tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46472861211723624202024-02-07T02:41:30.879-07:00Professional Twin MommyMaggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-19639234793036759122013-02-12T09:00:00.000-07:002013-02-12T09:00:34.130-07:00Mommy Bento LoveI first saw a photo of a Bento box in a parenting magazine when I was newly pregnant. It made me wish for a live-in Japanese mother who could pack me an adorable lunch every day. Since that wasn't possible, I splurged and bought myself a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Laptop-Lunches-Bento-ware-Leak-proof-L600-purple/dp/B0088N30YO/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1360683053&sr=1-1&keywords=laptop+lunches">Laptop Lunches</a> box. When I was feeling frustrated by gestational diabetes, that lunch box went a long way to making lunch feel fun rather than like a carb-counting chore I had to do in between finger sticks.<br />
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And then I had babies. Babies who like to share a chair with me at meals. Babies who like to ask for another spoon, a paper towel, more milk, and on and on and on. In short, before I realized what was happening, I was in the habit of eating random stuff I could fit in between kid requests. A slice of sandwich bread here, a few crackers here, a cookie, the portion of banana I could sneak in before the kids started demanding the rest... as unbalanced and carb-loaded as it sounds here, I promise it was even worse in real life. And largely because I was doing such a bad job with midday eating, I found a little over five pounds over the course of the year. When you're itty bitty like me, five pounds shows. Everywhere and obviously. I'm ready to lose those five pounds.<br />
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So I'm back to the Mommy Bento box. Every night when the kids FINALLY go to sleep - even if it's 10:30 (or worse, sigh) - I pack a lunch for all three of us. It's a lot easier to make healthy, balanced choices for all of us when no one is whining or riding on my foot or throwing Legos over the baby gate into the laundry room.<br />
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Here's a recent Mommy lunch. I added some beets and balsamic dressing to the salad at lunch time. Beets, goat cheese, and balsamic is one of my absolute favorite winter combinations.<br />
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Here's a kid lunch I packed for a picnic recently. (Yogurt in the covered container. And that's puffed corn from Trader Joe's, not popcorn, which is a choking hazard for kids under 5. I have major fear of a popcorn choking.) </div>
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The bento containers I use for the kids' lunches - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/EasyLunchboxes-3-compartment-Containers-BPA-Free-Easy-Open/dp/B004UIRUJ2/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1360683053&sr=1-2&keywords=laptop+lunches">Easy Lunchboxes</a>. I had my doubts about them before I ordered them, but I love them even more than my Laptop Lunches box. With the silicon muffin cups and spill -resistant smaller containers, they're so versatile. And when we had our picnic recently, I was able to stack one for each of us in a small-ish backpack cooler from Target. So easy.<br />
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Bento boxes... because you're worth it.<br />
<br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-29304210560359593932013-02-10T17:02:00.001-07:002013-02-10T20:56:22.396-07:00Stained Glass NumeralsA few weeks ago I was thinking that while Linus and Veda were doing great with identifying letters and counting, they could use some work in numeral recognition. We needed something fun that would draw their attention, and making something we could display would be a great way to continue reviewing. My answer? Stained Glass Numerals.<br />
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What You'll Need<br />
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<ul>
<li>Black construction paper or poster board</li>
<li>A white crayon</li>
<li>An Exacto-type blade (or scissors, but a cutting blade is easier)</li>
<li>A cutting mat (not necessary for those using scissors)</li>
<li>Sheets of gift wrap tissue </li>
<li>Craft glue</li>
<li>Scissors</li>
<li>Scotch tape</li>
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How to Make It</div>
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NOTE: Only plan on making 1-2 of these per day to maximize attention given to each numeral and to keep interest in the project high.</div>
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1. Draw the numerals with the white crayon on the black paper. Be sure to keep the numerals nice and wide.</div>
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2. When the kids are taking a nap or otherwise occupied elsewhere, use the cutting blade to cut out freehand shapes in the numerals, being sure to leave enough room between holes for strips of glue. </div>
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3. Tear the tissue paper into manageable pieces with the kids.</div>
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4. Apply a thin strip of glue around each hole and let the kids cover the holes with tissue paper pieces. By the way, single color or multiple colors of tissue paper per numeral - it doesn't matter. Either way looks great.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFAN0qdO4U91jc2-RbP1pK8WH8YrPkbJia0EMV5c7BgSc-ljM3oicap0ved2AtFRUgRknKnJkELi7NiQJJD68RcOrogRhEAQS_7GcHYZ9h5QBURcrv_brZZz2BO_ZAJV30igdeVtFvpQ/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFAN0qdO4U91jc2-RbP1pK8WH8YrPkbJia0EMV5c7BgSc-ljM3oicap0ved2AtFRUgRknKnJkELi7NiQJJD68RcOrogRhEAQS_7GcHYZ9h5QBURcrv_brZZz2BO_ZAJV30igdeVtFvpQ/s320/Winter+2012-2013+003.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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5. Leave the project to dry.<br />
6. When the project is completely dry, cut out the numeral along the white crayon outline, thus also cutting off tissue paper excess.<br />
7. Tape to window.<br />
8. Admire.<br />
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Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-82636584164371416552013-02-10T09:42:00.000-07:002013-02-10T09:42:16.964-07:00Indoor ABC Egg HuntThis time of year, I think we're all ready for spring. On warmer days, we've been venturing outside, but on colder days, we're always sorry to be stuck inside. To break up the tired winter routine, we hatched an indoor ABC egg hunt. Our egg hunt was a week ago, and the kids are still talking about how much fun we had. We'll be repeating this one for sure.<br />
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What You'll Need<br />
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<li>A set of letters to fit inside your eggs (We used our Leapfrog refrigerator magnet set, but they were just slightly too large for the eggs. Consequently, we used tape to keep some of our eggs closed, as you see in the photograph below. If you don't have a similar set of letters, you could always write out the letters or print the letters out on paper and then cut them out.)</li>
<li>26 plastic Easter eggs</li>
<li>A chalkboard and chalk, a dry erase board and markers, or even a piece of paper large enough to write out all the letters of the alphabet </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLgDi22Y7JUXXMtSHD3LMYwJiHwXvvfLZ9dqTLEF0U708-yFlHCiP-uXIcn8Hk6G5Lw1Abn25j4ldS7nKSbYv5A9GEvNMPNw-EWxvW_PaUoTOk5CBVR3oGs27EqmVkFXWBYckwgIxDro/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLgDi22Y7JUXXMtSHD3LMYwJiHwXvvfLZ9dqTLEF0U708-yFlHCiP-uXIcn8Hk6G5Lw1Abn25j4ldS7nKSbYv5A9GEvNMPNw-EWxvW_PaUoTOk5CBVR3oGs27EqmVkFXWBYckwgIxDro/s400/Winter+2012-2013+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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How to Play</div>
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<li>Check to make sure that you have all of your alphabet magnets, and make a note of any missing letters. (Our X is in pink on the chalkboard because it was missing on the day of our egg hunt. Knowing we didn't have it in the first place kept us from searching endlessly for it.)</li>
<li>Have the kids help you place one letter in each egg. </li>
<li>Write out the alphabet on your chalkboard/dry erase board/paper. Be sure to use capital letters for early learners and lower case letters for more advanced alphabet learners.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIACp4C6zDjM9QJMmcvGsvWzClwdjvxls9F19ieIoP5pt9gr1UeNWmSBmauQ-hcqndRoKAkB5CsI39Pco10C3bj5SF0aDx7UduJxcR7ejERUQXiEwwo6TOYC_VBQraSpXMwFAOa5X858/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIACp4C6zDjM9QJMmcvGsvWzClwdjvxls9F19ieIoP5pt9gr1UeNWmSBmauQ-hcqndRoKAkB5CsI39Pco10C3bj5SF0aDx7UduJxcR7ejERUQXiEwwo6TOYC_VBQraSpXMwFAOa5X858/s400/Winter+2012-2013+003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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4. Instruct the kids to hide in their bedrooms until you have hidden all of the eggs.</div>
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5. Hide the eggs in fairly obvious places around 2-3 rooms.</div>
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6. Tell the kids which rooms to look in, and tell them to bring the eggs to you when they find them. (one at a time)</div>
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7. When a child brings an egg to you, ask him/her to identify the letter inside the egg. Then ask him/her to find the same letter on the chalkboard.</div>
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8. When the child finds the letter on the chalkboard, cross it off. </div>
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9. When all of the letters have been crossed off, you'll know that all of the eggs have been found. </div>
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**One additional tip: I kept clean up to a minimum by putting the eggs and letter magnets back into their respective bags as the kids found them and we crossed them off our board. </div>
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**Oh, and see how I wrote my Z on the chalkboard with the slash? It's an old habit, and I didn't even realize I'd done it until Veda was utterly confused by it. So, yeah, no slashes through Z. </div>
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We hope that you have as much fun with your egg hunt as we did!</div>
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<br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-21013409884311729632013-01-22T07:07:00.000-07:002013-01-22T07:07:56.394-07:00No-Prep Themed CollageHere's a fun arts and crafts time activity Veda and I worked on this week. (Linus was more into play dough that day.)<br />
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I pulled a couple of magazines out of our old magazine stash and helped Veda select a theme for the pictures she would select and cut out from the magazines. On this day she chose Animals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYxS2jwUrPNWFAWzkGuvgVXyiIlrjdhSqLucv8ONLceR6OEe1Ajc9BOBPpPE3SDD5XeEglImPHqslJHdaOM8CMEuhKQc5z-zX6FjXEj45gOIMQZwybrIir93HCi1gjh6UQC2KmEgITqo/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYxS2jwUrPNWFAWzkGuvgVXyiIlrjdhSqLucv8ONLceR6OEe1Ajc9BOBPpPE3SDD5XeEglImPHqslJHdaOM8CMEuhKQc5z-zX6FjXEj45gOIMQZwybrIir93HCi1gjh6UQC2KmEgITqo/s400/Winter+2012-2013+067.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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She flipped through the magazines to find pictures that fit her theme. On this occasion she found a dinosaur, some dogs, and a pig. While her cutting skills are pretty good for her age, she still needed a little help. Next time I might pull the pages with the pictures she chooses out of the magazine first to make it easier for her.</div>
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Then she glued them onto the paper. This girl loves to glue.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH_6MKPPIa3Rfqlai5Qf-46ROwae1mjGjnwhNUkgwgTmCj577ynOIsNxOOjo-r2GPlR9aBxXhDAmnXanm3LpmeqRLRi5qbzFmYa4unCDngvDC5zUFiD4PCffT8GYafqwv45RTE81GILA/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH_6MKPPIa3Rfqlai5Qf-46ROwae1mjGjnwhNUkgwgTmCj577ynOIsNxOOjo-r2GPlR9aBxXhDAmnXanm3LpmeqRLRi5qbzFmYa4unCDngvDC5zUFiD4PCffT8GYafqwv45RTE81GILA/s400/Winter+2012-2013+065.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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Finally, she requested some pom poms to add a little pizazz. </div>
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The finished product...</div>
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In this simple activity, we worked on cutting and pasting skills. But we also worked on some literacy skills. Scanning pages to find images and then discerning whether those images fit within the parameters of a given theme - it's something we grownups take for granted, but for little ones, everything is new.<br />
<br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-28710912705923742242013-01-17T20:40:00.000-07:002013-01-22T07:08:08.749-07:00Preschool Homeschool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I semi-follow a few preschool homeschool blogs. Those moms are amazing, but I have absolutely no idea how they do it. A couple of hours of prep for an activity that takes five or ten minutes? Not going to happen around here. I've written before about <a href="http://professionaltwinmommy.blogspot.com/2012/06/homeschool-preschool.html">my thoughts</a> on the purpose of preschool and appropriate methods of educating little ones, so I won't rehash that here. I'll just tell you about some of the stuff we're doing to get ready for kindergarten.<br />
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1.<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sticker-Paste-Kumon-First-Workbooks/dp/1933241136/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1358453308&sr=8-10&keywords=kumon+workbooks+preschool"> Kumon workbook</a>s - These little books are great for learning skills like cutting, pasting, cutting, and folding. The kids are usually excited to work in their Kumon books when I suggest it (I would NEVER suggest forcing a preschooler to complete workbook pages against their will). The pages are bright and colorful, the pictures are fun, and the skill level required to complete the work increases at an appropriately gradual pace. We started these at about 2.5 years of age.<br />
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<img alt="Let's Sticker & Paste! (Kumon First Steps Workbooks)" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51htE0HtDKL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" width="200" /><br />
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2. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Writing-Marker-Usborne-Wipe-Clean/dp/0794530761/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=77C29963XLDS&coliid=ID7LLPR9ICP1O">Usborne Ready for Writing Books</a> -<br />
