Sunday, February 28, 2010

Friday, February 26, 2010

Food Allergy Appointment

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Today Parker went for his scheduled food allergy appointment. For those of you new here, he’s allergic to eggs. And while it is pretty unlikely that he would have outgrown his allergy at just shy of age 3, I was still hopeful.

Well, like we pretty much knew, his test results showed that Parker is still allergic to egg whites and yolks. And unfortunately, his allergy is much more severe than we originally thought.

We’ve always carried an Epi-Pen, there’s not really such a thing as a “mild” food allergy. Any child with any level of food allergy could have a severe life-threatening reaction at any time and should always have an Epi-Pen on hand.

So I will still make cupcakes for every birthday party Parker goes to, still prepare meals and snacks whenever we go on playdates, still remind the nursery staff workers every Sunday not to give any unapproved food to Parker, still plan ahead and bring food when we RARELY eat out at restaurants and the hardest of all, still have to explain to Parker why he can’t eat what the other kids are eating and see that sad look on his face.

But it is OK. I have an otherwise very HEALTHY child and for that I feel incredibly blessed! Thank you Lord!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Prayer Warriors, NICU Ministry and Chubby Book

I’ve never really considered myself a “prayer warrior”. I’ve known several women who I would consider as a prayer warriors, but I had never thought that was really “for me”.

I don’t know if it’s being a mom, getting older or what, but I find myself praying for people ALL THE TIME now. I spend many nights after the kids have woken me up where I just cannot fall back asleep and I end up praying my heart out for anyone and everyone, even people I don’t even know personally.

My heart has been increasingly burdened for babies and young children fighting for their life. I have NO IDEA why God has placed this on my heart, but I do know that I need to be obedient. I’m praying about opportunities for a NICU ministry, but God hasn’t given me the details just yet!

I also know that God does hear and does answer our prayers. He can also perform miracles…..I’ve seen it first hand.

Right now I’m praying for this sweet little girl:

DSC_3319 by Layla_Grace.

(for the record, I did not take this picture, it’s from her website). Layla Grace is fighting for her life as she battles Neuroblastoma (a type of cancer). She is just two years old. My heart is BREAKING for this family. I have been praying for them for the last 10 months when she was first diagnosed.

Would you please pray for them? Layla Grace only has a few more hours before she will be ushered into Heaven. I also want to encourage you to read this post on praying for miracles that her mom wrote a few days ago. I love how she wrote it.

Are you a prayer warrior? If not, I encourage you to become one. There are so many people who need to be lifted up in prayer RIGHT NOW. It means SO MUCH to me to know that I have people praying for me and my family.

One way to get started is to create a prayer book. I love this idea of a “chubby book” my new friend Lindsay shared on her blog. I have never kept a prayer journal, but I plan to make my own “chubby book” and use it as a guideline. Whenever I tell someone that I’m going to pray for them, I truly mean it. This will help me pray more regularly for people, plus I can also look back on it and see how God has answered prayers!

Do you keep a prayer journal? How do you pray for people?

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Sick sick sick!

Have you missed me? Well, we’ve got the crud travelling around our family. First it was Parker, then it was Connor and now it’s me! I keep thinking “tomorrow I’ll be better” but then tomorrow comes and I’m not. I hope to be back in full swing in the next few days with some new posts and pics!

Stay healthy!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Organization~Kitchen Pantry

My kitchen pantry is FINALLY organized. I was quite a process for me only because I made it into one. After about a month of “disarray” which drove me NUTS, I forced myself to complete the task when my parents were in town last weekend.

I neglected to take a “before” picture, but close your eyes and think CHAOS. Did you see it? That WAS my pantry……but not any more!

Here she is now!

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Do you like??? Here are some things that helped me:

1) If possible, install additional shelving. I am blessed to have really high ceilings on my main level, including in my closets so I had my Dad put up more shelving above what was already there. Thank Dad!

2) Take EVERYTHING out of your pantry and group like items together.

3) Buy baskets to group the like items—I got mine from both Target and from the Dollar Tree.

4) Label each basket so your pantry stays organized and your husband and kids know where to put things :-)

5) Place items used the most at eye level. Place items used least up high. Place items you don’t want your kids getting into (ie paints, candy, special surprises) on the shelves that you yourself can’t reach.

6) Some categories I have in my pantry include (in case you can’t read the labels in the pics): Baking Goods, Pasta, Bread, Special Treats, Snacks Safe for Parker (he’s allergic to eggs), Extra Vitamins, Oils and Vinegar, Condiments.

How do you organize your pantry? I’d love to know and see some pics!

My New Blog Commenting System--DISQUS

Starting with THIS post, commenting will be easier! So attention all blog stalkers, I know you are out there and I know you want to comment :-)You’ve told me and I’ve listened and researched. Now I have made things easier for you and for me….

