tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71236211740513192202024-02-19T17:43:03.845-08:00Bee CurrencyJessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-84255276247253919392014-06-25T13:34:00.002-07:002014-06-25T13:34:22.676-07:00Let's talk finances...again.Let's ignore the fact that I've managed one blog post in the past year, and get straight to where my heart is at right now.<br />
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Just over a year ago (aka two posts ago), I posted a blog about sinking funds. The concept is relatively simple...you put a little money away each month and over the course of time, it adds up. We do this to cover all our annual premiums. Now I'm standing here, a year later, stressing to you the importance of getting on track with your finances. Because it's not always gravy. </div>
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Since we started getting serious about our finances, things have been pretty smooth for us. We paid off our debt in record time, we saw our savings account grow, we nailed the process of sinking funds, and we stuck to our monthly budget. We were on track to finish an expensive adoption in the summer, and and save up a down payment by the end of this year. I mean, it almost seemed too easy. </div>
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But honestly, who has ever had it easy forever? We are all susceptible to hard times, and Stuart and I got to face them in abundance these past several months. This began with our car getting totaled in October, a hefty unexpected tax bill, workmans comp issues with our business, a "successfuly-failed" adoption, and some expected and unexpected medical bills (including upcoming ACL surgery for Stuart, and a baby due this November). The financial portion alone would likely bankrupt the average American family, and I won't lie, it has hit us pretty hard. <br />
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However....because of several years of budgeting and saving, it hasn't ruined us. (So far) we've been able to face ALL of it head on and remain debt-free. <br />
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My intention here is not to brag. I understand grace enough to realize I don't have a right to. And I don't intend to imply we were filthy rich; we weren't. But we had enough to weather some tough storms, and I cannot get over how grateful I am that we were prepared. In June of 2013, I ended my blog post encouraging people to start sinking funds, saying "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center;"><i>One day you'll be glad you did. </i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center;"><i>Like in 2014.</i>" From where I stand now, truer words have never been spoken. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center;">I'm going to do the same thing here. This year, get a plan in place for paying off debt and building your savings account. I promise...<b>y</b></span><b style="font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center;">ou will never, ever regret it. </b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center;"><i>P.S. If you need a place to start, I strongly recommend looking into Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover. </i></span><br />
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Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-64126182295297183332013-11-12T16:49:00.001-08:002013-11-12T16:49:59.752-08:00Coming Full CircleIf you look through the hodgepodge of posts on my blog, you'll find I am passionate about a few things: food, my family, getting crafty, and finances. <div>
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The latter subject came about from a life change almost 3 years ago. My husband and I were over $20,000 in debt - a combination of a car loan and credit cards. That's a humbling number to write when, just a few years prior, we were bragging about getting through college without any student loans or other debt, period.</div>
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So, there we were, $20k in debt and making stupid decisions like <a href="http://beecurrency.blogspot.com/2012/11/holiday-spending.html" target="_blank">applying for another credit card</a>, just so we could do some Black Friday shopping. Three months later, my sister called me and told me to read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover book. She even offered to buy me a copy of it. I read it in a matter of minutes (well, I guess it was a day or two, but it felt fast). I gave it to my husband, and he read it, too. It basically told us to save a little bit, pay off our debt as quickly as we possibly could, then start saving some more. Very basic, and yet so genius. </div>
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Starting a budget (and sticking to it) wasn't easy. We had to give up lots of random, fun things like having a million different drinks in our fridge, regular pizza nights, movies and eating out. We had to be intentional about our grocery budget, and start <a href="http://beecurrency.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-sinking-funds.html" target="_blank">sinking funds</a> for items that required annual payments. And we had to learn patience, because it takes a lot of little baby steps to make great strides. </div>
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But we did it; we made <i>huge</i> strides. You know how I know this? </div>
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Because exactly three years ago, we owed over $20,000 in credit card debt and car loans. </div>
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But last week, we paid cash for this, and still remain debt free:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNf2H5BLhVscF6OYbSDjWMsWaJxY9vAHAS-QK4L4d2g0OzSA1jdUPkzfy2Fsaikc3j1XqpKzYDw1jKsoAJzAv2rRg0SZgUcQilbed0ntxvek3el6ysBn7_rhdds7VrIdAwo-zq489wsns/s1600/car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNf2H5BLhVscF6OYbSDjWMsWaJxY9vAHAS-QK4L4d2g0OzSA1jdUPkzfy2Fsaikc3j1XqpKzYDw1jKsoAJzAv2rRg0SZgUcQilbed0ntxvek3el6ysBn7_rhdds7VrIdAwo-zq489wsns/s320/car.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You guys, we have come full circle. </div>
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So please, please, please believe me when I say it's possible to get debt free and stay that way. If you want a little guidance, try reading Total Money Makeover. But start today. Who knows where you'll be in three years. =)</div>
Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-50235730187505408142013-06-20T01:31:00.000-07:002013-06-20T14:57:09.525-07:00Planning for 2014<div style="text-align: center;">
It may seem odd that I'm writing to you about 2014 right now, in June of 2013. But really it's not <i>that</i> odd. </div>
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The reason I bring it up is because today my husband and I put some things on the calendar for 2014. Not big, huge, amazing things. But things that require a little money. So immediately after we put those things on the calendar, I then put them in our budget, because a couple years ago I learned a valuable lesson:</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">$$$ <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">÷ now = $$$</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">...but...</span></span></div>
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$$$ <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">÷ time = $</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">I wrote a little more about it in <a href="http://beecurrency.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-sinking-funds.html" target="_blank">this post</a>. The concept is called "sinking funds" and it's so simple, it's brilliant. You start putting a little money away now for future commitments (annual bills, trips, big purchases) so that when you need to write the check for the large amount later, it doesn't hurt.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">Seriously, I encourage you to start doing this. Keep it simple and pull out some envelopes, write next years plans on them, and start putting a small amount in them each month. Or transfer it into another bank account, separate from your regular checking account, and record it in a notebook. One day you'll be glad you did. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">Like in 2014. </span></div>
Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-68011591457309973802013-06-15T16:43:00.002-07:002013-06-19T10:30:58.137-07:00Dessert: Bread Pudding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">1. Get yourself some yummy nummy bread. I used Panera's cinnamon raisin bread.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqmEisKgnFIsPyX1ZsOVLdFIt1PjH85o4fRomqswELWeCEcxpgG4v0HHHVHaQWyshyphenhyphencTcGeLJiqETy5yly415EvpFGhDCjWE7mJ2w5VgKyDQCjBF__Ug6V6bjwArC_kFG0GMPu1NZFVM/s1600/2013-06-14+17.33.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqmEisKgnFIsPyX1ZsOVLdFIt1PjH85o4fRomqswELWeCEcxpgG4v0HHHVHaQWyshyphenhyphencTcGeLJiqETy5yly415EvpFGhDCjWE7mJ2w5VgKyDQCjBF__Ug6V6bjwArC_kFG0GMPu1NZFVM/s320/2013-06-14+17.33.36.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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2. Slice it up and broil it in the oven for a few minutes until it's nicely toasted. Eat. </div>
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Or if you can muster up the strength, continue to step 3. =)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmXS1i8TL6-d4QcQfMQIuOZkXb35yU8pGvnvtCf41n3JN0CxurR1bqWfCcKZc0EmlwxmaqvuBUcDJ53XjFNIIC5L_yEHVdIKx5NzDJgGgoxwbTOTV1q20YT-NdIPmszU3gnShxuYPq-Y/s1600/2013-06-14+17.36.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmXS1i8TL6-d4QcQfMQIuOZkXb35yU8pGvnvtCf41n3JN0CxurR1bqWfCcKZc0EmlwxmaqvuBUcDJ53XjFNIIC5L_yEHVdIKx5NzDJgGgoxwbTOTV1q20YT-NdIPmszU3gnShxuYPq-Y/s320/2013-06-14+17.36.29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">3. Gather your other ingredients. For my bread pudding I used vanilla extract, half n half plus some milk, butter, eggs, and sugar. Oh and caramel. Lots of caramel...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dOsqH-5g2s6q4aPicmQqNuBlHEa5ZKNoaSlL_i010BTQbjO-SPF7wXRxUs1kKwkD4oe5cYQ-LMFaae_K9G4NSyx1toR9thKTeRdutWmHR7t-r-px7z7P32xng117Ocgr8Is-rrOLECY/s1600/2013-06-14+17.48.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dOsqH-5g2s6q4aPicmQqNuBlHEa5ZKNoaSlL_i010BTQbjO-SPF7wXRxUs1kKwkD4oe5cYQ-LMFaae_K9G4NSyx1toR9thKTeRdutWmHR7t-r-px7z7P32xng117Ocgr8Is-rrOLECY/s320/2013-06-14+17.48.13.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">4. Mix all of your ingredients. Rough measurements would be 2 cups liquid, 2 tablespoons butter, teaspoon or two of vanilla, 3 eggs, small scoop of sugar, and caramel. Lots of caramel. ;)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU2mNuFKfHTgE9Io4fw4HsXFZPt_9LplLSJmhkbcGYi5OrxZvlJeI5fV_jwQzBD3wdJS7EDuWXar2XW8iOuVFXZLgarvB6XVUmnexthTRWxQeKQv5rL94L_bZyHeZDaVAqFER8OufF3c/s1600/2013-06-14+17.37.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU2mNuFKfHTgE9Io4fw4HsXFZPt_9LplLSJmhkbcGYi5OrxZvlJeI5fV_jwQzBD3wdJS7EDuWXar2XW8iOuVFXZLgarvB6XVUmnexthTRWxQeKQv5rL94L_bZyHeZDaVAqFER8OufF3c/s320/2013-06-14+17.37.47.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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5. Cut up the bread into large chunks. Pour the mixture over your bread. Make sure all of your bread gets moistened. Stick it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 25-35 minutes, or until set. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1QMJyPgHx_k4hEc6y8E8-eEuuIdpa2ZhmtHuneL6JU4zkUWx39HRlgr3iXOkCLe_fyhnxMhfyrozUOfbK_kp4tTUh7ONydKcUVwOFRpfOSZFTftTu1F9BM9A5XCsJC02hUDmmrf8mTE/s1600/2013-06-14+17.59.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1QMJyPgHx_k4hEc6y8E8-eEuuIdpa2ZhmtHuneL6JU4zkUWx39HRlgr3iXOkCLe_fyhnxMhfyrozUOfbK_kp4tTUh7ONydKcUVwOFRpfOSZFTftTu1F9BM9A5XCsJC02hUDmmrf8mTE/s320/2013-06-14+17.59.27.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">6. Top with some more caramel. EAT. Repeat.</span></div>