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<img alt="Ready for Writing [With Marker] (Usborne Wipe-Clean)" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51k7uR-iAGL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="200" /><br />
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This is a new addition for us at 3 years of age. The book progresses from tracing straight lines through tracing and writing letters, and since it's wipe-clean, it can be done over and over again for lots of practice. Under careful supervision, it also makes for a great waiting room activity (beware the marker).<br />
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3. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sticker-Activity-Numbers-Early-Learning/dp/0312504845/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=77C29963XLDS&coliid=I39MO19TQWU1TT">Early Learning Sticker Activity Books</a> -<br />
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<img alt="Sticker Activity Numbers (Early Learning: Sticker Activity)" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51H5eP5FueL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" width="200" /><br />
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What child doesn't love stickers? We have this book in both the numbers and letters varieties. These books are perfect for a waiting room as well. <br />
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4. Alphabet and Number/Counting Games<br />
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Learning should always be fun for little ones, so it's important to incorporate lots of games and toys. These are some of the no-prep ways we work on alphabet and counting skills. We don't have a set routine for doing most of these things. We just do them when the time seems right.<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Alphabet-Train-Puzzle/dp/B00004R8LZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1358455675&sr=1-1&keywords=melissa+and+doug+alphabet+train+floor+puzzle">Melissa & Doug Alphabet Train Puzzle</a> - When we work this puzzle, I sing the alphabet song while pointing to each letter as I sing it. When we get to a gap in the train, I call out the letter that comes next, and the kids search the pieces for the next car on the train. We place it on the train while saying the name of the letter as well as the corresponding animal. ("T for Tiger!") Then we sing the alphabet song again until we run into the next gap in the train. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/VTech-80-076600-Sit-to-Stand-Alphabet-Train/dp/B0015399MG/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1358455944&sr=1-1&keywords=vtech+alphabet+train">VTech Sit-to-Stand Alphabet Train</a> - Linus and Veda have aged beyond the 36 months upper limit for riding this toy, but they still have fun finding the letters I call out and putting them down the train's chute. (As for the train's tinny electronic commands to insert the letter blocks into the slots? They couldn't care less.)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-19199-Letter-Factory-Phonics/dp/B00804BCO6/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1358455354&sr=1-1&keywords=leapfrog+fridge+phonics">LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnets</a> - I keep this toy and its many parts in a big ziploc under the kitchen sink. It's great for pulling out when I need the kids to occupy themselves while I'm cooking dinner. The letter magnets could have any number of uses on their own. We've got plans to do an indoor egg hunt this winter with the letters tucked inside the eggs.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Large-Wooden-Inside-Puzzle-26-Piece/dp/B00004R7OJ/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1358456029&sr=1-2&keywords=alphabet+puzzle+wooden">Alphabet Puzzle</a> - There are so many wooden alphabet puzzles out there. Some of them talk. Some of them have pictures underneath. I bought our basic model for about $4 when Border's was going out of business. </li>
<li>Chalkboard Games - We have one of those two-sided easels in our playroom. On the chalkboard side, I'll write a few letters. Then I call out the letters and have the kids either erase the letter or cross it out with chalk. It's also fun to draw shapes and ask them to count them. ("How many squares did I draw?") We also have fun playing copycat. I draw a circle, then they draw a circle, etc.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/University-Games-Super-Letter-Preschool/dp/B001SOZDFO/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1358456320&sr=1-1&keywords=superwhy+alphabet+game">Super Why ABC Letter Preschool Game</a> - This one is on our wish list for 3.5 years of age. It seems a bit old for us right now, but for Super Why fans, it looks like a super fun way to learn about the alphabet and phonics. </li>
<li>Chutes and Ladders and Candyland - Remember these games? They're still excellent for counting practice. </li>
<li>Alphabet and Number Cookie Cutters with play dough or cookie dough</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-5028-Alphabet-Write-A-Mat/dp/B001UL5BJS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1358475983&sr=8-3&keywords=write+a+mat+melissa+and+doug">Melissa & Doug Write-A-Mat</a>s - With washable crayons, these place mats can be used again and again. They give us things to talk about at meals, and if I ever get it together, I might remember to pull them out for the kids to work on when I'm making dinner.</li>
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<img alt="Melissa & Doug Alphabet Write-A-Mat" height="200" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51AbyH-8FuL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="200" /></div>
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<li>Found Counting Objects - I used to think I needed to buy a set of counting bears. Nah. Waste of money. There are so many other things to count: paperclips, matchbox cars, crayons, etc. Remember our acorn counting game I described earlier? </li>
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I shook ten acorns up in a couple of plastic cups, bartender-style. Then I'd hand a cup to each kid and let the kids count out the acorns. Fun, and (if you already own a couple of cups and have some access to nature) FREE!</div>
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<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sassy-Bathtime-Fun-Appliques-Piece/dp/B001IDYCA2/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1358476854&sr=1-1&keywords=bathtub+letters+and+numbers">Bathtub Letters and Numbers</a> - I like to keep about 7 letters and numbers in the tub at a time and rotate them out to keep it from being overwhelming. </li>
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5. Baking Day - Linus and Veda love helping me cook, especially when we're baking a treat. Helping out in the kitchen is perfect for teaching fine motor skills, patience, and control ("*Gentle* stirring, please!").<br />
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6. Arts and Crafts - It doesn't have to be anything fancy, and at our house, it usually isn't. Coloring, drawing, cutting up magazines, pasting pictures from old magazines onto a collage, finger painting, painting with tempura paints, stamping, painting with watercolors, playing with play dough... there are so many possibilities. With the exception of crazy days, we try to fit in arts and crafts time daily around here.<br />
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7. Library Storytime - Our library's storytime involves books, singing, playing kiddie instruments, catching bubbles, and creating a craft. That's a lot of good stuff for little guys. And it's FREE. <br />
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8. PBS - Sure, it's no good to sit a child in front of the tv for hours on end, but an episode of Sesame Street and Super Why... that's some good stuff.<br />
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9. Encouraging and Exploring Interests - One of an educator's goals should always be to encourage a love of learning. One of the best ways to do that is by helping kids pursue deeper knowledge in whatever their fields of interest might be. It's no secret that Linus is REALLY into rocket ships. We took him to Kennedy Space Center this summer, where among other adventures, he got to touch a piece of the moon and walk under a real Saturn V rocket. His favorite evening bonding activity with his dad is watching videos of launches on YouTube. We've amassed a small collection of rockets that we shoot off on the weekends. We check out library books about all things space. It's all worth it to overhear him making up a conversation between John Glenn and Mission Control.<br />
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10. Miscellaneous Activities I Find on Pinterest - Isn't Pinterest wonderful? You can follow my Homeschooling - Preschool board <a href="http://pinterest.com/mmartinphoto/homeschooling-preschool/">HERE</a>. I try to limit my pin selections to things that require minimal prep and provide maximum learning payoff.<br />
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11. A Daily Reading Routine - There's probably nothing else so critical to a child's future academic success as being read to. We aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of reading daily between nap time and bedtime readings. Sometimes one or both kids aren't up for sitting still in my lap. That's okay. It's still beneficial if they can listen.<br />
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12. Music - We have a repertoire of songs with ASL signs that we like to sing during bath time. We also have a small collection of instruments - an egg shaker, some maracas, a tambourine/drum, some rhythm sticks, and a retro Fisher-Price xylophone. One of Linus and Veda's favorite things to do is to turn on their Pandora station (The Wiggles, with tweaks) and dig into the instrument box. And there's also car singing, which is fun for me too... until I get shushed. <br />
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<br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-23895875067937445792013-01-15T20:29:00.001-07:002013-01-15T20:29:39.099-07:00The Day You Turned 3This kid started the day out bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUCpxGc-ibJS5xYcj1Lm26aYK3fBX3G3JpWyRYV6huXPnjrxlqXYzuMHzW7n7pJF0BFE7-rMDp8WIJR3FnvxwdHIeEZZdOLakPahUtBtaaWesr8YJIVKqXBM6GrKWTzcCpYBduY9zXcg/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUCpxGc-ibJS5xYcj1Lm26aYK3fBX3G3JpWyRYV6huXPnjrxlqXYzuMHzW7n7pJF0BFE7-rMDp8WIJR3FnvxwdHIeEZZdOLakPahUtBtaaWesr8YJIVKqXBM6GrKWTzcCpYBduY9zXcg/s320/Winter+2012-2013+062.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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This kid... did not. In fact, this kid has been waking up in bed with me for the last couple of months. Thanks to separation anxiety, Veda pages me every night at some point between 12:30 and 4. It does make for some cramped sleeping conditions, but I know that it helps her feel safe, so it's okay.</div>
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Veda, at a mere three years old, you have a whole world of possibility ahead of you. One possibility that's off the table, however, is that of you being a morning person. Here you're all snuggled up with your Thomas cozy while waking up to a little PBS. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMl668SKFUVQYlLsebDE4iZpAqu24e4Q5rHDyfBjivFIUHB7tYegnTCAABH3weAi-VLDJSgACnHN36eYnfQGiBFjLq2e758VSEEarxd7fmrykUM4E_lBsdqQIO0K5IJ81u0VLmqrXVEbg/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMl668SKFUVQYlLsebDE4iZpAqu24e4Q5rHDyfBjivFIUHB7tYegnTCAABH3weAi-VLDJSgACnHN36eYnfQGiBFjLq2e758VSEEarxd7fmrykUM4E_lBsdqQIO0K5IJ81u0VLmqrXVEbg/s320/Winter+2012-2013+068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Linus was pumped up about his birthday breakfast: pancakes with syrup and scrambled eggs. I'm pretty sure he slipped most of his eggs to Mimi.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHR9aPbfEPcVKPOVsPBKvFpOTwEMzK6PjxOvRJnUunjLTBCrCI5TjHFvOTrWs5xL8-fkXlrdn7Zh51_rJgyLKdDj5IM8ks3qw921MAhCXDzyk6pgGj2SKjFzYRmiE4mhcEPq34aBXHgY/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHR9aPbfEPcVKPOVsPBKvFpOTwEMzK6PjxOvRJnUunjLTBCrCI5TjHFvOTrWs5xL8-fkXlrdn7Zh51_rJgyLKdDj5IM8ks3qw921MAhCXDzyk6pgGj2SKjFzYRmiE4mhcEPq34aBXHgY/s320/Winter+2012-2013+071.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Oh, and here's a prime example of the #1 thing you guys do that drives me crazy. Walking around the house, Linus randomly picked up this piece of train track and set it down on the table... for no reason whatsoever. Why do you do this??? </div>
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Here Veda is laughing about our inside Thomas the Train joke. We always laugh together at the "Your Loving Daddy" line in the Thomas opening. It's one of the little details of our Saturday mornings I want to remember forever and for always.</div>
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Gummy bear multivitamins are also a part of our morning routine. Heaven forbid I forget them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUguyf4c2N15GlXKI7gJtDPzI4_IDbQzPdjKEZqWKYhdhe3O1GnxWwK4RzOQqDeQhBO13g8ehzgsY4PgEdXmtMlC_W0uHPaAaEQoYsMFwrL0FjlQ3HdaOmpSYL__bEeWeYcvS2RyfUOEM/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUguyf4c2N15GlXKI7gJtDPzI4_IDbQzPdjKEZqWKYhdhe3O1GnxWwK4RzOQqDeQhBO13g8ehzgsY4PgEdXmtMlC_W0uHPaAaEQoYsMFwrL0FjlQ3HdaOmpSYL__bEeWeYcvS2RyfUOEM/s320/Winter+2012-2013+079.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After breakfast, Veda helped me get the dishwasher started. Putting in the detergent packet is one of her favorite chores. </div>
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It was time to get dressed. Here is moi in my mommy uniform. With all of the playing in the floor and cleaning I do, yes, sweats are absolutely called for. But no pajamas during the day. I have my standards.</div>
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Here's Little Man playing with a matchbox airplane...</div>
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... while Veda cooks. Oh, that hair clippy? It's there to manage a little patch of sticky syrup hair.</div>
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Arts and Crafts time! Veda wanted to work on a Kumon book today. Linus wanted to do play dough. </div>
