tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86383925143346768122024-03-12T17:18:51.922-07:00A Sanctuary SoughtMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-49450804144492612572012-06-26T12:17:00.003-07:002012-06-26T12:17:27.427-07:00In Defense of the Pinterest "Super"-moms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">It seems that one of the latest trends is to beat up what I'm going to call "Pinterest SuperMoms" -- I've heard preachers, teachers, friends, and even, strangely enough, bloggers gripe about women not feeling good enough about their motherly/wifely/crafty skills because they don't measure up to what they see on Pinterest or Facebook or on their favorite blog. Now, let me start out by admitting that I am not by nature a crafty person. This is MY version of a Cars-themed birthday cake:</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EzsFV5GJIpA/T5RSO8qevKI/AAAAAAAAKBI/lxC3F4f3TJk/s1600/P1030577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EzsFV5GJIpA/T5RSO8qevKI/AAAAAAAAKBI/lxC3F4f3TJk/s320/P1030577.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Comparing it to the original inspiration from Pinterest...</div>
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Source: <a href="http://bakerlady.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/best-buttercream-ever/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;">bakerlady.wordpress.com</a> via <a href="http://pinterest.com/cherger/" style="color: #76838b; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Cheryl</a> on <a href="http://pinterest.com/" style="color: #76838b; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">...you can see that I could easily choose to feel a bit down about my cake decorating skills. Instead I am grateful for the good idea, and happy that my son loved his cake.</span></div>
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Even more, I am thankful for the existence and success of Pinterest, Blogging, Facebook, and all their various cousins, because they provide a means for extraordinarily talented women to share their clever ideas, their daily triumphs, their awkward and awesome moments. </div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I'm grateful for the chance to discover that my old high school friend </span><a href="http://kiwigirlcooking.blogspot.com/2012/01/savory-swiss-chicken.html" style="background-color: white;">Kelly</a><span style="background-color: white;"> has such a gift for cooking (and posting recipes in a beautiful and easy-to-follow format); and that another old friend, her sister<a href="http://jodalamode.blogspot.com/2012/06/what-i-wore-wednesday_13.html"> Jody</a>, has a remarkable talent for thrifting clothes into awesome outfits.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">And while I've always known my best friend <a href="http://mollythepirate.blogspot.com/2012/02/coffee-steampunk-upcycled-makeup.html">Molly</a> has an eye for finding beauty in the smallest of details and not only <i>seeing</i> the potential in a discarded item but also bringing it to life, I wouldn't get to enjoy that gift from halfway across the country without her blog. Thanks to her<a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/MollythePirate"> etsy shop</a>, I can also wear some of the loveliness she creates.</span></div>
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You know how you can really <i>see </i>a Bible verse for the first time after the hundredth reading? While I was pondering the Pinterest SuperMom envy, I happened across the following encounter in a group Bible study: </div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span lang="en-US">Genesis 4:6–7</span> (NASB95)
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<span style="color: blue;">6 Then the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
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<span style="color: blue;">7 “If you do well, will not <span style="font-style: italic;">your countenance </span>be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”</span></div>
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If something you run across online makes your "countenance fall", I challenge you to take the path suggested to Cain, and find out why you are intimidated instead of inspired by the "perfect" Pinterest/blogging/facebooking mom. Find a way to share <b><i>your</i></b> talent, whatever it is, instead of allowing jealousy or bitterness to take root.</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-48940243675009343892012-03-16T12:13:00.000-07:002012-03-16T12:13:05.134-07:00Dressed for Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSag8G-eIoL0G1ZyS-3EZlc0Cp28O2Do8ipl7aAb4Id1QFWPfJfRlUhwh8M-G5sbqXZRha-_L7oLyla4Zgvs913h4urvIJJKxPpY7kahlrSKVQ4B3uLulcBWtmLyZ0ji0_V46OLJWpCSZ0/s1600/ShabbyApple3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSag8G-eIoL0G1ZyS-3EZlc0Cp28O2Do8ipl7aAb4Id1QFWPfJfRlUhwh8M-G5sbqXZRha-_L7oLyla4Zgvs913h4urvIJJKxPpY7kahlrSKVQ4B3uLulcBWtmLyZ0ji0_V46OLJWpCSZ0/s320/ShabbyApple3.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had a bit of an epiphany this morning, after another night of oft-interrupted sleep due to a sick toddler, a baby simultaneously squeezing out my bladder and my stomach, and the Nyquil-and-congestion-induced snoring of my husband. After taking care of the essentials of my morning hygiene, I was debating contacts/glasses and eyeliner/just a lazy dash of boring brown shadow. I knew I wouldn't be taking the kids anywhere today, and even the odds of seeing my husband for more than five minutes before he hits the bed with another dose of cold meds were slimmer than a model at Paris Fashion Week. And if I wore glasses, I wouldn't feel bad about wasting a pair of disposable contacts if the stars should align for me to take a nap.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then out of nowhere I realized that, for me, choosing to forgo the mascara and contacts means that I'm not really getting dressed for "work". I've given up on the day before the red tail-lights of my neighbor's Subaru light up my bathroom and warn me that "Arnold the Owl" will be releasing my eldest from her bedroom in the very near future. Not that I don't expect it can be a good day -- just that I am giving myself a pass on giving my all to my work. That wouldn't be okay if I had a boss to report to, and it is even worse when it is my family counting on me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So my new policy is that unless I am too sick to get out of bed, I'm putting on that full "face" and ramping up my ambition to go for the contacts. Now if only I can come up with a justifiable reason to need that sleek and chic blue dress from Shabby Apple in order to be "dressed for work"...</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-74219729318422284692012-01-10T10:08:00.000-08:002012-01-10T10:08:15.551-08:00Another Year of Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPOKSvCorj96EygjnvSngJrU78Jmesef8SNLOnKtWzT3vsmUslwmSjq8xA31by96gAp_GclsEHjNo30H4IoOiiU27Vopq14uzCCGxTzH1EQZvSmS0xxz0vViF9HtiQtnctvrTzecE7554/s1600/Megan+%2528557%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvPOKSvCorj96EygjnvSngJrU78Jmesef8SNLOnKtWzT3vsmUslwmSjq8xA31by96gAp_GclsEHjNo30H4IoOiiU27Vopq14uzCCGxTzH1EQZvSmS0xxz0vViF9HtiQtnctvrTzecE7554/s320/Megan+%2528557%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you had told me a year ago that 2011 would bring as much (or more) change than 2010, I would have laid down and died of exhaustion. Or laughed maniacally until the gentlemen in the white coats came along. Possibly both, in one order or the other.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And yet, the last few months were super-saturated with change. Jon and I are still slowly absorbing everything that has happened, because there is only so much your brain can take in and really appreciate at one time. Another baby on the way. A new job. A new state. A new house. A choice to bike instead of having a second car. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And of course, the corollary endings and farewells. The sale of a house, the goodbyes to friendships that had only just taken firm root, leaving another beloved church family.</div><br />
Those are just the Big Things, in the midst of which are the smaller but just as meaningful everyday <i>shiftings</i> that come with life, especially life with preschoolers. My toddler becoming a little girl, my baby boy starting to figure out the world. Another new soul growing a body and preparing to join us and change everything again.<br />
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I think it's nap time.<br />
