Family Musings

 The Macaroni Grill Meal winners are... commentors 2 , 4 , and 53 . So, Monica (2), Edi (4), and Naddez (53) need to send me an e-mail at familymusings @ gmail dot com with their mailing addresses so I can get these sent out ASAP!

Charlotte is now exerting her independent self and can get very upset if we try to help her do something that she thinks she can do on her own. For example, now that she knows how to climb up into her high chair, she insists on doing it every time. Not only that, but she knows how to buckle herself in and won't stand for any help, even if her shirt is stuck and it won't work. Charlotte just doesn't realize it and won't accept help. Speaking of climbing, Charlotte can now also climb into her car seat without help. I am a bit more apprehensive about this one though since it involves her loose in a parking lot for a few seconds. Overall, it seems to be working pretty well. I can watch her step into the car and then load my bags or start the engine while she climbs up. Despite my apprehension, this last step of independence is a good one with the new baby coming. I hope it will make life easier when I am out with both girls, trying to juggling baby carriers and diaper...

Charlotte has her first dental appt today and I had to fill out her paperwork. For the question about child's interests (clearly intended for the older child), I answered, "bubbles, books, and stickers." I crack me up. :)

We spent the first half of our 11th anniversary showing Charlotte around Sea World. I took WAY too many pictures so, I'll just let them tell the story for me. Excited that G-ma and Grumpy have arrived! Letting us know she is serious about getting into this park Intently watching "Melmo" Live with the rest of the Sesame Street Gang (Melmo=Elmo) Playing the timpani(?) at Shamu's Splash Park ( Ms. Debbie would be proud!) Going down the slide... Finally, the Splash Pad! She was timid at first, but it didn't take her too long to get into it. It was a great morning and I am looking forward to taking Charlotte back to play at the Splash Pad. Hopefully, when it is less crowded! What did you do on Memorial Day?

Every year that we spend together, I discover more about you,... ...and I have an even deeper appreciation for you, our marriage, and our Lord.  He directed our steps, blessed our love,...  ...and made us one in a way that only he can - giving us something incredibly special. You are the gift God chose for me, and the moment He revealed it my heart overflowed with joy, and still does. I'm in love with you and always will be!

If you follow the news, you know that last week, Florida was inundated with rain, getting more than 7 inches in some part of the state. It is quite an unusual start to our rainy season, in which we normally get a few quick showers each afternoon. I'm sure I don't have to tell you which we prefer. The weather last week required me to get pretty creative on our usual 'go to the park' day. So, I grabbed a bag and started pillaging my art closet before we headed to a friend's house. All of the items were pretty random but sure to provide a decent amount of fun for whatever set-up and clean-up effort they required. In no certain order, here are some of the events that filled our rainy day. Silly Photo Session (even more fun if you have a new camera!) - Just let the kids go making faces, dancing, doing somersaults, jumping, holding hands, whatever they enjoy doing. You can take pictures with their favorite toys, or of them imitating their favorite animals. Temporary Tatto...

Today is the last day for our Spring Kindermusik session and I am definitely going to miss it once class ends. Charlotte has had a lot of fun learning new songs, playing new instruments, and having songs sung just about her. One way in which I've been encouraged as her mother is in using different voices and tones in reading to her. I knew it was good to get silly with my child, but sometimes, well, some of us more reserved types need positive examples to reinforce the silly behavior. Ms. Debbie isn't embarrassed at all to get down on Charlotte's level and model age-appropriate silliness. Kindermusik helped me break out of my shell a little more and experiment with my voice more while I am reading to Charlotte. And I also knew that using different voices would help her understand dialogue and different ways to manipulate her own voice. Being able to get the non-verbal part of communication down will be important as she gets older. Sometimes what people say is more about...

I hope not, because I have one more post... Throughout my no'poo experiment , I kind of knew I should probably be adding some conditioner to my hair on an occasional basis. I even did so during the first week, but then, well, forgot about it. Then, over the weekend, I read about a special promotion going on this week for Kerastsae salon products. They were offering a free in-salon ritual plus blow-dry, so I looked up my nearest salon and scheduled an appointment. It was so relaxing to be pampered while there, and Charlotte behaved like a perfect angel while she watched from her stroller. It helped that some of the other clients and staff doted on her a bit. My hair is definitely conditioned, and I love the job that Lizzie did blowing it out and giving it some big, soft curls. Bruce had fun playing with my camera when he came home and I narrowed down the 30ish shots to these 4. (I have no idea why the color is REALLY off on one of them!) What can I say, having a new, fancy cam...

I am getting picture happy. I can't help it. The most satisfying part of my new camera might just be the 'click' noise it makes each time I press the button to take a picture. That, more than anything else, makes me feel like I know what the heck I am doing with such a fancy-schmancy camera! Here are a few random photos I've taken recently. Which one is your favorite? Any tips for making any of these better? (Click for a larger version if you want to.)                  

