tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15754151008375685772024-03-06T01:17:29.963-05:00The Hopeful StarfishTrying to be better each day. Trucking on down the road...Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-57511175003161361912015-11-09T22:42:00.000-05:002015-11-09T22:42:41.471-05:00baking by picture{This post first appeared as a guest spot over at <a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/">Real Housekeeping</a> Magazine}<br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 600;">I love dessert (who doesn’t?!).</span> So when we were invited to dinner at a friend’s house I offered to bring dessert, especially since I had seen <a href="http://www.countryliving.com/cooking/recipes/beekman-boys-heirloom-desserts#slide-1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;">this recipe</a> for “heirloom” Oatmeal-Ginger Cream Pies in the latest issue of Country Living magazine. Now, I didn’t exactly set myself up for success. I waited until that afternoon to start… and then I got called into work. But if I’m anything, it’s Mistress of Crunch Time, so—on to the baking!<br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 600;">In order for a recipe to become “heirloom,” according to the authors, it must:</span></div>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;">Be delicious,</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;">Be (relatively) simple to make,</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 20px;">Have ingredients that are readily available to everyone.</li>
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Delicious? The picture looked pretty good. Ingredients? Looks like I have everything… Simple?<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 600;"> Turns out that was relative…</span></div>
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<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/recipe.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><img alt="The hopeful end result. Yeah. Right." class="size-full wp-image-549" src="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/recipe.jpg" height="478" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /></a><br />
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The hopeful end result. Yeah. Right.</div>
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I should have realized I was in over my head when the first step of the recipe was to toast the oats. Riiiiight. Instead, I laughed and called my sister. You’ve gotta share the fun when a recipe asks for more effort than you’d put forth to eat it…</div>
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<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/oats.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><img alt="Oats to toast." class="size-full wp-image-550" src="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/oats.jpg" height="478" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /></a><br />
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Oats to toast.</div>
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Meanwhile, I’m supposed to be stirring everything else together, but I’m also supposed to go back to the oven and shake the pan with the oats, or turn it around a few times, or something like that. You’re lucky these oats aren’t getting burned, buckos. There’s no way I’m shaking them around while stirring everything else. Nope.</div>
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<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ingredients.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><img alt="Meanwhile, stirring..." class="size-full wp-image-551" src="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ingredients.jpg" height="478" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /></a><br />
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Meanwhile, stirring…</div>
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This next part of the recipe was the best, and illustrates why you should read the whole recipe before starting out. You’d think you could just “drop by rounded teaspoonful” in the every-other-cookie-type-recipe-in-the-world manner…but no:</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">…roll dough, two tablespoons at a time, into balls, or use a #30 (1-ounce) ice cream scoop; for each sheet, drop 12 balls, 2 inches apart. With dampened hands, flatten each ball to a 1/2-inch thickness..</em></div>
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Umm…not gonna happen. Didn’t I mention that I was throwing these together in the 12 minutes I had left before having to wake the sleeping baby up and throw everything in the car to go to work?<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/aint-nobody.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><img alt="ain't nobody" class="aligncenter wp-image-552" src="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/aint-nobody.png" height="229" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto 22px; max-width: 100%;" width="410" /></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 600;">So, I ended up winging it, as usual, and just made some blobs on the pans.</span></div>
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<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/dough-blobs-on-pan.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><img alt="But look...she used parchment papers! Pro. For sure." class="size-full wp-image-553" src="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/dough-blobs-on-pan.jpg" height="478" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /></a><br />
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But look…she used parchment papers! Pro. For sure.</div>
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Now, on to the cream filling! Luckily, I had some candied ginger (“readily available ingredients”—ha!) in the cupboard from the last time I thought about trying a ridiculous recipe but stopped at the smartest point: Never starting.</div>
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<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/cut-ginger.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><img alt="Chop chop with the Cutco." class="size-full wp-image-557" src="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/cut-ginger.jpg" height="478" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /></a><br />
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Chop chop with the Cutco.</div>
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And…stir it up!</div>
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<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/frosting-being-mixed-1.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><img alt="This looks kind of gross. It's cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and the candied ginger bits." class="size-full wp-image-554" src="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/frosting-being-mixed-1.jpg" height="478" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /></a><br />
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This looks kind of gross. It’s cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar and the candied ginger bits.</div>
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Into the oven. When I pulled the cookies out, I didn’t really look at them, except to think, “Those don’t really look the same, now do they?” I came home to these:</div>
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<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/flat-cookies.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><img alt="Pretty dang flat." class="size-full wp-image-555" src="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/flat-cookies.jpg" height="478" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: 'droid serif', 'helvetica neue', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">Pretty dang flat.</span></div>
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But, if life gives you flat cookies, and you’re bringing dessert to the party…what do ya do? Add more sugar and get going!</div>
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<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/finished.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #588480; transition: all 0.1s ease-in-out;"><img alt="Finished product. Nailed it." class="size-full wp-image-556" src="http://realhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/finished.jpg" height="478" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: 'droid serif', 'helvetica neue', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">Finished product. Nailed it.</span></div>
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They looked nothing like the picture, but everyone said they tasted great. Never forget the cardinal rule of baking: <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 600;">add more butter, more sugar, or both, and you win!</span> Happy baking!</div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-486214708301380372015-11-04T23:32:00.001-05:002015-11-05T21:21:19.126-05:00Take the Extra Blanket & 4 Other Important Life LessonsEach person we encounter holds a richness of life out to us. Experiences, emotions, memories, advice, love, joy, sorrow, laughter, and exactly the right way to make Nana's mac and cheese dinner. Think about the little tricks you've learned from friends and family; oftentimes the truths we learn from each other carry us much further than we may have thought they might.<br />
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Here's 5 simple lessons I've learned from folks dear to me, and the deeper lessons we can glean from them.<br />
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<b>1. Use the butter wrapper to grease the baking pan</b><br />
My mother's mother taught us to do this when baking cookies or brownies, and it was so ingrained that I was surprised to learn later in life that not everyone did this, and that it was an echo of Depression-era saving. <b>This lesson reminds me not to be wasteful; there is one more thing you can do with an object, with a situation, with an idea before you throw it away.</b><br />
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<span id="goog_1767639466"></span><span id="goog_1767639467"></span>Always baking cookies. (Well, dough.)</div>
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<b>2. Make your bed </b><br />
Both my grandmothers had us make our beds in the morning when we'd stayed the night with them. I remember doing this more with my father's mother though. Nana was so easy-going with the task, and so unassuming about what the day might hold, but she always had you <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2011/06/make-your-bed.html">make your bed</a>. Taking this further, I have realized <b>the importance of doing small tasks, of holding a standard</b>. Life is crazy, but having some constants can really keep you steady.<br />
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Not my bed.</div>
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<b>3. Draw a picture</b><br />
My dear friend Katie is an artist, a creative art therapist, a mom, a wife--so she's very inventive and imaginative! Katie has taught me the healing power of art on more than one occasion, but most especially right after the death of my grandmother. She had me work on a memory-drawing that left me feeling very peaceful. We should be mindful that <b>sometimes what our broken hearts need is a break from the usual,</b> and thinking a different way, doing something creative, or trying something new can give us that outlet and calm.<br />
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Really close colored pencils.</div>
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<b>4. Take the extra blanket</b><br />
My sister is one of the most generous people I know, and a very gracious host--and she's notorious for getting multiple extra blankets for guests. She loves having plenty of blankets, whereas I could do with just one. Letting her get me extra blankets, though, I've learned that love comes from each person in their own unique way. <b>Another person's actions aren't always going to match your exact love language, but you both win when someone takes care of you--let someone love you.</b><br />
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This dog is happy inside.</div>
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<b>5. Sing a song</b><br />
If you've had dinner with my family, you know our propensity to burst into a musical number at the slightest suggestion of a lyric or tune. Of course singing at the drip of a hat is teaching us to be cheerful, (& know our show tunes!), but even more than that, <b>it's teaching us to be cheerful purposefully</b>--to seek out moments that can be used to lift the spirits of those around us, to shake the wintery-ness out of our hearts.<br />
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What lessons have you learned from family and friends that take you through hum-drum days? What simple advice has hidden gold for you?<br />
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Obvious stock photos credit: <a href="http://pixabay.com/">pixabay.com</a><br />
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Linking up w/ Jenna at <a href="http://www.callherhappy.com/">Call Her Happy</a> for <a href="http://callherhappy.com/5faves-ever/">#5Faves</a> :) </div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-86786209963178462252015-11-04T21:54:00.001-05:002015-11-04T21:54:22.856-05:00Inch by Inch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Let me tell you a secret: I don't really like to work in the garden. It really is a chore for me. To drag myself outside for some "hard" labor on a hot day...meh. Nearly every time I make it out there, though, I am blessed with a small breeze, the smell of tomato plants (is this a thing, or just me?), and sweet moments with my boyos. Of course, these are mixed in with all of the dirt and bugs, and bugs, and "don't step on the plants!" and haggling to get proper tool back (I'll let you have the rake!")...but <b>it's worth it.</b></div>
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<b>There is something calming about the simplicity of gardening.</b> You "kill the weeds" and "pet the tomatoes", as Leo puts it. Even when you get behind, and the weeds are a jungle, and it's a good thing tomatoes are red, so that you can even find them, it is still that simple. Dirt, seeds, sun, water.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4PpIPPSCgIEl8L8rZ-Ez35Yqm_Vck7PofqphKkAUfqOqkiOhK1epq7CVgPtdgDT2Y5y2BOlJUTDuMCDeMFL1Gh-BaX5ohC9gnxJCoqpzOV1mJgBCFYeLwi24VcM1_DIE87RMD5dd0rgI/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4PpIPPSCgIEl8L8rZ-Ez35Yqm_Vck7PofqphKkAUfqOqkiOhK1epq7CVgPtdgDT2Y5y2BOlJUTDuMCDeMFL1Gh-BaX5ohC9gnxJCoqpzOV1mJgBCFYeLwi24VcM1_DIE87RMD5dd0rgI/s1600/unnamed.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
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Life in general is *way* way more complicated than a garden. Life is stressful and busy and needy. Gardening doesn't change much. Yes, there are punches to roll with, like when you get too much rain, or not enough, or the bugs eat your veggies, or the groundhog won't go away...but, gardening is steady. <br />
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<b>It's nice to have something steady in this crazy-mixed-up world</b>, and if we're lucky, you may just get a hug from a plant. </div>
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<br />Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-60981071317131562282015-10-23T00:38:00.001-04:002015-10-23T00:38:24.508-04:00Why Bother?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRnZKaPxa4v1mfHezA-1S3YWNIhREQPPTyVVyCtpByfCUDYF0cJwZfYQ2Fw6K2I6o4hnpGVrn4W9JyRpAfJfQZMTdpwAYhWd3bEVmeWbS9if65sgaN49kMC3lcv2N5KCA_oGJbTOkcFfo/s1600/whybother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRnZKaPxa4v1mfHezA-1S3YWNIhREQPPTyVVyCtpByfCUDYF0cJwZfYQ2Fw6K2I6o4hnpGVrn4W9JyRpAfJfQZMTdpwAYhWd3bEVmeWbS9if65sgaN49kMC3lcv2N5KCA_oGJbTOkcFfo/s640/whybother.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
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<b>Looking at a mom's life up close <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/12/dont-have-kids.html">may be a dose of birth control for some</a></b>, and rightly so. Loooong days and nights of infant non-sleep, toddler antics, pre-schooler vomit sessions, the monotony of redirection every 2.5 seconds, car-pool express lanes, and negotiating nap time--<b>it's just <u>not</u> glamorous. </b></div>
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So, why bother?<br />
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Pregancy isn't fun--<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/are-kate-middletons-high-heels-dangerous-for-her-104773782127.html">even Kate Middleton gets criticized at every move of it</a>--labor & delivery is a marathon of effort, and parenting "advice" is dispensed at the tip of every grocery store clerk and old man in the waiting room's tongue. <br />
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So, why bother?<br />
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You might have a miscarriage. Your baby might have a birth defect or disorder. Your child might get deathly sick. Your child may die.<br />
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So, why bother?<br />
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You will be sapped for energy physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. It will be "all joy, no fun" (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Joy-No-Fun-Parenthood/dp/0062072226">as this book from Jennifer Senior puts it</a>). <b>It will be golden blissful moments buried under Legos, cheese sticks, nose-picking, and diapers. </b><br />
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So, why bother?</div>