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Then Nana paid a birthday visit to drop off a few Christmas gifts from out-of-state family.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcSMACdnxdUc956ftbaYbOFsVzs7ZX1uPGBv1KK3M6KTLi_h1pz-9Fdtsotu2LEAQRIx4gVM4lvPptlrzYwTPykQU4F9I3NA6ioDqlqFpCr8e96mrKiGn0bDqoGCy4UDEAf6wx8orU28/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcSMACdnxdUc956ftbaYbOFsVzs7ZX1uPGBv1KK3M6KTLi_h1pz-9Fdtsotu2LEAQRIx4gVM4lvPptlrzYwTPykQU4F9I3NA6ioDqlqFpCr8e96mrKiGn0bDqoGCy4UDEAf6wx8orU28/s320/Winter+2012-2013+012.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Linus playing in the floor with a Hex bug.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoNUiUTPugWXnFjVHXyKVyP7ae7_ehyy-XyO3rBWA0X6bRvMGWcg6tviapvBHi-JV6g33nZPPXcoo7QLbPdLNo0twPEktVjXqnCEN-1p-7w9m8wtEQpTutF4QuelxNuT_hjMkOcJPk_I/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoNUiUTPugWXnFjVHXyKVyP7ae7_ehyy-XyO3rBWA0X6bRvMGWcg6tviapvBHi-JV6g33nZPPXcoo7QLbPdLNo0twPEktVjXqnCEN-1p-7w9m8wtEQpTutF4QuelxNuT_hjMkOcJPk_I/s320/Winter+2012-2013+021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mostly playing with blocks, with a side of eating lunch (vegetable soup).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhoKGaWJAXHdBupdrnXF_vit1T67jK6PEswdpQ2EY7cwvH8eRyAMn4hML9-yWoU_FF2uHLvaGRHqNYpzIkxTVbUmooSZ3zifzFBkiLzZBP4NuiCWo3PIQoufnJ3GXZGUFXjORt1RzL2I/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhoKGaWJAXHdBupdrnXF_vit1T67jK6PEswdpQ2EY7cwvH8eRyAMn4hML9-yWoU_FF2uHLvaGRHqNYpzIkxTVbUmooSZ3zifzFBkiLzZBP4NuiCWo3PIQoufnJ3GXZGUFXjORt1RzL2I/s320/Winter+2012-2013+029.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Linus is turning in a particular little person. He got a little soup on his sleeve, so the entire shirt had to be removed. Immediately.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTTiujuj_1OeiBW8nBZ9eN6ImtBEXJnzkoYZHQkQ8YNz7NlR6W-FLxOv2a1KZXCYPV6FV8MwKpR51BiAZBA_LctgyaR7l5XeFGhGX7NknP7MhPA45qIkNW1n1K9km_mvCunl1GoOKPNA/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTTiujuj_1OeiBW8nBZ9eN6ImtBEXJnzkoYZHQkQ8YNz7NlR6W-FLxOv2a1KZXCYPV6FV8MwKpR51BiAZBA_LctgyaR7l5XeFGhGX7NknP7MhPA45qIkNW1n1K9km_mvCunl1GoOKPNA/s320/Winter+2012-2013+040.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Time to see how tall we are! Linus was just a little over 37".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOwyYbHi9XqYg5pYBNOGtiMFzCHETkV0UWCyEbStrtyLsSpZj0H8bvVSFW2dDrM8OtBziCRZsmvDh2RYGzvTwwyDqOk2OJlHe3_B4IkmB3Qe_KNP1JI2v68IGQXwEKYAcCgBFPKGF_Pg/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOwyYbHi9XqYg5pYBNOGtiMFzCHETkV0UWCyEbStrtyLsSpZj0H8bvVSFW2dDrM8OtBziCRZsmvDh2RYGzvTwwyDqOk2OJlHe3_B4IkmB3Qe_KNP1JI2v68IGQXwEKYAcCgBFPKGF_Pg/s320/Winter+2012-2013+049.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Veda was a little shy of 35".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rNB0nOB5qw_eRcO7ehuvB2kvTMo-S86av58WNbzvqEJawtj6rpgQxXmEmPuhLkrYwJBQOL3RqYcUn2Ty0ZhjOsyOtTjAZfe_V41Xsv7SxbhtspS6KIulalrEc6c-awEAld5YAwgx838/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rNB0nOB5qw_eRcO7ehuvB2kvTMo-S86av58WNbzvqEJawtj6rpgQxXmEmPuhLkrYwJBQOL3RqYcUn2Ty0ZhjOsyOtTjAZfe_V41Xsv7SxbhtspS6KIulalrEc6c-awEAld5YAwgx838/s320/Winter+2012-2013+050.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Playing with the Darda track.</div>
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Time for a nap. These are the books we read together beforehand.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykkfm6w2nAePlBI8wg_txo46Yq8ChK_L3VY174rASsfA8EyruHfA7JnVVUsTDekt7AUH6LKwLuvgip3361iKmvW5qA_MDtNA9inZH7qZ-370htEeLiXFVhuDW8VzWI8c48UYnTyVA85w/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykkfm6w2nAePlBI8wg_txo46Yq8ChK_L3VY174rASsfA8EyruHfA7JnVVUsTDekt7AUH6LKwLuvgip3361iKmvW5qA_MDtNA9inZH7qZ-370htEeLiXFVhuDW8VzWI8c48UYnTyVA85w/s320/Winter+2012-2013+055.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Veda has been on a growth spurt, so she had to sneak in a little snack while we were reading.</div>
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All cuddled up in bed with the 50,000 objects he requires to go to sleep.</div>
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Trying to shake the post-nap grumpies.<br />
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When everyone was sufficiently awake, we headed down the Commons to shoot off some model rockets. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9078HH98FaXbF3lDtY7BJEsT26g942OKuZdKJFJKsYmHQym6p1qryRGOoHdZsks_lwxQ6_QEBaEeBX2QPq5SH88VY0C65d2AsL4YTB99IDLCnzZJ5pwbG23r_8XWEUg9dlPnjoERT-Y/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9078HH98FaXbF3lDtY7BJEsT26g942OKuZdKJFJKsYmHQym6p1qryRGOoHdZsks_lwxQ6_QEBaEeBX2QPq5SH88VY0C65d2AsL4YTB99IDLCnzZJ5pwbG23r_8XWEUg9dlPnjoERT-Y/s320/Winter+2012-2013+063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We counted down to ignition and launched.</div>
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Then the retrieval crew set out.</div>
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Next up, we decided to hit up Smart Toys & Books for a little birthday treat. Except here's the thing: IT WAS CLOSED. Not good. Not good at all. But toy store promises had been made, so we pouted our way over to Toys R Us. </div>
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It was a trip to a toy store. It should have been a joyous occasion, right? No. No. It was miserable. Linus found a three pack of emergency vehicles with lights and sirens quickly enough. But Veda had a hard time finding anything. I could complain about TRU's narrow definition of girlhood, but we'll gloss over that. Here we are in the Thomas the Train section... where we spent probably 45 minutes. Veda kept asking for things that she either already had or already had a similar version of.... Oy, it was frustrating. There may have been some lip quivering. Finally I convinced her to get a play dough ice cream toy. It's kind of a crappy toy, but by golly, we made it out of that big box toy store alive. (Talk about your first world problems...)</div>
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On a happier note, our next stop was frozen yogurt. Here's Linus with his new ambulance.</div>
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We finished up our evening at Salsarita's with some chips and queso. </div>
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By the time we finally got home, it was late. Maybe 9:30. Yeah, p.m. So for maybe the second or third time ever (since you were newborns), you guys went to bed without a bath. Phew. We were tired people. </div>
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But we sure were happy.</div>
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<span id="goog_1259740975"></span><span id="goog_1259740976"></span><br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-63244744172199584652013-01-02T12:20:00.002-07:002013-01-02T12:20:44.757-07:00Hey Girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Confession I: The above "Hey Girl" meme has nothing to do with parenting or healthy eating. I just want to put it on Pinterest so the other five people who love knitting and "Hey Girl" memes can enjoy it. </div>
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Confession II: I don't ask my husband to admire my work every two rows. It's more like every four. </div>
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Confession III: I find Ryan Gosling 0% attractive. If we ever met, I'm sure he and I could share a good laugh over his meme, but then he'd probably do a smoker's cough when he was laughing, and the moment would be over. </div>
Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-47386995431722405892012-12-30T20:22:00.003-07:002012-12-30T20:22:54.932-07:00Game DayI've been looking forward to this day for a long time.<br />
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Linus and Veda received their first board games for Christmas this year: Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, and the Shopping List game. <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Orchard-Toys-003-Shopping-Memory/dp/B0007VTA5S/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1356923802&sr=1-1&keywords=shopping+list+game"><img alt="Product Details" class="productImage" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/618jzbpa-xL._AA160_.jpg" /></a><br />
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I was a little skeptical about their ability to take turns, count out spaces, follow the rules of the games, etc., but I decided to give it a try this morning.<br />
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It was great! They loved playing, and we spent the better part of the morning running through each game.<br />
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Yup, three is going to be a great age.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-22894718306178278712012-12-22T18:54:00.003-07:002012-12-22T18:57:46.440-07:00This Week In Christmas, IV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Only two more days to go until the big day, and aside from the two activities we couldn't do because we were sick or rained out, we've done almost everything on our countdown list. Tomorrow we'll try hot chocolate for the first time, and on Monday we'll bake cookies to leave out for Santa. Other than that, we're all ready for Christmas to come. A couple of important personal Christmas lessons from this year: </div>
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1. If you're going to make homemade gifts for everyone, start early. Not in November. I've been scurrying to finish all my gift projects this month, and when I finally finished the last one yesterday, it was a huge relief. On the other hand, I've been a crafting <em>machine</em> for a while now, and it feels a bit weird not to have another pressing project.</div>
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I didn't think of taking pictures of all of the stuff I made, but I did take a photo of this wreath I made for my mother just because I was in love with it. Maybe I'll snap some on Christmas as people open their stuff. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCFx6xy0SvxbV6bM_kx_fniWfs0nL9dnkUAP4Cx98KGyBTAhX7SgOIsD4j4joMdnHPqFSgzuyeeb0DLb-CgjAMzdjVpUrry-RYAXgNn3w0-4CjiBex762UxgP12hXVBUKdjjhf-Mc-NQ/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCFx6xy0SvxbV6bM_kx_fniWfs0nL9dnkUAP4Cx98KGyBTAhX7SgOIsD4j4joMdnHPqFSgzuyeeb0DLb-CgjAMzdjVpUrry-RYAXgNn3w0-4CjiBex762UxgP12hXVBUKdjjhf-Mc-NQ/s320/Winter+2012-2013+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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2. Don't put so many ornament projects on the countdown list next time. I'm pretty burned out on making ornaments.</div>
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Here's our annual hand print ornament. They look like the salt dough ornaments that are all over Pinterest, but I use a different material that makes them shatterproof. Maybe I'll do a post on how to make them next Christmas. Pretty sure everyone in Internet Land is all finished with starting Christmas projects for this year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXfEiQiPWHW4rk68v4vV5tuO83AFlxb0dUUrNMGRSejgbmG2G6Y56xU7YEHaE619qz7cofBYk17Ga3AQZpdZ5v-1IMOlagQTXq50-eZdfgF8Gdk0V4vcHNrpLxoAaaOxejAF_JZYsRKM/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghXfEiQiPWHW4rk68v4vV5tuO83AFlxb0dUUrNMGRSejgbmG2G6Y56xU7YEHaE619qz7cofBYk17Ga3AQZpdZ5v-1IMOlagQTXq50-eZdfgF8Gdk0V4vcHNrpLxoAaaOxejAF_JZYsRKM/s320/Winter+2012-2013+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqTJY-H-ptu-e_NXlcyd8aHETP13Kd9j6F1BxAG0VV5j39DVs3uazi65C88P0Q0aRFUTO5xQbeo_NY8NPixZ93_4yapRRbOR6oTKJRpLULwb7g7issAWKxjolgmNd8QokhVLHYDiNvww/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqTJY-H-ptu-e_NXlcyd8aHETP13Kd9j6F1BxAG0VV5j39DVs3uazi65C88P0Q0aRFUTO5xQbeo_NY8NPixZ93_4yapRRbOR6oTKJRpLULwb7g7issAWKxjolgmNd8QokhVLHYDiNvww/s320/Winter+2012-2013+014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In other ornament creation happenings, we made cinnamon ornaments as grandparent gifts. They turned out <em>okay</em>, but I wasn't thrilled with them. And I forgot to take pictures.</div>
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On Tuesday night the kids took their bath early, and we headed out to our local high school's band concert with them in their pajamas so they could go to bed as soon as we got home. They got a bit restless, but they both said they enjoyed the Christmas music, and on Wednesday morning they identified a tuba on the tv completely unprompted, so mission accomplished. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1yrRrL9WFVzHTfeghwwazjpAISSOIk9mnoyOeS2D0a3wMAPuQ4Rf2h5YWAN8OQgn8baJBcb85BZNBa2EAPQEMoEZqto2PuNI7r9lwFpl5O5j0zq1lYwFND9uZGqFgF0MwxlJTaXfsI8/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1yrRrL9WFVzHTfeghwwazjpAISSOIk9mnoyOeS2D0a3wMAPuQ4Rf2h5YWAN8OQgn8baJBcb85BZNBa2EAPQEMoEZqto2PuNI7r9lwFpl5O5j0zq1lYwFND9uZGqFgF0MwxlJTaXfsI8/s320/Winter+2012-2013+016.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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On Wednesday we baked brownies to take the staff at our public library as a thank you for helping us "grow up smart", as the accompanying card said... and also not kicking us out when we forget to use our inside voices. The kids may have a little brownie batter on their chins here.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtGBNHGcFJnx996vyWEPUAy_mowjwozf-C6AhS-iRsb8sy567IHQwKauev0U9-5ZEND1DMz-ov2s0a0mCQh9Hyv0m-AzAKPfiRxe24Nczb3o5g8V9kphXjEBGOemdceZTX6c9fuvkH3s/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtGBNHGcFJnx996vyWEPUAy_mowjwozf-C6AhS-iRsb8sy567IHQwKauev0U9-5ZEND1DMz-ov2s0a0mCQh9Hyv0m-AzAKPfiRxe24Nczb3o5g8V9kphXjEBGOemdceZTX6c9fuvkH3s/s320/Winter+2012-2013+020.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cups are completely unrelated, but Linus was having a blast stacking them, so whatever.</td></tr>
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Last night I decided I'd cut Veda's hair to even up the scraggly ends. I'd been thinking of cutting some bangs for her to help out with her fine hair issues, and when a simple trim didn't seem to be helping much, I decided to get brave and go for the bangs. They suit her, and I wish I'd done it sooner.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG24DUziwAFYDXd3FvuUQ4DJEZw4bSrWFUNut-0jenZ6twGWn6cvyEF_TZ1rRxLFGAxiyBxIZpN9BdoNlPMG237o6dDwMenx9e6kExx9iwyb9_2kqOtaP7xqnbVSwiJ3VXPrYgKx6vuE4/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG24DUziwAFYDXd3FvuUQ4DJEZw4bSrWFUNut-0jenZ6twGWn6cvyEF_TZ1rRxLFGAxiyBxIZpN9BdoNlPMG237o6dDwMenx9e6kExx9iwyb9_2kqOtaP7xqnbVSwiJ3VXPrYgKx6vuE4/s320/Winter+2012-2013+024.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a face that says, "I hate my new hair cut." But she really does like it.</td></tr>
