Joy in the midst of national sadness

There is a lot of pain around us this year... one week before Christmas. We all feel for the families in Connecticut. It would be heart-wrenching to lose a child or family member at any time of the year. But to lose them so close to Christmas and all the holidays that happen at this time of year... so incredibly sad! I couldn't even imagine it. I'm finding it hard enough to get in the spirit of the season as it is. And that's just from being exhausted from my crazy active child and working and shopping and church stuff and and and... I really have no excuse though because there is plenty to be thankful for. I am truely blessed! I really need to be acting like it.

This poem is going through emails and I wanted to share it. I also wanted to make sure I keep it somewhere where I can review it when I'm feeling down or when in the off-chance I have the news on and they are talking about the details surrounding the events at Newtown (or any past or future mass shooting).

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38 

when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.

Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.

They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.

They were filled with such joy; they didn't know what to say.

They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.

“where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.

“This is heaven" declared a small boy. "We’re spending Christmas at God's house”.

When what to their wondering eyes did appear,

but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.

He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.

Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.

And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring

those children all flew into the arms of their King

and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,

one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.

And as if He could read all the questions she had

He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad.

“then He looked down on earth, the world far below

He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe,

then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,

“Let My power and presence re-enter this land!

“May this country be delivered from the hands of fools”

“I’m taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!

“Then He and the children stood up without a sound.

“Come now my children let me show you around.

“Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.

All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,

“in the midst of this darkness,” I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

 Author not known. 

Whomever wrote this is fabulous! I know that it's not so easy to feel or express joy in the midst of so much sadness. But it is an Amazing God we serve and He still reigns! Satan may have feel he has won a small tiny little battle. But we can all take comfort in the fact that our Heavenly Father WILL win the war!

20 little souls are now with Him. And I pray that the adults had a relationship with Him as well.

Hug your loved ones! And never let go. (Spoken figuratively of course) :)

9 months!

I find it funny when I get certain emails every week. They state how old my child is and what their accomplishments should be. For normal children, these may come in handy. But really, what truely is 'normal'?

According to these emails, my child is not.

Take this week's for instance...

 

Munch has been doing this for over a month now. She started actually taking steps on her own just before she turned 8 months.

I'm a proud mama of this little lady. She takes initiative. She's quick to learn something and then move on to better things. She figures out how to get places and what the best route is. She knows what she's allowed to touch, and where she's allowed to go with or without help.


In other words... she keeps mama busy!

"Outside Mommy"

No, she's not quite talking yet. Well, she's said "mama", "dada" and "puh" (puppy). But she's still enjoying just babbling. But I know that if Munchie could talk, she'd be saying "outside mommy, outside"... ALL... THE... TIME!!

This kid LOVES being outside. She loves playing in the grass...

watching cars drive by...

checking out the birds...

playing in the leaves...

I'm not sure what I'm gonna do when it starts snowing! Guess I'll need to get the child a nice warm snowsuit, cus she'll want to be out exploring the white stuff too.

But for now, we'll just enjoy this nice fall weather!

The 8 Month Mark

We're coming up on Munchie's 8-month mark and I think back to how quickly this little girl has grown. I know that all too soon she'll be driving and liking boys and going to college.

Sigh.

I mean, it seems like yesterday that I was holding her in my arms and she weighed less than 7 lbs. Now she's crawling and standing and walking (yup, she's taken 2 steps several times now! Completed a single step on Sunday and that just wasn't good enough... now she's gotta master more!). She's just growing up way too quickly!

But I get these emails every week on the development of your child... so where they should be at 7 months and 3 weeks, etc. Now I know that every child is different and there are many kids that aren't even close to meeting 'the average' of where most kids are at about this age... but look at this: I just got this installment for her 8 month mark. This is what it said:

Sitting? Pulling up to a stand? REALLY?

 

Our crazy child has been doing that for months now! And she learned quickly how to ease herself to the ground once she was up on her feet. I'd say that she's a smart baby, but then people would just say "of course you have to say that, you're her mom!". But honestly, this kid must have her daddy's smarts, because she is too smart for even me!

Silly child! But boy do I love her!

This kid doesn't sit still for a second!

A Quick Trip

Munchie, Nani and I went on a very quick trip.

We flew down to Albuquerque for the day to see my best friend and attend her baby shower. We found some great flight deals and had to pounce on them! Plus, it gave us an excuse to get away for awhile, to test Munchie out on how well she'd fly, and did I mention I got to go visit my best friend?!

