Freya's First Birthday!

Freya carried on the family tradition of being sick for all those important days. Poor little girl was running a high fever, refused to eat, she just nursed constantly. My butt is now imprinted onto the couch cushions. I felt like it was those first two weeks when Freya was first born when she nursed every 2 hours but took an hour to an hour and a half to nurse. At least she is much easier to nurse now.

The good news is she had a wonderful party that she wasn't sick for a few days before her actual birthday. She loves lambs so I tried to give her a lamb themed party the best I could. I also had a color theme of pink and gold. I will post some how to info on the decorations I made at another time.

Right now I'm dealing with a sick little girl that just wants to cuddle. She loves hugs but they are usually very short hugs. When Freya is sick it's like her hugs never end. She has such a tight hold on me it melts my heart. She has these new toys from her family that she played with for all of a few hours before she started running a fever and hasn't really played since. But in true Freya fashion, no matter how sick she is she will dance.

We put up our Yule/Christmas tree yesterday. While we hung decorations I put on music to get us in the holiday spirit. Freya was sitting in front of me when she started bouncing up and down on her knees. She smile this big toothy grin which I hadn't seen in two days at that point. She then started to shake her shoulder and dance to the music. I was so happy to see my happy little Freya again. Nothing will stop my Freya from dancing! She also loves playing her dancing Care bear she got from her auntie, uncle, and cousins. It sings the Care bear theme song which Freya sang "care bear" after a few minutes of playing with it. She's not as talkative as Morrigan was at this age but Freya is more of a doer. But Freya will say plenty in song. It's so funny to hear her sing and sing words that she won't say.

I'm hoping today is better for my now one year old princess. Freya has finally been staying cool without Tylenol. I'm keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that the fever stays away. Maybe she is well enough to eat her little lamb shaped cake pop from her party. For right now, I will let her continue to brush my hair no matter how much she is actually tangling it and ripping it out because she is calm.

I'm in the sick kid time warp!

It's like one minute it's 7 a.m, the next minute it's 2 o'clock and my slow cooker pot roast has yet to be simply be placed inside the cooker. My house looks like a bomb went off and for once it's not due from toys being thrown about. It's from the 101 things I had started today that I've dropped for my two sick munchkins.

It really doesn't help that I'm sick on top of it. My husband is sick also and the sky looks sick. I haven't seen a single ray of sun shine all day. It has been gray and rainy which really zaps my energy. Combine it with the fact I have been taking down my Halloween decorations and putting up some Thanksgiving and my Christmas village. Also, Morrigan has to build a model of a atom due next week but she has a bunch of things going on so we are doing a little bit every day.

Well, that was at least the plan before we all got sick. Now, my table is covered in craft supplies and tiny fake trees. My living room is being taken over by all the unfolded clothes, and my kitchen still has the pots and pans from dinner last night still in the sink.

The kids have been difficult, to say the least. Morrigan's coughing is driving me up a wall, her constant sniffling has gotten on my last nerve to the point that each sniff sounds like someone is running sandpaper over my eardrum. We have been yelling back and forth because the girl would rather sniffle then blow her nose.

Freya has been crying for hours because she wants to eat the faux candles I have in the windows. She won't nap today, did I mention she was up until midnight last night and then woke today at 6 am? So she's a bit sleep deprived as am I.

Of course, my husband walk in the door as soon as Morrigan finally stopped fighting me about the saline drops and blew her nose to the point the sniffles are quiet for now which also quiets the cough. Freya was finally nursing into a nap, and I sat back looking through Pinterest on my phone for some overly ambitious American Girl doll projects. Go figure! I looked at the clock, 3 pm? Guess the sick kid time warp jumped me ahead another hour. Crap!

You know what? These days happen...I'm ordering a pizza!

Never Too Young To Give Children Choirs

I give my 10 month old choirs...

Okay, now that may be excessive, but I'm not going to stop her. Except when she actually does get strong enough to pull those plates out of the rack. I will end up with a bunch of broken plates if that's the case.

I did however start Morrigan with choirs at age 4. It was simply dusting the surfaces in the living room. I may have had to go back over everything but it gave her a sense of pride not only in her self but also the home she lives in.

I can't say she kept that sense of cleanliness as her room always looks like a tornado just ripped through it. But what I do see is a pride in the communal living areas like the living room and dining area. She treats my furniture with care.

Choirs should not be used as punishment but rather a teaching tool. Teach your kiddos the value of pride in their home and you will raise children that are respectful of your house and the stuff you have that makes it a home.

Why I Love the Day After Halloween!

