Our Five Ring Circus: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Tuesday Tidbits

Tuesday is my day to remember all the cute and funny things my kids say and do!

{DYLAN}

-Dylan brought home a paper from school. It said, "My New Year's Resolution is to be nice to every one."

-Dylan lost his tooth on Saturday night, and the tooth fairy only had a $5 bill. On Sunday morning, he came into my room to show me what he got, but he was still sleepy, and ended up falling asleep with the $5 clutched in his fist.

-Dylan learned all of his first grade sight words before the first half of the year was over, so he moved on to the second grade list. When I told him how proud I was of him, he smiled, nodded, and half-winked at me.

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{LEXIE}

-Lexie was playing with a Zoobles toy that she got for Christmas. She took the tiny baby zooble, and put it in the hole in the mommy Zooble's belly. She told me, "Look, Mama! The baby is in the baby born!" I asked her what the baby born was. She replied, "The baby born! You have one. You know, the one you strapped to your belly!" Ohhhhh...the baby bjorn!

-She tells everybody that Lily has "Funder Fighs." AKA Thunder Thighs.

-She also calls Lily "Lily Bo Peep."

-Lexie is learning about different races and nationalities, so she's been asking a lot of question. One question was, "What color will Lily be when she grows up?"

-Lily was playing on the floor and tooted. Lexie yelled, "Mommy, Lily farted!!! Her butt said, 'Change my diaper please!'"

-Lexie flopped on the couch and said, "I'm bushed!" Then she looked up at me, and asked, "What does that mean?" Now, it's her new saying.

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{LILY}

-I gave Lily a small taste of ice cream the other night. At first she seemed shocked at the coldness, and then began saying, "Yummm...mmmm...mmmm...mmmm."

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

365 Project: Week Four

*DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!!!*

{January 22nd}


Quiet day at home. Realized it was exactly one month until Lexie's 5th Birthday. How on Earth is she turning 5 already?!? Lily is starting to rock the baby mohawk...her hair looks just like a dandelion puff!

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{January 23rd}

The start of the school week. Library playdate with my best friend and her boys after preschool. A typical night with my kids: Every evening, after getting ready for bed, we all cuddle up on my bed and read books!

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{January 24th}

A crazy day! I babysit my best friend's nephew every Tuesday. This day also happened to be parent-teacher conferences for Lexie and my best friend's son, Tyler, so we each needed a sitter. Jocie came to my house first, and watched all 5 kids, while I had Lexie's conference, and then we switched! I am so grateful to have her as a friend! Lexie's parent-teacher conference went great, and she is ready for kindergarten! *sob*

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{January 25th}

Yet another crazy day! I drove Lexie to school, came home, fed Lily, drove to pick Dylan up from school, took Dylan to lunch, took Dylan to the dentist (great checkup, as usual!), picked Lexie up, drove Dylan back to school, then returned home. Once Grant and Dylan got home, we went to our friends' house for dinner!

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{January 26th}

Finally!!! A quiet day! I had the girls bathed and in pajamas by 3:00!

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{January 27th}

Dylan had off from school, Lexie did not. This did not go over well! After dropping her off, I took Dylan to Barnes and Noble to use a gift card, and then we went to toys r us to use my rewards to get some birthday presents for Lexie. After a brief stop at home, we picked Lexie up, and went to visit my parents for the afternoon. That night, we discovered Lexie's hamster was missing from his cage, but luckily, we found him 5 minutes later. Of course, he was in the same spot we found him the last time he escaped!

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{January 28th}

A relaxing afternoon at home, followed by an evening with friends! I managed to finish a book and get out Lily's 6-9 month winter clothes before everybody came over. It was a fun night! At the end of the night, Dylan finally lost his top front tooth. Lots of blood was involved, but he was rewarded with a $5 bill. The tooth fairy was all out of ones.

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And just like that, January is almost over! Time is flying by!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

GIVEAWAY: MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software


I am so excited to host a giveaway for MyMemories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software!

I recently won a copy of this software, and I absolutely love it! Shortly after winning a copy, I was presented with a review/giveaway opportunity for My Memories Suite. I was already so impressed with the software, and I'm excited to give a copy to one of my readers!

The MyMemories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software is so easy to use. I can create a cute photo collage in just a few minutes! Recently, I created individual photo collages for each student in Lexie's preschool class.

