat and breathing are irregular. </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">She has to come with
me.” Chad went </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9sdk9RbGhTThvUxL7m8n-1U7Z9_GLNuNlDcbnoe8Gl6tAkgUtthL1YEaYbv0HEngXUqsRuWFjvIDE8q0BKa0669NSWfkTsoGbkVX8flspTGdgbIa17lzHuVmm91kYuvLpONNAG7nSVQ/s1600/100_5053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9sdk9RbGhTThvUxL7m8n-1U7Z9_GLNuNlDcbnoe8Gl6tAkgUtthL1YEaYbv0HEngXUqsRuWFjvIDE8q0BKa0669NSWfkTsoGbkVX8flspTGdgbIa17lzHuVmm91kYuvLpONNAG7nSVQ/s320/100_5053.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">with her while I could not. </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Once I got back to my room I just
laid there </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">in bed watching </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">the clock. 20 minutes goes by, then 45 minutes, </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">an
hour and a half… WHAT THE </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">HECK?!?! </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Where is my daughter and is she ok???? </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Chad
comes in and gave me an update. </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Her heartbeat and breathing were still </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">irregular. She had to be put on oxygen once, </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">had a chest x-ray, she was under a heat lamp </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">and had
wires on her… He kissed me then </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">I </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">told him with tears in my eyes to go be </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">with her.
He left. I just laid there and waited...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwY1CqEVek4DSF5zQdpJD1Yr-yQs_Zsgx42v9Ye08prtjkWa_qs-Q6ifDBc5PMnmZHT5SnQgnGPIsGdfmG1R4iHuqQ9Tv4gaNMO8uCyMfTomSLOz9NTfZzWDzRCm5W2ReSQPbrhRsx4E/s1600/100_5113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwY1CqEVek4DSF5zQdpJD1Yr-yQs_Zsgx42v9Ye08prtjkWa_qs-Q6ifDBc5PMnmZHT5SnQgnGPIsGdfmG1R4iHuqQ9Tv4gaNMO8uCyMfTomSLOz9NTfZzWDzRCm5W2ReSQPbrhRsx4E/s200/100_5113.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">6 hours
after she was born she was finally in my arms! And I never wanted to let her
go. Her doctor came in and told me what had happened. She was in shock. With
some babies the transition from belly to the world sends them into a somewhat
common shock (sorry I don’t remember the name of it). And it took her 6 hours
to calm down. Every baby goes through it but every baby reacts differently. My
girl wanted the whole world to know she was here and not happy about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">The first
month was hard at the time but looking back now it was easy. She had an
attitude. When she was hungry, she gave you about a 10 second warning then she
would SCREAM for 40 minutes. Nothing would calm her down, not even a bottle.
Once she got over her fit she took the bottle with no hesitation. As month 2
came along she seemed to do nothing but cry. This continued for months. At her
6 month appointment I talked to her doctor about it. He said “it sounds like
she could be colic. But she’s too old, so it must be behavioral”… In other
words “it’s a phase”. I went home and like every day before I just laid on the
floor and cried with her. I took care of my sons needs but it was near
impossible to give him the attention he needed. Every night I went to bed at 7
with a migraine. I fell into a deep post-partum depression.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jFPrdEOIzIght0rBYFJ_8TDFPLZgjQIIhcaJmysx2QlF_qM9g695rhCAKTBlQcj5-AeMq62xfqdfTMzePJNmO_CcTXsBz7OhwZkz5bSCHr8yFXgp2R2rOwjOvqJBTj-Uk1JF4rWAle4/s1600/TPITM-Blog.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jFPrdEOIzIght0rBYFJ_8TDFPLZgjQIIhcaJmysx2QlF_qM9g695rhCAKTBlQcj5-AeMq62xfqdfTMzePJNmO_CcTXsBz7OhwZkz5bSCHr8yFXgp2R2rOwjOvqJBTj-Uk1JF4rWAle4/s320/TPITM-Blog.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">As time went
on Emily did not grow out of it. At 18 months she still screamed all the time. She
woke up screaming most every morning. When she would throw a fit it would last
hours. If I ever braved the store, I always regretted it. I would end up with
her screaming in my arms and “dragging” Michael while trying to push the cart. 80%
of everyday was nothing but screaming, 15% of everyday was crying
and 5% of everyday she was not crying or screaming, but not happy either.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">I remember her screaming so much her voice would
be gone my 4 every night… By 2 years old Emily had not changed. She still
screamed ALL the time. And with a new baby brother things seemed to only get
