Long Gone and probably continuing

I haven't posted here in months, if not almost a year. With two kids, a wonderful husband, 2 cats, a dog, a house and a homeschool to take care of... you get the picture. HaShem convicted me that the internet is just too much of a trap. I still read blogs and spend too much time on facebook, but i've got a lot of the time wasting under control. Maybe someday soon I'll figure out how to take some of that facebook time and put it to better use here. Till then, shalom!

Pay It Forward - handmade gifts

I rarely try to comment on giveaways, but I had to comment on how much I appreciate Femininity in a Feminist World when she was doing the Pay it Forward post, because I do appreciate it. And then, I ended up being one of the first 3, so here we go:

The first three people to comment on this post will win a homemade gift from me. The rules say I have to get that gift to you within 365 days, but I hope to do better then that. I won't make a promise though!

Then, those three people will hold a "Pay It Forward" giveaway and send another three people homemade gifts. I thought it might be a fun way to have to find time to make something fun.

So leave a comment, and let me know how you are doing!

(Blogger seems to be having issues at the moment, so I can't see the link icon. I'll try to update it later, but meanwhile, here is the address to the above mentioned blog: http://femininityinafeministworld.blogspot.com/2009/02/pay-it-forward.html)

Husband Encouragment Challenge: Day 15

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
2 Peter 3:18a

My Favorite is an amazing man of God. He has a wisdom that is beyond his years of age, and it is a blessing to me almost daily. We have been together since I was 15, so I have had a chance to see him in the ups and downs of a walk of faith, and it has been amazing.

Right now, it is just amazing to watch him work hard to figure out how to be a Daddy who translates his faith to his little girls. I am not sure there is anything that could bring tears to a mama's eyes faster then seeing her little girl on Daddy's knee learning about God. Tears of thanks and joy and amazement. Growing up, I didn't even know to ask for a husband, let alone pray for one who could lead me the way My Favorite does. Not only is he a wonderful leader, he makes it easy to do my job of following, of submitting. I love his view on scripture, on parenting, on life situations. I have learned and grown in numerous ways because of this man.

He is purposeful in his love of me and the girls. He actively loves me as Christ loves the church, I can only hope to grown in my ability to follow him as the church should follow Christ.

Lord, thank you for my wonderful husband. You have created in him an amazing example of a Godly man. I see his desire to love you more, to understand his role as husband and daddy, to be more of what you want every day. I pray, my King, that you would help me to be the wife he needs to be the husband you command he be. You are a gracious giver of awesome gifts, and he is truly one of my favorites. In the name of Yeshua the Messiah, amen.

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30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge: The Rules

• You can't say anything negative about your husband ...to your husband...or to anyone else, about your husband.
• Say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband...to your husband...and to someone else, about your husband!
  

Husband Encouragment Challenge: Foot in Mouth Disease

Here is the verse that came with the Challenge email today:

"With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love."
Ephesians 4:2

So what had I done yesterday that made this a perfect verse for today? Lied.

Yep, I told, or allowed for, what the world would call a "white lie." To my wonderful husband, no less. This is a sign of foot-in-mouth disease because I had just been "enjoying" the other wonderful sin of judgment earlier this week. One of our friends lies often and I had the audacity to say, out loud, "Hmm, I have my weaknesses, but that isn't one of them. I don't understand that one at all" (not to her of course, adding talking-behind-the-back to my list) Yeah, I know. I can see you cringe and groan.

So yesterday I found myself in a quickly snowballing lie. The worst part, if there can be a worst part since it is all awful, is that it is completely tied to the wonderful Valentines present he got me. He completely surprised me with an ipod full of audiobooks from behemoth.com, our new favorite site. He is so good at presents, I had no idea at all that he had that up his sleeve. None. I was totally caught off guard, blessed, surprised. I felt like a little girl on Christmas morning actually. To quickly tarnish it.

God gave me multiple opportunities to get out of the lie quickly, but I didn't even see what was happening. I do struggle with the sin of "fear of man." I am quick to care more about what others think, or how they feel, then to be or say or do what I know I should. And that is what the lie came out of. Honestly, I hadn't made the mental connection to fear of man being a sin until we were watching What is Biblical Femininity? this week, and one of the women brought up that it is a sin of selfishness.