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<b>It will be gross</b>: spit-up, vomit, snot, poop, urine, rashes, more poop, more spit-up, more vomit. You'll probably gain weight. You won't fit into your wardrobe most of the time because of the body changes. People will comment on your size, your haircut, your choice on <i>anything</i> about how you look.<br />
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So, why bother?</div>
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You won't get enough sleep, you won't eat properly, you'll neglect your hobbies, you'll slack on your exercise. You'll form crutches of sugar, caffiene, alcohol, or Twitter like nobody's business. You'll want a break and not get one for months.</div>
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So, why bother?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9zoBt7wTQUtuMSTKHmjjUO_mWwqz4qmzGOO9Jnl0wVKmJVZ5FjVocIPkRyOX0Wt_AOaDKS8yhn7_uAk-uPuQ-dsghmrbjsuMiz2syFeyYmTf6VWoA3w9H3xJo3YSBxAa4ADw3M1Zxmoa/s1600/whynot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9zoBt7wTQUtuMSTKHmjjUO_mWwqz4qmzGOO9Jnl0wVKmJVZ5FjVocIPkRyOX0Wt_AOaDKS8yhn7_uAk-uPuQ-dsghmrbjsuMiz2syFeyYmTf6VWoA3w9H3xJo3YSBxAa4ADw3M1Zxmoa/s640/whynot.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Why not?</div>
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It won't be as hard as you think. You'll have help from corners you'd forgotten. You'll become the expert. *You're* the mom.</div>
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So, why not?<br />
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It's not as bad as they'll tell you. You'll have good days and bad days and medium days. You'll overcome obstacles and get things done anyhow. You'll rock your work, your school, your hobbies, your health (--at least some of the time!)</div>
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So, why not?<br />
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You can use your snark to create come-backs to the Official Board of Advice-Strangers.</div>
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So, why not?<br />
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Those little people really will be cute little stinkers--who say hilarious things, and do ridiculous things, and have the best logical little arguments for everything.<br />
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So, why not?<br />
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You'll get to <strike>brainwash</strike> impart<i> </i>your particular brand of crazy onto the next generation.<br />
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So, why not?<br />
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<b>Everything worth doing, is worth doing work for</b>. It will be hard, and you won't like it 100% of the time. You will cry, you will want to move to a foreign country by yourself. You will hide in the bathroom to send witty (ha!) Tweets. </div>
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<b>But you will be in awe of the job you have been given, the beautiful little persons you have taken part in creating. </b><br />
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<b>You will get lots of hugs. </b><br />
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<b>You will be loved.</b><br />
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<b>So, why bother? Why <i>not</i>?</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKa_99y9of9VON-ByF29ON0v-OeILTmQJfoClKO3v8cq49D5dkDudRwLn9kWjMAo8sYW45ZlJUo8nfiTsjO2A-lZK7UbSY7yUTVWj0YoCC0bhfDZs2M0edQu5CM5KviFDsrs4kaiQEC7k/s1600/mom+and+boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKa_99y9of9VON-ByF29ON0v-OeILTmQJfoClKO3v8cq49D5dkDudRwLn9kWjMAo8sYW45ZlJUo8nfiTsjO2A-lZK7UbSY7yUTVWj0YoCC0bhfDZs2M0edQu5CM5KviFDsrs4kaiQEC7k/s640/mom+and+boys.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-89994213959170540162014-07-26T09:40:00.000-04:002014-07-26T09:40:03.004-04:00Grief for TodayGrief is the sad-love we wear like<br />His jacket.<br />
Left behind, still warm, on that<br />Stark summer day.<br /><br />Grief is the new-love<br />Never known, never held<br />Hope back to Heaven<br />Love flown away.<br />
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Grief is the long-love<br />Years spent together, now whittled to minutes--<br />Cancer ward lips,<br />
Don't know what to say.<br />
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Grief is the strong-love<br />Crossing the ocean<br />Not expecting - news from a stranger,<br />
While children at play.<br /><br />Grief is the sorrow for what's lost or won't happen:<br />Hopes stacked as high mountains,<br />
Cast down, tumbled like towers--<br />Dreams lost on the way.<br /><br />Grief hangs like clouds,<br />
Envelopes, surrounds us<br />Sharp in our hearts,<br />
Like glass in the bay.<br /><br /> *<br />Hand reaches down<br />Through the fog, through the rubble.<br />Hand reaches out,<br />Will lift us some day.<br /><br />Joy in the sorrow.<br />
Hope in the hurting.<br />
Hope for tomorrow.<br />
Grief for today.<br />
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I have been reflecting lately on grief. There is so much pain in the world today, and it seems we hear of new atrocities or disasters <i>hourly </i>rather than daily, even. Pain worlds-apart seems just that--distant and unrelatable, but there is still the everyday and close sorrow of those around us to consider. This close pain can perhaps give us some perspective on terrors we cannot comprehend. </div>
<br /><br /><br />Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-72427491661435606172014-07-24T00:26:00.000-04:002014-07-25T17:12:12.330-04:00Just $5, please!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Y'all. I need a favor. May I borrow 5 bucks? I am RUNNING in a LEGIT race IN MAINE. Legit, as in, there are roads closed, and buses taking people around, and only small, clear bags allowed at the runner-bag-check-thing, a-la-TSA. And I need $5. </div>
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It's the <a href="http://www.beach2beacon.org/">BEACH to BEACON 10K</a> people. It's <i>kind</i> of a big deal. An Olypmic gold-medalist (from Maine!) founded the race, and tons of money gets raised for local charities, mostly related to children. I am lucky enough to be running for the <a href="https://www.campsunshine.org/">Camp Sunshine</a> team. Camp Sunshine is a retreat campus in Casco, Maine that is dedicated to provided a place for rest for children facing terminal illness, *and* their families. Get this:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 25.200000762939453px;">Camp Sunshine is currently the only full-time facility in the nation whose sole purpose is to provide respite for the whole family."</span></span></h2>
Only one in the nation! Pretty neat, yes?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIGkRT4-XlkDiuXEuJpTcp7QsGNYuorUTvJV9C2ufO4lYaF23kvD-4ODLsms-onEut4IMFfDXJoDl6hXkjVts6sc8bLeycvomqFgTEUiC6n0-R7U9HV1Ea_TAvqbW9Ak0OgL4RKC0Nd98/s1600/pg_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilIGkRT4-XlkDiuXEuJpTcp7QsGNYuorUTvJV9C2ufO4lYaF23kvD-4ODLsms-onEut4IMFfDXJoDl6hXkjVts6sc8bLeycvomqFgTEUiC6n0-R7U9HV1Ea_TAvqbW9Ak0OgL4RKC0Nd98/s1600/pg_0.jpg" height="139" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://campsunshine.org/">Camp Sunshine kids</a></td></tr>
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So, I have been "training" out here in Ohio (ramping it up this last week...) to be ready for the run. I wish I were more ready, actually, but the time-space-life-happens-continuum being what it is...here we are. I am glad, though, that I get to promote this special place for kids, and try to help them out by telling YOU about them. Because those kids are way cuter than I am:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sweaty post-run selfie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFqTTm69HyJERTkXPfJ_fwttiaJqFaTHIXclhoo7IW7AcPCMp-Ug2OS9VrOCN-TJ9awJ8Qv6UL6CqCSqVpE4OcTSt6E-K-QLKlbIHyxcQhKiR-EKq8puDHzK_R7YHciDfGSIhhJZvVXny/s1600/unnamed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFqTTm69HyJERTkXPfJ_fwttiaJqFaTHIXclhoo7IW7AcPCMp-Ug2OS9VrOCN-TJ9awJ8Qv6UL6CqCSqVpE4OcTSt6E-K-QLKlbIHyxcQhKiR-EKq8puDHzK_R7YHciDfGSIhhJZvVXny/s1600/unnamed.png" height="251" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they are probs also less sweaty</td></tr>
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Cut-to-the-chase...<br />
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May I pretty please have $5?<br />
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The goal for each team member is to raise $1,000 for the Camp. My doting sister made a donation immediately, and then...nadda. I promise that it is *super* easy to chip in. Click the fancy "DONATE NOW" button to your right>>>>>>>>>>>>>><br />
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And select $1000...::ahem:: I mean, $5, and proceed. ;)<br />
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Or, you can click this spiffy link <a href="https://www.crowdrise.com/fundraise-and-volunteer/the-team/BeachToBeacon">here</a>, and go from there.<br />
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I will pay you back someday when <i>you </i>have a thing...just let me know, and my $5 is there for you too :D<br />
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You all are the best, greatest, and prettiest. xoxoKatherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-62803629420556367902014-06-09T18:37:00.000-04:002014-06-09T18:37:53.395-04:00Beautiful Monotony: Guest Post @A Knotted Life Today!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.aknottedlife.com/2014/06/beautiful-monotony-guest-post-from.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CFrcW9zVf0LRKJHjsNHu8a4qBQtsC3OlffVZEFkcdo0iL7Jf5IBMndpDO0_xz7wtZFlGpgFDrfDbuaOoQFBtOsMQ-Ki_OvTBfn5v86y0PPhfcLuJb5q7h09nHwh_-bqDjpTcgD-o4GaW/s1600/wed.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm so excited to be guest posting over for Bonnie @ <a href="http://www.aknottedlife.com/">A Knotted Life today</a>! Come join us for a reflection on the "<a href="http://www.aknottedlife.com/2014/06/beautiful-monotony-guest-post-from.html">beautiful monotony</a>" of motherhood. <a href="http://www.aknottedlife.com/2014/06/beautiful-monotony-guest-post-from.html">Monasticism, motherhood, and Fulton Sheen--don't miss out</a>!Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-26663633670749577722014-06-04T09:31:00.000-04:002014-06-04T09:31:55.357-04:005 Basic Yet Fancy Add-ons for Your Blog @TwoOs+More Today!<br />
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<a href="http://twoosplusmore.blogspot.com/2014/06/5-basic-yet-fancy-add-ons-for-your-blog.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw08KZsSvaPvZPVqxnl6X01FUtC4CIZQ5gQK54IFAc1M4ausGoFTTOIuW9MjNPZYS6l_FfB7n8N77qzcaF9IgTMv-aTtG4TUjtLiApN39cbJa5c_Bx9kHOoiH2b7ijggt1CMMpjdSBfCxy/s1600/blog.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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So, you have a blog, but there's a little something missing? Jealous of all the cool kids and their buttons and add-ons? You've come to the right place!<br />
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Sarah @<a href="http://twoosplusmore.blogspot.com/">TwoOs+More</a> just had her third sweet little boy, so to give her a *little* extra time to welcome him to the O family, she's having me over today to talk about some basic/fancy upgrades for your blogs! <a href="http://twoosplusmore.blogspot.com/2014/06/5-basic-yet-fancy-add-ons-for-your-blog.html">Head on over to check it out!</a><br />
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We're also linked up w/ Hallie @<a href="http://moxiewife.com/">Moxie Wife</a> for <a href="http://moxiewife.com/2014/06/five-favorites-vol-59/.html">Five Favorites</a> today!</div>
Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-84599338802190283172014-05-26T01:45:00.000-04:002014-05-26T01:45:44.295-04:00{WIWS} Full of Grace (Necklace!) EditionJust a little outfit fun for Sunday, mostly so I can show you my new gorgeous necklace from <a href="http://spiritually-hip.com/">Full of Grace, Divine Designs</a> jewelry. Susan @ <a href="http://www.solesearchingmamma.com/">Sole Searching Mama</a> (she has 5 boys! she runs! they have a farm!) had a giveaway the other day...and I won! I won! I found out about my prize, the gorgeous <a href="http://spiritually-hip.com/Addy.html">"Addy" necklace</a> (on sale now--$20 off!!) on the day that my best friend had her baby, and it was a Marian feast day to boot. So, it's basically an heirloom for my future children/grandchildren already ;). <br />
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Here's what I wore:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT7IdojZytzJYRIsZ7MJcx6veRyba3PAgbfI9Zwbqp5VkOJ40yyD-4yPL0R8Z7Fa1PH02vhs4gbDFW9SGn5OoSedjspVpg5b3toidAXiu3uNAFDQgDirV14BhXhe83PE_UE12RGBzozxm/s1600/collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT7IdojZytzJYRIsZ7MJcx6veRyba3PAgbfI9Zwbqp5VkOJ40yyD-4yPL0R8Z7Fa1PH02vhs4gbDFW9SGn5OoSedjspVpg5b3toidAXiu3uNAFDQgDirV14BhXhe83PE_UE12RGBzozxm/s1600/collage.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a><br />
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Leo was the photographer for the full-length shot, and the others were selfies with the iPad...so great photos for y'all here...;)</div>
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Shirt: <a href="http://www.target.com/p/gilligan-o-malley-reg-women-s-fluid-knit-sleep-top-assorted-colors/-/A-14347263#prodSlot=medium_1_2&term=v+neck+shirt+gilligan+o%27malley">Target</a>* (but I got it for $2.99 at an overstock store!)<br />Skirt: Blue corduroy hand-me-down<br />Flip-flops: <a href="http://www.okabashi.com/">Okabashi</a> from Wal-Mart (Made in Amercia and seen also <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/04/tied-up-with-string-five-favorites-vol-1.html">here</a>)<br />Necklace: "<a href="http://spiritually-hip.com/Addy.html">Addy</a>" from <a href="http://spiritually-hip.com/">Full of Grace, Divine Designs</a><br />*Apparently this shirt is *actually* <i>sleepwear</i>...no wonder it was so comfy! hahahaha!</div>
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The necklace is two strands of ruby and tourmaline beads on 24k gold link chain, with a vintage-inspired Marian holy medal. It is delicate, feminine, colorful, and I really love it! So, go check out <a href="http://spiritually-hip.com/About-Us.html">Melissa's</a> stuff over at <a href="http://spiritually-hip.com/">Full of Grace</a>. :0)</div>
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Thanks for joining in today...tune in next time for more wackiness from your favorite black sheep <strike>hater</strike> rescuer. </div>
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Linking up with the lovely ladies at <a href="http://www.finelinenandpurple.com/2014/05/25/what-i-wore-sunday-volume-84/">Fine Linen and Purple</a> for:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfLI1R_fVIDabXwG5J5HK8Xf0zqEAgb167Sw-eEag0WI16VcuTWLoDRAOToXp-JJ99FNqhHw6XBpdZsz8lsJAIcdsz9dalIQD3v9QDOkANVLjqDCePZFlc_mfPInhLJNW5MWOgTWXhbI_/s1600/newbutton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfLI1R_fVIDabXwG5J5HK8Xf0zqEAgb167Sw-eEag0WI16VcuTWLoDRAOToXp-JJ99FNqhHw6XBpdZsz8lsJAIcdsz9dalIQD3v9QDOkANVLjqDCePZFlc_mfPInhLJNW5MWOgTWXhbI_/s1600/newbutton.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-1468488686491742082014-04-29T10:19:00.001-04:002014-04-29T22:17:32.746-04:00{FF} Top 5 Tips for Moms of NewbornsThree very dear friends (<a href="http://twoosplusmore.blogspot.com/2014/04/37-weeks-update-baby-pool.html">Sarah</a> + *two* others!) are very close to meeting brand new babies this month, and I couldn't be more excited for them! In honor of the new babes on the way, I consulted my Mom Guru, my friend Ellie, and we came up with some tips. Now, these are more for the <i>new</i> mom of a newborn, but you veterans out there should glean something! So, since I'm <i>obviously</i> an expert (ha.ha.), here's the tips...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeZ5OP-DbHLgxz1qst8DdpDQX3ikpXtW-D5JRzkOQYYLUuU776oaEYJoG6ppmEBa3_KrMifmC4Y-zr7HPns3-QDsnpML4gmAVQP9haSmTH8QzK7PuUU6TQQ5weea-Iqu07Vg3SZaELdlW/s1600/top+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeZ5OP-DbHLgxz1qst8DdpDQX3ikpXtW-D5JRzkOQYYLUuU776oaEYJoG6ppmEBa3_KrMifmC4Y-zr7HPns3-QDsnpML4gmAVQP9haSmTH8QzK7PuUU6TQQ5weea-Iqu07Vg3SZaELdlW/s1600/top+5.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>1. Be prepared, (but know that there's only so much you can prepare).</b><br />
Get stocked up on the practical, basic things you'll need for the first little time after you get home from the hospital. Get some witch hazel and some mega-huge pads. Find a comfortable nursing tank top, and maybe an item or two that makes you feel pretty, like a nail polish or a lip balm, because you are going to look for a while, as <a href="http://camppatton.com/">Grace</a> puts it, like you've been <a href="http://www.camppatton.com/2014/04/picnic-in-park.html">hit by a truck</a>. Know, however, that there is only so much you can do to get ready for this new life. <b>At some point, she's going to arrive, and send your expectations flying, and you will be the mom. </b><br />
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<b>2. Remember that the days are short but the years fly by. </b><br />
You are going to get <a href="http://mylifesuckers.com/it-all-goes-by-so-fast/">tired of hearing "enjoy it now, it flies by</a>" or "they grow up so fast!". When you are sleep-strained and <a href="http://callherhappy.com/new-moms-big-kids/">wishing that they would just know one thing</a> to do on their own, you don't want to hear that you're supposed to enjoy something! So, as Ellie puts it, "<b>tuck away as many memories of your sweet baby as possible</b>...how he smells and smiles and giggles, his fat rolls and soft skin. These memories will serve you well when he turns into a rowdy, unruly toddler who draws on your new couch in black permanent marker".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXsmwLnMPkBPYQh9mV0phyphenhyphenLYQM_qDbrq6D1Eg7iDm0lxO_1D30jSSXaFa1XhIaEXpN7aSBVc3jnkfpjShLM9jOl8lc8FYxFr-2Y7RcGIO0nvn8OHQNkqgv3G5-36bHOf1ArzEbT2FItmZ/s1600/292619_617173857930_414352078_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXsmwLnMPkBPYQh9mV0phyphenhyphenLYQM_qDbrq6D1Eg7iDm0lxO_1D30jSSXaFa1XhIaEXpN7aSBVc3jnkfpjShLM9jOl8lc8FYxFr-2Y7RcGIO0nvn8OHQNkqgv3G5-36bHOf1ArzEbT2FItmZ/s1600/292619_617173857930_414352078_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>3. Rest.</b><br />