worse with her. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZXTIsJ-2Ht7F12jBdSkuiSOrHdcebFxjnuyvDURqTIWPiwc79gHsiqb28a5iSPwWS8DsOtEoJ666t6EA3zoj7zX2nolCG4Gfz6UvYDPh0cjaFRkV8YHk9KTfQa6xlfzqCMaFZaMRdow/s1600/101_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZXTIsJ-2Ht7F12jBdSkuiSOrHdcebFxjnuyvDURqTIWPiwc79gHsiqb28a5iSPwWS8DsOtEoJ666t6EA3zoj7zX2nolCG4Gfz6UvYDPh0cjaFRkV8YHk9KTfQa6xlfzqCMaFZaMRdow/s320/101_0010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the first good pictures of her not crying but smiling!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">One day, around
Christmas time (she was 2 and a half) I finally noticed a small change. Something
was different, she seemed almost happy. She still cried (a lot) but it was not
the screaming fit of rage she had been. I couldn’t tell you what changed but
honestly, I didn’t care. After 2 and a half years of nothing but screaming from
her, seeing her smiling and laughing was one of the best moment of my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17WIWGSZRxqyDWppxHfDcN7TLlBc6y5SYqcO7Ls-wO8cDW8GP64syyIGR4i1t_0BtzI2z-Yg2Uexb0Q2LUFL3TsMynapkc6ur-BSo8YZllvOfQwi6h826VOl4yCSL0iQWjRDpfuNQ2sY/s1600/1044893_10151548190386297_2131516499_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17WIWGSZRxqyDWppxHfDcN7TLlBc6y5SYqcO7Ls-wO8cDW8GP64syyIGR4i1t_0BtzI2z-Yg2Uexb0Q2LUFL3TsMynapkc6ur-BSo8YZllvOfQwi6h826VOl4yCSL0iQWjRDpfuNQ2sY/s320/1044893_10151548190386297_2131516499_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loving the pool with daddy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">Even now, I
still don’t know what went on those first 2 and a half years of her life. Today
she is my VERY pssionate, h</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">appy, stronge-willed, energetic, and very dramatic 3 </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">year old
princess. She loves life and </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">loves her family. She is not afraid to say</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"> hi and
make new friends at the store or </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">in the park. Her toys are her “live”</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"> babies,
daddy is her knight in shining</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"> a</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">rmor, big brother is her best friend,</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"> she is
little brother’s favorite thing and</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"> mommy is her best snuggle buddy. We</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;"> all
love our little </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt;">miss Emily! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHXK2I-rMRwTmeskIzTc1cmUV3WvMp0-y4A50XZfCl4pea_XKtMEQAj82XxvhcJinmvAup7oLSWy6CMxtongqXd93C0xa2MCO6hZXTpnodkgQsasnPXcJ5CLoH9lRin9w0rsCQPAjmKQ/s1600/happyemBLOG.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHXK2I-rMRwTmeskIzTc1cmUV3WvMp0-y4A50XZfCl4pea_XKtMEQAj82XxvhcJinmvAup7oLSWy6CMxtongqXd93C0xa2MCO6hZXTpnodkgQsasnPXcJ5CLoH9lRin9w0rsCQPAjmKQ/s320/happyemBLOG.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My princess in the middle!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-58899299398762421522013-06-28T11:53:00.000-07:002013-08-27T10:39:04.700-07:00My Choice<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I am not here to say myself, or anyone
is right or wrong in their choice on this subject. When you’re a mother, this
may be one of the hardest (or easiest) decisions you have ever had to make.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Stay at home?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">OR<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Go back to work?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some mothers will weigh out the pros and
cons. Some mothers flat out don’t want to leave their baby. Some mothers can’t
afford childcare. While some mothers have no choice. Whatever your choice is,
you based it on your life style and family needs. No matter what, we are all
mothers and we do what we think is best for our family.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My choice. Stay at home. Why? Well,
there are a few reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. We cannot afford childcare. Even if I
had a good job, with my pay check and my husband’s pay check combined, we can’t
fork out $500+ bucks a month for EACH kid! That’s crazy!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Without a doubt, I know my kids are
getting what they need.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. I can teach them things others places
can’t (and sometimes don’t teach). Like common sense, morals and values, the
love of a family, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Most days…. I want to rip my hair out. With
my 4 year old chasing the dog screaming while tracking mud through the house, with
