tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39030229565183319982024-03-13T12:42:29.675-06:00Cinful SweetsMusings of a simple life in a crazy worldCindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-54496585690862015162013-04-17T19:35:00.001-06:002013-04-17T19:35:45.030-06:00Eggs and BabesI know, I know, this post is a few weeks late. Meh, it happens. My biggest excuse is that I returned to work and have spent my time restructuring our lives to accommodate the change. Now that I've excused my lack of timely posting, let's get on with it.<br />
<br />
Our little town throws an Easter Egg hunt for all the kids on the Saturday before Easter. This was our first year participating and we took full advantage of the festivities. We dressed the kids up for the occasion and the weather was perfect for us to walk over. Upon arrival we were directed to our place for the 'hunt' (there was no actual hunting involved as it was just a bunch of goodie filled plastic eggs strewn all over a soccer field). Miguel and the kids posed for some amazing pictures before the egg race began. I decided to check out the few shots I snapped of Salem and Piper in their wagon and the family pics I had just taken when I was met with shock and horror; I HAD NO MEMORY CARD!!! Not <i>one</i> of my fantastic snapshots had actually ever existed. Needless to say, my heart sank into my stomach and I was met with a wave of disappointment in myself. I have missed quite a few priceless photo opportunities in my children's lives thus far and I was so excited to get some quality memories captured. After a minute of self loathing, I took a deep breath and captured what I could with the camera on my phone.<br />
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Salem was so excited to get started he could hardly contain himself to stay behind the starting line. When the organizer got on the megaphone and shouted for the kids to "GO!" , Salem took off like a rocket. In the beginning, he had a nice path with little competition but that changed the closer he got to the opposite end of the field. All of a sudden there were crazy parents getting a little too involved in the race and pushing the limit on acceptable behavior. Luckily, Salem had quite a few eggs by that point so we called it quits and headed to the line for the special prizes (silly toys). While Miguel and Salem waited, Piper and I retrieved our wagon. Once all the goodies were received, we headed home where I snapped too many pictures of the kids and their loot (I had to compensate for my previous absentmindedness).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salem couldn't take his eyes off his candy! Ha!</td></tr>
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Miguel and I had planned to color eggs with the kids that night, but after his nap Salem informed me that he "had enough Easter" and didn't want to dye eggs. Miguel was sleeping to prepare for his night shift so I decided to take Piper and Salem to my parents for the afternoon. Salem loved telling Pop and Grams all about his successful egg hunt that morning. We stayed for a while then headed home to make dinner and send Miguel off for the night. As the kids slept, I couldn't stop thinking about hiding eggs around the house for Salem to find in the morning. I had already boiled a dozen eggs and I figured I could hide the plastic shells from the other hunt too. When I awoke before Salem, the Easter bunny in me came out. We didn't have a fancy basket with gifts to give Salem, but Miguel had stashed a few candy filled eggs from the day before and had a random hot wheels car in his glove box. plus I had a couple of honey sticks in the cupboard. The bunny wrote the kid a quick note and as soon as Salem woke up the games began!<br />
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We are new to this whole celebrating holidays with children gig and are trying to figure it all out as we go. In all honesty, we struggled with the idea of celebrating religious holidays when we aren't religious people. After much discussion, we have ultimately decided to roll with the punches while they are young and when they are old enough to understand, we will explain/expose them to the origins/meanings of each holiday. I think it would actually be fun to celebrate all the holidays on a given calendar, researching the traditions and customs then embracing them or adding a personal twist. Imagine the things you would learn and the memories your family would create! Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-1380469286395743832013-03-21T14:07:00.001-06:002013-03-21T14:08:05.917-06:00It's Potty Time!!Many years ago when I was working in the infant room at a childcare center, I was fortunate enough to assist an amazing teacher named Pushpa. Pushpa is Nepalese and she taught me things about children, education and life that no American I knew could have. For some reason, a story she once told me about flying to the U.S. from Nepal with her 9 month old son has always stuck in my head. She spoke of how her son was already 'potty trained' and flew the whole way with just one 'accident'. I haven't been able to shake the idea of an infant being able to comprehend the concept of waste elimination since then.<br />
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As soon as I found out I was pregnant with Salem , the notion of infant potty training immediately came back to the forefront of my mind. Being the self-learner that I am, I set out to research this idea. What I found was a real eye-opener and I realized just how brainwashed we are here in the states. All around the world people practice what many Americans refer to as, Elimination Communication (EC). <br />
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<i><b>"Elimination communication</b> (EC) is a practice in which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infant" title="Infant">infant</a>'s
need to eliminate waste. Caregivers try to recognize and respond to
babies' bodily needs and enable them to urinate and defecate in an
appropriate place (e.g. a toilet). Caregivers may use <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaper" title="Diaper">diapers</a>
(nappies) as a back-up in case of misses some or all of the time, or
not at all. EC emphasizes communication between the caregiver and child,
helping them both become more attuned to the child's innate rhythms and
control of urination and defecation. The term "elimination
communication" was inspired by traditional practices of diaper-less baby
care in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_country" title="Developing country">less industrialized countries</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter-gatherer" title="Hunter-gatherer">hunter-gatherer cultures</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_communication#cite_note-1">[1]</a></sup> Some practitioners of EC begin soon after birth, the optimum window being zero to four months,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_communication#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup> although it can be started with babies of any age. The practice can be done full-time, part-time, or just occasionally." </i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_communication" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_communication</a><br />
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Having a 'diaper-free' baby sounded like a daunting task, but I was up to it. After Salem was born, I was all gung ho about getting Salem to use the toilet as early as possible. I soon realized that it wasn't quite as simple as everything I had read made it sound. With lots of practice, tons of mistakes, some time and finally allowing myself to relax a bit, we found a way that worked for us. From birth to about six months, I would simply allow Salem some diaper-free time on a waterproof mat and occasionally set him on a little potty. Once he could sit up on his own, I started to just sit him on the itty bitty toilet during diaper changes. Then one day he started to pee in said toilet. A few days later he pooed in it. Soon he started to make a conscious effort to 'hold it' and communicate with me when it was time to go. Needless to say, I was ecstatic! After that first poo in the pot, Salem never looked back and I can count the number of dirty diapers I had to change from then on on one hand. He has been out of diapers (except overnight) since around 18 months.*<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the embarrassing pictures that I will dutifully show my children's future dates.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Now it's Piper's turn and I am proud to announce she has taken to her
tiny pot just as quickly as Salem did. I will spare you the details,
but she is equally as impressive as her brother was! I have read/heard
that girls are easier to potty train than boys, so maybe our Piper will
be done with the diaper even earlier! </div>
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<i>* Although he has been diaper free during the day for over a year, there have been occasional accidents during nap time.</i><br />
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-68763900858376265332013-03-07T14:35:00.000-07:002013-03-07T14:40:29.920-07:00Pumpkin Swirl BrowniesThis is for Katie:<br />
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<u>Pumpkin Swirl Brownies</u><br />
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3/4c Whole Wheat Flour<br />
1/2t Baking Powder<br />
1/2t Salt<br />
1/4c Butter- melted<br />
1/2c Applesauce (I use freshly made applesauce. 1 medium apple=1/2c applesauce)<br />
1/2c Brown Sugar<br />
1/4c Turbinado Sugar<br />
2t Vanilla<br />
3 Flax Eggs (3T ground flax seed + 9T water, stirred and allowed to set for 15min. I make mine when I begin a recipe. You could easily substitute 3 regular eggs too)<br />
1/4c Cocoa Powder<br />
1/2c Chocolate Chips (I made my own using this <a href="http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/15/three-ingredient-chocolate-bars-1/" target="_blank">recipe)</a><br />
1/2c Pumpkin Puree (Or canned pumpkin)<br />
1/2c Walnuts<br />
3/4t Cinnamon<br />
1/2t Cloves<br />
1/2t Nutmeg<br />
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Think there are enough ingredients in these things?<br />
<br />
<u>Directions: </u><br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8" x 8" pan. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, stir together the butter, applesauce, sugars, vanilla and eggs. Add the applesauce mix to the flour mix and stir just until all ingredients are moistened. Split batter in half in two separate bowls. Add cocoa powder and chocolate chips (if using homemade chocolate chips, keep them frozen until you're ready to use them) to one batter and the pumpkin, walnuts and spices to the other batter.<br />
<br />
Pour half of the chocolate batter into the prepared baking pan, followed by half of the pumpkin batter, then the other half of the chocolate and top with remaining pumpkin batter. Bake on center rack in over for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out nearly clean. Let cool on wire rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Tip: Use a plastic knife when cutting warm brownies and the gooey goodness won't stick to the utensil.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garnished with chocolate chunks and roasted pepitas</td></tr>
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-44669563228659867932013-03-07T09:43:00.004-07:002013-03-07T09:48:36.882-07:00March PumpkinsOn Sunday I was craving something sweet and different so I took a container of frozen pumpkin out to thaw and get creative with. Pumpkin swirl brownies were concocted and promptly consumed. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finger licking good and chocked full of veggies!</td></tr>