While it's not really realistic to "sleep when the baby sleeps" (that's often the only time for showering, dishes, vacuuming, calling a friend or painting your nails as well...), the sentiment is true for sure, especially if you're using up a bunch of calories by breastfeeding. Your sleep is going to be disrupted, so snatch it where you can. If a friend offers help, ask them to hold the baby while you take a nap! Otherwise try to keep a restful attitude for the first few weeks so that your body can recover. Don't try to have tons of company over to go to all the events there are. <b>Lay low, start slow. </b><br />
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<b>4. This too shall pass</b><br />
I think the most helpful piece of advice I received as a first-time-hassled mom was also from Ellie. She told me that the super-fussy day/night flipped schedule Leo was keeping was just a phase that he'd grow out of by about 6/7 weeks old. I was so relieved! 6-7 weeks may sound like an eternity, but just <b>knowing that there was an end in sight made it all easier</b>. I have continued to remind myself of this advice as the boys have gotten older. With each new weird sleeping pattern or frustrating behavior that requires constant re-direction, I think "it's just a phase", and it's true! Moreover, we need them to have these phases, because they are forming us too. As mothers we are constantly called to rebirth. As our little one's babyhood passes away, toddler-hood is born and on and on. So in each stage we face a newness and an overwhelming that molds us into better mothers. Don't fight this pruning. It's OK, and it definitely doesn't mean you are a bad mom.<br />
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<b>5. It's OK to feel like you have no idea what you're doing</b><br />
It's completely normal to feel overwhelmed and shocked and unprepared for motherhood. It's healthy to have these feelings because they are the beginning of learning. They are, as Ellie puts it, "the birth pains of your path of motherhood". You're learning as you go, but you are that baby's mom. You are the one whom God chose from all time and eternity to be the mother to <i>this</i> baby at <i>this </i>particular time in your life, and in history. <b><i>Your </i>particular gifts, talents, strengths, weaknesses, personality, experiences, doubts, and knowledge are what <i>your </i>child needs.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Momma rocking it with her cutest child ;)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">*Bonus Links*</span><br />
<a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/08/ff-toddler-tips-edition.html">Toddler Tips</a><br />
<a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/07/ff-momma-said.html">Momma Said</a><br />
<a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-ultimate-baby-shower-gift-list-with.html">Best Baby Shower Gift</a><br />
<a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2012/05/just-enjoy.html">Just Enjoy</a><br />
<a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-myth-of-motherhood.html">The Myth of Motherhood</a><br />
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Joining Hallie over @<a href="http://moxiewife.com/">Moxie Wife</a> for <a href="http://moxiewife.com/2014/04/five-favorites-vol-55/.html">Five Favorites</a>!</div>
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<br />Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-90954571888341039122014-04-27T23:31:00.001-04:002014-04-27T23:48:06.595-04:00Dirt with Seeds In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After procrastinating the seed planting for 3-4 weeks, I've finally got some seeds into the dirt! It is very fortunate that Steven and I are forgetful in different areas. I remember people's names, and he remembers that I bought bags of planting soil on sale last fall to have this spring. (Right, *I* bought them, and didn't remember!) </div>
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Not much to see here, but the tote is full of dirt, the seed packets are from <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/">Johnny's</a>...and now they're best friends in the seed trays.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Amvn8K-2Iw1bKmsNentaD9VdQt_szxB6Wefh1AqlS5mXBi7njJFnPyurTqBuaprQbAVY-a2-U-mUN-Op5vyAYDuHYHKviVC-wSpqE-6xd6v1CYJ1dWVDK2w82YnbBNP1gInPeHbkYpOS/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Amvn8K-2Iw1bKmsNentaD9VdQt_szxB6Wefh1AqlS5mXBi7njJFnPyurTqBuaprQbAVY-a2-U-mUN-Op5vyAYDuHYHKviVC-wSpqE-6xd6v1CYJ1dWVDK2w82YnbBNP1gInPeHbkYpOS/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="476" width="640" /></a></div>
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I planted a lot of tomatoes (mostly of the <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/search.aspx?searchterm=amish+paste&isusersearch=1">paste </a>variety, so we can make tomato sauce at the end of the summer) and peppers (so we can make pepper mustard at the end of the summer). Also some broccoli and Brussels sprouts, because: green. Also also some <a href="http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5883-goldie-og.aspx#">tomatillos</a>, because: I like to say tomatillo. <br />
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The garden isn't tilled up yet, because it's too cold to plant (unless you are daring/have more energy to cover things when it gets cold) and too wet also...and because: no plants yet ;). We'll keep you posted for sure as the little dears start to grow!<br />
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This post is dedicated to Laura and Cate, who always take a kindly interest in the goings-on at Black Sheep Farm (and garden) :D. Hi Laura and Cate!Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-78922343999930307122014-04-24T23:11:00.000-04:002014-04-24T23:11:13.797-04:00Things I've Learned from NPR Lately<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, by "lately" I mean...two months ago...but, that's how we roll. I have mentioned before that <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/08/common-ground-mackelmores-same-love.html">I listen to NPR a lot</a> in the car. <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/08/common-ground-mackelmores-same-love.html">This is why I'm notoriously behind</a> the times with knowing what songs are "hip" now. I do, however, get to learn a lot from the folks over at public radio. (Who, by the way, have <a href="http://www.npr.org/series/6000/people-at-npr">such ecclectic names</a>! I am always wondering if having an interesting name is part of the hiring requirements over there, or if people change their name when they become NPR reporters.) An-e-ways.<br />
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Two separate stories struck me. Firstly was <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/02/27/283443670/neil-degrasse-tyson-explains-why-the-cosmos-shouldnt-make-you-feel-small">an interview with Neil DeGrasse Tyson</a>, the astrophysicist.<br />
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One of the things Mr. Tyson spoke about was his dislike with people calling him, and other very intelligent people, "gifted". He said, no, he had to work very hard to get to where he is now. I think that this is very important to remember. We do have God-given talents and propensities, but there is still actual work involved in our success. All too often we look at others' achievements and discount them because "that's their gift". Similarly, we decide that we "can't" do something or another because we just aren't gifted in that area, or we don't have the personality for it. While it is true that certain tasks are more difficult for some people than others, it does not give us a free pass on life. Whether we are strong or weak in a particular area of our lives, there is work required. </div>
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The second piece that got me thinking was some remarks from <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/tv-correspondent-arm-amputation-article-1.1715104">correspondent Miles O'Brien</a>, who recently had a partial arm amputation due to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compartment_syndrome">acute compartment syndrome</a> after an incident with a heavy case falling on his arm.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/tv-correspondent-arm-amputation-article-1.1715104">source</a></td></tr>
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O'Brien was actually on NPR to report his story on the Fukushima nuclear disaster, but he stayed on at the end of the piece to speak with the NPR host about his injury. O'Brien was marvelously upbeat about his life moving forward, and said something to the effect of <b>"Life is a series of challenges, some that we chose, and some that are sent to us..." </b><br />
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What hit me most about his words at the time was the fact that there are <i>challenges that we chose</i>. Think about it. There is so much in life that we <i>don't</i> chose--shouldn't we be more choosy about what we <i>do</i> chose?<br />
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This ties in with something I learned from watching the first episode of <i>Call the Midwife </i>(...it's on PBS, it can go w/ stuff from NPR!) with Steven the other day. (Yeah, he bought it for me, and watched it with me. I like him.). One of the midwives says something like,<b> "Sometimes we just have to deal with what the Lord sends."</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A friend of mine says that I am like Nurse Lee. I'll take it! ;)<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/emma-brockes-blog/2013/apr/26/call-the-midwife-pbs-hit-import">source</a></td></tr>
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Sometimes the situations we are handed are less than (our) ideal. A lot of times, actually. So, we work to make our strengths stronger and our weaknesses smaller, we pick our battles, and we roll with the punches. Why? </div>
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Because life. Life is work. Life is joy. Life is beautiful. </div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-77025927108777730122014-04-17T09:10:00.000-04:002014-04-21T14:33:20.800-04:00The Myth of MotherhoodWow. There is a whole lot out there written about moms, isn't there? Mom's are crazy, <a href="http://familyshare.com/12-ways-to-be-the-meanest-mom-in-the-world">mom's are mean</a>, mom's are the best, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/worlds-toughest-job-ad-american-fake-job-interview-23334187">mom's have it the hardest</a>, being a mom is so rewarding, being a mom is <a href="http://birthphotographers.com/?contestants=strength-empowerment-love">beautiful</a>, being a mom is dumb, working moms neglect their kids, stay-at-home moms are lazy. The range of things written about mom is absolutely no surprise, <i><b>because everyone in the world has a mom, and everyone in the world has an opinion.</b></i><br />
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And so do I! Time to dust off the old soapbox <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/12/dont-have-kids.html">again</a>, methinks...<br />
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<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/worlds-toughest-job-ad-american-fake-job-interview-23334187">This video</a> about how motherhood is the toughest job in the world has gone viral over the past week or so. Matt Walsh <a href="http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/04/15/motherhood-isnt-tougher-than-fatherhood-but-maybe-we-should-all-stop-competing/">beat me to the punch</a> and pointed out some of the flaws with the thoughts behind it. He pointed out that being a dad is tough as well, that neither job is as tough as that ad for employment made it out to be, and that beyond these things, there is actual damage to portraying motherhood in this way (or, parenthood in general if we're being honest):<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">I’m all for being real with people, but all we accomplish is making otherwise fine young men and women utterly petrified of starting a family. They constantly hear that you’ll never sleep, your life is over, and you’ll never have fun again, unless you learn to define ‘fun’ as ‘poopy diapers and bankruptcy.’ And then we wonder why birthrates are plummeting? (--<a href="http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/04/15/motherhood-isnt-tougher-than-fatherhood-but-maybe-we-should-all-stop-competing/">Matt Walsh</a>)</span></blockquote>
So, what's the deal?<br />
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There are two extremes of the concept of "mother" being played out in today's society. On the one hand, being a mom is the super-hardest-toughest-most-overlooked position in society; mothers are trampled on, neglected, un-showered and lonely.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMZP-7NLtf5-p5is5UUtbXnwSUhAZ3Nkb5cC0csDqOEVXbVUQhNe5hoUdsELfFiUuV9EDHcnZKCLyfzDV3mD22LNfAcDf-p_NDRbKtYfzEtE1awt1YCqPrLkaYUUrlRqqs1hYsGaQZPKz/s1600/wpid-messymom.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMZP-7NLtf5-p5is5UUtbXnwSUhAZ3Nkb5cC0csDqOEVXbVUQhNe5hoUdsELfFiUuV9EDHcnZKCLyfzDV3mD22LNfAcDf-p_NDRbKtYfzEtE1awt1YCqPrLkaYUUrlRqqs1hYsGaQZPKz/s1600/wpid-messymom.jpeg" height="400" width="372" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibit A<br />
<a href="http://thediaryofanirishmammy.com/2014/01/30/10-great-things-about-being-a-mammy/">source</a></td></tr>
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On the other end of the spectrum is SuperMom. A woman so perfect, it's hard to look at her. She has 2.3 to 3.7 children, works part-time, or has a small home business, her house is immaculate, her children are well-behaved, her clothes are fashionable, and she never has a bad hair day. Ever.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkfjjJOL8i4daF8TrYtamoYhwqwpXMG8kBoCX32Xx4VgNnY5Fjz2Drb-ONg3qmuvS5bmcxfoXt-J2DUro6o9AEygFzVV7vng9us4Ax13egcZv59Dga_ML7XvslTTAkKEibYcWSJ6XbBGh/s1600/SuperMom.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkfjjJOL8i4daF8TrYtamoYhwqwpXMG8kBoCX32Xx4VgNnY5Fjz2Drb-ONg3qmuvS5bmcxfoXt-J2DUro6o9AEygFzVV7vng9us4Ax13egcZv59Dga_ML7XvslTTAkKEibYcWSJ6XbBGh/s1600/SuperMom.gif" height="400" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibit B.<br />
<a href="http://www.mommytracked.com/super-mom">source</a></td></tr>
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The problem with the two extremes is that nobody wants either one! Who would vote to be a frumpy frazzled lady for life? And who wants to try to meet Everest-ian expectations for everything? Nope. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not nobody. Not nohow.<br />
<a href="http://thecrankycrow.blogspot.com/2012/09/not-nobody-not-no-how.html">source</a></td></tr>
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Now, nobody's kidding anyone here. Being a mom (a parent in general, of course!), <i>is</i> hard. <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/11/completely-pathetic.html">It is simply not a breeze all of the time</a>. <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/11/too-much-like-work.html">It is actual work</a>. Motherhood is one of the most important jobs on the planet (despite what they say over there <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/18/sorry-but-being-a-mother-is-not-the-most-important-job-in-the-world">@<u>The Guardian</u></a>--srsly?! Srsly? :P), because you have the immense responsibility of introducing other persons to everything. It's your job to make sure they know how to react and interact and put on pants. All of that.<br />
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<b>But motherhood is normal</b>. Let's all say that again. Being a mom is <i>normal</i>. "Mom" is the job description for more people on the planet than anything else. Seriously. <br />
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I once had a friend* ask me how I knew what to do with the boys, like, did I read books or something? I had to stop and think about it. I absorbed a lot of mothering information and style by growing up around a bunch of kids. My family isn't humongous by <a href="http://www.duggarfamily.com/">reality TV show</a> standards, but there were always some cousins to babysit. So, changing diapers, making lunches, and playing made-up games for hours were all, well, normal. My family gave me the background to assume a lot of the responsibilities of mothering, and, most importantly, the attitude that I could be a mom: normal people are moms, I can do that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjm092iUZq9ACPJ0hpm8nDiCdRF3XU3bFovn7D7g8EmPOViY1y2Z8MjShX_PQzz_3WbBvPCBM0d9PIdC3GFxQgsHXnKr1ndATEquf2Z8oJyF6NR4kAnmXLxKbuk-FNMMHHlNb96ME-nyx/s1600/944758_696876138920_1464630533_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjm092iUZq9ACPJ0hpm8nDiCdRF3XU3bFovn7D7g8EmPOViY1y2Z8MjShX_PQzz_3WbBvPCBM0d9PIdC3GFxQgsHXnKr1ndATEquf2Z8oJyF6NR4kAnmXLxKbuk-FNMMHHlNb96ME-nyx/s1600/944758_696876138920_1464630533_n.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my former charges ;)</td></tr>