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After that, we'll see what 2012 brings.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-28811770886437533332011-04-24T06:02:00.000-07:002011-04-24T06:02:11.668-07:00Easter thoughtsI'm staying home today due to a resurgence in my dastardly cold, and I'm sad to miss the joy of celebrating Easter with my church family. For that matter, I'm sad to miss the cousins Easter egg hunt with family on the other coast, and dinner with our friends down the street. Even if I was well, we couldn't participate in <em>all</em> of those events, but I'm still blaming it on the cold. I did mention it is dastardly?<br />
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Anyway, as I stumbled out of bed for the DayQuil and ibuprofen, resigning myself to the fact that I would have to stay home in bed, I thought about why Easter is so special. It is even more joyful than Christmas to me (and I <em>love</em> Christmas!), but I don't know that I've ever considered <em>why</em> until today. Isn't the day God became Man equally as momentous? <br />
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Emphatically, yes! But here's my thought: the birth of Jesus is a miraculous event that changed the world forever...but he could have done <em>anything</em> after he was born. He was (is) God made flesh, a vessel of divine power and sovereignty on Earth. He could have chosen to destroy the world, rule over the world, turn the world over to the chosen nation of Israel, or, after realizing what it meant from a human perspective, chosen simply not to have taken our sins upon himself. He chose to die for all. <br />
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The hero of the story, hanging from nails on a cross while his life's blood pours out and soaks into the dry ground.<br />
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Those who trusted him, gave up everything for him, heartbroken and confused.<br />
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A tragedy, while the Enemy looks on in triumph.<br />
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Until Easter.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-29028025169232852052011-03-05T13:03:00.000-08:002011-03-05T13:03:08.676-08:00"We're Almost Adults!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaL_MKvlzj3nRRWNtuGzeCDCDhAuEK8-N6eKsUOrnxFqJ9ZIOWQonPXkIADJG2EYisbpYS0ARS0HvB_qoixYWEg-JrgaP7Rf1o-c8zGsopHyj771u0wV5ch2x9w1ddpW9fgPuCYLLE8Zc/s1600/legalwills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaL_MKvlzj3nRRWNtuGzeCDCDhAuEK8-N6eKsUOrnxFqJ9ZIOWQonPXkIADJG2EYisbpYS0ARS0HvB_qoixYWEg-JrgaP7Rf1o-c8zGsopHyj771u0wV5ch2x9w1ddpW9fgPuCYLLE8Zc/s320/legalwills.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Those were the words (half-jokingly) uttered by my husband when I finished filling out our wills this morning. And you know what? It took me about twenty minutes, and that was with a headache, a baby pulling at my pant leg, and a preschooler whining to watch "Dora Snow Princess" on the laptop. But despite having to pause for a time-out (not for me!), I got it done.<br />
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Monday morning I'll call to make an appointment with a notary at our bank and it'll be all legal and official, and I can forget about it until we move or have an addition to the family.<br />
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I don't like to think about wills, because it's almost like I feel like I'm putting a sign on my back saying, "I'm all squared away, I can die now." As if that is somehow going to make it more likely for me to die early. <br />
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But even worse than that (irrational) thought is the (much more likely) possibility that Jon or I might leave behind a mess that could tear our families apart. We've both seen it happen to other families, even when there weren't young children involved. I hate even contemplating someone else raising my children, but without a will, a court of law will decide for me and that is completely <i>unacceptable</i>.<br />
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Now we have the peace of having a plan in place should the worst happen. It doesn't make the worst any more likely to happen, but it sure prevents a tangled mess of relationships and stress in the midst of grief.<br />
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If you don't have one in place, please, for the sake of everyone you love and care about, make a deadline for yourself NOW to remedy that.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-86363948751144713782011-03-02T08:53:00.000-08:002011-03-02T08:53:13.304-08:00Bee in my bonnet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5EgGXeo_ReLSiik3ATgR-DL42T6g-ahd_XJ_BrKZvAZ-7UE_cErccbAF7DgqWuWAgRBvMX5JP4hMLLeL0hIjkvwilofFv-JrRef5WlTeyS5DqMPbu9d7oNA5l5mTsv_eMyvn-wf5sEVk/s1600/Aurelia+coin+jar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5EgGXeo_ReLSiik3ATgR-DL42T6g-ahd_XJ_BrKZvAZ-7UE_cErccbAF7DgqWuWAgRBvMX5JP4hMLLeL0hIjkvwilofFv-JrRef5WlTeyS5DqMPbu9d7oNA5l5mTsv_eMyvn-wf5sEVk/s320/Aurelia+coin+jar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
So why did I suddenly get a bee in my bonnet to get this "responsibility stuff" taken care of? No, I'm not ill and don't expect to be ill...I haven't received any death threats over having the cutest children in the world...and I'm not headed to Libya to become a freedom fighter. The fact is, everything I'm planning on doing this month falls in the category of "very important but never urgent until it is too late". And that kind of stuff tends to get superseded by "not important but urgent" needs like laundry and dishes and watching the season premiere of America's Next Top Model to find out what the weird bubble-walking scene is all about.<br />
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Hence the arbitrary deadline.<br />
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I think the bee, however, is actually an offshoot of teaching/coordinating Financial Peace University at our church. We've been working our "Total Money Makeover" for three years, but there's a new energy to our efforts. We have our starter emergency fund in place (yet again) and this month we're completely paying off <i><b>four </b><b></b></i>debts. Instead of just running in place to keep it from going backwards, our "snowball" is finally gaining momentum and rolling down the other side of the hill. So now I'm looking at the other areas of our lives that have been neglected and I finally have the energy to deal with them -- and I'm making the time to do so.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-30440093802588053322011-03-01T08:47:00.000-08:002011-03-01T08:47:25.627-08:00Act Like an Adult: Week 1 Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0OICeUSSXbvJC_k4e5A0bC-NxYDkDN5ds2SZP0xk_Lrzvd9rPCMsVojYrq1iUYcLU3eEoKwbvaoOkUKzFEYq_neEM9lLanQBodqiWbOVxA3KSnLM9CJA2j8XThB-mlBuS05n8xkLiQ3k/s1600/hurricane-evacuation-route.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0OICeUSSXbvJC_k4e5A0bC-NxYDkDN5ds2SZP0xk_Lrzvd9rPCMsVojYrq1iUYcLU3eEoKwbvaoOkUKzFEYq_neEM9lLanQBodqiWbOVxA3KSnLM9CJA2j8XThB-mlBuS05n8xkLiQ3k/s200/hurricane-evacuation-route.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />
It's here. March 1. Time to "Act Like an Adult".<br />
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Fortunately that <i>doesn't </i>mean that I can't spend the morning drawing castles and troll bridges on our chalkboard table with Aurelia. Or make funny faces at Baby Blaise until his belly jiggles to rival the likes of Ol' Saint Nick.<br />
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It does mean that I have three Big Girl goals this week:<br />
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1) Buy a waterproof fire safe for our important documents, a small cash emergency fund, and our back-up external hard drive.<br />
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2) Make a hard-copy list of ALL of our accounts, including account number, username, and password (if applicable). Place in said safe.<br />
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3) Sit down with Jon and actually fill out the will we purchased over three months ago from USLegalForms.com.<br />
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*Phew*...now my goals are out there and you can hold me accountable. :)<br />
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I'll update with progress later this week, and discuss why I think these steps are so important.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-75902431177170292472011-02-25T08:15:00.000-08:002011-02-25T08:15:00.280-08:00Gearing up for March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZVNhTOudpScgdymys48v8JXZmSE88DLsmAMb1QNdd_wdDeyZRgLuIwQYpauh-ITqydF_LnDNFCc77fWp2pdAShOTHUJGFDemQQgPaLlHVvWVC05d1Fq12LpXxWQeNWaYFObplb9rKA4G/s1600/2011-02-15_11-24-44_542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5E1-UVsCNBM6SbscoklIowztxt6bMd5pTcIa0ReKT6afazgM_b3W_9JCfVMnTo1GFi4p3TgLndGXTa-rRDsOuz5mTEdO8rzIxaqqv9BpyadCCNpi_jBTse9B0gx4ixaE4VQuO3vl-LC1E/s1600/2011-02-15_11-24-49_576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5E1-UVsCNBM6SbscoklIowztxt6bMd5pTcIa0ReKT6afazgM_b3W_9JCfVMnTo1GFi4p3TgLndGXTa-rRDsOuz5mTEdO8rzIxaqqv9BpyadCCNpi_jBTse9B0gx4ixaE4VQuO3vl-LC1E/s320/2011-02-15_11-24-49_576.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We're 20% of the way through 2011. Looking ahead at our plan for the year, it almost feels like the year is already gone. Time to get cracking on those goals!<br />
