Saturday Six Meme

1. When was the last time you bought something for someone else, and what was it?
I bought a watch for my oldest daughter yesterday.

2. When was the last time you complimented someone, and what was their reaction?
I complemented my daughter's friend on her owl pajamas last night.


3. When was the last time you had to return a purchase to the store? What was it and why?
I don't remember!  But ask me in 2 weeks and I'm sure I will have an answer!

5. When was the last time you had to go to the doctor’s office?
I went to the doctor a few weeks ago for a checkup

6. When was the last time a stranger was kind to you?
a man held the door for me to go into the coffee shop this morning!

Wordless Wednesday - Old Fashioned Christmas

I will come back and identify the people and the year, but the woman holding the little girl in front is my great grandmother, and I'm not sure which little boy is my paternal grandfather.

Blog Love Friday - Mamikaze!

 Astacia is teh awesomesauce.  I love her forthright honesty, her ready smile, her passion for her kids, and her servant heart.  She is a great encourager, she is very brave, and is stronger than she realizes. I met her at the Type A Mom Conference and saw her in action, and spoke with her in the special needs blogging session.  She is a passionate and educated advocate for herself and for her children! 

The "About" page on her blog is great, here are some highlights:

A stay-at-home mom, a self-proclaimed smart-mouthed social media addict, managing editor of Type-A Mom, as well as a college student earning a degree in digital design.  Mamikaze is a just as you guessed; a combination of Mama and Kamikaze. It describes her dive-bomber lifestyle. She has tremendous up and downs, and these mood changes prove to be excellent blog fodder. it also hones her bitchiness.

Astacia is also a diehard advocate of bloggers using Wordpress, she is an SEO nerd, and a writer for the Seattle Special Needs Examiner and Seattle Social Media Examiner.

Kelby (@typeamom) and Astacia (@mamikaze) taken at TypeAMom Conference, need to identify photographer!

Please go visit Astacia at http://www.mamikaze.com, and if you are on twitter, she can be found at @mamikaze

Wordless Wednesday - LOLCat edition

Five Question Friday

1. What is your favorite "eat" on Thanksgiving?
pie is my favorite!  Apple, Pumpkin, Peach, Blueberry.. :)  My favorite ways to eat turkey are actually turkey salad and turkey soup.

2. What is the name your best girl friend and the best trait about her or how you met (or heck, both!!)?
My best girlfriend is Susan.  The best trait about her is her sense of humor, followed quickly by her acceptance of others as they are.  I met her during our freshman year of high school 19 years ago!

3. What would you say is one of your "weirdest" quirks?
I have a LOT of quirks. Sleeping best wrapped up in my own covers not touching anyone else is my current big one.

4. What is your favorite genre of music? (Hip hop? Classical? Rock? etc.)
Celtic, followed by Christian and 80s music.

5. Are you a Night Owl...or an Early Bird?
Night Owl.

Wordless Wednesday - Annelise

Wordless Wednesday

Maddie's chop-job

she had cut so much into the back that we had to take this much length off to even it up

Small Talk Six

6 stores at which you wish you could

register for Christmas presents for yourself

 

1.  IKEA

2. Brighton

3. New York and Company

4. Pottery Barn

5. Target

6. Itunes

Wordless Wednesday - Eilean Donan, Scotland

Taste Test Tuesday - Scalloped Potatoes and Franks

Ok, so this recipe seems to be one that you either love or hate.  I grew up with this as a regular meal every few weeks, and it is a comfort food of mine now that I am married and have my own family.  Some of you may cringe, but this was back in the day of pork chops with cream of mushroom soup over it, koolaid all the time to drink even if you woke up thirsty in the middle of the night, and ham potato and pea casserole.  (yeah that last one is just as disgusting as it sounds too. Wugh!)

So far, 3 out of 4 of my kids don't like Scalloped Potatoes and Franks. I think maybe because it is such a departure from the non-casserole food I serve, and maybe also because of the way it looks.  But seriously?  A hot dog casserole?  With cheese?   I can't figure out why they don't like it. What's not to love??