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<br />Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-44695839123755608462013-06-05T21:09:00.000-07:002013-06-19T10:31:31.900-07:00Dinner: Pineapple Teriyaki Burgers!Though I have not been blogging much, I can assure you I've been doing several other things. Like eating, for example. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo credit: <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/05/grilled-hawaiian-teriyaki-burger.html">http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/05/grilled-hawaiian-teriyaki-burger.html</a></td></tr>
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My twin sis recently told me about a food blog called <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/" target="_blank">Skinny Taste</a>. I initially thought this was another one of those healthy sites that gave you normal-recipes-turned-gross because it substituted yummy stuff for yucky stuff and then - viola! - the dish is automatically considered delicious for its lack of calories. I don't like those kinds of recipes.</div>
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Well, this site does that. Kind of. But not really, because all the recipes (that I've tried so far) really ARE delicious. Like her <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/06/skinny-chicken-tikka-masala.html#more" target="_blank">Chicken Tikka Masala</a>. I am a huge fan and a huge critic of chicken tikka masala and this recipe was fantastic! No heavy cream, no butter...Pioneer Woman would not be happy (until she took a bite). And definitely not too shabby when paired with some homemade na'an. =)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't judge the bad pic...I didn't plan on posting this publicly.</td></tr>
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Another example is her <a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/05/grilled-hawaiian-teriyaki-burger.html" target="_blank">Teriyaki Burger</a>. I, for one, am NOT a burger person. I almost shouldn't be American for two reasons: I can't stand ranch dressing, and I could easily live without eating hamburgers. So why did I try this recipe? Mostly because it gave me a chance to try out my new pineapple corer/slicer (it worked awesome, btw), but also because my kids absolutely love hamburgers. I might have also been tempted to try it when I noticed that sriracha sauce went into the hamburger mixture (no worries...the spice doesn't stick. My kids ate it and never knew. But I did put loads extra in the teriyaki sauce!). I also loved the addition of the grilled pineapple. </div>
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The consensus? This burger was amazing. So amazing that I called my twin sis and told her how amazing it was. And she knows I don't eat burgers. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2frhktNHXvLAM-1zwKV6nezVgsj__lk5cFbNv6CAiX-ic4Zd_fZXzegqlNSKgHtIGuL4SGJcSU93j3DroLKhg2Fr94qDIvJbRa9XMlOAzbtEmz8oUVPJ_7qIuWA9vdLAMJjsrmOrbpc/s1600/2013-06-05+18.03.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2frhktNHXvLAM-1zwKV6nezVgsj__lk5cFbNv6CAiX-ic4Zd_fZXzegqlNSKgHtIGuL4SGJcSU93j3DroLKhg2Fr94qDIvJbRa9XMlOAzbtEmz8oUVPJ_7qIuWA9vdLAMJjsrmOrbpc/s320/2013-06-05+18.03.59.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at my iphone camera skills! This was the actual burger I ate. </td></tr>
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Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-36268136342718968032013-04-15T15:25:00.001-07:002013-06-19T10:54:59.846-07:00Kids and Chores<br />
I've always so badly wanted be the kind of organized mom who always has her house in order: who always has all the important papers neatly filed away, who always knows where the scissors are, or even just the household phone...of which we have FOUR, who can manage to cross everything off her "to do" list, and who always remembers the passwords on the computer. But I'm not an organized mom. <br />
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With that said, I wasn't surprised when chore charts didn't work in our home. I've purchased three different styles in the past year, all with good intentions, but our lifestyle is not one that allows for everyday chores such as "set the table for dinner" when half the week we just eat picnic-style around the coffee table. Our schedule and lifestyle are really not conducive to hanging up a chore chart and filling it up with daily tasks. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaA8NtEc6IRn6eolsvwoSY202z7Wt-LNAsnsoNtoVkacTsgI99qows2gsvAFvL28b26GPH2EJWTv36P1zrdgPNoxvU7RnTcPePnMYT5JoUS29c7EoAhyphenhyphenQLZuc8G7F2O-qRpQ8x8fc2js/s1600/CHORE+CHART+BOY+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaA8NtEc6IRn6eolsvwoSY202z7Wt-LNAsnsoNtoVkacTsgI99qows2gsvAFvL28b26GPH2EJWTv36P1zrdgPNoxvU7RnTcPePnMYT5JoUS29c7EoAhyphenhyphenQLZuc8G7F2O-qRpQ8x8fc2js/s320/CHORE+CHART+BOY+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Nevertheless, I still wanted a clean house, and I wanted my kids to help me with it. At their ages, they're more than capable of helping out and lightening my load a bit. So after brainstorming, I found something that worked in our crazy disorganized home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t9J2_hP1_7eFiVXNDiGwOPyTD0Li6MYU_bFpcJh1Z4C2YvynIl7jn0z7PcaDfNr4qHkDU0ZbrIWARGEH4U3B903VlUsLqG4HqJa7mMVbq_PCJDmvA8CVH7zZTx5JCXmZ7GdoA3HhJT4/s1600/IMG_2252%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t9J2_hP1_7eFiVXNDiGwOPyTD0Li6MYU_bFpcJh1Z4C2YvynIl7jn0z7PcaDfNr4qHkDU0ZbrIWARGEH4U3B903VlUsLqG4HqJa7mMVbq_PCJDmvA8CVH7zZTx5JCXmZ7GdoA3HhJT4/s320/IMG_2252%5B1%5D.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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I filled a mason jar with tasks that can be completed by my kids. About half <i>can</i> be done daily (but we'll live if they're not), and the other half are weekly chores. If it's a daily chore, I put an asterisk at the end. The kids know to put this back in the "To Do" jar when the job is complete. If it doesn't have an asterisk, it gets put in the "Done" jar until the beginning of the following week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASOUfrpI_b0GG-wr_LKlXR4XlyJdhYdvE_X-5KqVUuFpstvJCbVEXbR05BEBdrZ41M3AtlujU98Ko03lAprZMO7F1yXAYsC74Z9pcdl9QeFFO89cpsjBuzj3M9UEDQogLz4_A1TkrvJ8/s1600/IMG_2253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASOUfrpI_b0GG-wr_LKlXR4XlyJdhYdvE_X-5KqVUuFpstvJCbVEXbR05BEBdrZ41M3AtlujU98Ko03lAprZMO7F1yXAYsC74Z9pcdl9QeFFO89cpsjBuzj3M9UEDQogLz4_A1TkrvJ8/s320/IMG_2253.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our rules are as follows:<br />
1. They must do two jobs per day. <br />
2. They are not paid for these jobs. This is part of being in a family.<br />
3. They cannot put their slips back in and try for a "better" jobs.<br />
4. They may trade a job with someone else, so long as that is agreed upon by both parties.<br />
5. They get to take a break on the weekends, or if we're out of the house all day.<br />
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To be honest, my children are not outstanding at all of these jobs. Sometimes they are great, and sometimes I get frustrated when they don't realize that simply pulling the tops off of the weeds does nothing beneficial. My 5 year old has no idea what a baseboard is, much less how to wipe it down. But I remind myself that we're working on habits now, and proper form takes times. I always ask them if they are proud of their work, and praise the heck out of them if they stayed focused and tried hard....even if there is no obvious indication that work was attempted. <br />
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Do I still wish I was organized and put-together? Of course. But thankfully I'm learning that households can be a wee bit chaotic and still get things done. And that kids can figure out a ton of other things to do with unused chore charts and their coordinating stickers. =)<br />
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Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-62993096086521446592013-02-16T20:30:00.000-08:002013-06-19T10:32:31.602-07:00Homeschooling Lesson #1: How to copy paperI'm really no stranger to homeschooling. After only 3 months of middle school, my parents pulled us all out of public school and began the journey of de-socializing us. <br />
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Oh I jest. That didn't happen until our <i>second</i> year of homeschooling.<br />
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We began homeschooling for the sole purpose of avoiding the evil that was our local middle school, fully intent on returning back to society come 9th grade. But strange things happened and we made friends. Like, good friends. Friends that went on to lead normal lives and that I still frequently talk to. <br />
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I managed to graduate high school, attend and graduate college with honors, and build a little family of my own in the process. And now I'm in my second "official" year of homeschooling my little champs. And that's no small feat! I have a kindergartner, firsts grader, and second grader this year! <br />
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When my kids are in kindergarten, I do very little as far as official schoolwork. I buy about a thousand glue sticks and round-tip scissors at the beginning of the year, and a couple workbooks (strongly recommend Explode the Code!). I teach math by also teaching cooking and we read Roald Dahl. <span style="text-align: center;">Now that I have a first grader and a second grader, we use a lot more curriculum and worksheets, and last week I learned that I was lacking a fundamental albeit crucial and necessary skill for any homeschooling parent: I didn't know how to copy paper. </span><br />
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I started out optimistic. I had my coffee (all aspects of homeschooling require coffee), and my two piles of paper going:<i> to copy</i> and <i>already copied</i>. <br />