I woke up this morning realizing what had happened, and knowing what needs to happen. I am really ashamed, embarrased and surprised at myself. My Favorite is currently sleeping, with a little girl curled up next to him. So I can't confess at the moment. I sent him an email confession, not to get out of doing it (pray I don't), but in hopes that it would help me not be able to talk myself out of it. This is not something I am willing to give a foothold to. Please pray for strength, this is the first time I have confessed anything in the 4 1/2 years of marriage.

Yep, 4 1/2 years today. Good morning handsome husband, Happy Valentines Day, we've had a great 4 1/2 years... I lied. Just what I was going for.

Husband Encouragment Challenge: Day 10

I'm not sure how I am doing on this challenge. I do know that I am way more aware of what I am saying and thinking then 10 days ago, and for that I will be thankful. I really appreciate the emails reminding me every day to check my heart and my spirit as well as my words and actions.

"Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant!"
Song of Solomon 1:16a

I think I tell him all the time, but just in case he doesn't know, I love how handsome my husband is! He is built just the right height for me, I tuck under his arm perfectly. He has broad shoulders and is built nice and sturdy. I appreciate that. His strong hugs and sturdy hands make me feel safe. His hands are just comforting, it might seem silly, but they are. When he reaches over and grabs my hand while we're driving, I feel happy and loved and protected and a whole lot more emotions that I wouldn't expect. Such a simple thing really.

For example, just this last weekend, we had an opportunity to go to the grocery store together, without the girls. It had been a while I guess, because I was just giddy! It felt like ages since I had held his hand and walked next to him. It hasn't really been ages, but I was able to really concentrate on us, on him, on how he makes me feel. I've been living off those few moments all week.

Thank you Lord, for giving me a husband who grows more handsome to me every day.

Husband Encouragment Challenge: Day already behind

I want to be purposeful about this encouragment, and for me, taking time to write it down is important. But I have 2 kiddos and that just can't happen the way I might wish it could. And I am determined to be perfectly content with that!

"Let him labor, working with his hands what is good . . ."
Ephesians 4:28b

My wonderful husband is a computer programmer/developer. He LOVES his work, and could do it day and night. Guys who do this kind of work have amazing brains, at least mine is always trying to figure out how to make it better and easier and more efficient. He thinks about everything, and makes everyone around him have to think. And that is a good thing, in my book.

One of my favorite moments in the day is when Teeny asks where Daddy is going. "To work" he replies. "Why?" she has asked since she was very young. "So you can have a roof over your head and food to eat." is the reply. One of my new favorite verses is this:

"But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content."
1 Timothy 6:8

My husband works hard, loves what he does, always wants to do more and better and does it for God and his family. We are blessed in his willingness to do so. Our cupboards and freezers are full, as are our closets and dressers. We have more then contendedness, moving on to abundance and an opportunity to share with others. Even in these hard times, he, under God's blessing, provides and protects us 3 gals here at home.

One of my desires is to become better, and more efficient and more frugal with what I have been given as a job (housework, groceries, food, serving, training kids) so that what he works so hard for can go further and grow stronger and continue on in generations to come. With all he has on his shoulders, he is still more then willing to advise and help me in my areas of responsibility. My goodness, what a blessed woman I am!

To My Favorite

"The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."
Proverbs 31:11-12

I started that challenge today. You said it would be major, and I'm knowing it will be even bigger then that. You more then anyone know how negative and judgmental I can be. But there is a better way, and you deserve it!

You aren't here for me to tell you how thankful I am for you. But I am. Who would have thought all those years ago that we would be here today? I have learned so much, and can only thank God and you for bringing me to who I am today.

There are so many things you do that bless me, things I probably never mention, that I could write post after post after post. But for today, I'll share the following. You do it often, but a few months ago, I stopped whatever I was doing to listen to you with our oldest girl. You were doing something in the kitchen and she was not behaving well. It was one of those moments where I feel like pulling my hair out :0) Instead, I heard you purposefully calm, and slow your words down, talking to her with such deliberate love. I was impressed and greatly encouraged. Not because you talk to her without love, but because it helped me remember to be purposeful with my words and the attitude behind them. And it reminded me that God has abundantly blessed me with you.

Thanks for taking care of us, I love you. And I love being your wife!

30 Day Husband Encouragment Challenge: Day 1

I happen to love the book "Lies women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free" by Nancy DeMoss. It was one of the first books I got last week in my experimenting with paperbackswap, just so I can have it on hand. Well, it turns out Miss DeMoss has a 30 day husband encouragment challenge on her site, and I'm going to try.