my 3 year old emptying out the fridge onto the kitchen floor or finding the art
supplies and with her artistic abilities “decorate” the living room walls and
floor, with my 1 year old on standing on the kitchen table in a pile of soggy
cereal with his cereal bowl on his head splashing the milk everywhere or goes
to drink my FULL cup of coffee and spills it all over him and the couch. And to
think, this is an average day at my house…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not only is the above paragraph real,
but here are only a few of the many stories of what has really happened.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ I came out of the bathroom to find
Emily with the syrup bottle open and upside down, drizzling it on the living
room rug and laughing at it getting on the dog who is licking it up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">~ To my kids, desitin is body paint and
hair gel and baby powder is snow. They have covered themselves with it and when
I find them they run and smear it everwhere they go, the couch, kitchen table
and chairs, all over beds and pillows…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">~ </span>The kids have made a concoction of ketchup and
chocolate syrup and layered the </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">kitchen floor with it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~ They have covered the kitchen counter
with some flour and about a pound of powder sugar and “drove” cars through it,
making my kitchen a sticky, winter wonderland.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We
(5 bodies and a dog) live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 800 square foot house</span>. </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The only time my house is half way clean is from about
9 PM to 7 AM. By 7:05AM you have to find your way through the maze of toys,
books and clothes just to get to the bathroom. My house smells like sour milk, the
floor is always sticky from juice and I cannot get the smell of pee out of my bathroom!
The kitchen counters are always cluttered, the sink is always full, the laundry
baskets are non-stop over flowing and the day I fold and put away all the hand</span> towels
is also the day I run out of them from cleaning up messes. I deal with non-stop
very quiet whining from one kid, do my best to communicate with my “kitty cat”
that refuses to say a word other than “meow” and try to figure out the wants of
my teething 14 month old that only speaks in baby jargon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Some say being a stay at home mom is
just an excuse to be lazy. But, regardless of how "easy" us stay at
home mommies have it, I can guaranty that those who think this way will not
last 1 day in my house.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You
might be wondering how or why I do it. The answer is simple............</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">L-O-V-E</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love my kids more than anything. More
than warm food, more than daily showers, makeup or the latest hair style, more
than cute clothes and shoes, more than a vehicle that doesn’t have siding
doors, more than a full night’s sleep, more than a fit body, more than alcohol and parties, and more than
extra money… I sacrifice more in 6 hours than most people do in 24 hours. I
gave up working part time at minimum wage job not so I could stay home and do
nothing. I gave it up for my kids. I wanted to be there for them, period. I am
very lucky to have a husband who not only make “enough” to support a family of
5, but who also understands if I didn’t get to the dishes or haven’t started on
dinner yet. Both my husband and I are proud of our lives. To us, no amount of
money is worth leaving the kids with anyone else. I am proud of my choice. I
hope you are proud of yours too!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RYtcS4GdSnezvhJiUo44q2_MSYZYl2yFaVDqIJ-SswGkBdxWUpMT4-DjErwiSJZ5hgnJ8kJCtX63mXY2jFvYJHgQWLphZVtGHYo7IXvvvcUOalerhCx_h6Zdb1qTCAYj7mhPZmzP3AE/s1600/100_9746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RYtcS4GdSnezvhJiUo44q2_MSYZYl2yFaVDqIJ-SswGkBdxWUpMT4-DjErwiSJZ5hgnJ8kJCtX63mXY2jFvYJHgQWLphZVtGHYo7IXvvvcUOalerhCx_h6Zdb1qTCAYj7mhPZmzP3AE/s320/100_9746.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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(This picture was taken October 2012)</div>
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3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-39507804213595161862013-06-17T10:40:00.000-07:002013-06-17T10:40:23.461-07:00My Bod: Old vs. New<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is true beauty? The answer changes every day. Depending on
your own mood, how your husband (or significant other) treats you, what the
magazines say, everyone has a different answer to that question. Whether you’re
a size 0, 6 or 16 we can all find something "wrong" with our bodies.