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There are so many ways to arrange your photos, and the free background papers are adorable...anything from solids to plaids to stripes to polka dots! There are layout options for anywhere from 1 to 12 photos.

I love how my photo blog posts have gone from drab to eye-catching! It is so easy to do with My Memories Suite!

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Even though I mainly use My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software to create photo collages and scrapbook pages, there are many other things you can create with it! My next attempt will be at creating photo cards! I know there's a lot more to discover with this program!

My Memories can also be found on twitter, facebook, and through their blog. Follow along, because they often post step-by-step speed scraps on facebook!

Blog- http://blog.mymemories.com/
Facebook-http://www.facebook.com/pages/MyMemories/140359372717593
Twitter-
https://twitter.com/#!/MyMemoriesSuite

I am excited to offer one of my readers a My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software download!

To enter this giveaway:

Visit My Memories and then come back to tell me what your favorite Digital Scrapbooking Kit is!

Giveaway will end on Saturday, February 4th, at 11:59 PM EST. I will pick one winner using random.org.

As a special for my readers, here is a Share the Memories code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value)!!!

To do this, click on this link http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software
and enter this code: STMMMS17417.

I will contact the winner by email once the winner is chosen.
Good luck to all that enter!!!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Homemade With Love

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When I was pregnant with Lily, I decided that I was going to make all of her baby food.

Let me preface this by saying that I have nothing against store-bought food. That is all I fed to Dylan, and mostly what Lexie ate. I did make a few purees for her, but never really put much thought into it. I even have a few "just in case" containers of store-bought food for Lily.

After much thought and reading up on it, I made my decision. I figured that I already make homemade dinners for my family 5 nights a week, so why not hers?

I began making her food shortly after she started solids, and have quite a collection stored in the freezer now!

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I can honestly say that it's easy. It's incredibly inexpensive. It's healthy. I know exactly what goes into her food.

I've been making her food for almost two months now, and I have learned quite a bit!

{1} You do not need an elaborate baby-food making system. All you need is a blender, BPA free ice cube trays, and freezer storage bags.

{2} It's not very time consuming. I can make a batch of baby food in ten minutes or less.

{3} The vegetables have to be steamed before pureed (as do some fruits). If you serve steamed vegetables with dinner, set aside a portion to turn into baby food, before serving. Many times, I have pureed some vegetables while preparing our dinner.

{4} It saves SO much money! I can get the equivalent of 16 jars of stage 1 baby food from one bag of organic frozen peas, bought for $1.00 (with a coupon). If you know somebody with a garden, ask for extras. That's "organic" gardening at it's finest. I received a bag of home grown sweet potatoes for free!

{5} You can adjust the thickness and amount of cubes your child will eat as he/she grows.

{6} You thaw out only the amount of cubes your child will eat. If he/she wants more, it's easy to just thaw one more out. Less food waste!

{7} Most food can be stored in the freezer for 3-6 months. Because of this, you are likely to always have a wide variety to choose from!

{8} Food should be thawed in the refrigerator or it can be microwaved. Leaving it on a counter to thaw promotes bacteria growth.

{9} Homemade food looks a lot different than store-bought food. You can make it thinner by adding breast milk, formula, or water, or you can just simply puree it as is to make it thicker. A lot of store-bought food seem gelatinous in comparison.

{10} Soft foods such as bananas, berries, and avocados do not need to be steamed first.

{11} Think outside the box! There are many different flavors and combinations to try: Pumpkin, Avocado, Blueberry/Banana, Apple/Blueberry, Apple/Strawberry/Banana, Carrots/Apples, and Squash/Pear to name a few! Lily's favorite food is pumpkin!

There are many different ways of making your own baby food. After much research, I found a method that works for me.

I choose the fruits or vegetables I'm going to use, and then steam or boil them. I strain out the cooking fluid into another pot, and then transfer the food to the blender. I begin to puree, and add some of the retained cooking fluid to adjust the thickness. In the past, I've also used pumped breastmilk, but more often, I use the water the fruit/vegetable was cooked or boiled in.

Once the food has reached the desired consistency, I pour into BPA-free ice cube trays, and freeze.

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After several hours in the freezer, I transfer the cubes to freezer storage bags. I write the date and flavor on the outside of the bag.