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Today's project was putting out the birdseed ornaments we concocted yesterday. (Yup, MORE ornaments.) Veda was happy to practice some fine motor skills by lacing raffia ribbon through the holes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovHGTPdzdJQZgkXTesrFlD8TD2dTR76dRvdBfZzBzcwQavk5EVHfAb7hcdDg5I5SsgbR138NUwhrbPcpfBHTsBlmXQKSm4zKW62GXy4pOXnvoTIrnDco27JAGXyZQS7ewiDZ7HRTlP7E/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovHGTPdzdJQZgkXTesrFlD8TD2dTR76dRvdBfZzBzcwQavk5EVHfAb7hcdDg5I5SsgbR138NUwhrbPcpfBHTsBlmXQKSm4zKW62GXy4pOXnvoTIrnDco27JAGXyZQS7ewiDZ7HRTlP7E/s320/Winter+2012-2013+004.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Here's one of the finished products. Beautiful, isn't it? I highly recommend this project, and we'll probably repeat it in years to come. Aside from being fun to do, it was a great opportunity to talk to the kids about showing compassion for animals and how the birds can't thank us but we can feel good about helping them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiOsEfNXalNfBGJAyErqK3C6MdRyTzrW_P1V7UZP0pHWml1MbXAxgf7u0oId00Jb8YmsJURyu8aa49To762TGaL-Elksi1B7cwLarQ5nUPd9G3hufWJ7SFsqlo_s9tHMHTlKtgMCRW64/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiOsEfNXalNfBGJAyErqK3C6MdRyTzrW_P1V7UZP0pHWml1MbXAxgf7u0oId00Jb8YmsJURyu8aa49To762TGaL-Elksi1B7cwLarQ5nUPd9G3hufWJ7SFsqlo_s9tHMHTlKtgMCRW64/s320/Winter+2012-2013+016.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUCq83AQgWhTK8OEMqptr3O_ACKIoEk_RM9d22GhHVtPmv4n3DcC_6EdaddQhCvy1Mjdjt5WokzhmMYKnqJ8ovnkLq1_ZakpQms-OHGYxXZQPYPFEBHjMHYSgm3yHSUBResqbyFX2NYo/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUCq83AQgWhTK8OEMqptr3O_ACKIoEk_RM9d22GhHVtPmv4n3DcC_6EdaddQhCvy1Mjdjt5WokzhmMYKnqJ8ovnkLq1_ZakpQms-OHGYxXZQPYPFEBHjMHYSgm3yHSUBResqbyFX2NYo/s320/Winter+2012-2013+019.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Hey, want to hear about more ornaments? No? Too bad. </div>
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We had leftover dough from the hand print ornaments, so we used it to make some plain ol' cookie cutter ornaments. And then we painted them with acrylic craft paint. Veda was characteristically very into it. And she seems to have entered a blue period in her work. Powder blue only, please. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV-2swRnf9_PE7TZnLnJvW6DD_9FRhmry3Tt4tQNqMKutn6Uh8yduLU4sBBraz3TQxWuIT2MpcIDrV_P8J-807-uobSasZ5_piFv1XT46Fi1KtXFX9jbkbhTB9Iz6iMXNhHxpSLJ6Bqk/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyV-2swRnf9_PE7TZnLnJvW6DD_9FRhmry3Tt4tQNqMKutn6Uh8yduLU4sBBraz3TQxWuIT2MpcIDrV_P8J-807-uobSasZ5_piFv1XT46Fi1KtXFX9jbkbhTB9Iz6iMXNhHxpSLJ6Bqk/s320/Winter+2012-2013+023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Linus, on the other hand, swirled all the colors together with his brush and was finished after one ornament. Then he bundled some brushes together into a rocket/rocket boosters/fuel tank combo and got busy with blasting off.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIouLa8YXT1TM41dGY5HFw3uzzY2UDqDFJatWJ_hSEzdx_9bINguy1L7RAcZv9glBNqpSOfhaUqJ2bbssyTWSfxNCt9InEtX-AdIm3GuLfCQQgK2_I4TSmGL1MauqTedcrSKmb-fBn00/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIouLa8YXT1TM41dGY5HFw3uzzY2UDqDFJatWJ_hSEzdx_9bINguy1L7RAcZv9glBNqpSOfhaUqJ2bbssyTWSfxNCt9InEtX-AdIm3GuLfCQQgK2_I4TSmGL1MauqTedcrSKmb-fBn00/s320/Winter+2012-2013+026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Two more days. Just two more days. I am one eager Santa.</div>
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<br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-87633972886155811522012-12-16T19:39:00.000-07:002012-12-16T19:39:00.558-07:00This Week In Christmas, III<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We finished crafting our Christmas thank you cards. Here Veda is using a q-tip to paint ornaments onto her hand print tree.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitM3rHWaG7HO2cFAvVgz4UfTlCsS5xn2W2GTQwPaiZE2vfuKjxmSAdVfGk6FgRwJrpMsF3Kc-Uk1l7ySDc8plIcWqsvenTp3pz3GuhdrSR6uaoSqXBnuTUWQdSI61UYFdqkLVd_ENmTGY/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitM3rHWaG7HO2cFAvVgz4UfTlCsS5xn2W2GTQwPaiZE2vfuKjxmSAdVfGk6FgRwJrpMsF3Kc-Uk1l7ySDc8plIcWqsvenTp3pz3GuhdrSR6uaoSqXBnuTUWQdSI61UYFdqkLVd_ENmTGY/s320/Winter+2012-2013+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This girl loves crafting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd3X-UOL3NzvbGyer_f1h4rLPHVWvSfF2UeWSaFq54NMCryn0HmZPPY2KAME8xojptv6WDVD3uIrZNdHZBOp3p5s3mnbraZU6xcz5I61Rze7gydeAJx6A1uUmIw3lbBGN602Nc76PQuY/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd3X-UOL3NzvbGyer_f1h4rLPHVWvSfF2UeWSaFq54NMCryn0HmZPPY2KAME8xojptv6WDVD3uIrZNdHZBOp3p5s3mnbraZU6xcz5I61Rze7gydeAJx6A1uUmIw3lbBGN602Nc76PQuY/s320/Winter+2012-2013+003.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Linus thought it might be fun to color in the heart. He did a surprisingly good job of staying in the lines.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ArgUvYvaqUQgDfrtThY9AI5yHnoXcOiGUYQ65o0Ha7CbARkBfH7y_yXHMtymAzRqePpulhXOI0zB_Z4ka11gdpk6FVFhJy8hI7iYRPuk7uXqxGKnRvBIPU3kxmTA5Oqop3YRAi15QiY/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ArgUvYvaqUQgDfrtThY9AI5yHnoXcOiGUYQ65o0Ha7CbARkBfH7y_yXHMtymAzRqePpulhXOI0zB_Z4ka11gdpk6FVFhJy8hI7iYRPuk7uXqxGKnRvBIPU3kxmTA5Oqop3YRAi15QiY/s320/Winter+2012-2013+005.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Here are a few of the finished products.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6WSPivXo3p4stccoqo_70YTik6DBlBTeWacF54kKoFPL5Jz0n-mr11Hho5g5bkQxacfj19T2tSsQSiU4F6pg71TuL1VYfb1-V8nNQoHIN_bIZDXj5vUhyphenhyphen6vk4pIwgLxUdqpxkAPDbIc/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6WSPivXo3p4stccoqo_70YTik6DBlBTeWacF54kKoFPL5Jz0n-mr11Hho5g5bkQxacfj19T2tSsQSiU4F6pg71TuL1VYfb1-V8nNQoHIN_bIZDXj5vUhyphenhyphen6vk4pIwgLxUdqpxkAPDbIc/s320/Winter+2012-2013+021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We also made Christmas playdough this week. We used our favorite ultra-squishy recipe and added green food coloring and plenty of peppermint extract. When they play with it, the whole room smells minty.<br />
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The kids always love it when we make homemade playdough (It really is better than the store-bought stuff), but the morning that we made it, they played with it for at least two hours. No kidding.<br />
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We also crafted a tree out of scrapbooking paper. I worked with the kids one at a time to talk about ordering the strips longest to shortest, and then they glued the strips down on the construction paper. I helped them squeeze out some glitter glue for a shiny star tree topper.</div>
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On a not-exactly-related-to-Christmas note, let's talk about this girl. It's so much fun to watch each of the kids' personalities emerge, and it's becoming incredibly clear that this girl is going to be creative. She's truly into all things crafty. Here she is using scissors <em><strong>correctly</strong></em> (at two years of age). She would happily pass her entire day away cutting, pasting, and crafting. She revels in a trip to the yarn store and tells me she wants to knit when she's big. <br />
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This guy, when I gave him some scissors and magazine pages to cut up? Well, of course the paper turned into a rocket ship. Duh. I'll be astonished if this kid doesn't pursue some kind of a career in science. </div>
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<br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-10887676022090574192012-12-10T11:42:00.001-07:002012-12-10T11:42:34.366-07:00This Week In Christmas, Part DeuxRemember last week's frankenvirus? Thank goodness, we all recovered from it... just in time for me to get a new virus. Yippee skippy. But we had about two and half good days in between. Here's what we did.<br />
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Here's our pine cone craft. The kids, especially Veda, love gluing and pasting. The cone on the left is one of Veda's. (Note the extra glue, tee hee.) The one on the right is one that I did. Linus made one but then pulled all the puff balls off. I've learned to just let it go when crafting with toddlers. If they're enjoying it and it isn't going to make a permanent mess, it's not a big deal. On the other hand, SERENITY NOW. <br />
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Amazon sent our monthly stock of diapers in this enormous box. Thanks for the early Christmas gift, Amazon. So far the box has been a rocket ship (as pictured), a school bus, and a boat. It's also great for coloring. </div>
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Last year we put up our full-size artificial tree. Within days, all of the ornaments were scooted up within the top two feet of the tree. It was a constant fight to keep the tree put together. I decided this year we'd do what I've seen on Pinterest with the felt tree that the kids can decorate and re-decorate. It's been okay, but I do regret not putting up the big, lit tree just a bit. Linus exhales a "Wow!" every time we see a "real" decorated tree. But then I remember that it's not worth the fights. Nope, not at all. Next year, though, we'll do the big tree for sure. <br />
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Speaking of my spirited little fella, today will be our elf's last day this year. Unfortunately, Mr. Linus has elected to touch the elf once again. If you're not up on Elf on the Shelf policy, children aren't to touch the elves lest the elves lose their magic. The first time, Santa sent this letter:<br />
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<em>Dear Linus and Veda,</em><br />
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<em> I have decided to give your elf his magic back one time because your were sorry that you had touched him. I hope that you will not touch him again, or he will have to come back to the North Pole with me until next Christmas. </em><br />
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<em> Your elf says that your favorite Christmas carols are "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells". Be good, and I will visit your house this Christmas.</em><br />
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<em>Love,</em><br />
<em>Santa Claus</em><br />
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Clearly, with this second elf-touching, we're just not ready for the elf yet. See ya next year, elf.<br />
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On Friday morning I woke up knowing that I was getting sick again, so I thought we'd better forge ahead with a Santa visit before the opportunity might be lost for the whole season. We used our zoo membership to get in to their little Santa village. We passed on the professional photographer and just took our own photo. Total cost = $0.00. And they gave us a mug for being members. I love the zoo, and I'm looking forward to taking advantage of their homeschooling program in the future.<br />
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We've also been working on crafting Thank You cards, but we've still got a step to go. I'm sure you'll be on the edge of your seat awaiting the results - and much, MUCH more - in the next installment of This Week In Christmas. </div>
Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-70184915993566659642012-12-04T07:57:00.002-07:002012-12-04T07:59:11.138-07:00This Week (And a Half) In ChristmasWe didn't waste any time getting started on our Christmas Countdown Activities list.<br />
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The day after Thanksgiving we bypassed the retail craziness and headed to the Fantasy of Trees instead. Making warm, fuzzy holiday memories beats long lines, crowds, and parking lot battles on any day, in my book. <br />
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On the carousel...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHZemHRoJXU_AOD9uf2EtcvDfGrDxnbOwRBze4LWvcpVw_wA4lxshAqWtaKplGYn04ud5RRzWGYLAZ4FUdWzUc_-plmcKbAwxLoYuOsc4ayKUbUzhkm-kmC26Lh8NIMIeARxZogThoNg/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAHZemHRoJXU_AOD9uf2EtcvDfGrDxnbOwRBze4LWvcpVw_wA4lxshAqWtaKplGYn04ud5RRzWGYLAZ4FUdWzUc_-plmcKbAwxLoYuOsc4ayKUbUzhkm-kmC26Lh8NIMIeARxZogThoNg/s400/Winter+2012-2013+013.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's Veda clinging to? A Thomas sticker book. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peekaboo!</td></tr>
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Face painting. Veda loved it. Linus immediately wiped his with his sleeve. </div>
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Making a reindeer craft...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc-Kg-lbLW_NvzuPVPUabDeuQrIJZvyzSGnTmmYu4C2F5fkZo4K8h-XyrTK5WmvwuJPlGm-hv5Q41jnAfGJd8thERke1ELU0wwcJOGaxepi0T-MMvvjKs_QsLNT75rsj0VdPPFNOQpOM/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc-Kg-lbLW_NvzuPVPUabDeuQrIJZvyzSGnTmmYu4C2F5fkZo4K8h-XyrTK5WmvwuJPlGm-hv5Q41jnAfGJd8thERke1ELU0wwcJOGaxepi0T-MMvvjKs_QsLNT75rsj0VdPPFNOQpOM/s320/Winter+2012-2013+028.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See his pitiful face paint? Also, it took about ten seconds for this magic marker to become a "rocket ship pencil". What with all the blasting off, he didn't get much coloring done.</td></tr>
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Driving plasma cars on the toddler race track...</div>
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Then because we weren't quite worn out enough, the kids and I packed up and made the drive through the mountains to my grandmother's house. The kids got to see several members of our extended family, and we came home with some handcrafted piggy banks and a couple of books to add to our read-aloud Advent calendar. <br />
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This past Saturday, the kids were supposed to see their first parade. But sometimes Old Man Winter craps all over your Christmas plans, and Linus woke up with a high fever at about 3 am on Friday night. The frankenvirus has been working its way through the Martin house ever since. Linus's primary symptom has been fever, Veda ran a fever and threw up, and I ran a slight fever and had a splitting headache. Frankenvirus - something for everyone! <br />
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Missing the parade means that something isn't going to get checked off our activity list, which bothers me in a compulsive sort of way.<br />
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Our sick days have afforded us some extra cartoon-watching time, so we've been enjoying Rudolph and the Jingle movie.<br />
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Let's see... we also started our Read-Aloud Advent Calendar on the 1st, which we all love.<br />
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And we've been doing Elf on the Shelf... but a couple of things about that:<br />
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1. This was our elf's grand entrance to our house. I actually put a little thought into this. I set him up on the kitchen counter with his book and "snowballs", donut holes with powdered sugar. I had high hopes when I took this photo. In my mind, they would come running into the kitchen and gleefully wonder about the little guy in red and then fall in love with him when they learned he had brought them a breakfast treat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO9KsUvFZikv5qBkBWm_MnBLEDihPl9CmrVdq-AkUWtK8vqZ04axUmdCnlk2oJbLvDxmUjjCITTyHvrIQpH3iaeIgZk2fwRh61p5kJ6C85H48mJRTEXX8SxSAE7e7CiKSoR51ucznaTI/s1600/Winter+2012-2013+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSO9KsUvFZikv5qBkBWm_MnBLEDihPl9CmrVdq-AkUWtK8vqZ04axUmdCnlk2oJbLvDxmUjjCITTyHvrIQpH3iaeIgZk2fwRh61p5kJ6C85H48mJRTEXX8SxSAE7e7CiKSoR51ucznaTI/s320/Winter+2012-2013+044.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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What actually happened was that they were grumbling about wanting milk and had absolutely zero interest in the elf.<br />
