A Simple Kind of Life

My super sweet, very thoughtful husband!

2007-10-29T02:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 7th anniversary of the day Paul and I were married, 10 total years together. We were married on a beautiful autumn day in Tennessee in a little chapel high up in the mountains. All of our family and friends were there to see us start our new life and husband and wife. Marring Paul was the best decision of my life, he's a wonderful man and a great daddy! And there is evidence of this :) Yesterday morning in my inbox I received an anniversary present from Paul, my computer techy, website building, very thought, and creative husband. Yes, I received my own URL and website. He's so tricky the way he can file things I say I want away and make them happen for such wonderful surprises.
So....introducing http://asimplekindoflife.net Please remark your bookmarks and you can find me there now :)

I'm doing it so you should too!

2007-10-24T04:34:00.000-07:00

http://www.paperbackswap.com
swap books for free! ok, you have to pay postage but you get a credit for every book you mail out. one book equals one credit. simple huh? start by listing 9 and get 3 free credits. plus you can print media mail postage right from the site. it really couldn't be any easier. the only problem, more people need to participate. especially if your going to list homeschool books! so come and play!

Pudding video

2007-10-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the video that goes along with the pudding face picture. Skye is having a snack while Carter and his friend are playing in the other room. Skye is practicing her favorite words including Buba (her word for Carter). Enjoy :)

Vintage Carter

2007-10-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

2 years ago, picking out pumpkins.

Pudding face

2007-10-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

why is it that I find this so irresistible?

Bookshelves

2007-10-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

I read about this idea and loved it. Paul and I completed the project this weekend. I love it! As you can see we are studying steam engines this week though FIAR Mike Mulligan.
Looks great Paul, thank you!

Let it be known!

2007-10-17T02:12:00.000-07:00

That today, October 17th 2007 at 5:17 am, my inbox is EMPTY for the first time in over 3 months!
Gmail says

No new mail!

. Whew, what a relief!!

Something that spoke to me

2007-10-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

maybe to you too....

The Mall (rants and raves)

2007-10-11T10:56:00.001-07:00

I took the kids to the mall for the first time in forever yesterday.

THE GOOD
People were NICE, actually NICE! The lady at Lush (yes, there is now a Lust @ 12 oaks) gave me a TON of samples!
The nice guy at TCYB gave the kids two toppings on their yogurt for the price of one.
The new wing, is BEAUTIFUL.
The spot they moved the kids area has only one opening and the alluring escalator is sort of hidden (major bonus).

THE BAD
My favorite yogurt place (upstairs Macy's) is under remodel, don't know if it'll be the same when it reopens.
When did the food court become such a market place? I was just trying to get to the bathroom and I was assaulted with free samples and come eat here :) Yeeesh!
The new kids area is far away from the bathroom, not a good thing when you have kids!

All in all, a good day at the mall. Exhausting, but good!

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

2007-10-10T04:14:00.000-07:00

This is our second week using the Five in a Row curriculum. The basic idea is you read the book, everday, then take your lessons from the book. I am LOVING this curriculum, it's been a great jumping off point for homeschooling! This week we read How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World The premise of the story is what happens if you want to make an apple pie and the market is closed? You'd have to travel the world to gather the ingredients. Italy for wheat, France for eggs, Sri Lanka for cinnamon, England for a cow (milk then butter), Jamaica for sugar cane, seawater for salt and Vermont for apples. Here is how our week went.

Monday; First I asked Carter how he thinks we make an apple pie. Here is what he said; Cut the apples. Dough, sugar and flour. Roll the dough. Put it in a bowl pan. Add the apples. Bake for 15 hours. Put in on a plate and eat it while it's warm.
Then we read the book. Later we did a connect the dots that made an apple.

Tuesday. We read the book, then.... we went to a preschool co-op with many other children at my friends house. There we sliced apples, grated cinnamon, ground wheat, made butter and finally but it all together for apple pies! The kids each got their own and one for the adults too!

Wednesday. We read the book, then.. We did math! We read 10 Apples up on Top by Dr. Seuss. Apple patterns, but apples in baskets. And in the morning we went on a field trip to a cider mill!

Thursday. We read the book, then... Vocabulary. I let Carter trace the words, then we talked about the definition. Paul had the great idea to use our vocab words whenever possible during the next week or so it will become part of Carter's everyday speech. The words were; superb, locate, elegant, native, coax and ingredients.

Friday. We read the book, then... On the last day I like to let Carter help me 'read' as much as possible. Then we did a storyline activity and put up our story disc on the map.

What a great week! Looking forward to
Mike Mulligan next!
Apple Patterns
Apple Baskets
The Pies!
Carter and his pie

Nature Bangles

2007-10-09T04:10:00.000-07:00

I read about this idea in several places so I'm not going to site one source. The idea is you either use double sided tape or (like we did) make a tape bracelet with the sticky on the outside. Then simply walk and collect anything you'd like! We also brought along a bigger bag to put big stuff in. Simple, and fun!

Neighborhood kids :)

2007-10-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

I must have overpaid a couple of neighborhood kids last year for raking my leaves. Now anytime there are more than 5 leaves on the lawn or more than an inch of snow they are knocking on my door. They must see me as their sugar mama ;) HA HA, oh well!

Love it!

2007-10-03T03:36:00.000-07:00

got a bit behind in blogging, hoping to catch up soon!

Happy Birthday Uncle Adam!!

2007-09-24T04:54:00.000-07:00

We love you!

Free 411, no ads!

2007-09-21T04:20:00.001-07:00

http://www.google.com/goog411/

Artificial Food Additives May Increase Hyperactivity in Children

2007-09-21T04:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/562631?src=mp

September 10, 2007 — Artificial food color and additives commonly found in children's food increase the mean level of hyperactivity in children aged 3 years and 8 to 9 years, according to the results of a community-based, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge study published online September 6 in The Lancet.

"Artificial food colours and other food additives (AFCA) have long been suggested to affect behaviour in children," write Donna McCann, PhD, from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, and colleagues. "Despite the failure of early studies to identify the range of proposed adverse affects, a recent meta-analysis of double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials has shown a significant effect of AFCA on the behaviour of children with ADHD [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder]. The possible benefit in a reduction in the level of hyperactivity of the general population by the removal of AFCA from the diet is less well established."

The investigators randomized 153 three-year-old and 144 eight- to nine-year-old children to receive a challenge drink containing sodium benzoate and 1 of 2 artificial-food-color-and-additive mixes (A or B) or a placebo mix. The primary outcome measure was a global hyperactivity aggregate, derived from aggregated z scores of observed behaviors and teacher and parent ratings, as well as from a computerized test of attention for 8- to 9-year-old children.

For reasons not related to childhood behavior, 16 three-year-old children and 14 eight- to nine-year-old children dropped out of the study. Compared with placebo, mix A, but not mix B, had a significantly adverse effect on the global hyperactivity aggregate for all 3-year-old children (effect size, 0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.01 - 0.39; P = .044). When the analysis was restricted only to those 3-year-old children who consumed more than 85% of juice and had no missing data, the findings were similar (effect size, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.05 - 0.60; P = .02).

For 8- to 9-year-old children who consumed at least 85% of drinks and had no missing data, there were significantly adverse effects compared with placebo for either mix A (effect size, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02 - 0.23; P = .023) or mix B (effect size, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.07 - 0.28; P = .001).

"Artificial colours or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population," the authors write. "We recorded substantial individual differences in the response of children to the additives. For both age groups, no significant effect of social and demographic factors was seen on the initial level of GHA [global hyperactivity aggregate] or in the moderation of the challenge effects."

Study limitations include inability to determine specific compounds in the mix that are harmful and lack of control over when the challenges are ingested in relation to the timing of measures of hyperactivity.

"Although the use of artificial colouring in food manufacture might seem superfluous, the same cannot be said for sodium benzoate, which has an important preservative function," the authors conclude. "The implications of these results for the regulation of food additive use could be substantial."