I heard about it on My Pursuit Of..., a blog I found because of Before Five in a Row (BFIAR). So Robin took the challenge along with a friend. I don't know either of them, but know it is a challenge that could only be good.

Here are the rules:

* You can't say anything negative about your husband ...to your husband...or to anyone else, about your husband.
* Say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband...to your husband...and to someone else, about your husband! (I'm assuming this means you should say something)

Yeah, read that again. NOTHING negative to anyone. I can't tell you how long I sat there looking at the rules thinking, "Yeah, I know that's what God wants... but could I actually do it? Do I really want to take that on?"

I am incredibly negative. More so then even I realize. Now, I don't think it will be hard not to say anything negative about My Favorite, he is pretty amazing. I couldn't have ever dreamed of any man as perfect for me as him. But to give you an idea of what kind of a challenge this is, I'll let you know me nickname used to be Eeyore.

Well, may this be a new start to a grumpy whiney heart.

I'm a Gentile

I think most of the people who read this little blog are Torah Observant/Messianic. As you can see over there on the side bar, my two followers are :0) Anyway, in case there is someone who stops by who isn't and wonders what a Gentile is doing following that old part of the bible, check out this post by First Fruits of Zion. I love the clarity and understanding they bring to issues that seem so confusing when I look at them.

I am a Gentile, and I give thanks to HaShem that He would be willing to graft me into the common wealth of Israel. What an awesome God!

Menu Plan Monday: 3 days alone

So My Favorite is out of town for a few days, which makes the house emptier then I like and makes dinner planning easier. Why? Because I like to have food ready for him as soon after he gets off, knowing he is (and we are) hungry and knowing how wonderful it was when he did that for me. Back when we both worked and had no little ones. But if he's not here, and Teeny really doesn't eat dinner anyway, I can be more relaxed and eat whatever.

But I invited my SIL and niece to dinner tonight so we will be dining on some corn tortilla quesadillas with tomato soup. Num.

Monday: Tomato Soup w/ quesadillas
Tuesday: Family Night with my dad, mom is out of town
Wednesday: Bean soup over brown rice (rice from freezer leftovers of last weeks stir fry!)
Thursday: Roast w/ carrots and potatoes
Friday - Sunday: Sandwiches, Congo Squares, Chili Dip (out of town for really late Christmas party)

Head over to orgjunkie.com for more ideas!

For The Love of Beets: Beet Salad with Feta, Quinoa and Walnuts

(Pic from Salt and Pepper, a random blog that had a great picture. Check out her salad!)

We got this recipe with one one of our CSA boxes 2 years ago, and we still have it a couple times a month. The first time we made it, it was supposed to be a lunch with my good friend who is a vegetarian. As things go, it ended up being dinner and she brought her boyfriend. In an attempt to make this a meal for many, we quickly made some quinoa (we like red or black better then white) and stirred it all in together. Oh my! It has been a hit with anyone who has had it. I'll include the epicurious.com recipe, but I don't measure the sauce ingredients anymore. I put a lot more in to make up for the added grain. Give it a try!

BEETS AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS WITH FETA

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (preferably whole-grain or coarse-grain)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb onions (one medium), quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch small whole beets, scrubbed and trimmed to leave 1 inch of stem
2 oz crumbled feta (about 1/3 cup)
1/8 cup pine nuts (1 oz), toasted and coarsely chopped (we use walnuts)

Roast, steam or boil beets ahead of time. Or use canned. We freeze them when we get a lot during the summer.

Make quinoa according to package directions. (I saved the directions off the first box we bought, and then bough bulk after that).

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then add 1 tablespoon oil, whisking until combined well.

Cook onions with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add onions to dressing, then add beets and cheese, stirring gently to combine. Serve sprinkled with nuts.

Menu Plan Monday: Friends week

We got a lot of dinner invites this week. Love it! However, we are starting this week with my husband's family, to eat healthier. Calorie counting for them, and since I am nursing a little one still, exercise, drinking water and avoiding sugar and white flour for me. So eating at other's houses is difficult. We already don't eat pork, and it is so not fun to ask for exceptions being made for yourself when invited somewhere. So pray things go well and we can take care of these bodies HaShem gave us!