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To help motivate myself, because I'm a nerdy checklist kinda girl, I'm naming March 2011 the "Act Like An Adult month". All those <i>responsible </i>things that keep getting pushed to the back burner...they're going to the top of my to-do list. Finishing our will. Putting together a "legacy drawer". Buying a water/fire-proof safe. Acquiring renters insurance. Hurricane preparedness.<br />
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So keep your eyes open, folks. I've always said that you can't grow old if you don't grow up, but I need to at least pretend to be an adult for a month so I can go back to joining my three-year old in her world of imagination. March 1st. It begins.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-87167864696909861812010-11-16T19:17:00.000-08:002010-11-16T19:18:29.669-08:00Knowledge isn't judgemental<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhX3AJJOUaJipjvFPVOQCh_qacaJG3M2GhmaFQ6s-Xghj49axZ4J-ZuS9Dvo7HgpmDP6MP6iYGd8GIrfvZiQWtPozTwimCHNm6xibiJL91Pm1s67VIKLeok2OoRgq6yE3kEnUMek5SlWo/s1600/big-white-cat-small-black-cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhX3AJJOUaJipjvFPVOQCh_qacaJG3M2GhmaFQ6s-Xghj49axZ4J-ZuS9Dvo7HgpmDP6MP6iYGd8GIrfvZiQWtPozTwimCHNm6xibiJL91Pm1s67VIKLeok2OoRgq6yE3kEnUMek5SlWo/s320/big-white-cat-small-black-cat.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />
Yesterday over at <a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.blogspot.com/2010/11/should-childs-room-be-castle.html">To Love, Honor and Vacuum</a>, Sheila sparked a bit of heated debate. Was the topic politics, religion, or sex education? Nope. None of the above. Try "decorating". A baby's room.<br />
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You can pop over and read the article yourself -- my post isn't really about the pros and cons of making a child's room into a suite retreat from family living. What surprised me (but shouldn't have) was the defensiveness of some of the comments. Several readers seemed to feel that Sheila was judging their choices and declaring a "bad parent" verdict. When all she really did was draw attention to several studies suggesting detrimental effects of having televisions in a kid's bedroom; in fact, she included hyperlinked references to the studies for readers to easily access the information she discussed.<br />
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Taking the results of scientific studies as a personal attack happens almost as often as policy-makers ignoring the results of studies that aren't "PC". And it happens to be one of my biggest pet peeves, but that might be my Vulcan blood showing through. Knowledge is knowledge; even if it has emotional repercussions or rocks your boat, please expend the mental energy to figure out why it bothers you and don't ignore the new information (or shoot the messenger). <br />
<br />
<br />
I'll give an extreme example, one that I learned from a virologist during an "advances in immunobiology" lecture series. She led a research team trying to isolate the cause of a disease that was making a lot of people with AIDS sick, even killing them. The team eventually realized there was a correlation between the disease and owning a cat. This led to the discovery that the cats were transmitting an opportunistic virus. When this news was published, the researcher received <b>death threats</b>. People (<i>especially</i> those affected by the disease) were so upset by their (mis)perception that the researcher was suggesting they get rid of their cats that they wanted the study retracted. And an apology, of course.<br />
<br />
Do you really think the researcher set out to conspire against AIDS patients having cats in their homes? <br />
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Sounds silly when you say it out loud like that.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-16962487096923566162010-11-04T05:07:00.000-07:002010-11-04T05:08:30.527-07:00Needed: One Perpetual Energy MachineI often joke with my husband that a stay-at-home-mom's job in a nutshell is to combat the massive amount of entropy generated by her children. You know, "Super Pickerupper" versus the archvillain "What's That Do?" and her sidekick "Mr. Poopy Pants".<br />
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Well, I don't know what's happened this past week, but entropy is getting the better of me. Maybe it's because we haven't been able to go for our pre-naptime walks or perhaps we're still recovering from the sugar high of Sunday night's fall festival. For whatever reason, my toddler is beating me when it comes to naptime (again).<br />
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As a result, I've spent far too much time considering this problem: how on earth is someone supposed to find the energy to fight a battle that has no end? I keep hoping that at some point, some of the training I've worked so hard to instill in my daughter will actually stick. After the toddler years, it must get easier...uh-oh. See, there I caught myself in what I know to be a myth. Sure, the battles I'm facing now will (<i>eventually</i>) be distant memories, but every stage of childhood/parenthood has its own, er, challenges. I'm going to be battling on behalf of my children (even when that means <i>against</i> my children) for as long as I'm their mother.<br />
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So...how, how, how, WHERE do I find the energy?<br />
<br />
How has God been able to withstand His children pushing back against Him for <i>thousands</i> of years? I have a whole new comprehension and appreciation of His patience and faithfulness toward us. I'm also relieved to know that even He gets emotionally fed up on occasion, because it means there's hope that I can be a good parent despite the fact that my pool of patience isn't bottomless:<br />
<br />
<div style="color: blue;">And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it <i>is</i> a stiff- necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them." (Exodus 32:9, partial)</div><br />
So why <i>doesn't</i> He give up? What keeps Him going in His pursuit of raising us up despite our many shortfalls?<br />
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The key is Love. He loves us, so He doesn't give up. Even when He destroyed the world in Noah's day, He wasn't giving up on His children -- He was just giving a new beginning and setting the stage for our rescue on the cross.<br />
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So when I'm running out of steam (or feeling steamrolled by the planet), that's what I'll turn to as well. Love is the fuel for this marathon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCEFZD8tSFkuoT72_PF_rfkTtf4Tvb4ppZFEHONjYZW2MYUnXXvB4__TI-q4LcBi3CaMv5J7lWDyDv_XitfAO0z3-iq11zftEMSDOg4nJ0CgazMDjXF-gji4xsgrfYFCI0UQ4qJ4XIiOY/s1600/Sunflower+Fairy+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCEFZD8tSFkuoT72_PF_rfkTtf4Tvb4ppZFEHONjYZW2MYUnXXvB4__TI-q4LcBi3CaMv5J7lWDyDv_XitfAO0z3-iq11zftEMSDOg4nJ0CgazMDjXF-gji4xsgrfYFCI0UQ4qJ4XIiOY/s320/Sunflower+Fairy+032.jpg" width="240" />)</a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-20301084199921501762010-10-22T19:30:00.000-07:002010-10-22T19:30:15.964-07:00Walks, Naps and WaterAs I may have mentioned, naps had become problematic around here. For a few months, a certain golden-haired toddler just couldn't remember how to fall asleep come afternoon. Which would be fine, if lack of sleep didn't result in mega-meltdowns come dinner time. And over-frequent useage of the word "NO!" before then.<br />
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All that has changed.<br />