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Such beauty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p6okC9O7bkN2tVr9eABUp_gPKjO28VeU_ByYaETYhXvMkNq3DksHHBZ0bedxdXUAKcHOC0NhlIP-YoiXuJ_olcC6LG06s6yYY2vyZtAxJIhS6GNOiPbhEmDAqgESJjtf6ighet20Glg/s1600/2013-02-14+09.13.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p6okC9O7bkN2tVr9eABUp_gPKjO28VeU_ByYaETYhXvMkNq3DksHHBZ0bedxdXUAKcHOC0NhlIP-YoiXuJ_olcC6LG06s6yYY2vyZtAxJIhS6GNOiPbhEmDAqgESJjtf6ighet20Glg/s320/2013-02-14+09.13.32.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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I learned right away not to lift the copy lid too fast, or else the paper would fly out the back and land behind the 200lb filing cabinet. However, despite the immediacy of my lesson, I managed to do this 5 more times. So then I learned a new lesson: don't keep sliding the filing cabinet back against the wall. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaj7oX1ecjPTPLErRW-4XHZqr3f64V6c37QVvRdKPFd7aVOTEK-RdTg79BX9JoauE2aoQy3g9IDq67GLfpZQCDgys789O9ITcUrwwfUuWkcOFrqFYKj6ZK6Rg_T8vF5AN_MUTgFvJLmps/s1600/2013-02-14+09.14.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaj7oX1ecjPTPLErRW-4XHZqr3f64V6c37QVvRdKPFd7aVOTEK-RdTg79BX9JoauE2aoQy3g9IDq67GLfpZQCDgys789O9ITcUrwwfUuWkcOFrqFYKj6ZK6Rg_T8vF5AN_MUTgFvJLmps/s320/2013-02-14+09.14.49.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a top view of the paper having fallen behind the cabinet.</td></tr>
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No copy job is complete without the fear of God </div>
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being put in you by these three words:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYFb2HuFFvMqbhlSHgSRAPB5mgS9i_lKVBPcZwbibsIcaM7udSdqn7juilNdmpBnub-IintIkdklkoZ40HXDlgdBG4nh1PJzLY_vitOl0mqKesBLbhM1UZrQUjdYiy4JQOJ6CiQUzK3o/s1600/2013-02-14+09.15.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYFb2HuFFvMqbhlSHgSRAPB5mgS9i_lKVBPcZwbibsIcaM7udSdqn7juilNdmpBnub-IintIkdklkoZ40HXDlgdBG4nh1PJzLY_vitOl0mqKesBLbhM1UZrQUjdYiy4JQOJ6CiQUzK3o/s320/2013-02-14+09.15.30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had to copy about 100 pages and I have no clue how to change the cartridge on this machine. So I did what any normal woman would do - I copied my pages anyway. </div>
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(P.S. I totally won that challenge.) </div>
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After doing half of my copying, </div>
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I had to flip the pages over and copy the backside. </div>
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I analyzed that machine over and over, picked up printed pages and simulated them going through the machine, and deduced the correct direction my papers needed to face to print correctly. </div>
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Guess who printed them wrong?</div>
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So here's to all you new homeschooling mommies out there </div>
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(or the veterans who failed to learn the art of the copy machine):</div>
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<b>1. Put your printer in the center of the room, where a fallen paper does not equal a workout.</b></div>
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<b>2. Have your husband put in a new cartridge before you begin your job. </b><b>Or don't. ;)</b></div>
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<b>3. Stock up on glue sticks and scissors - you're about to make yourself a huge pile of scratch paper.</b></div>
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Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-13408894416268088982013-02-07T10:13:00.001-08:002013-02-07T10:53:04.512-08:00Happy New Year!Am I late to the party?? ;)<br />
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Of course I am. I can't say my life has been terribly busy; it's more that this blog has taken a much lower priority than homeschooling, menu-planning, reading <i>other</i> people's blogs...haha. Here's a rather lengthy catch-up post to bring this blog up to date. Expect another one of these in about two months.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4B5tm99SsW4JFgIIflkLq-uVrqsoWUNcD5aROkxesXKr5eDSUNYH1CrAHrF7kequAoayM0dEfMZ9tBBYe7jL6ohv54GRo5aZRzAI6EKsnBdgi3mzQvP5ia9OBDwm8ag24jL5G2Q3OZoI/s1600/2012-11-17+11.03.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4B5tm99SsW4JFgIIflkLq-uVrqsoWUNcD5aROkxesXKr5eDSUNYH1CrAHrF7kequAoayM0dEfMZ9tBBYe7jL6ohv54GRo5aZRzAI6EKsnBdgi3mzQvP5ia9OBDwm8ag24jL5G2Q3OZoI/s320/2012-11-17+11.03.33.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I helped throw a shower for a friend of mine expecting a little girl (who has since been born and is unbelievably adorable). Here's the Pooh cake I made. </td></tr>
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<h2>
Thanksgiving: </h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffjAy_o3TPrqtbfK8GQ6cII0iR3XklzHM6OY231CJ_5qsg_CyfVgEFD_onhWhPDRavH4bhBFKKds7JtWSd-CX-lLZ5I7wKDWgeEYnu8hkNfk6FaFJmpSp0QKeGMu5abH2fqOAXVq_T7s/s1600/2012-11-21+05.59.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffjAy_o3TPrqtbfK8GQ6cII0iR3XklzHM6OY231CJ_5qsg_CyfVgEFD_onhWhPDRavH4bhBFKKds7JtWSd-CX-lLZ5I7wKDWgeEYnu8hkNfk6FaFJmpSp0QKeGMu5abH2fqOAXVq_T7s/s320/2012-11-21+05.59.31.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made my husband's employees cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving. <br />
They do such a fantastic job, I wish we could do more sometimes. </td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEhNZxP0gjyPtb0Toj682ehw_YvZWVpoRvFuN0cZRvvN9CwbRfBBWTFaMzAJnE0kQ4nUZbDJv-DpEpfLOBwyUUCKZlfp_XehV4-mFwx5pAhoUujcaWaU274gQuUA2ph7v3ezP_Jmt-AU5BY/s1600/536126_518264672200_1211897432_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZxP0gjyPtb0Toj682ehw_YvZWVpoRvFuN0cZRvvN9CwbRfBBWTFaMzAJnE0kQ4nUZbDJv-DpEpfLOBwyUUCKZlfp_XehV4-mFwx5pAhoUujcaWaU274gQuUA2ph7v3ezP_Jmt-AU5BY/s320/536126_518264672200_1211897432_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was Fall 2011. But....our whole family got together this past Thanksgiving and took pictures, <br />
so we got to recreate it....</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEi_D5qZdiPHrkSdgmEfQAnJvgk5fsfgj3UvJj3__BIpRcOMkgcL_-nAQmHxpzrucbm_YMEcggvdewSQAnMC9qiFe4yNZB6bAjr07L6Qqtk4Q8auQr8V6GtyLlAcjMW2IU1aOLhNfjMmGr0/s1600/2012-11-22+09.06.36-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_D5qZdiPHrkSdgmEfQAnJvgk5fsfgj3UvJj3__BIpRcOMkgcL_-nAQmHxpzrucbm_YMEcggvdewSQAnMC9qiFe4yNZB6bAjr07L6Qqtk4Q8auQr8V6GtyLlAcjMW2IU1aOLhNfjMmGr0/s320/2012-11-22+09.06.36-1.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is our family, Thanksgiving 2012.</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEgANAuKFdjltEfdPa13LlhQDD96UrDAwmLlluUkmlmtNtS58ad1sj31w4qMvXnYpBqgpKVU83gdCb6Z2_Si4xQEPkf_qUNU6CVHuvhQTnGXci8jwdYSzkiXN0Ff-ZLvxXonh0A_QxCwaNE/s1600/2012-11-22+14.00.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgANAuKFdjltEfdPa13LlhQDD96UrDAwmLlluUkmlmtNtS58ad1sj31w4qMvXnYpBqgpKVU83gdCb6Z2_Si4xQEPkf_qUNU6CVHuvhQTnGXci8jwdYSzkiXN0Ff-ZLvxXonh0A_QxCwaNE/s320/2012-11-22+14.00.24.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My middle daughter turned 6 on Thanksgiving. I have a twin sister, and every seven years or so, our birthday falls on Thanksgiving. Honestly, it's really no fun, so I feel bad to have handed that down to my daughter. <br />
But we made a cake and sang and I don't think she really cared!</td></tr>
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<h2>
Birthday Party:</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtYtluKx_cUhDQXmf3-ZucI4EAufvYAh4YHsaQtnl3sg4JvIFNWT4Dt9RFUEqJPlx6mDC_u5JdamU6hQlGnrO68SgSrMuubUVGsUAsZcl1Rft3CVfPDyzeSu5e7ZEGtYlCJ_nadHTg1Q/s1600/2012-11-24+15.17.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtYtluKx_cUhDQXmf3-ZucI4EAufvYAh4YHsaQtnl3sg4JvIFNWT4Dt9RFUEqJPlx6mDC_u5JdamU6hQlGnrO68SgSrMuubUVGsUAsZcl1Rft3CVfPDyzeSu5e7ZEGtYlCJ_nadHTg1Q/s320/2012-11-24+15.17.30.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My two daughters were born a week apart, so they get the joy of sharing birthday parties every year....just like Mommy and Aunt Jenny. ;) This year they wanted a Princess theme. It was a TON OF FUN! We had their friends come dressed up in fancy dresses then painted nails and did updos (complete with little tiaras) on all of them. Then we took them to Corvette Diner for some dinner and fun!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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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/AVvXsEjv1Phnm5Vs-v86L2TizTkN62KiswfvMwg-hiWUcBrzJIJG-cCFNQkQbd5DDPvg55G5VFjoqsA3uSvgSHb5rZELNcJwmxsYi4MwjevQLAYjZQpDfXG6NPiOOHsWcSqJagh_WNbrx-8K4ok/s1600/2012-11-24+16.12.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1Phnm5Vs-v86L2TizTkN62KiswfvMwg-hiWUcBrzJIJG-cCFNQkQbd5DDPvg55G5VFjoqsA3uSvgSHb5rZELNcJwmxsYi4MwjevQLAYjZQpDfXG6NPiOOHsWcSqJagh_WNbrx-8K4ok/s320/2012-11-24+16.12.14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A princess has to get used to picture-taking. <br />
They were all pros at this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEgDARbouf_23bW_lAHrzAwQpcuOyB3_BeLEqCCzsBcCpezaBGouWB7ZBsm_scy69YjKvwR8Xiow5npDkxhSOHF4RK7x-I-wyMQxi5cCGQpI1YE7Qy3v2m4ED1rOz6wf-4AriNpty5MUZ7Q/s1600/2012-11-24+17.11.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDARbouf_23bW_lAHrzAwQpcuOyB3_BeLEqCCzsBcCpezaBGouWB7ZBsm_scy69YjKvwR8Xiow5npDkxhSOHF4RK7x-I-wyMQxi5cCGQpI1YE7Qy3v2m4ED1rOz6wf-4AriNpty5MUZ7Q/s320/2012-11-24+17.11.28.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is one of the birthday girls and some friends. We had a blast! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlI-sLDFtzW777xxUMAnv11JoA4KlcmQ-EkPSo4MJWCQxcjVx_yqMDYQKZ3bZijAAOveGxRn19O5WfviR8SXg_ZTXaZvNWD1bfG0Q-_E3ml45LTxnjbEXaquBMfhZY4YYvlf9aVDgXDnY/s1600/2012-11-24+17.11.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlI-sLDFtzW777xxUMAnv11JoA4KlcmQ-EkPSo4MJWCQxcjVx_yqMDYQKZ3bZijAAOveGxRn19O5WfviR8SXg_ZTXaZvNWD1bfG0Q-_E3ml45LTxnjbEXaquBMfhZY4YYvlf9aVDgXDnY/s320/2012-11-24+17.11.34.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More pictures. See, told you they were pros with the camera! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V7OIPnyq76eJsVubt-ILhELIlmZ9wbMio3d42rptX-g0rMMZoHkucl9Waj3HGRSeS5lS3FdK1eRib_-BY8i4x-0Q9l6TkCsiwBfqPO5KEVOWKZYdHHzRlhQ1gC4zlFip5eI5QUBH53o/s1600/2012-11-24+17.11.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4V7OIPnyq76eJsVubt-ILhELIlmZ9wbMio3d42rptX-g0rMMZoHkucl9Waj3HGRSeS5lS3FdK1eRib_-BY8i4x-0Q9l6TkCsiwBfqPO5KEVOWKZYdHHzRlhQ1gC4zlFip5eI5QUBH53o/s320/2012-11-24+17.11.41.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They all got some straws stuck in there hair by our lovely waitress. </td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEjIDQgAcNJERFqUNf2KjRlSw7kqdLBEbducAfNSRr0mkHdoD6JJ_ajT7YooNHm_pv93Nnz-_ul_WyPpNaIi7afPVrODpPsESy_AKZzvqXvL2aw33IU3CCV6I0CCq25x8oQhX4ljz2TeK78/s1600/2012-11-24+17.53.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIDQgAcNJERFqUNf2KjRlSw7kqdLBEbducAfNSRr0mkHdoD6JJ_ajT7YooNHm_pv93Nnz-_ul_WyPpNaIi7afPVrODpPsESy_AKZzvqXvL2aw33IU3CCV6I0CCq25x8oQhX4ljz2TeK78/s320/2012-11-24+17.53.18.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We came back to the house and ate princess cupcakes!</td></tr>
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<h2>
Disneyland - one last hurrah! </h2>