When it comes time for Lily to eat, I transfer the cubes to a glass bowl. Sometimes, I will do this in the morning, and allow the food to thaw in the fridge, but most of the time, I do heat the food in the microwave.

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I typically microwave for 30 seconds, always in a glass bowl, and then stir to dissolve the remainder of the frozen sections. The food is the perfect temperature for Lily!

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It took a few weeks, but Lily is finally starting to enjoy solids! She loves apples, pumpkin, and apple/strawberry/banana blend. I love the fact that I have a freezer full of healthy baby food to feed to her!

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Pretty Pretty Princess

What happens when a 4 year old girl and a Great Dane live together?

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Thank goodness Bailey is so great with the kids! Poor dog is going to have another little girl dressing her up soon!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tuesday Tidbits

Tuesday is my day to remember all the cute and funny things my kids say and do!

{DYLAN}

-I walked by Dylan's room and asked him what he was doing. He replied, "Just growing my hair right now."

-Speaking of said hair, he has been practicing his hair flip daily.

-Dylan's pajama top was inside out. He asked me, "Mama, can you inside out this?"

-He informed me that a sheet of homework that came home was "JFF." I had to ask him what that meant. He looked at me, and matter-of-factly replied, "Just for fun."

-One of his top baby teeth is just about ready to fall out. So far, he's only lost teeth on the bottom! I took a picture of his snaggle tooth before it falls out!

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{LEXIE}

-She told me, "I love you more than ice cream!" That's a pretty big compliment, but I got concerned when she told me, "I love you more than pickles!" She's never tried pickles!

-One morning she told me, "I need a hug and a kiss. I'm sad."

-After a particularly trying afternoon with Lexie, in which she said she hated me, she had her own way of apologizing. She sang to me, "I love my mommy! She's my best friend! I never say I hate her! She loves me and I love herrrrrrrr!"

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{LILY}

-Lexie wanted me to take a picture of her and Lily. Lexie had on a pair of sunglassses. As I took the picture, Lily turned her head toward Lexie and licked her sunglasses!

-Grant was talking to Lily. Lily smiled at him and said, "Ha Ha!" in a sing-song voice!

-Lily is trying so hard to crawl the right way. She is fully mobile using a series of rolls and pushing herself around to get to where she wants to go, but is starting to attempt crawling. When she's on the floor, she lifts her arms, legs, and chest off the floor and then throws her arms forward in a crawling attempt. She looks like she's flying!

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

365 Project: Week Three

{January 15th}

We went to visit Grant's family on Sunday afternoon. We hadn't seen them since Christmas, which is rare for us! After I uploaded pictures, I was shocked at how big Dylan seemed sitting next to his great-grandma. When he was born, he was her first great grandchild. She would sit in her chair, rocking him for hours. Now, he's so grown up and she has 4 great-grandchildren! That evening, Grant's brother came over for dinner and to watch another playoff game.

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{January 16th}

Dylan and Lexie had the day off from school. It rained all day, which washed away the snow, but that didn't stop the kids from trying to play in it! I admit, I stayed in my pajamas all day. We needed a lazy day at home!

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{January 17th}

We stayed home all day because I had to babysit. Even though we were home, it wasn't exactly a quiet day!

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{January 18th}

It was a busy day! While Lexie was at school, Lily and I got some groceries before heading home. I made 2 batches of baby food, cut up some fruit for dinner, and made some homemade iced tea. After picking Lexie up at school, we had our weekly library playdate with my best friend and her sons. After the library, they came over to play at our house. Once Grant got home from work, we headed over to our friends' house for dinner.

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{January 19th}

The kids and I spent a lot of time together on this day! I love my babies!

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{January 20th}

After Lexie got out of preschool, we went to visit my parents. Later in the afternoon, she and Dylan visited my sister while my mom, Lily, and I shopped. Right after dinner, we hurried home so we could beat the snow. Dylan and Lexie had a sleepover, Lily hung out with Grant and I for a bit, and we watched the snow fall.

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{January 21st}

Our usual, busy Saturday! We woke up to several inches of snow, but the roads were clear. Our day consisted of a trip to Target, a combined birthday party for our friends' sons, Dom and Jack, and a visit to my best friend's house!

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