Family Musings

So much money has been spent on fancy electronic toys for Charlotte. And what does she decide to play with? A thrift store sneaker!

Thanks to Cameron's wonderful pictures and her suggestion in a comment on my Resurrection Sunday pictures , I played around with one of Charlotte's pictures to see if Picnik was a good idea or not. Here is the before, straight out of the camera: Here is the after. Leave a comment and let me know which one you like better.

Jennifer asked me to write a post about this tree we saw on Easter morning. We were entering the Historic Bok Sanctuary, which is a 240-acre garden and nature preserve created for the public by philanthropist Edward Bok. Jennifer and I like to go there on cool Sunday afternoons. As we were driving on the entrance road, passing through the orange groves that surround Bok Sanctuary, we noticed this odd tree, virtually lifeless, but covered in oranges. I immediately commented that it reminded me of Darryl Barker—dead, but still bearing fruit. Darryl was a friend of ours who just died the day before. His death came after three weeks in a coma resulting from a motorcycle crash. Darryl was 24 years old, a husband, a sheriff’s deputy, a college student, and the Worship Pastor at his church, CrossRidge Church . During his three weeks in the hospital, many people had opportunities to see and experience the glory of God. Jennifer wanted me to write this post because, she says, I’m better at this...

It happened so fast I didn't even realize it. But on Sunday, I published my 200th post to this blog. I feel as if I just finished my 100th post. In honor of my 200th post, I am going to answer the questions below... sort of a 200th post blogland tradition. Do you like the look and content of your blog? I am not a big fan of my current look, but, drum roll please.... that will be changing soon! Stay tuned for the big announcement. As for the content, I am in a phase right now where I am trying to decide about that. I really blog for my family and to keep a record of my daughter's life. But, I also have a lot of ideas in my head and use this blog to share those ideas, as well as rant about whatever pops into my brain. Plus, since I spend so much time on blogs, I'd like to find a way to make money doing it. Does your family know about your blog? Of course... it is a labor of love for them. Can you tell your friends about your blog? I can and I do. This is a blessing and a c...

If we stay in this area long enough, I would love for Charlotte to get married in the very spot she is sitting in above. No, she isn't walking yet. She just loves to stand up. "Mama, it's warm. Are we almost done?" Taken today a Bok Tower. What a beautiful day!

I don't have that many pictures left to share of Charlotte's first trip, so this post should wrap it up. Ths first picture really should have gone with Part 1, but I didn't have it at the time, so here it is now. Her Grandpa Sabin LOVES to have his picture taken with Charlotte. I'm not sure exactly how many he had Bruce take, but it was a lot. Towards the end of the day Charlotte was really tuckered out. She was cool like that though in these flowery blue sunglasses.

We sat down tonight to watch the 2nd movie of 20 on our Family Movie Classics DVD . Tonight's feature is The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again . Plot Synopsis: This movie opens with Sargent Nash Crawford visiting one of his former Texas Ranger friends, George. George is sitting in a saloon, has just won 10 hands in a row and is being accused of being a card cheat. As Captain Hayes still has a quick mind, he quickly realizes that George has been cheating and needs to be rescued from a possible gunfight. He quickly refers to his friend as Wyatt (pretending he is the infamous Wyatt Earp) and the situation is diffused. Once they leave the saloon Crawford explains that a mutual friend, The Baltimore Kid (played by Fred Astaire), has been accused of murder down in Waco, TX and they need to gather up their gang and go down to rescue him. Captain Hayes is not in this movie. Next, we flash over to their near-blind friend who is celebrating his upcoming nuptials to a sweet gal (who must be 70+...

85 words Speedtest

The following letter was written as a submission to Michelle's March Write Away contest hosted at her blog . The theme was "the next 20 years." I decided to write about the next 20 years from the perspective of my daughter, looking back on them as she prepares to graduate from college. Maybe I'm a little optimistic, but what new parent doesn't dream of the best for her babies? *********************************** Dear Mom & Dad, I can't believe I am going to turn 21 this year. My college days have just flown by and now I am officially a proud member of the class of 2028! 20 years ago as you watched me read my first book, were you two dreaming of this day? I never expected to feel such excitement about graduating from college, but it just hit me today that I am almost done with this phase of my life. I will be turning a corner this year and life will never be the same as it is now. Anyway, before I head off into the "real" world, I just wanted to ...

I don't talk about homeschooling a lot on this blog, but it is something we plan to do for Charlotte. To that end, I already subscribe to a website called CurrClikc (formerly Homeschool E-store). They offer a free download every week and I am saving them up for a time I can use them with my own children. I've even used some of their products with my middle school students. They are having an Easter Egg Hunt this week so I went and found all of their eggs. The list below was compiled after finding 40 of their eggs. If you get more information, feel free to leave it in the comments! Leave a comment if you find more or to tell us what you ordered! Happy Hunting! FREE copy of Proverbs to Live By Paperdolls (Book I) from A Godly Legacy Publishing. http://www.currclick.com/egg_hunt.php?&coup_id=1329 20% off the Rabbit Hill Novel Study from New Learning Publishing http://www.currclick.com/egg_hunt.php?&coup_id=1330 50% off Glue and Trace Worksheets for Preschoolers...