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Now, I don't think you had to have been an all-star babysitter to be a mom, or even a great mom, but the situation has definitely been made more difficult by the attitude of many people today that I've illustrated above. When people perceive motherhood (and fatherhood) as either slave-work or heroic, they are repelled from it, because most people are neither slavish nor think themselves heroes. Add to this is the perception that children are a burden, and that multiple children is an undertaking <a href="http://www.duggarfamily.com/">bordering on insanity</a>, and all of the sudden motherhood is a mystical enigma of epic proportions.<br />
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{<a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/12/dont-have-kids.html">side bar soapbox</a>: why is it OK to judge other people's family size? Really?}<br />
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So, if you didn't grow up in a large family, or weren't babysitting cousins often, it's ok, really. There <i>are</i> books to read, and blogs, and websites, and medical people, and Google--not to mention that your own mom and friends are a wealth of information. And if you're ever really starving for advice, just show up at the grocery store with at least one child in tow. There are always experts in the grocery store line. ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvLCZNz7KnGNpA18B1PJ3Q_S9dAELAYN69kRn7elYt2xgLvwlyPa-Myc5A6rvceNb59ypEuIS9-CZwrU-PVwY0S_Ena8X6Q0qz74D7sJQOrx0q1PGHpc1LCidMX4Y4r35FdkyNlSet9En/s1600/url.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvLCZNz7KnGNpA18B1PJ3Q_S9dAELAYN69kRn7elYt2xgLvwlyPa-Myc5A6rvceNb59ypEuIS9-CZwrU-PVwY0S_Ena8X6Q0qz74D7sJQOrx0q1PGHpc1LCidMX4Y4r35FdkyNlSet9En/s1600/url.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://themalloryreport.com/2012/10/22/unwanted-advice/">source</a></td></tr>
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Folks, listen. There are several billion ways in this world to be a mom. Most of them are just fine. You can <a href="http://mollymakesdo.blogspot.com/2014/04/all-laid-out-cross-section-of-employed.html">be employed</a> a lot, or a little, or not at all. You can breastfeed or bottlefeed, cloth diaper or use disposables. You can obsess about the ingredients in the Kool Aid, or make your kids boxed Kraft mac n' cheese until they turn orange. Go for it.<br />
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Being a mom is everything they say it is, <i>and </i>you can do it. The trials of toddlers and laundry, budgets and babies, the wondrous monotony of motherhood is normal, and it is good. <b>Somewhere between the Frumpy-Frazz and the Super-Queen lies the truth of motherhood: <u>you</u>. And lady, you've got this one.</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo & Mama c. April 2011</td></tr>
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*Special thanks to my dear friend for getting me to think about this stuff :)<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-77919124245306081732014-04-16T00:14:00.000-04:002014-04-16T00:14:22.588-04:00Liebster? I don't even know 'er!Alternate title: I won! I won! I won!<br />
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SO, while <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2014/04/7qt-tweets-to-my-sister-and-other.html">I was shamelessly plugging away</a> for someone to award me <a href="http://thisaintthelyceum.org/got-lobster/">a Lobster</a> the other day, <a href="http://www.mama-jules.blogspot.com/">Julia</a> <a href="http://www.mama-jules.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-liebster-award-that-cool-feeling.html">already had!</a> Thank you, Julia, I am humbled and honored, truly, truly. (and. let's face it, <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2014/01/five-favorites-alter-egos.html">this girl</a> needs more humility!)<br />
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I've been seeing several Liebster/Lobster winners over the past week or so, but I had to clarify the rules for myself. So, <a href="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Liebster+award">I Googled it</a>. <a href="http://wordingwell.com/the-liebster-award-the-official-rules-my-first-blog-award-and-a-few-personal-secrets-revealed/">This post</a> makes it seem pretty complicated, but <a href="http://sopphey.onimpression.com/2012/05/liebster-blog-award-origins.html">this one</a> says all you have to do is accept it and pass it on, you make up the rest. Sounds like my kind of prize!<br />
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SO...without further ado (too late!)...drum-roll please...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4ezicJEosev9IDhSkOw79DZx6QslhOMN7iQYGsDoD-z4XatZjllkJYOYvbz3E1wnQRdesyzNjpQFXRoBHfBFgD9QUkycN-PtkX0VB5P9CYAUwOQoWaSrByH9QUjGDhGE5h6LZP2RLgPB/s1600/liebster+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4ezicJEosev9IDhSkOw79DZx6QslhOMN7iQYGsDoD-z4XatZjllkJYOYvbz3E1wnQRdesyzNjpQFXRoBHfBFgD9QUkycN-PtkX0VB5P9CYAUwOQoWaSrByH9QUjGDhGE5h6LZP2RLgPB/s1600/liebster+me.jpg" height="362" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mama-jules.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-liebster-award-that-cool-feeling.html">Julia answered and then asked</a> the following questions:</div>
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<b>Where do you live and why do you live there now?</b></div>
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I live on <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/search/label/farm%20life">Black Sheep Farm</a>, in northeast Ohio. I live here now because this is where we are building up our family. We live in a 100+ year old farmhouse on land that's been in Steven's family for...8 generations now, or, at least since 1832. Kind of a big deal. </div>
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<b>What are you currently watching or reading?</b></div>
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Hmmm....does pining after the next season of <i>Sherlock</i> count? We also blitzed through all four seasons of <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-glass-castle-and-downton-abbey-pick.html"><i>Downton Abbey</i></a> this spring. I haven't been much of a <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/11/whats-on-your-bookshelf.html">reader</a> lately, which is sad to me, but I am crawling through <i>The Fellowship of the Ring </i>again. The last really meaningful read I had was <i><a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-glass-castle-and-downton-abbey-pick.html">The Glass Castle</a></i>, but I <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-glass-castle-and-downton-abbey-pick.html">already told you about that</a>. Oh! I just remembered! Steven got <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163">Unbroken</a></i> on our Audible account. He says I will really like it. I don't know, because it's sure to have some horrific war drama that I'm not positive my wired mom/nurse-self can handle, but I'm willing to try it out. Maybe.</div>
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<b>How many pairs of shoes do you own?</b><br />
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Own vs. wear is a distinction that <a href="http://twoosplusmore.blogspot.com/2014/04/i-like-to-thank-academy-and-kendra.html">Sarah highlighted</a>, and I will go with. I have 7-8 pairs of footwear that I wear. I like to have footwear for specific activities. Leo always asks if I'm going to work when I put on my clonky-Dansko clogs. I suppose I own the boyos shoes too. They have 3 pairs each in whatever is their current size (sneakers/church shoes/boots). </div>
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<b>Are you a good dancer?</b></div>
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I can rock the amateur-type-in-home-dance-party, and I was a ballerina once. As in, for one season, at age..5 (?). I played a guppy in a production of <i>The Little Mermaid</i>. My sister got to be an oyster. Her job was <i>way</i> more glamorous, believe me. </div>
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<b>Who usually drives, you or your husband?</b></div>
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Steven, because he is the best driver, and I am the best co-pilot. I was trained in this prestigious vocation by riding shotgun for my brand-new-driver sister at the tender age of 15. I can call lane changes and feed a hungry charioteer french fries like nobody's business. </div>
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<b>What is your favorite holiday, and how do you celebrate it?</b></div>
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I really <i>really </i>love Easter. The Easter Vigil is one of my favorite services to go to.</div>
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<b>Which is correct, left or right?</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoctzGJkoz-MvS1zEJciFx8sNj_BKJh_F2f69GE-XA0gI4tT-uauR_AesDu2eMnyec0JhClgx48ZXREudrYgu0cTNSlcVR_ai3Ot6A6TWTLd5EdfTNnX-LLiMsLOJxNR1rGA5PdtbAJHhU/s1600/Toilet-Paper-Over-Under.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoctzGJkoz-MvS1zEJciFx8sNj_BKJh_F2f69GE-XA0gI4tT-uauR_AesDu2eMnyec0JhClgx48ZXREudrYgu0cTNSlcVR_ai3Ot6A6TWTLd5EdfTNnX-LLiMsLOJxNR1rGA5PdtbAJHhU/s1600/Toilet-Paper-Over-Under.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Left. Always left. Although, not that it matters around here. I give you Exhibit A:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81pH-t8deYkk-kL_7BiK6fOALBNz5nPs1-OQuTjBgXhLbHbCLZtX3iBs0j6fC2LtJz7lVlpESlygv4q-MJ-COm65hiJJmqBgrKKVkSGBJvymeWsMZgo_6-Lwj3QPaPnMjyVetszqA2M46/s1600/1185633_704580853610_436901306_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81pH-t8deYkk-kL_7BiK6fOALBNz5nPs1-OQuTjBgXhLbHbCLZtX3iBs0j6fC2LtJz7lVlpESlygv4q-MJ-COm65hiJJmqBgrKKVkSGBJvymeWsMZgo_6-Lwj3QPaPnMjyVetszqA2M46/s1600/1185633_704580853610_436901306_n.jpg" height="475" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Do you have any scars?</b></div>
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At first I was going to say no, or maybe tell you about the (pretty much faded) minuscule scar on my right index finger from shutting a pocket knife on it while carving a stick at the age of...old enough to know not to do that. And then I was like...OH yeah....there was that one other, *lee-tle* scar...AKA C-section delivery of my firstborn son. So, yes, scar, check. (I'm tellin' you, <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/12/dont-have-kids.html">don't have kids</a>! *wink*). </div>
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<b>What's the most famous thing you've ever done?</b></div>
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Ummm....nothing. Seriously, nothing yet. You'll have to wait for my children to grow up to be amazing inventors of something really awesome, or everyday saints, or champion of all-the-things, and then everyone can say, "she's his mother!", and the crowd will cheer. That will be my fame. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aqioKL0qhTWVICqKV7-JtrbWO2QZtXaoQamjgloQhGqVxUNlIQy0IJiKwMACiV-cFXYUJbdXXPN4o0D_1q9sSA9Xt2J9kkOJgBICncD8JaEgR5SqLGCuefPkgXEJ8d3pmjfnXtqGvDcs/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aqioKL0qhTWVICqKV7-JtrbWO2QZtXaoQamjgloQhGqVxUNlIQy0IJiKwMACiV-cFXYUJbdXXPN4o0D_1q9sSA9Xt2J9kkOJgBICncD8JaEgR5SqLGCuefPkgXEJ8d3pmjfnXtqGvDcs/s1600/imgres.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></div>
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And, because I can, I nominate <a href="http://merrydreamer.blogspot.com/">Marie</a> (who should always get a prize!), <a href="http://jmeville.blogspot.com/">Jamie</a> (who will have fun answers!) and <a href="http://asiwentwalking.blogspot.com/">Christina</a> (whose answers I can't even guess!) for the prestigious Liebster award! </div>
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<br />Questions to answer:<br />-Who is your favorite saint and why?</div>
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-What is your least favorite food, and the last time you ate it?</div>
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-Who is your alter literary/film ego?</div>
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-If you had to make a living teaching something, what would you teach?<br />-What is one thing you have learned recently that surprised you?</div>
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-What is one name you would never give a child, and why? AND top three names you <i>would</i> consider</div>
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-What is the most inspiring book you have read?</div>
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-What did you want to be when you "grew up" (as asked to your 2nd grade self)?<br /><br />*AND* if you wished you would have won a special award, let me know. It's just about my favorite thing to give things to people, and I take bribes easily. </div>
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<br />Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-72652133431999485582014-04-11T01:20:00.000-04:002014-04-11T01:20:25.868-04:00{7QT: Tweets to My Sister and Other Exciting Things}1. I have decided that if I had Twitter, it would pretty much be exactly like reading my texts to my sister. SO...either incredibly boring for everyone else, or WAY over-share, I'm thinking. Like so:<br />
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<br />-"I've decided I don't have the energy to write a post about <i>Frozen</i>"<br />-"Leo almost had a stomach at dinner"</div>
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-"you could be like Har-ry Pot-tah"</div>
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-"came outside smelling like he had been hitting the mouthwash"</div>
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-"maybe your tummy wants to watch a show"<br /></div>
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On second thought, maybe @TheHopefulStarfish would be a fun Twitter read? Meh. I still say "pound" instead of "hashtag"; I'm too old for Twitter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkAYGef_lh7nOD2XRsmKxoIhzhfra4j5sUtmLWhRtzdCt8gnvK142GDZaQyWE9gAQr1Q68RtwwsF7tx-NDwIK6ydDNNbodPf5foMeR8TK9LH_oHo8OvyDlv4Vi54qJjgMaD2NkdaYkf4U/s1600/twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkAYGef_lh7nOD2XRsmKxoIhzhfra4j5sUtmLWhRtzdCt8gnvK142GDZaQyWE9gAQr1Q68RtwwsF7tx-NDwIK6ydDNNbodPf5foMeR8TK9LH_oHo8OvyDlv4Vi54qJjgMaD2NkdaYkf4U/s1600/twitter.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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2. We did watch <i>Frozen</i> with the boyos on Wednesday night. I thought about blessing you (ha!) with my thoughts on it in a post, but lucky you (srsly, folks), it was too much work. It was a fun movie, with fun songs and characters, and the main couple (::gasp!::) didn't even get married during the movie. One kiss only. Redemptive, even, I'd say (which, as you know, is <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-glass-castle-and-downton-abbey-pick.html">one of my main criteria for winning as a story</a>). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIMTKDEBVr91foAJ6JU7ZLQol4BEz5kI6GDxzJGcWrPVHVR19I8EfNZU3_DZiaaSS478Q6dZRKRBQGPKVWTfJKcFza5umwyiZJYa6YHBgvSColcOzPw5D-IMeCW19w5G6p9PJgpM3TdCl/s1600/olaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIMTKDEBVr91foAJ6JU7ZLQol4BEz5kI6GDxzJGcWrPVHVR19I8EfNZU3_DZiaaSS478Q6dZRKRBQGPKVWTfJKcFza5umwyiZJYa6YHBgvSColcOzPw5D-IMeCW19w5G6p9PJgpM3TdCl/s1600/olaf.jpg" height="218" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/UFatVn1hP3o/maxresdefault.jpg">source</a></td></tr>
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<br />3. IT'S DANIEL's SECOND BIRTHDAY TODAY!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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He is pretty much awesome. I think he is growing up to be a really cool little brother. He is funny, fun, very very mischievous, curious, smart, and daring. Just the other day he told me "I so clever", which I do tell him quite often...because it's true. Two. That kid is two. Not even lying. </div>
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4. I am very excited about Black Sheep Farm (and garden)'s upcoming SPRING and SUMMER. This excitement will surely fade in approximately...however many days/weeks it takes to become over-run by weeds and sweat and bugs and tangled-up goats, but for now, from my 3 days of Spring seat, things are looking grand. Also in the works is another post for <a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/">Real Housekeeping</a> on Starting Out w/ Chickens. (It will <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/05/7qt-freiken-chickens-edition.html">look kind of like this</a>, but maybe *slightly* more helpful. Slightly.) Because I am an expert, that's why. An expert who has sold 8 dozen eggs total, and who has lost 6 (at least) fowl to wild creatures thus far this year. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKm8u9LxgL0mTUrtP9UkP3T4w4DnZ25lyj0Ch-QrcPVpmarFHYvwDjE929SZuwKpsFK2mCqr5_bkz8Eb5TexexrTQMqlonQH6ULsPpnuuaW4P36kz-yuCWvksbZd_YrcaeQu3XasIXgUkC/s1600/more+chickens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKm8u9LxgL0mTUrtP9UkP3T4w4DnZ25lyj0Ch-QrcPVpmarFHYvwDjE929SZuwKpsFK2mCqr5_bkz8Eb5TexexrTQMqlonQH6ULsPpnuuaW4P36kz-yuCWvksbZd_YrcaeQu3XasIXgUkC/s1600/more+chickens.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've already said I don't want any of these this year.<br />I probably lied.</td></tr>
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5. Speaking of Black Sheep Farm, it's been a completely epic few weeks, wherein we (Steven) caught and dispatched <i>two (o?)</i>possums and <i>two </i>raccoons (one of which I happened upon IN THE FLIPPING CHICKEN COOP whilst gathering eggs), the sheep has gotten off his rope TWICE, a stray little black lab mix puppy has appeared (anyone want a dog!?) and I have been charting non-stop from a deluge of nurse visits since about the time that my Mom showed up three weeks ago (just got caught up *yesterday*!). Seriously, folks, Nana has saved the day around here. She plays with the boyos, washes dishes, is patient with my cah-ray-zi-ness AND let's me win at Scrabble. Be jealous, be very jealous. </div>