The Food Standards Agency funded this study. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Lancet. Published online September 6, 2007.

Clinical Context
According to the authors of the current study, artificial food colors and additives have been shown to affect behavior in children, with an increase in overactive, impulsive, and inattentive behavior, (ie, hyperactivity, similar to that seen in children with ADHD). A recent meta-analysis showed a significant effect of artificial food color and additives on the behavior of children with ADHD, with an effect size of 0.21 to 0.28.

This is a community-based, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject, crossover, food challenge study designed to examine the effect of 2 types of artificial food color and additive preparations (representing typical consumption of sweets or candies) on 3- and 8- to 9-year-old children.

Study Highlights
Included were 3-year-old children from nurseries, preschool groups, and play groups and schoolchildren aged 8 to 9 years from 1 city in England.
Teachers completed a baseline hyperactivity questionnaire for all children.
Dieticians completed a food intake report based on 24-hour recall to assess the amount of food consumed with food additives and coloring.
3 drink mixes were used to represent typical daily sweet intakes for children in this area.
Mix A for the 3-year-old children included 20 mg of artificial food colorings (sunset yellow, 5 mg; carmoisine, 2.5 mg; tartrazine, 7.5 mg; and ponceau 4R, 5 mg) and 45 mg of sodium benzoate.
Mix B contained 30 mg of artificial food colorings and 45 mg of sodium benzoate.
For 9-year-old children, the total amount of artificial coloring was multiplied by 1.25 to reflect higher intakes by children in this age group, but 45 mg of sodium benzoate was used for mixes A and B.
Doses for mix A were similar to those in two 56-g bags of sweets and, for mix B, 4 bags of sweets daily.
Children were randomized to 1 of 6 sequences for 6 weeks of mix A, mix B, or placebo.
Children spent a week consuming their typical diet followed by a washout period of 6 weeks.
During this 6-week period, children consumed the challenge mix and mixed fruit juices at home, provided in identical sealed bottles.
A separate masked test in young adults showed that the 3 drinks could not be differentiated by taste or appearance.
Parents completed a daily diary of juice mix consumption.
A global hyperactivity aggregate (with higher score representing more hyperactivity) was calculated, based on 3 measures in 3-year-old children and 4 measures in 8- to 9-year-old children.
The 3 measures used for both age groups were ADHD rating scale IV (for teachers), Weiss-Perry-Peters hyperactivity scale for parents, and the classroom observation code used by trained observers.
A fourth measure for 8- to 9-year-old children only was the Conners continuous performance test II using 4 scores and visual stimuli of 14-minutes' duration to assess hyperactivity.
The global hyperactivity aggregate was a composite of the tests used with baseline score standardized as 0.
85% of children were white, 33% to 43% of parents had lower occupations, and 82% were married or cohabiting.
3-year-old children (n = 136):
Mean age was 43.5 months, half were boys, 10% did not complete the study, and 93% consumed more than 85% of drinks.
76% had complete global hyperactivity aggregate data.
The effect of mix A was significant for increasing global hyperactivity aggregate score (P = .044), whereas mix B did not increase scores.
The effect of mix B was highly variable, with substantial individual differences.
The effect size was 0.20 for mix A.
8- to 9-year-old children (n = 119):
Mean age was 106.3 months, half were boys, 10% did not complete the study, and 75% consumed 85% or more of the drinks during the challenge weeks.
The effects of mixes A and B on global hyperactivity aggregate score were significantly greater than that of placebo for complete case groups (P = .023 and
P = .001, respectively).
The effect size was 0.12 for mix A and 0.17 for mix B.
Pearls for Practice
Consumption of a low-dose mix of artificial food color and additives is associated with increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old children.
Consumption of 2 different doses of artificial food color and additives is associated with increased hyperactivity in 8- to 9-year-old children.

Medscape Medical News 2007. ©2007 Medscape

Why I gave up the Emmy's.

2007-09-17T03:46:00.000-07:00

This is the first year in I don't know how many years that I have not watched the Emmy awards. And no it's not because I didn't know they were on. And no it's not because I don't own a tv. And no It's not because I'm not an award show junkie, well, I was.
Excess. It's too much excess. Gift bags for presenters that near $10,000, attendees wearing Millions of dollars worth of jewelry, the party's, the food, the clothing.... All this so they can applaud for each other for DOING THEIR JOB! All this while some kid (lots of kids actually) was going to bed hungry. All this while another family is loosing their home to foreclosure. All this while America's best are overseas fighting in a war and dying and not having the proper equipment. But I'm sure it's all Bush's fault. And trust me,I'm no Bush fan.
How about instead of a night of excess these fine actors these actors donate their time, money, and resources to something that ISN'T ALL ABOUT THEM! How about the give that cute little golden statue to the fine citizens of America that work their asses off to provide for their families? How about giving it to someone who is living real drama, not just playing it on TV?
I might just throw my TV out the window. Seriously.

Painting clothespins

2007-09-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

We painted clothespins the other day for our art area above the children's desk (see Homeschooling blog for photos). They turned out really great and not too too messy!!

A story, by Carter

2007-09-12T15:10:00.000-07:00

A big crazy chicken who is following a path to a river and the path breaks and the chicken falls in the water.

Volcanoes

2007-09-12T03:26:00.001-07:00

Carter has been quite interested in volcanoes for awhile now. We've read books, talked about them, watched videos on youtube (what a great educations tool, who knew?), and finally made our own! Thanks for my friend Sally for her creativity in the design (are you there Sally?).

This is a disposable plastic wear, upside down, hole cut out of center, film canister placed inside. Covered in play dough (we save it and reuse it every time), then you know the trick....baking soda, colored vingear....the MAGIC happens and volcanoes erupt!!

Fun, fun, fun!

Homeschooling

2007-09-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, the poll decided, unanimously, that the preschool blog should stay. And Paul and Julie's suggestion of making categories is already in the works.

So, now on to homeschooling. Why homeschool? Well, the answer will be different for every family. For us, it's simply an extension of what we are already doing. It feels very natural to me. I want my kids to be passionate about learning and to be able to explore and learn subjects they are interested in. All that said, we are making a year by year decision. So next year, we will see. But this year, we are all very happy with our decision. I am a newbie in all of this, but it's a learning process for me too! There are plenty of other homeschoolers out there with much more experience than me, I hope to learn from them!

FAQ's
Are you using a curriculum?

Well, mostly no. We learn in everything we do. I guess if you must label us we are unschoolers, but I hate those silly labels. We are just doing what feels right for our family, call it what you like. We learn by living. Example; we might go to a planetarium and partake in a preschool show. Then we will go to the library and check out books on solar system. Have lots of conversations about planets, maybe color a sheet I've printed off. This could go on for days, or weeks, we could put the subject away and not explore it again for a year.

Socialization?
This one always kills me. Have you met my kids? They are EXTREMLY social. They can talk to adults and kids of ALL AGES, not just their own. Just because it's called HOMEschooling doesn't mean we are at home. We are at the museum, the park, the beach, the library, the store, the cider mill, petting farm...and on and on. We aren't tied to any schedule, other that our own! This fall we are taking a tumbling class with a local homeschooling group. We are in Nature Tots and library story times (which include circle time, fingerplays and usually a craft).

So, you think public schools are bad?
No. I think that many kids do very well in schools and my kids may one day too.

I can't teach my kids, I don't know anything about (insert math, science, foreign language).
We all learn as we go. I don't think I know it all, but I do know where to find the answer!

All that said, this has been one of the most difficult decisions for me to make. Never have I been more back and forth or have written more pro and con lists in my life!

So, here is our learning room (aka, our office). I have tried to create an environment that welcomes learning in a way that is easy to do, easy to clean up and comfortable for everyone.

This is not a sponsored message

2007-09-05T13:43:00.001-07:00

I just love Penzey's and if you have one near you, you must go! While you are there sign up for their catalog. Every few months they send me one I can drool over and it usually has a coupon for a free jar of spice inside!