For some reason this picture makes the day look like it was really overcast, but it wasn't. Just windy. Very windy. This trip to Disney marked Charlotte's 7-month birthday, as well as the first time she ever rode in her stroller sitting up like a big girl. Of course, being at Disney didn't mean we had to skip nap time. Fortunately for Charlotte, the seat lays out flat so she could get good and comfy. All together now, aaaaawwwww...... This is the very first ride Charlotte ever went on - Winnie the Pooh. She was too interested in the ride to bother looking at her dad and the camera. After Winnie the Pooh, Charlotte for to see what a small world it is. They have revamped the ride since I was on it last and now there is even a small display for Israel. We ended our day at Disney with dinner at Chef de France in EPCOT. They have the BEST onion soup we have ever eaten. After dinner we toured the countries on our way out and Carolyn had to have her picture taken with this lar...

When we got in the car last week, I leaned over and told Charlotte we had a very special day planned - she is going to Disney! Judging by that grin, I think she is excited! Once we got there, we had to wait for her Grandpa Sabin to show up. He has the secret passes that we need to get into the parks. Charlotte was a good sport hanging out on Carolyn's lap as we waited. Once our happy party made it past the gate, we had to go and check out what kind of legacy we were leaving Charlotte. Yep folks - that is a picture of Charlotte's mom and dad hanging out on a big granite wall in front of EPCOT. I don't think that kid next to us liked getting his forehead squished by Carolyn. Next, we had to hop on the Monorail in order to make it to the Ticket and Transportation Center so that we could take a bus to the Magic Kingdom. This was Carolyn's (and Charlotte's) first ride ever on the Monorail. Sorry the picture is blurry. While we were on the Monorail, Charlotte decided it w...

Is it possible that I need to start a new blog to share all of my breastfeeding and lactivist stories and thoughts? They seem to be pretty prevalent these days here at Family Musings. Today is no exception. While reading a blog I enjoy on Sundays called Post Secret, I came across this secret postcard that someone had sent in. I just don't understand the selfishness of some women. Really, a perfect figure is more important than the future health of your own baby? I can't help but think that this woman's breasts had already changed as a result of her pregnancy and probably won't ever be the same ever again.

Bruce and I recently bought a 20 movie pack of family classics . We thought it would be fun to watch old movies together and then even more fun to tell you a little about them and also what we thought of them. Our first movie is The Over-the-Hill Gang . It was produced in 1969 by Aaron Spelling. It sure is a far cry from Beverly Hills 90210 . Plot Synopsis: Jefferson Rose, a young, Boulder, Nevada newspaper publisher, tries to run for mayor of his corrupt town. His father-in-law, Captain Oren Hayes, is a former Texas Ranger who happens to visit town the day Jefferson is roughed up by a few of the Sheriff's finest. Captain Hayes admires young Jefferson's desire to clean-up the corrupt politicians and decides that he and three of his pals will come to town and take care of business for young Jefferson. Each of Hayes three friends had something unique to offer the Texas Rangers. The first pal was the quickest draw. The second had "eyes in the day like an eagle and at night l...

For anyone who might be interested, here is a list of my favorite blogs and websites. I'll try to update it on a semi-frequent basis, and I might even try to keep it in alphabetical order! Baby Cheapskate Church Matters Desiring God Blog Eating It Up Exotic Eating Experiment Girl Talk Gone With The Winds Interceding for Our Children Interesting Blog Posts It's the Little Things John's Spaces Like Merchant Ships Money Saving Mom Multi-Tasking Moms My Husband's Website Organized Doodles Pearls Proverbs Mom Scribbit - Motherhood in Alaska The Sabin Dome Webel

I have nursed Charlotte in public more times than I could possibly count. It was never a big deal to me. I have read in various places though that some women have a hard time doing this, due to personal comfort, the baby's needs, or the prevailing attitude towards breastfeeding in their culture. To protect myself, I carry a copy of Florida's laws regarding breastfeeding in my diaper bag. I want to be prepared to back up my right to feed my daughter when she is hungry, regardless of where we happen to be. I have nursed in the mall, at numerous restaurants, while shopping, in my car on the side of the road, in the homes of friends, and now at Disney. Not once did anyone ever say anything to me, though I have noticed that most men try to avoid looking at me at all. I try to nurse modestly, but sometimes Charlotte pulls off and there are moments that reveal more than most people are expecting to see in public. When this happens I try to cover up quickly, but I am not terribly bothe...