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6. April 10th is National Sibling Day. <br />It's a made-up internet holiday, so it doesn't count, but I have the best siblings, and I love making you look at pictures of us, so we buy in for it anyways. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAo4X6axKxnoYgkFlCbDrxpkQ9UfUH9VYPdPZW9pUHEqQTNOIeMVMp_YbKsfRMJ8nDRJJPq87AvFbNljWNDBRCEPvFpcFLflPwKkrxtO0FdVjeAqXUKnzQBtDJheBpiaEWOIH_rS6MamU/s1600/sibs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAo4X6axKxnoYgkFlCbDrxpkQ9UfUH9VYPdPZW9pUHEqQTNOIeMVMp_YbKsfRMJ8nDRJJPq87AvFbNljWNDBRCEPvFpcFLflPwKkrxtO0FdVjeAqXUKnzQBtDJheBpiaEWOIH_rS6MamU/s1600/sibs.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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Siblings are one of life's greatest gifts. You can choose the relationships you have with almost any other person, but you don't get to choose family. Your brothers and sisters are laid out for you from time immemorial. Your husband or wife is your closest companion in this life, but even he/she does not share the same bond that you have with a brother or sister. Who else has your exact same context for life? The same degree of craziness in all the right categories? They drive us crazy, but siblings are truly special. xoxo</div>
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7. Good Grief Third Grade<br />There is honestly too much out there to comment on lately. And, <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/08/common-ground-mackelmores-same-love.html">as you recall, I am way way behind the learning curve</a> on being up to date. Apparently there's a <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-heartbleed-bug/">Heartbleed bug to be scared of</a>? And <a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/blog/feminists-unite-against-kirsten-dunst">Kirsten Dunst is joining the war on women</a>? I give up. Maybe I *will* write that post about <i>Frozen</i>...unless someone <a href="http://thisaintthelyceum.org/got-lobster/">gives me a lobster</a>!<br /></div>
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Linking it up with Jen @<a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/">Conversion Diary</a> for the <a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/2014/04/7-quick-takes-about-going-to-the-east-coast-embarrassing-myself-in-interviews-and-losing-my-ability-to-write-the-letter-f.html">7QT fun</a>. <br />Head back <a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/2014/04/7-quick-takes-about-going-to-the-east-coast-embarrassing-myself-in-interviews-and-losing-my-ability-to-write-the-letter-f.html">over there for more</a> from the rest of the gang...</div>
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<a href="http://conversiondiary.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLz8fTiyvh9Wl6xlm5GwA4jzmlm-aptYi4wZcLYR8471O5bF-s1PT5uvF_Os0ITbQjOPA-RSzCMXLB5Efc8JUwb-T9efiy1PHsyf_panSVs1BIU02qUwaqNnjsAzfBqqH4BGdc4eUYvgL/s1600/7_quick_takes_sm1.jpg" /></a></div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-4271088131407279082014-03-20T11:30:00.000-04:002014-03-20T11:30:01.008-04:00Update from Black Sheep Farm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">It's been a while since I've </span><a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2011/06/goats.html" style="text-align: left;">said anything about this little place</a><span style="text-align: left;"> we call home. So I figured I'd do some introductions. Plus, my friend Cate (hello, Cate!) asked me </span><i style="text-align: left;">ages</i><span style="text-align: left;"> ago to put up some more farm pictures. Also, as a disclaimer, please remember that I am merely a farmer-ette-in-training, with barely enough motivation, and nearly no expertise on farming. I do have some aspirations to have a little vegetable stand one day, and eventually enough goats to sell (yes, that means for their meat...so...maybe not the cute ones!). Any-ways...here we go!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeb2d6Mc6sooMJ68jF7xC7sfRdXIOXXtk7he0DRxuN3WBpECnw1erI09B2-Ot31jWEyfFNMF3S8bjMM7HWp7J1mY5OSNDEWcRthkI_oBoXd7UzioqxGMQxXeWUBEJf2uvs2GRU0ZZCvKr/s1600/kath+farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeb2d6Mc6sooMJ68jF7xC7sfRdXIOXXtk7he0DRxuN3WBpECnw1erI09B2-Ot31jWEyfFNMF3S8bjMM7HWp7J1mY5OSNDEWcRthkI_oBoXd7UzioqxGMQxXeWUBEJf2uvs2GRU0ZZCvKr/s1600/kath+farm.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is about my daily level of excitement over farm chores. I'm holding a bag of hay for the goats. The hay bag is a very good invention, if you keep it full. If it gets empty, it gets eaten (the bag, that is). There's a metaphor for life in there somewhere. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1iMNqJNQt6K0Ec46ur2eKJkEl18y3cw2YvlOjY_mKY30KKI6jGW1sySUA94KX44uB9HRSbizBW2h5HgAqGcPqeFqquS69m-id5Msm-L8PhTTspuNnVVu3IP5TjmrpKYKjR0j0mhbni1v/s1600/leo+farm2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1iMNqJNQt6K0Ec46ur2eKJkEl18y3cw2YvlOjY_mKY30KKI6jGW1sySUA94KX44uB9HRSbizBW2h5HgAqGcPqeFqquS69m-id5Msm-L8PhTTspuNnVVu3IP5TjmrpKYKjR0j0mhbni1v/s1600/leo+farm2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is Leo's usual attitude about farm chores as well: let's find a stick. He does like to dig in the dirt (what 3 year-old boy doesn't?) and to drive a tractor (again...3 year-old boy...). I will be far too delighted when he is old enough to feed the goats on his own. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't get enough of that smile.</td></tr>
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Daniel is pretty content to pal around with Mom and Leo, so long as he can jump in all the mud puddles.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlkfYXxPSIvKdNiOSiQLKsfet6Bp3Nb11_hw8oh4mFFCLROFz3ulVmR1XZliQbc-Hzqbs1FLiCBZc7EplTBumsH0xw_T5XnziKmFhu5QfZnGqZX9Xwl0MExHTGMNTOOoU9WTuoza0l5GN/s1600/goats2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlkfYXxPSIvKdNiOSiQLKsfet6Bp3Nb11_hw8oh4mFFCLROFz3ulVmR1XZliQbc-Hzqbs1FLiCBZc7EplTBumsH0xw_T5XnziKmFhu5QfZnGqZX9Xwl0MExHTGMNTOOoU9WTuoza0l5GN/s1600/goats2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Bramble (R) and Raspberry (L) were our <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2011/06/goats.html">first official farm animals</a> (if you don't count cats and dogs). They are so named, b/c goats are supposedly about as easy to care for as raspberry brambles. Supposedly. Houdini raspberry brambles, we'll say. <div>
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Those two are supposed to become matriarchs, but so far our efforts at raising a buck to older age have been...a learning experience?<br /></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">This little goat is our Prince Reagent, the Patriarch-Elect of the Goat herd. He is a Boer-Kiko cross (75-25), so he's supposed to get really big and be wonderful. We'll see. He is just called "the little goat" right now, because if we really named him officially, it would jinx everything. Some times I'll say his name is Izzy, or Israel, and his name in his previous life was Klondike (because he is brown-white-brown), which I refused to endorse. I've learned not to get my hopes up too high in farm life. The unexpected is right around the corner...</span></div>
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This is the sheep. Most of the time we just call him "the sheep" or "mean sheep", b/c he's pretty ornery. There was a time when Leo said that his name was "Red"...</div>
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Don't let that look fool you...he's a toughie. And he *will* ram you. Srsly. I used to be more mad about the sheep's existence on our farm, which is understandable, considering he's knocked me off my feet more than once, but I've since decided that since he is a rescue animal, I'm getting points in Heaven from St. Francis and St. Isiadore (patron of farmers) by being nice to him. Nice from a distance, that is.<br />
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This is the chicken coop/yard that Steven built. He's handy like that :). The orange bucket things are water-ers that self-fill via gravity tubing from the outer white bucket (in the summer, when water doesn't freeze), and they are lovely lovely. Yes, I just called a chicken water-er lovely. Judge away.</div>
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Some of our flock. The chickens are very good layers when we're not in a polar vortex, and we haven't had to buy eggs <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/05/7qt-freiken-chickens-edition.html">since they started laying</a> (well, except for 2 doz. during said polar vortex). We also *had* four ducks, which were quite funny-looking, and a delight to watch when swimming in their little kiddie pool (not pictured, b/c it's yucky looking). Unfortunately, an opossum (possum?) killed them all last week. Remember what I said about the unexpected in farming? Perhaps there's another post in this thought, but I think that it's rather healthy for us to experience death up close like this. Circle-of-life, ashes-to-ashes, and life isn't always a bed of roses on a silver platter and all that jazz.<br /><br />
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And so, we truck along here on the "farm", where time passes slowly and the children grow too quickly. </div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-12922925624280108672014-03-18T15:09:00.000-04:002014-03-18T15:09:44.926-04:00Keeping Up Appearances: Let's Just Not, Okay?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Super cool news! My debut as an official Contributor to the new hip site <a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/">Real Housekeeping</a> is today!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ethel says <a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/2014/03/18/baking-by-picture/">go check it out</a>!</td></tr>
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Real Housekeeping is "<a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/about">a collaborative, multi-contributor blog dedicated to helping real people find real home solutions</a>"--and I'm really excited to be a part of it! There is so much out there these days bombarding the average (and the Rockstar) to <i>be</i>, well, let's be honest, to <i>look</i> a certain way, with all of their ducks in a row, pies in the oven, and baseboards sparkling, that it's refreshing to find a community of people who take all those projects you tackle around the house and present them from the "real" perspective. This is the perspective of those who've been in the trenches and know that all the events and projects that you aren't pinning on <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/mrsksf/">Pinterest</a> or posting on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thehopefulstarfish">Facebook</a> are where you live 85-90% of the time. <i>No one</i> is doing <i>everything</i> perfectly <i>all</i> of the time.<br /><br />The problem is, that there isn't anything wrong with having a clean house, or trying out a fancy new recipe, or making your child a super cute costume for a special holiday. Where we get lost is when we think badly of ourselves or of another person because of it. <b>Oftentimes the people who seem like they've "got it all together" are just a lot better at advertising.</b> Your obstacles and responsibilities at this time in your life are unalike anyone else's. You have no obligation to meet a standard that is set for another person. <b>All that is required of <i>you</i> is to live well <i>your</i> current circumstances and relationships. </b><div>
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So, my message today is for all of us out there trying to "keep up with the Jonses": <b>let's just no</b>t. But if you have a house-hold project to tackle, a new recipe to try, or want to laugh when it all bites you in the butt, come on over to <a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/">Real Housekeeping</a>. <a href="http://realhousekeeping.com/2014/03/18/baking-by-picture/">We have cookies</a>.<br /><br /><div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-67978747458410380892014-03-07T22:30:00.001-05:002014-03-07T22:30:56.282-05:00Spring? I Hope Eternally.You guys. <i>It was 47 degrees Fahrenheit outside today </i>(I specify so that all my international readers will understand. ha.). <br />
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This happened:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost two years old. I kid you not.</td></tr>
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Just look at that face. Joy, my friends, sheer happy-sunshine-outdoor-playtime-muddied-jacket-joy. The air is damp, the ground is soggy, and one of the ducks has started laying again. I'm going to go right out and say it: Spring <i>is</i> on the way. <div>
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I know that you know this. Spring has a way of arriving pretty much every year, but somewhere along the dark-and-dreary-frozen-bleak of February, we forget. We become a winter people, slogging along with the determined steps of folk who are just trying to get through one more day. </div>
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And then we enter into March. Oh, March, you sly vixen, you. The snow will yet fly on us, the ice will yet cause our spring-longing hearts to fear, but March brings us the promise of gleeful days, unbound by hats-and-gloves-and-boots for every trek. </div>
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<br />I think it is no coincidence that Lent often falls in this in-between time of the seasons. Though we are led out into the desert liturgically, we have the promise of the Resurrection to sustain us. Though we join ourselves to Christ's sufferings, we know what joy awaits us. Our winter shall not last forever; we are a <i>Spring </i> people, a <i>Resurrection </i>people, and we shall yet sing again!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://steppinginthelight.com/2013/11/13/i-will-hope-13-practical-ways-to-choose-hope/">source</a></td></tr>
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<br />"I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yea, wait for the Lord." <i>Psalm 27:13-14</i><br /><div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-88147317976702300352014-03-06T15:26:00.000-05:002014-03-06T15:26:14.973-05:005 Ways to Avoid Becoming My Patient<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I haven't been a nurse for very long when I compare my career to some of the Pros out there, but I have learned a <i>few </i>things. One of the main ones is this: PREVENTION. With all of the sickness, chronic illness and emergency situations we've got out there, there is often a common theme: This Could Have Been Prevented (or, at least <i>lessened </i>to some degree). With this in mind, I sought the assistance and advice my dear friend Meredith, who is basically Wonder Woman: she's in the ER for work, and a Paramedic in her spare time:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what Mer looks like on the inside, under the scrubs.<br />
<a href="http://www.superherohype.com/heroes/wonder-woman">source</a></td></tr>
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SO, without further ado (too late!) I present to you:<br />
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<b>1. Don't be Stupid</b></div>
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Seriously, people. To quote Meredith: <b>"if it seems like a bad idea, it probably is"</b>. A lot of injuries occur because people think things like "just for a second" or "that can't happen to me". It can, it will, and you will be in the ER with Wonder Woman piecing you back together again, because you were dumb enough to stick your hand into the snow blower. (Then again, maybe the ER with Wonder Woman isn't such a bad thing...)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.discoveryfitandhealth.com/tv-shows/nurses-week/about-the-show/nurses-week-e-card-pictures.htm">source</a></td></tr>
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<b>2. Just Stop</b></div>
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Smoking, drinking, eating crap all the time, not exercising etc. etc. etc. Just as the people above think "it'll never happen to me" before they go and do something dumb, so also do TONS of people think this about their long-term health choices. Some chronic health conditions have genetic components, or environmental factors, but even in those situations, YOU are the biggest piece of the puzzle. Yes, I am being a meanie here, but <a href="http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/quit-smoking-heart">coronary artery disease</a> doesn't just land in your lap one day: it takes years and years of poor decision-making regarding your health. Cardiac and pulmonary diseases aren't pretty.<b> </b><i>You</i> are the one with the power over your choices, and you <i>can</i> decide now to make better ones. <b>We are called to be good stewards of <i>all</i> the gifts God gives us; this includes our health and our bodies. </b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.lib.umn.edu/alah0007/myblog/2011/02/quitting-smoking-better-second-time-around.html">source</a></td></tr>
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<b>3. Educate Yourself</b></div>
With the above in mind, if you are in a chronic health situation, or have a family history of a particular disease, or are a parent who will probably run into some health crises at some point (so...everyone): do some reading on the subject. Plain old Google searches will get you pretty far, although be careful about drawing too many conclusions without consulting your doctor:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://weknowmemes.com/2013/03/whenever-i-check-web-md/">source</a></td></tr>