See what you think.  And husband, if you read this, refrain from commenting in the negative.  Other people are other people :) 

Scalloped Potatoes and Franks

Ingredients

2 cups raw sliced potatoes
1 onion, sliced
1 can tomato sauce
1 package hot dogs (nitrate free if you can)
4-6 oz cheddar cheese
2T butter
2T flour
parsley
salt
pepper

Directions
Put sliced potatoes and onion in water to cover.  Boil 7 minutes.  In casserole dish, slice hot dogs, cube cheese, add butter, salt and pepper, and 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce.  Drain onions and potatoes, and add them to the casserole.  Stir to mix.  Top with other half can of tomato sauce and parsley to taste.  Cover and microwave 10 minutes on high.

Friend Makin Monday

TeriLynne blogs at Pleasing To You .  She is a passionate follower of Christ, and has been married to her husband, Scott for 13 years. She and Scott have a daughter, Casiday, who is in fourth grade. TeriLynne writes and teaches women to live empowered, confident lives in Christ and HIS strength, and it is a dream come true for her.  She is working on her first book inbetween teaching Bible studies, volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, helping with homework, and trying to conquer laundry mountain. And she's a pastor's wife too! She is learning to blend the sacred with the secular in daily life in her writing style ... from sharing how she studies and prays to helping others laugh as they learn to see the spiritual in moldy shower curtains. TeriLynne prays that others will find the great joy and peace that she has found in Jesus Christ.  Her goal is to encourage, challenge and inspire others to pursue lives that are pleasing to God.  I have recently started talking to her on a daily basis on Twitter, and am so glad to be getting to know her.  She is a strong and encouraging woman, full of wisdom and integrity.  I hope you will stop by her blog and/or follow her on twitter!


 

Manic Monday Meme

I happened upon a site from someone I follow on Twitter who has made a Manic Monday Meme.  I was searching for something entirely different, and ended up in a different place than her current postings, so I took a few of the questions I saw and decided to use them for my Manci Monday Meme this week!  I will also be doing a Friend Makin Monday, but I liked these too.


1.When and with whom was your first kiss?

May 1987, with Scott.  He was my first crush and was also my first kiss.

2. Do you usually wear perfume/cologne? If so, what's your current favorite?
I usually wear Mary Kay Tribute or Victoria's Secret Vanilla Lace.  More often, I am wearing Bath and Body Works Coconut Lime Verbena.
 

3. What's the last book you've read that you thought was really good? If you don't have one, what looks promising on your to-be-read list?
I really loved Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I highly recommend that.  I am currently reading Mad Church Disease by Anne Jackson and it is really good too!

4. Are you a saver or spender?

I am a spender.  Oh my gosh am I a spender.

5. Do you prefer to walk around barefoot in your home? Socks? Shoes?
Barefoot in summer, socks in winter.

Thankful Thursday

A short entry because it is way late, but I wanted to write about some things I am thankful for today.  I am thankful for my family, our health, our food and shelter.  I am thankful for our community of friends and our church.  I am tahnkful for new friends on twitter who are helping me focus and develop ideas for my blog and for the business I want to start.  I am thankful for my blog readers, too.  I am so glad you make a stop to visit me, and I want to get to know you better!

Wordless Wednesday

Earth Footwear Exer-Walk Shoes & Change Your Body in 30 Days

Some of you might be aware that I applied to be on of the "Mamavation Moms" at BookieBoo.com last month.  I was not one of the two moms selected, but have started my own fitness program.  Still being involved with the ladies at BookieBoo, I was recently chosen to be a part of the Earth Footwear "Change Your Body in 30 Days" program!

My sweet friend and BookieBoo editor/cheerleader Jen over at Savor The Thyme attended the Mamavation twitter party the night the winners of the Mamavation contest  were announced, and she won a pair of Earth Footwear shoes.  She chose to give them to me as a gift, hoping that they would help in my weight loss efforts! Can you imagine?! I was floored!

