Family Musings

Blogging has brought many fun things into my life. Including the opportunity to receive free toys for my daughter, in exchange for my review. This week, Charlotte and I played with a Sesame Street K'NEX building set. We received a box featuring Elmo's World and his piano building set. The Sesame Street K'NEX series is the first aimed at the 2-5 year old crowd. Though Charlotte is a little bit younger than that, I didn't find any of the pieces too small for her mouth or hands. As a matter of fact, the pieces fit comfortably together, to the point that Charlotte could put them together and take them apart with out much trouble. She wasn't able to build the piano set, or the Elmo duck, fish, or dog following the directions that came with it, but she did have fun pretending to play Elmo's piano. Music is one of our new signs and it was a good chance to practice it with her. It was also fun to see that Charlotte liked to try and wear Elmo's blue hat. Hat is a si...

I mentioned recently that I am participating in the local Making Strides for the Cure walk. I am very excited that I have raised more than half of the goal that I set. My current goal is $250. Would you please consider making a donation to help me reach that goal? Below is a message from the American Cancer Society about the walk and the work is supports. This year, hundreds of thousands of people will hear the words "You have breast cancer," and there's a good chance that some of them will be people we know and love. I have chosen to fight back against this disease and help make a difference by participating in the American Cancer Society, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, and I hope you will join me by making a donation in support of my effort. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a noncompetitive walk that takes place in 120 communities across the country. From Arizona to Maine and Washington to Florida, Making Strides walkers unite to honor breast cance...

I was browsing the Frogpond recently, and decided to pass on a few of the links I enjoyed discovering. Why not waste a few minutes of your life by clicking on over? I mean hey, you are already reading blogs... what s a few more minutes? :) Visit Who Is There for You? - If you are having a bad day, this might restore your faith in humanity. If you just want to win cold, hard cash, then the 1st thing you'll be interested in at this site is a chance to win $100, or $25,000. After that, you might want to read the stories of regular people who have been helped by extraordinary people. Typeracer - I have always prided myself on my typing skills. I've been on a computer since I was in the 4th grade, thanks to a geeky Radio Shack dad. Why not waste a few minutes and see how you stack up? Visit Project Brain Child - Are you an American Express card member? If so, why not cast your vote in the Members Project. The project I've linked to is trying to raise fund to address childhoo...

Woogi! Woogi! Woogi! Doesn't that sound funny? I thought so and so did my daughter when I kept repeating it to her. Of course, it doesn't take much to make a toddler giggle. Woogi is the name of a "social networking" site for elementary aged and younger kids. I suppose it is similar to WebKinz, but Woogi has some features that make it stand out as definitely different, including a parental interaction feature that allows parents to influence the rewards their child receives in Woogi World. Since my daughter is too little to appreciate Woogi World (except for how silly the name sounds), I asked the daughter of a friend of mine to take a look around and give me her opinion. Lindsey is 10 years old and in the 5th grade. Here is the review she wrote for Woogi World: Woogi World is my new favorite website in the whole world! It's cute, fun and you even make new friends through it! It's awesome!!!!! First, you select a cute Woogi. Then, you choose a name for it. ...

Charlotte and I spent Saturday hanging out with an old college friend of mine and her two young kids. Tammie and I have been friends since 1996 and I don't think she looks a day older than the day I met her! Her kids are too cute for words... and I have the pictures to prove it! Here is Asa on his first monorail ride. Clearly, he is looking forward to a great day! Eden got in on the excitement while we were riding the monorail too. Even with all of the fun to be had, both of the girls still needed their midday naps. Charlotte hung out in her carrier... while Eden laid back in the stroller. After lunch, we finally found a ride that all 5 of us could enjoy! The carousel. Asa had read a brochure on things to do with the under-5 set and couldn't wait to get on the Dumbo ride (and Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride). And some way, some how, his precious smile convinced me to get on the Teacups. I always regret that decision! As I went to wrap up this post, I realized that I had only ta...

I have an adult giveaway today... that is, one for the parents to enjoy, not just the kids. And actually, you don't even have to be a parent for this one, just someone who likes to try new foods. Pillsbury Savorings Flaky Pastry Bites feature warm, flaky pastry dough wrapped around tasty fillings and come in three varieties; cheese and spinach, buffalo style chicken and mozzarella and pepperoni. They are easy to prepare (just 20 minutes in the oven) and are the perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine. The buffalo style chicken one is sure to be my favorite. I love anything buffalo. When my husband has to order at a restaurant for me, he knows he can't go wrong if he gets me a dish with buffalo in the name. I bet the kids would like the pepperoni one the best, and the cheese and spinach ones would make nice appetizers for a wine party. There will be 2 big winners this week and they will receive a Savoring the Moment gift bag which includes: a coupon to try Pillsbury Savorings...