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I am currently celebrating an entire week of easily getting Aurelia to sleep for naps. The key? A long walk after lunch, followed by warm tea with milk, a quiet read and off to bed. As a very pleasant side-effect, Blaise is tired after the stroll in the warm sun as well and he goes to sleep at the same time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaflgaS3Xh1ise7lPpgufv21Zle1isZVi0EZd0VcpdLI-SuOMuMu0yX0VQTCDstK5pyywtTMWxnyM0wg4OgIe-e4KzC_El6nCft8aoPjYClrlGq8ZbMOT892PSSxvAD7IHZcR4fWAHdSmT/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaflgaS3Xh1ise7lPpgufv21Zle1isZVi0EZd0VcpdLI-SuOMuMu0yX0VQTCDstK5pyywtTMWxnyM0wg4OgIe-e4KzC_El6nCft8aoPjYClrlGq8ZbMOT892PSSxvAD7IHZcR4fWAHdSmT/s320/Walk+and+Bay+004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Sometimes we fly to see Grandma and Grandpa during our walk.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_rOYAvdJP4B3Hmzgm9zpTNYvjMaWyKiq1x62PUmXXGuurBmO53IiouJ0wVepSxPBdNwOBk77y4qW-7NlSiYwzFYTnEW4WajLTTZMgx72aQ8ZsIL0IElpKq7otwUu5VvA4Hzqs8LKrX3O/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_rOYAvdJP4B3Hmzgm9zpTNYvjMaWyKiq1x62PUmXXGuurBmO53IiouJ0wVepSxPBdNwOBk77y4qW-7NlSiYwzFYTnEW4WajLTTZMgx72aQ8ZsIL0IElpKq7otwUu5VvA4Hzqs8LKrX3O/s320/Walk+and+Bay+007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Sometimes we just fly high in the sky like a bird (if we're not too busy chasing butterflies).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3L4_cXTwGveYLH97jlrFMf4xgGJWL5wB7B3rs6ky2yu4_sNmp9UEmrxphFEd9wps5woHpuoq471DIYrozWXa8x1PplrMB-C10ej32MYXnaqh3GIee1hEqp4XadfgMgS2lBy46fUmmD0-/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3L4_cXTwGveYLH97jlrFMf4xgGJWL5wB7B3rs6ky2yu4_sNmp9UEmrxphFEd9wps5woHpuoq471DIYrozWXa8x1PplrMB-C10ej32MYXnaqh3GIee1hEqp4XadfgMgS2lBy46fUmmD0-/s320/Walk+and+Bay+012.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>While Blaise looks on, enjoying a splash of apple juice in his water bottle.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEj2wmeEOg_ZxvSL5EMR-OvpNIdR30seItEa-lMjyqYlWLhvD2QOQpRDfbt6WxVTsSodXKE2z4II-y7HfKyzHPS8ygXUMl1BhbbFlS7sCmJdbW3TCFRNZMIC9J6mcUxXOZvFmxW5M0-UC/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEj2wmeEOg_ZxvSL5EMR-OvpNIdR30seItEa-lMjyqYlWLhvD2QOQpRDfbt6WxVTsSodXKE2z4II-y7HfKyzHPS8ygXUMl1BhbbFlS7sCmJdbW3TCFRNZMIC9J6mcUxXOZvFmxW5M0-UC/s320/Walk+and+Bay+017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Then we like to see what marine bounty God has waiting for us at the end of the dock. Will the dolphins be back to play right in front of us today? </i> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbuXXvfbgk4nPIFakLL072e9yX3SA1PwmtYFG2b8-odv1ODDngB6D_aQNYfQvcld7XyUGEuFgEGjJ6wfPsWWZKatscYL3ZTxkvwr4cb0L7RAg9fcwxrNP4VuXsWO0U8BKt1b5hwVPNFDM/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbuXXvfbgk4nPIFakLL072e9yX3SA1PwmtYFG2b8-odv1ODDngB6D_aQNYfQvcld7XyUGEuFgEGjJ6wfPsWWZKatscYL3ZTxkvwr4cb0L7RAg9fcwxrNP4VuXsWO0U8BKt1b5hwVPNFDM/s320/Walk+and+Bay+022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Enough watching, it's time to run! While pushing my baby brother in a stroller!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i> </i> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtEo6pNrHvrG_6nbkZLkjBtPd6Svawyr4S6XB4EdJZoi2JW9nc0ujuuSuVC05V2kadh6BYVW7phgevZ8nmMPamL-pgOnNYcpzXHOi8Il9zz3jyPnwpFOpqyKmZyiToBQ2WdxhEB11cBiB/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtEo6pNrHvrG_6nbkZLkjBtPd6Svawyr4S6XB4EdJZoi2JW9nc0ujuuSuVC05V2kadh6BYVW7phgevZ8nmMPamL-pgOnNYcpzXHOi8Il9zz3jyPnwpFOpqyKmZyiToBQ2WdxhEB11cBiB/s320/Walk+and+Bay+025.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Here we come!</i> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokj1sVAnNkgNoDo3sxXwJcLQsSS5s1J4MlBRJ8TsCn1cCVn5k5AOc34JGbM3MpnBEpP1L04MbXipfKkSCZQxv50E9M6bsdBcnlFARWk1Q3hwY8OKeAJu8stKffKhvqCoDA8aVOqMEAPhF/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhokj1sVAnNkgNoDo3sxXwJcLQsSS5s1J4MlBRJ8TsCn1cCVn5k5AOc34JGbM3MpnBEpP1L04MbXipfKkSCZQxv50E9M6bsdBcnlFARWk1Q3hwY8OKeAJu8stKffKhvqCoDA8aVOqMEAPhF/s320/Walk+and+Bay+030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>While Mom and Dad (who fills in for Hilary on Fridays) wait with bated breath.</i> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzYjuoXGroi5KUxaMl8i562d19FhUYIuOygWayvvEwSXXADCQ8w0EhH8K8qP7hZzIGyQqQcGgklsyf7vu9ML_aS4KjHg_WrHaMV_TEEGlH3cOdic2Bp-YDXjYdOateBVmBQHkFk07TyZY/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzYjuoXGroi5KUxaMl8i562d19FhUYIuOygWayvvEwSXXADCQ8w0EhH8K8qP7hZzIGyQqQcGgklsyf7vu9ML_aS4KjHg_WrHaMV_TEEGlH3cOdic2Bp-YDXjYdOateBVmBQHkFk07TyZY/s320/Walk+and+Bay+033.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>You have a PRESENT for me?!?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>"Honey, don't forget your brother"</i> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWetAk9_4swraHIaIYuIqaLb4n5j3NewFHhGqEUI0_rC1bzS0MHuolWSjd1KB2jmURr8IHBRn1-K7CBb65kYnFl1_AqiJqrU6RURkQhorI500jze2FwuY21ptZ65oWI0q9mY5Fsu-uET8T/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWetAk9_4swraHIaIYuIqaLb4n5j3NewFHhGqEUI0_rC1bzS0MHuolWSjd1KB2jmURr8IHBRn1-K7CBb65kYnFl1_AqiJqrU6RURkQhorI500jze2FwuY21ptZ65oWI0q9mY5Fsu-uET8T/s320/Walk+and+Bay+035.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Brother safely returned, the promised present handed over.</i> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxgwKLgxqFl7_WRpjZASvG1QUdVTNH1lffPcAxcuWRfzlQ8EjZMS6bDIVgt5c2hdahptpVocgN9_5vHTxPsZFNqzL2_2SWnkByc_M05txepzwd0aJQ5eYjRezESlJ3Fxx6OkG-yjXhVv2/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxgwKLgxqFl7_WRpjZASvG1QUdVTNH1lffPcAxcuWRfzlQ8EjZMS6bDIVgt5c2hdahptpVocgN9_5vHTxPsZFNqzL2_2SWnkByc_M05txepzwd0aJQ5eYjRezESlJ3Fxx6OkG-yjXhVv2/s320/Walk+and+Bay+040.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>No caption needed.</i> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_PIcSG8fj_Sh91CUfogNU7-TuF_stevksIz7VyyUVe5DZjb4d2BYEpwSOLzl5sCzQ1kJNlDUcdYkO14RqsWXACCnWXiwX2j1gJMm1Zhi4MmGyNPlkzrTH8Dq2Z6cWEtMKB2mO_o_aOob/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7_PIcSG8fj_Sh91CUfogNU7-TuF_stevksIz7VyyUVe5DZjb4d2BYEpwSOLzl5sCzQ1kJNlDUcdYkO14RqsWXACCnWXiwX2j1gJMm1Zhi4MmGyNPlkzrTH8Dq2Z6cWEtMKB2mO_o_aOob/s320/Walk+and+Bay+048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>No "Flipper" today, but Mr. Crabs came out for a show.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQeKnAd8jYm5Gtfmt0IEdL2zWy65K7V9wScj__RUYCyFqPQ1B24AcuoaN0YhCe6fgJ3fv_UNp5Wdz_CrZ9fBuQ_NeToS7vD4On3Qxwnw0W7jll-i0zphwz3qoDNSOKGilFNVB_pgs9ZYl/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQeKnAd8jYm5Gtfmt0IEdL2zWy65K7V9wScj__RUYCyFqPQ1B24AcuoaN0YhCe6fgJ3fv_UNp5Wdz_CrZ9fBuQ_NeToS7vD4On3Qxwnw0W7jll-i0zphwz3qoDNSOKGilFNVB_pgs9ZYl/s320/Walk+and+Bay+050.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Goodbye, Bay. See you tomorrow!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0TVbQQuQRWxPbT6YGD_f_MHdp4dtkuyCNj3hnr5_UTpVjzgv-RNrFk5B_cOVEHgm8TyDMrnk9AbJZygr_tZLKhVKR8sSwb1zjPojXIQniwfY3ZgDCEapZ-rk_OZEsMTcRj34EUE0BPav/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0TVbQQuQRWxPbT6YGD_f_MHdp4dtkuyCNj3hnr5_UTpVjzgv-RNrFk5B_cOVEHgm8TyDMrnk9AbJZygr_tZLKhVKR8sSwb1zjPojXIQniwfY3ZgDCEapZ-rk_OZEsMTcRj34EUE0BPav/s320/Walk+and+Bay+052.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Or later today, as it turns out! Because the water park is closed. Even though it is 85 degrees.</span> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxt7FioZEIfzZOR_EVv4s2QHADZoFgfvs-T_EiuyjUg8wzyo8LAUwMwQulH6TWVW3MbEY6u8AakIxrnjB0-3FcvDRKaaWwZwvh-fFaQM5Zam_3IWJx8s_5tZl5wJ-FdvtIAEeBRPJ0R7P/s1600/Walk+and+Bay+062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxt7FioZEIfzZOR_EVv4s2QHADZoFgfvs-T_EiuyjUg8wzyo8LAUwMwQulH6TWVW3MbEY6u8AakIxrnjB0-3FcvDRKaaWwZwvh-fFaQM5Zam_3IWJx8s_5tZl5wJ-FdvtIAEeBRPJ0R7P/s320/Walk+and+Bay+062.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-72608038161545177382010-10-19T09:38:00.000-07:002010-10-19T09:39:19.542-07:00Liveable Laundry Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1psxsCM9hI9_DNtQaZKlLBo1FIBo-WYnAWLT0zM-W96w38oxo4olMrzojuWoYSVygKzjEzwEdnIUXZGbAPMiAE73DTezsECvgV-qT0EZDz1c5UQnQpT4ozpRFOFDuOsSnZ98Z-3cXcnM/s1600/laundry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW1psxsCM9hI9_DNtQaZKlLBo1FIBo-WYnAWLT0zM-W96w38oxo4olMrzojuWoYSVygKzjEzwEdnIUXZGbAPMiAE73DTezsECvgV-qT0EZDz1c5UQnQpT4ozpRFOFDuOsSnZ98Z-3cXcnM/s320/laundry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Two of my favorite blogs are talking about laundry this week. As part of "Simplify Your Life" month, Sheila shares some great laundry tips and systems over at <a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.blogspot.com/2010/10/simplify-your-life-month-laundry.html">To Love, Honor and Vacuum</a>. I'll share one quick tip that I've learned after nine years of marriage: if you want your husband to use the laundry hamper in your bathroom, take the lid off of it. Piles of laundry NEXT to the hamper drove me crazy for years. When we moved to our current house, there was a lidless hamper (not to be confused with the Lidless Eye of Sauron, even if that's how laundry appears in my nightmares on occasion) in the linen closet in the master bathroom. Now if I leave the door open to the linen closet, the hamper actually gets used!!! Wish I'd figured it out on my own, but I'm happy to embrace the serendipity (and results) of this discovery.<br />
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In perhaps my favorite post yet in her "<a href="http://www.thenester.com/2010/10/31-days-to-a-less-messy-nest-day-18-lower-your-expectations.html">31 Days To A Less Messy Nest</a>", the Nester encourages us to lower our expectations. It is a simple change of perspective, but changing my laundry goal from "empty laundry hampers" to "having enough clean clothes available" really frees me from a lot of stress. There may not be a day in my foreseeable future when I don't have to do laundry, but if I simply accept that fact and move on, that's okay.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-60062038243316812122010-10-05T14:43:00.000-07:002010-10-05T14:43:00.583-07:0015 minutes to a simpler...mantelOver at <a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.blogspot.com/2010/10/simplify-challenge-1-declutter-one-area.html">To Love, Honor and Vacuum</a>, Sheila issued a challenge to find an area of your home to declutter in 15 minutes. Although I had many options, I chose the mantel/bookcase area on our tv wall in the living room. Mostly because the other areas that popped into my head would require more than the allotted time...haha.<br />
