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It’s hard being a mama. And some days I can focus too much on the hardness, and forget just how amazing this journey is. Being in Texas I had the chance to remember all the reasons why I love being a mama to my two precious girls. There are plenty more than I listed, but here are my current top ten:
1. Laughter. There is nothing so amazing as hearing my daughters laugh.
2. Walking into the kitchen to find Julia eating cooking dough straight out of the bowl.
3. Hannah’s tight hugs right before bedtime.
4. Julia’s inquisitiveness about everything.
5. All the dancing and twirling that comes with young girls.
6. Squeals of excitement each time Jonathan comes home from work.
7. Requests for “snuggles and kisses”.
8. Julia’s confidence that she is loved.
9. Hearing “Jack! Jack!” followed by giggling, running and laughter.
10. Sisterhood. A bond that is beautiful and wonderful to see grow.
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
A Texan Family Picture
Posted on: October 31, 2010
- In: Life
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We got back yesterday from a week long trip to Texas. We traveled down to Houston to celebrate Matt and Kristen’s wedding, then headed to Austin to visit friends, and ended the trip spending time in Ft. Worth with family. It was a wonderful trip and the girls did amazing.
As evidence from the photo, Hannah has discovered her nose. She doesn’t actual pick it, so much as just “hang out” there. I’ve tried discouraging it, but everything I’ve tried just makes her laugh. Hmmm, not quite what I was going for. Other than discovering body parts, Hannah’s vocabulary is increasingly daily. She’s mostly into animals, either saying their names {cat, dog, duck} or making the animal noise associated with them. The newest Hannah-ism – she’s taken to carrying Molly {her bear} around in her mouth while growling. It is hilarious.
Julia seems like she gets older and wiser every second. Jonathan taught her how to wave her index finger and say “I don’t think so”. Oh man, that had us laughing for days. She’s now a little parrot, repeating everything we say. It’s been a good reminder to say good things and speak edifying words. Julia’s also taken to being really interested in the map. Perhaps it’s because of the trip, but she’s always asking us to “show me” where we’re going.
Jonathan has really been enjoying the football season. He’s doing a much better job of keeping track of the teams than I am, which doesn’t really surprise anyone. He hasn’t had as many “honey-do” projects, so he’s weekends have been more free {if that’s actually possible for any husband and dad}. He was a groomsmen in Matt’s wedding and I must say looked quite dashing in his tuxedo.
As for me, I’m always up to some new project. Unfortunately I didn’t make it the whole month without sugar. I cracked at the wedding, when several people said “you aren’t having wedding cake?!”. Shamefully enough, once I caved, I caved big time and consumed too much sugar on our trip. I’m having to evaluate how it’s effected my body {more tired, headaches, etc} to decide if I really want to be intentional in cutting out sugar more long term. As for my crazy 100 mile running challenge, I’m a wee-bit behind. I didn’t do any running while we were gone, but I’m hopeful I can make it up in the coming weeks. We’ll see!
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Today’s guest post is from a fellow Texan/Iowan, who currently lives in Scotland. Emily is a funny gal that you will just love to follow!
For most, fall is officially here, though in Scotland we call it autumn and it has been here for a while! Regardless of where you are or come from, though, Halloween is fast-approaching. Instead of panicking about all the logistics of the holiday, why not enjoy some simple treat as a family. I’d love to share two of our new favorites: homemade hot chocolate and candy corn popcorn balls.
Homemade Hot Chocolate
- ¼ of a Hershey’s chocolate bar (feel free to use more!)
- 2T sugar
- 2T cold water
- 1t vanilla
- 1 c heavy cream
- Hot milk
Combine chocolate squares (3) and water over low heat on stove top. Stir chocolate until it melts. Add sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool completely. When it’s time to serve, whip heavy cream and then fold it into chocolate mixture. Ladle 3-4 T of chocolate mixture into each cup and fill with hot milk. Makes 6-8 servings.
Candy Corn Popcorn Balls
Candy Corn Popcorn Balls
- 8 c (light) popped microwave popcorn (about 1 bag)
- 1 c candy corn
- 1/4 c butter
- 1/4 t salt
- 1 (10-oz) bag marshmallows
- cooking spray
Combine popcorn and candy corn in a large bowl. Melt 1/4 c butter in a large saucepan over med heat. Stir in 1/4 t salt and all the marshmallows. Reduce heat to low; cook for 7 minutes or until the marshmallows melt and the mixture is smooth. Make sure to stir frequently.
Pour marshmallow mixture over marshmallow mixture, stirring to coat well. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray; shape popcorn mixture into 20 (2-in) balls.
{Plus, check out this site for fun candy corn crafts!}
Emily {aka Miss Mommy} has been blogging from the States and even across the pond for over 4 years. She is a stay at home/work from home blogger and copy editor. Neither of her children is in school yet, yet her husband is working on his 4th degree….Emily prides herself on keeping them all alive and their family afloat without going crazy.
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I have a mild obsession with Mexican food. And by mild, I mean, I eat some form of Mexican at least four times a week. I am not exaggerating. It’s mostly bean and cheese tacos, meat tacos or some variation. You’d think I person would grow tired of it after a while, but I haven’t. In fact, I love it so much that since being on our trip I’ve had Mexican nearly everyday. And one day I had it twice.
Tuesday night we had dinner with some friends in Austin. It was a Tex-Mex/Southern joint that served enchiladas on the same menu as chicken fried chicken and burgers. You know, a place a girl like me instantly loved. I was in a burger mood, until our friends and waiter suggested I get the fried avocado. Avocado. Fried. Topped with more avocado. Served with beans and rice. Hallelujah.