Sunday: Dinner with friends
Monday: Stir fry w/ peanut sauce*, super firm tofu and rice
Tuesday: Dinner with friends
Wednesday: Beet Salad (roasted beets w/ carmalized onions, walnuts, quinoa and feta)
Thursday: Family Night
Friday: Dinner with friends
Shabbat Oneg: Not entirely sure yet

* Found this very informal recipe when looking for a stir fry sauce without soy sauce. I don't remember where it came from: mix peanut butter (or any nut/seed butter) with some fresh minced ginger, minced garlic, a bit of honey, some apple cider or rice vinegar, and salt. NUM!

Don't forget to check out all the other menu plans on I'm an Organizing Junkie. Looks like she is having a neat give away this week!

Appropriate Bathroom Decor

I like the idea of having a few decorations here and there, but I am really picky and have a style that even I can't pinpoint. In fact, the colors in our bathroom were inspired by a gift that was meant as a gag.

The Pregnancy Resource Center I interned with before we were married threw me a surprise bridal shower. But we hadn't registered anywhere and apparently they had been trying to get out of me our colors. Like I said, I have a style in my head that I can't even figure out. So one of the wonderful ladies got fed up with me and bought one set towels (bath, hand, washcloth) in the brightest colors she could find. Orange, turquoise and yellow I think. I loved them! We registered for a full set of them, plus bright green.


All that to say, I thought these recycled toilet paper/button flowers (at Plum Pudding) were great decor for a bathroom! So I made one big flower, and one plain button flower and put them in a Oaxacan black clay vase we brought back from our honeymoon to Puerta Vallarta. I wouldn't mind making some more, they were very fun.

Here are a few other trinkets and items in our bathroom. All are from Mexico. Why do I love these colors?! My personality totally doesn't match, but my bright turquoise front-room does :0) Sorry, the flash is kinda washing everything out.

A gift from an American woman while on a 2 1/2 month mission trip in Mexico. She was used to very high class living, and was amazingly brave to spend a week with us smack dab in village life. It was even the week where our bathroom was out of service and we had to use an outhouse that we shared with 100+ kids. Amazingly brave. She was a blessing to us in many ways.

A little box bought by my mom when she came to visit me while I was on that misson trip. She gave it to me for Christmas the next year. I love boxes, don't know why.

A nativity scene from my mom.


My Favorite and I bought these from a lady in Puerta Vallarta on our honeymoon. If I remember right, she was selling them for her brother-in-law and had tables and tables of these tiny paintings under the bridge by the river. They were being sold for too little money and some were quite detailed.

I forget how much I love these little reminders of our time down there, and how pleasing they all are to me. I like my bathroom, as far as liking bathrooms goes!

Handmade Alphabet

I have wanted to make these frozen juice lid magnets for so long. I got the idea, I don't know where actually. My head? But we don't buy frozen juice concentrate, so I asked my dad to save his. Turns out they don't buy it often anymore either, but thanks to the SGD Syndrome (Second Generation Depression Syndrome, coined by My Favorite :0) my dad has, he happened to have a whole bag of them in the garage. So off I went!

Each magnet is a magazine cutout of the letter. I love cutting pictures or scraps out of magazines, for some reason it is incredibly relaxing to me. My Favorite just laughs when he sees me sitting amidst a pile of magazines and a cloud of paper scraps. Anyhow, I was hoping that these would be prettier and more fun then the plastic version. I also was thinking that these magnets would be harder to swallow if a little Kitten, or Teeny, happened to pull them off. Which at this point would be more a danger for the 2 1/2 year old then the one who can't even crawl yet. As far as being fun, I don't think Teeny cares one way or the other. But I had a blast making them!

Here is a close up of one. Sorry about the bad lighting, my camera was being interesting:

And here is the back. I am very visual, so I like to see all sides of things.
If you study the first picture a little, you will notice the lineup is missing the J T X and Z. Some letters are harder to find then you would think! I could just print them out, but it was fun trying to find letters big enough and interesting enough. Well, those four I would just take if I found them big enough!