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Me: "Look! What's this?! He's brought you a treat!"<br />
Linus: "I don't like it."<br />
Veda: "It's not Thomas."<br />
Me: "Hey! He brought a book! Let's read the book!"<br />
Veda: "Not right now."<br />
Linus: "I don't want to."<br />
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And another thing about this elf - WHY do they not make them with wires already in their little arms and legs? Instead, I'm supposed to find a secretive hour to perform surgery on our elf with gauge wire, wire cutters, and needle-nose pliers. Seriously, WHY??? So, as might have guessed, our elf has not had his surgery yet, which puts some significant limits on his activities. Take, for instance, a couple of nights ago, when I thought it would be cute to have the elf climb one of our houseplants. Due to his lack of surgically-enhanced arms, he fell off during the night, so when Linus discovered him, he was lying face down in the houseplant dirt. Linus: "I'm sad about the elf. He's dirty. He's sad." And you can't touch him all day, because then he'll lose his magic. So our elf spent an entire day looking like a crime show corpse. Mmmm.... nothing like Christmas disappointment.<br />
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<br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-41976932847442081582012-11-20T06:51:00.000-07:002012-11-20T06:51:47.220-07:00Christmas Is Coming!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://memegenerator.net/instance/29874177?urlName=Buddy-The-Elf&browsingOrder=New&browsingTimeSpan=AllTime"><img alt="Buddy the Elf - I'm so excited for Christmas! Christmas is my favourite!!" class="border" src="http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/250x250/29874177.jpg" style="height: 250px; width: 250px;" /></a></div>
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Christmas with kids is way better than Christmas with no kids. And Christmas just seems to be getting better as they get older. I love that for a whole month I get to focus on making life magical for Linus and Veda. The thing about magic, though, is that magic doesn't often happen on its own.</div>
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All that magic-making requires some organization and lots of planning. No problem. That's my specialty. </div>
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Last year I made the mistake of trying to plan an activity out for each day on my calendar. It sure did look nice and neat, but it didn't work. Nope, not at all. As soon as somebody had sniffles or the weather was bad, the plan didn't work. Lots of activities never got made up, and at the end of the season I felt like we had missed out on a lot.</div>
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This year, I've decided to do a checklist instead. It's hanging on the refrigerator, and we'll cross things off as we tackle them. A few things do have to go on the calendar because they're scheduled by someone else (like a parade), but otherwise, it's all completely flexible. </div>
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Here it is - our 2012 Christmas Activity Countdown:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo1uYkwMaEw_5ahBvGzHS_O22vjT09aBvc4OfnXAApmFogOSjwNdELkRsJX5iksAzP1n1ZAO4JbhIXBmWq1TN-yjBEA_P5LYvpwkrrGHtkeBKzNbJ2V4EgvSUfS-IzOx0TRcAtTAXZFU/s1600/Fall+2012+001+edit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo1uYkwMaEw_5ahBvGzHS_O22vjT09aBvc4OfnXAApmFogOSjwNdELkRsJX5iksAzP1n1ZAO4JbhIXBmWq1TN-yjBEA_P5LYvpwkrrGHtkeBKzNbJ2V4EgvSUfS-IzOx0TRcAtTAXZFU/s640/Fall+2012+001+edit+1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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It's going to be a great Christmas season! I hope all of you are able to make lots of magical memories this year as well.</div>
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Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-65110019210098195052012-11-11T11:00:00.001-07:002012-11-11T11:00:56.504-07:00Toddler Lunch Idea and Ode to CookiesOkay, here's a recent lunch photo:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZoA-VH-LzSKSQipwHWGmQNObny1foBIQqJ1aFFAhmZIge-vLlfAIL-Ff6YOMPExlvymL9WzGOnWjLJaSZ920rr46bDPhAljlNJcoqMZj-moaREPex1PJ7O5e2SxPsMXbbQ96V0mx7x8/s1600/Fall+2012+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZoA-VH-LzSKSQipwHWGmQNObny1foBIQqJ1aFFAhmZIge-vLlfAIL-Ff6YOMPExlvymL9WzGOnWjLJaSZ920rr46bDPhAljlNJcoqMZj-moaREPex1PJ7O5e2SxPsMXbbQ96V0mx7x8/s320/Fall+2012+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's sliced vegetables, vegetable dip, apple slices, string cheese, and letter cookies. <br />
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What I really want to talk about are the letter cookies.<br />
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Until I found the letter (and number) cookies at Trader Joe's, I was having a hard time teaching letters to Linus and Veda. It would seem that for all the reading we do, they just didn't see the fun in learning the letters of the alphabet. Puzzles were meh. The Leap Pad alphabet phonics toy on the refrigerator was meh.<br />
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So I bought these cookies, and we've made a game of it at lunch time. I pull a cookie out of the bin and ask what letter or number it is. They love it, and better yet, they're alphabet pros now. <br />
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Never underestimate the power of a cookie.<br />
Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-88279505519945234702012-11-02T18:12:00.002-07:002012-11-02T18:12:21.508-07:00Christmas List 2012 Here it is - the third annual post about Linus and Veda's Christmas list! In case you're new here, the idea is that I try to make a few picks that you won't see in all the toy catalogs - stuff that's at least a little off the beaten path. Linus and Veda will be turning three soon, and I think they'll be playing with all of these for several years.<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Darda-921-11123-Upside-Down-Overpass/dp/B00004WEXC/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1351894556&sr=1-1&keywords=darda+upside+down+overpass">Darda Upside Down Overpass Racetrack Set</a><br />
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My husband's parents kept a small racetrack for the kids at their house. I was amazed by how quickly barely-two-years-old Linus learned to place the car in the motor socket. Alas, the track didn't last long, and an online survey of product reviews quickly revealed a similar fate for all the motorized tracks currently on the store shelves. <Insert grumble about the shoddy quality of toys on the market today> So, I found this alternative. Now hear this... there IS no motor on this track. So there's no motor to break within a few weeks of use. Instead the little car does the work of shooting itself through the loops and curves. Genius.<br />
<img id="original-main-image" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411ZYES1ENL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br />
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2. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/S-Worldwide-12-Parachute/dp/B0002XIASO/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1351894678&sr=1-6&keywords=parachute">Parachute</a><br />
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Remember this day in P.E.? Magic. Just think of the possibilities of a home parachute... tossing leaves in the fall, hauling it out for playdates and birthday parties, making forts... There's a lot of childhood fun to be had with a parachute.<br />
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3. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/PLAYMOBIL%C2%AE-5302-Playmobil-Grand-Mansion/dp/B003AQBWS0/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1351894743&sr=1-1&keywords=playmobil+grand+mansion">Playmobil Grand Mansion</a><br />
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510ipuVKnyL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" id="original-main-image" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510ipuVKnyL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a><br />
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I looked at every dollhouse on the market before I decided on this one. I even briefly considered building one. Then I remembered that I have toddlers. So why this one?<br />
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<li>Durability - I've been extra pleased with the quality of all of the Playmobil toys we've purchased. In particular, the 1.2.3. farmhouse the kids received for their first Christmas. That thing has been used as a step stool, dropped, and played with A LOT, but it still looks like it just came out of the box. Pretty amazing considering how much toddler love it's endured.</li>
<li>It's a grow-with-me sort of toy. Take a look at the example room I posted here. See all that detail? While we're still in the carry-random-stuff-around-the-house-for-no-reason-at-all stage, I'll keep most of the little detail pieces packed up. But when the kids get older we can add all those little pieces to the house. Voila, it's like a whole new toy! There's also an expansion floor that can be added to the middle of the house and a lighting set to add electricity. Fun!</li>
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It's fairly gender neutral. I'm sure that both Linus and Veda will want to play with the house. And I'm not a fan of the strict gender roles being pushed on kids through toys and merchandising these days. </div>
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4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Viewmaster-Viewer-Model-BLUE/dp/B0030BT3CW/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1351894959&sr=1-2&keywords=viewmaster">Viewmaster</a> and reels<br />
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Thirty years ago, there was a viewfinder in everybody's toy box. But these days they aren't so ubiquitous. There are some great reel choices out there. Characters, animals, natural landmarks, and SPACE. And, just like the good old days, no batteries required!<br />
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<img id="original-main-image" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41wMjR3O0YL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br />
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5. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-5028-Alphabet-Write-A-Mat/dp/B001UL5BJS/ref=sr_1_3?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1351895018&sr=1-3&keywords=melissa+and+doug+write-a-mat">Melissa and Doug Write - a -Mats</a><br />
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I love Melissa and Doug's Write-a-Mats. These reusable place mats will give the kids something positive to do while they aren't eating the meals I painstakingly prepare for them. (That's a joke. Sort of.) There are lots of options, too - alphabet, numbers, dinosaurs, states, planets, doodling... and those are the ones I remember. <br />
<img id="original-main-image" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51o4Ujd4wnL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /><br />
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Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-67342865566168252222012-11-02T11:52:00.001-07:002012-11-02T11:52:16.110-07:00Halloween 2012, DIY Adult Rocket Ship CostumeThis year's costumes were Plan B... and that's okay.<br />
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Plan A was Little Red Riding Hood. Veda was to be Little Red, Linus would have been the Big Bad Wolf, and I was going to be Grandmother. I actually made one of those costumes - a red hooded cape for little Veda. But after all the time I invested in knitting love into every stitch, Veda refused to wear it. Yeah, I was slightly crestfallen. In case you're interested in what wasn't meant to be, here's a photo of<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/capuchon"> the cape on Ravelry</a>. Ours looked just like it, and I'd post my own photo of ours, but... you know... no one to model it.<br />
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Linus never got into the wolf, either. I checked an age-appropriate version of the book out from the library and read it to them. At the end I tried to stir up some excitement for the idea from Linus, but he just shook his head, stuck out his lips, and said, "No, I'm astronaut," like he thought I'd never paid attention to anything he'd ever told me, which in this case is sort of accurate since he tells me many times over every day that he's an astronaut.<br />
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I decided to give the people what they want.<br />
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So here we are:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4waphzlJw1HFsyJ8cFul5-v9fbZFI7ZllOzotp_MVDx1zDbQcXHvgfU4crKZv1zmIy6ufID0JrJFxFZOCsdNUcZUIjKFPdCk9j_10A_ax52oLWXN5GSVBmk_A_g668vrnikQBmNRfFdQ/s1600/Fall+2012+025+edit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4waphzlJw1HFsyJ8cFul5-v9fbZFI7ZllOzotp_MVDx1zDbQcXHvgfU4crKZv1zmIy6ufID0JrJFxFZOCsdNUcZUIjKFPdCk9j_10A_ax52oLWXN5GSVBmk_A_g668vrnikQBmNRfFdQ/s400/Fall+2012+025+edit+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The astronaut costumes were not homemade, which bums me out, as I'm a fan of homemade costumes. But if you're going to be an astronaut, you really do need authentic-looking gear. We first spotted these take-off suits in the gift shop at Kennedy Space Center, but they were crazy expensive. Luckily, Amazon had them cheaper. And they'll use them frequently for dress-up, so I feel better about shelling out the money. </div>
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My costume, though? My costume cost about five or six dollars to make. Here's what I used:</div>
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Glittery scrapbook paper, cut and hot glued into a cone ($1 on sale at Hobby Lobby)</div>
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Hair elastic I already owned (what the paper cone is mounted to)</div>
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Black dress, camisole, leggings, and ballet flats I already owned</div>
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1/2 yard orange flannel (about $4)</div>
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1 sheet yellow felt (.25)</div>
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2 sheets red felt (.50)</div>