I found myself floating through Chapter 2 last week without experiencing much conviction. If DeMoss titles the book "Lies Women Believe," then I must believe these lies, right? Well, maybe. Or maybe not. I know that over the last couple of years, God has been working in me to show me more about his character. He has used articles like this one to help me understand his sovereignty over everything that happens, the good and the evil. My prayer right now though, is that God will show me if I am being prideful in saying I don't believe these lies. I also wonder, if I were faced with a major catastrophe, would my faith hold up like Joy's ? (click over to find a link to Joy's awesome testimony!) Lie # 1 - God is not really good. If he were, he would... [fill in the blank]. God is either good or he isn't. We can't have it both ways. He is good in the bad times and in the good times. If you didn't click on the link I mentioned earlier, then go read it now . T...

After a few weeks of voting in Amuso's Cutest Baby Contest , Charlotte came in 27th out of more than 200 entries. Thanks to everyone who voted! And in other news... Remember how I said recently that Charlotte had learned how to sign daddy? Well, that is true, but now, after watching her, we aren't entirely certain she knows what it means. What I mean is, she will sign daddy when she sees me or her daddy. So, I've spent a lot of time this week working on the sign for mommy and NOT making the sign for daddy, to help her learn the difference. Charlotte is also starting to understand the signs for "stop" and "kitten". I am trying to use the "thank you" sign with her a lot, but not really to teach her, just so she gets used to hearing that phrase. In the "things Charlotte is discovering" category, we can add toes back to the list. Of course, when she first found her toes as a little baby we were excited, but now she has taken it to a who...

While I am on the treadmill at the gym, I like to watch the TLC show, "Bringing Home Baby." I am delighted to see how much these babies are loved and to see the new moms and dads take care of them. Sometimes it is funny. And sometimes it frustrates me. Dads fumbling with trying to put on or remove tiny baby clothes with their big man hands amuse me. Watching a newborn's head start to flip back because no one is supporting it scares me. I see mom or dad giving their new baby a bath and then carry the wet baby across the room to get a towel. Of course, the baby is screaming because she is freezing cold and has no other way to communicate her discomfort. Or mom is trying to breastfeed and when she has difficulties her well-intentioned friends say, "just give him a bottle." The baby doesn't know better and momma's milk never comes in. This frustrates me. I just wish every new mom had an experienced mom to help her out in the beginning and show her how to do ...

Even though I am a stay-at-home-mom, I don't like to be in the dark about what is happening in the world around me. So, every few days I try to skim the headlines of CNN.com or leaf through the pages of our Reason , Newsweek , or World magazine subscriptions. Often, a headline tells me just enough to know their is a major event going on and I try to read anything that looks extra important. Since I am still nursing Charlotte at 13-months old, and proud of it, when I saw this headline - Fourth baby dies from tainted formula - I had to click over. What I read made me so sad. Apparently, two brothers decided that their financial situation was more important than the health of the thousands or more babies that would drink the milk they processed. Investigators said the brothers confessed to watering down the raw milk and mixing in tripolycyanamide, also known as melamine. They said they did it to recover losses suffered when the factory rejected earlier milk shipments, the paper repor...

At playgroup yesterday, our friend Lisa and her daughter Ellie, invited us all over to her house to paint! Lisa is so creative and brave, and 8 months pregnant! She had the first art project all laid out for us when we arrived. Sheets of white paper were in large ziploc bags and we let the kids put paint on the sponges before placing the sponges in the bags. Then, Charlotte got to move her sponges around and squish the paint onto the paper. Ever the teacher, I was the only mom that named and dated their kid's page! Then, in another brave move... Lisa spread out a large white cloth on her kitchen floor and had all of the kids dunk their feet in a bucket of orange paint. Each of them had fun walking all over the cloth, and maybe the tile a little too. :) Charlotte decided to plant her bottom on the sheet and ended up with a wet, gloppy orange footprint-ish shape on her bottom! The cloth is going to be used as a decoration for our groups Halloween/Fall Festival party. Oh, and I have s...