Don't miss spices from Penzey's
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysfours.html
the smoky is out of this world yum!

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyscrouton.html
the possibilities are endless!

Go, explore your favorites, just go!

A visit from our Chicago family!

2007-09-05T10:15:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time :) Thanks for spending the day with us, wish we'd had more time!!

(hey Adam, you made 'the blog'!!)

Take a Poll!

2007-09-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

I added a poll to the top of the page. Please take it.

I want to blog about the homeschool type things I do with the kids. I'm trying to decide if it needs to be a separate blog or not. So, vote and I'll let you decide!

Also, after talking to my biggest fans ;) (you know who you are!) I've been inspired, so look for some new posts and so posts of a different nature!

Big girl

2007-09-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

ok, who gave my baby girl permission to get so big?

Blog Dump

2007-08-23T15:47:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile so here's a couple for Carter and Skye fans out there ;)

2 Videos

First up, Skye. I just love her 'moooowwww' instead of 'no'. And picking her nose, well, that's one to embarss her when she's older ;) I don't think the 'moooww' will last long. I've caught her practicing 'no' when mooow one is watching.

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Second, is teamwork! 'It's a lot of job' says Carter. I call it free labor ;) j/k, kinda! Skye loves to clean, give the girl a wipe and she'll clean for a half an hour. What fun!

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Pictures;
We've been busy canning. To wash the tomatoes I put them in the bathtub. Carter says 'I've never seen anything like that before!'

Yes, it's true. And I've never tasted anything better! My version of winter sunshine.

Finally, the kids and I walked the Mackinac Bridge. Well, sort of. It's the mini Mac and it's at DSC right now.

and another (better) picture from that day. We love this children's museum. It's the best for preschoolers in the greater area.

So, that's what we've been up to. Looking forward to fall. Staring new classes for the kids. Preschool home school, apples, cider, cooler days.....

Signs at (almost) 18 months

2007-08-04T04:16:00.000-07:00

Well it's been 5 months since my last baby signs update. Here is our current list, she learned quite a bit in 5 months and added many, many more verbal words as well. Some days she'll belt out complete sentences 'I did it' she'll say. You just have to listen close, which can be difficult with a 4 year old big brother stealing the show all the time!

Blueberry
Music
Hat
Hurt
More
All done
Hot
Bath
Hi
Phone
Outside
Fish
Duck/bird
Elephant
Eat
Drink/Water
Nurse
Ice cream
Bicycle
Shower
Cow
Horse
Dog
Cat
Bear
Train
Ball
Balloon
Blow kisses
Flower
Book
Lotion
Measure me
Toothbrush
Bunny
Squirrel
Shoes
Socks
I Love You
Cookie
Turtle
Diaper Change/Potty
Peek-a-boo
Cry
Play
Banana

Points out body parts;
elbow
nose
hair
tongue
teeth
mouth
fingers
toes
foot

Her favorite word is 'MINE' and she's very much into doing it herself!
I think she knows more signs than her brother at this age, but I have no written record I can find :( so now you know why I blog about these things....it helps me remember! I'm working on video-ing this, I have very little video of Carter signing :(

I would say we are at our peak for the signing, as she starts to use more and more words the signs become less and less used. I remember two of the last signs Carter used were Thank you (on the Halloween he was 2 is when he gave that one up) and more (he still uses it when his mouth is full!). He still knows the signs and does them with Skye and with me, sometimes he'll make some up as well.

Carter is 4!!

2007-08-01T02:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, he's 4! I wonder what sort of changes we can expect from him? He's so different from a year ago. Yet so much the same.
Curious and wonder surround him. Last night we took him to a magic show and he was the only kid asking 'how did you do that?'
He is very thoughtful, always thinking of others.
A wonderful big brother. He has such a special way with Skye. They crack each other up :)
He get songs stuck in his head (just like Mommy)
He loves books
He surfs the Internet (what Rescue Hero shall I get next)
He'll eat just about anything. And that of which he doesn't like he says 'Mom, I'll like onions when I get older'
He's a fish in the water.
He loves to do 'projects' with mommy and sis
He loves doing errands with Daddy
He loves his friends
He's an active, happy boy of 4. wow. 4.

Here is a slide show of the changes in my little boy in one year.
Last year's show

5 Things Meme

2007-08-01T02:27:00.000-07:00

From my friend Angie's blog

I was tagged with this Five Things meme by Barb at Skittles Place.

List five things in your refrigerator:
1. Smoked fish from vacation that needs thowing away
2. Pizza from Saturday that needs thowing away
3. Hot Dogs
4. Ground beef for tonights dinner
5. Not much else, we are grocery shopping 2nite!

Five things in your purse or backpack:
(I only carry a diaper bag)
1. MP3 player
2. diapers and wipes
3. a few snacks
4. bandaids
5. complete change of clothes for 2 adorable kiddos

Five things in your car:

1. Crumbs (from food)
2. toys
3. cd cases (one for us, one for the kids)
4. 1st Aid Kit
5. Kid's emegercy kit (crafts, toys, markers, magazines, books)

Five things in the world you want to see before you die:

1. my kids having kids
2. anything
3. as long
4. as it's with
5. my family

YOUR TURN!

Carter on fishing

2007-07-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

The first is his first impression of what fly fishing might be.

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Next we have him casting. He loved it. He really truly thought he might be able to catch a fish. We did not give him a real worm or hook, for obvious reasons. He's almost 4.

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Finally, I saw him doing this a few times. I thought it was because he was bored, but I found it this is his impression of Daddy's fly fishing.

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Our family vacation

2007-07-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm going to bore you with a slide show of our family vacation up north. We had a great time. We relaxed, rested, napped, swam, fished, played,visited with family, and just flat out had a great time! I love making memories with these kids! We were gone 6 days, 5 nights at Nana's up north cottage with one (rather large) road trip in there too. Videos to come soon!

Mid-July Garden Blog

2007-07-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well things are growing and growing! I started a butterfly garden along the back fence. Only about 5 of my sunflowers took, so I started planting some very young, butterfly attracting, perennials along the fence line.

The vegetable garden is flourishing! One surprise was my red cherry tomatoes were actually yellow tomatoes. That's OK, the kids still love them! We ate our first green beans fresh from the garden today. Carrots and jalenpenos are growing! Paul and I spotted several cucumbers well on their way. The pumpkin is taking over! It's sort of just a learning plant for me, I don't know if it will actually grow a pumpkin! The other two squashes have several flowers but no fruit. I planted marigolds to keep rabbits away and it seems to be working! Yay!!

The herb garden has several new items; oregano, lavender (french and English) and I just planted some lemon balm today (hope it takes!). I love making salads and going out to get the fresh herbs to add to it! Yum!

The bulbs mom gave me have started to bloom! We have a beautiful red Glad and now a crisp while Lily! Can't wait to see what the third bulb was (I forgot!). And the hydrangea is growing very well!

I noticed my morning glory has a flower on it, hope it gives me a good show tomorrow!

Notes for next year;
sugar snap peas for the kids
more stuff for kids to just pick and eat!

I have to say I love this journey of gardening! I never really thought I could be good at it. But I am, and I LOVE it!!

Making Mud Pies

2007-07-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

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My Grandma

2007-06-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

and her 5 Great Grands!

Guess what we did today?

2007-06-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

MESSY PARTY!!

A bicycle built for 2

2007-06-23T18:33:00.001-07:00

Garden Blog (mid-June)

2007-06-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

I (almost) grew garlic. I think it was in too hot of a spot. We will try again next year. The bulbs are little, but still edible!

Good morning Pumpkin!

We have tomatoes!

Lessons learned;
must screen compost before adding it to garden, get the big stuff out
garlic does not like full sun, next to a brick house
only 1/4 of my sunflower seeds sprouted, will plant more today to celebrate summer solstice!
little rabbits can get though chain link fence, expect it.
I'm sure there will be more....