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And that's it. It took a couple of evenings to cut out the felt/flannel, glue it together, and sew it to the underside of my dress. But nothing hard.</div>
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By the way... when I was looking around on Google for rocket ship costume ideas (that I never really found), the first search result I looked at was for "Adult Rocket Costume". You know what it was? A "crotch rocket" costume. I'll leave that one to your imagination. It was being modeled by the sort of man I imagine might enjoy all of the ridiculous "sexy" costumes out lately. You know... like "<a href="http://www.yandy.com/Sexy-Hamburger-Costume.php">Sexy Hamburger</a>" or "<a href="http://www.yandy.com/Sexy-Rooster-Costume.php">Sexy Rooster</a>". Am I turning into a prude, or is that trend utterly stupid and UNsexy?</div>
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Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-11535468821872273172012-10-29T10:01:00.000-07:002012-10-29T10:01:12.777-07:00Fall Fun In addition to all the normal fun stuff we do, we've been packing in as much fall fun possible.<br />
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We went to the Museum of Appalachia with our playgroup to see all the animals. Here's Mr. Linus looking reflective. And the texture of the fence... so yummy in a photo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsu_9a9UQmnmUWd0yL_HsvWXtP7GVArkkG_4pRjG5Ax4hnkjoC8XXbZhG7qTfgOHQfOGoOXdx7A5XjSI05eGh58MRPGWQYd5Rd9RjjVLYU01UY5h6Dgi6NwyvpsrupUBP7cMm5vm3ztw/s1600/playgroup+oct+2012+065+edit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsu_9a9UQmnmUWd0yL_HsvWXtP7GVArkkG_4pRjG5Ax4hnkjoC8XXbZhG7qTfgOHQfOGoOXdx7A5XjSI05eGh58MRPGWQYd5Rd9RjjVLYU01UY5h6Dgi6NwyvpsrupUBP7cMm5vm3ztw/s320/playgroup+oct+2012+065+edit+1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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There have been two pumpkin patch trips. First we went to the fruit and berry patch with our playgroup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEbNdA-d7gs4A2lCF8P3Xbzs5a5h7r5lBPPT6AJIx7xxYlpxMCpUJh1awRShJU42Q3CdwpfdnY984KLvbz0WadFMpPi-fr7urpuuAImYK3rYX4UqdK_Ya7D4SUERu1uOkG-_lZh4mtNk/s1600/Fall+2012+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEbNdA-d7gs4A2lCF8P3Xbzs5a5h7r5lBPPT6AJIx7xxYlpxMCpUJh1awRShJU42Q3CdwpfdnY984KLvbz0WadFMpPi-fr7urpuuAImYK3rYX4UqdK_Ya7D4SUERu1uOkG-_lZh4mtNk/s320/Fall+2012+001.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Then to Life Down on the Farm as a family. It's the second year we've been there. This year we ran short on time. Next year we may go on a Friday and spend the whole day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiI4E0C7bF9LM-RcrSZKQtJbKXjhJzH9Dc0LAsoUAq73RI4YtQTFGWEMxfpM9aMDvvO2UiC_rFU58D4nsulpF3JFS-7galbKMIS_M8i1xBcMNiMxhDyCWPX1brWWdu61LLjHH3Eht2M8/s1600/Fall+2012+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNiI4E0C7bF9LM-RcrSZKQtJbKXjhJzH9Dc0LAsoUAq73RI4YtQTFGWEMxfpM9aMDvvO2UiC_rFU58D4nsulpF3JFS-7galbKMIS_M8i1xBcMNiMxhDyCWPX1brWWdu61LLjHH3Eht2M8/s320/Fall+2012+037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We took a trip out to the Oliver Springs Fall Festival. Overall, it wasn't my bag (I'm looking at you, Elvis impersonator singing bad karaoke), but that's okay, because we went for the sole purpose of letting Mr. Linus meet up with the Smoky Mountain Rocketry Club. He got to watch a couple of rocket launches. His excitement made the whole day worth it. Even the bad Elvis.</div>
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We've also been making lots of fall crafts. Here are a couple...<br />
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...leaf rubbings...<br />
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...cotton ball ghosts...<br />
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We've also been taking lots of walks. We usually end up pocketing some nuts because the kids are fascinated by them. I devised a counting game with these acorns. I'd shake them up bartender-style in these cups, and then give each kid a cup of acorns to count. They made great little manipulatives... until they started growing trees, as seen here.</div>
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After the Little Red Riding Hood incident (when I spent months knitting an ADORABLE cape for Veda only to have her refuse to touch it), I thought I'd better change my strategy when it came to knitting a hat for Miss Veda. This time I got her approval on the pattern. Then I took her to the yarn store with me and let her choose the yarn. We ended up with pink, of course. So far, so good. She's pretty excited about her hat. Here she's cuddling with her yarn and asking me to "work it".</div>
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And here's Mr. Linus. And a rocket ship. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ucI-eOvXO0_YLvXWL5QC4E4sEXUKynoM125YxGmspyAx1cdpJ8N5gk94AwzJ4ClIiqEdJf5T70tqQcuGj1Th5FFs-aI9OYpQkBl28GWtbJOFozjubEbwoBMKwEfckoqUcSB_VPWcZ9A/s1600/Fall+2012+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ucI-eOvXO0_YLvXWL5QC4E4sEXUKynoM125YxGmspyAx1cdpJ8N5gk94AwzJ4ClIiqEdJf5T70tqQcuGj1Th5FFs-aI9OYpQkBl28GWtbJOFozjubEbwoBMKwEfckoqUcSB_VPWcZ9A/s320/Fall+2012+038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next post... Halloween costumes!</div>
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Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-84362686221249270932012-10-21T10:45:00.001-07:002012-10-21T10:46:43.638-07:00Things You Did Today 10/21/2012Linus, this morning you pointed to the loose skin on my belly, made a concerned face, and asked, "What happened to you?".<br />
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I told you, "I had two babies at the same time!".<br />
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You covered your face with your sweet little hands and giggled.<br />
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Wearing the twin skin proudly... but not in a bikini. ;-)<br />
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I've got to start updating this blog/your baby book more often. Busy or not. Even if it's just to share a sweet little anecdote.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-28157893360028547702012-09-23T18:16:00.000-07:002012-09-23T18:16:33.498-07:00Family Vacation, Day 4<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Linus is obsessed with rocket ships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All day, every day, you’ll find him gripping
a toy rocket and rehearsing launches. He watches NASA documentaries in lieu of
cartoons and spends his reading time intently perusing books about astronauts,
rockets, space and shuttles. It’s become something of a game in our house to ask
Linus, “Are you a baby?” because without fail he always answers, “No, I’m an
astronaut.” So our visit to Kennedy Space Center was extra special.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY5_StSxLAYjH9nVE0kSQx1Vp-e-JUjR3k2utsHs1ckyTf5JgjqnqPATReoWh0NJ83cgZhyphenhyphen7AHnwrs7MkoRjXViLe28xG2pj0KsuvrCrCQwNeyfrOSDOTbWxKy62Tb8BwzU8IQiunox0/s1600/st+aug+vacation+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFY5_StSxLAYjH9nVE0kSQx1Vp-e-JUjR3k2utsHs1ckyTf5JgjqnqPATReoWh0NJ83cgZhyphenhyphen7AHnwrs7MkoRjXViLe28xG2pj0KsuvrCrCQwNeyfrOSDOTbWxKy62Tb8BwzU8IQiunox0/s320/st+aug+vacation+058.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We started out in the rocket garden. Linus couldn’t be
contained. He ran between the models excitedly pointing to each one and
declaring, “Another rocket ship!”.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbyEF36ncEYUkft6CnxBHbE0WwnPeDj8D2xtDmKoWS3qoalMLKvTlikWcSxwrrO7ylLt96bZF9G6miGG1HJJq0bumTGLMriw1_rbMjs165l2C57tUN_-nNbvV8G0iYhCvOELKObkcIjA/s1600/st+aug+vacation+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbyEF36ncEYUkft6CnxBHbE0WwnPeDj8D2xtDmKoWS3qoalMLKvTlikWcSxwrrO7ylLt96bZF9G6miGG1HJJq0bumTGLMriw1_rbMjs165l2C57tUN_-nNbvV8G0iYhCvOELKObkcIjA/s320/st+aug+vacation+063.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s Veda sitting in a capsule with Nana. Poor Veda, she
was pretty uncomfortable that day (see Day 3 parking lot incident).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp-n3chCMX2AzAGhRGcme_KBM7nUQU73sb9pfjNzgBJ9vCFvb_CPMy4Jc-UymDRKKIPsvcw4zYVfg-E8WlVT6YBoV8acLed7NdH0JfUiqGtAbbwi3hfzO6oUOuXTM_jfty_isVry-CzA/s1600/st+aug+vacation+061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAp-n3chCMX2AzAGhRGcme_KBM7nUQU73sb9pfjNzgBJ9vCFvb_CPMy4Jc-UymDRKKIPsvcw4zYVfg-E8WlVT6YBoV8acLed7NdH0JfUiqGtAbbwi3hfzO6oUOuXTM_jfty_isVry-CzA/s320/st+aug+vacation+061.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Running through the rocket garden.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24w33hcYeFZ6t2W-ETqB87qYoplZx_wOIzIrzIUuYPJmqDMVoFdZWywoyXVXVMXViEbIqyNN-okJPGyYcvnw_cjbOQYVgbeVAZmUsDuB_JT8Az62Xeru8YhfhhTy2FxTEagCQafIyNVA/s1600/st+aug+vacation+078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24w33hcYeFZ6t2W-ETqB87qYoplZx_wOIzIrzIUuYPJmqDMVoFdZWywoyXVXVMXViEbIqyNN-okJPGyYcvnw_cjbOQYVgbeVAZmUsDuB_JT8Az62Xeru8YhfhhTy2FxTEagCQafIyNVA/s320/st+aug+vacation+078.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Veda being carried through the rocket garden on Granddad’s
shoulders. This photo is terribly blurry, but I love it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPg7hjgc7KM_lgG0wcMZKEkpTfBt7jnNgFwgoeEySM5OIxmceI7Ea-itnjfolHH0_xAAdhI4zbI9zoc9AZAd6x6Jl12HJLs47gGtCS0EAgcRrjbJHi2Da5x8xOURey3ZXaeCNVHL6zmOs/s1600/st+aug+vacation+080+edit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPg7hjgc7KM_lgG0wcMZKEkpTfBt7jnNgFwgoeEySM5OIxmceI7Ea-itnjfolHH0_xAAdhI4zbI9zoc9AZAd6x6Jl12HJLs47gGtCS0EAgcRrjbJHi2Da5x8xOURey3ZXaeCNVHL6zmOs/s400/st+aug+vacation+080+edit+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Linus studying some models with his dad.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two subjects I’ve learned a lot about from my son:
construction equipment and NASA. Before Linus turned into our resident rocket man,
I never thought much about how space vehicles get to their launching pads. I’ve
since learned that they’re transported on a huge vehicle called a crawler that
moves at a creeping 1 mph. Think a flat top mounted on tank caterpillers. All
this I knew from the many library books we’ve studied, but until our KSC visit
I didn’t realize just how big all of the involved equipment is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we’re driving by a crawler track. The
grass you see is a median between wheels. The rocks you see on each side are
where the caterpillers sit. WOW.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1BC064LbLKE81EUhtsKhE7hgyyoW-F9V7GwJvFYQ0621P9jrDCNCY2gumwLQMCnYCwYkqWXCie3kEcqw6fkG8DHPzP-NBM2kMsOKVYnB170z1ZDBtiVABcxqjIA0fQnabqN2kIPc3E4/s1600/st+aug+vacation+106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1BC064LbLKE81EUhtsKhE7hgyyoW-F9V7GwJvFYQ0621P9jrDCNCY2gumwLQMCnYCwYkqWXCie3kEcqw6fkG8DHPzP-NBM2kMsOKVYnB170z1ZDBtiVABcxqjIA0fQnabqN2kIPc3E4/s320/st+aug+vacation+106.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fascinated.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikl5uEDlVZD81bJL8fzPGhS9cLXI8xcwLVHjloAjEsJaOHy-pXRMeMjR6rWzHOu_1fQNBF-WS-B0Pi6W0Z0KL_dCWoJXfujI1JlkORG4_b8GagUInIov3oAHXWqQQKhJfp-6ymlgc18-4/s1600/st+aug+vacation+108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikl5uEDlVZD81bJL8fzPGhS9cLXI8xcwLVHjloAjEsJaOHy-pXRMeMjR6rWzHOu_1fQNBF-WS-B0Pi6W0Z0KL_dCWoJXfujI1JlkORG4_b8GagUInIov3oAHXWqQQKhJfp-6ymlgc18-4/s320/st+aug+vacation+108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUuWdeL8mcTEYWxQN-o-eFz8JZkOFuKzYnZZHgNxw9L8albap_EIvcIBIO75XLtZQECfsjhneOHpcS83Dt3CsYiLhFQ3bBjmq93dz7JcTIObOHiuvCv5PwEl3aK6CDhDkmTLD1HsjwDA/s1600/st+aug+vacation+111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIUuWdeL8mcTEYWxQN-o-eFz8JZkOFuKzYnZZHgNxw9L8albap_EIvcIBIO75XLtZQECfsjhneOHpcS83Dt3CsYiLhFQ3bBjmq93dz7JcTIObOHiuvCv5PwEl3aK6CDhDkmTLD1HsjwDA/s400/st+aug+vacation+111.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a building that existed for the purpose of
assembling the Saturn and Apollo crafts, and fully assembled, those vehicles took up just about
every bit of it. These spacecraft are taller than I ever imagined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes 45 minutes just to raise the hanger
door.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LkL-B6lru9NgqOsQCp3NvThaD1ghgXwXbZONYIABk0x5zLWLOfgbuKX0w9w5R-7WYnLzgXta7FXYIhyNtOSkfmjCnO2_E9sLr4wbqEOhCemqGcIEDNkHeR4Ex5rLsIO-oiaY8uWpn_0/s1600/st+aug+vacation+113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LkL-B6lru9NgqOsQCp3NvThaD1ghgXwXbZONYIABk0x5zLWLOfgbuKX0w9w5R-7WYnLzgXta7FXYIhyNtOSkfmjCnO2_E9sLr4wbqEOhCemqGcIEDNkHeR4Ex5rLsIO-oiaY8uWpn_0/s320/st+aug+vacation+113.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite not feeling the greatest, Little Miss enjoyed her
day as well.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlvDMRVHf5ozh4fa9PdAfzzK6A38_w0TeFNmQxEpC_3UhVqQ_XKsavLfLrQCi7GRyW6DbY52108GWtSCEEgT5qFyF5bmbRlzEdJJhuuQnctGo5C7HCvCrdWyCEzI745IpYGAccdAEfTg/s1600/st+aug+vacation+116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlvDMRVHf5ozh4fa9PdAfzzK6A38_w0TeFNmQxEpC_3UhVqQ_XKsavLfLrQCi7GRyW6DbY52108GWtSCEEgT5qFyF5bmbRlzEdJJhuuQnctGo5C7HCvCrdWyCEzI745IpYGAccdAEfTg/s320/st+aug+vacation+116.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This next exhibit was great. Here’s the control room from
the Saturn V launch (Man’s first journey to the moon). It’s the actual
equipment as it appeared on that day. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFFxmM5511QcK8AEmNa-QW7XVP9fKULo1m3pqkc96Hb956RVExU1GOwG352wCMbtQ8EmZMhhEVarLvilFuqS2kU53XUzFrjC_Pw-3qU6sgMrCSTxdbRiNpCbl7qczg-0wSXQayC8IHqc/s1600/st+aug+vacation+124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFFxmM5511QcK8AEmNa-QW7XVP9fKULo1m3pqkc96Hb956RVExU1GOwG352wCMbtQ8EmZMhhEVarLvilFuqS2kU53XUzFrjC_Pw-3qU6sgMrCSTxdbRiNpCbl7qczg-0wSXQayC8IHqc/s320/st+aug+vacation+124.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The countdown clock was set to 3 minutes before launch, and
we got to hear the recording of the countdown in the control room, with the
seat of each member lighting up as he spoke. With all of the documentaries we’ve
been watching, it’s gotten pretty easy to be sucked into the emotion of a
launch. Even though we already know how each one ended, it’s incredible to
imagine being there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Liftoff!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MHnt9R3mTrwnTPvBNaOwSRe2KoieoWuRtqD3smPJohKERMIb3bteuiqtoI0uVmJvmSFGh4q9J1efknkspbp6Lh1lvnhJfcRgXdhw-lYebCmR4q_bpvYmUKrQPTmwug_SWG2axKD9A7U/s1600/st+aug+vacation+123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MHnt9R3mTrwnTPvBNaOwSRe2KoieoWuRtqD3smPJohKERMIb3bteuiqtoI0uVmJvmSFGh4q9J1efknkspbp6Lh1lvnhJfcRgXdhw-lYebCmR4q_bpvYmUKrQPTmwug_SWG2axKD9A7U/s320/st+aug+vacation+123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even after seeing the assembly building, even after seeing
the crawler track, I still couldn’t believe how HUGE the actual Saturn V was.
