EVER AFTER - MY WAY . . . . . . (main blog)

Retiring

2011-12-31T14:52:00.005-03:30

I just wanted to let you know that as of this post, I am retiring Twisted Cinderella and Ever After . . . My Way. I have found that over the last little while I have felt the need to censor myself due to certain comments and my reactions to them. I feel that the whole purpose of my blog has been for me to be able to say what was on my mind, whatever was on my mind. I need my blog to be a place where I can feel free to share my inner-most thoughts without worrying about being judged. Having come to a point where my blog no longer gives me this freedom, I felt that there was no longer any purpose in it's continued existence. I know that I am a good mom who always puts her kids first and as I go forward I will continue to do just that.

I feel like this is a good time to walk away and begin fresh somewhere else. This is a new year, I am moving to a whole new province and I am adding a new little person to my family and with all those new things, it feels like a good place for an ending and a beginning.

I would like to say thank you for all your comments and support, it has meant a lot to me.

For anyone wishing to follow me in my journey, feel free to email me for the link at aftertheglassslipper@hotmail.com.

The Autism Puzzle - Something to Ponder

2011-12-30T10:03:00.000-03:30

We have all heard the saying, you can't fit a square peg in a round hole.

If you try to fit a square peg in a round hole you have to force it in.

Some may even try to pound it in so it fits.

In the process the peg becomes damaged.

Now ponder this...

What happens when you put a round peg in a square hole?

It will slide in easily and move about freely.

It can spin completely around in a full circle.

What is the moral of the story, you might ask.

It is easier to change the environment to suit the Autistic child,

Than it is to change the Autistic child to suit the environment.

Christmas Present Pics

2011-12-27T19:47:00.007-03:30

Christmas Decorations

2011-12-26T20:16:00.002-03:30

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T14:00:00.008-03:30

Merry Christmas to all my friends out there in Blogland!

Mine is going well and I hope yours is too. I made a bread pudding last night and when I got up this morning, I popped it in the oven. So it was ready to while we were opening presents. I stuffed the turkey yesterday and peeled all my veggies so that is another thing off my plate for today. Princess Belle and I made candy cake chocolate bark for Santa this year and it was fabulous! I am definitely going to be doing that again. Princess Snifflefritz and Princess Magpie tired themselves out while playing with their presents and are both napping. It was so much fun to watch them this year. Princess Belle is playing with her big girl toys and with one of the baby dolls that the little girls got. I love that she is at an age where she likes the big kid stuff but is not too cool to play with little kid stuff too. I have lots of pics from today, but I will post them later. Here are some other Christmas pics I have.

And Congrats to Notsosnowwhite and her White Knight who are now engaged to be married!!

This is absolutely beautiful.

Second Birthday Pics

2011-12-24T21:23:00.002-03:30

Good News

2011-12-23T23:30:00.002-03:30

We got a wonderful call last night. There is a moving company that is willing to move us for a little less than we had planned to spend on a uhaul! He was wonderful about working with out limited budget and he was extremely accommodating to us. The only catch is that we now have to move earlier than we had planned. We will be leaving in the first week of January! Well, it will be tough to get it all together, but I will be glad to have it behind us, to have professionals moving the stuff and to not have to worry about drivers, packing a truck, fitting everything into a truck and all that sort of stuff. This truly is a blessing. So, now I just have to work out the budget for going SOO much earlier than I had planned and to get everything packed.

TWO!!

2011-12-22T23:03:00.000-03:30

Princess Snifflefritz turned TWO!! Can you believe it? I have pics that I plan to share when I upload them. There were two cute things. The first was that Princess Magpie kept trying to blow out the candles for her (I am not entirely sure it wasn't her to ended up doing the lions share of the blowing LOL). And Princess Snifflefritz kept singing, "Happy You! Happy You! Happy Day! Hap Happy Day!" It was very sweet.

Inspirational

2011-12-21T23:24:00.000-03:30

Princess Snifflefritz

2011-12-20T22:18:00.001-03:30

I am super tired today. Princess Snifflefritz, my perpetual night-owl is back at her little tricks again and I didn't get much sleep last night. I joke that I haven't slept through the night in 2 years, so I will be all ready for late nights with my Little Prince. I don't mind, really. I am tired, but last night when she got distressed, I changed it up and sat with her cuddling for a while. And, when she cuddled me it was sweet. But the sweetest thing was watching her climb down out of my arms and stagger back to her bed when she decided she was ready to back to bed and go to sleep. She really is a bundle of sweetness.

Preparations

2011-12-19T13:18:00.003-03:30

I stayed up last night and packed up all the presents. I am trying to do as much as I can in advance so that I am not working so hard on Christmas Eve that I spend Christmas Day broken and sore. (sort of like I feel today).

I am glad to have it all done.

On a side note, we have been making arrangements to secure our income for after we move. We were speaking to a company there that said that Prince Charming should come in when we get in town. Our driver is lined up and I am feeling more and more confident about this move going fairly smoothly.

Welcome to . . .

2011-12-18T09:59:00.000-03:30

Welcome to Holland

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

This one is inspired by the first one, it is a more gritty look at being the mom of a Special Needs child

Welcome to Beirut

"I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with autism--to try and help people who have not shared in that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this.."

There you are, happy in your life, one or two little ones at your feet. Life is complete and good. One of the children is a little different than the other, but of course, he's like your in-laws, and you did marry into the family. It can't be all that bad. One day someone comes up from behind you and throws a black bag over your head. They start kicking you in the stomach and trying to tear your heart out. You are terrified, kicking and screaming you struggle to get away but there are too many of them, they overpower you and stuff you into a trunk of a car. Bruised and dazed, you don't know where you are. What's going to happen to you? Will you live through this? This is the day you get the diagnosis. "YOUR CHILD HAS AUTISM"!

There you are in Beirut, dropped in the middle of a war. You don't know the language and you don't know what is going on. Bombs are dropping. "Life long diagnosis" and "Neurologically impaired".

Bullets whiz by "refrigerator mother." "A good smack is all he needs to straighten up." Your adrenaline races as the clock ticks away your child's chances for "recovery". You sure as heck didn't sign up for this and want out NOW! God has overestimated your abilities.

Unfortunately, there is no one to send your resignation to. You've done everything right in your life, well you tried--well, you weren't caught too often. Hey! you've never even heard of autism before. You look around and everything looks the same, but different. Your family is the same, your child is the same, but now he has a label and you have a case worker assigned to your family.

She'll call you soon. You feel like a lab rat dropped into a maze.

Just as you start to get the first one figured out (early intervention) they drop you into a larger more complex one (school).