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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/AVvXsEiuaRcqfcER-hRX6z5BUUARfe2ap5u1f-WpDCVZO5OwEEou1cyivsXPVX9360B0gJW4ozsry_zLtBPZsXJO1AgI8QDzmyPmFmt_FCxgkfXuRktQ15af2r31NKPR8X-egfoAi8DkrKYHZIw/s1600/2012-12-06+10.44.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaRcqfcER-hRX6z5BUUARfe2ap5u1f-WpDCVZO5OwEEou1cyivsXPVX9360B0gJW4ozsry_zLtBPZsXJO1AgI8QDzmyPmFmt_FCxgkfXuRktQ15af2r31NKPR8X-egfoAi8DkrKYHZIw/s320/2012-12-06+10.44.16.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were watching my son ride a roller coaster, and my daughter suddenly decided she wanted Minnie Mouse hair. This was the best I could do, even after breaking one of her plastic hair bands. </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/AVvXsEjFNoHx5pWQjHbLoijqEiYUJrcYqO7vzgG4kU5RxlT-Y8NKaNNxGdNbT1NksNiL67CzCL1-Vu9zbZZblkaeaNWdB5CFjcJhCYLbfJjk8OhQoLe0_tWLaPwZfaQWqapbnQPQRjMR0FA44vY/s1600/2012-12-06+13.46.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNoHx5pWQjHbLoijqEiYUJrcYqO7vzgG4kU5RxlT-Y8NKaNNxGdNbT1NksNiL67CzCL1-Vu9zbZZblkaeaNWdB5CFjcJhCYLbfJjk8OhQoLe0_tWLaPwZfaQWqapbnQPQRjMR0FA44vY/s320/2012-12-06+13.46.54.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this picture of my youngest daughter's face. =)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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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/AVvXsEiyzBHL5MNy1lDLZD1SnAdmIswfqOmBDL7Dn7f68yW4Vgf9ahnMvoD3f1hntUK4tvLcone63am5bzmsHeDx-0IXFBi42pOG3ybMJi_JMYDrIX0U10lMQBGGPCw5eEzp1exnoGb9PcUaURY/s1600/2012-12-06+17.03.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzBHL5MNy1lDLZD1SnAdmIswfqOmBDL7Dn7f68yW4Vgf9ahnMvoD3f1hntUK4tvLcone63am5bzmsHeDx-0IXFBi42pOG3ybMJi_JMYDrIX0U10lMQBGGPCw5eEzp1exnoGb9PcUaURY/s320/2012-12-06+17.03.20.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little hard to see, but here are my older two on the Thunder Mountain Railroad. This ride is a hoot! Goes WAY too fast for the limited restraints they offer, so you fly all over your seat. I can't stop laughing when I'm on it.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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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/AVvXsEg7q-4QsYW3K7ARR_hx_Y8DRNPb6GWrEmX1Q0oMMisHuCq8vE2RRXpcSDHszRufasn7q1_TGI2gPE0UPacaZbnNArpfwEavCsivN7r8bTy7EmM_2bM1DCKQOwK6txNegdlEZnYLPOTHEdo/s1600/2012-12-06+17.03.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7q-4QsYW3K7ARR_hx_Y8DRNPb6GWrEmX1Q0oMMisHuCq8vE2RRXpcSDHszRufasn7q1_TGI2gPE0UPacaZbnNArpfwEavCsivN7r8bTy7EmM_2bM1DCKQOwK6txNegdlEZnYLPOTHEdo/s320/2012-12-06+17.03.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's my youngest and I on the ride.</td></tr>
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<h2>
ER visit:</h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2QNSpsV08V_TaQf5tNDBNZf6bIdsCkD3qJh_rp055-v93AapbEWP3ItzbQNkCWDPkbZB8maXm9pmlehQ7ycvq48Ie3R-ksJUpblSVbXYC4AUSbVmzjDmbkWqd6L1qzEeBHq2LgkPcog/s1600/2012-12-15+15.05.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2QNSpsV08V_TaQf5tNDBNZf6bIdsCkD3qJh_rp055-v93AapbEWP3ItzbQNkCWDPkbZB8maXm9pmlehQ7ycvq48Ie3R-ksJUpblSVbXYC4AUSbVmzjDmbkWqd6L1qzEeBHq2LgkPcog/s320/2012-12-15+15.05.18.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During a Christmas Cookie Exchange, my daughter was playing with a friend and got pushed over in a chair. <br />
The result = six stitches! This was a first for Mommy and I had to call in reinforcements (thanks Mom!) to stay calm during the ordeal. But what a joke that was. My daughter took the whole thing like a champ and never even cried. We showed the nurse pictures of our Disneyland adventures, which kept my daughter distracted while she received the shots. </td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEh0lB1eFN680XU-cn3FbVAB-cFO2oaJn4G2APsj2Xfvv_pVw8gkJJLStEyoOIZi8Xpv7jrXZoN5IVdoY1tKX7PZJKw8BhxRkeoUj2aSFpI_yeaOfbGh8F3iVp1IMaUqkshNd6OEJsC5abo/s1600/2012-12-15+15.35.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lB1eFN680XU-cn3FbVAB-cFO2oaJn4G2APsj2Xfvv_pVw8gkJJLStEyoOIZi8Xpv7jrXZoN5IVdoY1tKX7PZJKw8BhxRkeoUj2aSFpI_yeaOfbGh8F3iVp1IMaUqkshNd6OEJsC5abo/s320/2012-12-15+15.35.28.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While the awesome doctor was stitching her up, we took some pictures to show her. <br />
She loved seeing what was going on. Thank goodness for brave children!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
Christmas:</h2>
<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/AVvXsEgzptO3Y6iFi_nWdHoXxfHFRhkbvHm_STdGUv5rp7TUPseXhyphenhyphen7GVTv9xOAMD9-8oar5-rOXDSMO620Gnk_zJALuBjNyydvZnY8lNXTPXs3wd2W_X-tA57mSvo1xFiw0FtRvNnwg-V-6r8w/s1600/2012-12-23+12.33.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzptO3Y6iFi_nWdHoXxfHFRhkbvHm_STdGUv5rp7TUPseXhyphenhyphen7GVTv9xOAMD9-8oar5-rOXDSMO620Gnk_zJALuBjNyydvZnY8lNXTPXs3wd2W_X-tA57mSvo1xFiw0FtRvNnwg-V-6r8w/s320/2012-12-23+12.33.01.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are my girls wearing there pretty Christmas dresses from Great Grandma! </td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEhUhyafh6OrzIc5B-uOcQXnoFQonBzm8Cii5phGhzSi5f-YZfhx7lOmfGy6G0wttKOFl4P3qHc7iySjtdfv98-uVjVr315P1gU7e3BIOOj4Ksqg82KHEtfkS13QViqgLmxaEZyujol4eVQ/s1600/2012-12-25+13.16.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhyafh6OrzIc5B-uOcQXnoFQonBzm8Cii5phGhzSi5f-YZfhx7lOmfGy6G0wttKOFl4P3qHc7iySjtdfv98-uVjVr315P1gU7e3BIOOj4Ksqg82KHEtfkS13QViqgLmxaEZyujol4eVQ/s320/2012-12-25+13.16.06.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Christmas Day, we went to the home of my twin sister and her husband, up in the Bay Area. My sister is an incredible hostess and amazing cook. For Christmas appetizers, she served pears wrapped in arugula, blue cheese and prosciutto (WOW) and puff pastry topped with creme fraiche, shallots and thinly-sliced apple. Siiigh.</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEhLWkWDBUAESaXxa_pBM4buVvExyY56UtrljErk19PA2oVWnx59Es0Jz7RBSqCryVnPaikFXC_UOjEmJtXUC7zs8UgONz9U6S7L737SuLSEYqJIY8pdIU3yxXuliyIYd-0O2BQpYae-lyA/s1600/2012-12-25+13.16.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWkWDBUAESaXxa_pBM4buVvExyY56UtrljErk19PA2oVWnx59Es0Jz7RBSqCryVnPaikFXC_UOjEmJtXUC7zs8UgONz9U6S7L737SuLSEYqJIY8pdIU3yxXuliyIYd-0O2BQpYae-lyA/s320/2012-12-25+13.16.21.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She also let my daughter put together his veggie tree. How cute is that! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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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/AVvXsEgmsqye0f1g-7P4o13MubxSpQGY9XLDzA5OZtcv7QlDrsoH-u25_-bYTf9-BTilXeVpoAQ1OJcyqydf1Ul3v37indAxUJN7MqVuYnGjPYVk44N3PsR7mxlHQ6bJza_DXmxIh5PI_FHZ_hM/s1600/2012-12-25+14.57.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmsqye0f1g-7P4o13MubxSpQGY9XLDzA5OZtcv7QlDrsoH-u25_-bYTf9-BTilXeVpoAQ1OJcyqydf1Ul3v37indAxUJN7MqVuYnGjPYVk44N3PsR7mxlHQ6bJza_DXmxIh5PI_FHZ_hM/s320/2012-12-25+14.57.17.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a quick glimpse at the spread. We started with a pear/blue cheese/candied walnut salad. The main course was turkey, baconed brussel sprouts, parsnip hash, cheesy potato pizza, crescent rolls from scratch (courtesy of moi), and cranberry sauce. It was very drool-worthy.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJ1WjTp2wqyk7-eGNi4HnJmWg-9Mrqrb8R5MoxEq4Q6rx0sAQEHQob-QCGeziGNP1T5BOZgPIBb8OpCbjl6YbiXaVO-GNPEiKGReh33HfQ-JI0Rt0MKkxz4dqXHR7GDGNYMmB-bxN_gs/s1600/2012-12-25+20.35.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJ1WjTp2wqyk7-eGNi4HnJmWg-9Mrqrb8R5MoxEq4Q6rx0sAQEHQob-QCGeziGNP1T5BOZgPIBb8OpCbjl6YbiXaVO-GNPEiKGReh33HfQ-JI0Rt0MKkxz4dqXHR7GDGNYMmB-bxN_gs/s320/2012-12-25+20.35.17.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Growing up, my grandma always gave us granddaughters new pajamas for Christmas. My mom has carried on the tradition, and this year she had them personalized (since my sister and I tend to name our children with names that will NEVER be found in a souvenir shop). They loved them! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDS-m87rLPR-Yek7JlIwb2hcm65iZGnbT-9yri_bz5QN5lNnA8h4Ld5APZrjgEzXaNw_XhUDq1jqa3x8offRWmtl6p81jzFq131ttmPds8h8yX1BqMqVDS5S20_Kbu4Gt3ShGz4lStJ9Y/s1600/2013-01-22+22.08.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDS-m87rLPR-Yek7JlIwb2hcm65iZGnbT-9yri_bz5QN5lNnA8h4Ld5APZrjgEzXaNw_XhUDq1jqa3x8offRWmtl6p81jzFq131ttmPds8h8yX1BqMqVDS5S20_Kbu4Gt3ShGz4lStJ9Y/s320/2013-01-22+22.08.21.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thought I'd end this post with a cute pic of my son and Flounder, one of the dogs we watch occasionally. <br />
She loves the kids and always manages to sneak into their rooms at bedtime. <br />
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Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year!<br />
And January. Hope you had a good January, too. =)</td></tr>
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<br />Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-38982673850843489472012-11-21T23:48:00.001-08:002013-06-19T10:33:12.269-07:00Holiday Spending.A couple days ago I went to the mall and I thought of two things...<br />
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First thing: we should consider rationing out the holidays by last name. Or neighborhood. Or even Pepsi fans vs Coke fans. This way we will average out the number of people at the mall in any given month. We were <i>crazy</i> to think everyone in America should celebrate Christmas in December.<br />
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Second thing: the holidays are not an excuse to spend money. Sure, we like to give gifts, but I'm going to implore you all to only spend money you actually have. Shopping can be such an emotional rush, but there is always <i>always</i> regret on the flip side if you let the holiday feel-goods determine your spending limit. Go into the holidays with a budget....like, a REAL budget. Not a spending limit but an actual budget. <br />
Write down all the names of the people you buy gifts for (don't forget to include individuals like postal workers, teachers, neighbors, etc, if you generally gift these people). Then figure out your limit for each person, add all the prices up, and make sure it's a figure you c.an afford because its money you actually have. If not, tweak your budget. <i>Please please please do not justify credit card spending with your need to supply presents to your friends and family.</i> Essentially, you are giving away a borrowed item with the expectation to pay for it in the future. That's not what the holidays should ever turn into. <br />
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Oh, I'm not saying this from a high horse either. I've been there. In fact, one Black Friday a few years ago I applied for a store credit card at one of the stores I stopped at because I didn't have enough money on my other credit cards to buy anything. (Yes, that was extremely humbling to type.) I can guarantee I didn't need any of the stuff I purchased on that card. In fact, <i>I don't even remember what I bought</i>. And no doubt I paid much more than the crazy Black Friday steal-of-a-price for it when interest was tagged on over the next several months. How foolish.<br />
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I'm not saying it is wrong to buy things, but it is <i>unwise</i> to buy them if you don't have the money in your bank account to pay for them. So in short, please just be prepared with a battle plan for your shopping over the next month so regret is limited and you're not a slave to your credit card.<br />
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<br />Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-34655015386611822642012-10-11T13:46:00.001-07:002012-10-11T13:46:12.733-07:00Another catch-up post...The other night my husband nonchalantly let me know that it's been awhile since I wrote a good blog post.<div>
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"Eh hem...a <i>good</i> blog post??"</div>