Kay and her wonderful hubby are expecting a boy in mid-October.
I'm so very excited for them!

Munch loved joining in on the fun too. She did great dealing with all the excitement and craziness of the traveling and partying and tons of people. She even helped Kay unwrap a couple gifts (sorry Kay!). :)

 

It was a quick trip. We left at 8am and were home not even 10 hours later. We had some plane trouble, but PTL we made it safely and were able to enjoy ourselves and see our friends before heading back to the airport.

 

Munchie did GREAT! 

 What a fun trip! We'll definitely have to do it again sometime. :)

 

Childproofing - part 1

I've been doing a little research on child proofing the house. Since our little Munchie is mobile and into EVERYTHING!, I figured it was about time to do a little safety-research and get some things put in around the house - gates, locks, outlet covers, etc.

Gates - I figure this is one of the biggest things we need right now. We have one long set of stairs and I'd hate for her to follow the puppy right off the edge of the top step. It'd be a loooong way down. Hubs doesn't want to drill holes into the walls though, so I've been trying to look at all the options. There are some netting-style gates that retract back into themselves. The benefit of this is that you don't have the bulk of a regular gate being in the way all the time. The issue I don't like about it is that then you teach the kids to lean into the netting... I can just see the screen doors being tormented in the future.

Door locks - specifically for the kitchen cabinets. I really love the magnet ones! Need to look for a sale. :)

Outlet covers - we were given a set of the little plastic pieces that you fit into the outlet holes. I've read though that these can be dangerous, esp for a crafty little mind like Munch has. Kids supposedly can pull them off and the plastic pieces can break, posing a choking risk. So... what to do! I need to ask Hubs about replacing the outlet covers with those ones that slide open and closed.

Then there are all the other safety things you don't really think about. Here are some of them:

Dishwashers - Parents Magazine listed dishwashers as a danger for young kids. Why? Well, because they give kids easy access to sharp forks and knives. And the detergent can be extremely harmful to baby's skin.
So what do you do? Use SHAKLEE!! It's natural, safe, and effective!
We honestly don't run the dishwasher too often. I find it easier to just wash the dishes as they go into the sink. But for the instance that we do load up the dishwasher, I have the Shaklee Dish Washer Automatic concentrate and I love it! I also use the Dish Wash Concentrate and I will never use anything else to wash my dishes, grimy hands, etc again! It is one of my favorite Shaklee products EVER!

One of my favorite products EVER!

Kitchen Ranges - Parents Magazine says that improperly installed ranges may tip or fall forward, causing a pan of boiling water to fall on top of your toddler. Personally, I think we overdo it on the anti-tip brackets. I mean, I know that Munchi will keep me on my toes, but she needs to learn that she can't be climbing on things. But we'll see how that goes. Lol. :P
We can take this warning as a reminder to keep pot and pan handles pointed in rather than out for little hands to reach up and grab. We can check the heat of the oven door to make sure they can't get burned if they accidentally lean on the door while something is baking in the oven.

Hand-Me-Downs - always always a good idea to check and double check used gear, clothing, toys, and furniture! You never know if the straps are torn, cords are exposed, stuffing is coming out, seams are tearing, or things are broken or cracked. Also, old items might be painted with the dreaded-poisonous lead-based paints! (I say this partially serious and partially sarcastic... we all grew up with that nasty stuff and we turned out alright... right?)

Other household things - we all love our stuff. We love our tools, electronics, phones, toys, magazines, makeup, plants, etc etc. There are so many things that we adults use that we don't think might be a danger to our little ones. It's funny to think of getting down and crawling around on the floor to look for potentially dangerous gaps, cracks, and items, but it is extremely important to do so. Esp for parents of active, curious, into-everything little ones like Munch!

So here's to baby proofing - smartly, consciously, and not overdoing it with all the unneeded extras. :)

Behind... yet again!

I always feel like I'm 'catching up' on something.

Catching up on sleep...

Catching up on exercise...

Catching up on quilting, crafts, class homework...

Catching up on dishes, cleaning, organizing, weeding the flower and veggie gardens...

Catching up with old friends...

Catching up on Munchie's baby book, pictures, video clips...

Life is just one big never-ending ball of 'catching up' right now.

And on top of everything life-related, I have a stack of work-related catching up to do too. Oye!