I can’t give the meal the justice it deserves. Seriously it was amazing. While we spend the next few days in the Ft. Worth area I am going to try making it for my family {since avocados are so much cheaper here}. Hmmm….. Just writing this makes me hungry.
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursday.
SAHM Mushy Brain Prevention
Posted on: October 27, 2010
- In: Life
- 5 Comments
Jello Brains
Today I’m having my very first guest post by Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking. I just love this girl and I know you will too!
Sometimes my brain feels like the pulverized bananas plastered on the tray of my son’s highchair. Mushy. Browning at the edges. My day has been a blur of pureed baby food (both pre and post digested) and keep-the-house-in-one-piece survival tactics.
Don’t get me wrong–I love my job as a stay-at-home-mom. And I remember having the same “mushy brain” days back when I was a “career girl,” working as a critical care nurse with open heart patients. There is some level of monotony with every job, I suspect. Even the really important ones!
As a mom to a small child, with a husband who is super busy with grad school, I fight mushy brain syndrome with the following:
Carving out some time in the day to delve into a good book. Fiction can be really entertaining, educational, and just a hoot–but I try to throw in some history, science, and biographies, too.
I have always been a bookworm, but I’ve found it difficult to set aside good chunks of time for reading since I became a mom. So, a couple of months ago I actually started taking a class outside of the home. I really enjoy the subject (world missions) and having deadlines “forces” me to do the reading. The class also gets me out of the house, hanging out with new people, and learning new things. Perfect!
I’ve also learned that as a SAHM it’s easy to get isolated. There’s a lot to do within the walls of my home, but I need to connect with people–moms, friends, family, neighbors, the community. Most of the time, some measure of housework has to be “sacrificed” for this, but it’s more than worth it! We need other people.
When all else fails, it helps if I just go outside. Water the plants, take a walk, sit and look at the trees and give my synapses time to recover from to-do lists and plastic toys.
A date night with the hubby never hurts, either. 🙂
Here’s to being a living-in-the-moment, mushy banana cleaning, brain exercising mom!
{photo credit}
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Alicia is a tea-drinking, book-reading, sushi-eating, candle-lighting, bread-baking gal who loves her family and all things domestic. She is a stay-at-home-mom to one squishy little boy, wife to Andrew the Golden-Hearted, and blogs regularly at Alicia’s Homemaking.
Visit Kristen at We are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday.
Top Ten Posts from October
Posted on: October 26, 2010
Since we are enjoying some family vacation here in Texas, I thought this week I’d keep my top ten pretty easy and let you enjoy reading through my top posts from this month.
1. Potty Training Your 1- Year Old
2. The Gospel of Christ – A Post That Changed My Life {My Personal Favorite}
3. Top Ten Ways to Start Christmas Planning Without Going Crazy
4. Try New Adventures – Learning Spanish as a Family
6. Headache, You Give Me Such a Headache
7. Day Four and I’m Beginning to Wonder “What Have I Done?”
8. Top Ten Fall Recipes I Love
9. Coffee is a Cheerleader in a Cup {Hilarious Video}
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
A Real Texas Wedding
Posted on: October 25, 2010
- In: Life
- 4 Comments
Yesterday we celebrated the marriage of two very close friends, Matt and Kristen. You might recall that Julia was their flower girl. It was a beautiful ceremony and I am so thrilled for them!
Julia was cheesing so hard in all her pictures that her eyes were almost always closed or look closed. But man was she thrilled to be up with with Kristen!
I’m not one to really cry at wedding. But…. I nearly cried. And not at the exchanging of the vows, or the pronouncement of the couple, or even the sentimental feelings of remembering my own wedding. No, I nearly cried at the very beginning when Julia was walking down the aisle. She did an amazing job as flower girl {not being scared, dropping flowers all the way down and not making a peep}. When she first started, she looked back at me a little apprehensively, and with a reassuring nod and some encouraging “You’ve got it” she marched on down. And my heart swelled with pride and sadness. Pride that she was doing something rather brave for a 2 year old, and sadness that she’s growing up so quickly. I pray that I truly live in the moment, that I treasure this time and enjoy our time together. Because one day, she’ll be walking down the aisle, and she won’t be a little girl anymore.
And The Winner Is….
Posted on: October 24, 2010
- In: Life
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Thank you to everyone for participating. Be sure to keep checking back for next month’s awesome giveaway!
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Potty Training Your 1 Year Old
Posted on: October 21, 2010
- In: Life
- 15 Comments
{Be sure to check out my Fall Apron Giveaway!}
I’ve started potty training Hannah.
Before you think I’m crazy {after all, she’s only 16 months old}, it’s not quite the potty training one might think. There’s no bootcamp or hours spent locked in the bathroom. It’s just a s-l-o-w process of getting Hannah comfortable with going on the potty.
When Hannah turned one, I introduced the potty to her. In the beginning she really wasn’t all that interested, but after a couple of months she loves it. She’s started communicating when she needs to go, which is great, since this girl poos 5-7 times a day. I’d say we are about 50/50 on actually being on top of things. But 50/50 means I’m only changing 2-3 dirty diapers in a day, which is amazing!
We did a very similar method with Julia, slowly introducing her to using the potty at an early age. Even though she wasn’t fully potty trained till this summer, she has exclusively pooped in the potty since 20 months. For that reason alone, I love starting potty training young. I know that Hannah is her own person and might very well take longer. But, it’s been wonderful seeing her excitement for the potty and the bonds that are happening between her, Julia and I as we are walking down this newest adventure together.
Visit Alicia at Alicia’s Homemaking for more Try New Adventures Thursday.
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursday.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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