When BookieBoo found out that I had been given the shoes as a gift, she asked if I would be interested in being part of the Change Your Body in 30 Days program.  I will be wearing these awesome and sleek looking Earth Footwear Exer-Fit walking shoes for the next 30 days, and will be tweeting periodically, and blogging at day 15 and day 30 about the results I am seeing.

The Earth Footwear site has this to say about their innovative Exer-Walk shoes: 

"Kalsø® Negative Heel Technology®

The most defining feature of Earth footwear is Kalsø® Negative Heel Technology® – a unique inclined sole that positions the toes 3.7º higher than the heels. The slight angle shifts weight subtly back over the heels, and can help strengthen and tone the body while also burning calories.

Anatomic Arch Support

To complement Kalsø® Negative Heel Technology®, all Earth footwear features reinforced support through the arch. The arch support maximizes the effectiveness of the heel design in promoting a natural walking motion.

BioFoam™ Cushioning

Inside all Earth footwear, a form-fitting footbed provides exceptional comfort with BioFoam™ cushioning. The proprietary material molds to the shape of the foot, displacing and absorbing shock with each step, and is environmentally-considerate, using 70% recycled content."

And finally.. the technology and the research behind the Negative Heel Technology®.

Thank you again to

and

and Earth Footwear  for providing me with both the tools and the encouragement to reach my goals! 
Keep watching my blog for more information and my experiences with the Exer-Walk shoes!  They have certainly tweaked my workout in a good way already!

The Modern Baby - a Poem by William Croswell Doane

The Modern Baby

"The hand that rocks the cradle" — but there is no such hand;
It is bad to rock the baby, they would have us understand;
So the cradle's but a relic of the former foolish days
When mothers reared their children in unscientific ways —
When they jounced them and they bounced them, these poor dwarfs of long ago—
The Washingtons and Jeffersons and Adamses, you know.

They warn us that the baby will possess a muddled brain
If we dandle him or rock him-we must carefully refrain;
He must lie in one position, never swayed and never swung,
Or his chance to grow to greatness will be blasted while he's young.
Ah! To think how they were ruined by their mothers long ago —
The Franklins and the Putnams and the Hamiltons, you know.

Then we must feed the baby by the schedule that is made,
And the food that he is given must be measured out or weighed.
He may bellow to inform us that he isn't satisfied,
But he couldn't grow to greatness if his wants were all supplied.
Think how foolish nursing stunted those poor weaklings, long ago —
The Shakespeares and the Luthers and the Buonapartes, you know.

We are given a great mission, we are here today on earth
To bring forth a race of giants, and to guard them from their birth,
To insist upon their freedom from the rocking that was bad
For our parents and their parents, scrambling all the brains they had.
Ahl If they'd been fed by schedule would they have been stunted so?
The Websters and the Lincolns and the Roosevelts, you know.

William Croswell Doane

Homeschool Update

It has been a good long while since I wrote anything about our homeschool.  I hve also been remiss in writing in my homeschool blog!  Ella is on a year round schedule, being in school for 9 weeks, and then having 3 weeks off.  So the first 3 weeks in October were her weeks off.  I did not do much in the way of structured lessons during those three weeks off, but we did do things here and there a few days a week.

We decided to withdraw Annelise from her preschool, which was a big decision, as spots are limited and hard to re-enter if you change your mind.  The first reason is that she tends to sleep late.  I mean LATE.  Generally if she goes to bed between 8 and 9, she still wont get up until 9 or 10.  I think we'd have to get her to bed by 7 if we wanted her up at 8 each day to get dressed and eat breakfast before she left.  The second reason is that she is enjoying being homeschooled. She is doing well with the first grade work I am having her do with Maddie (who is the first grader), and with the work we are doing separately from Maddie.  She wants to start doing school and doesn't want to stop until she is bored or tired.. so it might be several hours!  I just try to provide as much enrichment as I can on top of the curriculum, in case she wants to go beyond that, and most days she does.  She will want to do 6 or 8 pages of math, pattern matching, or alphabet printing. 

Maddie is doing wonderfully in both math and reading, and she is also taking a science class with the neighbor up the street.  She is taking a sewing class once a week and an art class as well! 