Supplies used:

• Frozen Juice Lids
• Magnet strips
• Letters cut from magazines
• Black paint
• Yes! Paste (for cutouts, great stuff)
• Modge Podge to cover (this wasn't necessarily the best choice, but they look very handmade :0)
  

Since she doesn't seem that interested in them as something to play with, I was happy that we found an impromptu game to play. Since she just learned all her letters and their sounds with the lovely Leapfrog DVD, as she was standing next to the fridge the other dayI asked her to find the letter that makes the "ull" sound. She happily found the "L." Then I asked for the letter that makes the "bu" sound. "Where it is? Where it is? Oh, here Mama" and she handed me the "B." We only did 4 letters, but I was proud of her.

The Amazing Leapfrog Letter Factory

A says Ahh, A says Ahh every letter makes a sound... A says ahh!

If you've been reading long, you know we are planning to homeschool our children. Both of us are gradated (like that? I truly did not mean to spell it wrong, but think it wouldn't be right to change it. Too ironic) public school kids, public school college students, but we want something different for our kids. Wanting to be purposeful with learning, but not rigid at 2 yrs, I asked My Favorite what he wanted from this year. Teeny has most of her shapes (including "ocagone") down as well as her colors. His biggest thing was the alphabet. Sounds great!

Teeny has known the letters in her name for a while. But just the capital letters and not the sounds. We started using Before Five In A Row curriculum this last fall and although it does not officially go through letters, Homeschool Share has a go along for each book to help you incorporate it. So going into December, Teeny knew the capital (because I forgot about lower case) A, B, C, O, R, S, W and Y. But not the sounds.

Then my mother-in-law asked me to give her ideas for Christmas and I remembered my neice likeing Leapfrog's The Letter Factory. So come Christmas, we got the DVD and have been watching it since.

2 weeks into it and honestly, she knew all the letters, lower case and capitol, and all the sounds. I am not joking. Read the reviews, it isn't just her, although I'm sure she is a genious *smile* If you have anyone in your life trying to learn their letters, here is my recommendation. We have since ordered the 5 pack with all the other Leap DVDs. We shall see if they live up to the first one!

To Do: Jan 13

Sometimes I just need to see that I did something more then wash dishes:

1. Processed block of cheese (shredded for freezer)
2. Paid comcast bill (before bill went into the pit that is our desk!)
   
3. Prepared letter activity: D dragon w/ potato stamp
4. "Exercised" with Teeny and Principessa (Italian for "princess," our 4 yr old niece)
5. Let Teeny rinse breakfast dishes
6. Prepared calendar through April
7. Read a few chapters out of a real book
   

Today was the first time Teeny had ever asked to help with dishes, at least since she could actually reach the sink. So yeah, that is part of the daily washing dishes, but I was excited to remember she is so capable of doing things!

Okay, I got a lot done today actually! See why I write it out? It's a lot more fun to do after I finish, rather then before.

Menu Plan Monday

I'm feeling a bit nervous about doing this. Not the meal planning part, but putting a link on the orgjunkie.com site! I don't get a chance to post all that often... but I'm going to do it so maybe I'll be better about planning. Hopefully putting the plan up Monday afternoon is not too late.

I started meal planning 2 summers ago when we started getting a CSA from a local farm. I had to or it would just rot in our fridge! This summer, being pregnant and then with Kitten being a newborn, well, you know how it goes. So we are back at it.

I plan a month at a time, but don't shop a month at a time. Maybe someday. I just sat down to plan January because I have been stuck at my MILs house for a good portion of the last few weeks due to weather disasters. Makes for a fast month, in a way.

Here is this week:

Monday: Bean Soup (home canned) over rice w/ canned nectarines
Tuesday: Family Night Makeup*
Wednesday: Lasagna (frozen, home made by my mom)
Thursday: Family Night*
Friday: Beef Stew
Shabatt**: Beef Stew

*Family Night: Every Thursday we have Family Night, where we are either eating at my parent's house or my wonderful in-law's house. I try to go early and help the Grandma's make dinner, but it is nice to have one night a week where I am not soley responsible for dinner.

**Shabbat: We observe the Sabbath (Hebrew "Shabbat") from sundown Friday to sundown Sat. During that time, there are two meals I need to prepare for, before sundown on Friday: dinner on Friday and Oneg on Saturday. Oneg means delight, and while every minute of Shabbat is a delight, our congregation (and maybe others?) call the meal we share after service "Oneg." I'm still getting better at making things for this and have found it works nice to make a big pot of soup or something Friday for dinner and to take to service. We don't eat much food yet, even if we are a 4 person family.

Please check out orgjunkie.com for hundreds, literally, more meal plans!