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Piper has a new quirky trick where she scrunches up her face and blows air in and out of her nose rapidly. This move makes my heart smile and I erupt with laughter every time she does it. She also has a smile that takes her whole body to produce. I hope the following pictures brighten your day as much as Piper lights up mine.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squish face</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whole body smiles!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwrp_ORJMObQ4blyWIVvARrUvWumSU1DBc4NUWm4xel6ixyajcpIFlGLZejxaZGyTUDqcErlDcslvRCkzbUGFhVbtltSo7-p099jfPAObeDGsvMDrIV1eP7j0Dv003O_-jPYPnHGKfVMp/s1600/IMG_3159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwrp_ORJMObQ4blyWIVvARrUvWumSU1DBc4NUWm4xel6ixyajcpIFlGLZejxaZGyTUDqcErlDcslvRCkzbUGFhVbtltSo7-p099jfPAObeDGsvMDrIV1eP7j0Dv003O_-jPYPnHGKfVMp/s320/IMG_3159.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-22601468008329396552013-03-03T12:20:00.001-07:002013-03-03T12:24:07.945-07:00I won!Katie over at<a href="http://theredtin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> The Red Tin</a> was kind enough to choose little ol' me for a giveaway over on her blog. When I went to the mailbox on Thursday I was greeted with the sweet smell of lavender. I wish all of my mail smelled so nice! Not only did Katie send me a handmade lavender sachet, but she also gifted two of her needle felted dolls and some scrap fabrics (which I have already used for a project which I will reveal later). Thank you Katie for making my week!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lavender Sachet that Salem wanted to keep smelling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H1-tdnP34V20efqD4ryEy-jnJUUsRaFEL_R_YwK0E31t9XX9-nA3BCKncgfHjiR5PfbbjFYoVigMTqWVRa4jV0t_5G6bRNReyFDoqw5EnBhOaTTwAyWckiy3BQP5XExx4beSf_YeTQe5/s1600/IMG_3010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H1-tdnP34V20efqD4ryEy-jnJUUsRaFEL_R_YwK0E31t9XX9-nA3BCKncgfHjiR5PfbbjFYoVigMTqWVRa4jV0t_5G6bRNReyFDoqw5EnBhOaTTwAyWckiy3BQP5XExx4beSf_YeTQe5/s320/IMG_3010.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esmerelda</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demon Hare</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demon Hare hugs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabric!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow fabric!</td></tr>
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-29943623008609220632013-03-01T08:05:00.000-07:002013-03-01T08:05:43.457-07:00How We Rock a Snow DayPiper woke me up at 5:30am on Tuesday morning, which is pretty typical. I decided that since we were awake and the boys were not, that we should get our grocery shopping done first thing. I mistakenly assumed that Sprouts Market opened at 6:30am, so that's when we arrived. In reality, the store didn't open until 7am and during that half hour that Piper and I waited in the parking lot, it began to snow. By the time we finally checked out with our loot, it had snowed an inch. <br />
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Miguel and Salem gleefully greeted us upon our return home and we all settled into our snow day. Piper was exhausted after our eventful morning and fell deep asleep for her nap. Salem was so excited about the new snack choices that he threw on his super hero cape and mask and "flew" around the house while munching. My favorite part of super hero Salem is when he shouts the cutest mispronunciation of his super name, 'Stupid Man' and then makes flying sounds. It makes my heart smiles every time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48_BCCHatCfuB-9IWET7tfgJ2xRmflULISHMsMGv2q7nR0zZUxeFXI2U0SWVaEykhYHGcjLQVNrLcn2AUBbmpTDNFih6KbXmuGZ6P5ZpEbdSDDpxJfsCvglcBrWxIYMIKwSQzTbzozoQB/s1600/IMG_2902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh48_BCCHatCfuB-9IWET7tfgJ2xRmflULISHMsMGv2q7nR0zZUxeFXI2U0SWVaEykhYHGcjLQVNrLcn2AUBbmpTDNFih6KbXmuGZ6P5ZpEbdSDDpxJfsCvglcBrWxIYMIKwSQzTbzozoQB/s320/IMG_2902.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtC6Un5efUNcUvd8oQaCKlGBWoFNQPqLiCjmpU2yTus0GQy6BOGGmiA4oc2An18b6wUT5x2HKHRnY0WZ12_URG53HRJ4-mtZi2vQ1qJXNou1-9p5cbnOKZItiIGQVZvwm-65AzjPCsRkN/s1600/IMG_2875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtC6Un5efUNcUvd8oQaCKlGBWoFNQPqLiCjmpU2yTus0GQy6BOGGmiA4oc2An18b6wUT5x2HKHRnY0WZ12_URG53HRJ4-mtZi2vQ1qJXNou1-9p5cbnOKZItiIGQVZvwm-65AzjPCsRkN/s320/IMG_2875.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWvSb7oMGNJSQ1QDV06EcN3shbNrx6e0GI8ifi7f8UhJFjwN-OZFQcXzb-KOHAcv5S4R6QxNeJUzOstDCsIza67TxSbZiKtNkqu91dljBgd9SbJZ6X-Y-HhfBoFL1dhk006jAjU0_3rSg/s1600/IMG_2892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmWvSb7oMGNJSQ1QDV06EcN3shbNrx6e0GI8ifi7f8UhJFjwN-OZFQcXzb-KOHAcv5S4R6QxNeJUzOstDCsIza67TxSbZiKtNkqu91dljBgd9SbJZ6X-Y-HhfBoFL1dhk006jAjU0_3rSg/s320/IMG_2892.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
Once he ate an entire container of blackberries and cherry tomatoes, Salem was ready to put on clothes and head outside. We have a steep little incline in our backyard and with some help from Miguel, a nice mini sledding hill was built for Salem to try. However, we don't own a sled so I was left to my creativity to come up with one. I gave Salem a piece of cardboard to try, but he kept digging into the snow. After returning to the garage to examine our resources, I spotted my snowboard; what better instrument for sliding down a snowy hill than one that is meant for that exact reason?<br />
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Salem LOVED flying down the hill and Miguel continually erupted in laughter as he watched. The boys played outside until their fingers were numb and then they came in to warm up. While Salem napped, I made a pineapple flax carrot cake with coconut and walnuts, which I served with homemade greek yogurt, blackberries and a drizzle of honey. Yum!<br />
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Piper awoke after a two hour nap happy and hungry, which meant I was
glued to the couch for quite a while. During the down time with my girl,
I searched for something different and easy to whip up for supper. I
settled on chicken, veggies and noodles in a peanut sauce (using the
peanut butter I made from scratch just after returning from the store in
the morning). As soon as I could break away from the famished babe, I
prepared a delicious meal and enjoyed it with my family as we reminisced
about our amazing snow day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDqeC9DbXRAg-xEY7uDAUqAUdgna9xjzHOS76W6qQvuqPQklISu87__IoiUt9dpM_g1P6BOatCQLFMG-Zs4PNp7QfBoiFpqXl6gEH-NaaaJg1dy82X2OrvNkz4YysFYm0Mx6xMhWS0dbW/s1600/IMG_2993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDqeC9DbXRAg-xEY7uDAUqAUdgna9xjzHOS76W6qQvuqPQklISu87__IoiUt9dpM_g1P6BOatCQLFMG-Zs4PNp7QfBoiFpqXl6gEH-NaaaJg1dy82X2OrvNkz4YysFYm0Mx6xMhWS0dbW/s320/IMG_2993.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-30556226724752843812013-02-28T16:54:00.000-07:002013-02-28T16:54:44.864-07:00Piper's Place<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Piper never really took to sleeping in her crib very well and tended to wake up more during the night when I put her in there. Co-sleeping worked better for us anyway since she wakes to nurse. While I was changing things up for Salem, I figured I should do the same for Piper. During my research, I read a bunch about Montessori beds for babies, which are the same as they are for toddlers/preschoolers. Many people stated that their babies even slept better once they were on a floor mattress rather than in a crib. We decided it was worth a shot and upgraded Piper's area in our room.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I should learn to take before photos so these changes would seem more dramatic</td></tr>
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The mobile I made for Pipes before she was born still works with the new
bed and I scored a super cute sheet set for $4.60 on clearance at
Target. That's thrift store pricing right there! I love that if she
rolls off the mattress, she can't get hurt. Since our dear babe will be
crawling about soon, I added some books and toys (which I found when
organizing Salem's room) to the area to hopefully entertain her. I have
an idea for baby safe wall decor, which I will add at her level soon. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqxudsqlIIk7nGwDmezXFy39RxXNwe-wUVnFcDyXOhFicf2m3JpKGsh0QSCagAhEVnZfd54KWcLXioO_-En5su4OfqpQ7e5E7xJYRQ1diYBeKB9G-i7CweX8eNacKqoBH2DwSIFeyYEpL/s1600/IMG_2824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqxudsqlIIk7nGwDmezXFy39RxXNwe-wUVnFcDyXOhFicf2m3JpKGsh0QSCagAhEVnZfd54KWcLXioO_-En5su4OfqpQ7e5E7xJYRQ1diYBeKB9G-i7CweX8eNacKqoBH2DwSIFeyYEpL/s320/IMG_2824.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piper's vantage point</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PVRB138ciihJApp6kICd5jV1H9Qf25GcJGa4yNl3v4p5lDE5i0i4eN6Ctl8pypq_uj-mQhtu0Oh3MLTHG_MolfhE6t1XkxJApL1AkFprWYdbZA_n7DIc9Lsrmbx9b0p72UC92nc55pvZ/s320/IMG_2826.JPG" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We swapped beds so I could see what she sees</td></tr>
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Piper has been sleeping on her new digs for a week now and she seems to like the room to move about. I like that when she wakes up at night to nurse, I just go lay with her and then return to my own space when she finishes. She has also been putting herself to sleep for her morning nap, which was super rare before.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuy8s3rHI_PQeyG2ObFc68b-vqALIwZrfPLjI36aMHdKxHHfsnw_vRygV2JgBi36-x3DoWGOpD0uYo1t7b34hdDYv8wDQbK9KOmv4_hyk5hqrip5GtSI9i0Z1U5WDrbT_wPkpsB4pYwzc-/s1600/IMG_2688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuy8s3rHI_PQeyG2ObFc68b-vqALIwZrfPLjI36aMHdKxHHfsnw_vRygV2JgBi36-x3DoWGOpD0uYo1t7b34hdDYv8wDQbK9KOmv4_hyk5hqrip5GtSI9i0Z1U5WDrbT_wPkpsB4pYwzc-/s320/IMG_2688.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading to his sister</td></tr>
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All in all, I think the room upgrades for the kids are going to work out. It will be interesting to watch them grow in their new environments. Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-84330188205314260342013-02-26T10:44:00.000-07:002013-02-26T10:44:55.778-07:00Salem's Room After months of letting Salem sleep in my bed (because in all honesty I was too tired to care where he slept), I realized that I needed my space back. On the nights Miguel was home (he works nights), he would end up on the couch in order for Salem to sleep in our bed. Um, yeah, no. My husband and I needed to be close to one another without a toddler foot in our backs. So one day I decided enough was enough and a change was needed! Salem had been sleeping in his toddler bed for naps but just didn't want to sleep there at night. Some research and racking of my brain to remember things I learned in my education classes in college, led me to the decision of implementing some Montessori and Waldorf principles into our home.<br />