"I wish I didn't have this nose" "I hate my hair!" "My
thighs touch!" "My feet are too big!" Sometimes it’s not just
one thing we don't like... We look in the mirror and hate everything. Some
people complain but don't make an effort to change, some go over the top with
working out, and some are just fine but gripe about the little things ("I
hate my freckles").<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">All throughout my life I have been small, short and very skinny.
On my wedding day I weighed a tiny 86 pounds at the age of 23. In sixth
grade I stopped growing at 4 feet ¾ inches tall. I was too small. I hated it!
Size 0 pants would fall off of me, XS shirts hung off my bony frame. To make
it clear, I did NOT have an eating disorder. I ate lots of food and loved it. I
was picky, but what I did eat should have packed on the weight. Because of high
school dance, I became very fit. My body was tone and what curves I did have were firm.
I started liking my body, yet still too shy to show it
off.</span>
<br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the above picture I was on my honeymoon. I was 86 pounds, just under 5 feet tall and 23 years old. I look like a 12 year old… Yet, this is what magazines say is "true beauty". Like all women, I see models/other women and instantly start comparing. Even when I was 23 and "truly beautiful", my self-esteem was low, I found flaws: my middle fingers are slightly bent, my nose, a chipped tooth with a crooked smile and <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">large moles on my arm and back. Like I said, even when we look good, we whine about the little things.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On my 24<sup>th</sup> birthday I was 6 months pregnant and weighed
more than I ever have, 102 pounds! And the weight kept on coming. The last time I weighed myself before I gave birth to my son I was 122 pounds. I know right, most women just turned their nose up at me. You instantly hate me. But when you do the math, I gained 36 pounds during my first pregnancy. That's higher then the recommended weight gain for a healthy mother during pregnancy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At this point in my life I was feeling joy, excitement,
a little scared and FAT! Even with the reassurance from my husband “You’re so
sexy!” “I love you more and more every day.” even with the simple love looks he
gave me, I didn’t feel sexy at all. I had major swollen ankles, my face was
chubby and my skin was stretched so tight it felt like my belly was going to
rip open any second. And, surprisingly no stretch marks… yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After I had my son it took about 6 weeks to look normal. I didn’t
get down to my pre pregnancy weight but in my mind, that was a good thing. But I will say that I felt very unattractive. When
Michael was 4 months old I found out baby number 2 was on the way. There went my chance of toning up my body.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcgmwj35jJUPiWo4V5YJvpPWK6eV54797y1hf0lewtAXTroZBcpXIz255MdnDjOAJ3UOTjoPsPI58bvzhZLRMd5DjQotFSmz6RSOwYKPFYZ0fGMA590ZXMfyM7XFyAJO26XFFWw9W9ak/s1600/100_4933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcgmwj35jJUPiWo4V5YJvpPWK6eV54797y1hf0lewtAXTroZBcpXIz255MdnDjOAJ3UOTjoPsPI58bvzhZLRMd5DjQotFSmz6RSOwYKPFYZ0fGMA590ZXMfyM7XFyAJO26XFFWw9W9ak/s320/100_4933.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Above I'm with my 1 year old son and a very round belly. This was only a few days before my daughter was born. And still, no stretch marks... <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When my daughter was born she weighed 8 pounds 2 ounces. My doctor
said because of my small size, me having an 8 pound baby is like an average size women
having a 10 pound baby. Wow! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After I had Emily it took a long time for me to feel even a little comfortable with
my body. Hearing about and seeing what celebrity had a baby but because of her personal
trainer and endless flow of cash she looks better than ever, made me feel very insecure. <span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Having 2 kids 12 months apart gave me no time for, well, <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">me. I let
my body go…</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Only a few weeks after Emily's first birthday I found out (yet
again) we were pregnant... After a miserable third trimester, I gave birth to a 9 pound
baby boy! HOLY COW! Yes, little me carried a 9 pound child. No wonder I could
barely move the last 3 weeks! And yes, this time I ended up with stretch marks.