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But in truth, even if you are in poor health, you shouldn't throw in the towel. There is a lot of benefit from making healthy choices <i>now</i>, and turning things around. Did your doctor tell you that your cholesterol levels are off? Is your blood pressure running high at every month's parish health check? Do some research and find out what you need to do to turn things around and stay ahead of the game.<br />
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<b>4. Give Your Child the Motrin</b></div>
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This is a special PSA from Meredith. She says that 9 out of 10 times in the ER, she just has to give a sick/fevered child Motrin, make sure they can take in a Popsicle, and they are good to go home. This <i>is</i> encouraging, that there aren't more worse situations going on, but the point is that you can do those things at home and avoid the germ-y ER. <b>Don't wait to intervene for your child.</b> If she is sick, or has a fever, keep her well hydrated and <a href="http://www.parents.com/health/medicine/antibiotics/ibuprofen-dosage-chart/">give the appropriate dose of Tylenol or Motrin.</a> You can help to bring down a fever by applying cool cloths to the forehead or body, and by making sure her fluids aren't depleted: dehydration will cause/worsen fever. Of course, you should <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/healthy-baby/art-20047793?footprints=mine">contact your baby's</a> or <a href="http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/health/sick-toddler/when-to-call-the-doctor/">toddler's pediatrician</a> if you are concerned or have more serious issues.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.locallyhealthy.co.uk/story/looking-after-sick-child">source</a></td></tr>
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<b>5. Think Ahead</b></div>
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This piece is in regards to being elderly, so it's for all of us, so long as we make it to age 65+ by following steps 1-4 (::wink::). You are eventually going to be frail, and unable to do a lot of the tasks that are mundane and easy right now. Plan ahead for some of the bigger questions:</div>
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-<i>who</i> is going to help you?</div>
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-what modifications need to be made to your home to make it safe for you to live in? (necessities on one floor, walk-in shower, wheel-chair accessibility)</div>
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-does someone close to you know your wishes for medical interventions?</div>
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Also plan some of the smaller things, like taking extra time to be safe. Don't go running down an icy set of stairs in ridiculous (or even sensible) shoes. Your hips might not lie, but they can break!</div>
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You can get pretty far with some common sense and an internet connection, but if you get into trouble, always remember to be nice to your nurse...she's the one with the needles!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRmgo_SO5PlE7Z8ySakRKW8P6gzMKNn1k-inxjJH_n3mltjlG7Ao1G2sctY57-tLHyKCrycXJFHQhyphenhyphenKyBcqnIxX2Nan9gV0_T3yBMypq2GTuIl_zMKR5Qkq9sqX2LzmJxwNlZTOJJJHOm/s1600/heart-health.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRmgo_SO5PlE7Z8ySakRKW8P6gzMKNn1k-inxjJH_n3mltjlG7Ao1G2sctY57-tLHyKCrycXJFHQhyphenhyphenKyBcqnIxX2Nan9gV0_T3yBMypq2GTuIl_zMKR5Qkq9sqX2LzmJxwNlZTOJJJHOm/s1600/heart-health.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://wwhfblog.com/healthy-aging/">source</a></td></tr>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-63727835684729753112014-02-27T15:07:00.000-05:002014-02-27T15:07:10.452-05:00How to Make a Toy Library and STOP Picking up After Your Kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the first in a new series I'm starting called </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QiR-w5JPuMsC6XBlIEqe_x619S7ZbdcAvodzX49bxHzgOyU7-Ll1Y1lH7PwBZXBtuW3IUicmQiVx_u-cuLhkKc7RNzwjS53a13KIx8EsUbwb-21OFQR4_P_gI8nNJslaRnHk19psRvMj/s1600/parent+hijack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QiR-w5JPuMsC6XBlIEqe_x619S7ZbdcAvodzX49bxHzgOyU7-Ll1Y1lH7PwBZXBtuW3IUicmQiVx_u-cuLhkKc7RNzwjS53a13KIx8EsUbwb-21OFQR4_P_gI8nNJslaRnHk19psRvMj/s1600/parent+hijack.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></a></div>
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The point of the series is to highlight neat tricks that make a parent's life easier, especially with toddlers. <b>Here's my first confession: I can't make this stuff up.</b> Most of my best parent hacks (like this one!) are learned, especially from my dear friend Ellie, but from lots of other lovely people as well. I'm not a proponent of the "it takes a village to raise a child" mantra (no, it takes a pair of solid, disciplined, and holy parents!), but it just <b>might take a village to teach a mother</b>. So...without further ado (too late!) Here's our first Hijack:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy53UnhCOLpe45zlkf_vVpZOuvDLqtcMVuME0Qvr2NuutQnJrI8sGb5jfrLiJsI4SDiEYF5qFJMbDYoG_D51wbSvijqNwOUv7HlRhf-Cbt8mUI6QmGTFMYsotA1m4lI-kKbeLegEbSnRYT/s1600/toy+library+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy53UnhCOLpe45zlkf_vVpZOuvDLqtcMVuME0Qvr2NuutQnJrI8sGb5jfrLiJsI4SDiEYF5qFJMbDYoG_D51wbSvijqNwOUv7HlRhf-Cbt8mUI6QmGTFMYsotA1m4lI-kKbeLegEbSnRYT/s1600/toy+library+pic.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the Harold-style crayon markings on the dresser...</td></tr>
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Now, we've all been there before (every. stinking. day). The kids have a conference early in the day on the ways to annoy you the most, and they decide that this is the core of their plan:<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0V0JN-Co-PNujyKlcT8ztGsVsJjKMn2AbquS_1kgI2iD1zh0Ku3IEZTbxc7TAEfcO_rBUbJqqVTs39tBxmFGS9lsr-PrOc07fluQpbuBwjRkA4MgtNGSJLEopw0KwqZtse4Uz2mloAc1T/s1600/all+the+toys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0V0JN-Co-PNujyKlcT8ztGsVsJjKMn2AbquS_1kgI2iD1zh0Ku3IEZTbxc7TAEfcO_rBUbJqqVTs39tBxmFGS9lsr-PrOc07fluQpbuBwjRkA4MgtNGSJLEopw0KwqZtse4Uz2mloAc1T/s1600/all+the+toys.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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In our house, I've employed a few strategies before to try and tame the beast that is Toys Everywhere with a few strategies:<br />1. Have fewer toys</div>
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2. Keep them all in one location</div>
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3. Organize them by type</div>
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I pare down the toys and clothes pretty regularly around here, and I moved the toys all up to the boys' room (mostly) so that there wasn't always such a big mess in the main living areas. I also have multiple plastic bins organized by type of toy (trains, Legos, cars, dinosaurs). Having less stuff is calming, I think and these strategies as a whole have eased things a bit, but what usually ends up happening is that ALL the toys are out of their special bins, on the floor of the bedroom, in time for a last-ditch cleaning effort right before bed.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSMinruoJNC0aV3qs8KtBitY30Ue8FZ-efdX_bEK3BD3cjN81_mb1wKWrvpmb1iXbEMzgIDtfslbO8qc1P-m0x0tDUZpLwtyUdrcA7_CppxjPlGnT0UPkeEUk09jAm_Ip81SPjyo2NGSt/s1600/IMG_5474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSMinruoJNC0aV3qs8KtBitY30Ue8FZ-efdX_bEK3BD3cjN81_mb1wKWrvpmb1iXbEMzgIDtfslbO8qc1P-m0x0tDUZpLwtyUdrcA7_CppxjPlGnT0UPkeEUk09jAm_Ip81SPjyo2NGSt/s1600/IMG_5474.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voila. </td></tr>
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<b>The idea of the Toy Library is that you keep ALL of the toys in one area/closet, organized by item, and your kids check an item out, just like they would a book at the library! </b>(Only difference being that there are no overdue fines piling up!). Each child is then responsible for cleaning up the toy/toy bin that he picks.<br /><br />So yesterday, I endeavored to make my own Toy Library, and start reaping the benefits.<br /><br />The ideal Toy Library is a closet or area that you can designate and set aside for this sole purpose, and one that your kids can't get into (for obvious reasons!). I chose to re-purpose a narrow hall closet next to the boys' room. A friend of mine has her's in a separate part of her basement area (their playroom is down there too). You could also just use a special bookcase or something somewhere, but it has to be a spot you can fit everything and keep the kids from getting into.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9XBKeaz1X1LU8kO6O8Nr_0R8riWnDmtlbI3M_oYcxYUNH0U7JwG5YFZqMNdk62Xk0OOnhysAmSaI-tJW7rCwvNOCpVL26Vts8W0AyxwRyJ_7-bw_Fnz8oxCkI-HeUVAFAkDodXiiGQBA/s1600/closet+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9XBKeaz1X1LU8kO6O8Nr_0R8riWnDmtlbI3M_oYcxYUNH0U7JwG5YFZqMNdk62Xk0OOnhysAmSaI-tJW7rCwvNOCpVL26Vts8W0AyxwRyJ_7-bw_Fnz8oxCkI-HeUVAFAkDodXiiGQBA/s1600/closet+door.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">official Toy Library to-be<br /></td></tr>
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Step Two was actually to clean out the closet...I didn't take a before picture in time, so you are being spared the delight that it someone else's boring and messy closet in full bloom, but here's proof that I didn't already have a clean closet (so that you don't think I'm an Overachiever or something!):<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">old vacuum cleaner, never-worn clothes and a curious little boyo<br /></td></tr>
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After a lot of dust, some looking through old pictures (and sharing them to Facebook, of course!), and moving the clothing to a <i>different </i>(desperately in need of tidying) closet...we had this:<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EJXl12cH6y1H_rIdSSdvqsd67HqhGBR_9XyZihkPcyK2EhO4NEmZXC0NGtWV5NruK_qPFZPqp73jQOPhYFEI0d8hA6FMOK327YOHZN5T2c7D_P8nAnOsNcmDXbsoym9hHIBmoP9roZqd/s1600/IMG_5476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EJXl12cH6y1H_rIdSSdvqsd67HqhGBR_9XyZihkPcyK2EhO4NEmZXC0NGtWV5NruK_qPFZPqp73jQOPhYFEI0d8hA6FMOK327YOHZN5T2c7D_P8nAnOsNcmDXbsoym9hHIBmoP9roZqd/s1600/IMG_5476.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a Cupboard Under the Stairs ala Harry Potter, so I scoured my house for some type of shelf thing, <br />and came up with this crate that Steven got last week. <br />It's supposed to be for apples...but it's 16F out right now...I think I can hijack it for now!</td></tr>
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So, prepped and ready, I started gathering toys and bins, mostly from the boys room (entrance to the left of the closet there), but also from downstairs and up in the TV room etc. The boys had toy stations all over the house! I thought about leaving their wooden train tracks in the bin in the TV room, but decided that I would rather not have to pick those up all the time too.<br /><br />Here's what it looked like along the way. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_sr3Gt-msBcXcyd5N-UeyHOqCk_2ECeg94vpZS5y6qJTAcVhqqNd5uCZXKufiO1Vx-WT78fx6JdF-8eKoYfaFRDdXfZVjbFBMMhTFUYWKgZLF8Z4qzfKcwFSJrsdE-pgnv-kvSP05ObS/s1600/IMG_5477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_sr3Gt-msBcXcyd5N-UeyHOqCk_2ECeg94vpZS5y6qJTAcVhqqNd5uCZXKufiO1Vx-WT78fx6JdF-8eKoYfaFRDdXfZVjbFBMMhTFUYWKgZLF8Z4qzfKcwFSJrsdE-pgnv-kvSP05ObS/s1600/IMG_5477.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was especially pleased that some of the trucks would hang on the pre-existing hooks!<br /></td></tr>
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And here's the finished product!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dHI9O24bidytvbD6RewPs5x2ZTHfOUkJTFzs64ThMpAXzHyypyj7pFiIWB7gL7wwzoM_ifkguiAQ2n8iXEvtlX-Hb1cy1IPUgLevcBS2X70ZAIvMMk_hYrF-2bPYbAOO0PALaClEdM4z/s1600/finished+closet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dHI9O24bidytvbD6RewPs5x2ZTHfOUkJTFzs64ThMpAXzHyypyj7pFiIWB7gL7wwzoM_ifkguiAQ2n8iXEvtlX-Hb1cy1IPUgLevcBS2X70ZAIvMMk_hYrF-2bPYbAOO0PALaClEdM4z/s1600/finished+closet.jpg" height="400" width="243" /></a></div>
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The top shelf has two (diaper) boxes of books (I left <i>Where the Wild Things Are</i> on the bedside table, because that's all the boys want to read at bedtime recently (kindred spirits and all that!). There is also a bin on the top shelf that is "baby" kind of toys that the boys will dump out, but we can keep separate for a while yet. The big red tote is their costumes (from Nana!), and the other bins are blocks, Legos, dinos, cars, trains etc.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQfok4AZwf9LiC7_3QL2U1hodJcOqH-RJdPBD5Ju632Aug7hsV2YASB_2Bc-9Ucpl7AXVdmCzEgEa3YFRmWParup4fi6QunxD9JtGpQokg3d1W2nDZ8t2VTnhiLpwU8xIC07DY-oyqUPn/s1600/closet+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQfok4AZwf9LiC7_3QL2U1hodJcOqH-RJdPBD5Ju632Aug7hsV2YASB_2Bc-9Ucpl7AXVdmCzEgEa3YFRmWParup4fi6QunxD9JtGpQokg3d1W2nDZ8t2VTnhiLpwU8xIC07DY-oyqUPn/s1600/closet+collage.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, how's it working?<br /><br />I'm loving the amount of organization, and the fact that ALL the toys aren't out at once. I need to get a little hook and eye lock for the closet door, but for now the boys have been *pretty* good about not getting into the Toy Library without me. I also need to emphasize a time-minimum kind of rule, because they want to trade toys too quickly for my sanity. I think I'll have a timer for maybe 20 minutes or so that they can't trade in between picks. <b>Overall: Five Gold Stars.</b></div>
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<b>Bonus</b>: I changed out Leo's bed into this neat toddler bed we bought a while back. He's been sleeping on a big futon (see above), so it's nice to have a little spot that's more for him. For the mattress I re-purposed a memory-foam mattress topper that we got from family by folding it into thirds. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWRQNm9QGMFL-skv7a9AlZLJ5FUp2MjvrCPLNC0x_4G3sh8v30noJJKvT7ks8dI2UQ-2tUwPqgEcHW-dR_I5IwCGK86f44Ja2xjWH2fcsM3aiinjdyOpMESHD4-cRbxCUfCa0oUtu8uB3/s1600/Leo+bed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWRQNm9QGMFL-skv7a9AlZLJ5FUp2MjvrCPLNC0x_4G3sh8v30noJJKvT7ks8dI2UQ-2tUwPqgEcHW-dR_I5IwCGK86f44Ja2xjWH2fcsM3aiinjdyOpMESHD4-cRbxCUfCa0oUtu8uB3/s1600/Leo+bed.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The juxtapositions in this room are wonderful, aren't they?<br />Also, only a picture of this corner, <br />b/c the rest of the room is a mess from my rearranging.<br /> #keepingitreal</td></tr>
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So, there you have it, folks! Get hijacking!</div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-76911332330805363112014-02-22T16:57:00.000-05:002014-02-22T16:57:43.981-05:00Tattoos & Turtles<br />
Just in case anyone was wondering how on top of all things crafty and seasonal this Momma is...I bought some Valentine cards for the boys to decorate. On Valentine's Day. We have been coloring paper and envelopes to wrap them up into, and we even mailed 3 out yesterday! Wow!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihaRyaN1ekGqRjVJwgGNHDg9Pplqh3HPKGYPPuEaFXinsJ73rxWSbeSO5jYJiDlQFooFRNUfHZpXjKGlUKhh-SMn_BBRXsxmTaZI8JB67y9jTlLjOnCrqNXT1DgGbj3rq0mal2FOunGPOw/s1600/mom+doge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihaRyaN1ekGqRjVJwgGNHDg9Pplqh3HPKGYPPuEaFXinsJ73rxWSbeSO5jYJiDlQFooFRNUfHZpXjKGlUKhh-SMn_BBRXsxmTaZI8JB67y9jTlLjOnCrqNXT1DgGbj3rq0mal2FOunGPOw/s1600/mom+doge.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/doge">source</a> (+me)</td></tr>
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The Valentines we bought are fancy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ones with messages like:<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAarQB38fdCiXWa9IJmab0djILofAeaqHGe4cVkYE4s6KFI821gXmDX5hBAt87f7Mnz6KTsgTMaYha4I_y8lgDRsjvW-NiqUF9zCcahIbHB20cdBbileXqyM_1yDyqX5V-c3ES6G8ge3yC/s1600/valentine+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAarQB38fdCiXWa9IJmab0djILofAeaqHGe4cVkYE4s6KFI821gXmDX5hBAt87f7Mnz6KTsgTMaYha4I_y8lgDRsjvW-NiqUF9zCcahIbHB20cdBbileXqyM_1yDyqX5V-c3ES6G8ge3yC/s1600/valentine+2.jpg" height="248" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so awesome I will threaten you with my swords!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJWuFvXeyzVaFRKw1kifmP6qRmtC3ioArRC1n6cZkFPwTWkm5NbNa_jLXYSucDsd_crDxJr7ZrXfFrNlWwq4T9A0iC0NVfzsufz6r1mRhvW7XzpvOe07XlcKkvRQzkalHYkuPIrJ4WY9F/s1600/valentine+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJWuFvXeyzVaFRKw1kifmP6qRmtC3ioArRC1n6cZkFPwTWkm5NbNa_jLXYSucDsd_crDxJr7ZrXfFrNlWwq4T9A0iC0NVfzsufz6r1mRhvW7XzpvOe07XlcKkvRQzkalHYkuPIrJ4WY9F/s1600/valentine+1.jpg" height="248" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">no way you are touching <i>this</i> Valentine!</td></tr>
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<br />The Valentines come with little (not even 1" square) temporary tattoos with similar pictures (no words on the tattoos). Of course, most of the tattoos are being used for <i>us,</i> rather than being placed in the little "A TATTOO FOR YOU" slots on the cards...but that's the point, right?<br /><br />Leo needs re-fresher tattoos every day, as soon as the old ones wear off, and (of course), if you give a mouse a cookie, Daniel is going to want one too.<br /><br />They even got their Mom to get one!<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbyuuAZnZGxdDv6vjL3r9XtNP7qeHwTI-EjQmJ-q3IEsXi1wZMtl7foa6Dr3s4HjSw5kmyHBoApWlA6RmfsqXc9ebzCTAilh8Wr0geR2PzEgqyVKyAcr7h0tgGqu9XUxwaRUzSk_cBceU/s1600/mom+tattoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbyuuAZnZGxdDv6vjL3r9XtNP7qeHwTI-EjQmJ-q3IEsXi1wZMtl7foa6Dr3s4HjSw5kmyHBoApWlA6RmfsqXc9ebzCTAilh8Wr0geR2PzEgqyVKyAcr7h0tgGqu9XUxwaRUzSk_cBceU/s1600/mom+tattoo.jpg" height="400" width="355" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I added the arrow so you can see the tattoo. <br />I had to put it on my arm (instead of the back of my hand, like the boyos) so it wouldn't show on nurse visits. <br />Somehow I think my patients might see Ninja Turtle body art as less than convincing of my medical abilities...;)</td></tr>