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I am not an expert on these types of education nor do I plan to be, I just simply took some ideas from the two styles (simplicity, fostering independence, a natural approach to learning, etc.) and added them into our life. When I looked into Salem's room, I always felt overwhelmed by the amount of toys and books we had packed into his space. If I was overwhelmed, surely Salem was too. His toddler bed was more of a trampoline than a bed and I thought maybe he needed a bed more suited for relaxation and rest. The drawers of his dresser were packed with all of his clothing options and I dared to wonder why he always brought me more than one of each item when I asked him to pick out his clothes. His room was decorated for an adults perspective and I thought he might want more stuff at his level. There was an oversized rocking chair that I used to nurse him in, that had become a toy as well.<br />
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After really examining and assessing the situation, I came up with a
plan to reorganize, simplify and update his quarters in order to foster
his budding independence. Here is his room now: <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdpvlDkpL9vM59V0U5dJ6HLoQJ2aRI7q005xNO3p4bBVH_O_6sufMT02Z42IY_WOtAE0K8_5QKupHkrC82_RrkxEWb5XQc8vkY1GoWTIjZYaIspnBs6kOMSBVk5ihQl8OLug-xZ9xZ5hv/s1600/IMG_2810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZdpvlDkpL9vM59V0U5dJ6HLoQJ2aRI7q005xNO3p4bBVH_O_6sufMT02Z42IY_WOtAE0K8_5QKupHkrC82_RrkxEWb5XQc8vkY1GoWTIjZYaIspnBs6kOMSBVk5ihQl8OLug-xZ9xZ5hv/s320/IMG_2810.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our plants love the light in Salem's room. He has taken on the responsibility of watering and does it on his own (ish)! </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simplified his toy and book choices. Organized the rest of his things into three different sets to rotate in when he tires of the current set and hid them in my closet. With limited choices he is able to focus on each thing rather than switching quickly (and making a huge mess) like he did before.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A twin size Ikea foam mattress on the floor replaced his toddler bed. This opens up his space quite a bit and allows room to grow. Salem has really taken to this new bed and stays in it much more than he did before.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A kid sized table and chairs replaced the big rocker. Salem now has a place to work on and hang his art (as well as play with cars and whatever else)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The changes were easy and Salem has really taken to his new digs. He especially likes the photos and art work at his level; he beamed with pride when he first saw it all. I didn't show the dresser drawers which now house only a few clothing options in order to assist Salem in making decisions (when there are too many choices, it's too hard to decide) or the closet which has his shirt and shoe choices at his level.<br />
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Salem has slept through the night in his new bed twice since we changed things up a week ago. The other nights, he came into our room and fell back asleep on our floor, which I could handle since his feet were no where near me. We then decided to put his old crib mattress underneath our bed for him to pull out when he wants to sleep in our room. I figure every step towards independence is a win and for those nights that he still wants to be close to me, well, that's a victory too. After all, I am now getting more sleep which means we all win!<br />
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-56104137670960322772013-02-25T11:41:00.000-07:002013-02-25T11:41:02.330-07:00Govanni's First Birthday!On Saturday, our nephew Govanni, turned 1!! My sis-in-law threw him a
party at Chuck-E-Cheese and most of the family was in attendance. Salem
was crazy excited to see his cousins and to play games. Piper was in
good spirits considering she was running on very little sleep (as she
does often) and almost made it to the end of the celebration before
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Salem loves his cousins and we are so grateful that they get to grow up near one another. <br />
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Govanni was also a little tired but pushed through! He loved the little
train by our tables and was not happy when it stopped moving.<br />
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Salem didn't want to quit playing for pizza but he did slow down when it
was time for cake. The birthday boy wasn't sure about the cake at
first until he tasted the sweetness.<br />
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Happy 1st Birthday Govanni!! </div>
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I am a little afraid of the potential trouble they may get into with one another in their teenage years.<br />
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-5003544745453098332013-02-23T21:59:00.000-07:002013-02-23T21:59:33.317-07:00A Lifestyle MakeoverSometime towards the end of 2012, I realized that I wasn't living my best life. I had become complacent and wanted to make a change. When I looked around the house, I noticed some areas that could use improvement. I didn't like how much of our food was coming in a package of some sort. I didn't like how much sugar our family was consuming. I didn't like that we were using chemicals to "clean" our bodies and home. I didn't like how high our electric/gas bill had gotten. I didn't like seeing how much water we were throwing down the drain. I didn't like the person looking back at me in the mirror. So I talked with Miguel and shared all of my fears for continuing to live an unconscious life. I relayed the thought that I want to teach our children a better and healthier way to live so that they may have a solid foundation to build their lives upon. <br />
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With Miguel on board, I set out to research different ways of creating a more sustainable life for our family. I figured we needed to start small as to not overwhelm ourselves into a panic*. I started with food (since that is where I am most comfortable) and reduced our processed items greatly by making granola (instead of cereal), greek yogurt (Salem loves yogurt), bread, beans (dry instead of canned), and snacks from scratch. These items are just the beginning as I have a long to-do list in this department and will share my trials and tribulations as I knock off each new item. My end goal is to produce most everything under my roof using local resources for ingredients, which in turn reduces the amount of packaging and unwanted chemicals/sugar in our food. Oh and we need to compost our kitchen scraps, then we would have barely any actual trash (since we recycle/reuse too). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH7v-w9Ro2GPo-0SWUR1X14doE3y2xsPmo86T4CLi_jMVNOwF9ejZjMOxCg60Nh0DehcYw-N9rhfWMhLIoOUfUIyMwqvq-o4QuXF_M26TyOsuhw8Vt1QmzZcXNPB-KZ7sq6slKjEUcrIV/s1600/IMG_2785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH7v-w9Ro2GPo-0SWUR1X14doE3y2xsPmo86T4CLi_jMVNOwF9ejZjMOxCg60Nh0DehcYw-N9rhfWMhLIoOUfUIyMwqvq-o4QuXF_M26TyOsuhw8Vt1QmzZcXNPB-KZ7sq6slKjEUcrIV/s320/IMG_2785.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade granola and Greek yogurt</td></tr>
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After reading a ton of blogs about sustainability and natural/simple living as well as discussing these topics with friends, we quit using shampoo/conditioner and replaced it with the baking soda/apple cider vinegar method. We moved away from chemical laden soaps in plastic containers and started using bars of ivory (which we also use in making detergents and such) instead. We stopped using fancy 'no tears' baby wash and just use water and a wash rag now (Salem uses ivory when he's super dirty). Coconut oil with a few drops of tea tree oil replaced our deodorant. I'm still working on moisturizers since our skin is a bit dry, but we have been using coconut and olive oil when things get rough. We use white vinegar as a fabric softener in the laundry as well as for cleaning; we add it to saved citrus fruit peels to make citrus cleaner/degreaser. In the very near future, I will be making laundry/dish/dishwasher detergents, hand soaps, body and face scrubs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMZpp4aOGMgZb9sCcJoYBQNC9VDNCC4ZcQraYhWtPIKwJjtgh6ORJ7EdO4hy1XguVQH_dPWlanYQB0zOftiMFUeV9OluukOKe6H7RiR9VDu5SL26fDzMVxT9TtP6vt8mXfrFd0BlbfUpZ/s1600/IMG_2764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMZpp4aOGMgZb9sCcJoYBQNC9VDNCC4ZcQraYhWtPIKwJjtgh6ORJ7EdO4hy1XguVQH_dPWlanYQB0zOftiMFUeV9OluukOKe6H7RiR9VDu5SL26fDzMVxT9TtP6vt8mXfrFd0BlbfUpZ/s320/IMG_2764.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brewing some citrus cleaner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-q3yfXknqKOeQj3qdE8vhBYn3fti9HhL8go0Zf0xk3d3JpbjB3xjYoEhCK7WcJa_ejmC95ut9AoNggPkYXjkD8VNN8xtO0L5SVCxSRFs16U0Gi2CH5d3CNh7a_1isSd3afDwHrtZ79FAW/s1600/IMG_2803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-q3yfXknqKOeQj3qdE8vhBYn3fti9HhL8go0Zf0xk3d3JpbjB3xjYoEhCK7WcJa_ejmC95ut9AoNggPkYXjkD8VNN8xtO0L5SVCxSRFs16U0Gi2CH5d3CNh7a_1isSd3afDwHrtZ79FAW/s320/IMG_2803.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deodorant</td></tr>
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I bought a drying rack for indoor line drying laundry and a programmable thermostat to regain control of heating/cooling our house. We have been saving the cold start-up water (that first gallon or two of cold water before the hot water gets to the faucet) from the shower and leftover bath water then using that to flush the toilet. We save the cold start-up water from the kitchen and use it to water the dog and plants as well as to soak Piper's dirty diapers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JMAPG0RQoDF-MIXoF54mGxeFQGOp5YW3BN_hyphenhyphendIfPVVb7QG50Dd4mR5fG-wPVljO2toMfpwU_Lrmq017DKRIU5wxJsgpyBMUaWYtOc83UcRjUepFBvSEkHEXR5QL65RSATFs8eWaWfr2/s1600/IMG_2798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1JMAPG0RQoDF-MIXoF54mGxeFQGOp5YW3BN_hyphenhyphendIfPVVb7QG50Dd4mR5fG-wPVljO2toMfpwU_Lrmq017DKRIU5wxJsgpyBMUaWYtOc83UcRjUepFBvSEkHEXR5QL65RSATFs8eWaWfr2/s320/IMG_2798.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQ2aQkVUhA711YvxpOqVFVbmvLB8XYY-rzf3mOJpoKzSZdTOdYIwxMnKoSjbyWXLgXMOC9O1XgsIVSrBf5BStKVuCmKC50PopLY-cX8BddbMxiII4d6Y0lKXXRetTDtQ3uoWKCHmaypO7/s1600/IMG_2794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQ2aQkVUhA711YvxpOqVFVbmvLB8XYY-rzf3mOJpoKzSZdTOdYIwxMnKoSjbyWXLgXMOC9O1XgsIVSrBf5BStKVuCmKC50PopLY-cX8BddbMxiII4d6Y0lKXXRetTDtQ3uoWKCHmaypO7/s320/IMG_2794.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 3 weeks of line drying full time and using the programmable thermostat, our electric/gas bill was down $80 from the previous month</td></tr>
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I started to workout regularly and changed my eating habits to reduce the amount of white sugars I consume. I recently acquired the Insanity and P90X workout dvds from a friend and am finally in decent enough shape to attempt these programs. For the first time in the last decade I feel in control of my life and cannot wait to share our progress towards a healthier and more conscious existence!<br />
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*Disclaimer: There are a few things that we were already doing that may have helped us transition easier, such as: Making most of our meals from scratch in the first place, limiting showers/baths to a few days a week, using more natural household cleansers, practicing the 'if it's yellow let it mellow, brown-flush it down' method for toilet flushing, etc.<br />
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-72000389630403141202013-02-23T11:55:00.003-07:002013-02-23T11:56:21.057-07:00Piper Rolls Over!A few months ago someone asked me if Piper was rolling over yet and my
response was, "I don't encourage that kind of behavior in my house".