Never to be outdone, there is always the medical intervention maze. That one is almost never completed. There is always some new "miracle" drug out there. It helps some kids, will it help yours? You will find some of the greatest folks in the world are doing the same maze you are, maybe on another level, but a special-ed maze just the same. Tapping into those folks is a great life line to help you get through the day. This really sucks, but hey, there are still good times to be had.

WARNING! You do develop an odd sense of humor.

...Every so often you get hit by a bullet or bomb not enough to kill you, only enough to leave a gaping wound. Your child regresses for no apparent reason, and it feels like a kick in the stomach.

...Some bully makes fun of your kid and your heart aches.

...You're excluded from activities and functions because of your child and you cry.

...Your other children are embarrassed to be around your disabled child and you sigh.

...You're insurance company refuses to provide therapies for "chronic, life long conditions" and your blood pressure goes up.

...Your arm aches from holding onto the phone with yet another bureaucrat or doctor or therapist who holds the power to improve or destroy the quality of your child's life with the stroke of a pen.

...You're exhausted because your child doesn't sleep.

...And yet, hope springs eternal.

Yes there is hope. There ARE new medications. There IS research going on. There are interventions that help. Thank God for all those who fought so hard before you came along. Your child will make progress.

When he speaks for the first time, maybe not until he is 8 yrs old, your heart will soar. You will know that you have experienced a miracle and you will rejoice. The smallest improvement will look like a huge leap to you. You will marvel at typical development and realize how amazing it is. You will know sorrow like few others and yet you will know joy above joy. You will meet dirty faced angels on playgrounds who are kind to your child without being told to be. There will be a few nurses and doctors who treat your child with respect and who will show you concern and love like few others. Knowing eyes will meet yours in restaurants and malls, they'll understand, they are living through similar times. For those people you will be forever grateful.

Don't get me wrong. This is war and its awful. There are no discharges and when you are gone someone else will have to fight in your place. But, there are lulls in wars, times when the bullets aren't flying and bombs aren't dropping. Flowers are seen and picked. Lifelong friendships are forged. You share an odd kinship with people from all walks of life. Good times are had, and because we know how bad the bad times are, the good times are even better. Life is good but your life is never normal again, but hey, what fun is normal.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Joy

2011-12-17T23:05:00.002-03:30

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My photo for the theme JOY this week is of my new baby boy. This pic is perfect to symbolize the joy I feel at being a mom, the joy I feel at being pregnant again and the joy we all feel at knowing that a baby boy will be joining our family in April.

Another headache

2011-12-16T21:50:00.001-03:30

I have another headache today. It is tough that I am getting so many of these with this pregnancy, but even with these it is still worth it in the end.

Deep Breath

2011-12-15T12:19:00.001-03:30

Things are coming together for our move now. I have one potential driver to help with the truck and one wonderful volunteer to help should we need it. Financially, things will be tight, but they will be okay. I am making lists and lists and lists of lists in planning such a big move to another province, but I am feeling more and more confident that we will be able to get through this move and be somewhat settled before I end up in hospital having my new little boy. It is nice to be able to take a breath and stop worrying quite so much.

Special Moments

2011-12-14T22:30:00.003-03:30

I remember when I first got pregnant and I was experiencing scary troubles that made me terrified for my baby. I was so scared that I was going to lose this baby and I felt so helpless to do anything about it. So I did what I could, I talked to my baby. I rubbed my belly and begged my baby to hold on in there. I promised that there was a wonderful family waiting out here to love him/her and all the baby had to do was hold on. Well, I am over half-way through this pregnancy now and we are holding on together. And this evening, while my son was kicking me, I looked down and wrapped my arms around my belly (this is the closest I could get to holding my baby boy) and we talked again. I thanked him for holding on, I thanked him for being strong. With tears in my eyes, I talked to him and he kicked and squirmed like he was trying to talk back. It may seem a bit silly but it was wonderful as I loved on my baby, so grateful that we get to go through this together and that soon, I will get to hold him for real.

Productive day

2011-12-13T22:00:00.002-03:30

I paid the rent and the deposit on the new apartment and got some groceries. It is funny how exhausting such simple activities can be. I am super-tired tonight, but at least I feel like I am getting things done.

On My Mind

2011-12-12T23:53:00.004-03:30

There is so much going on right now. I am trying to arrange our move. We have a place lined up and I am trying to find movers who will work with our VERY TIGHT budget. We could use a u-haul and we will if we have to, but it is just so hard to find someone to drive it and to find someone to help us load it. I will be 6 months pregnant at that point and will be of NO USE at all. So I am pounding the pavement (or rather the keyboards) trying to find someone who is willing to move us within our budget. The closest bid so far, is still $600 more than we can come up with, so we are still looking. Once we get this nailed down, I can relax and just concentrate on packing.

In the meantime, I enjoy listening to my girls, playing, giggling, Princess Magpie chasing Princess Snifflefritz up the hall giggling, Princess Snifflefritz singing "Twinkle Twinkle" (so adorable when she can hardly talk) and Princess Belle singing, "Hallelujah" beautifully.

A Special Mother

2011-12-11T09:57:00.001-03:30

This one brought tears to my eyes, reminding me how blessed I am to have my "Special" Child. She has taught me so much more than I could ever hope to teach her!

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit.

This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?

Somehow I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.

"Armstrong, Beth; son. Patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."

"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter. Patron saint, Cecelia."

"Rutledge, Carrie; twins. Patron saint, Matthew."

Finally He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy."

"Exactly," smiles God, "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel.

"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it."

"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has her own world. She has to make her live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles, "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect - she has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps - "selfishness? is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'". She will never consider a "step" ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle, and will know it!"

"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice....and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side".

"And what about her Patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid-air.

God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."

Saturday Sum-up

2011-12-10T19:51:00.002-03:30

I am super-tired tonight. I am pretty sure it is because I have been packing and getting things done, but I am going to have to watch my food and my blood sugars to make sure that is not why.
We have a new house lined up. Thank goodness. That is one thing off my plate to think about.
I just have to find someone to drive our moving truck now because I am not comfortable driving such a big truck such a long distance especially while pregnant.
I am glad we will be moving before I am 7 months pregnant so that we can be mostly settled before our litttle Prince is born.
I mentioned before that I was sad that Michelle Duggar lost her baby. I said so on facebook and had people (one in particular) choose that post to vent all her disagreements and to air all her grievances against the Duggar family. That bothers me so much. Whether you agree with their lifestyle or not, this was a very sad loss and it is not the time to start bashing. I feel like people should pay attention to the lessons learned in childhood shows like Bambi (Thumper: [clears throat] If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all).
It sucks to rent a place from so far away and while I know my new house won't be very big, but I do know that it does have a dining room and that is already better than this place. It will cost us a LOT less money too! I already have plans to make the best use of space and storage.