I have a secret, I'm addicted to the deal. I love a good sale! I hate buying things at the regular price. I live for clearence which is why I wait until the day after Halloween to buy decorations.

My husband and I collect Lemax Spooky Village pieces. My spooky village is getting to the point where I can't fit any new pieces. So we are currently working on terrain and small pieces. But I wanted the dilapidated barn and I was hoping to find it discounted the day after Halloween.

We went to 5 different stores looking for discounted Lemax pieces. Two were Ace Hardware and a Sears which we had no luck but at the two Michael's we found three mound pieces, two rolls of ground, fencing, benches, coffins, and some Michael's brand accessories like pumpkins and hay stacks, most at 80% off. But our best find was two display Lemax pieces at a Michael's that had no box and the big piece was missing it's light. I got the dilapidated barn I wanted minus it's light for only $5 and the gory grillin figure for $0.25! I am so thrilled!

I get holiday decorations on clearance every year. I just wait for the day after the holiday and I go out first thing in the morning to Michael's or Walmart or Target and load up on holiday stuff at a fraction of the cost I then just pack it in when I take down my holiday stuff for next year. The only holiday I don't do this for is Thanksgiving because I hate black friday with a passion. It comes from being in retail management before I was mom.

My decorations for Halloween...

To this for Thanksgiving...

That is how much I despise going out on black friday! My Thanksgiving decorations will have to wait. Most of these were bought when A.C. Moore was liquidating their store in Hanover MA.

So this is my advice, never pay full price for holiday decorations go clearence shopping the day after instead.

I plan on posting the instructions on how to make some of my home made decorations for Halloween. I have to do my ghost and zombie over again so I will do step by step  instructions. Also, you can follow me on Pinterest to view some on the crafts I have done for the holidays.

Tomorrow, I will have a 9 year old!

Tomorrow, I will have a 9 year old! When did this happen? It wasn't that long ago I was holding my sweet little Pumpkin for the first time. Now she is a big girl capable of so many things. She has grown into such an amazing young lady that I feel both excitement to see what this next year will bring her but also I am sad for that little girl that she will never be again.

Childhood is so short, its fleeting. In a blink of an eye your babies will be an adult. No more tucking them in at night, no more kissing boo-boos all better, no magic on Christmas morning when their eyes light up in amazement at the sight of all the gifts Santa brought. I know its kind of cliche but time does fly. I can't help but dread my children's birthdays.

From the first moment I met her, Morrigan had changed my life forever. She made me a mother. I had always dreamed of the day I would become a mother and Morrigan made it easy for me. She was an excellent baby. She didn't cry much as a baby though she rarely slept. She would just sit in her swing or in her bouncer and take in the world around her. Morrigan was healthy, happy, and sweet from day one. I watched her curiosity grow as she examined everything she encountered.

 As Morrigan grew she showed just caring she can be. Not only did she show empathy at an early age, she cared about the environment. She always wanted to help. She was obsessed with recycling and reusing things. She fixes broken toys rather than throwing them away and asking for a replacement. Come to think of it, I don't think we actual have thrown anything away, she has always made something new out of a broken toy. This is probably why her room is over run with toys. She would save containers for crafts. She was a Pinterest queen before Pinterest. Morrigan has always been a creative person, she amazes me still with her creativity.

 The thing about Morrigan that I certainly brag the most about is her ability to learn so fast. I know if I heard someone saying their child achieved what Morrigan did I wouldn't have believed them before having Morrigan. I had always believed that parents are a child's first teachers and its a part of parenting to challenge your children every chance you get. I can't say I am the reason why Morrigan is so smart. Her curiosity was the driving force for her learning, I just offered the source of knowledge and let her set the pace. She ate up every little thing I taught her and was constantly starving for more.

Before her first birthday Morrigan was speaking in sentences. She had a vocabulary that I couldn't even count. By a year an a half she could count to ten and she could identify every letter of the alphabet. When she was 2 she could read some words and I gave her the challenge that year to identify her gifts under the tree at Christmas time. At 2 she learned about ecosystems, the water cycle, and plant growth. She was approaching her third birthday when she wrote her name all by herself for the first time. By three, Morrigan could read an entire Dr. Suess book all by herself. She loves history! We went to all sorts of historical sites and she read books on American history. When she was four she told me she loved reading about the civil war era the best.