Michigan Steak Test

2007-06-18T08:51:00.001-07:00

How cute is this?

To check the doneness of your steak, use the Michigan Test. Stretch out your hand and poke the center of the palm and if the steak feels like you're in Lansing, it's overcooked. If it's more like the area below the thumb, the steak is rare. Below the last knuckle on the pinkie finger, it's medium. Under the last knuckle of the ring finger, the steak is medium rare.

Thanks to Susan at the Detroit Free Press for that one!

Fireboat

2007-06-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

We love the library, we really really love books. We visit our local library once a week, rain or shine,we are there. Always looking for new books to read, new adventures to go on. I saw this book Fireboat and I thought hey, that looks a lot like one of our favorites Little Toot. So we took it home. It wasn't like little toot. It a very sad book. I cried streams of tears just trying to get though it. Carter didn't understand. How could he? He wasn't even conceived when 9.11 happened. He is 3 years old. Explaining my sadness was difficult, but I was honest. And the book had a good ending. But still said. I didn't even know they made children's books on the subject, imagine my surprise! I think it would serve as a great resource for families and kids who were directly effect by 9.11 and maybe as a gentle way to approach the subject matter in an older child, a MUCH older child. This is one that's NOT going on my most wanted list ;)

Good morning!

2007-06-09T16:48:00.000-07:00

Do you want to snuggle?

For papa

2007-06-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

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The joke goes 'you can call me anything you want, just don't call me late for dinner'. Classic papa joke, reincarnated by Carter!

Questions and Answers

2007-06-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, after so many wonderful warm days it sort of hard to go back to this cooler weather! So, we are a bit stuck inside today. Figures since we got our summer pool pass yesterday :) Anyway, I thought I'd take this time to catch up on some questions from my comments.

Angie said

You have a drinking fountain...in your yard?

I know, it's that cool! My dad salvaged it and I hope the kids like it as much as I hope they will! Paul and my dad put a lot of work into installing it!

My brother Adam said

Funny how papa took the drinking fountain OUT of our back yard when we were kids

I forgot about all that! Why is that dad? Good enough for the kids, but not for us?

My mom said

U forgot about the soon to be beautiful flowers from the bulbs I gave u.

There are no flowers yet! I think they said mid-summer, stay tuned!

Belle said about her garden

So I will email you pics.

Please do!

My mom said

This was hard. I can't even think in one word thoughts! Sorry about mistakenly compounded words.Love, Mom

I learned so much about you on this mom! Thanks for taking the time to reply!

Jane said

dreaming about newborns, huh? ;-)

I think it was my neighbor, she called me that she was in labor and I was anxiously waiting! No more newborns for me! I'm just waiting on my brother and sister now ;)

Shelly said

we had a such a fun time. sorry we freaked carter out with the sanders

It was too funny! We had a great time having you all visit!

Don't forget to check the flickr pictures over to the right. Click (twice) to get to my album. I'll be uploading the best of my pics there and likely not emailing them anymore. If you want one and can't download it, just drop me a comment and I'll get it to you!

The first sip

2007-06-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

from the new outside drinking fountain! Thanks Daddy and Papa!

They grow up so fast!

2007-06-01T21:59:00.001-07:00

Skye is already into mommies lipstick!

A summer cut

2007-05-31T13:54:00.001-07:00

Garden snapshot ~ May

2007-05-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

Everything is planted. The new vegetable garden looks great and quite happy with all the compost that I made last year mixed in! This year we are growing;
Jalapenos
Carrots (planted between the jalapeno plants to discourage rabbits)
Cucumbers
2 Early Girl tomatoes
2 Cherry tomatoes (Carter has claimed these plants)
Pole Beans
Patty pan squash
Summer crooked neck squash
A volunteer pumpkin (note to self, don't put pumpkin insides in to the compost bin!)

Herb Garden
Basil
Garlic (new this year!)
Lavender (new this year!)
Parsley
Chives
Mint

We practice organic gardening, which requires a lot of soil prep. It's sort of like painting, most of the work is setting up! Can't wait to see all the changes in the next month or so.

One word answers

2007-05-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

It's only words.
You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

No.
Explanations.

1. Yourself: tired
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): working
3. Your hair: ponytail
4. Your mother: hospital
5. Your father: stressed
6. Your favorite item: mp3
7. Your dream last night: newborns
8. Your favorite drink: water
9. Your dream car: minivan
10. The room you are in: office
11. Your ex: forgot
12. Your fear: death
13. What you want to be in 10 years? mom
14. Who you hung out with last night? kids
15. What you're not? skinny
16. Muffins: blueberry
17. One of Your Wish List Items: clothes
18. Time: 429
19. The last thing you did: email
20. What you are wearing: jeans
21. Your favorite weather: spring
22. Your favorite book: parenting
23. The last thing you ate: gum
24. Your life: happy
25. Your mood: bored
26. Your best friend: husband
27. What are you thinking about right now? fevers
28. Your car: impala
29. What are you doing at the moment? questions
30. Your summer: hot
31. Your relationship status: married
32. What is on your TV? nada
33. What is the weather like? hot
34. When is the last time you laughed? now

Your turn!

Look @ what we have here...

2007-05-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

cabinet doors! And it only took 1.5 years! Thank you so so so much to D, S and Grandma K in kzoo for all of your hard work! And of course to Paul, you busted your butt this weekend getting everything done, Thank you and I love you!!

Blogging break

2007-05-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Is it that I don't have anything to say? Or maybe it's because the weather is too nice and we've been too busy playing outside and gardening and going to the park and re-meeting our neighbors? But whatever the case I've missed blogging, I will try to think up some good subject matter in the next week or so! In the meantime, here is some pics of the kids I took this weekend while we were at the LLL Conference this past weekend.

She loves to smile for the camera now!

P.S. your comments are my fuel, so keep me going ;)

Drawing mountains

2007-05-07T03:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks Angie for this cool link! Your drawing is very nice! I wish I were so creative!

">

The results of your analysis say:

You are driven and ambitious and tend to make radical moves to reach your goals.
You are a direct and forthright person. You like to get to the core of the issue right away, with few signs of hesitation.
You like following the rules and being objective. You are precise and meticulous, and like to evaluate decisions before making them.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.

Do you own here!

I call it Lunch!

2007-04-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Roman lettuce
Parsley (chopped fine)
Mint (when it comes in from the garden)
Green onions (all of it, sliced thin)
Carrots (sliced thin)
Cucumber
Cherry tomatoes (if I have them)
Chick Peas

Fresh squeezed lemon for dressing and that's all!

What is your favorite salad topping?

More on Spaghetti and Carter

2007-04-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays spaghetti covered face reminded me that spaghetti was Carter's first favorite food. Here he is on his 1st Birthday, compare how much he's grown to yesterday's picture!

More on Carter

I mentioned how I love seeing life though his 3 year old eyes. So much has changed for him. Last year at this time he was just learning to ride his trike this year his 'owns it'. He is master of the neighborhood, riding that bike up and down, talking to all the neighbors. I just love him so much. He is so outgoing, such a quick learner, a charmer (all the girls kids in the neighborhood just love him). I love the way he get 'drunk' on all the fresh air he's been getting lately. He can stay outside for HOURS just riding his bike or playing in the backyard.
I don't know why I've been so reflective on Carter lately and not Skye. I think it's because while I know Skye is her very own person I've seen this age already once. With Carter it's all new to me!

That's all for today!

Sunday News

2007-04-29T18:20:00.002-07:00

What childhood is all about!
Playing outside all day, coming in to suck down a homemade spaghetti dinner then back out again for more bike riding and playing! Awh, I love warm days! I love seeing life though my 3 year old's eyes. It's good, very good.

She makes the noise!
For a little girl that didn't want to give any kisses for such a long time, she's now quite the kisser and even makes the noise. Enough to melt your heart!!