Homemade Gift ideas

2011-12-09T19:11:00.002-03:30

Snowman Soup

1 package Hot Chocolate Mix
3 Hershey Kisses or Hershey Hugs
10 miniature marshmallows
1 peppermint Candy Cane

Place all the above into a new mug, then cover or wrap with cellophane, decorate
and attach the following poem:

Was told you've been real good this year.
Always glad to hear it.
With freezing weather drawing near
You'll need to warm the spirit
So here's a little Snowman Soup
Complete with stirring stick
Add hot water, sip it slow.
It's sure to do the trick!
----------------------------------------

Playdough

"Playdough" is much cheaper to make than it is to buy. Make up a batch in your child's favorite color, wrap it up nicely, and include it with other goodies in a "theme basket" for your child. Or just save the recipe for a rainy day when the kids are bored, and looking for something to do.

I have included 3 different recipes, so that you can see which one you like the best. Experiment and have fun!

Recipe #1

1 cup Flour
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Salt
2 tbsp. Cream of tartar
1 tbsp. Oil

Cook all until it forms together. Turn it out onto a plate and cover with wet cloth. Store in the refrigerator.

-----------------------

Recipe #2

1/2 cup Salt
1/2 cup Hot water
1/4 cup Cold water
1/2 cup Cornstarch

Mix salt and hot water and heat to boiling point. Stir cold water into cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to boiling water. Stir continuously to break up lumps. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is like stiff pie dough. Remove from heat, and turn out onto plate to cool. When it is cool enough to handle knead until smooth and pliable.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

When stored in an airtight container, the "dough" will keep a long time without refrigeration.

-----------------------

Recipe #3

3/4 cup flour (no self-rising)
1/2 cup salt
1 1/2 tsp. powdered alum
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
Food coloring

Combine flour, salt, and alum in a mixing bowl. Add vegetable oil and boiling water. Stir until well blended. Dough should not stick to the sides of the bowl and should be cool enough to handle. Add food coloring and knead into until the dough is the desired tint.

Makes about 1 cup. Double the recipe for large projects. For groups, mix several double recipes rather then one large amount.

Sad

2011-12-08T23:32:00.001-03:30

I am sad today for Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar. They were expecting their 20th baby in the same month that I was and she has lost her baby. No matter how many children you have and what anyone's feelings on that may be, to lose a child is heartbreaking especially this far alone in her pregnancy. My thoughts and prayers go out to Michelle and her family.

Wordless Wednesday - Why do they even have beds?

2011-12-07T21:41:00.000-03:30

Click the pic above to get to other Wordless Wednesday Participants.

For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Party

2011-12-06T19:12:00.002-03:30

We had our Christmas Party at the Healthy Baby club today. It was a lot of fun. It was so nice to chat with all the moms and to just socialize for a while. There were two little babies there and they were both adorable little boys. I kept thinking as I was looking at them that in a few short months, I would holding a little boy like that in my arms. Wow, it is hard to believe that after all this pink, we are about to add a little blue to the family.

Monday Musings

2011-12-05T19:10:00.002-03:30

Today was a good today. I was up early, sipping my coffee and relaxing before the girls got up, when I got a call from Notsosnowwhite's White Knight. He happened to be in town to help his father and wanted to stop by. So we spent the day with him and Prince Charming and the girls, just hanging out. It was nice to see him again.

When I'm An Old Lady

2011-12-04T09:53:00.001-03:30

I thought this was too funny! It made me laugh out loud and I had to share it!

When I'm an old lady, I'll live with each kid,
And bring so much happiness... just as they did.
I want to pay back all the joy they've provided.
Returning each deed! Oh, they'll be so excited!
When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.

I'll write on the walls with reds, whites and blues,
And I'll bounce on the furniture wearing my shoes.
I'll drink from the carton and then leave it out.
I'll stuff all the toilets and oh, how they'll shout!
When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.

When they're on the phone and just out of reach,
I'll get into things like sugar and bleach.
Oh, they'll snap their fingers and then shake their head,
When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.

When they cook dinner and call me to eat,
I'll not eat my green beans or salad or meat,
I'll gag on my okra, spill milk on the table,
And when they get angry... I'll run if I'm able!
When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.

I'll sit close to the TV, through channels I'll click,
I'll cross both eyes just to see if they stick.
I'll take off my socks and throw one away,
And play in the mud 'til the end of the day!
When I'm an old lady and live with my kids.

And later in bed, I'll lay back and sigh,
I'll thank God in prayer and then close my eyes.
My kids will look down with a smile slowly creeping,
And say with a groan, "She's so sweet when she's sleeping!"

It's beginning to look a lot like . . .

2011-12-03T23:24:00.002-03:30

It was a lovely day. We tidied the house and then when the little one's went down for a nap, Princess Belle and I (with Prince Charming's help) set about making our house look festive. I love how it turned out. (there are no batteries in the camera right now). We drank egg nog, listened to Christmas music and made the living room look lovely. Princess Belle had a fabulous time! When Princess Magpie came out, she was filled with wonder. She called it a magic tree and she kept saying, "look at all the Christmas . . . ). She softly touched the ornaments and played a game letting the dangly ones touch her on the head. It was very sweet. Princess Snifflefritz did her very best to disassemble everything she could reach. She even tried desperately to eat the plastic candy canes hanging on our wall. (she was convinced they were real.)

This evening I was tired from all the work, but it as so nice to sit and admire all the pretty decorations.

Friday Five

2011-12-02T22:51:00.002-03:30

I think I have gotten all my shopping for the kids done for this year. I am sure it will be a good Christmas for them and that is what matters to me.
I plan to decorate for christmas tomorrow after i clean the girl's rooms. Princess Belle asked why clean first and I said I didn't see making parts of the house look pretty when parts of it were a disaster.
I have gotten used to drinking percolated decaf coffee. As long as I have one cup of regular coffee in the mornings, decaf will do it for me the rest of the time.
I have to admit that I am not always great on my diabetic diet these days. When those pregnancy cravings kick in, it is hard to stand strong and say NO.
I have no idea why my children will put their pillows and blankets on the floor and sleep on there beside their bed??? I feel like such a bad mommy when I walk in and see my little girls sleeping on the floor!

Explanations

2011-12-01T11:15:00.006-03:30

I am feeling good about things today. We have started a savings account to prepare for a move.

I should have known better than to move back here. The reasons we moved last time have resurfaced and it has been a little stressful (thus the lack of wordy, loving, mom-posts lately). I don't understand how these people can sense I am pregnant and choose this time to harass me again! This house was awful anyway, it was too small and the downstairs apartment has a bug and rodent infestation!!!

Anyway, we are planning to move when we can afford it, we are doing everything we can to prepare. I feel better with a plan in hand. I really like the town we are moving to. It is in a different province that has better regulations regarding homeschooling. We lived there before for quite a number of years and really love it there. So I am anxious to get there and get my family out of harms way and to get back to our peaceful, happy, loving existence that we are used to.