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I would add a picture here of Leo & Daniel with their tats, but they refused to be captured by the paparazzi. Le sigh. <br /><br />Meanwhile, Kelly @<a href="http://thisaintthelyceum.org/">This A'int the Lyceum</a> (<a href="http://thisaintthelyceum.org/35k4sma-the-craziness-begins/">that awesome mom who's running 5Ks</a> to raise money to support charites for <a href="http://thisaintthelyceum.org/seven-things-you-should-know-about-sma/">SMA</a>) wrote <a href="http://thisaintthelyceum.org/alleged-connections-edel-gathering/">a post the other day</a> about gathering sponsorships in order to attend the <a href="http://edelgathering.com/">Edel Gathering</a>, a retreat for moms put together by the famous Jen of <a href="http://www.conversiondiary.com/">Conversion Diary</a> and Hallie of <a href="http://moxiewife.com/">Moxie Wife</a>.<br /><br />Anyways, in her post, Kelly flaunts a brand new "tattoo" she got of Hallie/Moxie wife, basically right on her chest. <a href="http://thisaintthelyceum.org/alleged-connections-edel-gathering/">It was epic</a>. I'd put the picture here, but my blog is rated G+. (kidding...really kidding!)<br /><br />SO, I commented to Kelly that the tattoo was *the* best, and <i>she</i> wrote back to me that "for the right price" The Hopeful Starfish COULD CLAIM HER RIGHT BICEP!!! I dropped everything immediately to work on the design. Here's what I have so far:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uSf8Wtavi6Mi5iyiMx5MKi4QG5CnkQYPoF4QW_tP2BxO-k2UC7Mpg1FhqKmLae2V4vqOwASwzmoHCHuEZJaRVwH38WJc1-67lV8TBsc7jMhIlHXW9N6Ma7KQPFeTYdMdjfegm3bICINH/s1600/starfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uSf8Wtavi6Mi5iyiMx5MKi4QG5CnkQYPoF4QW_tP2BxO-k2UC7Mpg1FhqKmLae2V4vqOwASwzmoHCHuEZJaRVwH38WJc1-67lV8TBsc7jMhIlHXW9N6Ma7KQPFeTYdMdjfegm3bICINH/s1600/starfish.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">just Peachy ;)</td></tr>
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I just can't wait for all the fame and fortune to kick in...meanwhile... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaC7b4de2kN64t-FE7fQc3s4AaTYp-SPycQdof-jbMZUyDizPHpIL-Y9glD5YPl2nwmLYo4v3oo-tOnxMpQfrEU6qKg31ZSz5KuWvtatqkCYkQEYxrNe7WuRyOYwOUY5Dxwb0LerNvEH-c/s1600/upcoming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaC7b4de2kN64t-FE7fQc3s4AaTYp-SPycQdof-jbMZUyDizPHpIL-Y9glD5YPl2nwmLYo4v3oo-tOnxMpQfrEU6qKg31ZSz5KuWvtatqkCYkQEYxrNe7WuRyOYwOUY5Dxwb0LerNvEH-c/s1600/upcoming.jpg" height="218" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />...it occurs to me that some folks may not know the story behind my blog's title...so, <b>don't hold your breath</b>, but I think I'll write something about it soon. </div>
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<br />Also coming soon:<br /><span style="font-size: large;">1.Vampires and <i>Vonnegut</i> and </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2.How to Make a <i>Toy Library</i> & Stop Cleaning up After Your Kids</span></div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-37149153143961967762014-02-20T19:44:00.001-05:002014-02-22T16:58:35.611-05:00The Ultimate Baby Shower Gift List With Top Five<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Because I am obviously an expert...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNfycs2NmD_1Sry-UsuEW5yWmKujhWl4y_mUAu5fyBh8DZwbesf9aISyqgmsTsRHz0aroXYkOqquDa027uQqZbA5Zsgm1aIugrgp-Gei5MZ9g7bHYQQwLS0pv-0wDriqnTr0Hlt2jK6r_/s1600/baby+gift+pin+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoNfycs2NmD_1Sry-UsuEW5yWmKujhWl4y_mUAu5fyBh8DZwbesf9aISyqgmsTsRHz0aroXYkOqquDa027uQqZbA5Zsgm1aIugrgp-Gei5MZ9g7bHYQQwLS0pv-0wDriqnTr0Hlt2jK6r_/s1600/baby+gift+pin+photo.jpg" height="307" width="400" /></a></div>
I love to give gifts. (I love to <i>get</i> gifts too...hint hint to everybody!). I've been perfecting my baby shower gift by practicing on all the gorgeous friends of mine who are having beautiful babes of late.<br />
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It is easy to fall into one of two holes with baby shower gifts:<br />
1. Something frivolous but cute<br />
2. Something seemingly necessary but potentially superfluous<br />
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Let me explain. <br />
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You folks who go out and buy the-very-cutest-little-outfits-ever fall into Category #1. This is not a bad category, and, to be honest, new moms like to get cute outfits. How-ever, these items are hardly ever used to their potential beyond one-to-three wears per child due to frustration of parents, growth of child, and wrong season-to-child size ratio (i.e. my child fits into the snowsuit now, but it's July...)<br />
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Category #2 is made up of people who are even more well-meaning than Category #1, because they try to buy something useful, at even the expense of their own gift-buying-delight, but these items are often too specific to the parents to hit the nail on the head, even with a registry, because new parents don't know yet what they are really going to be using (i.e New Mama thought she'd love baby yoga, so you bought her 16-disc DVD set she wanted, but New Baby is not-having-any-of-it.).<br />
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Now, if you have fallen into these categories, fear not! You can stick to them (oldies and goodies), or you can check out...<br />
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Drum roll please...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEebiZM6ToO0q3snMM1bCSBcoddb9N0wxS7FjiDtmvdPFzNRzqthhjkovpJVktu-rKswSBl5yxYVV2iqFFiBu_67uRBjYmsIuj_H4EcFrMXbaA1jc6b_arNZlhj9iU0M-hW2vJbemlQwC/s1600/drumline1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEebiZM6ToO0q3snMM1bCSBcoddb9N0wxS7FjiDtmvdPFzNRzqthhjkovpJVktu-rKswSBl5yxYVV2iqFFiBu_67uRBjYmsIuj_H4EcFrMXbaA1jc6b_arNZlhj9iU0M-hW2vJbemlQwC/s1600/drumline1.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks, Nick.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Solution!</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Ultimate Baby Shower Gift Basket of Useful Stuff for a New Mom</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnSYm5wXImyW7oaOzOF9untSA4Uv4MhGUdYv_AXQ05qiMzxy8EpZfK0Zw_TfY-OYbVsq1Ps8o2kFAKTWSxkX89qdnLkysRC0LvI92HeYlOMVHv0a-WCCsHLowbECdgsxUgzgL32sb3BHA/s1600/shower+basket2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnSYm5wXImyW7oaOzOF9untSA4Uv4MhGUdYv_AXQ05qiMzxy8EpZfK0Zw_TfY-OYbVsq1Ps8o2kFAKTWSxkX89qdnLkysRC0LvI92HeYlOMVHv0a-WCCsHLowbECdgsxUgzgL32sb3BHA/s1600/shower+basket2.jpg" height="256" width="640" /></a></div>
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What I have developed is a gift basket of TONs of useful items that new moms don't know yet that they will need. What's great about this basket is that it can be customized to *your* friend, and the amount of money that you want to spend. I usually buy little things periodically that will fit in. Here's the break-down of the basket:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunmXlYd4hx2GZu5g0vl91bDvPT7mI7bRtSdoaEtrG1gGtH6TpMr6g0XVfUCANlzcXrjr3V4lyAJrMcbNGWaAwFWBrlKAnmsJlexkrc8qgldX-1LcsptIfrodybx7B2xpwLIYXQkObQcKZ/s1600/babybasket+breakdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunmXlYd4hx2GZu5g0vl91bDvPT7mI7bRtSdoaEtrG1gGtH6TpMr6g0XVfUCANlzcXrjr3V4lyAJrMcbNGWaAwFWBrlKAnmsJlexkrc8qgldX-1LcsptIfrodybx7B2xpwLIYXQkObQcKZ/s1600/babybasket+breakdown.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<ol>
<li>Nursing bra (get a cute print, guess on the size & include the gift receipt)</li>
<li>Cloth breast pads (practical, reusable, green)</li>
<li>Udderly Smooth body cream (or similar, for Mama-pampering)</li>
<li>Eos lip balm (b/c something cute for herself)</li>
<li>Snot Sucker (aka Bulb Syringe of Blessedness, to be used w/ the Saline drops! )</li>
<li>Lansinoh Lanolin ointment (ABSOLUTE must for nursing mamas!)</li>
<li>Thermometer (yup.)</li>
<li>California Baby diaper cream (or similar, just something on the fancy-end)</li>
<li>Ferro Roche chocolates (duh.)</li>
<li>Baby Nail Clippers (b/c Aunt Janet says you can't have enough of these, and she's right!)</li>
<li>Cliff Bars (or similar, for energy to get to the big day!)</li>
<li>Aveeno Baby Sunblock Stick (or similar, mineral-type fancy-ness)</li>
<li>Witch Hazel (SO helpful for post-partuum soreness!)</li>
<li>Saline nose drops (If you put nothing else in the gift basket, put 5 bottles of this. #1 home remedy for snuffy noses!)</li>
</ol>
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Bonus: The basket can be used later for clothes/blankets/toys by the Mama<br />
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The basic formula for the gift is:<br />
1. Some things to pamper/support the mom *now*<br />
+<br />
2. Some practical baby-care items for later, so she doesn't have to run around after them<br />
+<br />
3. Some things to pamper/support the mom *later*<br />
=<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1e72wxMjT1n4DR6iwn3XwjaMa21N5eB51c-KQuELP47uLaQVBY2bMsnONQv_ixpkFmlq__BJ92H5UJrcUasyuTY8ze3e_VsTuakLWZsg3rDZKAZdCqFw6KRI75QeXUw-gFM8rEsclPzd/s1600/happymama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1e72wxMjT1n4DR6iwn3XwjaMa21N5eB51c-KQuELP47uLaQVBY2bMsnONQv_ixpkFmlq__BJ92H5UJrcUasyuTY8ze3e_VsTuakLWZsg3rDZKAZdCqFw6KRI75QeXUw-gFM8rEsclPzd/s1600/happymama.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now, the list above is obviously the *Ultimate* pack, but there are times that you need to economize a bit. To that end, I have developed for your viewing (and useful) pleasure:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The {Five Favorites} Baby Shower Gift-Pack</span> </div>
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{Suitable for sending across the country via post, or putting in a gift bag, more last-minute}</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZYJPNg5VzPZqlGBeekWhRwl8bsoJ9a5ArJugw2YPtpEdLIVh_dSGP8jAYqISrXyg3nKIOLy4AmKd5OQazEdhe08vGjb4_TzOfcROhxZ2cjDqQL3ClDLNFg-DmLxxQd7jRhLzVUDgOfum/s1600/5showercollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZYJPNg5VzPZqlGBeekWhRwl8bsoJ9a5ArJugw2YPtpEdLIVh_dSGP8jAYqISrXyg3nKIOLy4AmKd5OQazEdhe08vGjb4_TzOfcROhxZ2cjDqQL3ClDLNFg-DmLxxQd7jRhLzVUDgOfum/s1600/5showercollage.jpg" height="128" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodgreens.com/">Good Greens Bars</a> | <a href="http://evolutionofsmooth.com/lip-balm/smooth-spheres/pomegranate-raspberry-smooth-sphere-lip-balm.html">Eos Lip Balm</a> | <a href="http://www.target.com/p/gilligan-o-malley-reg-women-s-favorite-nursing-bra-assorted-colors-patterns/-/A-14334251">Nursing Bra from Target</a> | <a href="http://www.target.com/p/little-remedies-for-noses-saline-drops-1oz/-/A-11053392?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C11053392&CPNG=Health+Beauty&kpid=11053392&LID=PA&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=11053392&gclid=CJGd-uXv27wCFQWTfgodGyYACg">Little Noses Saline</a> | <a href="http://awaybabyessentials.com/item_179/Lansinoh-HPA-Lanolin-1.41-oz.htm?gclid=CJucv-vv27wCFZNsfgodlywACQ">Lansinoh Lanolin</a></div>
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These top five are the best of the best in terms of pamper now-support later you can get. These bars are *the* most awesome-tasting, healthiest things I've come across. They are SO yummy, and full of good nutrition. I think even the most nauseous of Mamas can tackle some protein disguised as chocolate-y-goodness. The bra and the lip balm will make her feel special, and the saline drops + lanolin ointment are the top picks for home-remedy wonders.<br />
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Not buyin' my formula? I just noticed that Grace @CampPatton *just* posted an awesome <a href="http://www.camppatton.com/2014/02/labor-and-delivery-hospital-bag.html">{labor & delivery} necessities post</a>, and she just had a <a href="http://www.camppatton.com/2014/02/10-practical-baby-gifts10-things-to.html#.UwacvPldX4M">great post on items to add to your baby registry</a> too. And, if all else fails, <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/07/late-for-party-but-wearing-my-boots.html">give books</a>!<br />
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So...what are *you* going to give the pretty Mama-to-Be in your life?</div>
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Linking it up with Cristy @ <a href="http://fountainsofhome.blogspot.com/2014/02/five-favourites-five-favourite-ways-to.html">Fountains of Home</a> for Hallie's <a href="http://moxiewife.com/2014/02/five-favorites-at-fountains-of-home/.html">Five <i>Favourites</i></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRw7xPb_iBQuCD_rubnny085ubt0wNDScE54PHZ4WJ8jeHsgn9ReqE1hfmFTKfT8EqyrUd2E3h81CZTSiRdPLH5CMUazZVAYMLvLNf3PZ5AWPETKEtDq1oxNlvGv9tIXHUjBToPFH2mB3f/s1600/five.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRw7xPb_iBQuCD_rubnny085ubt0wNDScE54PHZ4WJ8jeHsgn9ReqE1hfmFTKfT8EqyrUd2E3h81CZTSiRdPLH5CMUazZVAYMLvLNf3PZ5AWPETKEtDq1oxNlvGv9tIXHUjBToPFH2mB3f/s1600/five.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-8435823511515248822014-02-13T10:00:00.000-05:002014-02-13T10:00:15.327-05:00'The Glass Castle" (and Downton Abbey): Pick your Poison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I just finished reading Jeannette Walls' book 'The Glass Castle', and I can't stop thinking about it. Walls pulls her reader through a deep and dark saga that left me feeling melancholy, yet amazed, incredibly blessed, and with a new outlook on humanity. I'm not exaggerating, I promise.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwQHFqR28wWlBf2qqvngZzBqQ1exukbj_HPfgr55kUsETBKQtfL5-GmISDHVh2jZ0cRQJpr1FrJDIK7_dp2fL5HMVcdBKmVtNFEVjqdLBwg3GWau1er8RdgrV7FL-dGUE5BOp9Lma8K_0/s1600/the-glass-castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNwQHFqR28wWlBf2qqvngZzBqQ1exukbj_HPfgr55kUsETBKQtfL5-GmISDHVh2jZ0cRQJpr1FrJDIK7_dp2fL5HMVcdBKmVtNFEVjqdLBwg3GWau1er8RdgrV7FL-dGUE5BOp9Lma8K_0/s1600/the-glass-castle.jpg" height="400" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://evangelinelilly.com/musings/reading/the-glass-castle/">source</a></td></tr>
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The book made me think about lots of things. About my childhood, about my children's childhood, about how lucky I am, and about the choices people make.<br />
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When my friend Ann gave me the book to read, she said that it was depressing. Trying to figure out if it was worth my time, I asked if it were also redemptive. This has been my gauge on depressing books since freshman year of high school, when we had to read <i>Ethan Frome</i> by Edith Wharton. I discussed the book with my Dad, probably just complaining about how awful it was, and Dad taught me that <i>Ethan Frome</i> wasn't just awful, it <i>lacked redemption</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKPVTrvNTCaKFpzEqj0c0Op2nIZEuqz03yPCsec78zjtgB-WEtyk5QS86fbc7UDYaZ5NPhId_-9H6tlGoZ2KpjvDPnVod3_FY6yVsj9HhAXEwzZYr7HCuUwWvzTB4RaIpV0jLOYSh7t21/s1600/no+ethan+frome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKPVTrvNTCaKFpzEqj0c0Op2nIZEuqz03yPCsec78zjtgB-WEtyk5QS86fbc7UDYaZ5NPhId_-9H6tlGoZ2KpjvDPnVod3_FY6yVsj9HhAXEwzZYr7HCuUwWvzTB4RaIpV0jLOYSh7t21/s1600/no+ethan+frome.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and then they made a <i>movie</i> out of it?!<br />
<a href="http://www.edithwharton.org/ai1ec_event/ethan-frome-marathon-reading-2/?instance_id=">photo source</a> (+me)</td></tr>
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What I didn't know then (thanks to my blessedly lucky and wonderfully naive childhood, and my loving parents...!), but for sure and certain know now, is that life isn't always a chair of bowl-ies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONbzjFJz0dXPk99UG6S7b0d02bk1fGcycggHPLjP-F8tLo7zDIx5uTvsDOGosHOKfEFXw5fvWKTO9fJ2uL4AfCTJ4_k5H96NFjseoNvvYiyYs6j9QB2utQKmj455Ean4GPuUMDJoOjR2L/s1600/DESIGN-BOWLIES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhONbzjFJz0dXPk99UG6S7b0d02bk1fGcycggHPLjP-F8tLo7zDIx5uTvsDOGosHOKfEFXw5fvWKTO9fJ2uL4AfCTJ4_k5H96NFjseoNvvYiyYs6j9QB2utQKmj455Ean4GPuUMDJoOjR2L/s1600/DESIGN-BOWLIES.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.istyles.com/designs/all/chair-of-bowlies-p-103764.html">source</a></td></tr>
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But what of this "redemptive" business? Cannot there be suffering without painting it pink and calling in the clowns? Back to Ann giving me the book. To answer my question, she told me about how the author's parents *chose* to live as homeless people. Ann told me that the book showed how sometimes people make surprising choices in life.<br />
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I devoured the book in two days (which is significant, considering the amount of trouble Leo and Daniel can get into...or maybe they got into extra trouble because I was reading? Shhhhh!)<br />
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There were multiple instances in the book that started to make my skin crawl. Nearly every page recounts experiences that would land the best of us in counseling for decades, and Walls' parents in prison for child endangerment and neglect. And yet, Jeannette Walls does not have a tone of regret or complaint in her narrative. She relates the stories as just what happened to her and her family. She tells them as someone who has lived through quite a lot, has learned and grown from it, but has not let it embitter her or harm her in the long term. Now, these conclusions on my part are entirely speculative. For all I know Ms. Walls <i>has</i> spent decades in therapy to come to this point. However, she does not leave the reader feeling this way.<br />