One of my favorite homeschool websites for young children is http://starfall.com and Annelise has been spending a lot of time there lately.  Lots of educational games!

I will try to get better about updating the homeschool website too.  It's http://mimzywood.blogspot.com

Five Question Friday

Here are this week's questions:

1. What were you doing the last time you really had a good laugh?
If I was laughing really hard, it was probably while playing with and watching my 2 year old son.


2. Who was your first CELEBRITY crush?
Kevin Bacon's character, Ren, from Footloose!

3. What is one talent that you wish you had?
There are so many.  But I guess I wish I had a particular ability to make something.  To be able to quilt, or sketch, or something like that.


4. How often do you and your spouse go out w/o the kids? Is it frequent enough?
We try to go out twice a month without the kids, and I would say that it is frequent enough, it is a lot more often than most parents we know!

5. What colour(s) is your bedroom?
Our bedroom is boring off-white!
 
If you want to participate, stop by Mama M's blog with the link at the beginning of this post to play along.
http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com
Have a great weekend and happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Happy Trick or Tweet Day!!!!  I am so excited to be a part of True Femme and to get to participate in the TrickorTweet party!  I did not want my hashtag to be too hard to find, you don't have to go digging in old posts to find it.

I thought I would share my 6 year old's favorite Halloween joke with you:

Q: Why did the skeleton not want to go to the sleepover?
A:  Because he had no BODY to go with!

And here is some fascinating information about Halloween for you!

Halloween's Origins
(based on an article at history.com)


Samhain
Halloween traces its identifiable 0roots back to the ancient Celts. They celebrated the festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) on October 31, when they believed ghosts returned to walk among us.  Celts thought that this day assisted the Druids, the celtic priests, in divining the future. The Celts were totally dependent on the earth, and the Druids' prophecies were a great source of direction for them. The prophecies from the Druids provided much comfort during the long, dark winter. The Celts celebrated their new year on November first, it celebrated harvest time, and it also heralded the beginning of winter, the time of year when many people died of starvation or from the effects of the cold. 

During Samhain, the Druids erected huge bonfires, and the Celts came together in their communities to burn animals and crops as sacrifices to the Celtic gods and goddesses, wore costumes, and played at telling fortunes.  After the festivities, they lit torches from the sacred bonfire and carried them home to light their own fireplaces, another act of protection from the gods and goddesses.

Feralia and Pomona
Over the next several decades, two Roman festivals began to take root as Rome conquered Celtic lands. Along with the traditions of Samhain, the celebration of Rome's festival hnoring Feralia marked  the passing of departed souls.  A festival that honored Pomona, a Roman goddess whose symbol was the apple, likely explains the "bobbing" for apples tradition that we keep alive today.

The Roman Church
November 1 was declared All Saints' Day in the 7th century, honoring both saints and martyrs. The pope was probably trying to replace the Celtic festivals with a church-sanctioned holy day. The celebration was also called All-hallows, and thus the night before was called All-hallows Eve. Eventually, it morphed into Halloween. Later, in the eleventh century, the Roman church declared November 2 All Souls' Day. It was celebrated much like Samhain:  bonfires, parades, and wearing costumes like saints, angels, and demons.

Halloween In America
Colonial times:  Celebrating harvesttime with "play parties" where people shared stories of the dead, tell fortunes, sing, and dance.
1800-1850: Annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.
1850-1900:  New immigrants brought Irish and English traditions, dressing up in costumes and going house to house asking for food or money, the ancestor of today's "trick-or-treating". It started to become a holiday more about get-togethers and a feeling of community than about ghosts and witchcraft.
1920-1950:  Trick-or-treating was revived. It was a relatively inexpensive way for communities  to participate in the celebrating of Halloween. Families believed they could cut down on pranks being played on them by giving neighborhood children treats.
And finally.... Americans today spend an estimated $6.9 billion on Halloween, making it second only to Christmas in holiday spending.