This is the real thing – not a model!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJswh4O-4pUh990BCggN1IJM5zUE7BNqvmWjQ0QayzYMwxipOzbNZT47YrX_gjsJ-vLLeHqGmLs10w61qJjmSd6tKp_6QrnDeTpby-zFG_0os0yk9W7SHvEeqBaXyK7GkPDJL5nmyrpE/s1600/st+aug+vacation+126+edit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVJswh4O-4pUh990BCggN1IJM5zUE7BNqvmWjQ0QayzYMwxipOzbNZT47YrX_gjsJ-vLLeHqGmLs10w61qJjmSd6tKp_6QrnDeTpby-zFG_0os0yk9W7SHvEeqBaXyK7GkPDJL5nmyrpE/s320/st+aug+vacation+126+edit+1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYR_42LhmXIc74UNXLTuCfWgC37SeS7Y-DcC3OFyVZ89fiRNDZRDqWAAOCAcuX0BxDJp5jb6hzqj1y53S5Q6gigytxaDhE7UQnKFguEcUcROkv6-0ox6teQBoFgA61KJu4-p-6_DdxLA/s1600/st+aug+vacation+128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiYR_42LhmXIc74UNXLTuCfWgC37SeS7Y-DcC3OFyVZ89fiRNDZRDqWAAOCAcuX0BxDJp5jb6hzqj1y53S5Q6gigytxaDhE7UQnKFguEcUcROkv6-0ox6teQBoFgA61KJu4-p-6_DdxLA/s320/st+aug+vacation+128.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here Veda is touching an actual piece of the moon.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwM_nqZKXqJaZ9nnYAIeVxOEf8F4_yRkT-um-fF6OaOkw41oC1oauxa0nGV_vG6eWG9IwxuVu-cE1uNlnCj_UfShPcN_sL00VO-9gjJA1k6TTOhih3Dp6VjANo8ABP7umW37ZqG843Tik/s1600/st+aug+vacation+142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwM_nqZKXqJaZ9nnYAIeVxOEf8F4_yRkT-um-fF6OaOkw41oC1oauxa0nGV_vG6eWG9IwxuVu-cE1uNlnCj_UfShPcN_sL00VO-9gjJA1k6TTOhih3Dp6VjANo8ABP7umW37ZqG843Tik/s320/st+aug+vacation+142.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A capsule</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8xxW3i5tFdThm5nVDWAXYaxCKz2qk2agNtggFji-kL5-Tg16Au5kAoKInheSyxhYyFdiHit6jLcmz-MKt1IuHIC5XiWyS9K-7Wod7nBvX_G_ErZ0cdTYBMNEJHlECB-5zB211lyZlTU/s1600/st+aug+vacation+144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8xxW3i5tFdThm5nVDWAXYaxCKz2qk2agNtggFji-kL5-Tg16Au5kAoKInheSyxhYyFdiHit6jLcmz-MKt1IuHIC5XiWyS9K-7Wod7nBvX_G_ErZ0cdTYBMNEJHlECB-5zB211lyZlTU/s320/st+aug+vacation+144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lunar rock</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw89hbdXnuou8RLF1SyVfjaOauIlQr0V9Y2n0hNFdTXc0HSgZZNKvNyeIx9cIyNWg3ZgtSmgkkJN3SBwXRW4Te9XOsuYLWU778Kdr6kwIOSbErCvdFknK-wKUDI9XGN2sWOAvDGxYsE-U/s1600/st+aug+vacation+145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw89hbdXnuou8RLF1SyVfjaOauIlQr0V9Y2n0hNFdTXc0HSgZZNKvNyeIx9cIyNWg3ZgtSmgkkJN3SBwXRW4Te9XOsuYLWU778Kdr6kwIOSbErCvdFknK-wKUDI9XGN2sWOAvDGxYsE-U/s320/st+aug+vacation+145.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And Veda pointing to a space suit while requesting to eat
it. *Sigh* It was time to go.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80w1GzJZtOeAuq7WjCaFXoWFD00V1uJWOMyyV84l6OWy0p5P9pYJIcodqN1VD77ooZldQ6o6Nk_VEPyqCQdWbHsNHo6cyAuoPDvx0I3LJaOwimfAHZo6Iu_kOSjkWAuRXsgP9gr8mUDQ/s1600/st+aug+vacation+147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80w1GzJZtOeAuq7WjCaFXoWFD00V1uJWOMyyV84l6OWy0p5P9pYJIcodqN1VD77ooZldQ6o6Nk_VEPyqCQdWbHsNHo6cyAuoPDvx0I3LJaOwimfAHZo6Iu_kOSjkWAuRXsgP9gr8mUDQ/s320/st+aug+vacation+147.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span>Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-77680046664063268162012-09-08T19:14:00.001-07:002012-09-08T19:14:11.035-07:00Family Vacation, Days 1-3
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our much-anticipated family vacation has come and gone. Here’s
the story in pictures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We dropped Mimi off to have her own vacation at a
non-kenneling facility and drove for about a total of 5 ½ hours. I had wrapped
car surprises. I had four movies to choose from for the portable dvd player. I
had lots of snacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was still a little
on the miserable side. Before I had children, I never would have believed how
rotten a car ride with little ones can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The highlight of the day was our lunch stop at Figo’s, which is a pasta
place we don’t have around our parts. My primavera was delicious. Also at Figo’s,
the pretentious order-taking youngster cautioned my husband not to throw Linus
into the ceiling fan. (um....... okay???)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hotel sleep. Bringing Nana along meant that I was off bath duty, which
was pretty sweet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the road again. We logged several hours in the car again,
but things started looking up with a stop at Little Talbot Island. My only
vacation regret is that I completely failed to take any beach photos. I know. I
know. But it was a pretty long trek to the beach from the car, and we had two
kids, the world’s largest beach bag, kiddie life jackets, a tent, and chairs…
it was just too much. And I also hate exposing my camera to all the sand that
gets kicked up on a windy day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyhoo, we finally rolled into the driveway of the house we
rented for the week in St. Augustine, Florida. House rental = great for
families, especially when you’re traveling with grandparents, as we were.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our vacation was packed with plenty of lessons in history
and science. Our first St. Augustine excursion was to the Castillo de San
Marcos, an old Spanish fort. Two of the many interesting facts we learned about
San Marcos: It was the queen of Spain’s idea to construct it out of stone because
its wooden predecessors (the king’s idea) had repeatedly been destroyed by fire
and weather. It’s still standing, so score one for the queen. Interesting fact
#2 – it’s made of coquina, which is a natural material made of bonded ancient seashells.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoLQPcOsxxgaZYP_oIthoxvjLAKmUwzXJZjtN1WO8Ia9myzXRo4qF1whsq8qnBmIluWMmwf7VbesNDJ5rQiUDyXWri2qMffgg9zjePOMBkhdGQewPpkbVEwTr_eG-9v8uYR7lm5ywx7w/s1600/st+aug+vacation+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoLQPcOsxxgaZYP_oIthoxvjLAKmUwzXJZjtN1WO8Ia9myzXRo4qF1whsq8qnBmIluWMmwf7VbesNDJ5rQiUDyXWri2qMffgg9zjePOMBkhdGQewPpkbVEwTr_eG-9v8uYR7lm5ywx7w/s400/st+aug+vacation+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t have the right lens on my camera to get the ideal
shot of what I’m about to show you, but check out the beautiful texture of the
interior walls. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F6-Dij-xuHolHZkAWE4ZDCP9NHIRpQ-oJy9_Gcl0-kNig3fJvEUr2GNAd0fESEUkvn5nzdOZMcnS2xGRKwjpeXJ2ol7HXuSSAlO4v82Nb-dZRvyhd1UZ2vxvx9rKy0frVtIrgh9LvAo/s1600/st+aug+vacation+006+edit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F6-Dij-xuHolHZkAWE4ZDCP9NHIRpQ-oJy9_Gcl0-kNig3fJvEUr2GNAd0fESEUkvn5nzdOZMcnS2xGRKwjpeXJ2ol7HXuSSAlO4v82Nb-dZRvyhd1UZ2vxvx9rKy0frVtIrgh9LvAo/s320/st+aug+vacation+006+edit+1.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The kids. Veda demonstrating her new favorite pose. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Little handsome climbing the stairs to the top of the fort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Veda on the way up</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Linus at the top of the fort with the Matanzas Bay behind
him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was hot. Soooo hot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A canon firing drill. It was in Spanish, so I didn’t
understand most of it. But <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fuego</i> – I knew
that word. Even with our ears covered, it was deafening. Another interesting
fact – those old, old canons were capable of accurately hitting a target three
miles away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After we left the fort, we headed to the pirate museum. We
weren’t there long, though, because Linus was absolutely terrified of the place
(and we left before he ever saw the talking severed head of Blackbeard).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our next stop was at the Hyppo, which sells gourmet $3.50
popsicles. But they’re worth it. Man, those were some fantastic popsicles. The
kids both had Straight Up Strawberry. Ray went with Key Lime, and I settled on
Pink Grapefruit. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkQEHHav5Br6PCKovz3ukFXCOl_kKpcVBczew7RTnNIN4fnjCDRZP3izSItvTO3DOeqNesZFmPJzakcKtu0Ph-mPquUPyUit9He4l65iwJJHjRCK7F3fWqgQ98-slGR98h9fSHCzNsMc/s1600/st+aug+vacation+055+edit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkQEHHav5Br6PCKovz3ukFXCOl_kKpcVBczew7RTnNIN4fnjCDRZP3izSItvTO3DOeqNesZFmPJzakcKtu0Ph-mPquUPyUit9He4l65iwJJHjRCK7F3fWqgQ98-slGR98h9fSHCzNsMc/s400/st+aug+vacation+055+edit+1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Between the heat, the walking, the terror at the pirate
museum, and the adventure at the fort, the kids were CONKED OUT for their
afternoon nap. No kidding, I think Linus slept about four hours. When they
finally woke up, we ventured out for dinner. We were hoping for some nice local
seafood. What we got was this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDMjXWK_t6mwCtsVgDE1tKDr_EeVoeLV60l3C19Hv_54NTnrofxsBx53aZkVtQAxshDiNvSdlDn1NXFmjxOZ_imTYDbP2pZD-go3W_vetJm_Ih79nTry3OA6CHOP3RHggkJBbRImcjzM/s1600/st+aug+vacation+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDMjXWK_t6mwCtsVgDE1tKDr_EeVoeLV60l3C19Hv_54NTnrofxsBx53aZkVtQAxshDiNvSdlDn1NXFmjxOZ_imTYDbP2pZD-go3W_vetJm_Ih79nTry3OA6CHOP3RHggkJBbRImcjzM/s400/st+aug+vacation+056.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the parking of the restaurant, Veda tried to run away
from my mom and was headed for the road. They both tripped over a huge crack in the pavement of the parking
lot, and Veda fell flat on her face. She had a bloody nose and mouth, but she
really didn’t look too bad. Then as I laid her out on my seat in the car for
further inspection, the enormous bruise on her forehead began to show, and I
started wondering if we would be using the GPS to find the closest emergency
room. She looked pitiful, but there was no permanent injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a little worried that the fine
strangers of Florida might call the CPS people on me, but only a few people
gasped and asked, “What happened to her face?!”.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, yeah, needless to
say, we did not enjoy fresh local seafood that night.</span></div>
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Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-16422476871719859762012-08-16T12:01:00.000-07:002012-08-16T12:01:31.043-07:00Things and StuffSince all the big kids are back in school here, we're enjoying visiting some cool kid spots during the week without the crowds and the danger of being run over by older kids.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApuJtKjEYcpSaBgIvSg_Je34XDHCETd2sl_118NDhLagUgY-VQk4y154394Qp_rS6Jg3Es5iODpb0SewJVaA-FBr8RaRmVmbI6xKhRkFLzAws8zl4TsUeg0nFPwh_IrawAQYnFwj604M/s1600/summer+2012+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApuJtKjEYcpSaBgIvSg_Je34XDHCETd2sl_118NDhLagUgY-VQk4y154394Qp_rS6Jg3Es5iODpb0SewJVaA-FBr8RaRmVmbI6xKhRkFLzAws8zl4TsUeg0nFPwh_IrawAQYnFwj604M/s320/summer+2012+010.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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I've been working on the kids' Halloween costumes for about a month now. The main component of Veda's costume is a knitted piece, which I'm about 60% finished with. As soon as I finish with hers, which I hope will be soon for the sake of getting both costumes ready in time to get lots of Halloween use of out them, I'll start on Linus's. I'll be knitting a hat and then sewing a vest for him (without a pattern for the vest - wish me luck!). </div>
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Veda's costume is the first thing I've knitted in many years. The last thing I knitted those years ago was a baby blanket for my own maybe baby. I remember how deeply sad I felt every time I picked it up to work on it. Honestly, it was a pretty stupid project for an Infertile to take on. As soon as I thought it was reasonable to call it done, I stuffed it in a closet and gave up on knitting. </div>
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What happened to the blanket? I've used it a couple of times with the kids. Did I take it out and feel all warm and fuzzy about it? Nope. It actually made me feel exactly the way I felt about it when I was knitting it. Infertility is weird like that.</div>