Does your family eat dinner together on a regular basis? Do you sit down together at the table to eat? Are the meals prepared by your family? I am so glad that I can answer yes, yes, and yes to these questions. But I will admit, that, until this summer, we rarely sat together at the table to eat. For most of our married life actually, Bruce and I sat in the living room and watched TV while we ate dinner. Now that we have Charlotte and don't have as much free time in the evenings, I insist that the three of us eat dinner together, with the TV off. It has helped me feel more connected to my family, as small as it is, to know that we will have those 30-45 minutes of uninterrupted time together each day. Eating dinner together serves as an anchor for our afternoon and evening plans. If your family isn't eating together as much as you like, there is even a website to help you - Get Back to the Table . Here, you can find recipes and grocery tips from Libby's. Libby's has team...

I will admit right now, I didn't get through all of the lessons last week. I had one left when I went to the women's meeting on Friday morning. But that didn't stop me from going. I squashed the perfectionist in me and went anyway, knowing I would be blessed by the fellowship of so many godly women (there are around 15 who have committed to attend weekly). And I was right. Each of these women has a story behind her face and some have years of studying the scriptures to share with me. I am so grateful that we found Random Baptist Church in time for me to join this study. Our first week of study focused on "laying the foundation" of Truth. We have to recognize that truth must be absolute. The world doesn't work right when we all have individual truths. In fact, that is an oxymoron. Demoss writes, "A fatal flaw that is embraced by our culture is to spurn the notion of absolute truth and so leave every issue in life open for negotiation." I was reminded ...

Charlotte sure was grumpy this week! She wouldn't stay down for her naps, she woke up at night more than usual, and she got extra cranky between 4 -5 pm. I have no idea what was going on. She isn't teething. The nursing is about the same. No new skills to report. Hopefully I will get my super-happy toddler back soon. At the library story time this week she got a little braver and mixed it up some with the bigger toddlers. My girl loves music and she likes to dance. The song time that Ms. Connie leads is always fun and I am actually starting to learn the lyrics. Though I will spare you the agony of having to listen to me sing. (Let's just say it is unlikely Charlotte will grow up to be an opera star with me as her example!) I have another big announcement to share as well. I signed up to be a Pampered Chef consultant - again! I did this once, about 8 years ago and really enjoyed it. As it turns out, my former Director is back in business and invited me to join her. I don...

That is the question of the week. Is it time for me to take the plunge and share all sorts of fun details about my day with the rest of the world? Do other people care that I just finished drinking 100 ounces of water today? Or that I just changed yet another dirty diaper? What about the new vlog I posted at NewBaby ? According to my stats, there are ~46 people who are subscribe to this blog. That means that at least 46 people will either read this post in e-mail or in their feed reader. (Or just delete it without a second thought.) Would those of you among the 46, and any others that might be lurking here, please give me your opinion on Twitter ? What about those of you visiting from Blog Coach today? In addition to providing some constructive feedback, would you share your thoughts about Twitter in the comments?

I vaguely remembering promising to come back and post pictures last Saturday. Seeing as I never got around to it, my lovely sister-in-law Michelle, e-mailed me some pictures from her camera for me to share with you. Michelle and my brother Nick have 2 cats - Lucy and Tyler. Last weekend was the first chance we had to meet Tyler and Charlotte immediately felt comfortable around him - so comfortable that she decided to climb into his house. She actually seems rather content here, doesn't she? And she certainly seems content here, sitting in Nick's chair as if it were her own. The best part of this visit, cat-wise at least, was seeing that Charlotte knows how to play with Lucy. Charlotte loved waving this fishing pole around for Lucy to bat at. Charlotte also learned Lucy's name and would try to find the cat whenever we asked about her.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I've mentioned it once or twice, but I thought that an official announcement was in order. I am now a vlogger for NewBaby.com. Of the hundreds of applications they received, I was one of 15 bloggers chosen to help new moms out with my own unique perspective. I have several ideas of my own about how I want to use this unique blogging platform, but would love to hear from you. What questions did you have as a new mom? As a stay at home mom? What advice do you wish someone had given you to make life easier? Here is my first vlog for NewBaby.com:

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is Amy Starr WindyCindy. I remember our family going to the circus when I was a little girl. In fact, I remember going more than once, which must have made it a family tradition. And one year, don't ask me how I got to be so lucky, but I was chosen to be the princess of the circus. It made me feel so special. There is nothing quite like riding around the 3 rings in a horse-drawn cart while everyone waves at you and takes your picture. My mom says I haven't been the same since. :) The last time I went to the circus though, was in the 6th grade (not the year I was a princess). I am hoping my daughter doesn't get one of those irrational fears of clowns so we can take her in a few more years. Well, it's circus time again and I have a 3-ring giveaway for you! A Ringling Brothers Program Book (you know, the expensive one your parents never let you buy!), A commemorative DVD, and Clown noses for your entire family! (assuming you have 7...