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Here's the before: <br />
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Yes, the glass vases have been sitting there with paper in them since we moved. In June. A lot of the Wii gear was just scattered around the mantel, and <i>someone</i> has been forgetting to hand already viewed movies back to Aurelia when she picks out a new one. Oops.<br />
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And the after:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-yoz-0s384kw17AypGF7NGWPgvEgBGQOtggeTGSeXQy-tntJ0dvi7CRxJUpFhyphenhyphenkvXNv1qoHn5k1OPQlKNXdJ8RnrrGLiRNWY1ex7YNHmOQV6xDn_aOlF5HRodt-kpkv-s_LJgPdyjDA7/s1600/2010-10-051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc-yoz-0s384kw17AypGF7NGWPgvEgBGQOtggeTGSeXQy-tntJ0dvi7CRxJUpFhyphenhyphenkvXNv1qoHn5k1OPQlKNXdJ8RnrrGLiRNWY1ex7YNHmOQV6xDn_aOlF5HRodt-kpkv-s_LJgPdyjDA7/s400/2010-10-051.jpg" width="308" /></a></div> I put the less-used Wii gear in a box under the Wii remotes, the movies back in their homes and moved some of the movies down into the cabinets in the white bookshelves. I'm not in love with the flower to the left of the vcr, but something needs to go there to hide the wire clutter. It'll do for now.<br />
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Okay, so to make the deadline I cheated a little by simply moving the totes of toys and books to the laundry room for later sorting. Glancing at my plan for the week, that will happen on Thursday. So I won't let it bug me today.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-63062608656196005752010-10-04T13:36:00.000-07:002010-10-04T13:36:37.132-07:00Week 1 of SimplificationMany of my favorite blogs are doing a "31 Days to --something better--" thing in October. I am loving the tips so far, on everything from how to take a better photograph to how to live more fully in grace. But the articles that are speaking to me the most right now are the ones focused on simplifying life. Sheila Wray Gregoire is devoting an entire month of blogging to this very topic (check out today's post at <a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.blogspot.com/2010/10/its-simplify-your-life-month.html">To Love, Honor and Vacuum</a> for some wonderful insight as she kicks off the series).<br />
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I am very intent on creating a good daily rhythm to live by, and to that end I sat down last night and scheduled my entire week out...not every minute, but in a few reasonable blocks of time for each day. I don't intend to do this forever, but I thought it might be useful to be deliberate with the details for a while just to get the right pace. And I will NOT beat myself up if I don't stick to the plan -- which is good, because with a baby boy who woke up with a cold and another tooth coming in, pretty much nothing went according to schedule this morning. <br />
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Anyway, the reason for doing this is that over the past couple of weeks I've felt like I've neither accomplished anything nor spent any time doing little things I enjoy (like blogging). Part of this is because I've been fighting off a cold myself, and laundry and dishes do take up a lot of time...but mostly I've just been too sloppy with planning. I was also a bit depressed over not having the resources to do any real decorating, which killed my motivation to do much beyond tread water. There is no reason, however, that I can't clean and better organize what I already have.<br />
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Yesterday I started with the master bedroom. Why pick the room that is usually the last to get attention in a new house? Well, before I could decide what to do with the main living area, I had to figure out what furniture we owned would fit nicely in our bedroom. The room is hardly "done", but I'm really glad that I didn't wait until I had the desk I wanted or could build the bed or buy the curtains or find a good rug or recover the chair.We're already enjoying the new space.<br />
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More importantly, I can see the evidence of my work.<br />
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Which inspires me to keep this process going. Next up: pretending I actually own storage containers and organizing piles of what I would have in them and where they would be.<br />
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Because when my house is in order, I can spend more time doing this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3od5hPrdhEuyQ22N0iuEMfSnz6vAh58pDZtcMmyYFQGTUOGpAXbKHWxyk1u1NM4bBCb20NE7-KyIy2QdnbWnjRhadhyphenhyphenq_2EvoCCLXPjKeBWajTbtEU2Yjle-z_ltUJQN14t3keSKrRwvl/s1600/Guitar+and+October+Beach+trip+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3od5hPrdhEuyQ22N0iuEMfSnz6vAh58pDZtcMmyYFQGTUOGpAXbKHWxyk1u1NM4bBCb20NE7-KyIy2QdnbWnjRhadhyphenhyphenq_2EvoCCLXPjKeBWajTbtEU2Yjle-z_ltUJQN14t3keSKrRwvl/s320/Guitar+and+October+Beach+trip+034.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-10164367292119050322010-09-22T09:24:00.000-07:002010-09-22T09:24:11.486-07:00Focusing on the task at hand...the downside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0byRCAFkleUNc4_ASobVbIrx7EU57YbbP2ngm-bl9UAFwDfklu5uUydslMjbasEbwmZan8jPeil6l1dlgo5yshxLtZd_IqJqi7IfEmpqq_fHOx7N4e5_KI5kLHrB-GrqBF2BQGhNZ00IF/s1600/princess-bride-swordfight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0byRCAFkleUNc4_ASobVbIrx7EU57YbbP2ngm-bl9UAFwDfklu5uUydslMjbasEbwmZan8jPeil6l1dlgo5yshxLtZd_IqJqi7IfEmpqq_fHOx7N4e5_KI5kLHrB-GrqBF2BQGhNZ00IF/s320/princess-bride-swordfight.jpg" /></a></div><br />
When my life was a duel between grad student and homemaker, I almost always had to just do what had to be done, one step at a time. Especially when our commute took up nearly three hours a day. THREE HOURS.<br />
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As a full-time "SAHM" now, I still use this approach for most everyday tasks. I don't really want to look at the broader view of the day and cringe at how much is full of mundane, repetitive housekeeping chores. If I just follow a rhythm of doing a few things that need to be done, then play with my children, take a break to read and have a mocha, then do a few more things that need to be done...then usually everything gets done and I don't feel overwhelmed.<br />
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The problem comes when I want (or need) to do more than just maintain the household. In Sheila Wray Gregoire's excellent <a href="http://tolovehonorandvacuum.blogspot.com/2010/09/simplify-your-life-month-is-coming.html">blog</a>, she asked yesterday for readers to comment on the biggest source of stress and "busy-ness" in their lives (she's getting ready to teach us how to simplify, woohoo!). This was an easy answer for me: House. Work.<br />
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I already know what I need to do to streamline housework. Mostly it involves some storage containers and a weekend of deep cleaning. But before I get storage containers, I need to paint my bookshelves. And before I paint my bookshelves I need to refinish my dining table and paint it. Which is going to require some coats of polyurethane, which means I need to clear out space in the garage (which is full of boxes of books waiting to go on freshly painted bookshelves). Before I do that, I need to spend an evening finishing up the final little details on my awesomely cute coffee table-turned chalkboard activity table.<br />
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Oops. Anyone see a problem with my (non) plan of action? If I just take care of the task at hand, I'll never actually complete the above list of projects. Fortunately, by writing out the list I was able to see that a lack of strategy won't work. And now that I type that out..."duh".Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-48768620995727906832010-09-15T05:05:00.000-07:002010-09-15T05:05:29.623-07:00Wishful Wednesday: Video ScrapbookingWhat's Wishful Wednesday? A new linky?<br />
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Nah. Just what I wanted to call this post. Since I had an idea for a product I really wish someone would develop (pun intended...wait for it) at 6am while I was up feeding Mr. Hungry Poopy Pants...and today is Wednesday...you see how it came to be. <br />