So for the next couple of weeks, I'll be working on the list above. Hopefully I can be all 'caught up' by the time September rolls around (well, maybe not sleep... I doubt I'll be caught up on that for another 18 years. Lol!).

Cus pretty soon it'll be time to do some Christmas shopping, baking, decorating, and getting 'caught up' in all of the winter season's activities! :)

Body Type

I've always been a bit on the bigger side... bone structure is what my mom always said. That or "Weber thighs", from my maternal side of the family. I've never considered myself 'overweight', although I was a bit on the heavier side in high school and college. Well, heavier than I would have liked to be.

Seemed that no matter how much muscle I built up, the fat would remain there on top. Insulation if you will. Except for a few years in high school where I sported a nice set of abs.

Note: These are not mine... :P

 After college, I slimmed down quite a bit. I think I was able to focus my workouts on toning and not on the intensity and strength needed for college sports. I also ate a lot better! It's crazy what 'college food' can do to you. Lol!

I was reading the other day about body type and the importance of characteristics and workout/nutrition plan focused for your specific body type. I've been able to lose almost all of my baby weight, and at 6 months post-birth, I think that's pretty good! However, I'd still like to be smaller. I'd like to get my abs flat again, smaller thighs, stronger arms... all before we get preggo again and my belly starts growing. :) I know it'd be healthier for me, for the baby and would make labor easier with the more I am in shape.

So anywho, according to what I've found this is the category that I fit into - -

Body Type: Mesomorph

Characteristics: "genetically gifted", athletic, compact, excellent posture (well, maybe I need to work on this one), tend to be muscular without trying, naturally strong, responds quickly to exercise....

However, as with all descriptions, there are discrepancies. Such as:
"losing fat is almost effortless" - so NOT true for me!
"defined hourglass figure" - eh
"wider at the shoulders than the hips" - nope, and especially not since giving birth! Lol.
"naturally lean" - again, no. Although my love of food may have something to do with this. :P

This body type gives me a genetic head start when it comes to staying fit. I do love that and 100% agree with this. Being athletic and somewhat in good shape has always come easy for me. Well, by easy I mean that if I work at it I get results rather quickly. The other side of it means that if I don't work at it, I lose it very quickly (ie: lose muscle or gain the weight)...which is where I am right now. I haven't been working out much this past year since getting pregnant, so I have a bit of catching up to do!

The workout and nutrition plan (according to what I've found) is this:
- focus on a strong cardio workout with resistance training
- limit weights, light to moderate, no more than 3x/week
- need variety to keep muscle stimulation and challenge
- keep workouts short (under 1 hr) as to not over-train
- get proper rest and nutrition

I told myself that I'd relax and enjoy just being a mom for the first 6 months of our baby's life. Then after that I had to start working out regularly, being better focused on what we're eating and start taking body shape seriously. No more sitting on the couch and vegging... which isn't bad only if like everything else in life, you do it in moderation! :)

Since my 6 month mark is coming up here very shortly (I can't believe how fast time has gone!!), I guess my lazy days are over for the time being... So, here's to workouts, eating healthy and getting a better bod!

Back to Nature...

This past weekend we went camping with some great friends of ours. It was a really nice time to get away from the hustle and bustle of life... and a great test on how our little one would do away from home. :)

There was a fire ban, so that was kinda a bummer. But overall it was wonderful - the weather was great. The river was nice. The bugs weren't too bad. And C took a few naps.

Here are a few pics from the trip:

 

Summer is for kids

I loved summer growing up. And for more than just the obvious reasons of being out of school. There were programs and events and things to do. There were a ton of opportunities to craft and participate in family fun moments.

Remember the Pizza Hut deal where you read and got a free personal pan pizza? That was a great incentive for doing summer-style "homework". Lol!We participated in that program for many years. I can't remember the dates, but it was doing the time that they had the Land Before Time hand puppets...and I'm not talking the later sequels.This was around the time of 1-3!

I came across an email today of a similar program. I probably would have liked this one better growing up, as I was always a reader and lover of books. Barnes and Noble has a reading program for kids that when they finish 8 books, they get a free book! Now, I'm not sure if the free book selection has a good variety or not... but man!, what a great tool to encourage kids during the summer to keep reading and keep that side of their brain active. I sure hope this is available when our kids are old enough to participate!