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"No, I mean a blog post. Just a blog post. They're all good." </div>
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My thoughts exactly. =) Only kidding. <a href="http://beecurrency.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html" target="_blank">I know I'm not stellar at blogging.</a> Case in point: the dates between my last post and this one. Once again I'm left playing catch-up.</div>
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1. PUMPKIN FROZEN YOGURT!!!! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ingredients used were pumpkin puree, vanilla yogurt, sugar and pumpkin pie spice.<br />I strained about a cup and a half of yogurt, mixed it with a cup of pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup sugar and a generous shaking of pumpkin pie spice. Yummy!!!</td></tr>
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2. Shabu-shabu = drool. Stuart and I had an hour to ourselves one evening and found this whole in the wall place that advertised itself as Japanese fondue. And yes, it's mighty similar to the concept of fondue, only a thousand times more satisfying. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IAI2IQlVM1xOcQ222khmtv1Qjk0KseUmuhVq4_xYUlcMZPODy_-kFCdfXp6N47v5-CKli3d7NzYe477B6533a9Fdek9I1PcJrY_2kVX7RyNLol05E0gLSm1t1cj5-de6y-43jsa9m3U/s1600/IMG_1474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7IAI2IQlVM1xOcQ222khmtv1Qjk0KseUmuhVq4_xYUlcMZPODy_-kFCdfXp6N47v5-CKli3d7NzYe477B6533a9Fdek9I1PcJrY_2kVX7RyNLol05E0gLSm1t1cj5-de6y-43jsa9m3U/s320/IMG_1474.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the plate of veggies and udon noodles, the two sauces (ponzu and satay) and my personal pot of spicy soup broth. We were also served meat and rice. The first steps involve cooking 2/3 of your meat and veggies, pulling them out and enjoying them with the sauces and rice.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last step is when you put in the remaining veggies and your noodles into the broth and let it cook,<br /> then that gets poured into a bowl where you enjoy it as soup. Oy, my mouth is watering right now.</td></tr>
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3. Museum Day (haha)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5_-RRw_q7kYlcv16bpml9QLza610RcqS6xe4gWKXI1BXSDmLRGhe9pqvJGqgaApfDy5pTPyA_WWo-puDRIJKjzVQ0RawXd1p6m2AjFWaxv0wg2EIl4TeTqVgQ3R2GdVTlNFA2qN9rGA/s1600/IMG_1481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5_-RRw_q7kYlcv16bpml9QLza610RcqS6xe4gWKXI1BXSDmLRGhe9pqvJGqgaApfDy5pTPyA_WWo-puDRIJKjzVQ0RawXd1p6m2AjFWaxv0wg2EIl4TeTqVgQ3R2GdVTlNFA2qN9rGA/s320/IMG_1481.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not much to say about museum day, except for free Krispy Kremes and this hilarious mascot. Aside from him being the least energetic mascot I've ever encountered (but I' not judging..it was SO HOT), the kids kept tapping me and whispering, "Mommy, we can see his NECK." Sure enough, from the kids vantage point, you could easily see the guys scruffy neck and chin. So much for convincing the kids they got to meet a real dinosaur. </td></tr>
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4. BAKING!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3LGIF7V8ZWkatLvlqbao7qDQJAWBekd_SllvLvIueoVItFKzgltaIm9nW9bARpu9BeU3PFm7Ws4Y9rM5d8Fjpvsaw_OwO8J6ynUzDAfWtohtsKQoddz3DIAeRvy6S32oxKRnKmCx1zM/s1600/IMG_1482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3LGIF7V8ZWkatLvlqbao7qDQJAWBekd_SllvLvIueoVItFKzgltaIm9nW9bARpu9BeU3PFm7Ws4Y9rM5d8Fjpvsaw_OwO8J6ynUzDAfWtohtsKQoddz3DIAeRvy6S32oxKRnKmCx1zM/s320/IMG_1482.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It has been ridiculously hot the past several weeks so baking is at a slow crawl. But I did manage to bake these little guys for a silent auction. Fun fun!</td></tr>
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5. Pinterest Fun!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7U1frHkwXK0S7krNtIeVkHBqsykybXeQuy7ATAYZwp15QpF9kQ6yNPm2I-pwM1O5e0N4Z_mu-Hq9kBAmgPgKqXss1CldDEEEZo6DacvtPotMPYR8T8usMgGYWUQocgeNRu7zMWcAc454/s1600/IMG_1489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7U1frHkwXK0S7krNtIeVkHBqsykybXeQuy7ATAYZwp15QpF9kQ6yNPm2I-pwM1O5e0N4Z_mu-Hq9kBAmgPgKqXss1CldDEEEZo6DacvtPotMPYR8T8usMgGYWUQocgeNRu7zMWcAc454/s320/IMG_1489.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I sent my sweet little nieces a surprise package. Once they opened the box, their instructions were to pop one of each color balloon and enjoy their loot. My sister was really thoughtful and face-timed us on the iphones so we actually got to see them open the goodies. It was a lot of fun, and because it was mostly stickers and virtually weightless balloons, the box was super cheap to send! Thanks pinterest!<br /><br /><br />Aside from navigating the home schooling world, that's what I've been up to lately. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> (There you go Honey.) =)</td></tr>
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Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-68885687805048827992012-09-13T17:33:00.002-07:002012-09-13T17:33:27.551-07:00Last few weeks in pictures..Life is flying by right now. Here are a couple pics to update what I've been up to:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vsUAtvGAxQcYeKzKS3wqU91pEd8lPlWiHJ2WY7NyGvOAYsp2MKzIq7TB7Z5J39CcWo3lY9zTiaHlmq-WtHfVEJGmx0XwMb_Ny2bA7LrDxcUTeFyWI_G4rTg6uszRHfRaDi1eI0_mOQw/s1600/862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vsUAtvGAxQcYeKzKS3wqU91pEd8lPlWiHJ2WY7NyGvOAYsp2MKzIq7TB7Z5J39CcWo3lY9zTiaHlmq-WtHfVEJGmx0XwMb_Ny2bA7LrDxcUTeFyWI_G4rTg6uszRHfRaDi1eI0_mOQw/s320/862.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Threw a "Mustache Bash" Adoption Shower for a friend adopting THREE BOYS. One of her favorite desserts is vanilla cupcakes with chocolate icing. =)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEeMFKtj02LyPtK4ecYfPzuGrjnvpCE_KyW6-rMZ4P5xhY3ERjazfQMAifB47rmuZmKmuJF-CrBODBDykEjksaGDQSClNqnYXdAMf0JjZsYfqbwqeWo7hv5NdEPhWD1KiXZjafwrK-kA/s1600/866.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEeMFKtj02LyPtK4ecYfPzuGrjnvpCE_KyW6-rMZ4P5xhY3ERjazfQMAifB47rmuZmKmuJF-CrBODBDykEjksaGDQSClNqnYXdAMf0JjZsYfqbwqeWo7hv5NdEPhWD1KiXZjafwrK-kA/s320/866.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iced Coffee - YUM!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHSjuDoO5drn1LLWu5KA6R-DkS_bJOlF-OV3mVJo4VW4t5L1L3AoYT8SYDTA-VmMp3pGu1UObu52noQ6AH9rtwJMIKINfWyMpXsIlwG3o909Yyq2hi1_DwiSo-BGEyaxn_tpC1AcDVe0/s1600/887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHSjuDoO5drn1LLWu5KA6R-DkS_bJOlF-OV3mVJo4VW4t5L1L3AoYT8SYDTA-VmMp3pGu1UObu52noQ6AH9rtwJMIKINfWyMpXsIlwG3o909Yyq2hi1_DwiSo-BGEyaxn_tpC1AcDVe0/s320/887.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the first day of school!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKH6AXDeu71KZURqjNFT-UDPPnnvx7Pf5h1qhnTqlgb_2BBhWysZg1gX89vVYEmbobVHViN5vsghPpvObLizi1R6-uuReWBfLdpEdWU-CYKylZfz_Z4MswK6g33_mP-9WQBYhG2gEDOc/s1600/895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKH6AXDeu71KZURqjNFT-UDPPnnvx7Pf5h1qhnTqlgb_2BBhWysZg1gX89vVYEmbobVHViN5vsghPpvObLizi1R6-uuReWBfLdpEdWU-CYKylZfz_Z4MswK6g33_mP-9WQBYhG2gEDOc/s320/895.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My lovely sis treated me to my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season!</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEi-IzWTD124kHytq0DI1RBtKINhGI2LbQVqK9z_swUVP-qbushDx8uDVNjlWCTslYPKhEUt34JF0VZ49KvkiJseeuPJIZsINkNaNOGcHdBHtEDAruTUdV9jZtmwuemEuPAeKhJXAHq_LrI/s1600/896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-IzWTD124kHytq0DI1RBtKINhGI2LbQVqK9z_swUVP-qbushDx8uDVNjlWCTslYPKhEUt34JF0VZ49KvkiJseeuPJIZsINkNaNOGcHdBHtEDAruTUdV9jZtmwuemEuPAeKhJXAHq_LrI/s320/896.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got this marvelous idea from a friend - chocolate chip cookie dough put into cupcake batter!</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEjmDTzxWEPpRZIjogIIVZTh2IZOafzeUeNIZhVRkat6I-KQoke5N3-rhn7h9jiO4iw1mWQwrdNTHk6Hc3ITM6xEbiStki4zFONjPVXK-B5RFkikdgPOds0ucmkCljTyww3KYGZT3D2Dv1E/s1600/900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDTzxWEPpRZIjogIIVZTh2IZOafzeUeNIZhVRkat6I-KQoke5N3-rhn7h9jiO4iw1mWQwrdNTHk6Hc3ITM6xEbiStki4zFONjPVXK-B5RFkikdgPOds0ucmkCljTyww3KYGZT3D2Dv1E/s320/900.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cupcakes disguised themselves as Spiderman. =)</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEjTL3P9nJGQHnVdBlRrb-vSFdyQBAeQXpkiSZw1WG0gs_YfVNPF6Ep757zG_y9G0CzcQvKuuPtqxo5Dh80Q1rQBnrBw6mkq1RYHT71REJzW9bA80HfrCg_oq33ldtDfaTktk91jfhYJxQc/s1600/906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTL3P9nJGQHnVdBlRrb-vSFdyQBAeQXpkiSZw1WG0gs_YfVNPF6Ep757zG_y9G0CzcQvKuuPtqxo5Dh80Q1rQBnrBw6mkq1RYHT71REJzW9bA80HfrCg_oq33ldtDfaTktk91jfhYJxQc/s320/906.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found a new path while riding my bike. It was so pretty and completely empty.</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEiesqfpuJL3L3bd6foUCvU9gt6_1JR34JdRSR_LHK3ykBJGA_zjF_GcNZNb6yYQtxNfQHqLl6AKthCDi9p6BDBW0ei9b-aRNHx5T0KU-vEvmen8B0xomp4ytC7XeJuLa-BkkzzS4PTY2Vg/s1600/907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesqfpuJL3L3bd6foUCvU9gt6_1JR34JdRSR_LHK3ykBJGA_zjF_GcNZNb6yYQtxNfQHqLl6AKthCDi9p6BDBW0ei9b-aRNHx5T0KU-vEvmen8B0xomp4ytC7XeJuLa-BkkzzS4PTY2Vg/s320/907.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaannnnd......I got a little behind in laundry. Don't judge.</td></tr>
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Hope you are all enjoying your September!Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-41980308253430502072012-08-21T19:28:00.001-07:002012-08-21T19:28:15.093-07:00On the other hand...Almost two weeks ago I blogged about <a href="http://beecurrency.blogspot.com/2012/08/revenge.html" target="_blank">the mean words</a> a completely random stranger said to me. I won't lie, they hurt. But I also knew the person didn't know me and probably had plenty more issues of her own. <br />
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Jump to today when I went to a doctors appointment. The doctor started asking me some basic questions, starting with, "What do you do for work?" I answered simply: "I'm a mom." To most people, it's a rather generic answer that potentially implies I'm uneducated and socially unproductive. However, this doctor stopped punching buttons into the computer and looked up at me. "That's wonderful!" he said. I smiled, surprised by his response. <br />
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He continued: "How many children? 1...2...?" <br />
"Three," I said. <br />
"Ah, so you're a busy mom."<br />
<br />
There it was. That's the response that ALWAYS comes. <i>Three kids? Wow, you must be busy.</i> No longer are moms with more than 1.2 children <i><b>blessed</b>;</i> we are now <b><i>busy</i></b>. Well, I did have one OB/GYN who celebrated my third pregnancy and kept reminding me how much fun my dinner tables would be. That has always stuck with me.<br />
<br />
But then the doctor today said it again...."How wonderful! Will you be having any more children?" <br />
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I rarely, if ever, get this question. Most people consider 3 to be a large family; that only ladies in denim jumpers would consider more. So they don't ask. <br />
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When I told him that we were currently in the process of adopting, his praises continued. "You sound like such a wonderful mom! That's what we need....more great mothers and fathers."<br />