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Anyway, wouldn't it be really cool to be able to "print" short video clips on 4x6 cards that you can put in a photo scrapbook? I guess good ol' J.K. Rowling already thought of the magical version of this. Maybe it's not so original.<br />
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But I really want it.<br />
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Because laying on the bed next to Blaise and watching him lift up his head and look out the window, listening to Jon puttering in the kitchen, smelling the coffee brewing...I wanted to capture ALL of that as my "Picture of the Day" so I can flip back to it in my Project Life kit twenty years from now.<br />
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I'm not asking for a holodeck here. Though that would be cool too, while we're busy wishing :).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2d-VBw7t9XeFL3-TWfazkaU9REUcjhcmalehmhMe52r4Jizba5c3QKMKRAg7vT9XxA0FXCAsQDaBrpjqCVLku43TweeFxtFfnGALsL1RVbe0XNLERcUrXMt910FnWkskKJf-KKG79WWt/s1600/holodeck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2d-VBw7t9XeFL3-TWfazkaU9REUcjhcmalehmhMe52r4Jizba5c3QKMKRAg7vT9XxA0FXCAsQDaBrpjqCVLku43TweeFxtFfnGALsL1RVbe0XNLERcUrXMt910FnWkskKJf-KKG79WWt/s320/holodeck.jpg" /></a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-74638344925946461962010-09-01T08:34:00.000-07:002010-09-01T08:34:36.736-07:00The future of undervalued marriage?I ran across an astonishing article while skimming the Wall Street Journal this morning. Haha, doesn't that make me sound intellectual? Just know that I was reading it while rolling around on the floor with a baby and while my toddler scattered sections of the paper all over the living room. Don't want to give any false impressions.<br />
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Back to the article: "Only in Japan, Real Men Go To a Hotel With Virtual Girlfriends". Basically, a former honeymoon destination in Japan is trying to find a way to survive in a country where the population is shrinking and the marriage rate is falling. So they're catering to a new idea of "couple": real men taking their video-game character girlfriends on expensive weekend vacations. In the first month of the promotion, over 1500 men brought their virtual dates to Atami for romantic walks, an afternoon kiss and an evening of fireworks. They paid for two people to stay in a room at the hotel featured in the game, adding to the "realism".<br />
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Wives, homemakers, helpmates...if you ever doubted your value, consider this as proof positive that men NEED us in order to be their best.<br />
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My husband and I married when we were still undergraduate college students, which often surprises people. In response, my husband says that if he hadn't married me when he did, he likely wouldn't have finished college. Judging by his just-prior-to-marriage student id photo and his post-marriage driver's license photo, he would have become a bum instead. And then the world would be short one brilliant scientist (not that I'm partial in my assessment or anything).<br />
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The need for a companion, the despair of loneliness, goes so deep in man's nature that when a helpmate can't be found man creates one to fill the vacuum. The idea of a a grown man spending hours playing a video game to earn "boyfriend points" so his virtual girlfriend doesn't give him the silent treatment seems crazy until it is considered in light of the power of loneliness.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZp9sagfoNdwC6vvhP8Hx1T2QmUNVE2fYVlx90vwDZGSamga5YI9J4lm8532fqtu6ipXPDLinjIbRnDvaIZhrzb6ecpbEJF_o1887dV5kI1JmniV_vxZcSVETJ0KT6HWHxLameEUkPehQ/s1600/love+plus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZp9sagfoNdwC6vvhP8Hx1T2QmUNVE2fYVlx90vwDZGSamga5YI9J4lm8532fqtu6ipXPDLinjIbRnDvaIZhrzb6ecpbEJF_o1887dV5kI1JmniV_vxZcSVETJ0KT6HWHxLameEUkPehQ/s320/love+plus.jpg" /></a></div>Fortunately, God knew this and created a better solution than Nintendo can compete with.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-57175424970160109352010-08-26T07:29:00.000-07:002010-08-26T07:29:42.173-07:00Moments of Grace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjyH6mnzwZKP1HR2RgIjxkx4Wc6BOdhhg0C1hqXccBHmGOrbbOb-ys9jb210mKcsdX-KAAegeHXmHG7_jQTzNqJKKNOH1Bc7PmlizqGOF5ozJ9mk2_mSYTpjj44rNeWr0Qz6a-gUIKtEn/s1600/Sunset+beach+concert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjyH6mnzwZKP1HR2RgIjxkx4Wc6BOdhhg0C1hqXccBHmGOrbbOb-ys9jb210mKcsdX-KAAegeHXmHG7_jQTzNqJKKNOH1Bc7PmlizqGOF5ozJ9mk2_mSYTpjj44rNeWr0Qz6a-gUIKtEn/s320/Sunset+beach+concert.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo by Tim Marston</i></span> </div><br />
I've been thinking a lot about grace lately: how I see it in little ways each day, what it means, how to show it to my children. To my understanding, Grace is primarily the gift of a restored relationship with God. But grace is also the gift of waking up in a beautiful place in life that I didn't do anything to deserve. When I look back over the mistakes I've made in the past (you know, yesterday...or five minutes ago), or consider the aspects of my character that need to be "improved", I am convinced that it is only through grace that I am where I am.<br />
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Sometimes this feeling hits me more strongly than others, and it brings a peace with it that even if I took an unnecessarily winding path to get there, somehow I've ended up in a moment God had planned for me. Last Saturday evening was one of those moments. We piled in the Expedition and braved the crowds to attend a free concert down at the beach. We weren't sure if the weather would cooperate or if the children would be too tired or if we could find a parking spot or...but we didn't let that stop us.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cUCqEV43GojUyRkLBRhJbCzpdFWX6TpGIntBjAhzDeyFnkbowNIP48Gp2UxpcPWRayhBkZnDh8K5OB7fJGNtCeRYaZ7DSgRBYOQeSSkvkN1wPkcc-uH_PAcmperk3a8eGXbNl2kZ0DlY/s1600/Group+beach+concert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cUCqEV43GojUyRkLBRhJbCzpdFWX6TpGIntBjAhzDeyFnkbowNIP48Gp2UxpcPWRayhBkZnDh8K5OB7fJGNtCeRYaZ7DSgRBYOQeSSkvkN1wPkcc-uH_PAcmperk3a8eGXbNl2kZ0DlY/s320/Group+beach+concert.jpg" /></a></div>And sitting there in the sunset, watching a pair of dolphins playing and the flock of birds dancing over the waves, embraced by joyful music, enjoying the company of friends and family, I couldn't have been more sure that this moment was a gift of grace.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FgFgs_EKAgJCMkAvoxgfSTQReM1riRiJTkzcC0Jsd7YhOPI8ve2tfY4wTDdMTnaY9YTJ8I2H2nyEnf3VrVPdn2u78_1xSXrEkNQm3fikI9vKWPhcr6ddFjH6jeukhk95gR8djR14g8sc/s1600/MeganBlaise+Beach+concert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_FgFgs_EKAgJCMkAvoxgfSTQReM1riRiJTkzcC0Jsd7YhOPI8ve2tfY4wTDdMTnaY9YTJ8I2H2nyEnf3VrVPdn2u78_1xSXrEkNQm3fikI9vKWPhcr6ddFjH6jeukhk95gR8djR14g8sc/s320/MeganBlaise+Beach+concert.jpg" /></a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-90261827591651951462010-08-23T13:57:00.000-07:002010-08-23T13:57:26.149-07:00No Better Time Monday: Picking Paint<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sbqnhuWFU5J4UUqYA0cjTyW2pLsjRO4BFSszqZMzqne8d6sStOd8eYPHigaXOHOaVm9rP3zbJvyaxFbgWNEW2tGFlHMDUxb57wLHmhXpVU2VTy_PtReusmjlaowtPZBS1VcB9oS3nbqM/s1600/NBTM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sbqnhuWFU5J4UUqYA0cjTyW2pLsjRO4BFSszqZMzqne8d6sStOd8eYPHigaXOHOaVm9rP3zbJvyaxFbgWNEW2tGFlHMDUxb57wLHmhXpVU2VTy_PtReusmjlaowtPZBS1VcB9oS3nbqM/s320/NBTM.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Last week I decided my "no better time" project was to get the house ready for some long-ish-term guests. So just some extra house cleaning and converting the nursery to a guest room. Which means having a baby sleep in our closet...good thing it's a walk-in, right?<br />
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Anyway, this week I did something a little more fun: picking out some paint for my first real decorating project in our new home. I promised myself that once I finished unpacking the last box inside the house, I could get down to some decorating. Done and done!<br />
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I'm starting small: an old coffee table I picked up at Goodwill for $8 just before I got married (nearly nine years ago!). It was my first furniture purchase for married life, so I'm kind of glad that I forgot to return it to a thrift store before the big move. I'm going to turn it into an activity table for my toddler daughter, hopefully ending up with some cute and functional AND practice my technique and try out some color choices.<br />
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No pictures this week, but keep your eye on the blog for the coffee table transformation! And don't forget to join in below with your own "never do list" project!<br />