This is my first time using DISQUS as a blog writer, but I have heard great things about it.You have multiple ways to sign in (including as a guest) to leave a comment, so please try it out and let me know what you think! Also, let me know if you have any particular topics you want me to blog about—I’d love to hear from you!

Want DISQUS for your blog??? You can download it FREE here!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Strong Willed Children~Tips

I think I have one of these and I think I was one of those :-)

Unfortunately, I don’t really have any tips YET (my oldest is 2) BUT I did come across this fabulous blog post and thought it would be important to share. There you will find some great tips and wonderful resources. I plan to fully study these!

3 Solutions for Stressed Out Moms

 

stress relieft

And YES I ate directly from the ice cream container!

Can you tell that I’m just a wee bit stressed :-)

Monday, February 15, 2010

A Little Bit of Sunshine…..

I rained this morning AGAIN. It has been nonstop rain here and I’m sooooooo over it! BUT I was pleasantly surprised when the sun came out this afternoon and of course I had to grab my camera…..

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One guess on who picked out his outfit….

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He LOVES these fire engine rain boots….he talked Grandmommy into these during our Target trip.

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I LOVE this little boy!!!!!

Meal Plan Monday and a Little Bit of Housekeeping

 

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We had a busy weekend……my parents came to visit AND we had snow AND we had this sweet little boy’s birthday party to go to!

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I’ve also been WAY busy working on my photography website….stay tuned! I’ve got a blog lined up too :-)

A little bit of housekeeping…….I have decided that I’ve got A LOT going on right now and plenty to blog about, so I’m not sticking to my original blogging schedule except for Meal Plan Mondays just because those hold me accountable to make sure my family has something to eat each night!

I will still do photography tips occasionally, but you will just have to check in with me often and I will link up with Kelly’s “Show Us Your Life Friday’s” most of the time. I’ve also got some more exciting changes coming so stay tuned for those as well, I think you will like them :-)

Now for what we are eating this week, again, not setting a schedule because depending on my mood, energy level and last minute company, I’ve got to be flexible yet prepared!

So, for dinners this week:

Spaghetti

Shrimp Orzo dish (I’ll have to post this recipe when we make it this week!)

Ham, mashed potatoes and veggies

Sloppy Joes and Sweet Potato French Fries

Friday, February 12, 2010

Two Year Old + Moon Sand = Not Such a Great Idea

Today I had the not-so-brilliant idea to let Parker play with moon sand for the first time. I’ve been working on cleaning out my pantry (for like a month now!) and had “unhidden” the moon sand (I had hidden it when I bought it 6 months ago and realized just how NOT READY Parker was for this stuff).

Anyways, Parker found it this morning and since I was on the phone with one of my best friends from college who I RARELY get to see, I thought this would be a brilliant idea to buy some undisturbed time on the phone.

BIG MISTAKE.

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The clean up took about 20 minutes and I’m sure I’ll be finding orange sand in my carpet for days. Not recommending Moon Sand for another few years….lesson learned.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Connor at 7 Months!

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Dear Connor,

You are on the move!!!! I can’t even get you to sit still for your 7 month bear pic! This month you figured out how to sit up, get on all fours, rock back and forth and crawl on all fours! I cannot believe you are crawling already.

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You’ve also started eating solids—rice cereal, bananas, sweet potatoes, squash, pears, avocados and apples. You like eating like the rest of us! You are still working on figuring out the sippy cup.

You are still in size 3 diapers and 6-12 months clothes, although some of those are getting a little short on you.

You take two naps, 1-2 hours each in the morning and afternoon and sleep at night from 6:30-6:00am.

Both of your bottom teeth are in and I think your top front teeth are on their way!

You are a wiggler and diaper changing is a challenge!

You desperately want to keep up with your big brother. You are infatuated with him and you two love to play together. I am SO HAPPY to have two boys who love each other so much and can’t wait to see you grow up together.

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Recently we gave you and Parker a bath at the same time and you LOVED it! You also thought it was hilarious when both you and Parker were getting your teeth brushed at the same time—I think you loved the fact that you were doing what your big brother was finally!

You are talking more and more and have figured out how to say “Ba” and “Da”.

You’ve become shy around strangers and will bury your face in my shoulder for a few minutes, but then you warm up!

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As always, I love you more than you can imagine!

Love,

Mommy

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

food allergies, valentines party and air guitar

We’ve had a busy few days….I have been baking like a crazy woman which is completely out of my comfort zone! AND if I have to go to Target one more time, I seriously might lose it.

Since parker is allergic to egg and almost ALL baked goods have egg in them, whenever there is a party, I usually end up making the special treat.