I am choosing to try to stress as little as possible because I have enough issues in my pregnancies without adding to them in any way. When this little boy arrives he deserves a relaxed mommy and I am determined to do what I can to give him one!!!

Better

2011-11-30T23:04:00.003-03:30

I had a better today. I am still anxious to get the heck out of Dodge (so to speak) but I am willing to let it happen in it's own time. I will say it won't be soon enough for me, but that's okay too.

Yuck

2011-11-29T22:58:00.003-03:30

I have had a couple of crappy, stressful days and my head is pounding. I will be back with more cheerful thoughts, for now I will just wish that Santa would bring me enough money to leave this awful place!

Monday

2011-11-28T19:21:00.003-03:30

Two Frogs - An Inspirational Tale

2011-11-27T09:30:00.001-03:30

Here is another story that really inspired me and I had to share it with you all!

A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, "Did you not hear us?" The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

This story teaches two lessons:

1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path.

The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times. Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Handwritten

2011-11-26T22:24:00.003-03:30

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The theme today was Handwritten and it reminded me of the fact that a handwritten note, got me busted on the tooth fairy this year. She noticed that our handwriting was the same. So I am posting pics from the day she lost her very first tooth . . . back in 2008. She was afraid that the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to find her tooth under her pillow so she put it in an envelope on her desk and taped a note to her headboard. She was so excited by the letter the tooth fairy wrote back to her.

Introducing!

2011-11-25T16:05:00.002-03:30

I would like to introduce you to my New Little PRINCE!!!!! It appears I am going to be adding a some blue to my family! I am so excited to be having this adventure and I am thrilled that Prince Charming gets to be daddy to a little boy.

Today!

2011-11-25T10:01:00.002-03:30

My Ultrasound is today. Keep your fingers crossed for me that the baby shows it's wares and I get to know whether we will be a family of little princesses or whether a little prince will be joining in the fun! And that whatever the gender is, the baby is healthy!

Are You A Carrot, or An Egg, Or A Coffee Bean?

2011-11-24T09:28:00.001-03:30

I read this article and was so touched by it that I wanted to share it here too!

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked. "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another lever?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

Wordless Wednesday - Sometimes only Daddy makes it all better

2011-11-23T22:46:00.001-03:30

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For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Oh No! Busted!

2011-11-22T09:48:00.002-03:30

I was totally busted on the tooth fairy this morning. Princess Belle, left a note for the tooth fairy along with her tooth and she recognized my handwriting in the answer. I told her I was surprised that the tooth fairy could write like me, but I am not sure she bought it. Darn it! I was so happy she still believed enough to write a note, but I guess it couldn't last forever. I am still holding on to some hope for Santa, but she has been half questioning him for a while now.

Evenings

2011-11-21T23:08:00.003-03:30

I love evenings with Prince Charming. Every evening after the kids go to bed, we sit on the couch and watch our shows and chat. It can take us 2 hours to watch a one hour show because we keep pausing it to chat. I love that after 10 years of marriage we still can't sit quietly for one full hour show without having to pause it and share our thoughts, our days, to remember things, to laugh at our kids, or just to chat. After all these years, we haven't run out of things to say to each other and he still manages to make me laugh out loud.

Looking Forward

2011-11-20T22:46:00.002-03:30

For some reason, I am really beginning to look forward to Christmas this year. I know I still have all the prep to do, but I can't wait to put up the decorations, watch all the Christmas movies with my girls, and have Christmas Dinner with my friends and family. It will be a great Christmas, because Christmas is about family and friends and no matter what I am blessed in that area of my life!

Saturday PhotoHunt: Wet/Rain

2011-11-19T10:22:00.000-03:30

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There were probably other choices for the theme this week, but I immediately thought of our fun at the splash park this summer. Princess Magpie had a fabulous time and was completely adorable in her joy.

Healthy Baby club

2011-11-18T19:52:00.004-03:30

I was out a Healthy Baby Club today. It was nice to get a chance to chat with the moms. The nurse was there this time and she had silicone models of babies at different gestational ages. I was amazing to hold a baby in my hands that was 2 weeks younger than my little monkey is right now. It looks so sweet and real, it brought tears to my eyes thinking how real it made my baby to me.

I have to admit that I have been a bit overly hormonal the last few days. I don't mean to be and I try to control my reactions, but I know that I am more sensitive and more easily overwhelmed than I usually am. When I can feel that I need help because I am sick and overwhelmed with it all, I ask Prince Charming for help and he is always quick to help. So at least he and Princess Belle are understanding. I have to give Princess Belle credit, she has been so completely helpful the last little while. She is thrilled with life right now and she is anxious to help in any way she can.

Baby stuff

2011-11-17T23:48:00.000-03:30

I saw my doctor again. He seems to be seeing me every two weeks, I guess that is because I am considered high risk. I don't mind, I enjoy every chance to check on my little one possible.

I told him how I changed my diet to suit me better and showed how my sugars have improved since doing so. He said it is working and we will leave well enough alone for now.

He checked my blood pressure, which isn't high right now. He did say that my dizzy spells were related to my blood pressure and to make sure to sit down and be careful when I get them.

I should be able to get a good Ultrasound view of my baby next week. I can't wait to see if I have another girl or if I am having a boy!

Reminiscing

2011-11-17T23:07:00.001-03:30

It is late and I am tired, but I was just thinking and remembering bringing my babies home from the hospital, the wonder of it, the joy of it. I am so blessed to be doing this again. All of my babies have worn the same pair of snugly jammies home from the hospital. I have them hung up on the wall in the girls room. I guess it won't be long before, I have to take them down, wash them and pack them up in a bag to be worn again. Do you get honestly think anyone could be any more lucky than me??

Look at those chubby cheeks! Too bad they didn't stay that way, they look absolutely munchable!

Wordless Wednesday - Remembering the 1st time I did this

2011-11-16T21:30:00.001-03:30

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For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Tuesday Talk

2011-11-15T13:37:00.002-03:30

I walked down the mall today. And let me tell you this pregnant body does not move like it used to. Before I was pregnant, I walked down there, almost every day, sometimes more than once if I felt like getting out of the house for a while. But, today? By the time I got back, I was walking at a snails pace, holding my back and my hips! I was sooo sore!!!! Who knew that walking could hurt my back like that??

On the upside, I dropped by the Sears Optical here in St. John's to check on the progress of my glasses prescription. he had me pick out frames while I was there. Scott, the man who works there was wonderful. He hand-picked out dozens of frames, had me try them on and was quick to put back the ones that didn't suit me. He knew what would look best on me and what would work best with my ridiculously high prescription (and thus thick lenses). He then proceeded to work magic and to get me a deal where I could get sunglasses too! And between him and the manager, they managed to get me them at NO EXTRA COST!!!! They were wonderful and helpful and really took the time to get me the best glasses for me at the best price! He doesn't get a commission, he gets paid no matter what kind of glasses I get or if I don't get any at all, but he is kind enough and diligent enough to do a wonderful job!