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</script>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-21794922951250665052010-08-14T18:38:00.000-07:002010-08-14T18:38:58.786-07:00Just Call Me "Mombot"I admit it. I like reading my monthly <i>Technology Review</i>. On my Kindle.<br />
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In the August edition, I discovered that I am absolutely amazing.<br />
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Would you like to know why?<br />
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*drumroll*<br />
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I can fold a towel. In less than 20 minutes. YES!!<br />
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It turns out that robotics experts are excited to have finally developed a robot that can fold a towel properly in twenty minutes or less. Very complex algorithms are involved in order for the robot to determine the edge of the towel. They're hoping to teach it how to fold shirts next. <br />
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The bad news is that it doesn't look like we'll be automating laundry any time soon. Rosie, may we meet someday!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjl0hVDVrPl3Wbr08M3m4KrWD3m5eqT7Mugmb9dwduqC7a1mONm3GeMUpB9S6cDhtxXPxZLOakWD1mHJMNm-DyUKnc6eZX1MiHWIMelgrHByDm0fe4B7WnwCpgZhp9LgtuhBVZ4pmA0a9f/s1600/rosie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjl0hVDVrPl3Wbr08M3m4KrWD3m5eqT7Mugmb9dwduqC7a1mONm3GeMUpB9S6cDhtxXPxZLOakWD1mHJMNm-DyUKnc6eZX1MiHWIMelgrHByDm0fe4B7WnwCpgZhp9LgtuhBVZ4pmA0a9f/s320/rosie.jpg" /></a></div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-16366378906016667392010-08-10T17:47:00.000-07:002010-08-10T17:50:23.814-07:00Vacations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiWRKpy5GiLhBX29Tons2nCXhJuHoWir6qRzlry2d0t1SFG1tlqGCBZjXDq2z7Qb3L-hjx6cjX8Je7ViqbBYG2YuBv_GqdwNIVNSYba_3x2OCM8zuDQxJXQEtyM2yJ-5VBwQZjVRrKOkg/s1600/111_4941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiWRKpy5GiLhBX29Tons2nCXhJuHoWir6qRzlry2d0t1SFG1tlqGCBZjXDq2z7Qb3L-hjx6cjX8Je7ViqbBYG2YuBv_GqdwNIVNSYba_3x2OCM8zuDQxJXQEtyM2yJ-5VBwQZjVRrKOkg/s320/111_4941.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>"Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from." </i>-- Seth Godin</div><br />
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We are huge fans of Dave Ramsey around here. Our 2 year-old daughter recognizes his voice on the radio. Then shouts with glee, "Dave Ramsey Show!"<br />
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I also "follow" the Dave Ramsey Show on facebook, and the producer Blake usually puts up a couple quotes to ponder for the day. 90% of the time, I (and about 90% of the other fans) love the quote.<br />
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Then a couple of days ago he shared the Seth Godin quote listed above. My immediate reaction was...haha, come and potty train my toddler and feed my baby in the middle of the night and then get back to me about vacations, Seth! I love my life. I also love vacations. Furthermore, I think vacations are very important in allowing me to realize I love my life.<br />
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I was thinking about this point last Friday, after Jon took the afternoon off from work so we could all go down to the beach (and try out our awesome new beach umbrella, thank you World Market!). It was payday, and I make a habit of not cooking dinner on payday (Shhhh! Don't tell Dave!). So after we were done throwing sand in the air and rinsing the algae off our legs from splashing in the surf, it was time to get some dinner.<br />
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I wanted Panera Bread. Jon wanted Taco Bell. <br />
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Compromise time!<br />
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He dropped me off and drove down the street. They are so amazingly quick at Panera Bread that I had several minutes to sit and sip on my delicious frozen lemonade.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0ibGODyvCI1ZOdVTh0HN5HKRQJYyLI8PhS-q6UKAv4_pr-kVpwKUgQcaWlFmaTpmNoAKsD3Ny-7awuQrNlwxsrdl3fK_VveqQSERIG6EZrCX-yvjQfFecw738CKcX44PRcBi_O9ZhWBm/s1600/Photo+album+Striped+socks+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0ibGODyvCI1ZOdVTh0HN5HKRQJYyLI8PhS-q6UKAv4_pr-kVpwKUgQcaWlFmaTpmNoAKsD3Ny-7awuQrNlwxsrdl3fK_VveqQSERIG6EZrCX-yvjQfFecw738CKcX44PRcBi_O9ZhWBm/s320/Photo+album+Striped+socks+025.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Yes, it's just as good as it looks. Anyway, as I was sipping away the thought came unbidden -- <i>What a wonderful, lovely afternoon. I am so happy.</i><br />
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And it was true. But given how hectic it is to take two very young children to the beach, deal with the sand, the gear, the sand...I might not have noticed how lovely the day was if I hadn't had five minutes to pause and relax.<br />
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That's what good vacations do.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-22382948358485772142010-08-09T06:49:00.000-07:002010-08-09T06:49:06.442-07:00No Better Time Monday: On Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IhN7OAKENFPsHNw6GWiI9WQjEUDjglAySIUJyKU5XQliyZ79MksodBFzx3JPawoixjRTtrvg8PCTjDeYfei1jFv0wJxXhqQxWyka_tzGqTZ2VPLBi-dwCAHP55uclWfoYd1B_IYzhH_-/s1600/NoBetterTime2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IhN7OAKENFPsHNw6GWiI9WQjEUDjglAySIUJyKU5XQliyZ79MksodBFzx3JPawoixjRTtrvg8PCTjDeYfei1jFv0wJxXhqQxWyka_tzGqTZ2VPLBi-dwCAHP55uclWfoYd1B_IYzhH_-/s320/NoBetterTime2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I've never been one to scrapbook or really spend any amount of time recording memories. If I was really, really ambitious, I might actually put some photos in a photo album. Without even adding so much as a date or "what under the heavens this event was and why I am covered in mud" comment.<br />
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But I'm coming to realize that an activity is enjoyed most fully in three parts: Anticipation. Participation. <i>Recollection</i>.Or, future, present, past. I previously considered the "Recollection" phase to be a time sink that keeps you from doing more of the "Participation" phase. Perhaps because I am now a mother, or simply because I am older, or maybe I was just blessed with an "aha" moment in the middle of the night...but I think was wrong. <br />
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I still don't <i>have </i>a lot of time to devote to recording events for future perusal, so I was excited to find <a href="http://www.beckyhiggins.com/projectlife/">Project Life.</a> Which also happily takes care of my lack of creativity when it comes to making picture layouts!<br />
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Putting the book together was a breeze, taking up about two nap times. Printing out the pictures to bring the album up to date took one more nap time thanks to my new all-in-one printer (I wanted to start my year at the end of June, when we moved across the country). I've kept the pictures up, picking a "daily picture" almost every day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTv_zaQ7up_ra0dRdvJlWJnwcCF6As7xDXjqhxT4i0FsMyDjdeu6fbJQcCtUaaxuLfbniME_JSyOUaqOQqnAZg4T3qGZGxVWzn0Jo1tZ9B0Wcrkt8xS3XnAdEkuG5qhYj_IiwSLuoiQtx/s1600/Photo+album+Striped+socks+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTv_zaQ7up_ra0dRdvJlWJnwcCF6As7xDXjqhxT4i0FsMyDjdeu6fbJQcCtUaaxuLfbniME_JSyOUaqOQqnAZg4T3qGZGxVWzn0Jo1tZ9B0Wcrkt8xS3XnAdEkuG5qhYj_IiwSLuoiQtx/s320/Photo+album+Striped+socks+021.jpg" /></a></div><br />
"No Better Time Monday" comes into this project because I have not found or made the time to catch up on the journaling cards for July. And sure enough, it only took another nap time once I admitted I didn't have to (and likely didn't have the talent to) make every entry witty and Pulitzer-prize worthy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6R6OOaGeOq6wL6KgzNv_gILUZy2etSwJj2c2-F3ymkVd37CzzgN8rNiFsY19b32vYEfmziLrLDFXN7xEdCtZhlaMwclH2TWWEnQ31PY2B67jRqAtXW-nDtYyP5IKgG-sB_Qcg7lvtwIbE/s1600/Photo+album+Striped+socks+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6R6OOaGeOq6wL6KgzNv_gILUZy2etSwJj2c2-F3ymkVd37CzzgN8rNiFsY19b32vYEfmziLrLDFXN7xEdCtZhlaMwclH2TWWEnQ31PY2B67jRqAtXW-nDtYyP5IKgG-sB_Qcg7lvtwIbE/s320/Photo+album+Striped+socks+022.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It is really wonderfully satisfying to be able to sit down and look over our first month in our new home together. So I've made myself a promise: no more rolls of film sitting around for six years (or waiting on an SD card) in this family! :)<br />
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Did you knock off a project on your "never do" list this week? Tell us all about it and add a link below!<br />