On my hips, butt, thighs, and a little on my belly. Now I hated my body! Not
only is my skin stretched out, but now I have stretch marks too! I thought my body
would never be beautiful again.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">~</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AyUUYWgRJewTiKaGYMiLp7aysEEZ9_CJDlON-oXWxvVBZXlp_lY-K6_EBw1ZkijTu3AD3l7-brfXRbGin7sPGuz0L5o7wiTJquE-tsYGQvOpNvXT0KE5SelDKS9FsXUE3uR7wBv3r0o/s1600/1005876_10151519168581297_1053491640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AyUUYWgRJewTiKaGYMiLp7aysEEZ9_CJDlON-oXWxvVBZXlp_lY-K6_EBw1ZkijTu3AD3l7-brfXRbGin7sPGuz0L5o7wiTJquE-tsYGQvOpNvXT0KE5SelDKS9FsXUE3uR7wBv3r0o/s320/1005876_10151519168581297_1053491640_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here I am today, 28 years old with my 16 year old sister
Rachel. I am happy with my weight at 111 pounds. I am an out of shape, stay at
home mother of 3 kids. I had 3 kids in 3 years. After a shower I look in the
mirror and like 98% of women out there, I do not like what I see.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I asked some moms how they honestly felt about their bodies before
kids vs. after kids. Out of the women who answered (including myself); some
feel no different, some feel more confident, some don’t feel comfortable but
don’t mind it and some hate it… But they all have one thing in common, every one of
them said it was worth it. Worth all the stretch marks, loose skin, tired eyes,
messy hair, and little to no sleep. When I hear my kids laughing and playing
together I couldn’t be happier. And even though I don’t like to show my body
off, it doesn’t mean I’m not content. My kids are my life! They mean more to
me then a toned body ever could. So I ask again, what is true beauty? My answer is, the mom who cares more about her kids then her own body image! What's your answer?</span></span></span></div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-10200713882101682232013-05-29T11:07:00.007-07:002013-05-29T11:07:56.845-07:00A real man: My man<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As most little girls do, I <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">fantasized</span></span> of a prince riding in on a white
horse. He’d be tall, dark hair, amazing blue eyes, bright smile… He’d pick me
up and carry me away and we would live happily ever after. Well by the time I
was in my teens this idea seemed childish. Everyone has their own idea of what
their dream guy looks and acts like. Due to the life choices we make, we end up
with someone not even close or someone very close to our dream guy. We want
someone perfect. Unfortunately, no one is perfect. Everyone has secrets. We
just don’t dream of the bad. No one dreams of their husband having a bad
temper, or an addiction, or being lazy, selfish or a cheater. Truth be told, I
ended up with a great catch. My hubby is amazing! We have overcome the bad in
both our lives and we are working hard to not only encourage each other but to
stand by each other no matter what.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is only a few of the many things he does:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
changes diapers<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
gets up in the middle of the night for the kids<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
loads and unloads the dishwasher<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
hands washes other dishes<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
cleans the toilet<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are a few of the many things he sacrifices:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
alone time<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
video games<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
TV<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
warm meals<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
sleep<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
hobbies<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
hanging out with his buddies<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The moment he held our first born it was clear he was going to be a
great dad. He helped with everything. He got pooped on, spit up on, peed on and
he just whipped it off and continued. There were times I just sat back and
watched him. I was so grateful and proud that he was my man!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
As far as husbands go, I must say I have one of the best. The lists
above tell you that. He also puts up with me. I see no need in hiding my
emotions, therefore I am emotional. Also I am extremely dependent on him (to a fault
at times). I crave his undivided attention when I’m talking. I tend to be over critical
at times and sometimes my pride takes over. Yeah I know, I’m full of faults. But
who isn’t. All I know is my husband loves me. He knew what he was getting into
when we got married. He tells me “I love you” a hundred times a day. He kisses
me good-bye before he leaves for work every morning. The kids (and dog) greet
him at the door every evening and when he’s done hugging and kissing them he
makes his way through the sea of toys on the floor to find me and kiss me. He
says he is so blessed to have found me, but I think it’s the other way around…