Puzzle re-tried

Almost forgot! I only got her to do one, but thought I'd risk trying the recycled box puzzles again. But this time I put her in front of the computer where I brought the picture of the completed puzzle up, so she could see what I wanted her to do. I hadn't had time to print them yet. It worked!

Here's what she did:
Took one look at the picture.
Picks up top piece, "This goes hee-ya" (here) and puts it on the ground.
Picks up bottom piece, "This goes hee-ya" and puts it below the top piece, with a bit of space between them
(Picks up the final piece) "Hee-ya!" and puts it on top of the bit of space!

There wasn't enough room for that third piece, so it wasn't exactly together, but I could see that she totally got it! Good work Teeny!

Activity Success!

Today has gone much better then expected. Teeny Tiny woke up before we went to bed, drenched in sweat. My Favorite helped her change her clothes and cuddled with her while I changed the sheets. She fell right to sleep, but woke up around 7:00 am which was too early, especially because she felt sick. She didn't argue when I told her to go back to sleep.

When she woke up smiling at 8, we cuddled on the couch and read books. Kitten (our 5 mth old daughter :0) joined us when she woke up, although all she wanted was to eat the books. Just like her big sister did!

Teeny had seen the basket of activities and kept wanting to try them, so we set up in the front room after sending her Cow (2 yr old ACD pup) outside. I don't have a work rug that is used in Montessori work, but like the idea, so used a blanket. It was not a good choice, as it moved around too easily when Teeny did.

First I got out the Toy Outline matching I had put together. I didn't have a drawstring bag, but put the items in a huge pillowcase. Not the best, but it worked for today.

She loved it! It was really easy for her, but she was proud of matching them all up. The first time I just had her grab something out and match it to the card. We did that twice. Then I laid out a card and she had to find that item in the bag without looking. Not a problem at all. So this might actually be too easy, but we'll play with it again since it is new.

She wanted to play with the car, for about 30 seconds, before she came looking for something else. So I got out the Hard/Soft Sorting. I had put only 3 of each in a basket, but ended up using everything from the pillowcase too. Reading Chasing Cheerios helped me remember to watch her face as she sorted, and it was actually fun to see her thinking.
It took her only a few seconds to figure it out, then she grabbed item after item putting them in the right bowl. "Hard. Soft. Hard, right?" That's how she does everything. "I like chockit, right?" So cute!

On to the next activity! I had pulled 5 sets of matching Dora cards out of Teeny's Dora game (she doesn't even know who Dora is yet) and showed her how to lay them out and then match them. Again, really easy for her. But that is good to know.

Activities to do

Tomorrow I am going to try out some of my Chasing Cheerios inspiration. Check out the site, because a lot of her ideas came from other Mama Blogs. Plus, it is a neat site.

Here is what I have gathered. Not sure how many days it will take, or if we'll do them all in 4 1/2 minutes, but hey, I did something!

Hard/Soft Sorting
Toy Outline Matching
Dora Matching (okay, not from the site, but Teeny was given a set for Christmas and now is the time to use it!)

Puzzle failure

I've seen these recycled box puzzles around the blogesphere, and was reminded of them again while reading Chasing Cheerios. So I made 3 of them, using different shapes in each.I will have to try it out on a different day though. I was so excited about them, that I tried yesterday when Teeny and I were both out of sorts with a cold. They might be to difficult for her anyway, but I'll give her another chance when she feels better. And I actually took these pics to print out a small version so she can see what she is trying to make. I thought that might make it possible.

Have a cup of Chock-it

Its been a great while since I've posted, and I have no idea if i'll get around to posting more, but here's a beautiful girl drinking some hot chock-it that she poured herself. I was quite pleased with how well she did pouring from the little tea pot. I actually spilled more my first time then she did. Pouring is going well, knowing when to be finished pouring is not! And she liked trying to get the marshmallows into her mouth while drinking, so a bib with pocket is required.

One of my new favorite sites is Chasing Cheerios, I have spent 3 days reading through the archives of Toddler Activities, Montessori and such. I hadn't thought of having her pour liquids herself, which is so silly, until I read this the other day. I love sites like this because they remind me that Teeny Tiny can do so much more then I give her credit for, or opportunity to try. And, sometimes, it gives me an ounce more patience while having her do new things. Instead of taking it personally which is really lame, but what my first reaction is.