Besides the books smarts, Morrigan just has this natural wisdom about her. I say that Morrigan has an old soul. She has always been able to understand concepts far beyond her years. Its like Morrigan has been born with the gifts of reading people. She always knows the right thing to say. She is also a natural model. Since she was a toddler I could say nothing more than stating I was going to take a picture of her and she would get into the perfect pose. That is the reason why I love photography. I have the easiest subject built in. She understands what I want to achieve in my photos and just do it.
This brings me another great thing about Morrigan, her creativity. I said she was the Pinterest queen before Pinterest but there is more than just crafts to Morrigan. She is a true artist! I see how she creates things and its more than just keeping busy. She envisions things and sees things differently because of her natural creativity. She is a little rebel. She has always walked to the beat of her own drum. She loves to get a good laugh and loves doing things that will make people feel good. Even at Morrigan's young age she sees the other side to life. She knows it can't be rainbows and sunshine all the time. Few people know that Morrigan actually loves to read and write poetry. She is also an amazing story teller and writes her own short stories. I remember her teacher in the first grade during parent teacher conferences telling Chris and I how gifted of a writer Morrigan is. That she loves to read Morrigan's assignments because she writes poetically. Even in the first grade her writing was descriptive and she used imagery. I was surprised, I had no idea at the time my little girl was so talented.

Another way my little girl is talented is in dance. For a kid with two left feet when walking, she does amazing dancing on stage. I love watching how well she dances. She has loved to dance since she was a toddler but we feared she was too shy to take dance classes. But when she was 4 we enrolled her in ballet and tap and she did amazing. I was so proud of my little girl on stage. Every year she gets better and better and she amazes me every recital. I tear up with pride as I watch her perform.

 Although Morrigan has so many things to be proud of in her 9 years of existences, the most important quality about her is how incredibly caring she is. I have never seen my daughter shine more than as her role as big sister. She was so caring and understanding while I was pregnant. She wanted to be a part of my pregnancy every step of the way. She went to doctor appointments, ultrasounds, even witnessed the birth of her baby sister first hand. She was the first to hold Freya after me and I have never seen her more proud and overjoyed. She has been amazing with her little sister, being a second set of hands, being a second mommy, and she is always willing to help whenever I need it. I am just blown away by her love for her sister. It makes this momma so proud!

As much as I hate that my little girl isn't so very little anymore, I wouldn't trade all the wonderful times I have had with her. She has grown into an amazing girl and has shown me how to grow as a mother along with her. I may not get to see three year old Morrigan ever again which does make me sad but I get to see what else Morrigan is capable of and experience all the wonderful moments her future has in store for her.

Happy Birthday Morrigan!!!

Super Foods Salad

In my attempts to eat better I have been looking to eat at least one meal a week loaded with super foods. I plan on doing a post about super foods. But right now I will give you my latest super food meal.

This is Super Food Salad...

Ingredients
Salad:
5 c. fresh Brussels Sprouts, very thinly sliced
3 c. large kale leaves, ribs removed, and finely chopped
1/2 c. dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Dressing:
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. pure maple syrup
1 1/2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 T. whole-grain mustard
salt to taste

Directions
In a large salad bowl, combine the sliced Brussels sprouts, chopped kale, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and crumbled bacon. Toss together.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, mustard, and salt. Whisk with a fork until well mixed.
Pour the dressing over the Brussels sprouts mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Brussels sprouts are a great source of vitamin C and vitamin K. They are also a good source of folate, manganese, vitamin B6, dietary fiber, choline, copper, vitamin B1, potassium, phosphorus, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Kale is a good source of protein, fiber, Vitamins A, C, and K, Folate, a B vitamin that’s key for brain development. Also there is alpha-linolenic acid, and omega-3 fatty acid, and minerals including phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and zinc.

Sunflower seeds are loaded with vitamins like vitamin E, vitamin B1, magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin B3, just to name a few.

That is just a few of the nutrition of the ingredients in this salad.

It's important we try to eat healthy even if its once and a while. If this salad replaces a night you would have had burgers or take out then you have improved your eating. Just remember, we only have one body, we should treat it like our most precious possession.

Make Your Own Moonsand!

We had a great time last night making and playing with our own homemade Moonsand. Best part was it was made with 2 ingredients I had just lying around. Its super simple and fun. Its a bit messy but nothing a broom and a dustpan can't fix, oh and a bath, they will definitely need a bath!

All you need is

8 cups of flour
1 cup of baby oil

and a container to put it in.

Take off your rings and mash it all together. Make sure to really work the oil into the flour. It only takes a moment and things start forming together

That's it, now let the kids take over and have fun. I throw in some plastic cups last night but you can add so many things that can scoop, poke shapes, add dolls.

When the kiddos are done, you can bag it up in a large ziplock bag and save it for another day of play.

This sand is a great sensory craft to do with toddlers, Even my 8 year old loved playing in it.