Monday Mutterings.

2011-11-14T22:22:00.002-03:30

I have a headache again!!! this pregnancy is really kicking my butt with these headaches and the nausea.
I am loving the feelings of this little person inside me, it really is a wonderful thing. I talk to my baby when I feel him/her. I love this little person so much and I haven't even touched my baby yet.
Princess Belle went on a field trip to the library today. It was with the homeschool group. They got a tour of the library, information on how they work, and watched a film and everything. She had a lot of fun.
She daily informs me of little things that she learned from all these random places. I keep telling her that learning happens everywhere you are, whatever you are doing and that is as much a part of homeschooling as the books we read and the work we do.

Sweet

2011-11-13T23:58:00.001-03:30

I was just thinking about how cute it is that there are two beds in the room with Princess Belle (9 years) and Princess Magpie (3 years) and yet almost every night, when I go to check on them, I find them asleep snuggled up together in one bed.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Two

2011-11-12T10:04:00.002-03:30

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The obvious choice for this weeks theme would be to post a pic of two of my girls. I have lots of pics of two of them together doing cute things. But instead I decided to post a pic of my Princess Magpie playing with her reflection, thus posting two pics of TWO Princess Magpies!

Lovely Surprise

2011-11-12T08:12:00.002-03:30

I was having a miserable sick day yesterday, where I was feeling blue and sick on the couch when wouldn't you know it, from halfway across the Province my best friend, Princess Notsosnowwhite turned up with her White Knight to make my day a little brighter! I love surprises like that!

Template

2011-11-11T19:19:00.001-03:30

I found out that when you ran a search on my blog, my template messed up after a couple of pages. I know that probably doesn't come up a lot, but I needed to fix it to keep myself sane. So now it should be working better. I took the opportunity to put a different background up.

COFFEE FILTERS

2011-11-11T12:29:00.004-03:30

Better than paper towels and a lot less expensive...

COFFEE FILTERS

Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for $1.00, even the large ones.
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome... Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10 Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters..
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them.. It soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."
15. &n"sp; As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.
16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.
17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.
18 Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.
19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.
20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies.. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.
21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.
22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.
23. Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a zip-lock plastic bag until they sprout.
24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book..
25. Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.

OH YEAH THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS

OMG!

2011-11-10T22:50:00.002-03:30

OMG! I saw a mouse in my house!!!! I got up this morning and when I went into the washroom a mouse ran by my feet into the heater!!!! I am so freaked out! I knew there was a rat problem in the neighbourhood because of the restaurant a few doors down and their garbage. But I was living in blissful ignorance that anything would get into to my house! I have hated this house since we moved in. It is too small. There is no storage at all! The road I live on is way too busy! There is mold in the back porch. But now there is a mouse! I want out. This pregnant momma who woke her whole house by screaming in the morning, does not want to share her house with VERMIN! It is on healthy!

Btw, I am also fed up with this whole darned town at this point, but that is another matter entirely. For now, I have just decided never to have another nice relaxing soak in this bathtub AGAIN! EVER!!!! EWWW!!! ICK!!! YUCK!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Sleeping on the Floor

2011-11-09T11:47:00.000-03:30

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For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Tuesday Talk

2011-11-08T23:18:00.002-03:30

Poor Princess Snifflefritz had to get some shots today. She has been groggy and sleepy every since. She really is sweet when she is just so overwhelmingly tired. I took a pic of her because she went into her room, grabbed the stuffed penguin she sleeps with, left it on the floor of her room, put her head on it, pulled up her blanky and went to sleep right there on the floor. So sweet.

I actually get the tired, I am feeling that way quite a bit too. I am really hating the regimented way of dealing with Gestational Diabetes, but I am hoping if I just stick with it, I will get used to it. In the meantime, little kicks from my belly will always make me smile.

Movement

2011-11-07T22:47:00.002-03:30

I have been feeling a lot of movement in the last couple of days. It makes me so happy to feel my little monkey moving around and letting me that everything is okay in there. I can't wait until the 25th when I get to try to find out if I have a prince or princess growing in there!

Princess Magpie

2011-11-06T09:04:00.002-03:30

Princess Magpie is very funny. She makes me laugh on a regular basis. Just this morning, I heard her in the room with her sister, "Sisser! Wake Up Sisser!" *pause* "Sisser!", "Sisser! Wake Up Sisser!". Apparently, if she is awake, everyone else has to be too. (I am sure her "Sisser" did not find this whole exchange as funny as I did while I was nursing my morning coffee.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Light

2011-11-05T21:56:00.000-02:30

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Friday Five

2011-11-04T23:35:00.004-02:30

Well, my headache has eased up. That is definitely a good thing!
I even got out of the house to meet with a group of pregnant moms. It was kind of fun. I like any opportunity to get out of the house.
I seem to be doing okay with my diabetes control right now. At least the diet has stopped making me sick.
The girls are doing really well. They like to play in their rooms when they are supposed to be sleeping, but once they go to sleep, they tend to stay that way and sleep in enough in the mornings for me to have a nice cup of coffee and breakfast in quiet.
I have taken to giving the girls a bath most mornings. They like it so much that it is a cheerful way to wake them up. And they are just so cute playing in the bathtub together. I have to laugh because Princess Snifflefritz is so small that a lot of times, she starts to float when she is trying to sit. She is just too cute.

Headaches

2011-11-03T21:33:00.002-02:30

This pregnancy has definitely brought more than my fair share of headaches. I swear it is hard to deal with. The days start out with a mild amount of pain until it builds up to intolerable by bedtime. UGH.

Wordless Wednesday - First Haircut

2011-11-02T11:28:00.003-02:30

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For more Wordless Wednesday go check out 5 minutes for mom and 7 Clown Circus!

Halloween Pics

2011-11-01T20:26:00.005-02:30

Halloween

2011-10-31T21:46:00.002-02:30

Well despite the horrible weather and how very sick I was, we had a nice Halloween anyway. The girls dressed up, watched a kids Halloween movie, ate popcorn and the treats we bought for the Trick-or-Treaters that didn't come because of the weather. I surprised them by having the house decorated when they got up which thrilled them all. Princess Belle was thrilled and Princess Magpie announced that it was a Halloween party. She ran around pointing out all the decorations. It was too sweet.

There will definitely be pics to follow.

Wow, how awesome!

2011-10-29T22:17:00.001-02:30

This blog has been nominated to the Top 25 Canadian Mom Blogs list on Circle of Moms!