Finally, here is a blogthings quiz I took yesterday, related to Halloween.  I think all my blog subscribers are treats too!:

You Are a Treat

As a kid, you didn't cause too much trouble, and the adults adored you. Now that you've grown up, not much has changed. You know that a little sugar is the way to get what you want in life, and you are as sweet as they come. You like to make things better in the world, and you don't mind following rules... no matter how silly they may seem. You are a truly good person, and there's very few of you in the world. Anyone who knows you is blessed!

http://blogthings.com/areyouatrickoratreatquiz/

Link to my guest post at Mama2MamaTips

I was recently featured as a guest blogger at Mama2MamaTips, and I wanted to share the link in case you were interested.  Why Are You Breastfeeding Your Toddler?  I am a mother to 4 children, and knew before my first child was born that I wanted to breastfeed, for a variety of reasons.  Nursing until my child decides to wean has worked out well for myself and for my children.  For 101 great reasons to breastfeed, see this link at ProMom.  For great information on breastfeeding, see Kellymom.com

Small Talk Six

Today’s topic is “6 things (good or bad) that you credit your mother-in-law for.” 

 You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . . .

Here are my six:

1) Mistrust of organized religion

2) Not celebrating Christmas, Easter, and Birthdays

3) How to have an unsuccessful marriage (actually, it was my father in law who showed him how not to treat your wife and children)

4) The mantra "other people are other people" (i think that's where it came from)

5) his love of Frito pie

6) his desire to have only a few important rules and foster lots of independence in our children

Blog Love Friday!

Hey, it's still Friday!  I can send out some blog love even though it's nearly Saturday here on the east coast.

Polka Dots Are Pretty
My friend Amy is  a wonderfully supportive and inspiring lady.  She has been through a LOT in her life, and continues to live with the challenges of depression and fibromyalgia. She and her husband have two children. As a stay-at-home mom, she is focusing a great deal of time in pursuit of ending mental health stigma and preventing suicide. She is definitely a creative spirit, made by the most creative God. She believes in sharing her voice and is learning how to use it. She considers herself a full-time student of life, learning, among other things, how to experience and share joy!  Please go visit her, I would love to introduce you!

Tree Root, and Twig
My friend Stacey blogs at Tree, Root, and Twig.  First, I'd like to explain her blog title.It’s taken from Lord of the Rings, and it refers to the idea that everything – big AND small – is connected.  Even every tree, root, and twig.  She and her husband have 3 girls and 2 boys, and she shares on her blog about her children, her observations about life, she does product reviews.  She is a deep thinker and comes across as very genuine.  I met Stacey at the Type A Mom Conference, though we had written back and forth on twitter before then.  She is a delight, and I look forward to getting to know her better.  Please go visit her and say hello!

Wordless Wednesday - Schylling Junior Baking Set from The Henry Ford

Happy Birthday KnitPurlGurl!

Today is KnitPurlGurl's Birthday!!!! She is quite a woman, I must tell you. Her MomTV  bio says:    Wife, mom, knitter, crocheter, crafter, autism activist and sipper of $4 coffee.  She is much much more than that, as you will soon see!  Good thing she likes that $4 coffee, because she has a lot to juggle! I met Karrie on MomTV, participating in Chicks Keep Chatting.  We connected over the fact that we both have children on the Autism spectrum. Karrie's blogs features so many things! 

Her KnitPurlGurl site features how-to blogs and vlogs, links to her favorite fiber arts supply sites, a calendar with updates on TipJunkie, she also blogs about subjects she is passionate about and shares snippets of her life. 

Karrie has some great articles on her MommaTudes site, giving information and advocating for causes like Autism Spectrum Disorder research and equal education rights for those on the spectrum, as well as for finding a cure for breast cancer. She does product reviews and giveaways on both of her blogs.  Karrie and 3 other lovely ladies host a BlogTalkRadio show called "Fiber Tudes"  on Mondays at 1:30 PM EST, and Karrie hosts a MomTV Show called Stitch & Dish on Fridays at 8:00 PM EST.

Karrie has an Etsy shop called KPG Yarns and Sundries located here.  Finally, she can be found on twitter at @knitpurlgurl !






Please stop by one of her blogs or message her on twitter and tell her Happy Birthday!!