Lost
I hate loosing things, I know they are somewhere but I can't find them. We've been looking for Skye's little lost shoe for days now. Where could it be? Driving me crazy. And a library book no one remembers actually making it into our home but the library doesn't have it either. Times about up, I'm going to own a book we've never seen!

What type of posts do you like?

2007-04-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

I'm curious about what you would like to see out of this blog. My dad is the one who suggested the picture comparing the kids at similar ages and I'm wondering if others have some good idea or something they would like to see more of here. Leave a comment and LMK!

In the meantime here is a picture of the kids all ready for Day Out with Thomas @ Greenfield Village last week. It was cold and wet but we had a great time!

Yep, I'm a northerner! How about you?

2007-04-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far)

Northern

You have a Northern accent. That could either be the Chicago/Detroit/Cleveland/Buffalo accent (easily recognizable) or the Western New England accent that news networks go for.

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

14 months

2007-04-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be hard to tell the two kids apart but I think it's pretty obvious who is who!
Carter and Skye @ 14 months

An oldy but goody!

2007-04-22T03:05:00.001-07:00

Thinking Blogger Award

2007-04-22T02:15:00.000-07:00

My friend Angie awarded me a Thinking Blogger Award. I just love her blog and we started blogging at the same time, so I always feel like we are 'in this' together! I can't give it back to her since it's against the rules, but if you get time you should go check her out. Her photography is simply beautiful! And I love her Friday Fest posts, I always learn something new about her!

Now I get to award 5 new bloggers!

1.Stepping on Leggos What a great name for a blog huh? Nicki is awesome, in addition to being one of the nicest people I've ever met, she is an inspiring parent, a good friend, a Texan ;), and someone that I feel gives me great advice and has had a wonderful influence on my life in the most positive ways!
Her blog is a wealth of information about adoption and many other topics as well!

2. DIY Preschool As a mother of a preschooler I'm always looking for new ideas and this mother of twins has them! I love her philosophy on art and kids, I hope she keeps blogging her ideas!

3. Juilepersons blog Ok, I'll admit it, I want her life. She appreciates all the little (and big) things life has to offer. She's got a great outlook and two adorable kids to go with it!

4. Dental Talk My husbands blog! Now the subject matter can be rather bland sometimes (sorry Paul) the way he presents it in a very exciting, personal, tell you like it is matter, makes it enjoyable! Be sure to recommend this blog if you know someone in the dental technology industry.

5. In the trenches of motherhood I'm not certian where I came across her blog, but I'm so glad I did! She is self described as mother to seven children who frequently gets asked, "How do you do it?" Always timely, always good, a must not miss blog!

Ok, there are my 5, I could have done 5 more, I'm a blog addict! Now for the rules.

Should you choose to participate, please make sure to pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:

1. If you get tagged, write a post with links to five blogs that make you think

2. Link to the original post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

Views

2007-04-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

I had two teenagers knock on my door this morning trying to sell me magazines so they could go to Cancun (what's up with that BTW ?!?!). I realized that when I answered my door what it must have looked like to him; two snot nosed kids, me in my junky cleaning day clothes, staying at home, no car... it must have looked like a nightmare to him! But to me it's my dream come true :D About the only thing he could relate to me was my tattoo on my foot (he'd just got his first). What a strange experience. And he warned me, if I don't buy today I'll have a series of more teenagers knocking on my door. Yikes, I'm not answering!

Goodbye Butterfly, Butterfly! Hello Fish!

2007-04-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

Well it was time to let Butterfly, Butterfly free (it's 2 weeks we almost up and it was becoming clear it was not going to live long...shhh...) so yesterday Carter and I made a wish and set her free to explore the world and feel the wind on her wings!

And now let's welcome Doc and Sally to the family! Carter spent the night at Grandma's and came home with two fishes! We love them, they look quite at home here! Now who's going to come feed them while we are gone?

Food as Art

2007-04-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

Finger painting with pudding, the questions becomes do you eat it or paint with it? The answer is BOTH!

Why I love digital photography

2007-04-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

You can take a million pictures, even if you kids hate it :)

Transfer

2007-04-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

When/If I get time I'm going to transfer all of my myspace blogs over here, I think I'll be able to postdate then for when I actually blogged it :)

Meet 'Butterfly, butterfly'

2007-04-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago the kids and I went to the Butterfly exhibit at Oakland Mall. On the way out we took home to very cute (or creepy, to me) caterpillars. We watched them form their chrysalises and one morning woke to two beautiful (or bug like, to me) butterflies! Well, the cat got one but one survived and Carter named him Butterfly, butterfly (in memory of the lost butterfly). Now if only it wasn't snowing out and we could get this bug out of here, I mean, set the butterfly free!

Wow, this must be a really great blog!

2007-04-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

I even got my dad to join in the fun. Ok, with a bit of gentle encouragement from Adam and Julie ;) On second thought, maybe it's just the subject matter!

Too funny about the jammies Juile, I had no idea that conversation took place! Well at least Carter knows what Peter Pan is!

Big Boy vs. Little Boy

2007-04-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Carter has decided he's now a big boy

Carter: "I haven't been to the movies since I was a little boy"
He saw Charlotte's Web in December sometime, a lifetime ago to a Big Boy. Nothing from when he was a 'little boy" counts anymore.
Carter: "I've never done that"
Mom: "Yes, you have Carter, remember we went there with your friends?"
Carter "Yes, but that was when I was a little boy."

Oh and on Big Boy, it's the only place he wants to eat on the rare occasion we go out. Now Big Boy is OK, but after working there 3 years it's not my favorite place to go. Well, at least kids eat free on Sunday mornings.

We went to Henry Ford Museum today for the 2nd Monday activities. I really don't know what I was thinking all the kids are on break this week and it was a mad house. But we got there early and avoided most of the rush. Carter found a new (to us) area that he especially loved, he called it the MACHINES. I am sad to report that the trains have lost their magic for him, but I'm happy he's found something new to love. Check out the pictures he took "all by myself!" I know they are dark, but they were extremely important to him!!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T05:04:00.001-07:00

Favorite quotes of the day.

"It's a great day for Easter eggs"
-Carter, 7am

"Da"
-Skye upon finding her basket

"Mommy, I have a stomach ache"
-Carter, after finishing 3/4 of his chocolate bunny

Artwork by Paul's Aunt Jan. We are so lucky to be on the receiving end of her beautiful artwork!

Hey Moms, looking for a new blog to stalk?

2007-04-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a good place to start! Some of my mostest favorite bloggers are there (and some are strangely missing....)

http://www.mothersdaycentral.com/blog/2007/04/05/the-mother%e2%80%99s-day-central-top-100-mom-blogs-awards/

Signs at 13 months

2007-03-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Cat
Dog
Elephant
Bunny
Duck (bird)
Bear
Music
All done
More
Book
Hat
Bath
Water
Shoes
Fish
Horse
Cow
Cookie
Ball

Still to learn
Potty/Diaper Change
Light
Balloon
Thank you
Tired/Sleep
Flower
Next
Pig
Sheep
Outside
Play

The hardest part is trying to figure out more signs to teach her!

In the great tradition of Toy Story.....

2007-03-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

We've had Buzz for a year now, Carter has pretty much paid no attention to him. He was a big toy that filled his hands for cheap while at a mom 2 mom sale. But then we watched the movie and now Buzz is Carter's best friend. Carter even scribed his name on his foot. We met Woody today, at a mom 2 mom sale. We needed him :)

Goodbye GMail

2007-03-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

you and served me so well for the last year. I have loved you, I have raved about you to family and friends. But now you will not deliver my yahoo group email messages. And my yahoo groups are important to me. Is it as my friend Kim says, are you not sending me my messages from yahoo groups because I am some sort of pawn in your google groups marketing war? Because if so I wanted to let you know that my yahoo groups have been around way longer than your google groups have. You already have my email, my blog, my pictures, yourtube, what more do you want from me? Please just deliver my messages the way you are supposed to, don't make me stay with my crappy twmi account, please....