Saturday PhotoHunt: Broken

2011-10-29T21:29:00.003-02:30

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The theme broken was pretty easy for me. I thought immediately of the lovely broken down fence in our backyard. So here are some pics I took of our BROKEN fence.

Balancing

2011-10-29T21:21:00.000-02:30

I am having issues trying to adjust my diet, balancing my carbs and proteins while finding vegetarian ways to fill my nutritional needs while battling the morning sickness that eating the right balances seems to bring. UGH, sickness sicks.

Princess Belle

2011-10-28T21:22:00.000-02:30

I took Princess Belle out to a neighbors today. She has a homeschooled daughter who is 2 years older than Belle. They had fun together. They even went to a group this evening where they played games, did crafts, and sang songs. She will definitely be going again.

Out

2011-10-27T22:40:00.001-02:30

I had a nice night out with some of the mother's from the homeschool group. It was just a few homeschooling moms out for a coffee and it was really nice. I am so enjoying putting myself out there and making some connections here in town.

Wordless Wednesday - My Girls Hanging Out

2011-10-26T23:16:00.002-02:30

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Princess Snifflefritz

2011-10-25T22:25:00.003-02:30

Princess Snifflefritz has finally started sleeping through the night. At least until about 4 - 6 am. If she wakes then, I go in change her diaper, give her a drink and she goes right back to sleep until about 8:30!!! It took a little while of me keeping her from sleeping all day and trying desperately to keep her from crying outside her bedroom door, as she tried desperately to put herself to bed. There were lots of cuddles, lots of heartbreakingly sad faces, but she usually got over it quickly and now she is as happy as can be and sleeping better. It was tough, but I just figured that with a new baby on the way, I really only needed on baby keeping me up at night. And Princess Snifflefritz was keeping me up at night for 4 and 5 hours at a time and with the other girls keeping me awake all day, this poor pregnant momma was tired and figured that had to stop.

here is the face that was begging me to go back to sleep. Isn't it so pathetic? I just want to go through the screen and cuddle her.

Meeting

2011-10-25T00:27:00.003-02:30

I had a meeting with the homeschool association tonight. It was nice to get together and talk to the moms. The best part is just getting support from other moms who homeschool, bouncing ideas off of each other, and just having a little time out.

Thoughts

2011-10-23T21:29:00.005-02:30

I am having a moment where I can hardly believe that in a few short months, I will be holding a brand new baby in my arms. I look around at my house filled with love, laughter, adorable little faces, and little arms that wrap around my neck (or my legs) and hold on so very tightly, little hands that pat my back in a hug and I wonder how I got to be so very blessed. No matter if this lovely little person growing inside of me is a girl or a boy, I know that there will be joy unbounded when he/she arrives. The fact that I get to love and care for four little people is so special that I can't even believe how lucky I am. I may not have any money, but there is not one person in the world who is richer than I am.

Belly Pic

2011-10-22T09:17:00.001-02:30

This is really bad taken in my awful bathroom in the mirror, but here is a belly pic. I had a hard time staying completely sideways and taking the pic, I kept turning into the pic a bit and that makes my butt look GIGANTIC!

Woohoo!

2011-10-21T22:35:00.003-02:30

I am totally doing a happy dance right now. I felt the baby kick! At first it was gentle and I wasn't sure, then it was a little more firm poke in the same spot and then it was a third time and there was no mistaking it. I was sitting with my knees up against my belly and I guess the baby was crowded!! I LOVE it!

Quick Update on prenatal appointment

2011-10-20T22:59:00.004-02:30

Well, I went to the doctor today. There was a delay because he had been up all night delivering a baby and he was behind. So I went next door and did something to make me feel better. My hair has been bugging me for a while, I hate dealing with it when I am trying to get comfortable in bed and it was really hot on my neck, so I CHOPPED off all my hair. I have a pixie cut. The hairdresser was scared to do it because my hair was down to my waist, but she said that she really liked it and that it really suited me. Prince Charming and the girls seem to agree. Princess Magpie kept looking at me in awe and saying, "You are Mommy!"

And on to my baby check-up. We couldn't detect the babies heartbeat because the baby was too busy jumping around and doing acrobats, but I figure if she/he was feeling good enough to be jumping around and dancing, she is good enough for me. I am in my second trimester, I am no longer bleeding and my baby is active. I am good. The bad news is that I have Gestational Diabetes. When I had the test, I stopped by a coffee shop and had a coffee and a little sweet after it was over and it seems that sweets on top of that awful sugar drink they give you was not good for me and when I thought my sugar was low and making me feel really confused and foggy, it was actually really really super-high. So it looks like it is Gestational Diabetes again for me.

I would also like to point out that I am in my SECOND TRIMESTER!!!! Here's to better days with less fear of loss!

Wordless Wednesday - Princess Magpie

2011-10-20T22:56:00.001-02:30

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2011-10-18T22:54:00.003-02:30

It has been a stressful, long day. Everyone is fine, the baby is fine, but I am so stressed. I really don't like days like this. But, on the upside, I have three beautiful kids that I adore, I am pregnant with a fourth and I have a brand new baby in my baby. I will focus on that and try to relax about the rest.

giggles

2011-10-17T22:56:00.003-02:30

Random thoughts

2011-10-16T21:02:00.002-02:30

Princess Magpie is kind of funny sometimes. There are a lot times when she talks that it is a lot of gibberish with a random actual word thrown in for good measure. When she is upset, she goes on and on and whines and whines and I am desperately frantically trying to figure out what is the problem. I am listening to her go on in some language I don't understand thinking to myself, "Oh come on, just let me buy a vowel, just one actual word and I will be on this for you!". Then in the midst of random sounds she is making I hear a word, an actual word and I jump all over it, "Foot? You hurt your foot? Is something wrong with your foot? You want me to rub your foot? You are looking for your dolly's foot?" Grasping at anything and everything to do with that one word I actually got, until I hear the magical, shaky "okay" and am rewarded with a smile from a tear stained face.

She is too cute with her baby sister though. She loves her and is convinced she is HERS. Thus yesterday, in a demonstration of the fact that she does have some language skills, she says, "Where's my Princess Snifflefritz? Where's my baby?" And when Princess Belle handed her a doll she snorted and said, "No, Sisser! That's a dolly! I will find my baby." and she jumped down and went running into the room where her little sister was.

On a side note, I am finally feeling better. I am 13 weeks pregnant now and even though I was spotting for a while, but it has stopped now. I do have to watch my activity level because it seems to be related, but as long as I take it easy, I don't spot at all.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Public

2011-10-15T10:55:00.003-02:30

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This theme was easy for me. There is nothing more perfect for Public Pictures, than pictures taken a day of fun at a Public Park.