Now don't get me wrong, I simply meant it as a humorous way of saying I
wasn't ready for that major milestone yet. After all, Piper is my last
baby and I want to cherish in the moments of her infancy before she
bolts into toddlerhood. With Salem, we were so excited to have him hit
every milestone that we pushed him through games and exercises. But we
soon realized that babies do their own thing on their own time
regardless of how much we encourage them. Piper has been pretty content
just laying back and watching life go by, without even attempting a
roll over until this past Thursday (the day before she turned 7
months). Although she had to try a few times before actually turning
from her back to her belly, she managed to accomplish her goal! Before
long our dear baby girl will be motoring about the house getting into
trouble with her brother. I need a nap just thinking about it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfzKcTWDYNvZL7FC0U9RcHThENwl2YE7-ZKZjzKjOblrja9hXIOcvZWYZFEkvJxwcP9MoZalWwFjk6mwKBzfp52sMypY9CxdvqWDPQx2b3BX6SVmFyF3xDnOFSGBNF391PMq9PMfEg6u7/s1600/IMG_2648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfzKcTWDYNvZL7FC0U9RcHThENwl2YE7-ZKZjzKjOblrja9hXIOcvZWYZFEkvJxwcP9MoZalWwFjk6mwKBzfp52sMypY9CxdvqWDPQx2b3BX6SVmFyF3xDnOFSGBNF391PMq9PMfEg6u7/s320/IMG_2648.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaining momentum</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQD-KKrVcr9FeIpelOFQoF08yyiLIpDc9OqPOgzwBjx-G3NP-_D1xmn3ZYhI8fdUl-l9xdtI4tc1AbNrPwtZuU4_oPaoH7a81UY15u48IneGwCO3sziopiHN2M2ZKI5zB77hnR_3f6_UvD/s1600/IMG_2656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQD-KKrVcr9FeIpelOFQoF08yyiLIpDc9OqPOgzwBjx-G3NP-_D1xmn3ZYhI8fdUl-l9xdtI4tc1AbNrPwtZuU4_oPaoH7a81UY15u48IneGwCO3sziopiHN2M2ZKI5zB77hnR_3f6_UvD/s320/IMG_2656.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halfway break</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluRvY4F61w5x5rEYq3OoMyVNTmDSHu3JYxhu44hz73K-9ZAr7FOYi-KXVKcdrjezylZsGuHG8o12bccEqp8T4KP-lcoG_Kr5_ONaIsiQbdtcGddutNQ-g93vCbPmopzQqOvi3ur57y2YP/s1600/IMG_2660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgluRvY4F61w5x5rEYq3OoMyVNTmDSHu3JYxhu44hz73K-9ZAr7FOYi-KXVKcdrjezylZsGuHG8o12bccEqp8T4KP-lcoG_Kr5_ONaIsiQbdtcGddutNQ-g93vCbPmopzQqOvi3ur57y2YP/s320/IMG_2660.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost there!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoo9QfJeenTSIs4vourvwabCWvQ74-d80iKvMScfJR65PvCgc_pMfiUnwkNbykAjNszoOH2_Pg7ihA_NSpqhwYmJIm4c0kKyf1zDez-4TYKvrE_oVdUpDBIW-HGJ-jKas8_jtfzvWhPKS/s1600/IMG_2672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoo9QfJeenTSIs4vourvwabCWvQ74-d80iKvMScfJR65PvCgc_pMfiUnwkNbykAjNszoOH2_Pg7ihA_NSpqhwYmJIm4c0kKyf1zDez-4TYKvrE_oVdUpDBIW-HGJ-jKas8_jtfzvWhPKS/s320/IMG_2672.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She made it, drool and all!</td></tr>
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-62765012292014276662013-02-16T16:58:00.000-07:002013-02-16T16:58:42.098-07:00My ValentinesI know this is a few days after the fact, but as I always say, better
late than never. We had a very mellow Valentine's Day overall. Salem
wanted oatmeal for breakfast but we were out of frozen blueberries,
which are is favorite part. He decided that he wanted frozen
blackberries as a substitute. I quickly found a new and natural way to
create a bloody looking face and hands!<br />
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Our dear friend Ann, sent a wonderful gift for Mig and Piper to celebrate the day: matching father/daughter shirts! Thanks Ann!<br />
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<br />
Salem had a music class in the morning where he decided it was an appropriate time to throw a tantrum. Gotta love it when your toddler acts like a toddler in public! After an exhausting morning of parenting following a relatively sleepless night, I took the rest of the day off and we had take-out BBQ for supper. A happy Valentine's Day ending!Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-80324219765346573422013-02-14T21:28:00.001-07:002013-02-14T21:28:59.872-07:00Find Sam a Home<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
One recent afternoon, the whole family was chillin' in the
living room when Miguel noticed a person approaching our door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He quickly asked me to remove the dogs from
the room as to avoid the excessive barking that typically follows a knock on
our door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our female, Delilah went into
the bedroom without a fuss but our male, Samson wasn’t so quick to move from
his position on the couch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
persistent commands were given without response, I approached the dog to shoo
him off the couch and into the other room. As I got within a foot of him, he
turned and snipped at me aggressively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
jumped back and Miguel was shocked! Now, I wasn’t quite as taken back by his
behavior as this was Samson’s third time exhibiting this action towards me in
recent history.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that Miguel has witnessed the dog almost bite me, he
realizes I wasn’t over exaggerating when I told him about the previous snipping
incidents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that I was partially
to blame for his angry responses towards me, however, in this house and around
my children, snipping is not allowed for any reason; especially one as trivial
as me wanting a trained dog to listen to me and get off the couch when instructed
to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This left us with a big family
dilemma: what do we do with Samson? Do we just keep going on trusting that he
will simply keep warning us but never actually bite? Or do we recognize that he
is a dog and you can’t really ever trust them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Miguel and I agonized over what to do for about a week when
I brought the subject up to my parents (which I knew better than to do).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was immediately chastised for not getting
Samson out of our house the second he acted aggressively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My father said something along the lines of,
“I don’t know why you’re even giving it a second thought” and “you know the
right thing to do”, which implied that we should send Sam to his resting
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to explain that we didn’t
believe that was the right option for our family and we were trying to find an
alternative that is best for everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That evening I cried and cried as Miguel and I continued our
discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was so sad and angry that
our sweet dog was getting grumpy and we had to decide whether or not he could
spend the rest of his life with our family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He has shown zero signs of a health problem being the root cause for his
actions or any pain/discomfort of any kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is a healthy and spry guy at his estimated 10 years of age. In the
past five years since Miguel and I rescued him, he hasn’t so much as growled at
either of us until about two months ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was the same scenario as this last time, I went to shoo him off the
couch and he went to bite my hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
this has happened three times, I can conclude that the dog doesn’t like to be
booted of the couch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if Salem went to move Samson
instead of me? Or if Piper surprised him while he’s napping on the couch?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can we, as responsible parents and guardians
of our children, keep a dog that now has a history of shady behavior under the
same roof?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ultimately, we decided that we would rather be safe than
sorry and Samson was taken to the kennel while we search for a new home for
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My dad suggested we take Sam to his
place in order to give us a chance to talk and think without having to look our
dear dog in the eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has been gone
since Sunday and the house feels quieter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Salem
asked for him once on Sunday but hasn’t since then, which is both nice and sad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although I love Samson and have for nearly
five years, I believe in my heart that it’s best for all involved if we try to
find him a new home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t trust him
anymore and I wish more than anything that I could so we wouldn’t be dealing