Things I know about Skye

2007-03-19T16:19:00.001-07:00

-You love reading books, especially those with animals in them

-You hum yourself to sleep while nursing

-You love to play with mamas phone

-You have the best and most unusual laugh I've ever heard

-You love to give everyone '5'

-You are a very happy girl, rarely crying

-You think the library is somewhere we go so you can run around, away from mama and laugh about it

-You are FINALLY happy in the car, a year later

-You will sit on anyone or anything, from a 6 month old to a book. We know your about to sit because you walk backwards for about 5 steps or so

-You love to dance with Daddy and sometimes it puts you to sleep

-You love to use sign language but refuse to believe a balloon is not a ball :)

-Despite being nearly 10 lbs at birth, you are a little peanut now!

-You love baths and you think bubbles are food

-But you think food is something your roll around in your mouth and spit out

-You make me smile everyday

-You love to wear dresses

-You spin to music till you fall over

-Music can be anything from the vacuum to mama typing on the computer

Happy St Patty's Day!

2007-03-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

Hope you enjoy your day too!

Has spring sprung? The puddles sure think so!!

2007-03-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

With the temperatures reaching nearly 50 on Friday we had quite a bit of snow melting which makes for some enormous puddles! Carter found them irresistible and Skye just had to join in on the fun! Maybe on a nicer day (like Tuesday is supposed to be!) we can go to a park and explore more puddles!!

No sound :(

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Our adventure only lasted about 20 minutes, but it was 20 minutes of pure heaven and sunshine!
There Adam, happy now ;) J/K we love you, glad we got to see you!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart

2007-02-15T03:38:00.000-08:00

You are the perfect gift in our lives that we didn't know we needed :)

I planned on writing a very sweet post telling all of our family and friends about all of your sweetness and wonders you bless us with. But you are sick, very sick today. So instead I will show everyone a slide show I made a few days ago and will try to post again soon.

Now, back to snuggling you sweet baby....

And Now Let me amaze you with the Astonishing abilities of my children!

2007-01-31T06:37:00.000-08:00

Skye will perform sign language!

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And Carter will read you a bedtime story!

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Something actually good on TV

2007-01-30T06:44:00.000-08:00

seems that even the good shows have gone bad. Giving us just enough plot to keep us satisfied and talking about it till next week. Or the reality shows that had a great, new, unique formula so they did season after season after season. I don't want to hear Donald Trump tell one more person 'your fired!' or Jeff Probst tell another Survivor 'the tribe has spoken' even Amazing Race is the same thing over and over and over again.
But all that changed last week when we discovered Survivorman http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/survivorman/survivorman.html

One show, one hour. It begins, it ends. It's REAL. And Les Stroud's ability to make fire is astonishing!
Anyway, you should check it out! There is good TV left out there!!

Better Bedtimes brought to you by

2007-01-29T14:25:00.000-08:00

A poster board!! LOL! Really it's nothing different than we've always done, but writing it down (per the suggestion of http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/content/ncsstpsummary.htm) has made life less stressful!!
As those of you with 3 year olds (or BTDT) they can be...well...difficult at times. We were having tantrums for the first time in Carter's life. But THE BEDTIME ROUTINE has made peaceful nights! Whew!!

Happiness is

2007-01-25T05:29:00.000-08:00

Picking out your own clothes and getting yourself dressed for the first time!

(yes, that is 4 shirts!)

What is a blog?

2007-01-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

I know that most of you are blog expert's, but for those newbies about how about a little blog info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

There are blogs about TV, blogs about families adopting, blogs about food, blogs about current events, blogs about celebrities, you can also find blogs about your favorite show, it goes on and on.

If you want to manage your blogs you can check out sites like www.bloglines.com there you can subscribe too all of your favorite blogs and when someone writes a new blog it will be updated there.

Hope that helps a bit!!

Why a blog?

2007-01-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

Well it's something I've been thinking about for a long time. I love reading other blogs, I'm sort of addicted to peeking into others people lives. So, why me? Well first of all I have lots of thoughts that I'd like to share with someone (anyone!) and my dear sweet husband and kids might be a bit tired of my rants ;) My most important I wanted a blog as a peek into our lives. I hope that family members and friends will keep up with up and check in from time to time. To see what cute things the kids are doing, places we've been, and yes, those rants I was talking about earlier!

So, sit back and enjoy the show! Thanks for visiting! Do leave a comment!

Oh, one final thought, as soon as I figure out how I'm going to make this blog 'private' so you will have to have a blogger account (at least I think). Leave me a comment here and I will add you to the 'in' list! I do this for several reasons, I'm going to be sharing pictures of the kids and I don't want some creepy Internet predator using them for something perverse. And I don't want to have to be worried about what I post, where we live, where we've been....I don't want those creepy Internet perverts showing up at our door. But getting an account isn't hard and it will all be worth it, I promise! Just look at these kids and tell them no :)

She walks

2006-12-11T04:03:00.000-08:00

Almost 10 months old, just like her adoring big brother!!

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Couldn't have express it better myself! Welcome to my life!!

2006-10-16T04:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.haikuoftheday.com/haiku_of_the_day/2006/10/a_grumpy_mama.html

The Great New York Breastfeeding Test

2006-10-09T04:01:00.000-07:00

Great idea, great article!!

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/459716p-386692c.html

My last year in my 20s

2006-09-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

I'm 29 tomorrow, I can't believe it. The strangest thing about it is that I see 23 year olds and I think I'm still them, but I'm not. I'm 23 + 6 years. 6 years wiser, 2 kids wiser, 3 moves wiser. I don't mid age, moving forward, becoming more me. I look forward to 30, 40, 50 and beyond... I wonder what each new year will bring me.

I don't feel like I need to go backward and be young again. I've lived that, I made it out the other side. I love my life now, in this moment. These ARE the best days of my life.

So, 29 tomorrow. Happy birthday ME!!

What a week!

2006-09-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

It all started with my little guy sleeping though the night in his BIG BOY BED! I'm so excited for him, he's so excited for him too!!

Skye, 6.5 months old, is officially crawling (and pulling into a full stand) now. She really gets around too! No more leaving the room and hoping she'll be in the same place when you get back! It's fun because now she can sit up and crawl, so Carter can play with her and she loves it. She loves him, he's her world, she can't wait to do all the cool things her big brother does. And he loves her too, very gentle and thoughtful little boy!

Then after my first adventure out to the zoo with 2 kids by myself, we repurchased our membership. On Wednesday we went to the last of their evening concerts. The music was pretty cool, but too loud for Carter, despite being far away from it. So we enjoyed our picnic dinner then off to explore animals. The animals are frisky at night, we saw an Arctic fox, the anteaters (my new favorite), a tree roo (very soft looking), camels, turtles (or where they tortoise?), a sloth, and I'm sure a few more. We must do this evening zoo trip a few times next year, it wasn't as crowded as during the day or weekends.

Then Thursday a visit from Grandma to get tomato's to can on Friday, then a full day of canning tomato's. They are like little jars on sunshine in the winter!

Now, off to Grandma and Papa's boat for the weekend. It's a long drive, but I'm hoping the kids will sleep. Hope it doesn't rain the whole time! This should be a fun way to close the chapter on summer. BTW, what happened to summer? We were just planting, and now it's over, my little girl went from an infant to trying to be a toddler. Geesh, if you ever want time to pass quickly, just watch kids grow and change, it'll fly by!

Pool School

2006-08-18T03:57:00.000-07:00

Carter completed his first swim class on Thursday. He was the most brave boy in the class, jumping in unassisted, bobbing and swimming under the water! What a big boy, I'm so proud!!

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Detroit survey

2006-08-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

This one is great Angie!

Answer these questions and re post if you're from Detroit!