Hmmm... I've already done 13 reasons I haven't been posting so I can't do that list again. How about 13 things I love about Charlotte Moon instead?! Her name . Her dimples. She has 2, one one each cheek. Her smile. The way her nose crunches up when she smiles with her eyes (see the last picture). How soft and smooth her baby skin feels, especially after a bath. The large wave-like curl that is growing on the top of her head. How when she first wakes up in the morning she likes to just look around and grab her toes . The smile I get when she first sees me, in the morning, or when I pick her up. The way her hand rests on me while she is nursing. Her laugh . It is infectious! How she snuggles up to me at night and uses my bosom as her pillow. When she melts into the snugly comfort of my arms as she falls asleep. And finally, I love how she now knows what to do when the camera comes out. She just perks right up and flashes a cheeky grin for us! I could go on forever probably, ...

I've always tried to pay attention to what I use when I clean the house. (No jokes about the when part allowed!) But now that I have a little one ready to crawl all over everything, it seems more important that I use products that are non-toxic. I've read about Basic H in several places and might just give it a try, especially if I win this week's giveaway from Crunchy Domestic Goddess . One thing I am already doing to help make the world a little bit greener is to not use all of the lights in my classroom. Now, during FCAT testing they will all be on. We don't want anyone thinking it is nap time. But in the normal course of teaching, I just don't need that much light for the students to see properly.

My students might think I am the dorkiest teacher ever... but if wearing this human billboard helps even one of them to remember a great test-taking strategy then it was worth it. HUMAN BILLBOARD - FCAT TIPS I got this idea from a Reading Coach at my husband's school, only they used it for vocabulary words. I've worn this most of today and have gotten many strange looks, from students and other teachers even. Do I mind? Not in the least! I am willing to do just about anything to help them remember how to respond to certain questions. I've even recruited other teachers to wear subject appropriate tips. For the math teacher - Use your reference sheet & calculator. For the science teacher - Read ALL of the possible answers. For the reading teacher - Underline key words and phrases. I might make more... we'll see how time goes.

Recently, I realized that there are a lot of blogs that use the word musings in their title. So, for my 3rd edition of Thursday 13, I thought I'd share some of them with you. I only read 1-2 of the most recent posts on each of these and in no way am I endorsing them as having content you will value. Musing Minds Magpie Musings Thailand Musings Middlezone Musings Science Musings Tai Tapu Musings Musing The Musing Mommy The DeafBlind's Musing Random Musings Musings of a Maternal Mind California Musing Musings by Mommy Disclaimer: Linking to these sites doesn't mean I agree with them... they are just here to illustrate that musings are a common theme among bloggers. If I wanted to include posts that had the word musings in them, this list would have to be posted on the Thursday Three-Thousand site! :) Visit Thursday Thirteen for more list goodness.

Recently, I checked the Google Analytics report that tells me where people who view my blog come from. I was really surprised to see so many countries highlighted. It might be hard to see on the map below, but in the last month, I've had visitors from the US, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Australia, Latvia, India, Spain, Serbia & Montenegro (hi Ionel) , the Cayman Islands (hi John), Croatia, Romania, Switzerland, Iceland, Kenya, Sweden, South Africa, Indonesia, the Philippines, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Iran (!!!!) and 22 other countries. I think that is pretty cool. If you are visiting and live somewhere other than the US, please leave a comment and introduce yourself!

With all due respect to those dads out there who read my blog, I think being a mother is the best job in the entire world. I feel this especially in those moments when I my daughter's body melts against mine as she surrenders to the comfort of my softness and her own sleepiness. There is little else in this world that makes me feel so special then as to be the one who can provide that security for her. P.S. - Don't you think my flannel pjs are adorable?!

Darryl Barker is a friend of ours who likes to ride motorcycles. As a matter of fact, we sold him his most recent bike. Unfortunately, last Friday, he was involved in a very serious crash. While we was wearing protective gear (including a helmet) he is facing life threatening injuries. I ask all of you who read this little blog to please pray to God for Darryl and his wife Joy. A website has been set up to keep track of updates. I encourage you to visit and learn about how amazing God has been to this family since last Friday. He truly is the one on whom they are leaning right now. Some have questioned how I can still let Bruce ride his motorcycle. And the answer is simple. He is in God's hands 24-7. God is in control of his life and if he wants to get our attention, he doesn't need a motorcycle to do it. God could use a spider if he wanted too, but I still make Bruce catch all of those 8-legged creatures! We try to live a life that gives Him all of the glory and credit, throug...

Charlotte likes to pull on things. She also likes to spend time in her walker, so long as it is in whatever room we are in. She has to be in eye-sight of Bruce or I. She doesn't have object permanence yet. You put her love of pulling on things and Momma and Daddy in the kitchen, and this is what you get: Charlotte also likes to hang out in her high chair (now that we've got it assembled!). After we had a small taste of banana and brown rice, she decided to form a one-baby band. Enjoy the music!

I have previously said that I planned to never dress my daughter in camo. Two things this week led me to change my mind. First, I went to Youth Fair. If she wants to enter a hog in the Youth Fair then she will will need to wear camo to hide all the mud she will get on her. Camo is okay for slopping hogs. Second, her dad put his camo hat on her. Not much I can do about my rule now. On a completely different note, since I shared the frostbitten car with you the other day, I thought I'd show you this beautiful sunrise from the next day.

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