with his fate this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxwR3kxrpw0TFNFhlh-l_ciOVyWouv_HgRmoOIGaRohtPIkLUsB1eD0lNBZvj9Le3LN_CXIRPqshc6eNN1N8VepBJYV45deL72p64QKkQNdO7X7IFaXH8wfwWRQsz8ea-3clkC-MQyeoo/s1600/IMG00144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxwR3kxrpw0TFNFhlh-l_ciOVyWouv_HgRmoOIGaRohtPIkLUsB1eD0lNBZvj9Le3LN_CXIRPqshc6eNN1N8VepBJYV45deL72p64QKkQNdO7X7IFaXH8wfwWRQsz8ea-3clkC-MQyeoo/s320/IMG00144.jpg" width="320" /></a></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/AVvXsEjU0ATzSxfoQpwIyvgZJtamua1zQTsY7dt5sias9Va-UHryoSaCNN9scgPCx3dxIrBt628opkllxhEzIFM1ovnG9Ro_c8Clc1YW9o-8ABe3i6EX1DEZTWtuGCVD-pzwt2JPi7uhDhNR7x0B/s1600/naughty+nice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0ATzSxfoQpwIyvgZJtamua1zQTsY7dt5sias9Va-UHryoSaCNN9scgPCx3dxIrBt628opkllxhEzIFM1ovnG9Ro_c8Clc1YW9o-8ABe3i6EX1DEZTWtuGCVD-pzwt2JPi7uhDhNR7x0B/s320/naughty+nice.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And we thought he was the nice one!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEh4Hq6oYicRslYeZeb_dJ6Mi7wR_F7ga-gqUYikYOdPpZKAbzsD014pSeRADdM32Sdxd9SQqhg2wgPoq45V_1DsWpgCR4f8xs1Oh8IrH9M_LOP112MmmyxXRRNjj6wnkB1jptIPZGT9c0qM/s1600/Jordan+Pond6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Hq6oYicRslYeZeb_dJ6Mi7wR_F7ga-gqUYikYOdPpZKAbzsD014pSeRADdM32Sdxd9SQqhg2wgPoq45V_1DsWpgCR4f8xs1Oh8IrH9M_LOP112MmmyxXRRNjj6wnkB1jptIPZGT9c0qM/s320/Jordan+Pond6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park in Maine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEghxdu3TbEi2n70NK_QedaWnJn2Cfu8detsm5PjPcYjma60tOOEJ9ijd0poSXvW5swblt_QTzpI9CbEq3By21jNlZFM_6DByBBPyLmKENXgtODekNBaW81D1EWlBLmddXsckHQ4go5OULlq/s1600/WV+lake2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxdu3TbEi2n70NK_QedaWnJn2Cfu8detsm5PjPcYjma60tOOEJ9ijd0poSXvW5swblt_QTzpI9CbEq3By21jNlZFM_6DByBBPyLmKENXgtODekNBaW81D1EWlBLmddXsckHQ4go5OULlq/s320/WV+lake2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking on the lakeshore in West Virginia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; 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/AVvXsEjBymxrrspfWbe5X6aZz-IiIXdwQjqTC3oP6Ge9AQCjEquAxFnuo8818yUKGNH9jCslV15YmL5bAsWE6sCaHvUUu7_M8IqQwyNzrHYi14TvMymCwjzQF0xZ4X5gKZHgEhIwyaGq2jK6rJjc/s1600/don't+laugh+nice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBymxrrspfWbe5X6aZz-IiIXdwQjqTC3oP6Ge9AQCjEquAxFnuo8818yUKGNH9jCslV15YmL5bAsWE6sCaHvUUu7_M8IqQwyNzrHYi14TvMymCwjzQF0xZ4X5gKZHgEhIwyaGq2jK6rJjc/s1600/don't+laugh+nice.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merrier times!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEhq392hXrFC9DyRn_ZdAdnp5TBY9HXDmJEuXcbcLO2dOO0jF1j4GZAkrHwn4tiPY49VPtE80ayBr4PZfA0NcGd34anO8Eimu3no2so2jDEb3J3poILcqhNXhhEXKKeS3mfGKP4hs4aYmnAr/s1600/IMG_2508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq392hXrFC9DyRn_ZdAdnp5TBY9HXDmJEuXcbcLO2dOO0jF1j4GZAkrHwn4tiPY49VPtE80ayBr4PZfA0NcGd34anO8Eimu3no2so2jDEb3J3poILcqhNXhhEXKKeS3mfGKP4hs4aYmnAr/s320/IMG_2508.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam with Piper and Sara on Saturday, his last day at home with us. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m putting together an ad for craigslist and I will be
getting a hold of the Springer Rescue to see if they can help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This decision was one of the heaviest I have
had to deal with in my adult life and I find myself struck with sadness at
random times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you know of anyone who needs
a companion and likes semi-grumpy older male springer spaniels, let me
know!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He really is a sweet dog and I
sincerely doubt he would ever actually get to the biting point, but you can
never really know that for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
would you do if you found yourself in this position?</div>
Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-79990373585770740482013-02-02T11:13:00.005-07:002013-02-02T11:18:12.045-07:00Good-bye January<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another busy week down for the Banuelos family! On Monday, I
dropped Salem
off at my parents’ house in order to take Piper to the doctor in peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a super healthy beast, but we already
knew that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Check out her stats:</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Weight: 19.5lbs (100<sup>th</sup>
Percentile)</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Height: 27in (80<sup>th</sup>
Percentile)</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Head Circ: 40cm (10<sup>th</sup>
Percentile)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzyxG5BRJrmI-ocPzYPyRa55THoKjQdL46AnBctHUe_P_qEU6xdLvpi1b0aTxGSStYaUqLeCqvRgW8rIhuRAZPPi34uJvricbDFyDwvXOOYxasWvllGi1znGxkCfzF9ZNy-IHunICQUZe/s1600/IMG_2489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzyxG5BRJrmI-ocPzYPyRa55THoKjQdL46AnBctHUe_P_qEU6xdLvpi1b0aTxGSStYaUqLeCqvRgW8rIhuRAZPPi34uJvricbDFyDwvXOOYxasWvllGi1znGxkCfzF9ZNy-IHunICQUZe/s320/IMG_2489.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ha! If you happened to just read these and didn’t look at
Piper, she would seem like a tall, chubby pinhead! The hardest part about these
‘well-baby’ visits is the vaccinations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After careful consideration, lots of reading and a bunch of
conversations, Miguel and I agreed that we are going to vaccinate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not judging those who don’t as I can
understand the concerns and fears, however, we just feel that it is what is
right and responsible for our family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
do opt out of flu shots for all of us though, which again was a choice based on
education and discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither Miguel
nor I have ever subjected ourselves to the flu shot but we have also never had
the flu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize this statement irks
some people as we can be potential carriers of the virus and thus can get
others sick. I could rant about this, but that would turn this post into
something I don’t believe really warrants further discussion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 64.5pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the nurse poked my child, we returned to the parents’
to pick up Salem
(and Miguel who was just finishing up work).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently Salem
had convinced my Dad to play hide-and-seek (his new <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">favorite</i> game) and Dad couldn’t find him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually my Mom discovered Salem in her closet. Too funny! Salem loves visiting his
grandparents.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Miguel was given Tuesday off, which was awesome because it
snowed and he was home to enjoy family time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Salem
helped to shovel and the boys played outside for quite a while, which allowed
for some freedom for me to care for a grumpy, post-shot, feverish Piper Jane. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wednesday was full of baking in an attempt to use up some
freezer items. First was some pumpkin puree that was taken out to give to Piper
but there was two cups of the stuff and she wasn’t the biggest fan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to make pumpkin bread with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I decided to use some frozen peaches,
blackberries and blueberries that were nearing their expiration to make the
most amazing peach-berry pie bars ( I had originally planned on making a pie so
I made pie dough then discovered I had loaned out my pie tin so opted for pie
bars).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really should have taken
pictures and written down recipes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both
items turned out perfect!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Thursday we accompanied Miguel to the eye doctor where we
were lucky to run into an old friend, Lachelle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The last time Mig and I saw this sweet girl was just after she graduated
high school some 6+ years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has
grown into such a beautiful and lovely woman who has driven herself to success
and I guarantee makes her daughter and family very proud every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were especially fortunate to run into her
on this day as it was her last day at this office and is relocating to Denver this weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope we can see her again and meet her
daughter in the near future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the
appointment and Salem’s
nap, the kids and I ventured to the store to gather supplies for a dessert I
had been asked to make for Mig’s work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salem is such a good kid
at the store and I am so grateful for a toddler who rarely throws fits in
public! Salem
really didn’t want to go home after the store, so I promised him I would take
him somewhere the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the
poor kid has a serious case of cabin/spring fever.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Holding true to my promise, I took the kids over to my
sister’s house on Friday morning for a change of scenery. Before we left
though, I told Salem
he needed to let me cut his hair as it was getting super shaggy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been attempting to chop his locks all
week but he kept telling me he wanted to grow his hair long like Daddy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, I won and his hair is now neatly
trimmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_kIImCLJm6onSeZJeldLylbjr0dnsp8zPETeU1SJd1GWg-Hv2Og-xZBllVSOjxQY61ouE3m9RBQyV7x1J6580az2oH117z5hjK5QB55bIjc4IysDGhfdaFWa4pCXIiIldQbKCPK9wvO4/s1600/IMG_2486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_kIImCLJm6onSeZJeldLylbjr0dnsp8zPETeU1SJd1GWg-Hv2Og-xZBllVSOjxQY61ouE3m9RBQyV7x1J6580az2oH117z5hjK5QB55bIjc4IysDGhfdaFWa4pCXIiIldQbKCPK9wvO4/s320/IMG_2486.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Salem
loved being at Sara’s house and playing with the different toys she has over
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so grateful to live close
enough to my family that we can take advantage of using their houses as a free
activity!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sara was even able to sneak
away from work and visit us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salem was so sad when she
had to leave that he decided we should just go home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He passed out in the car and stayed asleep
once we got home, which gave me the peace I needed to create a few desserts (peanut
butter cookies, chocolate chip walnut blondies and leftover pumpkin bread) for
Mig to take to his workmates. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that brings us to today. Miguel’s coworkers must have
liked the treats as everything came back empty this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kennel is slow this weekend so Miguel