Check it out here: Barnes and Noble Summer Reading

Baby's First Easter

Happy Easter! April is here and with it some gorgeous weather, busy schedules, and opportunities to get together with family.

 

And it is our first Easter with our little C! I guess it's really not any different than a normal Sunday, as she's not quite old enough for the baskets and eggs and candy and hunts, etc etc. next year we might try to implement a little of that. She might understand it a little, or at least enjoy participating in the fun. And if nothing else, we'll all definitely enjoy watching her be confused over the whole aspect of finding plastic candy-filled eggs hidden around the yard on one day of the year. (Can you just imagine what goes through their little minds when they experience some of our traditions or events for the first, comprehendable time? I'm sure the poor kids are just like "wha huh?". Lol!)

Gotta love family pictures too! It's tough to get pics sometimes (well, good ones of us) as Hubs isn't a fan of photos and he practically despises posing for a bunch of photos. So i try to make it easy on him and keep the time frame to just a few minutes and a couple clicks of the camera and we're done. :) I am hoping he catches on to the fun (and necessity) of capturing these moments, esp since we have a little one that is growing up so quickly and changing daily before our very own eyes! One day I hope he takes the initiative and grabs the camera and/or throws out a suggestion of the perfect photo op... One can dream, right?

Talking about photos, this one will be perfect for church next Sunday. We submitted paperwork to church to officially become members and we met today during the Sunday School hour to go over final details. We have to write out our testimonies for Pastor to read in the services while a picture of us will be projected on the screen, then current members will vote and hopefully accept us as members of the congregation. :P So anywho, this pic will be perfect for that!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... 1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

Breakfast for a month

I decided that I was tired of trying to fix breakfast in the morning, especially with a wee little one taking all my attention and residing in my arms. Kinda makes anything more than pouring a bowl of cereal or a glass of juice extremely difficult.

So when I saw the sale ads for the grocery store last week, I knew something needed to be done! C and I braved the trip to pick up eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, tortillas, and all kinds of vegetables and on Saturday morning Hubs watched the baby and I got to cookin'.

While the sausage and bacon cooked, I diced and chopped and mixed and shredded.

I made a few breakfast burritos to have that morning, as well as a few for the next couple days. However, most of my attention that morning was in making breakfast muffins.

They turned out pretty good. Although I think burritos are a little tastier. Probably will stick with real muffins (blueberry maybe?) and plain ol' scrambled eggs or breakfast burritos.

The only problem with cooking... you have to clean up!

Glass Man and a Frumpy Mom

Last night was another mostly sleepless night. Lil C seems to have her days and nights mixed up right now. :P So it was awkward when the glass guy showed up to the house this morning and I was still in my pjs and undone hair/face. He said he understood, that he'd been there only a few years ago, and he got the truck window replaced and then went on his merry way.

God Bless his kind soul!

A Mission of Unaccomplishment

So it's already noon and what have I accomplished today? Um, not much...depending who you ask. :) Lil' C has eaten (many times!), we had 3 diaper changes (one was a total blowout which required a complete outfit change and some heavy duty cleanup), made the bed, checked some emails, and luckily she decided that she needed a nap as that allowed me to get a shower and get cleaned up (this doesn't happen every day).

Today we're heading out to roam a local mall. We're meeting up with Nani (grandma) and Great Aunt B. Trying to decide which carrier to bring... probably the Moby, as that is so far Lil' C's favorite for long periods of time.

Whoops. She's awake now! Time to eat again probably. :)

Unproductive... and kinda proud of it.

My days seem to pass by without even waving goodbye. We've been trying to figure out a schedule, but it doesn't seem to be on Lil' C's agenda to stick to one quite yet. She's been a good baby over all and I can't really complain. However, the past couple nights have been rough for me. She's been waking up between 1-2, then 3-4, then at 6 and is awake till about 9... It makes for a long start to the day. Throughout the day, her schedule of sleeping/eating changes by the minute. I have to carefully decide what I'm going to try to get done that day, cus I can only sneak in a few minutes approx every hour. The poor thing just wants to be held all the time!

But I don't blame her. Who doesn't love to cuddle and be loved?!?

I love holding her and watching the faces that she makes. I love looking at her features and checking out her little ears, nose, and toes. She's just so precious and how can anyone not want to enjoy their little babe, esp when they are only young for a short time.

However, then chores like folding laundry goes from a quick jaunt to a 3-day event: