Family Musings

Going to the Lakeland Flying Tigers games is truly one of our favorite things to do during the summer. Sure, it starts out super hot at 6 pm, but after an hour the breeze settles in and the crowd gets into it and fun is had by all. There are corny songs... Fun clapping rhythms that Charlotte really gets in to... Dancing to 3-seconds of popular songs in between batters... and mascots! Charlotte always wants her pictures taken with the mascots. This is the first time we caught up with Ace for a picture. Here she is right after giving him her classic "tree hug." (A "tree hug" is when Charlotte hugs your leg, because legs are a lot like trees. Get it?) This isn't that bad for a family pic... right? It does a good job of summing up the fun we have. Smiles for everyone and no one quite sitting in their seat the right way! This weekend Mary was being particularly camera happy for us... just one of a few cute ones Bruce took. And when I say cute, I mean Mary!

A year ago, I posted a list of 100 things parents should try to do with their children before kindergarten . Here is where I track my progress. I've linked where I can if you are interested (but really just expect the grandparents to care). 1. Go to the zoo 2. Visit a farm 3. Go on a hike 4. Play with kittens or puppies 5. Catch a frog 6. Make a gigantic mess (DONE) 7. Help clean up a gigantic mess 8. Master the monkey-bars 9. Swing high up into the sky all by themselves (DONE) 10. Try ice-skating 11. Go sledding 12. Make a snow-man 13. Blow bubbles (DONE) 14. Plant seeds and watch them grow (DONE) 15. Have a pillow fight (DONE) 16. Jump on a big bed (DONE) 17. Jump on a trampoline or in a bounce house (DONE) 18. Hang out in a tent 19. Spend days at the beach 20. Build sandcastles 21. Go fishing 22. Go out on a boat 23. Play with blocks and puzzles  (DONE) 24. Read the classic picture books  (DONE) 25. Read a classic chapt...

For nearly a year now, I've been trying to write a post about the "terrible twos." But I can't quite get the words to come out the way I want to. And since Charlotte will be three in less than a week, I thought it was high time I got to wrapping my brain around my thoughts. It used to be, BK (Before Kids), that I thought that every two year old was terrible and could not be controlled. That tantrums were a fact of life. All the while though, I also thought that my child would NEVER be like that. Raise your hand if you agreed with me BK. Okay, hands down. I know you did. Every parent thinks that. The truth is, ALL of us are wrong. Tantrums from two year-olds are probably inevitable. But not because some magic tantrum switch flips in their brain. Two year-olds are stuck in a communication limbo. And calling them terrible does nothing to improve their attitude, or ours. Which is why I don't like the phrase "Terrible Twos." Beth, at The Natural Mommy...

My life is wonderful! There are few things I would change about it. Even when it gets kind of crazy busy and I need to spend my relaxation time watching the Food Network instead of blogging. Then, you throw in a 3 day hospital visit for my mom (she's okay, thanks for asking), the pending arrival of an exchange student (who is staying for 10 months!), and my preparations to leave for another 3 1/2 days to go to the MOPS Convention (the 2nd time in so many weeks that Bruce gets to have solo overnight parenting duties)! Oh, and don't forget the planning for my oldest daughter's 3rd birthday! So much is going on I can hardly decide what to do first! That being said, my birthday series is going to be postponed until next week when I get back from my MOPS Convention. By then, I should have all sorts of other details taken care of and be able to give my full attention to showing you with more than 15 different birthday related giveaways! If you are a vendor participating in that...

Purple highlights were something I had been considering for a while. And finally, I did it. They make me happy every time I see them. Even though they seem super obvious in these photos, I don't think they are. It was just really bright outside when I took the pictures. To get these highlights done so they would be a bit subtle, I had the rest of my hair dyed back closer to my natural color. It looks darker than most people are used to because I had all over blond highlights before. To get such an intense purple (the color you see is after 5 washes), Elysia had to first stripped the color out. I am very happy with these highlights and definitely will be brave enough to experiment with color some more. Who knows, maybe I'll get a tattoo or some piercings next! Who says 32 is too old to have fun?!

For those of you who read my blog solely for stories about Charlotte and Mary (even the ones about potty training ), I wanted to let you know that in a couple of weeks, there will be a pretty big birthday event on this blog. It will focus on toddler/preschooler birthday ideas and so far there are 16 giveaways planned, with more in the pipe waiting for the details to be ironed out. It will roughly run for the first 2 weeks in August, but there will be some Charlotte and Mary stuff in there, because they will be helping me review the products. I need a 3 year old's opinion on some of these things! For those of you who read my blog because you like the stories about my girls AND you like the chance to learn about new products and possibly win free stuff, then stick around! Share it with your friends! Subscribe in a reader or by email (links in the sidebar)! Leave a comment! I really am excited about what is coming up... and I think you should be too! More sneak previews to come!

Yesterday in my post about potty training Charlotte, I mentioned that I think her love language is Words of Affirmation. I am only assuming this based on experience as I haven't read the book about children's love languages and how to determine what they are. But I do know that understanding the love languages of the people in your house is so important. Knowing which love language my husband speaks helps me serve him better. The fact that he also knows my love language is primarily Words of Affirmation also helps our marriage be stronger. He can speak to me in my heart's language instead of watching me languish, feeling unloved. I know a couple that has completely opposite love languages. They have to work VERY HARD to speak one anothers language. Their love for one another comes at a personal cost. Fortunately, they are a dedicated couple and have a strong desire to see their marriage not only survive, but thrive. Do you know your love language? (Your choices are Wo...