will be home with us rather than working job #2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking forward to some quality family time
and maybe we will have something more to share in a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cheers and Happy Groundhog Day and Super
Bowl! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-eNAKThND_uTSLdFtZEpdNjVQev0ig9HEtmC_w6EXjPfvKoFZz7y-F-s4iTqOGjjcNXahqJjLiy8a1hkBQboCU2zhoCRxpTTcXPSVhoR9RpmMRo8aoiyeGcWcFga2hp1RDjfYMODT9yfW/s1600/IMG_2472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-eNAKThND_uTSLdFtZEpdNjVQev0ig9HEtmC_w6EXjPfvKoFZz7y-F-s4iTqOGjjcNXahqJjLiy8a1hkBQboCU2zhoCRxpTTcXPSVhoR9RpmMRo8aoiyeGcWcFga2hp1RDjfYMODT9yfW/s320/IMG_2472.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3l_0nhYsrrXRFWMqzAFdiXCgB6_uIOXg1NCzc3C7twm6jGt46RGLitxaAJ6K_wjsSQ2wO3DbhdT26zpy7hQbWcTJTCHB6qHAvksVN6LvhZfJpX3kVwwpcoT_tqmCd-Hsnt2bFdbZxySV/s1600/IMG_2495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3l_0nhYsrrXRFWMqzAFdiXCgB6_uIOXg1NCzc3C7twm6jGt46RGLitxaAJ6K_wjsSQ2wO3DbhdT26zpy7hQbWcTJTCHB6qHAvksVN6LvhZfJpX3kVwwpcoT_tqmCd-Hsnt2bFdbZxySV/s320/IMG_2495.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-74933333614354767212013-01-29T16:56:00.001-07:002013-02-02T11:17:16.174-07:00Photo Book<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab" height="425" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/flashslideshowphotobook/slideshow_pb.swf"/><param name="flashvars" value="xmlURL=http%3A%2F%2Fws.shutterfly.com%2Fpsdata%3FprojectGUID%3DwMatXLdk3ZtUdh%26uid%3D005372790055%26size%3D0%26ts%3D1359503748000%26height%3D425%26width%3D425&size=0&ob=0&fc=0&ss=0&sb=0&ft=0"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><param name="quality" value="best"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><embed width="425" height="425" align="middle" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" name="wrapper" quality="best" menu="false" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="xmlURL=http%3A%2F%2Fws.shutterfly.com%2Fpsdata%3FprojectGUID%3DwMatXLdk3ZtUdh%26uid%3D005372790055%26size%3D0%26ts%3D1359503748000%26height%3D425%26width%3D425&size=0&ob=0&fc=0&ss=0&sb=0&ft=0" src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/flashslideshowphotobook/slideshow_pb.swf"></embed></object><br />
<div style="margin-top: 0; text-align: center; width: 425px;">
<a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=wMatXLdk3ZtXZQ&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=115">Click here to view this photo book larger</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 425px;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
It came to my attention last weekend that we had an offer for a free photo book on shutterfly that was set to expire on January 31. So I made this super cheesy, super quick photo book commemorating 2012. </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<img border="0" height="1" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=photobook&c2=blogger" style="background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none; padding: 0;" width="1" />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-23807559322525194682013-01-24T17:42:00.000-07:002013-01-24T17:42:31.806-07:006 Months of Piper!Ever feel like you're in a time warp? I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Piper could possibly be six months old already. On Wednesday we got to see just how much our dear Pipes has grown in her short time on the planet when we met our friend Nikki's new baby, Xavier. Their short five month age difference seemed much larger as Piper's head is about the same size as Xavier's entire body. As predicted, Salem bored of our visit rather quickly so he and Miguel slipped away to enjoy a chilly morning at the City Park playground. <br />
<br />
Nikki shared her birth story, which was rather humbling for me. I feel so blessed to have had relatively smooth pregnancies and deliveries. The more tales of motherhood that I hear, the more I realize just how different our experiences can be. I'm sure if it was just Piper and I visiting, we would have stayed all afternoon but my boys needed to sleep so our trip was short and sweet. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2q7Ejz3sq1d6_II1YOl5XkWfYqeFUcEcqPbLMzWhB7IDya2eVqVBQyWmp1fWOeVoLPunWzTB119fAoD3NuAV6e5iy6-ccjz3kfdTXPcwXnWY_H0KTtB-NJcmndZwVnmmOSP-y7N-aEnR/s1600/IMG_2419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2q7Ejz3sq1d6_II1YOl5XkWfYqeFUcEcqPbLMzWhB7IDya2eVqVBQyWmp1fWOeVoLPunWzTB119fAoD3NuAV6e5iy6-ccjz3kfdTXPcwXnWY_H0KTtB-NJcmndZwVnmmOSP-y7N-aEnR/s320/IMG_2419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFRq1MwfcBwG8nnY-tt6rXiy9cOhzojA2WwDG6gxCz7JcaLZMC4TrD8XVA3MoDgVI0ykff_JPfHH1PlVMTxhXU0UIBeXMgHMqOLth4z1ZXSOHUXIYe2Mq5-rJXbeHVIL3IaBL4UivkOBw/s1600/IMG_2430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFRq1MwfcBwG8nnY-tt6rXiy9cOhzojA2WwDG6gxCz7JcaLZMC4TrD8XVA3MoDgVI0ykff_JPfHH1PlVMTxhXU0UIBeXMgHMqOLth4z1ZXSOHUXIYe2Mq5-rJXbeHVIL3IaBL4UivkOBw/s320/IMG_2430.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11bNl4NIlTYWMNTDaR3PTOtyCcOGQHYlbopvRSSLyOEEa4S3mCKg0fHrKQK45XcMZVvMXBq-KUSBafB0m6DHnjW_qs4HCFKxtv4XqxzZJRo4yomiW-cyoqqc2JkQVg4JM-Xr2Yq2GfHpD/s1600/IMG_2423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11bNl4NIlTYWMNTDaR3PTOtyCcOGQHYlbopvRSSLyOEEa4S3mCKg0fHrKQK45XcMZVvMXBq-KUSBafB0m6DHnjW_qs4HCFKxtv4XqxzZJRo4yomiW-cyoqqc2JkQVg4JM-Xr2Yq2GfHpD/s320/IMG_2423.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11bNl4NIlTYWMNTDaR3PTOtyCcOGQHYlbopvRSSLyOEEa4S3mCKg0fHrKQK45XcMZVvMXBq-KUSBafB0m6DHnjW_qs4HCFKxtv4XqxzZJRo4yomiW-cyoqqc2JkQVg4JM-Xr2Yq2GfHpD/s1600/IMG_2423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Between swimming with our friends, Kylee (http://kyleeschwab.wordpress.com/), Cherylynn and their twins, Henry and JoJo on Sunday, fighting off potential illness on Monday, a wagon ride to the park on Tuesday, meeting Xavier on Wednesday and a trip to Fort Collins today, we have had a busy week! Thank you to our friends for sharing your time and families with us and cheers to Piper for making the last six months even brighter than I could have imagined! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you believe these adorable outfits are size 12 month?!</td></tr>
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-46951241206746586862013-01-22T08:33:00.002-07:002013-01-22T08:34:57.119-07:007 year itch?Yesterday marked the seven year anniversary of our relationship. Seriously, how in the world do seven years pass so quickly? I once heard that the dynamics of one's relationship have a tendency to alter during the seventh year and some people are even tempted to stray. I can whole heartedly and honestly say that I am more in love with Miguel today than ever and would NEVER even consider the thought. Not that we don't have struggles and fights, but we always manage to solve our problems and end up on the high road.<br />
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So this is my quick post (a day late but nonetheless) to shout out, I LOVE YOU MIGGY!! Thank you for being my friend, partner, lover and sexy husband! I am grateful for your presence in my life each and every minute the day and I cannot wait to share endless adventures with you!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJsCQVEH5JNrQsIYyIrskxSP7VkTv9wwPlhdk-sNMns5wzcPAIYxhiO6zABbsvThPvyRGssnc7KwKqUtoFkwgD1Wqppm0uMIevuRLKRu6mck4Sp6TMnI5EViyhgfnt2Zcr38IrCBZe70O/s1600/100_0182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWi1SdJ0nYpCkOJouBSXXxxdg1TXwsRAhsrbEKDurNQE0884XtNwdv-vHAqU92nxEG0ezugd7VLM6jOQ60DfQQJPsgX2wTQc0JsvazETBOXvXfLRK9xZaggwkdFd7uXJbQCO4Y_tMFnuJ/s1600/grumpy+christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWi1SdJ0nYpCkOJouBSXXxxdg1TXwsRAhsrbEKDurNQE0884XtNwdv-vHAqU92nxEG0ezugd7VLM6jOQ60DfQQJPsgX2wTQc0JsvazETBOXvXfLRK9xZaggwkdFd7uXJbQCO4Y_tMFnuJ/s200/grumpy+christmas.jpg" width="180" /></a><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJsCQVEH5JNrQsIYyIrskxSP7VkTv9wwPlhdk-sNMns5wzcPAIYxhiO6zABbsvThPvyRGssnc7KwKqUtoFkwgD1Wqppm0uMIevuRLKRu6mck4Sp6TMnI5EViyhgfnt2Zcr38IrCBZe70O/s320/100_0182.JPG" width="320" /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">~This is the only 'recent' pic that has both of us!~</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<i>* And a quick THANK YOU to my sister, Sara, who was kind enough to watch the kids on Saturday so Miguel and I could celebrate. We went ice skating then shared some much needed laughs over appetizers and cocktails at PF Changs.</i>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-42103388049456566052013-01-18T07:07:00.000-07:002013-01-18T07:07:56.607-07:00Liberation!!When I was a kid, my hair was long and it stayed that way until I was a teenager in search of a way to express my rebellion. After that first short haircut (which landed me in a great deal of trouble with my father), I have been traveling down the same rolling road of growing my hair long and then cutting it super short. About four years ago, I chopped my hair off yet again and donated the ponytail, then I began the old growing out phase once more. Since then, I got married and had two babies all the while letting the mane grow.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NoRMfmrdeAalpHLVDAETvhNBfgroCNSxPZMqLvMjJEogb1wEpP_u2qU1Ic_NG-GsSLp2dVQ34hecYpGuhO0WHy5UZNpcPJSJ7x1rfAsvjXWf_IlSWP_souUvbMpZ6MalR3bdgz9XraG3/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NoRMfmrdeAalpHLVDAETvhNBfgroCNSxPZMqLvMjJEogb1wEpP_u2qU1Ic_NG-GsSLp2dVQ34hecYpGuhO0WHy5UZNpcPJSJ7x1rfAsvjXWf_IlSWP_souUvbMpZ6MalR3bdgz9XraG3/s320/IMG_2331.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's soo long!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnOPjTTKXqfK0BAClxxGraRhzZHmSee3efSNRnRjiBfBb3MjqdvOySv7tcanK754GS748aSV_5R70RgeqXDLl_PSDpVqO88wAZgztEtG9EhG1phzFIzHG044HeyzfvElC5Zv2VjelGJ63/s1600/IMG_2342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnOPjTTKXqfK0BAClxxGraRhzZHmSee3efSNRnRjiBfBb3MjqdvOySv7tcanK754GS748aSV_5R70RgeqXDLl_PSDpVqO88wAZgztEtG9EhG1phzFIzHG044HeyzfvElC5Zv2VjelGJ63/s320/IMG_2342.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wee!!</td></tr>