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By this time I was beaming. I've rarely ever been praised by strangers for having children and choosing to be a stay-at-home mom. But he was genuinely praising my position, and I was hugely touched. <br />
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So, to all you mommies out there: YOU'RE WONDERFUL! =)Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-17180897848126777732012-08-21T13:01:00.000-07:002013-06-19T10:33:45.058-07:00Mango SmoothieMy whole summer has been a competition: me vs the heat. I'm a wimp when it comes to hot weather, and so instead of surrendering, I fought back. I dragged in our wimpy ol' one room air conditioner (which literally only cools about 1 foot in front of the system), turned all the fans on to HIGH, visited my mom's pool nearly every afternoon aaaaand......<br />
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....made these:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlH8vSY0OnDEwEUAfbPP_AWnRvhdbxPL0m0L0M-gzEvYfP3BgX5pQXscBQqx562t5_lKpJP4dQaCwe8Llws-kw16rxr-VlenN7nhWaw2MfEti3pNYWwIJkl4Hgwu18MmP8NRAR_Fx7Nc/s1600/smoothie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlH8vSY0OnDEwEUAfbPP_AWnRvhdbxPL0m0L0M-gzEvYfP3BgX5pQXscBQqx562t5_lKpJP4dQaCwe8Llws-kw16rxr-VlenN7nhWaw2MfEti3pNYWwIJkl4Hgwu18MmP8NRAR_Fx7Nc/s320/smoothie.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<div>
My kids know it as mango ice cream (its the consistency of frozen yogurt). Want to know the recipe?? You sure? It's really complex. And time consuming. Totally worth it, though.</div>
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Got your pen ready? Okay, here goes:</div>
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TOTALLY COMPLEX, TIME-CONSUMING, MILLION-INGREDIENT MANGO SMOOTHIE:</div>
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Start with some mango (frozen is preferred).</div>
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Grab some plain yogurt (we use Fage).</div>
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Dump those into a blender, in equal parts. </div>
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Blend till smooth. Pour into glasses. </div>
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Pat yourself on the back for a job well done and consume...but not too much. It's totally loaded with artificial sugars, preservatives, and fake stuff. ;) Only kidding. </div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-65477320859501896062012-08-10T17:27:00.000-07:002012-08-10T17:27:05.827-07:00Revenge.<i>"It must be such a downer to look in the mirror every day."</i> That's the comment I received from a stranger while I was out on a walk today. <br />
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Truthfully, I have no idea what causes people to be so mean to others, especially to a complete stranger. However, it was a good reminder about the power of words, and I will use this as motivation to do the opposite - to <i>compliment</i> a complete stranger. <br />
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I don't know who all reads my blog at any given time, but if you read this, could you try doing the same? Just one compliment this week to someone you don't know. To me, that is the sweetest revenge. =)Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-33835001167144954792012-07-30T20:54:00.000-07:002013-06-19T10:58:48.279-07:00All Tangled Up: a Rapunzel partyYesterday my niece turned 4 years old. She is one of the most hilarious and sweetest little girls I've ever met....and she absolutely adores Rapunzel. So what made more sense than to throw her a Tangled-theme birthday party? When my sister mentioned the idea, we both hit the internet and started brainstorming ideas (my sister found most of them). Here is the party in pictures:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">the decorations:</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpc-UtsrCIry_m5zjMfnrx4fg5eT2G7RigDEhHzrvc2i_7BxHWAh0RPXIwcp6MTCsVmNEVDBFiLVytSzeq9sPonEbusCQN-6-2TIdzeTzGWYTkpTcbEQmjKiZh8P5bRVsW-hzNhNZmYE/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpc-UtsrCIry_m5zjMfnrx4fg5eT2G7RigDEhHzrvc2i_7BxHWAh0RPXIwcp6MTCsVmNEVDBFiLVytSzeq9sPonEbusCQN-6-2TIdzeTzGWYTkpTcbEQmjKiZh8P5bRVsW-hzNhNZmYE/s320/IMG_1257.JPG" width="159" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I know it's hard to tell, but this painting is HAND DONE by my talented sister.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEiL3mCRYiLrvqgu8CZJauuDAb6X45xAyNWsM-TjvohtJzQqjPTdrBN6lM7NvHR3ZNT2rDI0WoXWhIRaOoltBCd6xzxNHTLzxy8gtY9f2vWGfezFn5wEORR8QhiIuX-d3QnKWBoaCqDWYTA/s1600/IMG_1251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3mCRYiLrvqgu8CZJauuDAb6X45xAyNWsM-TjvohtJzQqjPTdrBN6lM7NvHR3ZNT2rDI0WoXWhIRaOoltBCd6xzxNHTLzxy8gtY9f2vWGfezFn5wEORR8QhiIuX-d3QnKWBoaCqDWYTA/s320/IMG_1251.JPG" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is another painting she did, along with a homemade yarn lantern. So cute!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yzbtFXfHy_en2qqk7COdPU8jzJw8wJlgVQmH3F-BHw-jY1V0CFexG3M6TWDVcpNEYi1_HWZFUGsqr8LaCO3nTXo_iQBPTnu7W2CUc4tpmt8LAPQllTFmQ45vx0x4hOQtVo_SCD6gylE/s1600/hair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yzbtFXfHy_en2qqk7COdPU8jzJw8wJlgVQmH3F-BHw-jY1V0CFexG3M6TWDVcpNEYi1_HWZFUGsqr8LaCO3nTXo_iQBPTnu7W2CUc4tpmt8LAPQllTFmQ45vx0x4hOQtVo_SCD6gylE/s320/hair.JPG" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><div style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
Rapunzel's hair. We also did a brown braid and paired it with some (paper) scissors and had that hanging out on the bathroom counter. =)<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM7gdSWziQ-oFnTNUhVRMEo04v2x9lHlZarOelhS7YstpL_hfTIS1NNDSOx44G1R1fMsLBYHw_BSjuZeWmFkUYzzslGR8xdf0hZzDY8_Ct-v1CCpynZ_9-RVpvupplfwnhCnLldH9eqQ/s1600/flags.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM7gdSWziQ-oFnTNUhVRMEo04v2x9lHlZarOelhS7YstpL_hfTIS1NNDSOx44G1R1fMsLBYHw_BSjuZeWmFkUYzzslGR8xdf0hZzDY8_Ct-v1CCpynZ_9-RVpvupplfwnhCnLldH9eqQ/s320/flags.JPG" width="184" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Another glimpse of Jenny's painting, along with the streamers she made. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyxxsispeBBAcPZ5_N3rTNAsfY8gHPwP8ywydYTjoV_LeeNr3nYlxpw8X5XMQqCkVMqP6Lzmz15xoAtXQwMxJ9vg5MaYTrmQa3EBC3q6FHacgfC9T1RBBLDZgD5Mo1c6z2ELYEESfGpo/s1600/flowers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyxxsispeBBAcPZ5_N3rTNAsfY8gHPwP8ywydYTjoV_LeeNr3nYlxpw8X5XMQqCkVMqP6Lzmz15xoAtXQwMxJ9vg5MaYTrmQa3EBC3q6FHacgfC9T1RBBLDZgD5Mo1c6z2ELYEESfGpo/s320/flowers.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
And of course there had to be color-coordinating flowers!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZSvnYJXIE1i3-5Ynq3GF-vG03RPlUKALJPsxKQUuTzmvOlONqyl21HKTaaOe4HftzHIfG11gRSTSfpIoN351aw0s1z6iiQLs7Y6aX6CXrtwh8fUCIUJMt0or91XTqK4i0Lb2_CEWix8/s1600/IMG_1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZSvnYJXIE1i3-5Ynq3GF-vG03RPlUKALJPsxKQUuTzmvOlONqyl21HKTaaOe4HftzHIfG11gRSTSfpIoN351aw0s1z6iiQLs7Y6aX6CXrtwh8fUCIUJMt0or91XTqK4i0Lb2_CEWix8/s320/IMG_1261.JPG" width="232" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What Tangled party would be complete without Rapunzel herself? My niece spent most of her party dancing and singing with her friends and her favorite princess! Rapunzel also practiced her painting skills on the cheeks of all the party guests. She was awesome! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">the food:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB09zZvt2RnDwJid9WB97vb3XGZO7_wWCkMuZmqugv1MScavwi9vvhzqMNhwuArsjcDa4GwEh3pfS-MAKiyNyRxGw6EG2sMEh_EBArtGBVD9QiBfmfSvT3G-y67ukk8_ERfn5hpMyWLg/s1600/IMG_1256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB09zZvt2RnDwJid9WB97vb3XGZO7_wWCkMuZmqugv1MScavwi9vvhzqMNhwuArsjcDa4GwEh3pfS-MAKiyNyRxGw6EG2sMEh_EBArtGBVD9QiBfmfSvT3G-y67ukk8_ERfn5hpMyWLg/s320/IMG_1256.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The obligatory veggies. <i>Something</i> has to be healthy, right?</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEj9hQnZhtuCYH_VMmxh-OPxARMK4ERzBzNqKhPyyUn7Il8VBxD8wt1EM3zCOfxQXwXsGRDTh2nV8C2qLv1Q3-5TQaf-q2sxItzWZxo96UnmUWgNf3RVU5zFsnUDfy0TDMTxmP1f175A6Vc/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hQnZhtuCYH_VMmxh-OPxARMK4ERzBzNqKhPyyUn7Il8VBxD8wt1EM3zCOfxQXwXsGRDTh2nV8C2qLv1Q3-5TQaf-q2sxItzWZxo96UnmUWgNf3RVU5zFsnUDfy0TDMTxmP1f175A6Vc/s320/IMG_1255.JPG" width="264" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We kept it simple for the kids: premade pb&j and chips. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGVI65twPToBs0CTKzwxS8BjW8FwSHFdIR0hgm6DxlLQcrfGIv0a_Nhk7c9iF4bTx-CDAq6C8q2fHc144humq1p0de0Gs-tAkxilOT-w0qJHN4MBXoWRYlfKdsFgZVsaiNiKZtQmChAk/s1600/IMG_1254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGVI65twPToBs0CTKzwxS8BjW8FwSHFdIR0hgm6DxlLQcrfGIv0a_Nhk7c9iF4bTx-CDAq6C8q2fHc144humq1p0de0Gs-tAkxilOT-w0qJHN4MBXoWRYlfKdsFgZVsaiNiKZtQmChAk/s320/IMG_1254.JPG" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jello adorned with clementine boats, perfect for lantern-watching.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEF1jZHmnOZmB4tXRyi5gOftEgsXnlgIEdrhGiMER5lElA2LQCgtU0DnNpUqWYimhEA1y_4g6Yh4m7Qa9HlZ0n9aHTp80S3JRO3Dtxar9COpBfwc39l0FWQGe8TzsrG8yzkkM8w28yD-8/s1600/IMG_1253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEF1jZHmnOZmB4tXRyi5gOftEgsXnlgIEdrhGiMER5lElA2LQCgtU0DnNpUqWYimhEA1y_4g6Yh4m7Qa9HlZ0n9aHTp80S3JRO3Dtxar9COpBfwc39l0FWQGe8TzsrG8yzkkM8w28yD-8/s320/IMG_1253.JPG" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">We put some of the food in cast iron pans. =) The adults were fed rustic rolls, cold cuts and cheese with an array of spreads: chipotle ranch, pesto and honey mustard. We also did some caprese skewers for munching on.<br />
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For drinks my sister served strawberry lemonade and iced tea. Yummy!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">the cake:</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A friend of mine did a killer creative Rapunzel tower and I was determined to do one also. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I printed out a mini version of Flynn Rider's "Wanted" poster - I thought it added a nice touch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluqN9G9068HL-LZPjjTXdiPxaejU8wRpmktU0BOz3jh6lrbw8chFEGWLqaUW1uxtnCAgOYOSxuhkr4wJyM7kW_gw-NivFyQNEd7lVTkONAPCJH4G24lyzJlaMsS9NBbYN3-ccJrf5rbk/s1600/IMG_1262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjluqN9G9068HL-LZPjjTXdiPxaejU8wRpmktU0BOz3jh6lrbw8chFEGWLqaUW1uxtnCAgOYOSxuhkr4wJyM7kW_gw-NivFyQNEd7lVTkONAPCJH4G24lyzJlaMsS9NBbYN3-ccJrf5rbk/s320/IMG_1262.JPG" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The waterfall. </td></tr>
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By the end of the party, my niece was exhausted. Her mommy persuaded her to take a "5 minute break" which turned into an hour-long nap. </div>
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My guess is the party was a smashing success!</div>