I’m the blessed one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3sn-R8uDrM5qJJmYa45YRVGe7TbEjhtAdQmLKEHRUN_f60EnfT542TFM5zLZW-oCJANuWLLXthvcMsBteez0VoNSQx57HfkHVGZ_DtnMGkcRQqDgTITeHNVQKCh740ECkRvQP4oxpEs/s1600/943340_10151470045641297_334090513_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3sn-R8uDrM5qJJmYa45YRVGe7TbEjhtAdQmLKEHRUN_f60EnfT542TFM5zLZW-oCJANuWLLXthvcMsBteez0VoNSQx57HfkHVGZ_DtnMGkcRQqDgTITeHNVQKCh740ECkRvQP4oxpEs/s320/943340_10151470045641297_334090513_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you God for bring him to me. I couldn’t ask for a better husband
and father to my children. Thank you!</span></div>
3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-227263563931921810.post-10222083454217717222013-05-28T14:27:00.001-07:002013-10-23T08:44:45.798-07:00The Intro<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Marriage-<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chad and I have been happily married for almost 5 years. Yes,
we have had struggles and difficult times but we work together to triumph over
the challenges of marriage. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
When I was almost 22 years old I agreed to go to the Monster
Jam in Portland Oregon with Chad. We hit it off and had a blast! There was
hardly a day that went by that we were not together. We met each other’s families
and friends and over time we fell in love. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About a year after our first date he pulled me
outside so we could be alone, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I
cried and said yes! Six months of planning, stress and a couple thousand
dollars later, we were married. Everything was perfect! We moved in together,
got a puppy named Wally, and enjoyed being newlyweds. Just 2 months later we
found out we were going to have our first baby. Different challenges came our
way once we added kids to the mix.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Chad and I do our best to meet each other’s needs. We took
the online Love Language test and that has helped us tremendously in our
marriage. Daily I have to remind myself to take time for Chad, that’s my
biggest challenge. I’m so focused on the kids all day that when Chad and I do
get alone time all I can think about is relaxing or cleaning. He has helped me
realize that our kids are important but so is our marriage. We work together
daily to make our marriage stronger. I know I couldn’t live without my hubby.
He is my best friend! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My kids-<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In June 2009 we welcomed our first born son, Michael, into
the world. My water broke (two weeks early) and 24 hours later he arrived by an
unplanned C-section. It was love at first sight. Finally holding his little
body in my arms was an amazing feeling. Michael was a wonderful baby. He only
cried when he needed something and even then it was a “quiet” cry. A VERY short
four months later we found out baby number two was on the way. I cried. I didn’t
know what to do. I was scared. My husband saw I was upset and one night he took
my hand and said “I know you don’t feel ready. But this is a gift from God. He
will take care of us.” Hearing this changed my view on this unexpected pregnancy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In June 2010 my daughter, Emily, arrived (via C-section) announcing
her coming for all to hear. With her heart beat and breathing irregular, she
had to be rushed to the nursery. Six hours later Chad brought her to me. She
suffered from a type of shock. Sometimes the transition from the womb to the
cool air of the world can send a baby into shock. All babies react differently
to their arrival, she simply liked the womb better. When we brought her home I
quickly realized, even though her and Michael share the same blood, they were
nothing alike. Emily was colic. She screamed and screamed. Most days I would
just lie on the floor and cry with her. I would go to bed every night with a migraine.
If it wasn’t for my amazing, God-given husband I strongly believe I would have “lost
it”. Once he got home from work he helped with Michael and Emily, cooking,
cleaning, and he put the kids to bed so I could get some sleep. I don’t know
what I would do without him.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
In April 2012 my baby boy, Samuel, (at a whoppin’ nine
pounds) joined our family by yet another C-section. He was my only child I successfully
breastfed. It was a remarkable feeling. Even though I am not breastfeeding
anymore I still feel this incredible bond between us that I don’t have with my
other two. Plus he’s my baby, my last baby. When I was pregnant with Sam, my
husband and I agreed this would be our last baby. Right before Sam was born
Chad went “under the knife”, no more kids for us.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, Michael is almost four, Emily is almost three and Sam
is almost fourteen months and we couldn’t be happier. Yes we have our ups and
downs just like everyone else. Yes my house is never clean but friends and
family understand. Yes I’m the one with the screaming kid at the grocery store
because I said “no” to candy or a toy, but I’m teaching my kids you don’t always
get what you want. Yes I never get time alone but I don’t need it to be happy.
We have a very normal, happy family.</span>3 Little Angell's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00023727432531331665noreply@blogger.com2