Here it is... week 1 of our meditations on Lies Women Believe. I had my first meeting with the women's Bible study on Friday and will start my homework tomorrow morning (we went out of town this past weekend). During the first meeting, a wonderful woman named Pat, introduced us to both the book and the companion guide. I am excited to read this, but have to be honest, I don't have anything to meditate on yet because I haven't got started. I'll try to post something a little later today once I've done the first days homework! If you have read this book before, would you share what you learned?

Charlotte continues to surprise me. Surprised? You shouldn't be... she is always doing something new. This week, she mastered how to sign "daddy." Bruce and I took 1 day and just kept repeating it to her over and over again, in context of course. Sometimes, she will still point her index finger to her forehead, but with a reminder will use her thumb. Of course, I tried to catch it on video, but once the camera came out, it was difficult for her to focus. She has also taken a liking to spinning and rolling. I know, rolling over is something she mastered several months ago... but this is different. Now, she is rolling like a gymnast, for fun. I think it is a precursor to somersaults. Maybe I need to get us back to that gymnastics studio . The spinning is fun to watch. Especially when she does it while holding Dolly or Tigger. Charlotte tried a new food this week - cottage cheese. And Erica, she didn't like it. But I tried it and it wasn't nearly as awful as I expect...

It still happens. Skin color still matters to some people. In the town I used to teach in, there was an unwritten rule that if a white girl had ever dated a black boy, then she was off limits to all of the white boys. I as appalled when a fellow teacher shared this with me. I knew I was in a rural town, but couldn't believe that people really thought this was acceptable behavior. When I was a teacher, I had that quote on my wall. I don't remember where I first saw it, but I discussed it on the first day of class each year. When I turned away, the kids would laugh about who the "dull" crayons were and, always, one of the more extroverted girls would claim they were the "pretty" crayon. I gave them a minute to get that silliness out of their systems and then re-read the quote to them. I explained that no matter which kind of crayon they were, the bright yellow crayon that was always a good friend, or the black crayon that liked to wear dark clothes and had lot...

Since we live so close to Lakeland, Charlotte and I have started spending a lot of time at the local library. I have found that Charlotte definitely has a preference for some books over others. Here are her, and my, current favorites. Snuggle Puppy Sandra Boynton - This book is a lot of fun to read. It became even more fun when I found a snippet of the song this book belongs too! You and Me, Baby by Lynn Reiser and Penny Gentieu - I love the cadence of this book. The words flow off the tongue and the bright pictures invite Charlotte to interact with the words. Little Monster's Book of Numbers by Frances Thomas and Ross Collins - The main character is so ugly, he is cute. In the first counting book on my list, we go from 10 to 1 using interesting rhyme and bright illustrations. Let's Be Honest by P.K. Hallinan - It is never too early to start helping our children build character. She might not understand everything I read from this book, but it is all going somewhere in her...

One year ago: This week:

When I was 5 years old, the toy industry drove parents crazy with the introduction of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. This year, the Kids turn 25 years old. It is amazing how cute they still are too. I don't think I looked so young at 25 myself. Now, my mom and I remember my history with Cabbage Patch Kids differently. I remember not getting one until I was in the 5th or 6th grade and it was a Cabbage Patch pet - some ugly dog-like thing that I don't remember ever getting attached too. My mom however, says I did get a Cabbage Patch Doll when I was 5, but that it arrived just before I started dance classes and was quickly forgotten. I can't say if she was right or wrong though, because I only remember the dance classes. (Wasn't I cute? I can share more of my dancing pictures if you want me too!) Since I didn't have a great memory, I asked a young friend of mine, Stephanie, to share what she remembered about the Cabbage Patch Dolls. Here is what she had to say: I still ...

After a busy, food-filled weekend, I have another verse about our bodies. Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Romans 12.1 ( HCSB ) How can my body to pleasing to God? It has a lot of extra fat, my heart and lungs aren't as efficient as they were designed to be, and it partakes of lots of unholy eating. All in all, I don't think it is pleasing to God the way it is. Sure, I can still, in faith, do things with my body that please God, like make a meal for a sick friend or rock my baby gently to sleep. But I should do more. I should treat my body as the temple God created it to be. First Corinthians 6.19-20 says: Do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body. ( HCSB ) Would I go into a church and smear trash all ov...