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Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-7519219594358794842012-07-26T22:54:00.002-07:002013-06-19T11:09:42.580-07:00Smoothies and PinterestI recently taught my two older kids how to work our blender, which has turned smoothie-making into a four or five-times-a-day occurrence. That's actually fine with me because they put healthy things like frozen berries and greek yogurt into them. Or, at least I <i>thought</i> they were using the greek yogurt. It finally occurred to me that all the yogurt was still sitting in our fridge, untouched, so I asked my daughter which yogurt she was using. She showed me...<br />
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I <i>really</i> need to teach her to read better. But at least it was the European-style sour cream...the kind that uses milk as its only ingredient. But still, ewww. <br />
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And then there was my son's smoothie. Our recent peanut butter purchase suggested using the peanut butter in your smoothie, so my son insisted on listening. He said it tasted really good so I suggested he write down the ingredients so he'll remember how to make it in the future:<br />
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Cantaloupe?? Gag! But he was proud of it so of course I praised his...uhhh....creativity, and that was all the encouragement he needed to make another one an hour later.<br />
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Oh, and I finally <strike>pintered</strike> <strike>pinterested</strike> made something from pinterest! Something tells me we could use a few more coloring books but, thanks to Target's school sale, we have plenty of crayons. =)<br />
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Sure, judge me for making the easiest thing I could find, but it's done and the kids totally love it. Now they can color while they drink their sour cream and cantaloupe smoothies. Yum.Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-55812502861996540482012-07-22T13:32:00.002-07:002012-07-22T13:32:45.379-07:00Summer!What do you get when you mix weddings slash sickness slash adoption work slash summer?<br />
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Answer: no blog posts. <br />
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The last few weeks have been spent watching my kids grow up. I am now the proud parent of TWO swimmers. Because of my fear of water, this is especially important to me. My mom, husband and I have really made it a point to get the kids in the water as much as possible this summer, and we're now reaping the rewards. Woohoo!<br />
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I also got to see my nieces for an entire week, while they were down here for my sister's wedding:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOWR5njAf1I-K4mRfACBxJUa4d7nqkmeKA4OcNgr_JGMvuW8InXt29_IOg9RUzUFhivTI0vaLo1B89vGLvGnvu6f_S9HYBDLmlKfFvDTfW6y09tJQLZGWg57bQjEyp5GhPUP6GAi-4LA/s1600/IMG_1168%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOWR5njAf1I-K4mRfACBxJUa4d7nqkmeKA4OcNgr_JGMvuW8InXt29_IOg9RUzUFhivTI0vaLo1B89vGLvGnvu6f_S9HYBDLmlKfFvDTfW6y09tJQLZGWg57bQjEyp5GhPUP6GAi-4LA/s320/IMG_1168%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My daughter and niece standing over the air conditioning vent. =) </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janoah driving off in Papa's jeep.<br /></td></tr>
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I also had the opportunity to spend time with a friend I've known nearly all my life. We met when I was 5 (and she was 4) and lived only 7 houses apart. We went to the same school and spent all of our weekends together. Here is a picture of us when we were younger:<br />
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And now....<br />
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Here is a picture of my two girls (ages 4 and 5) hanging out with her 4 year old (sorry, the lighting is terrible). This was so surreal to me...<br />
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That's what I've been up to. How's your summer going?Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-35126480166247377592012-06-24T19:58:00.003-07:002012-06-24T19:58:29.738-07:00On Being a Parent<div style="text-align: center;">
Without a doubt, some of the best parts of being a parent are...</div>
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1. Kid Talk.</div>
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"Mommy, this marker is Grandma's. When we see her again, I'm afraid we'll have to give it to her." </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">2. Homemade cards.</span></div>
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3. Early morning cuddles.</div>
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The end. =)</div>
</div>Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-4720087242027424172012-06-21T19:24:00.001-07:002012-06-22T09:50:56.249-07:00Better than TOMS?<span style="background-color: white;">When Stuart and I got married, my husband wore neither jeans nor flip flops. As in, he didn't even </span><i style="background-color: white;">own</i><span style="background-color: white;"> either. </span><i style="background-color: white;">And we live in Southern California!</i><span style="background-color: white;"> Since I am a BIG fan of a man in jeans and flip flops, I quickly remedied the problem. =) We jumped on the Rainbow sandals wagon because they were sturdy and comfy. When we received a tax refund this year, I figured it'd be a good time to update </span><span style="background-color: white;">my husbands flip flop wear. </span><br />
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While googling for deals on Rainbows, I somehow stumbled across the website for Sole Rebels. <span style="background-color: white;">Sole Rebels is a shoe company based in Ethiopia. They use sustainable, fair trade materials to make their shoes and pay their employees 3 times the industry average for similar work (4 times the minimum wage requirement). That's crazy insane, and it's only going to foster pride in the community, as well as give the workers the ability to give their children a great education and the chance to get even better jobs. I'm quite familiar with a different "socially aware" shoe company that appears to do a lot of social good on the surface but, as the proverb would say, merely "give a man a fish" (when you buy one for yourself). I don't intend to judge their charity model; they've given away more shoes than I have. However, o</span><span style="background-color: white;">ne of the biggest gifts we can give poor economies is not money or food or shoes, but the ability to thrive via themselves. Dependence on outside aid doesn't foster growth, it just encourages further dependence. Sole Rebels is a shoe company that doesn't give men fish, but rather teaches fishing - and pays the fisherman quite well.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Visit their website</span><a href="http://www.solerebelsfootwear.co/pages/our-ethos" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank"> here</a><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">to read more about the benefits of their business model. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Needless to say, I ordered a pair of flip flops for both of us and my husband's instant response to putting them on was "<i>YOU HAVE TO BLOG ABOUT THESE</i>." They are the MOST comfortable flip flops he's ever tried on, and they didn't require getting wet in an effort to help conform to his feet (true story). They are baby-bottom soft and fit quite well (they have a nifty shoe-fitting print-out on their site). I also ordered a pair of flats, which I LOVE.</span><br />
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Obviously for people on a budget (like us) this is a big splurge. But trust me - they are totally worth it! And they come with the added satisfaction of knowing you are supporting a fantastic company.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My husband and I wearing our Sole Rebels. :)</td></tr>
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Disclaimer: no, I'm not getting paid to say any of this.Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-49564398467042228512012-06-12T10:26:00.001-07:002012-06-12T10:29:03.413-07:00CampingThis past weekend our family went camping. I love camping. We went quite a bit while growing up and I completely "get it" now because, while I drank coffee and talked with <i>adults</i>, the kids did this...<br />
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...and this...</div>
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...and they don't fight, complain that they're bored, or make messes that I need to worry about. </div>
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The kids also had a chance to ride horses for a bit:</div>
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....and watch the daddies dig this guy out of a gopher hole and grab him with their bare hands. </div>
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On our last camping trip, the kids found a baby rattlesnake, which required instant death. I think the dads liked being able to play with this one for a bit.</div>
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A friend of ours also found this little guy:</div>
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and at one point, one of my kids grabbed my phone and took some pictures. </div>
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I consider it a fantastic deal to sleep on the ground in exchange for no fighting and easy bedtimes, </div>
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plus we get to make a few memories at the same time.</div>
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WIN!</div>Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-40140706422099681072012-05-30T10:50:00.001-07:002012-05-30T10:52:33.084-07:00I made an apron!I'm a complete novice when it comes to sewing. I think my biggest fault is lack of patience, and that's a weakness I'm too impatient to work on. I tried to take up oil painting several years ago, but oil paint takes sssooooooooo loooooooong to dry that I gave up. I found this out when I attempted to make a panel piece (2 or more canvases that create one painting). It's hanging in my dining room....unfinished. I even went to a free class and some people had been working on the same painting all summer long. Nuh-uh. If it takes longer than an hour, I'm out. <br />
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Well, recently I needed to pull out my sewing machine to sew some tablecloths (feel free to laugh if you know that this simply means sew a straight line in fabric). I've sewn a few more "involved" items, namely my monster crayon totes. <br />
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But its been awhile since I've done anything that creative, so I decided I wanted to make myself a "hostess apron" (aka half-size). Using some super duper cute fabric and WITHOUT A PATTERN (though I did see a picture of a similar apron), I pulled this off:</div>
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And it only took me one episode of Dr. Phil to finish it. =)</div>Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-54472857915106000272012-05-07T11:25:00.000-07:002012-05-07T11:39:23.259-07:00Me Make Salsa!In my short life so far, I've made wedding cakes, beef bourguignon, beef wellington, steak diane and homemade breads, puddings, ice cream, salad dressings, younameit. I've worked lead at a restaurant in Sea World, and made waffle cones at Cold Stone.