So I made these cuties for Parker’s teacher’s birthday on Tuesday:

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And then I made these super yummy strawberry cake balls for Parker’s Valentine’s Day party today:

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They have A LOT of sugar in them and the teacher’s said the kids were a little wild HA!

Parker made us the sweetest card at school:

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It says “I’ll hand you my heart on Valentine’s Day”. Isn’t that sweet? Definitely a keeper! Speaking of, how do you save your kids artwork? I’m trying to figure out the best way to do this and be organized!

This is Parker’s Valentine’s day goody bag he made at school. I had to confiscate half of the candy—he definitely did not need anymore sugar!

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When Parker woke up from his nap, he had a 103.1 fever! Can sugar do that to a kid??? I gave him Motrin and about an hour later he was acting like his usual self, which included some air guitar with daddy at dinner…here he is jammin’!

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He was REALLY rockin’ out here….

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I TOTALLY had to capture a picture and when I started taking pictures, Parker did this and told me “Mommy, I can’t take it”! HA!

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I think he may seriously think of me as the “Momarazzi”!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Guacamole and Meal Plan Monday

I LaHUV, guacamole! And about two years ago I learned from my mother in love how to make it and over time I have tweaked it into my own recipe.

Here’s how I make my guacamole and I’ve been told it’s pretty good:

Ingredients:

~Two Ripe Avocados—dark, forest green and has just enough “give” when you squeeze. If you can feel the skin separating, they are too ripe and will be brown.

~Kosher Salt

~Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice from 1 Lime

~Garlic—I like a lot of garlic and will use 2-3 good sized cloves

~Optional—diced white onion and ripe roma tomatoes

Simply smash avocado with a fork (I prefer mine a little chunky) and mix in all ingredients. I typically add salt last and add enough until it meets my standards!

And here’s our meal plan for the week—not sure on the order yet since I haven’t made it grocery shopping!

Chicken Enchiladas

Salmon with zucchini and couscous

Shrimp Orzo Pasta

Rotisserie Chicken Caesar Salads

Eat Out!

I have been having MAJOR mom guilt lately because my two year old will only eat yogurt, Mac N Cheese, PBJ and chicken nuggets. I try and make him all of these fun dishes that are really healthy but he won’t touch them! How long will this phase last??? Any suggestions?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Sunday Funday

We’ve got a lot going on today…..first we hit up church and of course we were late as usual. I just don’t know how it is possible to make it to church on time with two little ones. We did make it to church early ONE time, but of course we realized in the church parking lot that we totally forgot Parker’s shoes and had to run to a nearby Target to buy him a pair last minute, therefore we actually ended up being late!

When we got back from church, I decided it would be fun to put both boys in the bathtub together for the first time now that Connor is sitting up well. They had fun playing together!

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Tonight, we had our annual Super Bowl plans with our friends the Cramers, and I decided to make guacamole and of course I also needed to bring an egg free treat for Parker (he’s allergic to eggs) so I decided on these cuties:

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And because I said I would last week, I will post my guacamole recipe tomorrow with Meal Plan Mondays so be sure to check in!!!

Back to our party, since my friend Allie keeps having girls and I keep having boys, Allie and I have decided to make it EASIER on everyone and just arrange marriages for our kids. So when Parker found a plastic ring in the toy basket tonight, he proposed to Kate:

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There were kids everywhere and it is SO HARD to take a two year old’s picture, so you only get to see Parker’s hand, BUT isn’t Kate adorable? She can be my daughter in love any day :-)

She was so excited that she got on the phone to call and tell all her friends!

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The hug goodbye…..hugs only until the wedding night in 18 years at least!

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Well,  I’m off to bed. I’ve got a busy morning getting supplies for some upcoming projects for Sassy Cakes!

What did YOU do for the Super Bowl?

Saturday, February 6, 2010

two things i love right now….

this past week we finally worked on decorating the boys walls in their rooms! i have no idea why it has taken so long and we’ve still got some more decorating to do, but we have a GREAT start with these decals i ordered from home sweet walls on etsy!

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i thought they turned out great and they were an inexpensive way to dress up the room. what i really liked was how the finish makes the decals look hand painted! totally recommend home sweet walls and plan to order another monogram for our master bedroom—can you tell i’m a little obsessed with monograms!

the other thing my type A, OCD personality is thanking me for is my “motivated moms planner” from motivated moms. this planner has REALLY helped me keep my house organized and clean by giving me just a few tasks to focus on each day. i LOVE how it reminds me to do those things that you don’t do on a regular basis and seem to forget about (ie wash shower curtains, change filters, work on scrapbook, etc). for me this completely helps me reduce my stress load since motivated moms makes it so i don’t have to try and remember EVERYTHING! oh, i almost forgot…the planner is VERY inexpensive and beyond worth it!

go and check it out for yourself—they’ve got sample pages on their website.

what are some things you are loving right now???