My 30 days ended last weekend and I have no plans to discontinue my baking soda/apple cider vinegar hair care program. I made it the entire month without using traditional shampoo. And you know what, it wasn't any harder to use BS and ACV than it was to use the drugstore stuff. Plus, I like my hair a lot better! (Ha! I love this cartoon on the left I found at Babs blog. It cracks me up!) I didn't think to take a before picture, but just imagine it a lot frizzier and less manageable than the following picture. I assure you anyone who knows me in real life can vouch for that! So, this is no longer experiment. It is now going to be my way of life. Yes, I will still have to fight the almost 100% humidity of  Florida, but that is okay... I now have better tools. Let me know what you think? Anyone other than Luke or Babs going to follow my lead?

The Macaroni Grill is one of my favorite places to eat. I can't recall ever having a bad meal there and have always liked their make your own pasta idea. Now, they have an at-home option for those of us who, um, maybe can't afford to eat out right now . I'll keep this one simple. I tried the Creamy Basil flavor featured on the right and my husband agreed that it was great! I think you'd like it too, so I have 3 Romano's Macaroni Grill Gift Baskets to give away. Each basket includes a sample of the Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken Pasta variety, three coupons for you to try the other varieties the next time you visit your local grocer, a colander, serving spoon and cheese grater. How to Enter: There are four ways to enter and you can do any of them you like, for up to four entries: Leave a comment telling me what your biggest struggle is when preparing dinner for your family , Subscribe to my RSS feed, and leave a 2nd comment telling me you di...

Charlotte went to her first baseball game Friday night. It was supposed to be a double-header until it got rained out, but that didn't matter to her. She had fun watching a few at bats and learning how to sign baseball. Here are a few photographic highlights. Batter up! (I think this picture looks cooler if you click on it and blow it up.) Game called for rain. The tarp looked really heavy as all those young men were pulling across the field. Learning the sign for baseball, from her daddy. And now, she isn't picking her nose, she is pushing her think button, just like Momma does. Enjoying the view from the seats, safe from the rain. This is Charlotte shouting, "stop taking pictures with your new camera and come sit down next to me!" And now she say, "of course I'm grumpy, I am soaking wet from the rain and I want more baseball!" Don't worry Charlotte, we'll go again soon. Our tickets are good to be used as rainchecks since the game...

Last fall, I checked out several "diabetic" cookbooks from the library in hopes of finding newer, healthier recipes to enjoy with my family. My favorite recipe so far comes from The All Natural Diabetes Cookbook , by Jackie Newgent. Everything seems easy enough to make and comes with the nutritional informaton and exchanges for each recipe. The recipe that is now a new vegetarian favorite (we try to eag vegetarian at least once a week to save money) is called Uno, Dos, Tres Bean Burrito , on page 198 of the cookbook. Here is my modified version of the recipe: 1 tsp canola or peanut oil 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 1 can black beans, drained 1 can white beans, drained (I used northern beans) 1 can pinto or roman beans (I used pinto) 1/2 cup salsa 4 10-inch tortillas 1/3 cup cheese (or more if you are like me!) 2 cups of mixed baby greens (I just used spinach) Saute onions in oil until lightly carmelized. Add the beans and saute 2 minutes. Then add salsa (and cilantro if yo...

They aren't anything fancy, we had just sat down to dinner when my battery finished charging... I'll have more to post later... Gotta run!

As I mentioned previously, Charlotte has been able to attend a Kindermusik class for the last several weeks and I've been so impressed by it, I really want to share some of what we've learned during this time. Even though I've read Ms. Debbie's blog for several months now, I  wasn't ever really sure how to integrate posts about how reading and music go together . After seeing it in action though, I know that reading can help teach students about the rhythm of the written word, much like music helps us hear the rhythm of a song lyric or about the tones of music when we change our voices to imitate certain characters in a story. I'll share about the reading today, and the tones in a future post. In fact, there are many books that are based on popular children's songs. Charlotte already loves books because we've been reading to her from the very beginning , so it makes sense that I can use a research-based approach (which seems more like common sense th...

I am now way past officially behind on our Alphabet School . I imagine I'll be picking it up again in a few weeks when school gets out and I have more free time. But that doesn't mean we haven't been doing crafty things. Here is our latest fun craft. (Sorry for the cell phone pictures, my new camera is supposed to arrive tomorrow!) These are super easy to make. Start with a coffee filter, markers, and a pipe cleaner. Let your kids make all sorts of doodles and scribbles on the coffee filter with the markers. I chose to limit the kids to just 3 colors so they wouldn't get too crazy or end up brown. Then, with a spray bottle preferrably, or a damp sponge, wet the coffee filters so that the marker ink is somewhat difused. Once the filter is dry, scrunch up the middle a bit and twist the pipe cleaner on into the shape of a butterfly body and antennae.   These are super quick and fun to make. Charlotte liked seeing how the color faded and the color combinations a...

When we first moved to Lakeland last summer, I started to meet this lady named Debbie Mondale at various children's events around the city. She was a nice lady and Charlotte seemed to like her, or at least all of the cool musical instruments she always had with her. We talked several times about joining one of her Kindermusik classes, but I never really could justify the cost of the classes, even though they did sound like fun. Finally, one day this spring, Debbie offered me a barter - in exchange for some help with her blog and website , I could bring Charlotte to the remainder of the Spring session of Our Time (for children 18 months to 3.5 years old). I love the internet and I also love the system of bartering where we can exchange talents and skills, so I jumped at the chance. And I just want to say, Kindermusik has been a million times better than I ever expected! Charlotte enjoys the class maybe more than any other kid there and I have really seen some growth in her und...

I'm bad when it comes to remembering birthdays. I get Charlotte and Bruce's birthday mixed up all the time! And they were born almost 30 years apart (well, 29 years and 362 days apart to be exact). So, even though I planned to do some kind of birthday party when my blog reached 2 years old, I forgot. The Baby Brain may be getting worse now that number two is incubating inside of me. But, from my first lame introductory post to my first giveaway ever , from my posts about nursing to my posts about Charlotte's crazy sleep habits , I have loved having this piece of broadband (or dial up if you are old school), to share my life with all of you. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. So to celebrate, enjoy a piece of birthday cake, raise a glass, or hit the little 'x' in the upper right hand corner of your screen... do whatever this little blog inspires you to do! But before you go, make sure to leave a comment what kind of present you would give to Family...

Just a quick note to finally tell ya'll about Charlotte's second trip to see a Cirque du Soleil show. If you'll remember, a posted a while back that we received some complimentary tickets, courtesy of Mom Select. I was grateful for the tickets, but bummed that Bruce couldn't come with us due to prior obligations in Alabama. But that was okay, because my mom got to come with us instead. Because the show didn't start until 7:30 pm and Charlotte normally goes to bed at 6 pm, I put her down a little bit early and then woke her just before 7 so we would have time to drive to the Lakeland Center. It seemed to work until after the intermission. For the first half of the show, she pretty much sat enthralled. Ocassionally, she would recognize something like a bicycle, balls, or dancing and gleefully share her enthusiasm with the rest of the audience. I know she entertained the people sitting behind us with all of her enthusiasm for the various acts. Saltimbanco is a ...

Just wanted to check in and let ya'll know I am still happy with my no 'poo experiment. My hair is most definitely less frizzy and I find I can go longer until my hair reaches the ball cap stage. It used to be that my washed and styled hair would last about 2 days and by the third day I had to wear a ball cap if I didn't want to wash it again. I only did the baking soda rinse one time last week and the ACV rinse twice and I ended not having to resort to wearing a hat at all. My hair is definitely into the more greasy than usual phase, but yet, it isn't yet gross. I found that when I did the baking soda rinse this week, I had to rinse and repeat. It may be that I didn't use enough baking soda for the initial rinse, so I repeated it and got that squeaky clean feeling again. I have reached the conclusion that my hair may never be completely frizz free. I live in Florida ya'll. It is humid here, like walking around in a swimming pool some days. Of course, if I...

To celebrate Charlotte turning 21-months old, I wanted to take Charlotte swimming this afternoon, but wasn't sure we'd have enough time. So instead, I plopped her in the tub at 4 pm and let her experience the joys of her first bubble bath. You've never seen this child so excited! It was crazy and she stayed in the tub for 45 minutes. The only reason she got out was because I made her. Otherwise, who knows how much longer she would have played with the bubbles. They just never got old to her. I am still camera-less, so this picture came from my cell phone. Oh, and if anyone knows where I can find an awesome deal (less than $400) on a Nikon D40 (with a lense), please let me know. Hubby recently informed me that I could have this camera for Mother's Day, but that I was responsible for finding the best deal.

I enjoy listening to the local Christian music station and every day they play these short "commercials" with people saying how they always hear the right song at the right time and what a blessing it is. And, while I like the music, I can't honestly say I was similarly encouraged - until Wednesday that is. I got in the car to pick up our $5 pizza for dinner just 30 minutes after Bruce came home and told me he had lost his job. I was shocked and thought he must be kidding, but, if you knew Bruce, he doesn't kid about these things. He was dead serious and the very tight hug he gave me spoke volumes. So, when I turned the radio on, Natalie Grant's song, Held ,came on. Who told us we’d be rescued? What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares? We’re asking why this happens To us who have died to live? It’s unfair. Unemployment can happen to anyone, at any time, when you least expect it. And in this economy, it can feel especially scary, particularly for...

I think these pictures of Charlotte eating my favorite fruit, coupled with the 90 degree temps this week, mean that summer has come to Florida to stay! Want some? Hey, these might be some of the best quality pics I've ever taken with my cell phone. Full sun really makes a difference!