I was the cook for a conservation corps in the back country of Yosemite where pack mules had to deliver my groceries. I'm actually not afraid of much when it comes to the kitchen.<br />
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Not much, <i>except salsa</i>. </div>
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I have always been extremely nervous about salsa. I think it stems from trying to make it a few years ago from tomatoes I grew in my garden. I tried to boil the tomatoes to remove the skin, then I threw a bunch of ingredients into my mini cuisinart and pressed the button. It was AWFUL. So awful that I promised myself <i>never again</i>.</div>
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A few days ago I broke that promise. I was <a href="http://beecurrency.blogspot.com/2012/01/menu-planning.html">menu planning</a> and quite a few of my recipes this week have ingredients such as jalapenos, cilantro, garlic and lime juice. Then my husband asked me to make his employees chorizo burritos. That day, while shopping at Trader Joe's, I noticed they had a HUGE bag of tomatillos for $1.50. </div>
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Fine, challenge accepted: I'll make salsa. </div>
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I made two salsas: salsa verde and chipotle salsa. Unfortunately, I only took pictures of my salsa verde, even though (in my humble opinion) my chipotle salsa was WAY better. I've never been the biggest fan of salsa verde, so that might partially explain my bias. Either way, here are the photos I did manage to take:</div>
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Here are my freshly husked and washed tomatillos. True fact: tomatillos are NOT a tomato; they are merely distant relatives. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAD0jQkuTuIgjEBalszJ_yRWTx-3_j1qlmitQjo8ejTDJUsYNWCGHE4Jx0bsXaGeJ_dlAuyxSGPQEE6oOPzSfCNoeT9R10FKIy0mbMKD2Ne6q16Lkynj0bcWK2cr3xx_Sd5eul2x985Cg/s1600/salsa4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAD0jQkuTuIgjEBalszJ_yRWTx-3_j1qlmitQjo8ejTDJUsYNWCGHE4Jx0bsXaGeJ_dlAuyxSGPQEE6oOPzSfCNoeT9R10FKIy0mbMKD2Ne6q16Lkynj0bcWK2cr3xx_Sd5eul2x985Cg/s320/salsa4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here are other ingredients used: jalapenos, garlic, onions (from my garden...the only thing I can manage to successfully grow each year), and veggie oil (not pictured). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIpzGlvHL77WdsdqfvOYDs0G0_0Vkx-yL0npKFwto6YsvUEqGJzKD_xy5-kKxNu43b84FDos-rtKTiPAK2l-wQ9d8ldw3xWuk3dtaLJcUcbyHAkvWFJPWiieLF2S-pFcHkSw5-r45uzc/s1600/salsa5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVIpzGlvHL77WdsdqfvOYDs0G0_0Vkx-yL0npKFwto6YsvUEqGJzKD_xy5-kKxNu43b84FDos-rtKTiPAK2l-wQ9d8ldw3xWuk3dtaLJcUcbyHAkvWFJPWiieLF2S-pFcHkSw5-r45uzc/s320/salsa5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I cut everything up a bit, tossed it in the oil with salt and pepper, put it on a cookie sheet and roasted it for about 35 minutes at 425 degrees. This picture is about 10 minutes in. After 30 minutes, the tomatillos had deflated quite a bit and everything was colored pretty nicely. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTguFbEGRg9epISZpW3hIr5qXP1_HDmrROzB0n_3md5DnO4uJQEMbcaB20UbUPwkE_Yz8FyZI7hvKlQvQ0J4PapdmK1Tq-y97t7uoj7LlqqOI8QmGqSmObZu6Dxy7Qoc6fpXOWRNbOxJE/s1600/salsa3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTguFbEGRg9epISZpW3hIr5qXP1_HDmrROzB0n_3md5DnO4uJQEMbcaB20UbUPwkE_Yz8FyZI7hvKlQvQ0J4PapdmK1Tq-y97t7uoj7LlqqOI8QmGqSmObZu6Dxy7Qoc6fpXOWRNbOxJE/s320/salsa3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When it was all roasted, I tossed everything into a blender along with 1/2 a cup of cilantro, squeezed the juice of one small lime in, and pureed it. Below is a crappy picture of the finished results. The lighting is awful as I took the picture later in the day. The salsa itself is pretty thick. I remember reading one recipe that calls for boiling everything in a pot of water (instead of roasting it) and throwing everything in the blender, including the water. Now it makes more sense. Rubio's salsa verde is rather runny, and so was my chipotle salsa. But tomatillos don't have the same water content as tomatoes so you have to add water if you want it to be a thinner consistency. Stuart actually preferred this kind, though I'd probably add a little water next time. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFNJOVMLFKt6HWJpThkCXP9KotKm3zhVF0iH8p01JyKmT_D0yP9H-TkmRH6kTaVPEYhpmdUzoq8iUTIYq4pem6vUrcIeEB7dKNEKCO-ah8HabTBMoeXfx-CzjmxtdOM5LEujDPbZHscE/s1600/salsa1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFNJOVMLFKt6HWJpThkCXP9KotKm3zhVF0iH8p01JyKmT_D0yP9H-TkmRH6kTaVPEYhpmdUzoq8iUTIYq4pem6vUrcIeEB7dKNEKCO-ah8HabTBMoeXfx-CzjmxtdOM5LEujDPbZHscE/s320/salsa1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm bummed I don't have any proof of my chipotle salsa, since that was even easier to make. I used canned diced tomatoes (who knew!), canned chipotle peppers, jalapenos, garlic, red onion, salt, pepper, paprika and cumin. It was so good, Stuart didn't even bring any home after his work meeting with his guys. Now, with two successful salsas under my belt, I can say my fear has been conquered. One of these days, when I have more counter space and a kitchen-aid attachment, I will attempt my own pasta. =) </div>
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So, I'm curious - what is <i>your</i> biggest cooking fear?<br />
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<br /></div>Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-51774686712901515862012-04-26T16:18:00.004-07:002012-04-26T16:18:34.850-07:00DIY LemonadeThe past couple days have been cold and drizzly so, naturally, my kids wanted to make lemonade. Actually the weather had little to do with it. Instead of waiting for life to hand them lemons, they go looking for them and yesterday they found some.<br />
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Like most kids, mine are very hands-on. If I'm making a latte, they run in the kitchen and ask to push the espresso button and pour it in my cup. If I'm baking, they want to crack all the eggs and measure out the baking powder. If I'm making dinner, they want to set the table and stir whatever's in the pan. Obviously, when it comes to making lemonade, they want to do it all. So a few months ago, I came up with a solution: the (nearly) DIY Lemonade kit. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPAlJwhlFuBh7bry_RSyfl4AEKC9xB1roBKBAfsLPMjE-9qLExGu7RicL_ThyphenhyphenlkJGqKfW00R7g89u3PNnCOzxPJMzA2hnpwsIhR5qdHFCPa1wybJqLIZNt26xr7HGmS_6ak3rMTbTo8k/s1600/lemonade.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPAlJwhlFuBh7bry_RSyfl4AEKC9xB1roBKBAfsLPMjE-9qLExGu7RicL_ThyphenhyphenlkJGqKfW00R7g89u3PNnCOzxPJMzA2hnpwsIhR5qdHFCPa1wybJqLIZNt26xr7HGmS_6ak3rMTbTo8k/s320/lemonade.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 1:</b> Combine sugar and water in kid-safe pitcher. If you don't mind how much sugar is used, or if a pitcher is broken, I guess you could skip this step. <br />
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<b>Step 2:</b> Cut the lemons in half. Again, if you don't mind how many fingers are lost, you could also skip this step. <br />
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<b>Step 3:</b> Give the ingredients to your kids and walk away. Tell them to put everything in the sink when they're done.<br />
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<b>Step 4: </b> Applaud yourself...you totally just won a mommy award.Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-12445595368295806842012-04-23T15:47:00.001-07:002012-04-23T17:11:07.657-07:00Poop and PajamasI went grocery shopping this morning, and came home a little after 12pm. As I pulled into the garage, I noticed my handsome husband standing on the porch <i>in his flannel pajama pants</i>, talking to Jehovah's Witnesses. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against his pajamas. I personally think men's flannel pajamas are sexy (yes, I said it). Just, I'm not sure if wearing them at lunch time while talking to JW's is a sin or not? I don't have anything against JW's, either. The ones I have met have been extremely sweet and pleasant. I <i>do</i> have issues with their interpretation of the Bible, but that's for another time. <br />
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At the same time I arrived home, I noticed the gardeners walking up to our house with their equipment. Our gardeners have this odd rule about not mowing our lawn if we have anything but grass on it so, after parking, I raced into the backyard to clean up the dog poop left by our<a href="http://beecurrency.blogspot.com/2011/07/we-have-dogs.html"> recent visitors</a> (note to self: don't let the dogs near the K'Nex). We could actually be prepared for the gardeners, as they do come according to a schedule, but we never <i>ever</i> pay attention; we enjoy the surprise. <br />
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After cleaning up the backyard, I joined my husband on the porch. I didn't mean to interrupt the flow of conversation but my presence solicited introductions. Okay, no big deal. That's when the "worst thing ever" happened: <i>the guy reached out to shake my hand</i>. I get that handshakes are a normal American custom, but just as this guy reached out his hand to mine it dawned on me: after cleaning up the dog poo, <b>I never washed my hands.</b><i> </i>And to think he's probably on his way to shake some more hands. =/ My bad.<br />
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The JW's did a great job encouraging us to read the Bible and making sure we "worship God correctly." I bit my lip and tried so hard not to laugh when Stuart asked how he could get a copy of their version of the Bible. They were obviously thrilled. When the visit ended, I asked him why he was just standing there letting them talk so much. He responded, "Hey, I just used up an hour of their time that could have been spent talking to someone else."<br />
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How clever, honey.<br />
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The moral of this story: get dressed early and wash your hands often.<br />
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<br />Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7123621174051319220.post-9209940732332092502012-04-18T22:02:00.000-07:002012-04-18T22:02:38.254-07:00I did something right.When Cadence was exactly one week old, I cuddled with him and cried. I couldn't believe it had already been a week since I gave birth to him, and it confirmed that they weren't lying when they said it would go by fast. <br />
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This morning, nearly six and a half years later, my son unexpectedly ran and jumped into my lap, wrapped his arms around me and gave me the biggest hug EV.ER. At first I thought he was crying because he wouldn't let go. I asked him, "did you get hurt? What's wrong?" He replied, "nothing." "Well, what's up??" With a huge grin on his face, he looked at me and said, "my room!"<br />
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Back up two hours:<br />
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I have this odd disorder that causes me to stress if there isn't a clean room in the house. Like, really stress. I lose it. One clean room - even a <i>bathroom</i> - is the difference between a relaxed and happy mommy or a stressed and psycho mommy. <br />
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I know...<i>you don't even believe me</i>. It's totally true though.<br />
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So amid a week filled with dog sitting (which resulted in 3 different pee offerings throughout the house), giving blood (which knocked me out for the rest of Monday afternoon), church, Bible study, grocery shopping, hiking with the girls, basketball awards, classes....this list goes on and on...amid ALL of that, our house refused to clean itself (cue Shawn Spencer: "Whaa??"). Since today's itinerary was simple (i.e. blank), I woke up this morning ready to attack one room. Which room? Well, my son's room of course, because it's the least-visited room in the house. My son does not change his clothes five times a day, nobody cooks in his room, we don't eat in his room, we don't do laundry or even shower there. =) All in all, once cleaned, the room has a better than average chance of staying that way, which results in a less-stressed mommy. Seriously guys...<i>one room. </i><br />
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My son often migrates to our bedroom after Stuart heads to work (sometimes before, and he sneaks onto the end of our bed..it's so cute, really it is), which gave me the perfect opportunity to get up early and "clean" his room for him (hey, he hasn't noticed anything missing yet),) pull the sheets off and lug all the laundry to the garage, vacuum, organize, and fold to my hearts content Let me tell you, I walked out of there a happy and stress-free mommy. <br />
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However, the only thing my son knew this morning was that mommy went in and <i>cleaned his room for him</i>! It never dawned on me that something I was doing for myself would mean so much to him. And to have my 6-year-old son jump into my lap took me right back to our first week together and reminded me that he's still my baby boy.Jessie Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10294729993569858013noreply@blogger.com4