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The reader of 'The Glass Castle' is left in a sort of awe at the maturity of the Walls children, and baffled at the choices of the Walls parents. And yet, with Walls' talented authorship, you aren't allowed to feel sorry for any of them. The choices that Rex and Mary Walls make are dangerous to their family, but Jeannette leaves them there, they are just choices. She describes vividly the consequences of the choices, but she doesn't seek to tie you to them, to make you sick with the unfairness or the ugliness in any of it.<br />
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So, what's the verdict? Is the book redemptive? Does it pass the Ethan Frome test? (EF Test: tie the book to a sled, push it down a hill...). Yes, I believe it does. And stay with me, because I don't think I'm trying to gloss over anything, or to see everything through rose-colored glasses (read: I'm alright with having a book fail the EF test...).<br />
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Let me digress to illustrate...since watching the first few episodes of Downton Abbey's Season 4, I have been reflecting a lot lately on suffering, especially suffering that is inflicted on us by another. Episode 2 had me antsy for days. If you know me, or have read some of my thoughts before, you know that some <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2013/09/fear-loving.html">suffering scares me</a>. I've decided (because it's flattering) that this is partly because I am empathetic to people, even if they are *just* TV characters. But I think the deeper issue is my need to see the redemption in any suffering. Suffering for its own sake, or inflicted at the cruel and twisted whim of an evil heart, makes my blood boil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYG2ko1aeWQbGA4F1U_uryTcAPqVXRTLIqkYv5gOtPufYSHFzaxl5yUpmylkF_cW-40Ioqcj42epTLn4jrNZNtwMNDtO1CO8rHQhNqo8T1GKC_mOh-uA0lJtW1kqgxaxfhG3E70qCpX6CX/s1600/time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYG2ko1aeWQbGA4F1U_uryTcAPqVXRTLIqkYv5gOtPufYSHFzaxl5yUpmylkF_cW-40Ioqcj42epTLn4jrNZNtwMNDtO1CO8rHQhNqo8T1GKC_mOh-uA0lJtW1kqgxaxfhG3E70qCpX6CX/s1600/time.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">you're killin' me smalls...<br />photo <a href="http://paleononpaleo.com/downton-abbey-guide-paleo/">source</a> (+me)<br /></td></tr>
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I have learned recently through reading <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2014/02/good-books-and-trigger-warnings-and-a-giveaway/">some posts</a> by Anne over @<a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/">ModernMrsDarcy</a>, that the dramatic reactions I have to mere fictional stories could be that I am perhaps a "Highly Sensitive Person" (think you are too? Take the <a href="http://www.hsperson.com/pages/test.htm">quiz here</a>. Just like taking quizzes? <a href="http://thehopefulstarfish.blogspot.com/2014/01/five-favorites-alter-egos.html">Click here</a> instead.)<br />
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I can take this information that I may be a HSP (as ModernMrs.Darcy puts it), and decide never to read or view content that sets me off. This may seem like over-kill, but I think that some moderation, in light of the emotional train wreck that my brain goes through for several days following such stuff, is not dramatic. I need to find the balance between hiding from the dark, and letting it make me cower. Avoiding books or TV shows with such content, to leave room in my emotional bank for real-life situations is probably something I need to consider seriously.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTsLYSnftllgpqicFazCnBDsL1650sOLccrsDch5Thw-bx91GTN8-gdHWuECejaRxon4eXIHAngYH9alcqbDTKCFrqof_V25j2p0mvs8YVBnL7V0nSrlsH-3X2Wi98ZDaL9z0DvfxD1ZL/s1600/184_508150631350_7580_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTsLYSnftllgpqicFazCnBDsL1650sOLccrsDch5Thw-bx91GTN8-gdHWuECejaRxon4eXIHAngYH9alcqbDTKCFrqof_V25j2p0mvs8YVBnL7V0nSrlsH-3X2Wi98ZDaL9z0DvfxD1ZL/s1600/184_508150631350_7580_n.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
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Beyond finding out more about myself, I am becoming more and more aware that ultimately, there is a lot of choice in life. I don't seek to erase this part of myself, for there are benefits to draw from being sensitive. I am an empathetic person, who can often sense a solution to a problem or the particular help a person might need. This is good. But part of my sensitivity can be balm-ed by the knowledge that much of life's pain an suffering is caused by mere people's mere <i>choices. </i>And this is what I have learned most concretely from <i>The Glass Castle. </i>People can choose to be cruel, vindictive, twisted, malicious and even evil, but <i>I can choose</i> how I react. I can choose to love. I can choose to be respectful in the face of callousness. I can choose healing over hurt.<br />
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How can this be?<br />
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Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord" (Romans 12:19)</blockquote>
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Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. (Deuteronomy 32:35) </blockquote>
When I "cast all my anxiety" (1 Peter 5:7) on God, I am free to let go and let be. I do not have to let the cares of the world weigh me down. This does not mean that I go through life as an uncaring block of ice, no. I can still empathize and care for people, but my care does not have to shake my core. My dismay does not need to detract from my duties and desires.<br />
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I can take a page from Jeannette Walls' book, (quite literally !), and find myself at peace amidst the turmoil I witness. <br />
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<br />Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-79368808364734908142014-01-28T23:23:00.002-05:002014-01-29T08:28:14.769-05:00{Five Favorites} Alter EgosAs discovered through internet quizzes...<br />
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You've all fallen for it. "I took #wasteoftime.com's quiz and I'm an endangered Red Panda! What type of animal are you?!"<br />
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Here to amuse ourselves in these doldrums of winter, the five secret personalities you never knew I never had.<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/perpetua/which-pop-diva-are-you">Pop Diva - Robyn</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJSR6lFt6QS3UsaeTko46NnfD624QgcIH4J9zsbgKH0mL77R8QuclTovARpbKAGryU_FwFn2ZSJIAbIuc8dRMi3B3B-Ok5X7zL-I-GB7WsRLXx1zLB4h2SdOttMGrrdaId7vhceU09qYx/s1600/enhanced-buzz-24215-1390509352-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJSR6lFt6QS3UsaeTko46NnfD624QgcIH4J9zsbgKH0mL77R8QuclTovARpbKAGryU_FwFn2ZSJIAbIuc8dRMi3B3B-Ok5X7zL-I-GB7WsRLXx1zLB4h2SdOttMGrrdaId7vhceU09qYx/s1600/enhanced-buzz-24215-1390509352-14.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/perpetua/which-pop-diva-are-you">source</a></td></tr>
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This one is the most mysterious. As my sister put it after reading the Wikipedia link I sent, "yes, I've never heard of her." Apparently, though, if I were a pop diva, I'd be a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn">Swedish one from the '90s</a>. Who knew.</div>
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2. <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/justinabarca/which-musical-should-you-star-in">Starring in the Musical - Sweeny Todd</a><br />
Did I say that last one was the most mysterious? This one. This one. Oh my. I should have just re-taken it, I guess, because I have no idea. Maybe it's my Dragon-Mom side showing? The results said something about how my hair is always perfect (ha. see below.) and that I'm a melancholy person. Maybe. When chocolate deprived, yes. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-K4j3PRuVRn04oHHuWh6vlgRShd-8dPMP85cRlniu7ezrlcBcSuspPcMeT4GvqRBDM76_q47I91AdN7qNUTzN6iyLFdb3j_XsxICEEdy2TuoVHuFmMIRJNXCWdG5WptuwLH1dp5j3OnE/s1600/sweeneytodd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-K4j3PRuVRn04oHHuWh6vlgRShd-8dPMP85cRlniu7ezrlcBcSuspPcMeT4GvqRBDM76_q47I91AdN7qNUTzN6iyLFdb3j_XsxICEEdy2TuoVHuFmMIRJNXCWdG5WptuwLH1dp5j3OnE/s1600/sweeneytodd.jpg" height="400" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://internationalcinemareview.blogspot.com/2011/10/tim-burton-sweeney-todd-demon-barber-of.html">source</a> (+me)</td></tr>
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3. <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/joannaborns/quiz-what-food-matches-your-personality">Food - The Sandwich</a></div>
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That's right folks, my food alter ego is...the sandwich.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1C0Kh4-Y6EFE3eJ43Zz3_dkrM8pExMaL1AXg12ddPidlo4gFORJ3OWgclfMYTU0bzzSKaE5fLPuB1-dGxG96SUb-hz1dC9PqjxMxJDG3oBir9OhqZWYR3TdMEyKjLmFQhrQ0y-mneeNr6/s1600/sandwich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1C0Kh4-Y6EFE3eJ43Zz3_dkrM8pExMaL1AXg12ddPidlo4gFORJ3OWgclfMYTU0bzzSKaE5fLPuB1-dGxG96SUb-hz1dC9PqjxMxJDG3oBir9OhqZWYR3TdMEyKjLmFQhrQ0y-mneeNr6/s1600/sandwich.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/joannaborns/quiz-what-food-matches-your-personality">source</a></td></tr>
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They say it's because of my "girl-next-door" personality. Ok.<br />
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4. <a href="http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/bibMfGO8ax1/Which+Disney+Princess+Are+You">Disney Princess - Belle</a></div>
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Ok, I'll buy it. ;)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKuUdKJk_s__T4TeQiyc4DX2vNfiesIFCxKDmxzkbcS1qsvXIWQu5pBvmsY3_erPk2qTkYnBWrv4ZsYt2oFde4RLp7Ae3J_byVMZhisB2wUtLUMy6w1RCUY47QqzYGbcQeLx4Oytc0DfJ/s1600/GVyvaE4WVvCl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKuUdKJk_s__T4TeQiyc4DX2vNfiesIFCxKDmxzkbcS1qsvXIWQu5pBvmsY3_erPk2qTkYnBWrv4ZsYt2oFde4RLp7Ae3J_byVMZhisB2wUtLUMy6w1RCUY47QqzYGbcQeLx4Oytc0DfJ/s1600/GVyvaE4WVvCl.jpg" height="247" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/bibMfGO8ax1/Which+Disney+Princess+Are+You">source</a></td></tr>
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You had me at "beautiful". Although, I suppose that's the idea with Disney princesses...<br />
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5. <a href="http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/g_qcJabINa9/Harry+Potter+Character?result=QHPfuKkQCn1">Harry Potter Character - Ginny Weasly</a><br />
This one's my favorite. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchpfB5sj2V0dLpZXgpxUfFimKyeq3VZd5YpWPsnDEPMAx_jWpNM6M-3q33A_-ZfSpOgLS5EVurpfTQKQoAD3ANRF3iw3Aju52f7VkNbxijrFG8NsvoyDiDpnCMhzdKn5dy9zj2tes0qJj/s1600/ginny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchpfB5sj2V0dLpZXgpxUfFimKyeq3VZd5YpWPsnDEPMAx_jWpNM6M-3q33A_-ZfSpOgLS5EVurpfTQKQoAD3ANRF3iw3Aju52f7VkNbxijrFG8NsvoyDiDpnCMhzdKn5dy9zj2tes0qJj/s1600/ginny.jpg" height="306" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/g_qcJabINa9/Harry+Potter+Character?result=QHPfuKkQCn1">source</a></td></tr>
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Because who doesn't like being the pretty popular one? Well...except for that whole Chamber of Secrets thing...but I did land the coolest guy in school. ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJRkO-T2XN5HbKQVljuwOz2kfWreylEWrJEbPPEF9OW_IDMnbCnKpcbMsh0E_ztx1MkACm1nsT_WlirD7_ZwFWxTlkYmEKYEoa_0wT9ovRY0WZt2td9pwBpKXDriFqSKicHG4_g1eu9AO/s1600/2096_517539096790_3675_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJRkO-T2XN5HbKQVljuwOz2kfWreylEWrJEbPPEF9OW_IDMnbCnKpcbMsh0E_ztx1MkACm1nsT_WlirD7_ZwFWxTlkYmEKYEoa_0wT9ovRY0WZt2td9pwBpKXDriFqSKicHG4_g1eu9AO/s1600/2096_517539096790_3675_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">c. 2008 Gaming, Austria</td></tr>
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<br />Coming soon from Zimbio and Buzzfeed: the "Which Internet Quiz are You?" quiz.<br />
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575415100837568577.post-41754877778564722732014-01-23T12:16:00.000-05:002014-01-23T12:16:03.158-05:00{Leo says}After scrounging the archives (hastily sent texts to my mom and sister...) I've got what you've all been waiting for...drum roll please...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCA9Ux20p8jOf0BQT3WQQ5df_6ljMciYXQOKfKjza9s-chgODsrwBVN6gAqYAol5mYgV-g1OlsGZBXRiJPYji-n5YT2gGMcOjapL81m-0ozUlsb97ZHQZYI2fofBfGqOFmXCXxHuyKgO0/s1600/drumline1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCA9Ux20p8jOf0BQT3WQQ5df_6ljMciYXQOKfKjza9s-chgODsrwBVN6gAqYAol5mYgV-g1OlsGZBXRiJPYji-n5YT2gGMcOjapL81m-0ozUlsb97ZHQZYI2fofBfGqOFmXCXxHuyKgO0/s400/drumline1.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tribute.ca/galleries/drumline/4194/">Thanks, Nick Cannon.</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Wisdom from the 3 year old. {back-logs edition}</span></div>
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9/6/13</div>
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{after Daniel fell and hit his head}</div>
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And Leo came running to see what happened, and said <b>"oh no, bummer, poor my little brother!"</b></div>
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And then after Daniel got a hug and went back to play, Leo gave him a hug and said "there there" "that will make you feel better" And then he told me, "I gave him a hug!"<br /><br /><div>
10/16/13</div>
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"<b>hey mom, we need some shorts on that little Daniel boy"</b>{more evidence of the "pants optional" nature of life as a toddler here...}<br /><br /><div>
10/28/13<br />I told Leo we have to take Nana to the airport tomorrow to fly home to see Grampa, and he says, "and then she comes back when?" I told him Christmas, so he says, "oh, and what about Rosie and Maggie and Ruthie? How about they come to our house? Won't that be great? And Matthew and Jake and Ruthie..."<br />{I don't know who Matthew is...}</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK1s9xUGR2KuLaoAoydZEt7fcMArvGYnwq67VdwPNX5skFucgHw_bjGWS2WL-RVCl49118eptEEd8aYFh6lIpq7wbk6OhHtxRjuPBZfPf68n7fIEJxBoDGGqfwiRvVQbyC4GsqK2vRfBo/s1600/1383343_10201304598550298_1072349149_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK1s9xUGR2KuLaoAoydZEt7fcMArvGYnwq67VdwPNX5skFucgHw_bjGWS2WL-RVCl49118eptEEd8aYFh6lIpq7wbk6OhHtxRjuPBZfPf68n7fIEJxBoDGGqfwiRvVQbyC4GsqK2vRfBo/s1600/1383343_10201304598550298_1072349149_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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11/4/13<br />Leo drew "a sheep!" "Yea, he's a mean sheep"</div>
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Then he had me add eyes to a picture, and I did two dots, and he said <br /><b>"goats don't wear glasses!"</b></div>
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<b>"This is last chance" </b>{speaking to Mom...}</div>
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11/5/13<div>
{friends of ours visited, they have one little girl, and a baby on the way, so I asked him should Denise have a baby girl or boy, and he said...}<br /> <b>"Another baby Lizzy! 5 baby Lizzys!</b><br />Mom: "5 baby Lizzys?! all at one time? <br />Leo: yes</div>
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Mom: in her belly all at once? <br />Leo:no</div>
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Mom: where<br />Leo: "5 back car seats...baby Lizzy and another baby Lizzy and aNOTHer baby Lizzy!"</div>
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12/2/13<br /><div>
{Leo was singing}<br /><b>"TO-NIIIIIIGHT. WE ARE YOOUNGGGG! WE CAN GO HIIIGHER!"</b> {Repeat times 5-10 at least, per circuit}<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhky1rHGRr3eb0fwFlLaslk71UovuP6f62p6_zZTH_bkSx_TPg4sRSks9u4kqCOOOwAv4_wsToyjTHyQGJ3B1ekjq17TXdYOkxdqvLin85fy59O4G-EUleILPunbUCNrTLtwf_tR-m2idWw/s1600/JP-FUN-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhky1rHGRr3eb0fwFlLaslk71UovuP6f62p6_zZTH_bkSx_TPg4sRSks9u4kqCOOOwAv4_wsToyjTHyQGJ3B1ekjq17TXdYOkxdqvLin85fy59O4G-EUleILPunbUCNrTLtwf_tR-m2idWw/s1600/JP-FUN-articleLarge.jpg" height="246" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/10/arts/music/a-band-called-fun-with-a-period.html?_r=0">source</a></td></tr>
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{I suppose I can allow it, if he becomes a dapper dresser...and fabulously wealthy...}<br /><div>
<br />12/3/13</div>
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"that's my choice"</div>
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e.g. <b>"I get a lollipop, that's my choice"</b></div>
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12/9/13</div>
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{Leo describing Superman show he watched at Pawpaw's house:}</div>
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Mom: what did the bad guys do to Superman?</div>
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Leo: <b>they punched him and threw him in the LOTION!</b></div>
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Mom: the lotion?</div>
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Leo: with the water...<br /><br /><div>
12/12/13</div>
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Leo: can we watch a show just now?</div>
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Mom: no, we're not watching a show</div>
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Leo: not yet?</div>
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Mom: no, not yet</div>
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Leo: I'm hungry to watch a show just now, <b>I'm so hungry to watch a show</b></div>
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Katherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05225387718241842240noreply@blogger.com3