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</script>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-90110309970981492672010-08-02T05:54:00.000-07:002010-08-02T05:54:50.345-07:00No Better Time Monday: Starting off BIG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcV8kTTrnYbaqfx-ZCxEQwgCcOeBegwCPl-vnsxejF2rpaYBXTMA8k9zgD9EqoC_u_6OEpKxDKhDIgXAGjD48WCxATewrOQIDu8PJ9L-aIJB2waHo5S1AQBmSZ8_Nz4S4wNnBfjtaMQy2H/s1600/NoBetterTime2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcV8kTTrnYbaqfx-ZCxEQwgCcOeBegwCPl-vnsxejF2rpaYBXTMA8k9zgD9EqoC_u_6OEpKxDKhDIgXAGjD48WCxATewrOQIDu8PJ9L-aIJB2waHo5S1AQBmSZ8_Nz4S4wNnBfjtaMQy2H/s320/NoBetterTime2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Welcome to the first edition of "No Better Time Mondays": a weekly challenge to get something done from that list of things we never get done. I want to first make it clear that this doesn't have to be something that you don't want to do...it could be something that you enjoy doing but just can't quite find the time for. Nor does it have to be something big. In my personal experience, <i>most </i>of the things I put off turn out to take way less time than I had imagined.<br />
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What I chose to do this week, however, was Big (yes, I meant to capitalize that word) and time-consuming.<br />
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*drum roll*<br />
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Potty Training. It seems like that should be a four-letter word...<br />
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We've been<i> sort of</i> potty training for several months now. Which means that whenever we thought about it, we'd put Aurelia on the potty and she would usually go so she could get a marshmallow for a treat. I didn't get serious about training her until we finished moving, but we've been here for a month now and I'm honestly Done with wrestling with her to change a diaper. So Friday through Sunday was designated "Potty School" weekend.<br />
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Several friends recommended using the "Potty Training 1-2-3" system, so I queued up the free online video and took careful notes of what to do, reassured by all of the smiling testimonials in the video from moms whose children were fully trained within a day -- maybe two. Yay!<br />
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Prepared for a couple days of not getting anything else done, we went to the store Thursday night to let Aurelia pick out treats to use as rewards. And "special" drinks to help create the "urge to go". And princess pull-ups and princess panties.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLZHKdXFrWhQesknZJERGEYtBBRwF4ZCeAANoCKtWRpqwj1lNcP46caNaidp1p_U0gzjtLuWRG7LtCgtWVhSVmMjV7HtpJFeqoxJRcLTVbAyXj71RQ0QQ1dUc89xtI0Ejt_EvL15A9nUh/s1600/Miscellaneous+around+the+house+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLZHKdXFrWhQesknZJERGEYtBBRwF4ZCeAANoCKtWRpqwj1lNcP46caNaidp1p_U0gzjtLuWRG7LtCgtWVhSVmMjV7HtpJFeqoxJRcLTVbAyXj71RQ0QQ1dUc89xtI0Ejt_EvL15A9nUh/s320/Miscellaneous+around+the+house+003.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>That's: Milk, Water and Juice. What chance does a toddler's bladder stand against </i><i>that onslaught?</i></div><br />
Starting Friday morning, I spent every waking hour asking "Are you dry and clean?" every ten minutes. We read "Olivia" a few thousand times while Aurelia sat on the big potty. She checked her teddy bear for "clean and dry".<br />
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Saturday, it was Daddy's turn.<br />
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Sunday, we double-teamed.<br />
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Today...she still won't tell us when she needs to go potty. No #2 in the toilet yet. "No" is the only answer I ever get when I ask if she needs to go potty (unless it means she can get out of bed during nap time, of course).<br />
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So for me, the first "No Better Time Monday" wasn't much of a success. It had to be done...but it is still not done. I think next week my challenge will be something Small and Quick. And Enjoyable.<br />
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Have a nice week!<br />
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</script>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-46118170182068896102010-07-30T06:47:00.000-07:002010-07-30T06:47:14.908-07:00Fitness Friday: Make Me Think edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVklIWp28WxyNuf-2Xf4UZqHMyY6PicoCxYXPgxKZmOEgTYN2YTxkJdhvWoIzv-6CtTFJtSSEvjdMX35KZqT1YOG8kEAVTm_4d7ROGnu1aNJtA4IzHlXshI9U0cwVIqxh63OVVY8Dzh4i/s1600/FitnessFridayNewButton2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVklIWp28WxyNuf-2Xf4UZqHMyY6PicoCxYXPgxKZmOEgTYN2YTxkJdhvWoIzv-6CtTFJtSSEvjdMX35KZqT1YOG8kEAVTm_4d7ROGnu1aNJtA4IzHlXshI9U0cwVIqxh63OVVY8Dzh4i/s320/FitnessFridayNewButton2.png" /></a></div><br />
Brenda at <a href="http://familyrevised.blogspot.com/2010/07/fitness-friday-something-version.html">The Family Revised</a> must have decided I've been getting too much sleep lately. So she created a Fitness Friday task that kept me up at night, trying to figure out how to write a post on the given topic(s)..."Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue."<br />
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Most of my ideas involved taking pictures, but the batteries on my camera completely died (hmm...might that have to do with Project Life?) and I only got to the store to replace them last night. So I'm going with the "popped into my head at 3am when I was up with Blaise" version. It was all very eloquent and witty in my head then, but now we're back in the real world.<br />
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An "old" challenge to my fitness: lack of time to exercise. Fortunately, this obstacle has been overcome by a combination of a son who likes to wake up for the day at 5am and my Wii Fit (yes, I'm still enamored with my Wii, so please forgive me if you're tired of hearing about it).<br />
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A "new" challenge to my fitness: in the short term, potty training my daughter. I'm trying the Potty Training 1-2-3 system starting today, with a goal of her being completely trained by Monday. Unfortunately a side effect is that we have a bunch of sugary and salty treats in the house, which I normally <i>never</i> have around, and they are already serving as a major temptation. Which is, of course, why I never have them in the house. Also, most of my time and energy will be focused on the training, so it will be tough to keep up with my exercise goals.<br />
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I'm hoping that my developing understanding of how little things can add up quickly will help me abstain. Again, love the Wii Fit option of having a food item goal to represent calories burned!. Also, I started weighing myself on the Wii twice a day -- before I exercise and after I've logged 45 minutes, and I love seeing the difference. For me, this is an excellent motivator to avoid blowing all my work on snacking.<br />
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Okay, now we're on "something borrowed". I'm borrowing some wisdom from <a href="http://www.geneenroth.com/">Geneen Roth</a>, my favorite food counselor and a very talented writer. To stop compulsive eating, she teaches that you must first learn to love food. Stop and enjoy every bite, savor each moment, and be aware of how your body really responds to food.<br />
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Finally, "something blue". This one is easy:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NutrFajoT3wPXouAXJCPXzTu5cRmzjJYklXOXshIKlpPCcHHnSO1s1LGng1TMnN2sba2hRakDIWOovAuBSc2YkT9WpRZmSv9HcAqEM4KpjE789GLyHYF6IS7Nd7QMLdZoZf0JgNkMz_U/s1600/IMG_9990-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NutrFajoT3wPXouAXJCPXzTu5cRmzjJYklXOXshIKlpPCcHHnSO1s1LGng1TMnN2sba2hRakDIWOovAuBSc2YkT9WpRZmSv9HcAqEM4KpjE789GLyHYF6IS7Nd7QMLdZoZf0JgNkMz_U/s320/IMG_9990-1.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">In the end, laughter and joy are more important than weight and inches.</div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8638392514334676812.post-52323103342686318602010-07-29T11:35:00.000-07:002010-07-30T05:29:47.648-07:00Countdown to NBTM!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj11sW0HqDAQsbby3YEDq2t8hFiX-Hukm4alIZXq2N5lksgUoLJAlLsHq_brWufrWJr1aJGkxGlCImCLUTSyl0hxXlc4RRzCegY1h5PygxGuYrD43CY83FZV9flwKeYALzw-iT-SkwU_O3/s1600/NoBetterTime2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj11sW0HqDAQsbby3YEDq2t8hFiX-Hukm4alIZXq2N5lksgUoLJAlLsHq_brWufrWJr1aJGkxGlCImCLUTSyl0hxXlc4RRzCegY1h5PygxGuYrD43CY83FZV9flwKeYALzw-iT-SkwU_O3/s320/NoBetterTime2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Just 3 more days until we kick off "No Better Time Mondays"! Don't forget to pick a procrastination project to finish up, and drop by next week to share a link with us!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00706163780474900572noreply@blogger.com0