Kid funnies

2011-10-14T22:32:00.005-02:30

The girls are really funny these days. Prince Charming and Princess Belle (age 9) were outside and she said she smelled something bad. He asked her what it smelled like and she said, "Egg dust". He was completely baffled, "egg dust?? What do you mean Egg Dust?" She explained by saying, "You know that smell our van had after the pipe fell off." Then the lights went on, "Ooooooh, Exhaust!"

Today, Princess Belle built a "Thing-a-ma-jigger" (vehicle from The Cat In the Hat Knows a Lot About That). She took a box, decorated and then she put Princess Magpie in and pulled her around and around and around the house. All the while, Princess Magpie was singing her own mixed up version of the song in the show, "Here We GO! GO! GO! on an adventure! Here we GO GO GO! *mumble mumble mumble* and AWAYYY!" I have to say it was the cutest thing I have ever heard!

Princess Snifflefritz has taken to running across the floor and yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" when she has something she wants me to see, then she strides off very purposefully across the floor to continue her own little adventures. And I love that although she has very little language skills, she still attempts to sing the alphabet, Twinkle Twinkle, and Itsy Bitsy Spider (all the words are unnecessary if you have the right tune, you just repeat the ones you know over and over again with great enthusiasm! LOL) . She even tries to count, "One, two, three, two three TWO!"

Homeschooling update

2011-10-13T22:27:00.001-02:30

Well, the homeschool meeting with the officials who approve us went well. I actually didn't go. I was worried about having to walk down there with my pregnancy issues, so I got a package of information ready and sent Prince Charming in my stead. He did well, I am proud of him. I should hear something in the next couple of weeks. Wish me luck!

UPDATE

2011-10-12T23:48:00.003-02:30

I just wanted to update you guys on things. My pregnancy seems to be going okay. The bleeding has stopped and I am taking it SUPER easy. I had been having a stressful, busy couple of days and it is possible I was over-doing it. So, no more of that. I intend to relax, enjoy my kids and not stress about the things I can't get done as much as possible.

At this Moment (part 6)

2011-10-11T21:55:00.002-02:30

My girls are supposed to be sleeping, but I am listening and smiling as I hear them.

Princess Belle (aged 9): 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . 1o! Ready or Not here I come!
Princess Magpie (aged 3): *Giggling* *silence and then more giggling* I FOUND ME!!!
Princess Belle: *Giggling* okay, now you hide and I will find you. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . .

(repeat, repeat, repeat)

Now this whole thing just had me giggling myself. I LOVE to hear them playing, I love that Princess Magpie so obviously didn't get it but was having fun anyway, and I love trying to imagine where in the world they could possibly be hiding in such a tiny room. I am imagining piles of blankets.

Pray for me.

2011-10-11T11:30:00.003-02:30

Had a scare last night. I was bleeding and I went to the ER to get checked. My cervix was closed, the baby's heartbeat was strong and the baby was active and moving around. They said all that was a good sign. I am worried, but it has stopped now and I am taking it easy. So keep my baby in your thoughts and prayers guys.

Sunday Six

2011-10-09T17:39:00.003-02:30

I finally got Princess Magpie to believe that there was a baby in my belly. It was too funny because then stuck out her belly and was convinced that there was baby in her belly too.
I had to take Princess Magpie out of Princess Snifflefritz's room. I put her in with Princess Belle. Princess Snifflefritz was keeping her up and night and it wasn't fair to her. Since I took her out of the room, Princess Magpie has slept through the night every single night. (Now if only I could convince Princess Snifflefritz to do the same!)
I changed living room today. I needed it to be better organized. When Princess Magpie got up from her nap and came out, she looked around, took it all in and said, "Mommy! Great job! You cleaned up!" In her little mind, the organization and the moved furniture were simply a result of the extra cleaning I must have done.
Princess Snifflefritz still has her schedule messed up. I am working on it, but it is exhausting to try to figure out a way to fix it.
The best thing about the change in the bedrooms is that Princess Magpie is sleeping so much better! And in the mornings, I can hear her and Princess Belle playing and giggling together before they come out for the day.
I went to a warehouse store the other day. I really like it a lot. I will definitely be going back.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Waiting

2011-10-08T22:41:00.001-02:30

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This them was perfect for me. When I saw the results in the pic below in August, it began the long wait for a wonderful prize that will arrive in April.

Awful Day

2011-10-07T20:33:00.001-02:30

Rather an awful day today. The pregnancy is fine, everyone is fine, but it was an awful day and I have no words to talk about it at the moment.

My Girls

2011-10-06T11:27:00.001-02:30

Princess Magpie and Princess Snifflefritz didn't sleep last night again. Ugh, I need to get them sorted out. It is exhausting.

On the good side, I talked to Princess Belle about homeschooling. We talked about relaxing and having fun and not making it a stressful experience. Then when we did our homeschooling, it actually went so much better. Every once in a while, I have to remember to not stress myself out, not to worry about doing enough for her. She is a smart girl, she will learn what she needs to and we are doing fine. I have to trust in our process, trust in us and remember that there is no point in doing this if I am going to make it just as stressful as public school is.

To that end, we have a meeting with the officials who approve our homeschooling for this year. I am always so stressed about these meetings. I know he is pro-homeschooling, but I am basically on trial, I am proving that I am going to do everything that they think I should for my girl.

Wordless Wednesday - My Babies, and I get to do it all again!

2011-10-05T11:34:00.001-02:30

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Princess Belle - 2002

Princess Magpie - 2008

Princess Snifflefritz - 2009

funny!

2011-10-04T18:02:00.001-02:30

Monday Musings

2011-10-03T23:34:00.004-02:30

Last night the girls were once again up for half the night. I am hoping it is just a fluke and tonight they will sleep through. These girls are killing me I swear!

A funny thing Princess Magpie has taken to doing is laying on her floor of bedroom and calling out when she is supposed to be sleeping. I listen and hear, "Hello? Is anybody out there? . . . . "Hello! Hi!" I tell her to go to sleep and then I hear whispering, "Hellooo . . . Hi. . . . Hello". She just cracks me up.

I am getting a little too stressed and serious about our math again. I need to relax and have fun and realize that this curriculum is not supposed to be stressful. That is not how it is done. So even if mommy is tired, grouchy, and over-tired, I need to relax and not bring stress to our homeschool.

Snifflefritz Adventures

2011-10-02T10:55:00.006-02:30

My girl Princess Snifflefritz (aged 21 months ) is funny sometimes. She eats better than her big sister, Princess Magpie (aged 3 years), but Princess Magpie is very territorial when it comes to her plate. So, Princess Snifflefritz has developed this sniper routine that cracks me up. When Princess Snifflefritz has cleared her plate and Princess Magpie has moved on to other things leaving her plate unattended, Princess Snifflefritz moves in on the attack. She darts as quickly as her little legs can carry her over to the plate, grabs food in both hands and takes off running before Princess Magpie can notice and get upset with her. I laugh at how she moves so quickly she is unsteady on her feet. Princess Magpie has no interest in the food, she would just pitch a fit if she noticed Princess Snifflefritz touching her plate.