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On Monday, after months of losing handfuls of hair (thank you postpartum hormones), I opted to go short once more! There is something super liberating about cutting away something that has been apart of you for years. I figured that if I'm serious about making big changes this year, why not start with the thing that is the easiest to alter? Plus, my hair will (hopefully) make a nice wig for someone in need.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuhYEZ1fVt82SDbB-wI2ZCF6eJs82usW-lasjUM-DuqRjg_v1ggKzObp5M9KIUrlzKDf-75sBuAHiG82dpu4M4cj2LDnVIL8nZm9bdWbTxNv_te__TltUQm1u8vmEbtOFg5rfmWDskO89/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuhYEZ1fVt82SDbB-wI2ZCF6eJs82usW-lasjUM-DuqRjg_v1ggKzObp5M9KIUrlzKDf-75sBuAHiG82dpu4M4cj2LDnVIL8nZm9bdWbTxNv_te__TltUQm1u8vmEbtOFg5rfmWDskO89/s320/IMG_2351.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much better!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINEIheQNbBUo2isdcZ_GfLA3SHTaklM-2l5bSW__KF7K-31f-MPdOQqa-YEAgHa4dKGA0TXuY3MOEyx9x03FY_ce0ZX4wjWcE-PLW3MVowDpNebPhtAu7QyH8hY_A97RBqX5tGHvdL0dS/s1600/IMG_2349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjINEIheQNbBUo2isdcZ_GfLA3SHTaklM-2l5bSW__KF7K-31f-MPdOQqa-YEAgHa4dKGA0TXuY3MOEyx9x03FY_ce0ZX4wjWcE-PLW3MVowDpNebPhtAu7QyH8hY_A97RBqX5tGHvdL0dS/s320/IMG_2349.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the look of Liberation!</td></tr>
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-23694943385360716442013-01-17T06:48:00.000-07:002013-01-18T06:49:35.990-07:00Piper's First....One of the greatest parts of having children is watching them experience so many new things. You only get so many 'firsts' in your lifetime and many of those come in that first year of life. This week our little Piper Jane had some notable firsts that I just had to share. On Sunday, I realized (after a few sleep deprived nights) that Piper should probably try solid foods and that I should accept that my baby girl is growing <i>fast</i>. I was trying to hold out until her six month 'birthday', which is next Tuesday, but she was telling me otherwise. So, on Monday, Piper got her first taste of rice cereal mixed with breast milk. I forgot just how funny babies are when they first try solid foods! She had this intense look on her face as though she was bound and determined to figure this eating thing out, but couldn't really manage more than a few tiny bites. However, as the week has progressed, she can actually take in a few spoonfuls with pride.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyozD5FaMCxhK07gS2x1ZNp4PjQ8Jjjfbwz04tiX1Ayo_uIFqwTgq9XmwoQwy8Baws1qm6Ma_pSH0ZkKkOiaNZXhyphenhyphenzjEwWcc8cOGVkSvPKgLyz08xK67_GOXUbQeSrxxv24XC_kC9Klwmw/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyozD5FaMCxhK07gS2x1ZNp4PjQ8Jjjfbwz04tiX1Ayo_uIFqwTgq9XmwoQwy8Baws1qm6Ma_pSH0ZkKkOiaNZXhyphenhyphenzjEwWcc8cOGVkSvPKgLyz08xK67_GOXUbQeSrxxv24XC_kC9Klwmw/s320/IMG_2313.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alright, I'm gonna eat!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Z1ldlesQkQgNU_2MD6PrS_zy5B8DRNtpH4QYDVNLb5P9J5paI6c8gowHKf852GjLoh0j1qkir-u8doq1n3zHZIwcLEJ1GTnJriI1hAQmM_WKpJGfFWBFWk4y04DGYmzVmU2GR-sFqErc/s1600/IMG_2317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Z1ldlesQkQgNU_2MD6PrS_zy5B8DRNtpH4QYDVNLb5P9J5paI6c8gowHKf852GjLoh0j1qkir-u8doq1n3zHZIwcLEJ1GTnJriI1hAQmM_WKpJGfFWBFWk4y04DGYmzVmU2GR-sFqErc/s320/IMG_2317.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does it always taste like this?!?!</td></tr>
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Piper also went swimming for the first time today. I was filled with
mixed emotions when I slipped her into her adorable swimwear (which I
bought on clearance shortly after she was born), mostly because my
six-month old fit perfectly into a size 12month suit! Seriously, this
girl is growing too fast. For the last year, we have held a membership
at the funplex/gym, which has an amazing pool setup for kids young and
old. Unfortunately, our membership is coming to a close and we have
opted not to renew it for a number of financial reasons. Anyway, I had a
few free passes that also expire next week, so my sister-in-law, niece
and nephew drove out to swim with me and Piper. Piper loved it and was
instantly splashing away! Her cousin, Govanni was a bit slower to warm
up to the idea but eventually they played together in their little baby
ways. Piper loved laying on her back, relaxing along my legs and
enjoying the nice warm water. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oyzvQ5raAquWKPOkjOh8b4O1g-bdtqu7j1zwoIvom_1WuTxQhT2tVhFrZ2VV5rwwud7-wbUX_bufcnM-iixhhu7oWaCG3h0BPvTvSDTxHQtWVf87DHDiiWc6NZ_VfnURPxL3115kMgN9/s1600/IMG_2365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oyzvQ5raAquWKPOkjOh8b4O1g-bdtqu7j1zwoIvom_1WuTxQhT2tVhFrZ2VV5rwwud7-wbUX_bufcnM-iixhhu7oWaCG3h0BPvTvSDTxHQtWVf87DHDiiWc6NZ_VfnURPxL3115kMgN9/s320/IMG_2365.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Govanni, Maria and Piper</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlMjuOqfmeVUV_KNyCaJ4Nu6q0SqeGe-8nqbH2VCSinSfOCnSCRxNJnI2oC_z-dZUGFmoM4XYEfTJMyj0__vcUef4SZwB4Y8hsnHAK6K-IUTga8sWbb8U_ZQxSJQWDSihNPfAzbCRzVYK/s1600/IMG_2377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjlMjuOqfmeVUV_KNyCaJ4Nu6q0SqeGe-8nqbH2VCSinSfOCnSCRxNJnI2oC_z-dZUGFmoM4XYEfTJMyj0__vcUef4SZwB4Y8hsnHAK6K-IUTga8sWbb8U_ZQxSJQWDSihNPfAzbCRzVYK/s320/IMG_2377.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loving Cousins</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mRXq8cYCFW8lAEzScLkoZQQYaaI-kWYaEqE9MMRt_8XrY46M6emifueKrP4eN77BCzTYJL_4K2EgCPGPrJHFrFUyPzD_hpFElrT35yA4XdK2DnklrdCsorbaAIBa-UqkeczIkEheexZR/s1600/IMG_2386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mRXq8cYCFW8lAEzScLkoZQQYaaI-kWYaEqE9MMRt_8XrY46M6emifueKrP4eN77BCzTYJL_4K2EgCPGPrJHFrFUyPzD_hpFElrT35yA4XdK2DnklrdCsorbaAIBa-UqkeczIkEheexZR/s320/IMG_2386.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gettin' Mama</td></tr>
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-8337069921446953292013-01-12T15:08:00.000-07:002013-01-12T15:08:54.328-07:00What do you do?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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What is it about this year that is so freeing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’s because I’m not pregnant and my
brain cloud is finally clearing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I
mentioned in a previous post, I am coming to terms with my conflicting ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week I had an epiphany that has
completely changed me. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Throughout my adulthood I have always struggled with how to
answer the ridiculous question, “What do you do?”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thinking about a career has always been a
festering sore in my side and kept me awake many a night. Well, I no longer
have to waste my time searching for an answer, for the answer has been right in
front of me for the last 3 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a
homemaker/stay-at-home mom/housewife and I’m really good at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love what I do and my job is very
important, regardless of the fact that I don’t bring home a paycheck.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I believe the reasons behind my lag in this discovery can be
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wasn’t doing enough, change is inevitable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A giant boulder of frustrations has been knocked off my shoulders and I
feel lighter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel ready to finally be
totally present at home and with my family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-51987250991774322722013-01-11T11:58:00.000-07:002013-01-11T11:58:16.435-07:00Photo Book Wedding Present<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab" height="425" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/slideshow-ui.swf"/><param name="flashvars" value="configXMLURL=http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/config/config-share.xml&slideshowModuleURL=http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/slideshow-module.swf&projectGUID=wMatXLdk3ZtUc0&swfName=slideshowFlashContent&showReplay=true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><param name="quality" value="best"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"/><embed width="425" height="425" align="middle" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" name="wrapper" quality="best" menu="false" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="configXMLURL=http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/config/config-share.xml&slideshowModuleURL=http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/slideshow-module.swf&projectGUID=wMatXLdk3ZtUc0&swfName=slideshowFlashContent&showReplay=true" src="http://images-community.shutterfly.com/flashapps/slideshow/slideshow-ui.swf"></embed></object> <br />
<div style="margin-top: 0; text-align: center; width: 425px;">
<a href="http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=wMatXLdk3ZtXMA&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET&eid=115">Click here to view this photo book larger</a></div>
<div style="margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 425px;">
<a href="http://www.shutterfly.com/" style="color: #6666cc;">Click here</a> to create your own Shutterfly photo book.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Back in October, we took our first family trip and drove from Milliken, CO to North Adams, MA to see our good friends take the marriage plunge. This is the wedding gift we made for them. Hopefully Ann and Mitch see the actual book before this post :-) </div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Being the frugal gal I am, I made this book for free after cashing in Coke Rewards. We don't drink soda but we sure do take advantage of the family members who choose to! Thanks Mom and Dad. I did, however, fork over the funds for shipping; a whopping $8. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Happy Marriage Ann and Mitch!!</div>