1. What kind of Faygo pop is your favorite?

Cream soda

2. Who is you favorite hometown sports team?
Redwings

3. Ever see them in action?
I think so, when I was younger

4. How fast do you usually go on I-696?
70 or so

5. On I-94?
what ever the speed limit is, I'm a rules follower

6. Do you go to the Michigan State Fair?
years ago, its always too damn hot in August

7. How far north do you consider up north?
I think it starts at Frakenmuth and ends at the tippy top of the UP

8. Have you ever been to Mackinac Island?
Every year when I was a kid, but it's been years since I've been.

9. What is your favorite news channel to watch?
NBC channel 4

10. Do you sing the Hanson's Windows song?
Come on everybody, you know the one get it dine. Call 1800 Hanson's, get it done.

11. What about the Empire Carpet song?
Can't think of that one right now

12. Do you have a nickname for Taylor/people from Taylor?

No, I don't, should I??

13. Westland? none for them either

14. Where were you born? Beaumont in RO

15. Where do you live now? Livonia

16. Why did you move? Job

17. Do you hate Detroit cops?
No, I have family members who are PO

18. What city's cops do you hate most?
None

19. Do you play the states lottery?
no, not really

20. If you do, did you know that the proceeds go toward public education?
That's what they say.....

21. Do you go to the Renaissance Festival?
Last time was 4 years ago

22. The Auto Show?
3 years ago, it wasn't fun

23. Ever met any celebrities from Detroit?
Ragity Man :)

24. Play euchre?
Yep, and yes Angie you are smart enough, if my sister can learn it so can you LOL

25. Ever been to Belle Isle?
yeah right before they closed the aquarium

26. Do you know someone that knows any Detroit celebrities? No

27. Do you know where the place on 8 Mile is that they filmed the movie 8 Mile?
In a trailer park?

28. Do you or a family member work at a GM plant?
My Grandpa did for 35 years. Helped invent the air bag and the crash test dummy in the Warren plant.

29. How fast do you go on 8 Mile?
The speed limit, again rules follower

30. Is 9 Mile the new 8 Mile?
Huh? No

31. What clubs do you go to?
yeah, I'm a HUGE clubber :)

32. Ever been to the Renaissance Center?
Yep

33. What schools do/did you go to? Milford

34. Who did you want to go forward in the playoffs more this year Red Wings or Pistons?
Redwings

35. Which direction does Outer Drive go?
NESW

36. Ever go to the Gratiot Cruise?
No

37. Woodward Cruise?
No

38. Harper Cruise? No

39. Ever buy weed or any other drugs in Detroit?
No

40. Did you cry when Rosa Parks died? I did, but I was either pregnant or just postpartum. Oh, who am I kidding, I cried when Mr. Rodgers died.

41. What about when Proof died? Ok, not him

42. Or Joe C.? No

43. Do you think Detroit did a good job hosting the Super Bowl this year?
Yeah, but all was have left to remember it id a stupid blue football shaped bridge on telegraph.

44. Do you know any Down River Ho's?
No

45. Is the owner of your local party store or gas station Arabic?
Yeah

46. Do you still go to Hardee's?

I think the nearest Hardee's is in Flint and BTW yuck!

47. Do you have a favorite weatherman? My husband :) hey hon, what's the weather today?

48. Don't you love potholes?
oh yeah, they are great

49. What station do you listen to?
971fm 760wjr public radio 91.7

50. Its May (or August, whatever) Do you still have an ice scraper in your car?
Yes

51. Do you happen to know what the point of the lights in the underpasses is on I-696?
I think it's to help your eyes adjust depending on the light level outside, more lights on during the day and less at night. That said, Carter loves the tunnels!

52. When is the last time you went to the Detroit Zoo?
We had a membership last year, but I think the zoo sucks. I'm so sad for the animals and it's too spread out. And now they charge an arm and a leg for the train? They suck.

53. What do you think about all the summer construction on the freeways?
My favorite part of living in Detroit.

54. How often do you go over to Canada?
At least once a summer, my parents have a boat over there.

55. Ever go to Greektown? Hmm...4 years ago, before children. Went to see the casino and get some OPA!

56. Do you travel up to Traverse City for the Cherry Festival?

I hate crowds, so no.

57. Tell me you don't actually stop at red lights in Detroit?
In Detroit proper? Yes I always stop at red lights.

58. Where in the hell is Bad Axe?

In my son's hand (see picture). Hope this isn't some sort of sign of things to come!

59. Have you been to Hell? Hahahaha, I went to church camp there!

60. Where is the coolest place to hang out and meet new people in your city?
I'm not cool so I don't know, but I sometimes meet friends for coffee in RO or Troy

61. Where are the coolest places to hang out downtown? Um, Comerica? I don't know, Ford field. See, I'm not cool.

62. What about the coolest places to eat? Cool place to eat, any place you order at the counter and then sit down. Two kids = fast service is a must! I love Chilpote lately :)

63. See a concert?
Hmm...Reba pre children, she rocked!

64. Have you been to Comerica Park or Ford Field yet?
Nope, but I want to go to Comerica, maybe next year so Carter can see a real pro baseball game.

65. What are your thoughts about Mayor Kilpatrick?
BLING

66. Who do you think is the worst judge in Detroit/Metro Detroit?
Ummmm....I have no idea, haven't had the pleasure of running into any.

67. Have you climbed the sand dunes?
Yes :)

68. Do you go to any festivals downtown?
We did Tastfest a few years ago, Pontiac's is way better!

69. Where's the roundabout?
I thought those were in Indiana

70. Do you go to Cedar Point every year?

Sure, when I was a kid, our marching band played there every year (see, told you I wasn't cool)

Happy 3rd Birthday Carter!

2006-08-02T03:56:00.000-07:00

5 months

2006-07-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

It seems hard to believe that Skye is 5 months already! Her little personality is coming out and it's such a joy to watch her grow! She is every bit as friendly, social and happy as her big brother was at this age, and oh yeah, every bit as active too! She rolls in both directions and has now started the scoot! Darn it, I wanted a little lap baby that didn't have ambitions to walk till she was two. LOL!

She is *in love* with Carter. Watched everything he does like a hawk. What's he eating, what's he playing with, what's he doing, where is he going, why can't I do that? He is very generous with her and we've found that having their car seats together in the car has been more helpful than apart as he is her personal entrainer.

Still no solids yet, just milk, but boy is she interested! When she puts a toy in her month she sort of looks at it like 'why isn't this giving me anything?' She's a good eater though, as evidenced by her chubby thighs and bright eyes :) Love that mama's milk!

We've been enjoying summer in our backyard but we did make it out to mom and dad's beach last week. Skye enjoyed her first dunk in Dunham Lake, it was so warm and we found a nice shady spot. She seems to really enjoy the water. Big brother was having the time of his life, so anxious to swim, can't wait to start official toddler swim classes in a few weeks.

Other than that, Skye Aimee is just pure joy, the kind of blessing we didn't know we needed till she was with us!

How I've spent my summer

2006-06-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Honestly the best thing that's happened to my lawn. May seem boring to most but to me it's hours of enjoyment! LOL!

http://www.hound-dog.com/weed_hound.htm

How I've spent my summer

2006-06-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

Honestly the best thing that's happened to my lawn. May seem boring to most but to me it's hours of enjoyment! LOL!

http://www.hound-dog.com/weed_hound.htm

Michigan Native

2006-05-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

This is great! I'll make you out-of-state Michiganders miss MI for sure!!

And I'm sure you transplants will get a kick out of it too!!

Enjoy!

http://www.michigannative.com/ma_home.shtml

Technology

2006-05-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

I love seeing how technology effects my children growing up. I love that Carter looks to see what the picture looks like right after it's taken. No film processing in his life time! VHS Tapes will be what 8 tracks are to my generation. BTW, he calls all dics CDDVD's, I figure he's covering all the bases that way!

The cutest was yesterday when him and I made 'email' cookies (he's misunderstood Oatmeal). How adorable!!

And oh yeah, I posted 3 month comparison pictures in my slide show, check back every month to see how the kids have grown and changed!!