Now on another note, my girls are NOT big on change. They don't like it AT ALL. So when it comes time for them to move on to the next stage of development, they don't do it without LOTS OF resistance. So it was with great trepidation that I decided it was time for Princess Snifflefritz to give up bottles and move on to sippy cups. I went out and bought her pink, soft-topped sippies and purple, hard-topped sippies for Princess Magpie (they need their things to be differentiated.) During the day, I handed her a sippy instead of a bottle. She fussed but I cuddled her and she got over it and drank from it. But there was another step I was worried about. My girls like to take a drink of water with them to bed.

Just a note about my girls, when you change things for them, you have to do it cold turkey. Slow transitions over a few days leads to days of unending crying and they don't transition, they just keep crying. I have to go cold turkey. I have to put up with one day of hellacious tantrums, I have to just get through it and hope that the next day will be better.

So back to the sippy, I put her to bed with a sippy and closed the door. She SCREAMED! I left her for 10 minutes and then I went in to comfort her but when I left the room, she cried even harder! It was HELL, I was so upset that I was sick. But I knew that if I gave in, I would have to go through this again the next day and I just couldn't do this again. This continued all night long until about 2:30 in the morning when she finally fell asleep.

There was one silver-lining to this awful, grey cloud of doom, She slept through the rest of the night until about 9 the next morning. The next day, I gave her her breakfast of peanut butter toast, strawberries, and banana's AND . . . her new sippy. You know what? She said, thank you and ate her breakfast and drank from her sippy. At naptime, I handed her sippy and hoped for the best and . . . . she said thank you! That was it, no more crying over the bottles! The best part is, she slept through the night again last night!

So it seems two problems were solved in one night of hell.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Covered

2011-10-01T10:03:00.002-02:30

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As soon as I started looking for "Covered" pictures, I decided to look back at pics from earlier this year. I came across pics of girls with their heads covered and pics of them with their faces covered in army makeup from the celebrations in town. It was fun to look at them again!

What a Day!

2011-09-30T12:39:00.005-02:30

I went to get that awful 3-hour glucose test yesterday. You know, the one that they give you that sickly sweet drink that you try not to vomit and then they stick you with a needle every hour.

So my adventure started with drinking the drink. Shortly afterwards, I began to feel really sick and really really tired. I was so tired, I was afraid I was going to fall asleep right there in the waiting room, so I got up to walk around the hospital. I listened to nurses complaining that they didn't have enough places to sit and take a break away from other people. I wandered some more and tried desperately to pry my heavy lids open. I wandered past dozens of bathrooms and in one I noticed a long padded table. I touched it and though to myself that if after my next needle, I didn't feel more alert, I was going to lock myself in that bathroom and lie on that table and take a nap. (LOL, I didn't).

After my next shot, the exhaustion began to wear off and I noticed all the children getting their needles. I have to tell you, I would not want to work in a place that made scared children cry all day long like a blood collection clinic does. I noticed that there was a funny trend. Babies tended to cry when they got their needle, but most toddlers didn't. It seemed like the worst cases of needle terror were older kids. Kids from ages about 7 - 12 were terrified. I watched them come in with tear-stained faces grasping mom's arms so tightly their little knuckles were white. I watched as one tried to run away and had to be dragged screaming back into the room. I listened as screams of terror and "I DON'T WANT A NEEDLE!!" rang through closed doors. I watched as an adorable 4 or 5 year old girl with Down's Syndrome, stomped out of the room, with tears streaming down her face, her little arms crossed in indignation that they were purport such an atrocity on her!

After my last needle of the day, I went down to the coffee shop and picked up a coffee and then walked through the hospital towards the exit when my blood sugar dropped so dramatically that it scared me. Suddenly, I was weak, shaking, my legs were wobbly, my brain was fuzzy, I was confused and I got a TERRIBLE headache! I passed by another coffee shop and pulled open my wallet and saw one lonely dollar in there. I couldn't think straight at all and money was beyond my comprehension at that point. Like a little kid who doesn't understand money, I explained my situation to the coffee shop guy and asked him what baked, sugary thing I could get for a dollar he pointed out my options and then suggested that maybe a bottle of juice would be better and suggested I go over to the fridge and get a bottle of juice. I did and even in my brain-addled state, it seemed to me that there was no way this big bottle was less than a dollar and when I went to the counter to ask him and pay, he waved me off saying, "No, I got this one." He was my knight in shining apron and hair net. I guzzled the juice and was soon feeling my sugar come back up.

The whole day of blood sugar testing and blood sugar dropping took it's toll on me though and I spent the whole rest of the day feeling sick and miserable with an awful headache. I was told I may need to do this test again at 28 weeks, I sincerely hope not!

On a side note, I am hoping that the fact that I lost so much weight before getting pregnant and the fact that I weigh less even now than I did at the beginning of any of my other pregnancies will mean that I don't get Gestational Diabetes this time.

Wordless Wednesday - Sweet Princess Magpie

2011-09-28T22:36:00.001-02:30

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Good Day

2011-09-27T23:26:00.003-02:30

I got out of the house yesterday for a little while. It was so fun to chat with other homeschooling moms, moms with kids who have similar issues to Princess Belle, to find out about things that will be going on this year and to get out for a while. I had a lovely time and even met one mom who lives really close to me!! I was sick all day and almost never went but when I got home, I was really excited to share my experiences with Prince Charming.

Don't forget, I am up for an award and I would love it if you would go by and vote for me! I am so surprised and honored that someone would nominate me! And you can vote once a day!

Sick

2011-09-26T11:43:00.002-02:30

After my scare the other day, I have to say the horrible morning sickness I woke up with this morning isn't that hard to deal with. It sucks, but at least I have enough hormones in me to make me sick, you know?

I have been taking it super-easy so that I can not have any repeats of that incident. I am making my first trip out of the house later today to a homeschool meeting. I will try not to overdo it though.

2011-09-25T22:15:00.001-02:30

Are you on Pinterest? I am. I usually go there once a day and browse at all the wonderful ideas I want to try one day. I love looking at new ideas for recipes, for storage solutions and maybe ideas to use when I move to a bigger house. It can be a time sucker, but I only go there once a day and I really like it. And I have to admit, I get a kick out of seeing when someone has pinned something that I pinned.

On another note, I am still trying really hard to take it easy. It is just not in my nature to get Prince Charming to do so much for me, but he and Princess Belle have been wonderful. I think my little episode scared them too.