</div>
<img border="0" height="1" src="https://os.shutterfly.com/b/ss/sflyshareprod/1/H.15/111?pageName=sharekey&c1=photobook&c2=blogger" style="background: #ffffff; border: none; box-shadow: none; padding: 0;" width="1" />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-26410398554746760052013-01-10T09:22:00.001-07:002013-01-11T11:58:39.233-07:00Salem the ArtistNow that things have settled back into a bit of normalcy, we are finally getting the chance to play with all the new toys. Salem was in an artsy mood first thing and wanted to paint and glue stuff. I cleared off the kitchen table and mentally prepared myself for disaster. Much to my surprise, Salem was a wonderful artist! He followed my directions and his first project was a mixed media piece. He cut small pieces of paper and then sporadically glued them to a piece of card stock.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1e5Z-XuUIu3yTEcm_lbr-g2VDuZLIgP1oyH_y-D3svgjI837YEOtP9pCQb_YBC3_2-QKfXn4gxy2H7IS3rFrheh7l16zf9pT2rQdk1lPiY7PC4oCTr3m-dIh-teMGHJKKtC8UwLA2GNZ/s1600/IMG_2164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1e5Z-XuUIu3yTEcm_lbr-g2VDuZLIgP1oyH_y-D3svgjI837YEOtP9pCQb_YBC3_2-QKfXn4gxy2H7IS3rFrheh7l16zf9pT2rQdk1lPiY7PC4oCTr3m-dIh-teMGHJKKtC8UwLA2GNZ/s320/IMG_2164.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZg9aqWL6aknqpGZRh70oCbKHEwEUN66GKwZzeB7leuXd7wGD1Ti8RuIqmoX1fsr9rrtLG9k0EtDPp1YLpJS7KPprRDjsQSO4NrecEMFG-xKiMtnn9ZxNmiKritIBYvxMD6qzZPlcCr3x/s1600/IMG_2308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZg9aqWL6aknqpGZRh70oCbKHEwEUN66GKwZzeB7leuXd7wGD1Ti8RuIqmoX1fsr9rrtLG9k0EtDPp1YLpJS7KPprRDjsQSO4NrecEMFG-xKiMtnn9ZxNmiKritIBYvxMD6qzZPlcCr3x/s320/IMG_2308.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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For his next masterpiece, he opted for the simple yet understated
watercolors. Soon, a meddled explosion of shapes and colors appeared on
his paper. All of which he explained thoroughly as he painted, "Mom"-
scribble, scribble. 'Dad'- new color, more circles. 'Delilah/Sam'-
scribble. 'Pipey"- Lots of paint and swirls and scribbles. One on top
of the other. An indecipherable piece to the naked eye and non-observer,
but a work of art to me.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMq7s-kWK4IdV32qUC-w_0aLl0XWnDKrKoElaAd34tMWVfcxLEO1BWXzTbaLwpK-TgvKNYFZgr1mNmUu4pkbMu3fPuTArV8hSGvkQeZI7UEFqrY6zxy9eTR8za91uCRx1HX2lITnLveW0f/s1600/IMG_2299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMq7s-kWK4IdV32qUC-w_0aLl0XWnDKrKoElaAd34tMWVfcxLEO1BWXzTbaLwpK-TgvKNYFZgr1mNmUu4pkbMu3fPuTArV8hSGvkQeZI7UEFqrY6zxy9eTR8za91uCRx1HX2lITnLveW0f/s200/IMG_2299.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit45iJ4tklbCx-9P7vIdAJFQjoU9MsolfIR-nmG1o2tzwObWgXou09NZsAk-JXrpFxfyLb9U0WIbzAJ_jFT9LnjSsMLFknWUKPjofrp6eOs56sJ5Vn1B0XbvyEtz8IifoElxC6bFbto3om/s1600/IMG_2311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit45iJ4tklbCx-9P7vIdAJFQjoU9MsolfIR-nmG1o2tzwObWgXou09NZsAk-JXrpFxfyLb9U0WIbzAJ_jFT9LnjSsMLFknWUKPjofrp6eOs56sJ5Vn1B0XbvyEtz8IifoElxC6bFbto3om/s320/IMG_2311.JPG" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzNc9O1YDZ8jEqBBlqTQm4cmNZhtYktCmI7ER6D4NWN0Xh7nc8jK6a5pUTdPLb66VnF6kQwx_OLNITq2056pDW0U5MjHKe5Q90eaf404_Tq4Y_ujuQRQwqmeYGSd2otZ2ooiNY7CisZ_v/s200/IMG_2300.JPG" width="200" /><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnchO1mJLzodtqE3mHgMuGd1Jg6IDGjNq_GcNGuAbEn2uzf344oiUosdfC3nzXy5EKYUnDGYHUO_3l7UU8rMejt0AucylXuvyygtslQPeeYsio2rna_Vyq2h4gLSbrlv5xC7wl7kiuiFj/s200/IMG_2301.JPG" width="200" />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-37503764153779488502013-01-08T10:48:00.001-07:002013-01-11T11:47:05.551-07:00A Crafty Christmas PastNow that we have finally finished distributing all of our handmade Christmas gifts, I figured it was time to share our awesomeness! As a challenge to the consumer driven madness that engulfs Christmas, we decided to set a very small budget for the 30+ gifts we wanted to give. So with $35 (now this number is out-of-pocket expenses and I realize this wouldn't have been possible without a decent craft goods stash already on hand) and some creativity, this is what we made:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DvUM80HvNUR0zKPfqSXuB-5yjMPcwyngloSHWbZXERkqk5jgSleuVSGY-hiAqKuGz-N4oNwMH9L52A2dJ6OVmItiqZMSjQUiHYkcjHBamRykIo5r14D_jH0hs7Ec3J9vaoLtK-dFppLP/s1600/IMG_2118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DvUM80HvNUR0zKPfqSXuB-5yjMPcwyngloSHWbZXERkqk5jgSleuVSGY-hiAqKuGz-N4oNwMH9L52A2dJ6OVmItiqZMSjQUiHYkcjHBamRykIo5r14D_jH0hs7Ec3J9vaoLtK-dFppLP/s200/IMG_2118.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERb2W1QTQ-4LZzTh8FqP_LlIKbGNpiC-EXQYYsXBoHhQAXVr7Hgy8H9hd6ndzagJ4TAb51RKHcss_WD8Z1bB7M5Fj1Fojh4Zd9RXzs5UASklRFvxp4yRRFakcOm7znT_nmAwt2ZtOkoK9/s1600/IMG_2100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERb2W1QTQ-4LZzTh8FqP_LlIKbGNpiC-EXQYYsXBoHhQAXVr7Hgy8H9hd6ndzagJ4TAb51RKHcss_WD8Z1bB7M5Fj1Fojh4Zd9RXzs5UASklRFvxp4yRRFakcOm7znT_nmAwt2ZtOkoK9/s200/IMG_2100.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
4 different baby toys<br />
<br />
5 drool bibs<br />
<br />
1 super hero cape<br />
<br />
3 super hero masks<br />
<br />
2 bean bag games <br />
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8 scarfs + 3 accent flowers<br />
<br />
2 framed family photos (printed at home and used old frames)<br />
<br />
2 framed photo posters (made on shutterfly for free after redeeming Coke Rewards points, which my parents collect for us. Yes, we take advantage of other peoples' bad habits. We also used old frames that we already owned)<br />
<br />
3 batches of frozen cookie dough balls<br />
<br />
Hopefully everyone liked their handmade gems! <br />
<br />Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-18672334540764736402013-01-08T06:53:00.000-07:002013-01-08T08:47:36.283-07:00New Year, New Me<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I suppose the New Year has something to do with the recent
fire under my butt. Perhaps it’s more of a combination of factors at play;
Miguel is working two jobs so he’s home less, my kids are growing crazy fast
and I want to document more, I miss having a social connection with the outside
world on a regular basis, I have finally<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">/</span>recently come to terms with me and
I want to hold myself accountable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently, I discovered ME; as in me, I, yo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For as long as I can remember I have been
living in a conflicted state of being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have always felt the need to create, to work with my hands and my heart but I
have pushed myself towards trying to find a more lucrative career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have trouble finding satisfaction in
ordinary jobs and therefore have had LOTS of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With every new step I take towards something
I believe would fulfill me, I run away with my tail between my legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My fear of failure has kept me from
succeeding yet I also fail because of my fear of success. See the conflict?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I came to these conclusions: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>I
am a dreamer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am ‘that’ friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know, the one who always has some hair
brained idea that she shares with passion yet she never follows through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The friend who means well but just can’t seem
to get her shit together career wise.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>There
is absolutely nothing wrong with being a dreamer and I should keep my mind
open.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>This
year, I resolve to live my life for me and to follow my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To no longer allow outside voices to dictate
what is appropriate for me or my family.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Time
to use my creativity for a bigger purpose and to allow that side of me to
flourish. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>I
shall embrace my differences and count them as strengths rather than
weaknesses.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As you may be able to gather, until now I made a lot of
excuses and refused to take full responsibility for myself and my
downfalls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As my children grow<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">,</span> I realize
that I may be setting them up for failure to, unless I change my ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m a firm believer in leading (parenting) by
example, so if I want to raise holistically successful children, I had better
start living by the same expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Really, who doesn’t want to be fulfilled in all areas of their lives?</div>
Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3903022956518331998.post-61360517194528281882013-01-06T12:52:00.001-07:002013-01-08T08:45:40.290-07:00For reals this time!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Here we go! Another year has begun and we are off to a
wonderful start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A million things have
changed since I last posted on this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather than writing a giant post to get you all up to speed, I have
decided to take a different route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cinful Sweets is undergoing a serious makeover and I will post all of
our madness over time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time around,
I am fully armed with a new Canon SLR and plenty to share (like stories about these two cuties)!<br />
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Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16588452713339504805noreply@blogger.com0