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But this project for Veda? It makes me feel exactly the way knitting should make someone feel. Every time I pick it up, I'm so enamored with how beautiful the stitches are and proud of mastering the new cast-on I had to learn. I've also noticed that I'm far more patient than I was when I started knitting about ten years ago. It's become a more meditative activity. It's good.<br />
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We've been doing an elimination diet with Veda to test for food allergies, and I believe we've found the culprit. SOY. There are a couple more steps to make sure that that's the thing (and the only thing), but I'm almost completely certain. While we've been doing the elimination diet Veda's GI symptoms have abated (well, until we introduced some soy back in), and she's grown about 1/2 of an inch within the last month and looks to have filled out a bit more. I'm excited to think that we've finally gotten to the bottom of things. At the same time, a soy allergy is going to be a PAIN IN THE A$$. Do you realize just how many things contain soy? Practically all processed foods. Ice cream, crackers, frozen foods... it's everywhere. And for this vegetarian mom and dad, it throws some serious complications into dinner. No tofu... no freezer section veggie burgers...it's going to change things up.<br />
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Remember this little pooch?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2mkPJekzmqz1xYfy1IjCHccx-A7FE8iu-DR8sx0V5cFkO1umOWvbfnexcgo-e1knnG_KZ5kh6vbX0ClzzmIhV_F4Nlmc0zbgD-BQ19lo6DO_BkP39HZg-dkLpPldx3x3NLVyIRFe0xY/s1600/summer+2012+019+edit+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2mkPJekzmqz1xYfy1IjCHccx-A7FE8iu-DR8sx0V5cFkO1umOWvbfnexcgo-e1knnG_KZ5kh6vbX0ClzzmIhV_F4Nlmc0zbgD-BQ19lo6DO_BkP39HZg-dkLpPldx3x3NLVyIRFe0xY/s320/summer+2012+019+edit+1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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That's our little Mimi. I got her as a puppy five years ago. Five years goes fast, and it seems that Mimi is no longer a spring chicken. A couple of problems have sprung up for our girl. She's become incontinent, which is common for spayed females, but it seems to have happened a little early for Mimi. She's going to be going on a medication to help her have some more control, but sadly she'll have to be on it for the rest of her life. She also has some pateller luxation, which means that one of her knee joints sometimes slides out of place. It's painful enough for her that it causes her to limp for a few days at a time and have trouble getting up and down. Her case isn't serious enough to require surgery, so we'll treat her with medication when it's bothering her. It's going to cause arthritis down the road, but we'll deal with that when we get there.</div>
Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-2786381945161279382012-08-09T05:44:00.000-07:002012-08-09T05:44:20.144-07:00Things You Did Today 8/8/12This morning we had our first playgroup with the other mommies and kiddies in our little town since school let out for the summer. The kids were excited to go. Veda decided to pack up Baby Stella's carrier. "I need to pack my things!" <br />
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The Baby Stella carrier is so far the only way (other than stripping Stella's clothes off) that Veda has any interest in dolls.<br />
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For context, here's the Baby Stella carrier with Stella strapped in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidp-e16j09eQ1Eslywnv1GgkEBBKX0Ngy5LRwEwi74OALPytGDpsMtkkJYnOdnVBv_ZFnKPItiISS0n5B3L-m1wO6z_tneU1VZV22Ttu6BnjVnRq955VA2H5lkXLHO7O04lj_N1CgHUn0/s1600/summer+2012+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidp-e16j09eQ1Eslywnv1GgkEBBKX0Ngy5LRwEwi74OALPytGDpsMtkkJYnOdnVBv_ZFnKPItiISS0n5B3L-m1wO6z_tneU1VZV22Ttu6BnjVnRq955VA2H5lkXLHO7O04lj_N1CgHUn0/s400/summer+2012+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here are the things Veda "needed" to pack. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8TsjdCsJJ2SGzjX22PxmQz2VrIXiCeLRmX23m4ZsHSZ-fGKwyFYrhgNS2VB-dwaprYBSL1pQ2tz5sPxy_cicdOyDSPW2Mf7af2ikYyHPKMAqCd-zJrpsKu9InZwipmxfhncR3C_Nlzg/s1600/summer+2012+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8TsjdCsJJ2SGzjX22PxmQz2VrIXiCeLRmX23m4ZsHSZ-fGKwyFYrhgNS2VB-dwaprYBSL1pQ2tz5sPxy_cicdOyDSPW2Mf7af2ikYyHPKMAqCd-zJrpsKu9InZwipmxfhncR3C_Nlzg/s400/summer+2012+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I can already tell this girl is going to need a big purse.<br />
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In other news, Linus is obsessed with rocket ships. OBSESSED. He says he wants to be an astronaut and be the first man to walk on Mars. (Before you think he's THAT precocious, this statement was made in response to a question in a book about astronauts.)<br />
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Yesterday I made a lasagna in the slow cooker. It's not as great as traditional lasagna, but it doesn't heat the house up like the oven would. Anyhoo, the kids couldn't say<em> lasagna</em> clearly. And they also refused to eat it. Then Linus called it <em>launchpad</em>. And they started eating it. Whatever it takes. So lasagna is now officially known as<em> launchpad</em> in our house.Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-76831918561790394202012-08-07T14:18:00.000-07:002012-08-07T14:18:10.823-07:00Things You Did Today 8/7/12I like to use grocery bags to collect kitchen scraps to save time when I'm cooking, to line the tiny bathroom garbage can, and to collect stinky diapers. So, it's natural for the kids to associate grocery bags with garbage.<br />
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Add to this that Mr. Linus has adopted a habit lately of hugging his favorite toys and telling them he loves them. <br />
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This morning my husband asked me to meet him at the Panera near his office while we were out to deliver the workout clothes he had forgotten at this house this morning. He was running a little late, so the three of us galumphed into line to get a bagel to appease the kids.<br />
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What was I holding? The grocery bag of workout clothes.<br />
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Linus embraced the bag in a great show of sincerity and screamed, "I love you, garbage!". And because Veda didn't want to be left out, she joined in on the screaming fun. <br />
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I was a little embarrassed, but mostly I was laughing. <br />
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I did tell them to stop screaming. But mostly I was doing the silent laugh when they weren't looking at me.<br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-37347170670784560182012-07-19T18:35:00.000-07:002012-07-19T18:35:10.763-07:00A Portrait of the Artists at 2.5 YearsOfficial well visit weigh-in stats:<br />
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Linus - 26 lbs. 6 oz.<br />
Veda - 21 lbs. 13 oz.<br />
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I think the nurse messed up their height check because they were both shorter than the last time they went to the pediatrician. No matter. Our home stats: <br />
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Linus - 35.75"<br />
Veda - 33.25"<br />
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Veda will be headed to another pediatric gastroenterologist next week to get a second opinion about some ongoing GI issues. Wish us luck. <br />
<br />And now... the good stuff...<br />
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This age is my favorite so far. You guys can carry on conversations. You answer questions. You have clear preferences. <br />
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Linus, it's pretty remarkable how affectionate and loving you are. You're so free with giving me hugs and kisses. It's going to be a very, very sad day when you decide that you're too big to love on your mommy. One of your favorite games right now is the go to sleep game. It entails you telling me to lie down in bed and go to sleep. (Don't mind if I do!) Then you snuggle into me and let me cuddle with you. It just doesn't get any better. Well, for the 45 seconds you're actually still.<br />
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Your vocabulary is so impressive. You're not just speaking in full sentences, you're using words like <em>presentation</em> and <em>camouflage</em>. You've been pretending to read out of grown-up books lately, as well as inspecting the text of things like receipts and junk mail. You recognize lots of letters and are pretty good at counting objects. Colors, though? Neither of you can recognize a single color, which is sort of driving me nuts. But we'll get there... we will. And surely both of you can't be colorblind. <br />
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You are currently obsessed with all things that go. You're usually carrying around at least one matchbox car, and you pretend that nearly everything in our house is a rocket ship. Every day you request to watch the <em>Cars</em> movie... multiple times over. It's also pretty funny to hear you randomly shouting "Ka-chow! or "Axlerod!" (as in Sir Miles Axlerod).<br />
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Veda, you have become so, so independent. Whether it's getting out of your car seat, using the potty, or getting into the bath tub, you insist on doing it on your own. ("Myself!") You've also started requesting time to yourself every now and then and sometimes say that you don't want Brother in what you believe to be your room. Sorry, kiddo, but until we move, you guys have to share. You've developed a little bit of a bossy streak, too. I love singing to you, but you've started declaring, "No song!" pretty often. Even funnier is when you tell me, "Don't say that." Just the other day I was reciting a line from Seinfeld - "Elaine and Suzy! Suzy and Elaine!" - and sounding like a teeny little exasperated teenager, you said, "Don't say that." <br />
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You've become the big arts and crafts enthusiast around here. Stickers, watercolor paints, chalk, crayons, markers, drawing, playdoh, cutting with your new scissors - you love it all, and it's not uncommon for you to wander into my bedroom in the morning requesting that I get out some paint or glue for you. You're pretty good at recognizing letters, and you are starting to enjoy counting objects (though you refuse to believe in the existence of the number four), but right now honing your fine motor skills is your big thing. It's pretty amazing to watch you so focused on learning to use scissors or trying to stay in the lines in your coloring book.<br />
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As much as you like dressing like a girly-girl, you have almost no interest whatsoever in dolls. You still request Thomas the Train books, and Cars is currently your favorite movie. Blocks, Legos, and balls are among your favorite toys right now. Helping me is one of your favorite pastimes, and you get so excited about cooking.<br />
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I've always had this feeling with you that you're something of an "old soul". Sure, you're a toddler, but everyone notices that you're very mature for your age. I'm sure this will sound kind of nuts, but I really do feel that there's a little adult in there who understands way more than the average two year old. <br />
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I love you, my little bunnies.<br />Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4647286121172362420.post-82501972815579682572012-07-11T17:38:00.000-07:002012-07-11T17:38:03.271-07:00Things You Did Today 7/11/12As we were pulling out of the driveway today, it was raining. Linus waved out the window and said, "Bye, flowers! Drink enough coffee!" Because, you know... coffee rains from the sky. I love my little coffee man. <br />
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Both kids marched into the living room today and declared, "We're twins!". I've told them that they're twins maybe three times ever, and today wasn't one of those times. Wonder where that revelation came from...Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14555538219796104360noreply@blogger.com1