Vampire

2006-05-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

When I became pregnant with Carter I quickly realized that I have issues with the sun. Even minimum exposure will result in a night filled with burning, itchy skin and red bumps. So, summer after summer I deal with it the best I can, sunblock, finding shadows to stand in, hats, avoid the daylight. My latest batch of internet self diagnosis brought up a vampire website! So, that's it, I'm officially declaring myself a vampire, never to leave the house during daylight hours again!!

http://www.drinkdeeplyanddream.com/realvampire/sunallergy.html

Message from a 2 year old

2006-04-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Message from a Two Year Old

-- Author Unknown

Please be glad that I'm growing up, even though I am doing my separating by acting contrary and stubborn and by saying no thirty-seven hundred times a day.

Please let me continue to be dependent on you even though I act very independent and say, "I don't want you." I still need to be held some and protected.

Please let me feel that independence is safe by watching me and protecting me even when I am insisting on doing things myself.

Please have a few sensible rules and enforce them. This will provide a nice, firm wall against which I can say, "No" and "You can't make me!" Please enforce them anyway. That will help me feel secure and not be scared that when I say, "I won't!" or start to think for myself, you might go away and leave me.

Please, when you request that I pick up my toys, insist that I do that. If you manipulate me into doing things, I won't need to learn to think. And if you force me, I won't have the chance to learn to think.

Please don't be afraid of my anger. I have to experiment with my anger and try out different ways of expressing it. Then I find out how you respond. I especially don't want to end up afraid of my own anger. You help me a lot when you watch and listen to my anger in a very matter of fact, accepting way, and don't let me hurt myself or others.

Please demand that I think about what I am feeling. I will be crippled if I grow up believing that I can't think and feel at the same time. It won't help me if I believe that when I am mad or scared I can't think. Those are the times that I will need to think most clearly.

Please expect me to start taking other people's feelings and wants into account. Do this even though I say, "I don't care!" when you tell me Susie feels bad because I broke her truck. And please don't ask me to take care of YOU. If you want me not to run in the street, tell me to do it for my safety - for ME. Don't tell me that I make YOU worry. I don't even know what worry means. If I am making you do that, I might get so scared that I won't have time to practice resisting and separating.

Sometimes I'm not very sure about what I need or think or want, so please encourage me to know those things. I'm sure that I can figure it out if you push me a little and have faith in me.

Please help me to learn how to think and to say, "No" and to handle my anger now, while I am still little enough for you to protect me.

And please love me and hold me when I want to be held. I love you.

She smiles

2006-03-31T10:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=94590&cdate=20060331&ctime=093327

100 Things about me

2006-03-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

1. I love to make lists

2. I was born in 1977

3. in Royal Oak, MI

4. And lived in Huntington Woods till I was 12

5. I taught myself how to knit

6. I love people

7. I like reality TV

8. My mom died when I was 4

9. I love Canada

10. I drive a Chevy Impala

11. I've walked on the Appalachain trail

12. I don't like watching kids TV shows

13. I love cats and dog, just not in my house

14. I love doing laundry

15. I have freckles

16. I love being pregnant, but never again!

17. I hate cheaply made stuff

18. I say hi to strangers

19. My favorite color is purple

20. I really don't like talking on the phone

21. I'm always bored, looking for the next thing to do!

22. I was the last person I know to get a cell phone

23. My Grandpa taught me how to tie my shoes

24. I attempted to birth at home, but…

25. I sadly had two c-sections

26. I was baptized at the Shrine of the Little Flower

27. It seems my hair is always in a ponytail

28. I live in Livonia

29. I chew on pens

30. I like using coupons, although I never buy the Sunday paper

31. I love yahoo groups, I belong to too many

32. I help run a local AP mom's group

33. I am a moderator on mothering.com

34. I love to cook

35. but I'm a terrible baker

36. I kill houseplants

37. I got married when I was 23

38. I had chicken pox when I was 17

39. I've bought and sold things on Ebay

40. I was a telemarketer, inbound and outbound calls

41. I still can't mulitply

42. I don't like action movies for the most part

43. I love to sing, although I'm terrible

44. I want to go back to college one day, just not sure for what

45. I was once a bartender

46. I've seen the Grand Canyon

47. I wish we could move back to the country

48. I love salt

49. I have been to three countries other than the US

50. I lived in Tennessee for two years (and hated it)

51. I hate drama

52. I love to laugh

53. I live in Kalamazoo after high school

54. I have not painted my nails in years

55. or dyed my hair

56. I love reading everything and anything!

57. I've used the same brand shampoo for years and years

58. I have green eyes

59. and blonde hair

60. I love my Grandma

61. I love artichokes

62. I've been to Vegas, but I was just 12 at the time

63. I have a paypal account

64. I bite my nails

65. I hate _____showers (baby, bridal)

66. I love going downtown Detroit

67. I like diet coke

68. I love to drive

69. I love my In-Laws and the whole Kalamazoo family!

70. I would love to raise chickens and cows

71. My middle name is Aimee

72. I have one brother, one sister

73. I have one daughter, one son

74. I like my coffee with cream

75. I count on my fingers

76. I love living in Michigan

77. I'm sort of a homebody

78. I am a true Virgo

79. I am scared of spiders

80. I love talk radio

81. I love the cold, and hate the heat

82. I go geocaching

83. I love olives

84. I taught myself and my son sign language

85. and I've already started showing my daughter signs

86. I used to play the French horn

87. But I was really, really bad

88. My husband says I snore, but I don't believe it

89. I'm a homeowner

90. and I own my own business (although not off the ground yet)

91. I have on tattoo

92. I have many ear piercing

93. I still want to pierce my nose, one day

94. I love shopping in Farmers Markets

95. I need glasses, but I don't ever wear then

96. I love knowing about the next newest thing around

97. I graduated in 1995

98. I tap my fingers when I'm thinking

99. I hate picking up toys

100. This took me about an hour to complete

Cool website!

2006-03-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.whattorent.com/index.php

A Simple Kind of Life

My super sweet, very thoughtful husband!

I'm doing it so you should too!

Pudding video

Vintage Carter

Pudding face

Bookshelves

Let it be known!

Something that spoke to me

The Mall (rants and raves)

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

Nature Bangles

Neighborhood kids :)

Love it!

Happy Birthday Uncle Adam!!

Free 411, no ads!

Artificial Food Additives May Increase Hyperactivity in Children

Why I gave up the Emmy's.

Painting clothespins

A story, by Carter

Volcanoes

More videos (yes, I know it's sideways, turn your computer around!)

Homeschooling

This is not a sponsored message

A visit from our Chicago family!

Take a Poll!

Big girl

Blog Dump

Signs at (almost) 18 months

Carter is 4!!

5 Things Meme

Carter on fishing

Our family vacation

Mid-July Garden Blog

Making Mud Pies

My Grandma

Guess what we did today?

A bicycle built for 2

Garden Blog (mid-June)

Michigan Steak Test

Fireboat

Good morning!

For papa

Questions and Answers

The first sip

They grow up so fast!

A summer cut

Garden snapshot ~ May

One word answers

Look @ what we have here...

Blogging break

Drawing mountains

I call it Lunch!

More on Spaghetti and Carter

Sunday News

What type of posts do you like?

Yep, I'm a northerner! How about you?

14 months

An oldy but goody!

Thinking Blogger Award

Views

Goodbye Butterfly, Butterfly! Hello Fish!

Food as Art

Why I love digital photography

Transfer

Meet 'Butterfly, butterfly'

Wow, this must be a really great blog!

Big Boy vs. Little Boy

Happy Easter!

Hey Moms, looking for a new blog to stalk?

Signs at 13 months

In the great tradition of Toy Story.....

Goodbye GMail

Things I know about Skye

Happy St Patty's Day!

Has spring sprung? The puddles sure think so!!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart

And Now Let me amaze you with the Astonishing abilities of my children!

Something actually good on TV

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